Chapter 168: Fighting All the Way to the Top 64 of the Indigo League Conference!
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
Route 17.
After walking west from Celadon City for three days and crossing a wide, lengthy bicycle path, Ash and his friends arrived in a forest.
According to the map, traversing this forest would bring them almost to Fuchsia City, the location of the Fuchsia Gym.
That was also where Ash would obtain his sixth Gym Badge.
"The harder you work, the luckier you get!"
"Pika!"
Ash and Pikachu shouted to boost their morale, then, full of energy, pulled Brock and Misty into the forest.
Inside the forest, the mist began to thicken.
Not long after they started walking, Ash noticed Pikachu's ears twitch. Its little eyes stared at a rustling bush.
"It's not Bug Pokémon, is it? That would be so annoying!"
Misty quickly hid behind the two guys, complaining.
Ash, the boldest of the group, didn't even try to be stealthy. He directly reached out and pushed aside the bushes. The sight before them stunned all three.
Within a hollow in a dead tree, a small, brown, fox-like Pokémon was lying down, a rope tied around its neck and looped over a branch.
Beside it were a bowl of water and a bowl of Pokémon food.
It was an Eevee.
"A wild Eevee?"
Ash was shocked. He was, after all, already carrying an Eevee with him.
"Bui?"
The Eevee in the tree hollow wasn't shy. It called out to the three of them and licked its lips with a cute, high-pitched cry.
"It must have been left here by someone."
Brock, being perceptive, quickly noticed a small tag hanging from the Eevee's neck with an address on it.
xx House, xx Road, Ore Town.
"Ore Town? I think that's not too far from here."
Brock mused for a moment. As a man who possessed a Rock-Solid Will, he was quite familiar with a place like Ore Town.
Legend had it that Ore Town was once a desolate land. Then, a youth in jeans appeared out of nowhere. He worked from sunrise to sunset, not only diligently tilling the fields but also raising many Doduo, Miltank, Mareep, and other livestock Pokémon. In his free time, he would often mine for ore and go fishing in the cave on the back mountain.
In less than a year, Ore Town had prospered into its current state.
It was said that the youth in jeans no longer farmed or herded. Instead, he now passed the time by idly mining ore from the back mountain and hanging out with the young women of the town, living a very pleasant life.
The three couldn't bear to leave the Eevee behind, so they untied its rope and headed in the direction of Ore Town.
Ore Town was nestled within the forest. As soon as they entered, the mist dissipated significantly, revealing the face of a scenic little town. At that moment, however, the plaza at the town's entrance was bustling with activity.
As far as the eye could see, crowds of people were gathered on the grassy plaza, where tables, chairs, and food had been set up. It looked like some kind of garden party.
"Look over there!" Brock said suddenly, a hint of surprise in his voice.
Ash and Misty followed his gaze and saw a blue, bipedal frog with a swirl on its belly. Next to it was its trainer, who was placing a blue, crystal-like stone on its stomach.
*Zing!*
The blue frog's body spun around and it evolved into a much larger blue frog. Now, however, the swirl on its belly was reversed, and its arms and legs were bulging with muscle as if it were on steroids. Its aura was incredibly intimidating.
"A Poliwhirl evolved into a Poliwrath with a Water Stone?"
As a Water-type expert, Misty recognized both Pokémon and provided the explanation.
The trio looked around and realized that all the Pokémon here were ones that could evolve with evolution stones. In fact, evolutions were happening in many places.
Vileplume, Exeggutor, Ninetales, Cloyster, and so on...
There was even an adorable Pikachu that, upon touching a Thunder Stone, evolved into a chubby, dark-skinned Raichu, an assault on the trio's eyes.
"Don't look, it'll give you a stye."
The three of them simultaneously covered Pikachu's eyes.
In the center of the plaza stood three young men with flashy hairstyles, each accompanied by a differently colored Pokémon.
The first man had spiky yellow hair, and beside him was a spiky yellow Pokémon.
Pokedex: Jolteon, an evolved form of Eevee. A high-speed glass cannon. Its fur is a bit spiky.
The second man had a fluffy crimson hairdo. Next to him was a fiery red Pokémon with a yellow mane around its neck. The heat radiating from its body was so intense it was visible to the naked eye, distorting the air around it.
Pokedex: Flareon, an evolved form of Eevee. Its very existence is a joke.
The third man's hairstyle was a bit more normal—long blue hair. The blue Pokémon beside him looked like a combination of a fish and a mammal, possessing an air of elegance, nobility, cuteness, and mystery.
Pokedex: Vaporeon, an evolved form of Eevee. Not very useful, but it looks good. You can keep it at home as a decoration.
The Pokedex delivered three candid assessments in a row, its startling words attracting the attention of many passersby.
When the three men with the flashy hairstyles saw the Eevee in Misty's hands, their eyes lit up with joy, and they rushed over.
"That's great! I thought Eevee was gone!"
"Good job! A reward is in order!"
"What's the point of going to summer camp now? Go get Taiichi."
The three men exclaimed cheerfully.
After some explanation, Ash learned that they were three brothers, local tycoons in Ore Town whose ancestors had made their fortune mining evolution stones. They were also the organizers of today's garden party.
The three of them had a younger brother named Taiichi, who was in the fifth grade. Today's garden party was being held to celebrate Taiichi's first battle.
But yesterday, Taiichi had suddenly said his Eevee was missing and that he was going to attend a school-organized summer camp instead. The brothers were worrying about what to do when, unexpectedly, the Eevee returned.
A short while later, a handsome little boy with wavy brown hair walked over. He looked at his Eevee with considerable emotion, but his expression quickly dimmed, and he reluctantly took the Eevee from Misty's hands.
He did not, however, give Ash's group a friendly look.
"Alright, alright, now that Eevee's back, the event will proceed as planned. I'll be putting away your summer camp goggles and binoculars for now."
The Spiky-Haired Big Brother patted his younger brother with a grin, then turned a happy face to Ash and his friends, his gaze immediately landing on the Pikachu on his shoulder.
"Oh~ That's a Pokémon that can evolve with an evolution stone, too! All the evolution stones here today are free, use as many as you like. You're my brother's saviors. I'll go pick out the biggest Thunder Stone for you. I guarantee it'll make your Electric Mouse evolve into a big, white, and chubby Raichu."
Pikachu: "?"
Am I your savior, or your enemy?
Ash quickly waved his hands, flatly refusing.
"That won't be necessary. If you really want to give me one, just packing it up for me would be fine."
He already had a Thunder Stone in his backpack that a Zapdos had been sitting on as if it were an egg, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. In terms of quality, it was naturally far superior to these ordinary Thunder Stones.
But evolve into a Raichu?
Both Ash and Pikachu gave a firm "maybe next time."
"What's wrong with that? Pokémon naturally need to evolve to gain power. The earlier they evolve, the stronger they become. Look at my Jolteon! I had it evolve into a Jolteon right after it hatched from its egg. Do you know how much strength it has now?"
The Spiky-Haired Big Brother puffed out his chest. His posture actually managed to impress Ash, who waited with anticipation for what would come next.
"With it, I fought my way into the Top 64 at last year's Indigo League Conference!!"
His words shocked everyone present.
(end of chapter)