"Do you really not remember what happened last night?" Misty asked suspiciously.
Ash shrugged innocently.
"I fell asleep the moment I touched the bed. Right, Pikachu?"
"Pika."
Pikachu nodded, confirming it.
"That's not right!" Misty insisted.
"There were clearly two Pikachu last night—and one of them even used Extreme Speed!"
"You must've been seeing things," Ash replied, baffled.
"There's always only been one Pikachu. Right, Pikachu?"
"Pika."
Pikachu nodded again, completely reasonable.
Misty: "..."
She rubbed her temples.
Thinking about it carefully, she had been a little dizzy last night.
And if even Pikachu said so… maybe she really had lost her mind after her bicycle turned into a piece of dried fish?
…Or maybe this rookie Trainer was deliberately playing dumb—pretending to be Incineroar while eyeing Emboar.
Misty frowned.
Something about this felt very suspicious.
She quietly entered Observation Mode.
Entrance to Viridian Forest
To reach Pewter City, Viridian Forest was unavoidable.
The forest was home to countless low-level Bug-type Pokémon—not very strong, making it the perfect first stop for rookie Trainers.
Just as the two were about to enter, they noticed someone already standing at the entrance.
Straw hat.
Shorts.
Tank top.
A crude bug-catching net slung across his back.
The full Bug Catcher starter kit.
"Hello! My name's Kogoro," the boy said cheerfully.
"I'm heading into Viridian Forest to train!"
"Hi, I'm Ash—"
Before Ash could finish, Misty suddenly screamed and dove behind him.
"A bug! A bug bug BUG—!!"
Girls being afraid of bugs was perfectly reasonable.
Ash looked down.
Sure enough, beside Kogoro's leg was a green Caterpie, its large eyes vacant and unfocused.
"Beep. Caterpie—a very common Bug-type Pokémon. Not very useful.
Protein content is six times that of Tauros."
The Pokédex announced helpfully.
"…It's Caterpie," Ash said.
"But why does yours look so much bigger than normal?"
Ash licked his lips thoughtfully.
He was familiar with Caterpie—Pallet Town's back hills were full of them.
Normally they were about half an arm long.
But this one?
It was longer than his entire muscular arm.
That protein content had to be at least sixteen times Tauros.
"Of course!" Kogoro said proudly, hands on his hips.
"This Caterpie was raised with great care!"
Misty cautiously poked her head out.
"Don't Caterpie usually evolve in just a few days? Yours—"
"Three years," Kogoro replied calmly, stroking Caterpie's head.
"For three whole years, Caterpie and I suppressed its evolution with everything we had—
that's how it grew this robust!"
"…You can suppress evolution?" Ash asked blankly.
Eat when hungry.
Sleep when tired.
Evolve when ready.
Wasn't that the natural order of life?
Seeing Ash about to go full Emboar-brain, Misty hurriedly explained—while carefully watching his expression.
"There are usually three ways.
First, the Pokémon suppresses evolution through sheer willpower.
Second, by holding an item called an Everstone.
Third—by pressing the B button on the Pokédex during evolution."
"…You do know that, right?"
"Don't underestimate me!" Ash retorted, face red.
"Of course I know!"
He secretly pulled out his Pokédex.
So this thing does more than just spout nonsense…
But really—evolution made Pokémon stronger, bigger, cooler-looking.
Why wouldn't you evolve?
After all—
For men, bigger is the ultimate beauty.
"…Should I tell you?" Kogoro hesitated, seeing their curiosity.
After some thought, he leaned in and whispered:
"You can't tell anyone else."
"Legend says—if you train a Caterpie to max level without evolving,
you'll awaken the ancient dragon bloodline hidden within it."
"Then, once it evolves…"
"It becomes the legendary, invincible Dragon-type Pokémon—Rayquaza (as Caterpie)!"
He even showed them a hand-drawn sketch of Rayquaza (as Caterpie).
