Chapter 278: Mr. Mime and the Circus Troupe
By Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
Ash and his group had arrived on Route 1, the road between Pallet Town and Viridian City. It was a vast grassland, devoid of rocks or trees—a calm and peaceful scene.
In the distance, they could even see a corner of Pallet Town.
"Wow, is that Pallet Town? It's actually really beautiful."
Todd Snap immediately raised his camera and started snapping photos, as if he had discovered a priceless treasure.
Pallet Town was a pure and flawless town, free of any pollution. Its scenery naturally shared this quality, giving people a sense of peace and relaxation.
Seeing the flowers of his hometown in bloom and with home so close, Ash could no longer contain his excitement. He grabbed Pikachu by the scruff of its neck and broke into a hundred-meter dash, sprinting for all he was worth!
"Be careful!"
"Careful, my butt! I could run through this place with my eyes closed!"
Ash replied with great confidence, and in the middle of his sprint, he actually did close his eyes.
"Pika-pika!"
Pikachu did the same. It was also very familiar with Pallet Town and had no problem using Quick Attack with its eyes closed.
"Clang!!"
Suddenly, the sprinting boy and mouse crashed into something. Their bodies came to an abrupt halt, and they toppled backward. The sound of the impact left them both dizzy.
"Did he just hit an invisible wall?"
The other three didn't dare to be careless. They hurried over to Ash's side, only to find nothing but empty air in front of him. It was a surreal sight.
Could he have gotten so excited he had a sudden heart attack?
They reached out and miraculously touched something solid in the empty air—it felt like a wall.
"An air wall?"
The three of them were completely baffled. In this day and age, could air itself become solid?
"Bari-bari~~"
A sound from not far ahead drew everyone's attention. Looking up, they saw that the source of the sound was a humanoid Pokémon. It had a white body with several pink orbs, slender limbs, and feet that looked like grayish-blue boots. Its face resembled that of a human child, or perhaps a circus clown, and it looked quite cute.
"Mr. Mime!?"
The group immediately recognized the Pokémon and realized the air wall wasn't a natural phenomenon. Mr. Mime were known for their ability to create such barriers.
"Damn it, so this is the guy that made me fall flat on my face?"
Ash rubbed the large, red bump on his head as he got up from the ground, angrily pulling out his Pokédex to scan it.
"Beep. This Pokémon has already been scanned. Data will not be repeated. Please consult your historical records."
The Pokédex replied, cold and emotionless.
Ash: "..."
Only then did he remember that back in Saffron City, Sabrina had used this kind of Pokémon and caused him a lot of trouble.
He even recalled a piece of trivia: a Mr. Mime was supposedly a human who wore a clown mask to bed, only to find he could never take it off the next day.
"A Psychic-type Pokémon? Excellent! In that case, I'll forgive you!"
Ash's eyes lit up. His team was currently lacking a Psychic-type. This must be a gift from the heavens.
I'm going to catch you!
"I choose you, Pikachu! Use Quick Attack!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu, a large lump on its head, nodded with a hostile expression. How dare this thing make it lose face! It immediately dropped to all fours, adopting the mentality of a fierce beast. Its body was enveloped in a brilliant white light as it charged.
"Clang!!"
The Quick Attack didn't even cover half a meter before Pikachu slammed into the transparent wall. The powerful impact sent it bouncing backward, its tongue lolling out as it fainted.
Everyone: "?"
*That's the same wall, right?*
Was it trying to fake an injury? Or was the electric mouse's brain really so fried that it would hit the same wall twice without learning to dodge?
"Ugh, Pikachu, you messed up again!"
Ash shook his head with a look of disappointment, like a master craftsman scolding iron for not becoming steel. Ignoring the pathetic sight of the fainted Pikachu, he decided to take matters into his own hands. With a backhand throw, he hurled a Poké Ball over the barrier wall.
"Crack!"
The Poké Ball slammed into a second transparent wall. Ash had thrown it with so much force that the ball shattered on impact.
"Bari-bari~~"
The Mr. Mime just stood there harmlessly, moving its open palm vertically as if it were wiping a pane of glass.
"Wait!"
Ash was furious and was about to charge like a bull. But just as he was about to shatter the transparent wall with his own body, a woman's voice, deep and powerful, came from behind, interrupting his attack.
"Excuse me, Trainers. Would you mind leaving this Mr. Mime to me?"
Before the group could react, the Mr. Mime saw the newcomer and acted first. With a few small hops, it dodged to the side of the grassland and vanished from sight in moments.
"Clang!!"
Ash subconsciously tried to give chase, but he had once again forgotten about the transparent wall. He slammed into it again, toppling backward and landing next to the electric mouse, which was splayed out on the ground. He was unable to battle.
One boy, one mouse, both knocked flat.
Brock and the other two: "..."
Somehow, this seemed much more harmonious.
"So that's what happened."
Afterward, once Ash regained consciousness, the group spoke with the woman who had appeared and finally understood the whole story.
The woman was about seventeen or eighteen years old. Her name was Ah Jin, and her long, dark-blue hair was tied in a neat ponytail. She was dressed in masculine formal wear with long boots. In fact, she was the troupe leader of a Global Circus.
"Our troupe travels through various regions. We stop, put on a show to earn travel money, and then move on to the next place to perform."
These words filled the eyes of Ash and his friends with immense envy.
"And this week, we've arrived in Pallet Town in the Kanto Region, to put on our traveling circus show right here on this grassland."
As she spoke, Ah Jin led them along a path parallel to Pallet Town to the other side of the grassland. Looking into the distance, they could indeed see many tents set up. The ropes and pegs all looked new, as if they hadn't been there for long.
His interest piqued, and knowing his hometown wasn't going anywhere, Ash decided to curiously follow along for now.
The circus camp consisted of seven or eight small tents surrounding a large one in the center. The main tent was at least half the size of a Church and had a huge sign hanging on it, covered with pictures of Pokémon. The most prominent one was a Mr. Mime.
"That's where we hold our official performances. The other small tents are for rest and training. As for why I need to catch that Mr. Mime, follow me..."
At this, Ah Jin sighed, her expression darkening. She led Ash and the others to the most secluded tent. Peeking through a side window, they saw a sofa inside. A Pokémon was lying on its side on it, looking comfortable and carefree, while several humans fanned and fed it, treating it like a local tyrant.
It was another Mr. Mime.
However, this Mr. Mime was extremely obese and bloated. It had a large, protruding belly and a greasy, double-chinned face. Even its once-slender limbs had become fat.
It looked as though even getting off the sofa and walking would be a difficult task.
Ash shuddered. He quickly picked up his Pikachu and pointed at the obese Mr. Mime inside.
"Pikachu, let this be a lesson to you. If you keep this up, forget about wielding the Divine Thunder of the Nine Heavens; you'll be lucky if you can even bend over. From now on, you only eat until you're ten percent full."
Pikachu: "?"
(end of chapter)