Mt. Moon.
This mountain is famous for Clefairy and its frequent meteorite falls. It's also enormous—if you tried to cross it on foot, it would take at least half a month. Luckily, the people of Pewter City carved a tunnel at the base, making it possible for travelers to reach Cerulean City in just half a day.
After a full week of rest in Pewter City, Silas and Suzie arrived at the tunnel entrance. That's when Suzie asked in surprise, "Hmm, weren't we supposed to climb over the mountain? Why are we here?"
"You wanted to climb over?" Silas arched an eyebrow as they walked.
"No," Suzie shook her head, replying calmly. "I just thought you might want to climb it to get in some extra training for Pikachu."
"No need."
Silas shook his head.
If not for the existence of those cheat-level crystals, he probably would have done special training at Mt. Moon just as Suzie predicted. But with crystals, what Pokémon need most is physical conditioning—once their bodies are strong enough, reaching Elite Four or Champion level becomes inevitable.
Besides, after a week of downtime, Silas didn't have many Thunder and Fire crystals left. If he wasted another couple of weeks climbing Mt. Moon, he'd run dangerously low—not completely empty, but definitely too close for comfort. And for someone like Silas, who never wanted to be caught unprepared, that was simply unacceptable.
Chatting like this, Silas and Suzie stepped into the tunnel.
Inside, it was pitch-dark. The only illumination came from faint lights along the path, barely providing enough visibility. Somewhere in the shadows, Golbat screeches echoed now and then. For Silas, this didn't matter—but Suzie's face tightened with fear. Quietly, she leaned closer to Silas.
"Silas, could I hold Charizard or Pikachu's Poké Ball? Just in case…"
"Sure."
Silas understood immediately—Suzie just needed the reassurance. He handed her Pikachu's Master Ball and asked, "What about your Vulpix?"
"I gave her away." Suzie accepted the Master Ball, looking slightly better, though her voice was still subdued. "I've found the Champion I want to follow. Keeping Vulpix would be unfair to her."
Silas:…
Silas was starting to understand why Professor Oak spoke so seriously to him the night before his journey began. Even gentle, easygoing Suzie was so focused on the Champion's path—willing to put all her hopes on herself or on a Trainer like him. So how could Professor Oak, who had devoted his whole life to Pokémon and the league, not be obsessed with that title?
For a moment, the mood turned heavy.
Who knows how much time passed before a voice finally broke the silence.
But it wasn't Suzie's voice—nor Silas's. It was a third party!
"Hey, Silas!"
The voice came from behind. Silas and Suzie stopped and turned.
Standing before them were none other than Ash, Misty, and Brock. What struck Silas most was that Ash actually had a Pikachu perched on his shoulder.
Looking at the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder, then at the Master Ball in Suzie's hand, Silas couldn't help but smile wryly.
He didn't doubt that his Pikachu was the real "Pikachu the God"—there were never two Pikachu at Professor Oak's laboratory. He just hadn't expected that, even after he claimed the Pikachu meant for Ash, Ash would somehow still end up with a Pikachu of his own!
"Silas!" Ash said excitedly as Silas smiled. "It really is you—I never thought I'd run into you here."
"Yeah." Silas nodded, then looked at Misty and Brock with a hint of a smile. "These must be your companions?"
"That's right," Ash confirmed, introducing them: "This is Misty, and this is Brock. The Pokémon on my shoulder is Pikachu—I met him in Viridian Forest."
Viridian Forest...
Talk about absurd...
Seems some things in this world are unchangeable...
Silas's lips twitched, bemused. When his Charizard was still a Charmander, he'd trained with it in Viridian Forest many times but never saw a single Pikachu. According to every research report, there weren't supposed to be any Pikachu there at all. Clearly, this Pikachu was an outlier. For a rookie like Ash to encounter a stray Pikachu there, the odds were almost zero!
Still, he put these thoughts aside and introduced himself and Suzie to Brock and Misty: "Nice to meet you. I'm Silas—Silas Oak, a Pokémon Trainer. And this is Suzie, a Breeder."
"Hello," Misty greeted.
"Pika~" The Pikachu on Ash's shoulder waved back at Silas with a cheerful cry.
"Suzie?" Brock's reaction was different. He repeated her name thoughtfully, then looked at her in shock. "Wait…are you the Suzie from Breeder's Lane?"
"Yes," Suzie confirmed, smiling brightly. "I did spend some time at Breeder's Lane."
At this, Brock immediately grew excited, hurrying over and stammering, "You—You—Hello! My name is Brock, and…my dream is to become a Breeder just like you!"
"Thank you." Suzie laughed warmly. "I'm glad to hear I inspired you. Keep working hard, Brock—I'm rooting for you."
"Yes—yes—absolutely!" Brock replied enthusiastically, then blurted out, "I've decided, Miss Suzie, please—take me on as your student!"
"Nani?!" *2
Ash and Misty both stared at Brock in shock. Suzie, however, just smiled gently and said with an apologetic shake of her head, "Sorry—I'm not really experienced enough to take on students. Besides, I'm already working as Silas's exclusive Breeder, so I'm afraid I can't be your mentor."
"Nani!"
This time, it was Brock's turn to be stunned.