บท 49: 49. The Eve of the Challenge
There are various stones in the booth, but they are not as big as Flint's and look relatively delicate.
There are also some handicrafts—necklaces, bracelets, rings, and other items—all made from ore. Ash's eyes fell on a necklace.
A black elastic rope strung it together, and the pendant below was carved out of a material similar to transparent glass. It was a cylindrical pendant about the length of an index finger, but there was nothing inside.
"How much is this?" Ash picked it up and asked.
"The customer has a keen eye. This is made of rare hard crystal. It's a pendant used to store rare gemstones and costs only 500 poke dollars," the boss said, immediately trying to sell the product.
People in this world are relatively honest. Of course, that doesn't mean there are no liars. For example, James has encountered them. However, in places like Pewter City, if rocks, minerals, and other items are fake, it is a serious crime to be found out.
After all, Pewter City is famous for its ore, and such dishonesty is not tolerated. Ash held the pendant in his hand.
This pendant was originally used to store various exquisite ores, but the quantity it can store isn't much. It's mainly for decoration, and the price isn't too high. Ash saw that the texture was indeed very hard.
"I'll take it!" He put away the pendant and paid for it immediately.
"Thank you for your patronage. Do you need to choose some matching gemstones? We have good quality at low prices!" The boss offered, seeing the sale.
"No thanks!"
"Okay, thank you for your patronage." Upon hearing Ash's response, the boss didn't say any more.
After shopping, Ash left. As for Misty, she didn't seem interested in these things.
For a girl like Misty, the perfume of Celadon City might attract her more than these jewels.
"Ash, why did you buy that?" Misty asked curiously, thinking Ash wasn't the type to care about appearances.
As Ash spoke, he took something out of his pocket and shook it in front of Misty. Misty looked and saw that it was the feather from the Pokémon that appeared in the rainbow before.
"I'm afraid I'll lose it in my backpack or pocket!" Responding to Misty, Ash opened the pendant and put the colored feather inside.
Although it wasn't shining now, the feather itself seemed to be carved out of diamonds, and it would appear to shine when placed in the light, looking like a gemstone when in the pendant.
The once empty and ordinary pendant instantly had a different aesthetic appeal. Misty's eyes lit up when she saw it.
After putting it away, Ash closed the pendant, hung it around his neck, and tucked it under his T-shirt.
This was just a small episode. The two soon came to the city center, which happened to have the Pokémon Center. They entered the Pokémon Center together and approached the front desk.
"My Pokémon are in your care, Nurse Joy," Ash said, finding Nurse Joy and handing over his Poké Balls.
Before he knew it, Ash had already tamed five Pokémon. Compared to Gary's taming style, it might be a bit slower, but it was much faster than the taming progress in the anime.
In the anime, in Pewter City, Ash only has Pikachu, Pidgeotto, and Butterfree, and now there are two more than in the anime.
Originally, with only Pikachu, he worried it would be difficult to deal with the Rock and Ground types. Pidgeotto didn't have much of an advantage against those types, but now he felt more confident.
"Nurse Joy, can you take care of my Pokémon?" Ash asked politely.
Ash was not surprised to see Nurse Joy, though it was hard to tell them apart except for the color of the cross on their hats, which was almost unnoticeable.
"Of course, Ash. Don't worry! Your Pokémon will recover soon," Nurse Joy responded enthusiastically. Misty also took out her own Poké Ball.
"Huh? Does Nurse Joy know Ash?" Misty asked, puzzled by Nurse Joy calling Ash by name.
"Yes! I heard about you from my sister in Viridian City. Thanks to you, Team Rocket didn't succeed!" Nurse Joy explained. The Pokémon from the Viridian City Pokémon Center had been teleported here after confirming the safety of Viridian City. Nurse Joy from Viridian City had also explained Ash and Misty's situation.
"So that's it!" Misty nodded knowingly.
"It's nothing. Pokémon training involves these kinds of challenges," Ash responded lightly, knowing there would be more such situations in the future.
"Alright! You can go to dinner now. Your Pokémon will be ready after your meal," Nurse Joy said, taking Ash and Misty's Poké Balls, along with Pikachu, and leaving with Chansey.
"Okay, let's go!" Ash said to Misty after Nurse Joy left.
The two went to the restaurant to have dinner together. About half an hour later, they noticed posters of the Pokémon League Conference posted in prominent places at the center. Many Trainers were looking at those posters, showing the attraction of the Pokémon League Conference.
"A lot of people are looking at the posters. It seems the League Conference is very competitive!" Misty observed.
"Yeah! But that's what makes it interesting," Ash said confidently. There are many Trainers in this world, but only a few can truly stand out. Those who participate in the League Conference are considered elite Trainers. It's even rarer to make it to the finals and win the championship, but the more competition, the more exciting it is.
Seeing Ash's confident demeanor, Misty felt a mix of admiration and curiosity. She didn't quite understand where his confidence came from, but it didn't feel like naive bravado.
When they returned to the front desk, they retrieved their Pokémon. Pikachu, now recovered, jumped onto Ash's shoulders. They decided to stay at the Pokémon Center, with Ash taking an early rest to recharge his batteries and prepare for tomorrow's gym battle.
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