"Wait a moment."
Although the gentleman quickly exchanged Butterfree back afterward, Ash didn't like the act of exchanging itself.
As someone who loves Pokémon, he wouldn't easily hand over his Pokémon to others.
(Infernape: ?)
So, something that was common sense to that uncle couldn't be considered common sense to Ash.
"What's wrong, Yu Feng?"
Ash was very surprised by Yu Feng, who came out to stop him, since, according to his usual behavior, he wouldn't interfere with such matters.
"You, if I don't manage you, you'll regret it terribly later."
Yu Feng was speechless at Ash's lack of basic knowledge and his unwillingness to learn.
If he just used his brain, he would know that a Pokémon traded away is no longer his. What's the point of raising it for so long then?
If you're going to trade it with someone anyway, why bother raising it?
Moreover, trading Butterfree for Raticate—under normal circumstances, no one would agree to that.
Butterfree's versatility is much higher.
"Think carefully. If Butterfree is traded away, it will no longer be your Pokémon. You have no idea if the next person will raise it well."
Yu Feng explained the pros and cons of trading to Ash, hoping he would realize what he truly wanted, rather than just doing what others told him, especially with Brock currently out of commission.
"Is that so?"
Hearing Yu Feng's words, Ash fell into a struggle. Yu Feng was right; setting aside whether he would like the Pokémon he traded for, he also didn't want to give his Pokémon to others.
He wanted to catch all Pokémon, and he wanted to achieve this dream with his own hands.
Having understood all of this, Ash suddenly felt enlightened. Even though he was currently in the ship's cabin, he felt a certain brightness.
"I'm very sorry, but I don't want to trade my Butterfree for your Raticate. It wouldn't be good for Butterfree."
"We've been through a lot together, and I already consider him family. I'm truly sorry."
Ash, having realized this, also apologized to the gentleman in time. After all, he had just been about to agree, but his views were quite different from the gentleman's.
To him, Pokémon were family and friends, so there was no way he could make the exchange.
"Hahaha, it's alright. This is a very normal thing. For people like me who trade often, there are also people who don't like to trade."
Hearing Ash's words, the gentleman laughed heartily and waved his hand, indicating that it was nothing. This kind of thing was very normal; there were those who liked to trade and those who didn't.
He just liked Ash's Butterfree a lot; if the other party didn't like to trade, he didn't intend to force it.
"That's right, since you consider him family, you must treat him well."
The lady who had been with the gentleman also spoke up. She quite liked Ash's attitude of treating Pokémon as family.
"Then we won't bother you any longer."
"We wish you a wonderful journey."
After giving Ash and his friends their blessings, the gentleman and the lady returned to continue attending their banquet.
"Ash, I really think you should learn some basic knowledge. And you, Brock, stop being such a lovesick fool; you almost made Ash trade Butterfree away."
Seeing Ash finally realize, Yu Feng was also very happy, but Ash really needed to learn some basic knowledge. If he hadn't been there today, would Ash really have traded Butterfree away?
And Brock, who gets lovesick whenever he sees a beautiful woman, you should at least check if she has a male companion.
Brock, scolded by Yu Feng, hunched into a ball and squatted dejectedly to the side. After all, Yu Feng was right; this time, he almost made Ash trade Butterfree away.
"Yu Feng, you know me. I really can't handle those facts. They know me, but I don't know them."
Ash scratched his head. Although he knew Yu Feng was right, studying was truly a troublesome thing for him. He recognized every word in the book, but when they were put together, he didn't understand them.
"After we get off this ship, you won't be able to sleep in anymore. During the day, either wake up and exercise with me, or I'll tutor you and review basic knowledge."
Seeing Ash's indifferent attitude, Yu Feng really couldn't hold back. He would be leaving Ash soon, and how could he feel at ease?
Especially with Brock constantly zoning out, and Xiao Xia not caring about these things, what would happen if something regrettable truly occurred?
"No!!!"
Seeing Yu Feng's attitude, Ash knew he couldn't escape this time and couldn't help but let out a mournful sound... "You big idiot, you must have been tricked."
"That's right, Meowth."
In an unmanned little corner, Jessie and Meowth surrounded a fawning James, loudly scolding him.
"But look, even the Poké Ball is gold. It's really great, all shiny."
James held a golden Poké Ball, explaining to Jessie and Meowth. As a young master, James didn't have many favorite things; besides collecting bottle caps, he liked collecting shiny things.
"Who are you trying to fool with this rotten thing?! Meowth!"
Meowth could no longer tolerate James's foolish behavior. With a claw, he scratched off the golden spray paint on the Poké Ball in James's hand, making him take a good look at what this 'golden' Poké Ball really was.
"Magikarp is just a useless thing that hops around. No one would buy such a Pokémon, do you know that?"
Seeing James's crestfallen face, Jessie was puzzled. Magikarp was notoriously weak; they wouldn't even bother catching one if they saw it. You could find a random spot, cast a net, and pull up dozens of Magikarp.
How could anyone want a Pokémon that was almost a nuisance?
"How could this be?"
James still couldn't believe he had been tricked. After all, he had already imagined the prospects the uncle who sold him the Magikarp had described.
"But speaking of which, where did you get the money?"
Looking at the Poké Ball in James's hand, Jessie suddenly remembered that they didn't have any money, did they? And the Poké Ball was specifically painted gold, which meant it definitely wouldn't be cheap. So where did James get the money to buy these things?
"Because the advance on my salary wasn't enough, so..."
"So what?"
"I advanced yours too."
James smiled as he informed Jessie that he had advanced her salary as well, unaware that a storm of blows awaited him.
