"Na!"
Turtwig looked at Team Rocket being blasted away and seemed to exhale a burst of air from its nostrils in relief.
But then, when it turned around to look at Ash and the others, they noticed that Turtwig's gaze didn't seem very friendly either.
"Hey... is the situation a little off?"
Dawn couldn't help but shrink back after seeing this.
Dawn was still somewhat wary of the power Turtwig had shown when it used Tackle on Team Rocket's robot earlier.
"It looks like it considers us enemies too."
Brock calmly added.
"? ! Is now the time to be calm? Isn't this terrible? Someone quickly explain to it!"
"Pika~ Pi.. Pika~!"
Since Dawn said so, Pikachu stood in front of Turtwig and began to gesticulate to explain, but Turtwig didn't seem to buy it.
It felt that Pikachu was just being forced.
I mean, it heard them say they wanted to catch Pikachu while it was resting, which meant that Pikachu was the object to be protected, and they were the enemies.
Turtwig's personality seems to be unexpectedly stubborn.
Once it decides something, it seems to be completely deaf to what others say.
Seeing Turtwig start shaking its legs, preparing to attack them, Ash had no choice but to take out Aipom's Poké Ball to prepare for battle.
Sometimes what you do is more important than what you say.
Maybefter a fight, Turtwig will calm down?
"Oh my, may I ask what's happening here?"
A voice from behind suddenly interrupted Ash and the others' movements.
Turning around, they saw an old lady staring at them with a strange expression.
"Na!"
Seeing the suddenly appearing old lady, Turtwig pushed Pikachu from the other side of the road to her front, then pointed at Pikachu and then at Ash and the others, as if explaining something.
"Hmm? Hmm hmm... So you're saying you're protecting Pikachu?"
For some reason, even though Turtwig's movements weren't very clear in its explanation, the old lady seemed to understand what it was saying.
Before the old lady could question Ash and the others, Ash took out his Pokédex to explain:
"Wait, Turtwig misunderstood.
This is my Pokédex.
I'm a certified Pokémon Trainer by the Pokémon League.
Actually, just now..."
After Ash explained, the old lady finally understood what had happened, and with a wry smile, she walked up to Turtwig and explained that Ash and the others were not bad people.
Maybebecause Turtwig had been living with the old lady, it immediately realized its mistake, even though it hadn't listened to Ash and the others' explanations at all earlier.
It then lowered its head in fear and apologized to Ash.
"It's okay, you meant well.
But in the future, if you encounter similar situations, you should ask clearly first, and especially respect the opinions of those involved."
Ash glanced at Pikachu as he said this, and although Turtwig was a bit stubborn, it understood what Ash meant, so it also apologized to Pikachu.
"Yes, yes, it's much better now that it's a misunderstanding.
By the way, since we've met here, why don't you come to my house for afternoon Tea? I bought a lot of delicious snacks today."
"Snacks?!"
"We'll go!"
As soon as Ash and Dawn heard that there were snacks to eat, they agreed without thinking.
Brock was always willing to accept similar invitations.
Since Ash and Dawn had no objections, he naturally agreed as well.
In front of a small wooden house in the Forest, the steam and fragrance of black Tea slowly permeated the air.
Ash and the others sat at a small round table outside the wooden house, sipping black Tea and enjoying freshly baked cookies.
The elegant aroma of the Tea, combined with the soft and sweet taste of the cookies, made Ash and the others exhale in contentment.
Although they hadn't encountered any particularly troublesome events during their recent travels, and they shouldn't have felt physically or mentally tired, they still felt like life had been refreshed after this afternoon Tea.
"How is it? Does it suit your tastes? I've been living here alone for so long, I don't know if young people's tastes have changed."
"It's really delicious.
Both the Tea and the cookies are top-notch!
! Neither flavor is too overpowering, masking the other's taste.
It's wonderful to enjoy afternoon Tea like this in the Forest!"
Unlike Ash and Dawn, who only eat but don't express much, Brock gave a relatively professional compliment after a simple tasting.
The old woman named Yukino just smiled faintly upon hearing this.
Her mood was as tranquil and gentle as this peaceful Forest.
"That's good, that's good~ I have a lot of cookies here.
Just let me know if you don't have enough.
You can eat as much as you want."
Even though it was their first meeting, Yukino's attitude towards Ash and the others was very friendly.
Maybeit was her nature, or maybeshe was just happy to meet passersby she could chat with in this Forest.
"By the way, Miss Yukino, about that Turtwig...."
Dawn was enjoying the afternoon Tea, but she was also curious about the origin of that powerful Turtwig.
After observing it here for a while, Dawn Frisked that the Turtwig didn't seem to be Yukino's Pokémon.
Its personality and actions seemed very free and unrestrained.
After Yukino added food to its bowl, the Turtwig only ate a little bit itself and then distributed the remaining food to Pikachu and other Pokémon that occasionally appeared around.
Its role here was more like a nanny for this cabin... or maybe butler would be more appropriate?
"Ah, that child..." When talking about Turtwig, the smile on Yukino's face seemed to grow even brighter.
"That child is considered my friend.
One day in the past, I met it in the Forest when it was hungry, and then I gave it some food.
Since then, the Turtwig has been staying here with me, helping me take care of this house, this Lake, and even the surrounding Pokémon."
"Eh~ I see..."
Dawn said with some admiration after listening.
I thought Turtwig was Yukino's Pokémon, which is why it was helping her guard this place.
Turns out it was doing it because it received a favor?
Maybethis is the most correct relationship between humans and Pokémon.