As the three tightened the net around Clefairy, they grinned. "Of course we followed you here! Do you know how hard you were to track down? At first, our target was just that Pikachu of yours—but once you revealed how rare this Pokémon is, there's no way we'd pass it up. We'll deliver her straight to the boss!"
"Yeah, nya! And that Pikachu's ours too!" Meowth declared. A mechanical claw sprang from his paw, shooting forward like a claw machine, latching onto Pikachu.
Ash's body moved on instinct. With a single backfist, he smashed the claw out of the air. The steel joint snapped clean in two, leaving only a lonely rod dangling uselessly.
Meowth's grin froze in shock.
What the—?! One punch broke his machine? No way! That joint wasn't plastic—it was solid steel!
Was this kid Superman?!
Even Jessie and James were stunned, and Brock, who'd never seen Ash fight, widened his eyes so much they were almost visible beneath his lids.
A human breaking steel barehanded—just how strong was this kid?!
Ash calmly lowered his fist. He didn't care about the punch itself. He'd laced it with Aura Power, so that result was expected. What concerned him was that Team Rocket had once again set their sights on him.
Now he finally understood what the seniors in the Chat Group meant by "bad karma."
He'd already blasted these three out of Viridian City. And yet, after all this time, they'd found him again. The world was huge—even just Kanto was huge! How had they managed to track him down? Ridiculous!
And to top it off, they were still fixated on his Pikachu. Ash now knew enough about Pokémon to realize Pikachu were a dime a dozen in Kanto. Sure, his Pikachu was special, but still—why target him?
Not that it mattered right now.
"You creeps, let Clefairy go!"
"Ha! As if we'd listen to you. What kind of villains would we be if we just obeyed?" Jessie sneered, pulling a face at him.
"Exactly! Did you listen when we asked you to hand over Pikachu?" James added mockingly.
Ash crouched low, holding out his palm. Pikachu leapt into it, then Ash whipped his arm and hurled Pikachu like a javelin straight at them.
"You want Pikachu? Then take him!!"
The trio blinked. Had this brat lost his mind? He was actually throwing Pikachu to them?!
"Pikachu—Thunderbolt!!"
Before they could react, Ash's command rang out.
Jessie and James paled. They scrambled to release their Pokémon, but it was far too late.
Ash's throw had launched Pikachu right in their faces. At point-blank range—barely a meter away—Pikachu unleashed Thunderbolt. There was no dodging, no counter.
"Zzzzt!" Golden lightning exploded, engulfing them in crackling bolts. Their screams echoed through the cave. An instant later, a violent blast erupted, launching the trio clear out of Mt. Moon's cavern.
"Damn brat! We'll get you for this!"
"Ugh, I didn't even get to send out my Pokémon!"
"My machine… crushed with one punch… this doesn't add up, nya…"
"What a rotten feeling!!" x3
Their voices faded into the distance. Ash was sure they'd been blasted who-knows-where. He rushed to Clefairy, tearing apart the net.
"You okay, Clefairy?"
"Clefairy~~" The little Pokémon smiled, nodding to show she wasn't hurt.
Team Rocket's net had only bound her—it hadn't caused any harm.
"Good. Next time, be more careful. Don't let bad guys catch you." Ash patted her small head. Clefairy closed her eyes, leaning into his touch with obvious delight.
"Wow, Ash, looks like Clefairy really likes you. She didn't run from you before, and now she's letting you pet her," Misty said, a little envious.
"She's just really friendly. Misty, you should try." Ash stepped aside, lifting Pikachu back onto his shoulder.
"Really?" Misty hesitated, then extended her hand. When she gently touched Clefairy's head, the Pokémon showed no sign of fear or rejection.
Reassured, Misty stroked her soft fur, her heart filling with joy.
"Clefairy~~" After a while, Clefairy lifted the Moon Stone she carried and pointed toward the depths of the cave, gesturing with her tiny hands.
Misty blinked and looked at Ash, confused. She couldn't understand Clefairy's words, but Ash could.
"She says we should follow her inside. Her clan is holding a ritual to pray to the gods." Ash translated, though he himself was puzzled. A ritual… to pray to the gods?
"A ritual to the gods?"
"Ash, wait—you can understand Pokémon?"
Misty and Brock both spoke at once, though their focus was different. Brock, especially, hadn't known this about him.
"Yeah. I forgot to tell you, Brock—I have Aura Power. It lets me understand what Pokémon say. It also makes my body stronger than normal. But let's talk later—right now, let's see what this ritual's about."
By then, Clefairy had already started walking deeper into the cave, glancing back every so often to make sure they were following.
Brock swallowed his questions and joined Ash and Misty as they trailed after her.
…
After about ten minutes of twists and turns, they emerged into a wide chamber—and froze.
Dozens of Clefairy, each holding a Moon Stone, were dancing in circles around a massive Moon Stone. They hopped and twirled in unison, as if performing some sacred, unknown dance.
"What is this…? Is this the ritual they mentioned, praying to the gods?" Ash swallowed hard, his voice trembling.
Outside, Clefairy were called rare. But here, they filled the cavern like a sea of pink. And the Moon Stones—precious, costly treasures in the outside world—lay scattered everywhere, like common rocks.