"Hi there, I'm Brock. Could you tell me your beautiful name?"
Seeing the young lady rushing over, Brock practically teleported to stand in front of her.
But this time, the girl brushed right past him and ran straight to Ash.
Ash had just finished giving orders to Heracross and Chikorita, successfully capturing the Hippop that had flown away.
"Hippop! I was so worried about you!" The girl scooped the little Pokémon into her arms, tears of relief in her eyes as she looked at Ash. "Thank you so much!"
"My name's Azusa. If you don't mind, would you come over to my place for a while?"
Azusa's home was just on the outskirts nearby, a quaint house with a red roof. In front of it, a massive net had been set up.
Clearly, it was meant to keep her Hippop from being blown away by strong winds.
Azusa's job was in weather forecasting. Her rooftop was covered with wind sensors, and the interior of her house was filled with all kinds of instruments. She was currently studying Hippop behavior patterns to predict changes in the weather.
Suddenly, Ash and the others noticed something unusual—seven Hippop had gathered together, intertwining the leaves on their heads.
Azusa's face paled in an instant.
"A strong wind is coming—fast!"
Right as she said that, dark clouds began rolling in, and the wind sensors on the rooftop started spinning wildly.
"I was right! A massive storm is forming—and it's heading straight for us!" Azusa confirmed the Hippop's warning with her instruments.
Everyone tensed up immediately.
They hurried to reinforce the windows and doors with wooden boards, but Azusa quickly realized it wasn't just a strong wind—this was a full-blown tornado headed straight at them.
Even Azusa, a weather expert, looked shaken. "I've never seen a tornado this intense before!"
She quickly turned and shouted, "Everyone, get under the table! Hurry!"
Clearly, even she didn't believe the house could withstand what was coming.
Ash reacted instantly. "Azusa! You need to return the Hippop to their Poké Balls!"
They had already brought the clustered Hippop inside, but if the house couldn't hold up, the Hippop would be blown away—and once that happened, finding them again would be near impossible.
"But… the Poké Balls…"
Azusa had put them away, and digging them out now would take too long.
"Then we've got no choice!"
Ash didn't hesitate. Instead of recalling Chikorita to her Poké Ball, he pulled both Pikachu and Chikorita into his arms.
Chikorita extended her vines and quickly lashed two Hippop together, holding them tightly.
Misty snapped to action as well, grabbing one Hippop and hugging it close along with Togepi before ducking under the table.
Brock—who had temporarily forgotten his romantic mission—also grabbed two Hippop and shielded them with his body.
That made five Hippop accounted for.
Azusa didn't waste a second either. She hugged the last two Hippop to her chest and dove under the table as well.
"Ash… thank you."
Just as she said it, the tornado struck without mercy—ripping the roof clean off.
The sheer force of the wind left everyone dizzy and disoriented. It felt like even their thoughts were being blown away.
Then the table itself was lifted into the air, unable to withstand the wind's fury.
Azusa clung tightly to the Hippop in her arms.
"Chikorita, everyone—hold on just a little longer!"
Ash was struggling the most. He was holding both Pikachu and Chikorita, and Chikorita's vines were still keeping two of the Hippop secure.
But against a disaster like this, human strength was so small—so insignificant.
After the tables were flung away, a massive machine was toppled by the winds—falling directly toward Misty!
"Damn it!" Ash clenched his teeth and leapt up, shielding Misty by bracing his back against the machine.
"Ash!"
Tears welled up in Misty's eyes at his heroic act. She tried to stand but nearly got blown away herself. Ash quickly reached out and pulled her close.
Suddenly, blue energy sparked around Ash's body. The power of Aura surged forth—forming a protective barrier that stabilized the area around them.
This was the first time Ash had used his Aura to such an extent. His recently recovered spiritual energy was being consumed rapidly.
His head throbbed. The pain was intense—splitting.
"Ash, you—!"
Thanks to Ash, Misty couldn't even feel the wind anymore.
But he was clearly on the verge of collapse. Darkness crept into the edges of his vision.
"Chiko…"
Chikorita, still cradled in his arms, looked up at him in distress.
"I'm okay, Misty… Chikorita… don't worry. Just a bit more. The tornado's almost over."
But his condition was deteriorating fast.
On the other side of the room, Brock had joined Azusa, the two of them huddled close, each holding two Hippop. By staying close, they managed to withstand the worst of the winds.
"This damn tornado! Is it targeting me on purpose!?"
Ash gritted his teeth. Why wasn't it over yet!?
Just as he was about to give out—
Chikorita's entire body began to glow with a radiant light.
"What…?"
Her form grew, rapidly expanding far beyond what Ash's arms could hold. She gently slipped from his grasp and landed on the floor, her vines extending again.
First, she lashed out and knocked aside the heavy machine pressing against Ash. Then she reached out again—this time wrapping her vines around Ash and Misty, pulling them toward her.
Ash's Aura shield finally faded.
Bayleef—Chikorita's evolved form—was so much larger and sturdier that she could now stand firm even in the tornado's center.
"Bayleef… you evolved!"
Ash's voice was filled with both surprise and joy. Chikorita had already accumulated enough battle experience. Ash had poured so much care and effort into her training recently.
She had been strong enough to evolve for a while. But maybe—just maybe—she had held off because she loved riding on Ash's shoulder.
But now, to save Ash, she had made the choice to evolve—sacrificing that small joy in exchange for power.
She had chosen to fight for Ash.
At that moment, Bayleef's bond level rose to 160/200.
Now, with Bayleef's new strength, she was able to shield everyone from harm.
Moments later, the tornado finally passed—moving far off into the distance.
"Ash! Are you alright?" Misty rushed to support him as his legs gave out from exhaustion.
Bayleef's vines gently wrapped around his waist, keeping him from falling.
"Misty… Bayleef… I'm fine." Ash waved them off and asked Bayleef to let go, then sat down on the floor to catch his breath.
Azusa quickly checked the seven Hippop.
All safe. Not a scratch. In fact, they all looked a little too happy.
Carefree little things.
"Ash, thank you all so much!" The place was a complete wreck, but none of that mattered. Not a single Hippop had been lost. If Ash and the others hadn't been there, Azusa would've been in serious trouble.
Ash patted Bayleef's round head with a smile. "You should be thanking Bayleef. It's all thanks to her."
Bayleef: 160/200 Bond