The chapter opens with our heroes locked in a fierce showdown against Cane and his Rock-type Pokémon. Axew darts forward at Graveler, aiming for a brutal dual chop—but Graveler swiftly sidesteps left, dodging cleanly and giving two Geodudes the perfect opening. Both launch synchronised Mega Punches that slam into Axew, sending him hurtling backwards through the air. But Drillbur is there, catching him midflight. Axew shakes it off and steadies himself, ready to strike back.
Together, Drillbur and Axew charge as one, closing the gap between them and their rocky foes. Axew unleashes powerful Dragon Rages, blazing through the air, while Drillbur summons a crushing Rock Slide, sending shards of stone and rubble cascading down toward their enemies.
The battle intensifies. Axew and Drillbur's incredible teamwork shines as they take down two Geodudes—one felled by a razor-sharp Metal Claw, the other by a thunderous Iron Tail. Drillbur kicks up a Sandstorm, clouds of dust swirling and blurring the scene.
Cane wipes the grit from his eyes and suddenly notices Staravia is missing. His gaze snaps upward just in time to see Dango's Staravia hurtling down from the cave ceiling like a comet. With a single, devastating Steel Wing, Staravia smashes through the three remaining Geodudes, knocking them out cold. Cane hastily recalls them, furious, and yells for Dango to hand over the Nepapa flower—or else he'll kill them all. But Dango just smirks, unconvinced Cane's threats mean anything, especially with Maylin nearby.
Fueled by rage, Cane roars Stone Edge. Graveler pounds its fists into the ground, unleashing a violent tremor. Jagged stone pillars erupt explosively from the cave floor, some rock spires shooting straight toward our heroes. Drillbur scrambles, burrowing frantically into the earth to dodge—but a second eruption strikes him mid-dig, blasting him out in a spiralling cloud of dust. He coughs up blood as he tumbles over jagged rock.
Maylin screams and races to her fallen Pokémon—only to have a towering spike burst through the floor right beside her. Dango lunges, shoving her aside just in time. He barely rolls out of the path of a third deadly spike, the razor edge tearing through his jacket.
Dango: "STARAVIA! PICK UP AXEW AND DRILLBUR!"
Staravia swoops in, clutching Axew and a battered Drillbur in its claws. It weaves through a hailstorm of Stone Edges, dodging razor-sharp spikes. One spike nearly pins them to the cave ceiling—if not for Axew blasting it apart with a furious Dragon Rage. The Stone Edge assault ends, and Graveler staggers, exhausted and vulnerable.
Dango takes the chance, and Staravia dives down, wings tucked, readying himself for a blistering Aerial Ace. But just as he closes in, Cane smirks—and Maylin sees it. Her eyes widen as she shouts for Dango to call Staravia back. But it's too late.
Graveler lunges up and seizes Staravia by the beak mid-dive. With a thunderous Mega Punch, he smashes Staravia straight into the ground. Drillbur, too slow to react, is caught in the shockwave and goes down hard beside him. Both Pokémon lie still, unable to battle.
Thinking he's wiped out all their Pokémon, Cane finally lets his mask drop. With a twisted grin, he reveals his true intention—to kill them both. Maylin lets out a terrified scream. Cane chuckles darkly, telling them they're far too deep in Mt. Moon for anyone to hear. No one's coming. But Dango just laughs. He knows this is it—their only shot. He lifts his gaze upward, eyes locking on Axew, clinging tightly to the cave ceiling, having escaped Cane's notice entirely. Ready to strike.
Cane walks toward Dango and shouts at him for laughing, delivering a brutal punch to the gut. Dango crumples to the ground, gasping, as Cane pulls the Nepapa flower from his pocket. Turning his back, Cane doesn't notice Maylin sprinting to Dango's side.
Dango: "Bastard, just please give me the flower—a Pokémon needs it or he dies... PLEASE!"
Maylin: "Dango..."
Cane: (He stops) "Do you know how many years I spent looking for this... Do you?! Every fucking time I got close, someone already took it. Well, not this time... Now finish them, Graveler. No survivors."
Graveler lunges to finish off Staravia and Drillbur, while Maylin sobs, begging them to get up. Graveler's Mega Punch crashes down—but just then, Dango yells for Axew.
Axew drops from the ceiling, all fury and strength, slamming Graveler with a crushing Iron Tail. The ground cracks beneath, and Axew stands triumphant atop the stunned Graveler. Shocked, Cane tries to run—but Maylin delivers a savage kick to his lower region, and he collapses, clutching himself in agony.
Dango struggles to grab the flower from him, but Cane snarls in frustration. If he can't have it, then no one will. With a roar, he rips the Nepapa flower to pieces. Enraged, Dango punches him square in the face, knocking him out cold. Not done yet, Dango opens his mouth and stomps down hard, shattering Cane's jaw.
