Chapter 224: Big Bro Red? Just For Laughs, That's All.
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
Blaine: "?"
He scratched his bald head. He had been hearing the phrase "It's nothing" for a while now, and he had a nagging feeling that ever since these three had entered, the way they looked around was with expressions of mourning and silent tribute.
A riddle?
"Actually, besides the Gym Badge, there's something else we need to tell you."
Seeing that the Gym Battle was over, the three finally got to the point, their tone and expression turning serious.
"The volcano will erupt in five weeks!"
This solemn demeanor startled Blaine, but he immediately burst out laughing.
"You've got to be kidding me. The experts in Pewter City have already said it won't erupt for at least 50 years."
"I'm from Pewter City. Those experts only study Rock types; they don't know the first thing about volcanoes," Brock stepped forward and explained.
The only volcano in the Kanto Region was this Cinnabar Volcano. There were no volcano experts here, let alone anywhere else.
Seeing the grave expressions on all three of their faces, Blaine's cheerful face gradually darkened. He looked toward Ash, who was at the front.
"Although you've proven your strength, this is no small matter. I need evidence."
If the volcano was truly going to erupt, it was a major event concerning thousands of lives. Just the thought of it made his scalp tingle.
It was precisely because of the gravity of the situation that there could be no room for ambiguity.
Ash took out his Pokedex.
"Pokedex Beep. According to analysis, the Cinnabar Volcano will erupt in five weeks. Believe it or not."
"This isn't evidence."
Blaine shook his head. A Pokédex couldn't be treated as gospel.
Seeing this, Ash could only pat his own chest lightly and recite silently in his heart.
"Brother Red, I'm counting on you."
They really didn't have any evidence; it was all based on intuition. The Pokedex, with its penchant for spouting nonsense, was all talk and no substance, utterly useless.
One could say that among those present, besides Red who had actually experienced it, everyone else was just speculating.
After a moment, a sentence came to Ash's mind.
"Tap the last Poké Ball on your left."
Red, still rocking back and forth in his Grand Master's Chair, decisively deployed an invisible pass, shifting the problem to someone else while he remained in the shadows to observe.
Ash was impressed without fully understanding. He had been thinking of letting Brother Red possess his body to have a good chat with this bald guy in Sunglasses about their Hometown, to make him believe one fact.
The volcano in their Hometown had, indeed, erupted.
But Brother Red's words had always been pleasant to hear. Without hesitation, he lightly tapped that Poké Ball.
To be honest, he didn't know what was inside this Poké Ball, only that it was a Pokémon with a Mental Purity Obsession. Brother Red had warned him never to touch this Poké Ball unless it was absolutely necessary.
But based on its performance back in the fog of the Lighthouse, where it used sheer Superpower to stuff that giant, green-blooded Dragonite into a Poké Ball and then performed a Secure Lockdown to complete the Catch—an almost miraculous Skill—Ash knew this was an incredibly powerful Pokémon.
Perhaps this was a Deity.
"Thanks for your hard work, Big Shot Bro!"
Ash stroked the Poké Ball, trying to get on its good side, thanking it in advance.
"Huh?" he let out a sound of confusion.
This was the first time he had ever touched this Poké Ball, and Ash felt its texture was a bit strange.
A metallic exterior, a matte finish, and a warmth that spread through his hand upon contact... It was completely different from the feel of an ordinary Poké Ball.
After getting VIP access to Poké Balls from Silph Co., he had handled his fair share of them and knew a bit of Trivia.
Different Poké Balls not only had different capture rates but also different textures and shapes.
A regular Poké Ball felt average, somewhat flimsy and dry.
A Great Ball had an improved feel, and it wasn't as dry to the touch.
An Ultra Ball felt superb, perfectly balancing a solid metallic texture with the softness of silicone. Though it felt slightly moist to the touch, it wasn't the least bit slippery.
As for other Poké Balls, they each had their own unique shapes and textures.
But this Poké Ball on his waist was definitely the best he had ever handled. This made Ash unable to resist moving his fingers, fiddling with it a few more times.
"Hiss..."
Unexpectedly, as if he had touched something, the Poké Ball suddenly trembled violently, and a thin red film fell off.
Everyone looked over curiously. The original red shell on the upper half of the Poké Ball was actually a manually applied red sticker. As the sticker fell away, the Poké Ball revealed its true appearance.
The bottom was still white, but the upper half had turned a noble and mysterious purple, with the letter "M" engraved in the center.
"The... the Master Ball!?"
Blaine was dumbfounded, his Sunglasses nearly falling off his face.
Wasn't this the legendary Master Ball!?
"Master Ball?"
Ash remembered President Silph mentioning the Master Ball back at the Silph Co. Building. It was the rarest of all Poké Balls, boasting a 100% capture rate.
"So this is the Master Ball..."
He couldn't help but pick it up and play with it. Besides its excellent feel, it gave him an awe-inspiring confidence, as if he held the world in his hands.
A Pokémon Master with a Master Ball. This ball felt like it was made for him!
"Let go."
Just as he was reveling in his own hype, a rather deep voice suddenly echoed in Ash's mind. A blue light of Telekinesis materialized around his palm, forcefully separating him from the Master Ball.
The Master Ball floated in mid-air.
Psychic Type is super effective against Fighting Type. Ash couldn't resist at all; he couldn't even muster the willpower in his mind to fight back.
"Hehe, hello, Big Shot Bro!"
He recognized the voice and hurriedly greeted the Master Ball warmly. This action left the three people beside him utterly baffled.
Over this period, Ash had more or less come to understand something. When things got truly desperate, the one in this Poké Ball was the real big shot.
Brother Red?
Just for laughs, that's all. At best, he could be considered a small shot.
No, Brother Red likes to run his mouth, so he should be called Little Mouth.
Of course, he wouldn't dare say this out loud.
Red: "?"
Watching in the Soul Space as the two materialized words "Little Mouth" slowly drifted right before his eyes, followed by a line of smaller text, "Brother Red is Prohibited from peeking at this thought, peeking makes you a little Dog," he almost lost his temper and teamed up with that Pokémon to perform a Body Snatching and take over as King.
This brat...!
"Mewtwo?!"
In the real world, Blaine's eyes suddenly widened as he blurted out the name.
A few years ago, Team Rocket had found a fossilized eyelash of Mew, extracted its DNA, and created Mew's clone—one that would truly surpass Mew—Mewtwo.
Blaine had participated in that experiment. He could clearly feel that the Aura emanating from this Master Ball was identical to that of the Mewtwo he had once seen in the incubation machine!
Impossible. How could a Novice Trainer possibly be carrying Mewtwo!?
Shouldn't that Mewtwo still be in the hands of Team Rocket?!
"Mewtwo? Is that a kind of Pokémon?"
Ash and the others were completely bewildered. It was the first time they had ever heard this Name. Even Red had never mentioned this name to Ash.
Blaine swallowed hard, forcing himself to calm down, telling himself it must be a coincidence.
That's right, how could a newbie possibly have Mewtwo?
Haha!
"Hey, old friend, I think I saw Mewtwo..."
"...I'm not kidding. It's with a Newbie Trainer. This Trainer is wearing a red and white Cap. Oh, right, he's also got an Electric Mouse with him, a really fat one."
Blaine suddenly recalled a phone call from over half a month ago. His old friend, Mr. Fuji, who was enjoying his retirement in Lavender Town, had suddenly called him. At the time, he had even mocked the old man, asking if he was having a stroke.
He couldn't help but lower his head to look at Ash's side. In the end, he swallowed hard again.
Indeed, that Electric Mouse was very fat...
(end of chapter)