Chapter 4 opens right where we left off—Dango is locked in a battle against a wild Elekid, with Staravia circling overhead. His goal is clear: capture the Elekid and gift it to Maylin. Staravia dives fast, cutting through the air with a glowing Aerial Ace, heading straight for its target. But just before contact, Elekid raises its arms, and a shimmering Light Screen flickers into place, dulling the impact. The attack barely shakes the wild Electric-type.
Undeterred, Staravia pulls back into the sky, wings beating hard. With a sharp cry, it lets out a blast of wind with Gust, knocking Elekid backwards and slamming it into a tree with a rough thud.
Regaining momentum, Staravia swoops again, landing a clean Aerial Ace this time. The blow sends Elekid skidding across the dirt, sparks flickering weakly from its body. It tries to stand, legs trembling—but it's still conscious. Up above, Staravia climbs again, preparing to end the battle.
Dango, eyes sharp, thinks to himself that one more hit should be enough. This Elekid isn't that strong—just wild and unpredictable. Maybe Maylin's just inexperienced, and catching this one could help her grow.
But then, out of nowhere, Elekid stuns them all. With a sudden leap, it bounces off a tree branch and rockets into the air, colliding with Staravia mid-flight. A low, spinning tackle sends the bird spiralling down, knocked off-balance.
Staravia crashes into the dirt, feathers scattering. It tries to rise, but Elekid doesn't hesitate. A burst of Thunder Shock crackles out, jolting Staravia on the ground, electricity dancing over its body.
Staravia faints, and to Dango's surprise, Axew jumps off his shoulder without hesitation. He dashes in and lands a brutal Iron Tail, slamming Elekid into the earth, finally knocking it out. Dango shouts for Maylin to throw a Poké Ball—and she does... only to miss and nail Dango in the face.
As the ball clatters to the ground, Elekid wakes up, sparks crackling. It hurls a Thunder Shock at Dango—but Axew leaps in the way, tanking the attack effortlessly.
Elekid flees into the grass, and Maylin sprints after it, Poké Ball in hand. Dango and Axew follow close behind but quickly lose sight of her. Up ahead, Elekid zaps a nearby Tauros, causing the furious Pokémon to believe Maylin was the culprit. The Tauros charges.
Maylin screams, bracing for impact—but at the last second, a Drilbur bursts out of the ground and strikes the Tauros, driving it away. The ground-type Pokémon turns, looking up at Maylin and slowly approaching. Panicking, Maylin flings the nearest thing in her hand—her Poké Ball. Incredibly, it clicks. She caught it.
Dango and Axew arrive moments later, and Dango asks if she's okay. Still dazed, Maylin nods silently. When Dango spots the Poké Ball at her feet, he assumes she caught the Elekid—only to blink in surprise when he realizes it's a Drilbur inside.
Dango turns to wave goodbye, saying it's time he continues his journey to become a Pokémon Master.
Maylin: (Disappointed) "Yeah, you have your own thing to do, and I don't want to drag you down, so you can leave, I guess."
Dango nods and begins to walk away, but Maylin suddenly calls out, telling him to wait. Dango, puzzled, turns back, asking what more she could want—she had her own Pokémon now. Maylin, cheeks flushed, asks if she can travel with him.
Dango raises an eyebrow and asks why. She explains that he's a strong trainer and she could learn a lot from him. Dango laughs, saying he's just as new to all of this as she is—he only started not even a week ago.
Dango tells her she'd be better off going to Brock for guidance. But she refused, saying she didn't want to spend all day in the Gym with Brock's foot warmer—referring to Johnny.
Meanwhile, Johnny, heading back to the Gym, sneezes, muttering that someone must be talking about him. Dango's final answer was no, stating plainly that he thought she'd just be a bother to look after. But when Maylin mentioned she had a TM Player, Dango paused—then agreed, but only if she actually had one.
They made their way back to Pewter City, heading into Maylin's house, passing by her parents, who looked pleasantly surprised and happy that Maylin had finally made a friend. Maylin asked about her grandmother's old TM Player, to which her father replied it was in the basement, though he wasn't sure if it even worked anymore.
They went into the basement and, after searching around, Dango found a photo of Maylin's grandmother, pausing and saying she looked oddly familiar. Maylin called out for him, and he walked over. She had found the old, dusty TM Player, and Dango inspected it, wondering if the thing could actually still function. He slotted in the Rock Slide TM—and to his surprise, it started playing.
