Chapter 207: Today, It's My Turn to Be on The Fifth Layer!
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
(We've hit 20k recommendation votes, so I'll do three chapters today.)
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Just as the two were still locked in a manly gaze, smiles playing on their lips, a cold, somewhat detached voice suddenly sounded in Gary's mind.
"Don't just stand there. This Aerodactyl is special. Throw a Luxury Ball, quickly!"
It was Green's voice.
His earlier words to Red had just been a cryptic feint; even he didn't know what he was talking about.
But that didn't matter. As long as it captured Red's attention and distracted him from the battlefield, that was enough.
This was Green's turf now!
Although this Aerodactyl was destined for Pallet Town and wouldn't fall into either of their hands for the time being, whoever threw the Luxury Ball first would max out their bond with it. This would give them a much greater chance of luring it onto their team in the future.
"Oh, I get it!"
Gary abruptly snapped back to reality.
Though he was inwardly cursing up a storm, his expression didn't change much. He even felt a cold sneer coming on.
*Heh heh heh...*
Don't blame me for being ruthless, brother. This sister-in-law—I mean, this Aerodactyl is just too tempting.
When I'm soaring through the skies of the Kanto Region on this Overlord of the Skies one day, I'll be sure to catch a few Pidgeys as compensation!
At this thought, Gary's gaze turned cold, and a sinister expression crept onto his lips.
Looking at Ash, who was still fired up, their hands clasped in a meeting of minds, Gary wanted to laugh. *What a clueless hot-head,* he thought. *And he thinks he can be a rival to me, the great Gary?*
Naive!
The opportunity was here!
The moment their arms separated, Gary's other hand, which had long been gripping a noble, black-and-gold-trimmed Poké Ball at his waist, mercilessly flung it toward the Aerodactyl that was unable to battle.
A Luxury Ball!
"The prehistoric Overlord of the Skies is mine, Gary's!"
Seeing his launched Luxury Ball about to hit its target, his face contorted with a wild, irrepressible joy, twisting his handsome features!
"Swoosh!!"
A black shadow shot out from the side, striking second but landing first. In an instant, it overtook Gary's Luxury Ball, its sheer speed creating a sonic boom in the air.
"Smack!"
This shadowy projectile was unstoppable. It struck Gary's Luxury Ball from an incredible angle, knocking it away before landing first on the Aerodactyl that was unable to battle.
The next second, a flash of opulent golden light pulled the extraordinary Aerodactyl inside. After three shakes, a chime indicated a successful catch.
It was another Luxury Ball!
Gary: "?"
His contorted expression froze. He tremblingly turned his head toward the source of the second Luxury Ball.
He saw Ash, still holding the follow-through pose of his throw, his face maintaining that same foolishly passionate rookie expression as he looked at Gary.
"I was waiting for you to make a move, you know. Hee hee."
At that moment, Ash's expression finally shifted, switching seamlessly from hot-headed rookie to a cheeky grin.
"This round, you're only on the Second Layer. Today, it's my turn to be on the Fifth Layer!"
He lightly patted the shoulder of the dumbfounded Gary, as if patting a simpleton, and asked with a smile:
"Good buddy, you're not gonna hold this against me, are you?"
*Heh heh heh...*
Don't blame him, Ash, for being ruthless. This sister-in-law—I mean, this Aerodactyl was just too tempting!
Gary: "..."
Right. If he could disguise himself as a rich sucker, why couldn't someone else disguise themselves as a hot-headed rookie!
For Farfetch'd's sake!
***
In the Soul Space.
Green: "?"
Everything had happened so fast that even he hadn't reacted in time. Ash's change of face had caught even a veteran like him completely off guard.
Green immediately turned to look at Red, his eyes growing deep, his expression dark and overcast.
Looking at Red, who was sitting in the Grand Master's Chair with his head down, seemingly lost in thought and detached from the world, he couldn't help but sneer, trembling with anger.
"Hmph, stop acting. I lost today."
*Deliberately pretending to be stumped by the riddle I threw at him, while secretly dividing his attention to command that boy Ash to be on guard against a cheap shot.*
*Truly insidious!*
It seemed that after this transmigration, not only had this Red's thinking become more seasoned, but he himself had become far more venomous.
He had to be on guard!
"Hmph, I'll let you go this time. Next time, I will definitely defeat you!"
