Although Ash and Red quickly recovered, that brief pause was more than enough time for Team Rocket to escape. The winding interior of Mt. Moon made it nearly impossible to pursue them once they fled, so the group gave chase for only a short while before giving up.
After a brief rest, the group promptly climbed to the summit of Mt. Moon.
Brock immediately made a beeline for the mountain's most famous attraction: the Giant Moon Stone. However, due to its value, the stone was usually off-limits to the public—and this wasn't the kind of day to wait around for permission. With practiced ease, Brock slipped past the security measures in mere moments, moving like someone who'd done it a dozen times before.
It didn't seem like this was his first visit. While Serena raised an eyebrow at his familiarity, Red and Ash didn't bat an eye. Red knew exactly what Brock was doing, and Ash—well, he didn't seem to register anything at all.
When the group arrived at the Moon Stone, Brock examined it carefully. He circled it several times, inside and out, but found no damage.
"That's strange... no signs of tampering?" he muttered, scratching his head before looking at Ash and Red. "You two are sure you heard Team Rocket talking about the Moon Stone?"
"I think so." Ash glanced at Red. "Red heard it too, right?"
"...Yeah," Red confirmed with a nod.
"Odd," Brock said, still puzzled. "It looks completely untouched."
Could Team Rocket really have gone through all that trouble just to collect a few scattered fragments? Kicking out the entire crowd just for that? Sure, that was the kind of overkill Team Rocket was known for—but it still felt excessive.
What exactly did they take?
And what could they want with the Moon Stone?
Ash, losing interest in the mystery, stretched and yawned. "If we can't figure it out, let's just leave it to Officer Jenny. She probably knows more than we do."
"Yeah... fair enough," Brock agreed, finally relaxing. "Let's report everything and see what she can dig up."
Despite Team Rocket's recent chaos, the group hadn't forgotten their original reason for visiting Mt. Moon. While there weren't as many wild Pokémon at the summit as in the caves, the area was still home to numerous Clefairy—so many, in fact, that even a casual glance revealed a handful.
"Ash, don't you want to catch a Clefairy?" Serena asked, her eyes sparkling. "They're so cute."
"I was thinking of something a little more... cool," Ash said, scanning the area in hopes of spotting a different kind of Pokémon. Unfortunately, he found nothing new.
"Ugh, this is hard." He sighed and scratched his head. "I guess I'll just tame whatever looks—"
"...Cool?" Red interrupted.
Ash turned to him curiously. Red silently pulled out his Pokédex, flipped through a few entries, then pointed at one.
Ash leaned in and saw an earth-colored, bipedal Pokémon on the screen. He read the name aloud.
"Kanga...skhan?"
"Kangaskhan?" Brock echoed, stepping over to check the screen. His eyes widened. "You're saying there's one here?"
"...Yeah," Red said simply. "Want to go?"
"Is it strong?" Ash asked eagerly.
"Very," Brock replied. "One of the Kanto League champions had a Kangaskhan on their team—it was famous."
"Awesome! Then it's decided!" Ash pumped his fist. "Red, let's go!"
"Okay," Red said, already turning.
Ash followed him without hesitation, Brock trailing behind. Serena hesitated for a moment before smiling.
"I'll stay here," she said. "I want to catch a Clefairy."
The others nodded, warning her to stay safe before heading downhill on their new quest.
Before leaving, Froakie gave Ash another good karate chop, adding to the cluster of red marks on his forehead.
Red and Brock both glanced sideways. That wasn't a soft hit. For a normal person, it could've done serious damage—but Ash barely flinched.
This kid's toughness... was almost Pokémon-level.
Red glanced at Ash again, expression unreadable. Something was definitely strange about him. Compared to the last group of kids from Pallet Town, this batch was... weird.
"Oh, right!" Ash suddenly exclaimed. "Red, let's battle after I catch Kangaskhan!"
He clenched his fist with excitement.
"I heard you're super strong from that bug-catcher kid. I've got to see for myself!"
Red blinked, then nodded. "...Okay."
He never turned down a challenge. And something told him Ash—eccentric as he was—might be a more interesting opponent than he looked. Red remembered Ash vaguely from childhood. They weren't close, but there was one memorable moment...
