Pokémon: Global Invasion

Chapter 5: Wash Your Hands Before Eating

"Wash your hands before eating; that's our family rule!"

Ryoma emphasized heavily, feeling a little pleased with himself.

Indeed, he was doing this on purpose, with the goal of overcoming Sandshrew's fear of water in a subtle way!

Quietly giving himself a thumbs-up!

"Sha?"

Suddenly, caught between the delicious food and its fear of water, Sandshrew hesitated. However, when it thought about how it could eat the tasty food if it just washed its hands lightly, it gritted its teeth and decided to give it a try.

It reached out its small claw, cautiously approaching the basin of water...

"What are you hesitating for? Hurry up!" Seeing this, Ryoma directly pressed down on Sandshrew's paw, plunging it into the water...

The next moment, a scream akin to that of a slaughtered pig erupted from Sandshrew's mouth...

"Come on, eat more, eat more..."

Sandshrew looked at Ryoma, who was continuously piling meat into its bowl, with tears streaming down its face. It was really so mad!

In the end, under Ryoma's culinary assault, the shiny Sandshrew quickly succumbed. The tears that had stopped flowing came rushing out again. It swore this was the most delicious food it had ever eaten!

"Alright, Sandshrew, from now on, you are a member of our family. Stick with me, and I guarantee you'll eat well and drink well." Ryoma looked down at Sandshrew, which was clinging to his leg and refusing to let go, and his mouth twitched.

He had originally been thinking about how to build a good relationship with Sandshrew, but he hadn't expected it to cling to him first!

"Sha~"

Upon hearing Ryoma's words, Sandshrew excitedly nodded and quickly scurried back to its chair, happily munching on the food in its bowl.

Before long, Sandshrew had cleared the dining table of all the food, much to the surprise of Ryoma's father and mother.

"Uh, at this rate, it really might be impossible to afford this little glutton!" Ryoma thought, somewhat troubled.

It seemed he needed to find a way to earn money. After all, he couldn't rely on his parents to support a Pokémon; that would be too embarrassing!

Although he thought this way, after becoming a beginner Trainer, he knew money could come quickly, so he wasn't overly worried about finances.

Of course, all of this depended on whether he could train Sandshrew into a powerful Pokémon!

With that thought in mind, he looked over at Sandshrew, who had already eaten its fill and was rubbing its snowy white belly, a glimmer flashing in his eyes.

"Sha?"

At the same time, sitting on its chair, Sandshrew inexplicably shivered. It turned its head in fear, and sure enough...

Ryoma had somehow filled another basin with water, looking serious as he said, "Wash your hands after eating!"

Seeing this, Sandshrew hesitated again, but when it glanced at the empty dishes on the table, it gritted its teeth. It was all in!

Watching Sandshrew obediently wash its hands, Ryoma finally revealed a satisfied smile. Good habits must be cultivated from a young age!

After finishing lunch, Ryoma planned to take Sandshrew out for a walk, allowing it to adapt to its new environment. He also intended to scout a few locations to see if he could find a place for special training for Sandshrew.

Walking along the village path, Sandshrew was clearly a bit shy, staying close behind Ryoma and not daring to look at the villagers who greeted them.

"Haha, look at that timid Sandshrew—it really is a trash Pokémon."

"Yeah, yeah! A lean and green Pokémon, it's just too funny!"

Just as Ryoma reached the center of the village with Sandshrew, he was suddenly stopped by two peers. These two were brothers; the older one was named Rojin, and the younger one was Roshou. Their relationship was very poor due to frequent fights during their childhood.

"Calling a shiny Pokémon trash? I honestly wonder who the real trash is!"

Ryoma originally thought he would be very angry, but for some reason, he felt a sense of joy instead.

Sure enough, being low-key and making a fortune quietly was something he favored!

"What are you smiling about? Do you want to fight?"

The two brothers, who had intended to enjoy the show, suddenly saw the subtle mockery on Ryoma's face and became furious!

In the next moment, both of them pulled out Poké Balls simultaneously. With a flash of white light, two very robust Sandshrews appeared in the arena.

Clearly, these two had chosen very well-developed Sandshrews during their initial selection.

"Sandshrew, show this guy a lesson!" Rojin commanded his Sandshrew.

Ryoma's expression changed instantly at this sight, but just as he was about to run away, he saw that Sandshrew completely ignored Rojin's command and made its way to a corner, sitting down with its arms crossed, looking like a little king!

It was evident that Rojin and Roshou had not yet tamed the Sandshrews they obtained!

"Damn it!"

Seeing their Sandshrew disregard them completely, the brothers stomped their feet in frustration and recalled both of their Sandshrews into their Poké Balls.

"I can't believe you two weaklings can't even capture a Sandshrew!" Ryoma seized the opportunity to mock them loudly.

"Humph, don't think you're impressive just because you caught one Sandshrew. You could capture it because that Sandshrew is just trash!"

"That's right, that's right! Look, that Sandshrew seems to be shaking in fear!"

"Hey, it really is! That Sandshrew must be scared of ours. It really is trash!"

The two brothers suddenly burst into laughter, causing Ryoma's expression to change. He turned around and saw that Sandshrew was indeed cowering in fear, trembling in the corner.

"Come out, Sandshrew!"

Rojin grinned deviously and threw his Poké Ball again, releasing his proud Sandshrew.

Upon seeing Rojin's Sandshrew, the shiny Sandshrew trembled all over, instinctively trying to shrink back even further.

"Ahhahaha! It's scared of my Sandshrew; trash really is trash!" Rojin laughed even louder upon seeing Sandshrew's reaction.

"Enough! Put your Sandshrew away!" Ryoma hugged his still trembling Sandshrew and glared fiercely at Rojin.

"Enough? Not even close!"

Rojin immediately grew smug, shaking the Poké Ball in his hand; there was no way he was going to put his Sandshrew away now!

"Give me that Poké Ball!"

Ryoma, furious, put Sandshrew down and rushed out to grab the Poké Ball from Rojin's hand.

"Really? You think I'm scared of you?"

Rojin and Roshou were also enraged, and they rushed at Ryoma, resulting in a chaotic scuffle among the three of them!