The hustle and bustle of Vermilion City was left far behind.
Ash and his two companions chose the coastal path heading northwest, rather than the northern main road that led directly to Saffron City.
Walking straight north from Vermilion City, one could go to Saffron City via Route 6. But by walking along the coast in the northwest direction, one could reach Celadon City.
The sea breeze blew past, wrapped in a salty and humid breath, and Pikachu narrowed his eyes comfortably. Misdreavus hovered curiously on the other side, watching the scenery along the road.
Theoretically speaking, Misdreavus liked to sleep during the day and was active at night. But after all, she had just joined the team, and the excitement hadn't passed yet. The current Misdreavus also didn't like entering the Poké Ball; together with Pikachu, the two little ones were very active.
"Bee—!"
A clear, high-pitched cry cut through the vast sky.
Pidgeotto folded its broad wings and landed precisely on Ash's raised arm. It gently pecked Ash's palm with its beak, then turned its head toward the northwest, letting out a few short cries.
Pidgeotto was also very excited right now; after training for so long, it was finally its turn to take action. Ash planned to let Pidgeotto debut at the Celadon Gym.
As for the main reason?
On one hand, Gyarados was really not very suitable; Water-type moves were not effective against Grass-types. On the other hand, Pikachu's thunder could easily be dispersed and blocked by plants, and Grass-types were also good at field control. Moreover, Misdreavus had just joined the team and still needed a running-in period.
Although Pidgeotto's strength was inferior to theirs, Pidgeotto could fly. And Pidgeotto flew very fast.
The tactic this time was—continuous bombardment with Swift.
Pidgeotto's training direction was that of a bomber.
Ash didn't believe that Celadon Gym could pull out a [Rowlet · Dartrix · Decidueye].
...If they could really pull out a Decidueye, then Ash would just accept it.
"It says the direction is correct. Walking a bit further along the coast, we'll be able to see the signpost leading to Celadon City." Ash gently stroked Pidgeotto's feathers.
This bird always seemed to have little presence. But it had actually been silently training all along.
It could be said to be the one with the simplest mind among all of Ash's current Pokémon. Gyarados was irritable while also wanting to be slick. Pikachu was too smart. Not to mention Misdreavus.
Only Pidgeotto had no other thoughts... it did whatever Ash told it to do.
It seemed to simply like this kind of companionship.
Pidgeotto rubbed affectionately against Ash, then flapped its wings and ascended into the sky again, turning into a black dot on the horizon, continuing to fulfill its scouting duty.
And flying freely in the air was also something Pidgeotto liked very much... this was much more comfortable than staying in the Poké Ball.
Pidgeotto: Flying is the highest state of freedom! ●ｖ●
At this moment, however, Brock frowned slightly. He looked around at the increasingly dense woods on both sides of the road and habitually rubbed his chin.
"It's a bit strange... the number of Grass-type Pokémon in this area seems to be much lower than the average density recorded in the Pokédex... it's too quiet."
As if to verify his words, rustling sounds came from the depths of the woods.
A Paras crawled out slowly from behind a bush. The mushrooms on its back trembled slightly, and its two eyes looked blankly, seemingly a bit lost.
"!!!"
Sensing the aura of humans, the Paras quickly burrowed back into the shadows as if frightened, and disappeared.
"It's a Paras!" Misty whispered, but seeing its panicked appearance, she did not rashly approach.
This was a Pokémon not suitable for being a Trainer's Pokémon; the mushrooms growing on its body had extremely high medicinal value.
"..." Ash took out the Pokédex, which stored various knowledge about Pokémon. It was just that he used it relatively little.
The Pokédex voice rang out—
[Paras, the Mushroom Pokémon. Mushrooms named tochukaso grow on the insect's back. The mushrooms grow larger as it grows. Paras are found scattered at the roots of trees in humid forests. It is born covered in mushroom spores; as its body grows, the mushrooms on its back grow as well. Ordered by the mushrooms named tochukaso on its back, it digs holes to suck tree roots; the insect's will is ignored by it. It absorbs essence from the tree roots, but most of the nutrition is snatched away by the mushrooms on its back. This is a precious mushroom that can be used as an elixir of longevity, used by grinding it into powder after drying.]
Night soon fell.
The three chose a forest clearing near a stream with relatively flat and open terrain to set up camp.
Brock skillfully built a fire and cooked, the tempting aroma of food temporarily dispelling the silence of the woods. Pikachu and Mengmeng circled around the stove, while Misty was checking her Water-type Pokémon.
However, this tranquility did not last long.
Late at night.
When all sounds were silent—
"Mai!" Mengmeng first floated to Ash's pillow, her voice carrying the urgency of a warning.
Immediately after, Pikachu also sprang up, his cheek sacs flickering with a "pika," looking vigilantly toward the depths of the forest.
"???" Only Onix, who was responsible for the night watch, was a bit baffled.
Well, the senses of most Rock-type Pokémon were not very sensitive. Especially a powerful individual like Onix. In the wild, he had neither safety needs nor food needs, so he simply didn't need overly sensitive senses.
Onix could only look at the immediate vicinity; he didn't pay much attention to things further away.
Ash, Misty, and Brock were awakened almost simultaneously.
"What's going on?" Misty hurried to get dressed.
In the distance.
Fierce collision sounds, sharp shrieks, and some kind of dull bursting sound came faintly. It broke the silence of the night, and the sounds were becoming clearer and closer!
Brock listened intently, his expression grave: "It's the sound of battle! The scale isn't small!"
The three packed up the camp, then quietly crept over. By the moonlight, they saw a heart-palpitating scene.
At the edge of the forest.
Two large clans were in a fierce melee.
On one side were numerous Parasect; their eyes were pale, appearing manic and extremely aggressive, their huge pincers waving ferociously, constantly emitting intimidating "click-clack" sounds.
And their opponents were a group of deeply colored Shiinotic.
These Shiinotic sprayed large swaths of spore powder glimmering with a gloomy light from under their mushroom caps, enveloping the Parasect swarm like a deadly mist.
Every spore spray was accompanied by a low, dizzying hum.
...A single Shiinotic using Spore wouldn't make much noise, but there were too many Shiinotic here.
"It's Parasect and Shiinotic!" Brock exclaimed. "But they usually don't have such large-scale conflicts... This is a territory dispute!"
Everyone watched the battle with some curiosity.
How to put it?
Territory disputes between Pokémon are a part of the natural ecology. Unless something very serious and unexpected happens, humans had better not interfere excessively.
The battle was unusually fierce.
The Parasect seemed to be trying their best to break through the spore mist, but individuals constantly became sluggish and confused in their movements, even starting to attack their companions indiscriminately.
While the Shiinotic continued to advance.
The spore mist they sprayed almost connected into a single sheet. Glowing with an ominous gloomy blue light in the night, like a ghostly aurora; wherever it passed, the vegetation seemed to wither a bit.
At present, it seemed that this group of Shiinotic was stronger than the Parasect.
____
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