Ash, covered in mud, pretending to be a Diglett to sneak up on a trio of actual Digletts. It had worked.
Red had tried it later, got covered in muck thick enough to rival Grimer, and failed miserably. Green never let him live it down.
So yeah. Red was... curious.
Soon, the group stopped.
"...We're here," Red said, pointing ahead.
Ash looked around. "Where's the Kangaskhan? I don't see—"
RUMBLE.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the forest. A huge head poked through the trees.
The Kangaskhan stared them down, bellowed, and spread its arms in a warning.
"Yes!" Ash shouted. "Let's do this!"
He threw out a Poké Ball. "Mimikyu, I choose you!"
"Mimikyu!"
"Use Double Team!"
Mimikyu split into dozens of afterimages. Meanwhile, the Kangaskhan attempted to counterattack—then winced, confused.
"What's going on?" Ash asked.
"Fake Out," Brock said. "It only works if it hits before the opponent makes a move. Since Mimikyu already used Double Team, the move failed."
"Ohhh, got it!" Ash grinned. "Then let's use Shadow Sneak!"
"Wait, Ash!" Brock interrupted. "Ghost-type moves don't work on Normal-types like Kangaskhan!"
"Oh... right." Ash laughed awkwardly. "Newbie mistake."
He quickly changed tactics. "Mimikyu, use Hone Claws!"
Mimikyu sharpened its claws, boosting its attack stat.
The Kangaskhan roared and charged, plowing through Mimikyu's clones. Spotting the real one, it lunged forward with its jaws wide.
"Split it!" Ash shouted.
Mimikyu leapt and struck with glowing claws, forcing the Kangaskhan to stumble backward.
"Now, Wood Hammer!"
Mimikyu's tail morphed into a massive mallet, which it swung directly into Kangaskhan's nose.
WHAM!
Kangaskhan reeled, dazed. Mimikyu let out a small groan from the recoil—but Ash didn't hesitate.
"Poké Ball, go!"
The ball arced toward Kangaskhan—but at the last moment, a blur shot from the grass and struck the Poké Ball in mid-air.
Beep...click!
It activated—and captured something.
"What the—!?" Ash shouted.
No time to think. Kangaskhan was recovering. Ash pulled out another ball and threw it—only for another Pokémon, a Spearow, to crash into it.
This time, the ball failed to capture anything. The Spearow squawked at them, looked around, then flew off.
Kangaskhan, now fully alert, turned and disappeared into the forest.
Ash watched in stunned silence.
"I can't believe it..." he muttered. "It got away..."
No one knew what to say. It was an unusually chaotic capture attempt.
Finally, Brock clapped Ash on the shoulder. "Don't be too disappointed. You did catch something—check it out!"
Ash brightened a little. "Oh yeah... let's see what it is!"
He tossed the Poké Ball, and a flash of white light revealed—
"Baaah?"
—a tiny, golden bug.
"A... Weedle?" Ash blinked.
"Baaah!" The Weedle squeaked and curled up behind the Poké Ball, hiding from view.
"It's... a bit shy," Ash said, scratching his head.
Still, he crouched down gently.
"Hi, Weedle. I'm Ash—future Pokémon Master. Will you be my Pokémon?"
Weedle peeked out at the sincerity in Ash's eyes... then slowly uncurled and touched its tiny horn to Ash's palm.
"Baaah!"
"Yes!" Ash beamed, lifting it into the air. "I caught Weedle!"
It might not be flashy, but Ash could feel it—this Weedle was special.
"Hold up," Brock said, examining it. "Red... doesn't this Weedle look different?"
Red nodded. "...Shiny."
"Shiny?" Ash repeated.
"It's a rare variation of a Pokémon's coloring," Brock explained. "Weedle is usually a dull brown. This one's golden—it's a Shiny."
Ash's eyes sparkled. "So... it is special!"
"Baaah!"
The Weedle chirped, seemingly excited by Ash's joy.
"It probably stood out too much," Brock added. "That Spearow might've been chasing it."
Ash gently patted the bug's head. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."
Weedle squeaked again, burrowing into Ash's shoulder.
Brock watched with a smile. Yeah... this kid's the real deal.
"Red!" Ash said suddenly, turning with fire in his eyes. "Let's battle!"
Red smirked.
"...Let's."