"So, Brock, are you traveling by yourself too?"
"Hmm? No, I actually started my journey with a few companions." Brock shook his head. "We accidentally got separated a while back. But we promised to meet up again in Cercerulean City."
"Ah, I see." Ash nodded, choosing not to pry any further.
"You've raised your Froakie incredibly well," Brock noted, looking down at the Water-type frog. "Its skin has a brilliant sheen, and it looks incredibly healthy and robust. I don't think I've ever seen a Froakie built this sturdily."
"Really?" Ash looked down at Froakie, right as Froakie looked up at him. They locked eyes for a second. Ash scratched his head. "Well, it is definitely really strong."
"Fro, fro."
Froakie looked away. It scanned the surrounding area, observing the various wild Pokémon hidden in the grass and trees. It looked thoroughly unimpressed.
There is nothing here worthy of being cut.
"Uh."
Seeing Froakie's total apathy, a bitter smile crept onto Ash's face. That look basically confirmed that Froakie wouldn't be participating in any wild encounters today.
Still, Ash wasn't exactly desperate. Compared to over a month ago, he now had Mimikyu ready to battle. Sure, Mimikyu still had a slight issue with taking direct hits, but if things really went south... Ash could always just jump in and fight the wild Pokémon himself.
At this point, Ash honestly felt he could comfortably throw hands with an average wild Pokémon and win.
"Speaking of which, Ash, what kind of Pokémon are you hoping to catch?" Serena suddenly asked. "Are you going to try and find a Chansey?"
"If I actually stumble across one, I'd definitely want to catch it!" Ash rubbed the back of his head. Despite Serena's question, he honestly hadn't thought about it much. "I really don't know. I guess I'll just see what kind of Pokémon pop up and decide from there."
"The most common Pokémon around this area are Nidoran, Clefairy, Zubat, Geodude, and Onix," Brock explained, listing them off effortlessly. He was incredibly familiar with Mt. Moon's ecosystem. "You occasionally see others, but those are the standard encounters. Do any of those catch your eye, Ash?"
"They all sound pretty great to me." Ash thought for a second before turning to his partner. "Froakie, do you have any suggestions?"
"Fro."
It does not matter. As long as it is strong.
"Uh..."
That advice was basically useless. Ash just shrugged his shoulders.
"Whatever. Let's just head up Mt. Moon and see what we find."
...
Under Brock's guidance, the trio soon arrived at the base of Mt. Moon. But as he looked up at the looming mountain, a deep frown formed on Brock's face.
"Something isn't right..."
"What's wrong, Brock?" Ash looked over. "What do you mean?"
"Mt. Moon is one of the most famous Pokémon habitats near Pewter City. Usually, this place is packed with Trainers trying to catch new partners." Brock pointed at the completely deserted trail. "But look around. There isn't a single Trainer here."
"Now that you mention it..." Ash scanned the area. He genuinely didn't see anyone else around. "What do you think happened?"
"I don't know... but it's highly likely something bad is happening inside Mt. Moon." Brock's expression turned incredibly serious as he stared into the dark mouth of the cavern. "Keep your guard up. We might be walking into a very dangerous situation."
Ash and Serena subconsciously gulped. Brock's grim tone had effectively spooked them. But seeing Brock take the first step into the cave, Ash and Serena exchanged a determined look.
"Let's go."
"Yeah..."
As the three of them ventured deeper into the cave, they didn't immediately encounter anything dangerous. Instead, their biggest problem was the complete lack of visibility.
"It's so dark in here. We can't see a thing," Ash grumbled, feeling a headache coming on. "Froakie, do you have any ideas?"
"Fro, fro."
Froakie gave Ash a blank look. It calmly drew its glowing sword from its waist. The brilliant white blade instantly illuminated the dark tunnel.
Froakie used Flash!
The surrounding area grew brighter!
"That's much better." Ash let out a relieved sigh. "But having you walk beside us like that is still a little awkward for the lighting."
Without another word, Ash crouched down and scooped Froakie directly into his arms.
"Fro...?"
Froakie completely froze at the sudden action. It twisted its head around, shooting Ash a look of pure astonishment.
"This way, you can light up the path in front of us perfectly!" Ash grinned brightly at the frog.
"Fro."
Seeing the goofy smile on Ash's face, Froakie slowly turned its head back around. It didn't bother struggling to jump down. It suspected this walk was going to be incredibly boring anyway. Having a free ride was a good opportunity to rest its legs.
I will simply beat him up later.
Ash suddenly felt a violent shiver run down his spine. But right now, he completely ignored his survival instincts. He peered into the darkness ahead, straining his ears. He thought he heard something.
"Guys, do you hear that?"
"Yeah." Brock nodded seriously. "It sounds like... a Pokémon battle."
"Huh? I don't hear anything at all!" Serena pointed to herself in shock. "Are there really noises?"
"There are." Ash's expression hardened. "And they're getting closer."
"Let's hurry up and check it out!" As a local, Brock deeply cared about what happened in Mt. Moon. He immediately broke into a sprint.
"Ah! Wait for us!"
Seeing Brock take off, Ash and Serena quickly chased after him.
They hadn't run far before they spotted a man wearing a dark uniform leaning against the cave wall. He was facing their direction, almost as if he were waiting for them to arrive.