Green let out a low shout, then with a flick of his hand, vanished from the Soul Space.
He had severed their soul connection.
Red: "?"
After a long moment, Red finally lifted his head from the Grand Master's Chair, a confused look on his face. He had no idea what Green was talking about.
He hadn't been playing the part of a fair-weather friend just now, with all that disguise and secret plotting.
The main reason was that he had noticed something was off with the Aerodactyl the moment he entered, and he had informed Ash at the first opportunity.
He had to throw a Poké Ball immediately.
After that, from Ash's initial probing with Ivysaur to his later collaboration with Gary for the Pallet Town dual-bond, dual-Hypnosis, he hadn't interfered at all.
When all was said and done, it was all Ash's acting.
On one hand, he was passionately sharing a meeting of minds with Gary, while on the other, he was inwardly laughing at the foolish rich kid.
However...
"Red, the flowers of our hometown, should be blooming by now, right?"
Red shook his head sharply. He still didn't understand what Green meant by that sentence.
He then calmed himself and began to think again.
Someone as meticulous as Green wouldn't say something without reason. That sentence must have a deeper meaning.
The Chinese character for "Red" has seven strokes, implying Fire...
Hometown refers to their home, the Kanto Region...
Flower... Venusaur?
"Could it be... using fire on Ash's mutated Ivysaur will make it evolve into a Venusaur?"
Red's eyes suddenly lit up. He understood Green's intention. So this was Green's way of giving Ash pointers from afar, using him as a messenger.
"Fine. Since that's the case, I'll give that Gary a pointer next time, too..."
A smile lifted the corners of Red's mouth. His mind had finally sorted everything out, which left him feeling quite pleased. He leaned back in the Grand Master's Chair and began to rock it gently.
***
Back in reality.
After a bout of scheming and outwitting each other, their time was up. A beam of white light finally shot down from above their heads.
*Clang!*
The way between the surface and the Underworld was finally open.
"Pikachu, lights out, quick!" Ash whispered urgently.
"Pika!"
Pikachu instantly dispelled its Flash. The two boys and one mouse quietly hid in a shadowy corner of the rock wall.
They even closed their mouths to hide their white teeth. At this moment, Ash and Gary were like sprites of the night.
"Is there anything down there?"
"Weren't there still rumbling tremors just a moment ago? Did it stop?"
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
"Hello? Any ghosts down there?"
The group of Hikers above had dug out a three-to-four-meter-long fissure. A few of the bolder Hikers even threw down Escape Ropes and slowly descended.
After some exploration and seeing that there didn't seem to be any danger, the other Hikers descended one by one until the landing spot became crowded. They had no choice but to spread out and explore the surrounding Deep Pit Cave.
Ash and Gary took the opportunity to blend into the large group of Hikers, disguising themselves as ordinary members.
But after some searching, apart from the pitted and pockmarked signs of battle all around, the Hikers found nothing else.
"Impossible. There was definitely something down here just now!"
"Yeah, the sound of the explosion earlier was so loud. It couldn't have come from nowhere!"
"Hmph, an explosion from thin air? I'll eat this rock on the spot!"
"Could it be something from the Underworld?"
The Hikers chattered amongst themselves.
"Rumble!"
The next second, on one side of the Abyssal Cave's upper reaches, a blue light appeared out of nowhere. An explosion with considerable power erupted from the void!
There was clearly nothing there, yet it had simply exploded out of thin air.
This nearly supernatural scene terrified the Hikers. Don't be fooled by their burly, bear-like builds; their courage was no greater than a chicken's.
"It's really an Underworld explosion!?"
"There are ghosts!?"
"Brothers, retreat!!"
The faces of the Hikers instantly changed, and they scrambled over each other to grab the Escape Ropes and flee back to the surface.
Amidst the wailing and howling of the Hikers, Gary, who was also faking it, suddenly nudged Ash, who was joining in the commotion beside him, and said smugly:
"See that? That was my masterpiece."
Although he had been slightly outmatched over the Aerodactyl, he was still the Number One Strategist of Pallet Town.
The explosion from thin air just now was precisely the move he had Alakazam use at the very beginning.
Future Sight!
"No fool would forget about this move, right?" Gary sneered.
Today, I am still on the Fifth Layer!!
(end of chapter)