But to teach the move, they needed a Poké TV. That's when Dango remembered something, rummaging through his bag. He pulled out a compact TV, and Maylin was stunned—not that he had a Poké TV, but that something that size could even fit inside his bag.
Dango brushed off the question and hooked the Player up to the TV, and to their relief, it worked, showing a demonstration of an Onix performing Rock Slide. Dango placed Axew in front of the screen and handed him a headset for better focus.
In his mind, Dango silently thanks Glen for the Poké TV, revealing that it had been a gift from him. With eyes locked on the screen, Axew successfully learns Rock Slide. Dango carefully packs away both the TM Player and the Poké TV into his bag, then, with a quiet sigh and a shrug, agrees to let Maylin come along on his journey.
Maylin rushes upstairs to tell her parents, breaking the news with barely contained excitement. To her surprise, they don't object—in fact, her father smiles proudly, saying she's following in the footsteps of her grandmother, Agatha.
Caught off guard, Dango asks in surprise if it's that Agatha, the former member of the Elite Four. Her father nods, explaining that not many people know she had a son. Dango's about to ask more, curiosity bubbling over, when Maylin suddenly grabs his arm and pulls him outside in a hurry.
As they leave Pewter City, Dango catches all the Pokémon from the route, noting there's no sign of an Elekid. They reach a Pokémon Centre near a cave, and after heading in, the place is packed with trainers—some trading, others arguing. They move through the crowd and spot two people, a male and a female, dressed in trench coats, watching everyone. Maylin points them out to Dango, but he believes she's just being paranoid.
Dango heals his Pokémon, and after going outside, Maylin requests a battle, wanting to test her strength. Dango accepts, and Maylin throws out her Drillbur while Dango sends out his Axew. Axew charges at Drillbur and jumps, attempting a Dual Chop. Drillbur looks at Maylin for orders, and she shouts for him to use Dig. Drillbur burrows beneath the dirt, making Axew miss his mark. Suddenly, Drillbur erupts from the ground like a cannon, sending Axew flying backward.
But Dango planned this—midair, Axew twists, landing on his feet, and when Drillbur follows up, Axew spins in and pins him down with his tusks. Maylin shouts for him to break free, and Drillbur struggles, clawing wildly, but Axew opens his mouth and lands a point-blank Dragon Rage, blasting Drillbur across the battlefield and ending the battle. Maylin, disappointed, goes to heal her Pokémon while Dango heads toward the cave, waiting.
She goes inside only to see chaos—trainers lying unconscious, the air hazy. The same two individuals, now wearing gas masks, move swiftly, returning Pokémon to their Poké Balls and stacking them in bags. The man notices Maylin and throws out a Roselia, the flowers glowing as it releases a glittering cloud of Sleep Powder. Maylin turns to run, but the woman hurls her Poké Ball—an Arbok erupts and coils fast, binding Maylin before she can escape. She struggles to scream, but Arbok wraps around her mouth.
Throughout the entire exchange, the man and woman argue—the woman accusing the man of forgetting to lock the door. They continue the robbery, stepping over fallen trainers. Maylin's vision fades as they return their Pokémons. The Sleep Powder takes hold, but before collapsing, she weakly releases Drillbur. Her lips part as she commands it to escape and get help. The little Pokémon nods and digs underground, unnoticed by the masked duo.
Outside, Dango, growing impatient, spots the Elekid from before watching him and Axew from a tree branch. Before he can react, Drillbur erupts from the ground, panting. Dango, startled, glances back at the tree—Elekid is now gone. He rushes to Drillbur, confused but alert. The Pokémon urgently tugs him, leading him back toward the Pokémon Centre. Dango follows, senses flaring. When he arrives, he knows something is off. Without hesitation, he shouts for Axew to break the door down. One solid Iron Tail later, the door bursts off its hinges.
Dango sees the woman and man and sends out his Staravia, commanding it to use Gust to blow away the Sleep Powder. The woman tries to curse, but the man says there was no way to prevent it. Maylin awakens to the noise, rushing over to her Drillbur and thanking it. Dango demands the duo's identity, and they smirk, throwing off their trench coats to reveal Team Blitz uniforms.
Male: "Looks like we stole the spotlight again."
Female: "Trying to be secretive isn't our style."
Male and Female: "WE ARE—"
Male: "Kai!"
Female: "Lia!"
Kai and Lia: "Wearing Team Blitz uniforms with pride, prepare to lose your Pokémon—and most likely, your lives!"
Kai and Lia strike a pose before throwing out their Pokémon, attacking our heroes.
To Be Continued!