Brock skidded to a halt directly in front of him.
Catching up a second later, Ash noticed the glaring red "R" printed on the man's chest. He gasped in shock.
"Team Rocket?!"
"Is Team Rocket behind whatever is happening here?!"
Ash's eyes instantly narrowed with fierce hostility.
"What kind of evil scheme are they pulling this time?! Whatever it is, I'm going to take them all down!"
"Go, Froakie!"
"Fro, fro."
Froakie didn't move an inch. It remained comfortably nestled in Ash's arms, giving him a look usually reserved for total idiots.
"Huh?"
"Relax."
Brock slowly turned around from examining the man.
"This Team Rocket grunt is completely unconscious."
"What?"
Ash quickly stepped forward. Sure enough, Brock was right. The grunt was slumped heavily against the rock wall, completely out cold. A battered Rattata lay unconscious right next to him.
"Someone else fought Team Rocket before we got here."
Right then, the violent sounds of battle echoed from further down the tunnel. This time, even Serena heard it clearly.
"They aren't far!"
"Hurry! Let's go!"
The trio sprinted forward, quickly arriving at the site of the battle. The first thing they saw was a blue-haired young man in a Team Rocket Officer uniform, an arrogant, icy smirk plastered on his face. A squad of grunts stood securely behind him.
Standing entirely alone against them was a boy wearing a red-and-white cap. His outfit looked astonishingly similar to Ash's.
A Charmeleon stood at his feet, practically overflowing with burning battle aura. Hearing the approaching footsteps, the boy immediately turned his head. His eyes locked directly onto Ash.
In that instant, Ash froze.
Brock's surprised gasp snapped him out of it.
"Red? What are you doing here?"
"..."
Hearing his name called, the boy named Red shifted his gaze to Brock. His eyes flickered with recognition. He opened his mouth, just about to say something when—
"Now's our chance! Crobat, use Cross Poison!"
"Cro!"
The moment the Officer shouted, the four-winged bat blurred into a streak of deadly motion. Drenched in toxic purple light, it dove directly at Red's throat.
Feeling the lethal, chilling wind approaching his neck, Red calmly turned his head back. He pulled the brim of his cap down slightly and issued his command.
"...Smokescreen."
"Roar!"
With a harsh hiss, Charmeleon violently exhaled a massive cloud of thick, pitch-black smoke. Unable to halt its momentum, Crobat plunged directly into the blinding smog. With its vision completely obscured, the bat began to thrash around in a panic.
Red watched the swirling smoke intently, tracking the frantic flapping of Crobat's wings. A second later, he issued a decisive order.
"...Flamethrower."
"ROAR!!"
A massive, roaring pillar of fire erupted from Charmeleon's jaws. The inferno struck Crobat with pinpoint accuracy inside the smokescreen, completely engulfing the Poison-type. The sheer force of the blast sent Crobat hurtling backward, crash-landing right at the blue-haired Officer's feet.
"Cro!"
However, as the flames dissipated, Crobat quickly fluttered back into the air. It was panting slightly, but overall, it still looked incredibly energetic and ready to fight.
"Hmph! It doesn't matter how high your commanding skills are! There is a qualitative gap in our Pokémon's levels! You can never bridge that divide!"
The Officer sneered arrogantly.
"I suggest you surrender right now. Otherwise, you won't even know how you died!"
"..." Red showed absolutely no reaction to the enemy's taunts. He thought for a brief moment before issuing his next command.
"...Growl."
"Roar!"
"Stubborn fool!"
"Finish him off in one hit! Use Brave Bird!"
"Cro!"
Crobat's entire body erupted with a brilliant, blinding white aura. It tucked its wings and launched itself at Red with terrifying, suicidal momentum.
Just as Red prepared to dive out of the way, a loud shout echoed through the cavern.
"Mimikyu, use Copycat!"
"Mimi!"
Mimikyu instantly transformed into a matching streak of blinding white light. Launching itself forward, it accelerated past Charmeleon, directly intercepting Crobat's path.
The two streaks of light violently collided in mid-air at the exact same speed.
Boom!
A massive explosion of energy sent both Crobat and Mimikyu flying backward. Moving with lightning-fast reflexes, Ash pulled out a Poké Ball the exact second Mimikyu's Disguise absorbed the impact.
"Return, Mimikyu!"
In the same fluid motion, he practically hurled Froakie from his arms directly onto the battlefield.
"Go, Froakie!"
"Fro, fro."
Froakie landed lightly next to Charmeleon. It appraised the Fire-type with deep interest before shifting its gaze toward the recovering Crobat in the distance.
Whether it is you, or the bat... I shall cut you both down today!
Red looked at the boy whose outfit mirrored his own with mild surprise. Ash reached up, grabbed his cap, and confidently spun it backward. He looked directly at Red, his voice ringing with absolute certainty.
"We're here to help!"
"..."
Red didn't say a single word. He simply offered a slight, acknowledging nod.
In the very next second, the commands of the two Trainers reached their Pokémon simultaneously.
"...Thunder Punch."
"Froakie, use Power-Up Punch!"
"Fro!"
"Roar!"
More PS = More Chapters!