Despite being just a drawing, a terrifying pressure seemed to radiate from it.
Looking closely, the colors, shape, aura, and patterns…
Shockingly—
They really did resemble Caterpie.
Ash & Misty: "!!!"
Red: "?"
Inside Ash's soul space, Red jolted violently.
That revelation nearly scared his soul right out of his body.
"Heh heh," Kogoro grinned.
"My best friend told me this secret. He said back in his hometown—the Hoenn region—
this is how all Caterpie are trained."
"Rayquaza (as Caterpie) are everywhere. Everyone rides invincible dragons through the sky."
Ash & Misty: "!!!!!"
Red: "..."
That 'best friend'? Recommend immediate disownment.
"I won't say more," Kogoro said proudly.
"I need to continue training my Caterpie!"
He strode into Viridian Forest, Caterpie in tow, leaving behind only his confident laughter.
"One day, I'll ride Rayquaza (as Caterpie) and conquer Kanto!
I'll become the strongest Trainer ever! Hahahaha!"
Viridian Forest erupted into chaos.
"So Caterpie have ancient dragon bloodlines? That's incredible!" Ash exclaimed.
Completely convinced, he charged forward, ready to catch one and raise it for three to five years.
"Ash… I feel like there might be some kind of misunderstanding," Misty said cautiously.
Unlike Ash, she wasn't reckless enough to believe everything.
That Bug Catcher had clearly been pranked by his 'best friend.
Those kinds of friends deserved to be buried alive.
"What misunderstanding? He sounded convincing," Ash insisted.
"Beep. There is a certain possibility."
The Pokédex chimed in.
That sealed it.
Ash dashed straight into Viridian Forest.
Professor Oak himself had said—the Pokédex never lies.
Crunch, crunch.
Right at the entrance, Ash spotted a Caterpie munching on leaves.
It looked… vacant.
"Unbelievable," Ash whispered.
"From a distance, it really does have the bearing of a dragon!"
Without hesitation, he threw a Poké Ball.
Pop!
Caterpie didn't resist, instantly turning into red light and being captured.
"Beep… beep… ding!"
Three shakes later—the capture succeeded.
Ash raised the Poké Ball high.
"Hahaha! I caught Rayquaza (as Caterpie)!!"
Misty, Red: "..."
"Misty, what do I do?!" Ash exclaimed.
"My body feels so hot—like I'm about to become a Pokémon Master!"
At that moment, Ash burned with passion.
Holding Caterpie's Poké Ball felt like holding the future itself.
Misty, Red: "..."
We absolutely have to remove that B button from the Pokédex later…
They continued deeper into the forest.
Misty stayed close behind Ash, shuddering as the sound of buzzing wings echoed around them.
Along the way, Ash also caught a Pidgey—a decent gain.
Nothing special.
Nightfall
They lit a campfire, hoping the flames would deter Bug-type Pokémon.
After all, not all Bug-types were as gentle as Caterpie.
Some—like Beedrill—were aggressive, venomous, and nightmares for rookie Trainers.
Soon, both fell fast asleep.
Red once again took over Ash's body.
"So it's not a one-time thing?" Red murmured, looking at his hands.
He adjusted his cap and smiled.
He liked this feeling.
Not far away, Pikachu and Caterpie sat on a log, engaged in what could only be described as dragon-language communication.
Red didn't disturb them.
He simply gazed at the bright moon overhead.
"I wonder how Blue and Leaf are doing…"
Mt. Moon — Near Pewter City
On a cliffside, a brown-haired, spiky-headed boy sat beside a campfire.
Next to him stood a sturdy Wartortle.
Oddly enough, though he was alone, he spoke as if someone were listening.
"You're asking who my rival is?"
Gary Oak paused.
Ash's face flashed through his mind—only briefly.
He scoffed and shook his head.
"A guy who couldn't even leave on time?"
"How could he possibly be my rival?"
Gary Oak straightened.
"I'm unbeatable."
"I don't have a rival."