Dango takes what's left of the flower, calls back their Pokémon, and he and Maylin step away from the broken Cane lying in the dirt. With only six hours left before Elekid's death, Dango and Maylin race, hoping Nurse Joy can still use the flower to save him.
Meanwhile, Rose clutches a TM, thinking this might be her key to finally defeating Misty. Inside the Pokémon Centre near Mt. Moon, trainers go about their business when the door suddenly bursts open, revealing Dango, barely conscious, leaning against Maylin for support. Struggling to stay on his feet, Dango extends his hand, revealing the crushed Nepapa flower. Nurse Joy's eyes widen; she gives a firm nod and rushes over to take it. The moment she does, Dango collapses, unconscious.
We skip to two days later, just outside the Pokémon Centre, where Maylin is shown facing off against a wild Tyrogue.
She defeats it in a close match and catches it, proudly adding the Tyrogue to her team. Back inside, in one of the recovery rooms, Dango still lies motionless on a bed. His Pokémon sit nearby, visibly anxious, until suddenly, he jolts upright. Axew leaps onto him, nuzzling into his chest while Staravia circles overhead in joy. Dango pulls them both in for a hug, apologising for making them wait, then realises he's only in his underwear. Quickly, he gears up, slipping on his clothes and grabbing his bag. He returns Staravia to its Poké Ball while Axew climbs onto his shoulder.
Dango opens the door and notices the rip across his jacket. He walks to the front desk, spotting Nurse Joy and Maylin deep in conversation. Dango calls out to them, and Maylin turns with a grin, excitedly telling him about her new Pokémon. Dango's eyes light up with curiosity, wondering where she managed to find a Tyrogue, but quickly asks to see Elekid. Nurse Joy agrees, and as they begin walking, she tells him that Elekid woke up at almost the same time he did.
Suddenly, Dango and Axew got a strange feeling—like someone was calling out to them. Dango looked around and asked if Axew felt it too. Axew gave a nod, while Nurse Joy and Maylin exchanged confused glances. Dango moved quickly toward a nearby room, only to find it empty. Nurse Joy guessed that the Pokémon must've run off, but somehow, Dango and Axew could still sense his presence.
A shadow shifted in the corner to the left, and before anyone could react, Axew darted forward and grabbed it, revealing Elekid. Dango grinned, kneeling down with a look of pure relief, and happily exclaimed how glad he was that Elekid had survived. He then extended his hand, holding out a Poké Ball, giving Elekid the choice to join his team. Elekid looked at the ball, then at Dango, and a quiet moment passed. Smiles appeared on everyone's faces—they all knew this was the moment Dango had been waiting for.
Elekid looked at Dango... then at Axew—before suddenly smacking the Poké Ball aside. Everyone's eyes widened in shock. Did Elekid not want to be on Dango's team? But no—Elekid pointed at Axew, then made a clear gesture: a challenge. Maylin was the first to catch on. Elekid wanted a battle with Axew before joining, because he had lost to him before.
Dango: "Do you accept, buddy?"
Axew: "Axew!"
We cut to Dango, Maylin, Axew, and Elekid outside. Axew and Elekid lock eyes, the tension crackling in the air. Maylin whistles sharply, and the battle begins. The two charge at each other—Elekid lunges forward with a tackle, but Axew leaps gracefully over, twisting behind to unleash a fierce Dragon Rage. Elekid thinks fast, firing a Thunder Shock that blasts through the Dragon Rage, scattering the energy into sparks.
The clash continues—Axew swings a powerful kick, but Elekid nimbly jumps over, retaliating with another sharp Thunder Shock. Axew stumbles, barely hurt, then recovers quickly, ramming Elekid with a brutal headbutt that sends him crashing into a tree. Axew presses his assault as rocks begin to glow and levitate above Elekid. With a fierce roar, jagged stones cascade down, crashing with unstoppable force in a devastating Rock Slide move.
Elekid bursts from underneath the rubble, electricity crackling violently around his body as he charges up with raw energy. Dango, puzzled by the sudden surge, quickly scans with his Pokédex.
Pokédex: "Charge — a move used to boost the power of Electric-type attacks."
Without wasting a second, Dango points forward and shouts for Iron Tail. Axew darts in, his tail glowing silver as he spins with sharp precision, slamming it across Elekid's chest. The blow cuts the charge short, sending Elekid flying backwards. He crashes to the ground, sparks flickering out—unable to battle.
Dango rushes over to Elekid, kneeling down—only for Elekid's eyes to snap open. He looks up at Dango, then over at Axew, something stirring in his gaze. Slowly, Elekid bows his head, a quiet gesture of respect, accepting Dango as his trainer. Dango raises his Pokéball, offering the choice. Elekid steps forward—and with a punch, taps the ball, allowing himself to be captured.
Dango cheers, Axew jumping with him as they celebrate the newest member of their team. With the journey for the Nepapa flower complete, our heroes—Dango and Maylin—set their sights on their next destination: Cerulean City's Gym Leader, Misty.
To Be Continued!