Mark had finally completed his gym challenge—not only earning his first badge, but also witnessing Treecko evolve into Grovyle. His heart swelled with joy. Now, he just wanted to head back to the Pokémon Center, letting his exhausted Scyther and Grovyle rest. But as soon as he stepped inside, he stumbled upon Ash and Misty, locked in an argument. It seemed they had caught up to him, likely because he had lingered too long in Viridian Forest.
"Idiot Ash! You really think you can challenge Brock with these Pokémon? You're asking for trouble! Don't you know he's a Rock-type expert?" Misty's angry voice cut through the air.
"So what if you look down on me? Rock-type or not, I'll definitely win!" Ash shot back, his eyes burning with defiance.
"Hello! Isn't that Ash and Misty? What's going on? Why are you fighting?" Mark asked as he approached them.
"Oh, it's Mark!" Ash brightened. "Haha! See, I told you I'd catch up with you!"
"By the way, Mark, how many Pokémon have you caught so far?" Ash grinned, eager to show off. "I caught a Butterfree and a Pidgeotto in Viridian Forest! Not bad, right?"
Butterfree and Pidgeotto, just like in the original story… Mark thought to himself. Wait… like the original story? But in that story, Ash only learned about the Pokémon League here, so he came unprepared. This time, I already warned him—and yet, he still only has these Pokémon?
"Ash, so that means you only have Pikachu, Pidgeotto, and Butterfree?" Mark sighed. "And how do you plan to defeat Brock? His Rock/Ground Pokémon are crushing all three of them! I warned you ahead of time that you'd challenge the Pewter Gym! Didn't you prepare at all? Not a single Grass or Water-type Pokémon?"
"I warned him!" Misty snapped from the side. "But he wouldn't listen! He's determined to fight with those Pokémon! Just wait until he suffers!"
"Mark, you arrived yesterday?" Misty asked. "With what you've got, you must have already earned the badge, right?"
"Yeah, I've already got it," Mark said, pulling out the gray badge and showing it to them.
"So this is the Gray Badge!" Misty scoffed. "That gym leader isn't anything special! If Mark could win, then I'm sure I can too! Just wait and see!"
"Ash," Mark interjected calmly, "Misty is right. Type advantage doesn't define everything, but Brock's Pokémon really counter yours badly. I recommend you prepare more before you challenge him."
"What?! You all underestimate me!" Ash growled, turning away without another word as he stormed out the door.
"Honestly… Ash never listens!" Misty shook her head in worry.
"It's okay," Mark chuckled softly. "He's too impulsive and inexperienced. Maybe Brock's defeat will teach him a lesson. It's not worth stopping him now."
After resting Grovyle and Scyther at the Pokémon Center, Mark decided to go out and explore the city. Before leaving, his sister handed him an Alliance savings card. It contained the prize money from a research paper she had never spent—all of it saved up and now given to Mark for his journey. About 300,000 Alliance Coins in total. Along with the 100,000 the system had provided, his funds were more than sufficient. (The purchasing power of Alliance Coins is roughly equivalent to Japanese yen.)
Canned food, healing items, and remedies for status conditions were all necessary. Without them, Mark wouldn't have survived so many days alone in Viridian Forest. But now, supplies were running low and he needed to restock.
After shopping for essentials, Mark decided to explore the city properly. Asking around, he learned that besides the Pewter Gym, the most famous attraction here was the science museum. Curious, he headed there.
At the museum entrance, Mark bought a ticket and stepped inside, eager to admire the exhibits. The displays were filled with rocks—evolution stones, ancient fossils, and relics of long-extinct Pokémon.
"So this is a museum dedicated to rocks…" Mark thought. "Definitely has the vibe of Pewter City."
"Hello, esteemed guest! Is this your first visit? I'm Lee, a researcher here. If you don't mind, I'd be happy to introduce you to these stones!" A friendly researcher approached Mark.
"Sure! Thank you."
"It's nothing! It's both our duty and our honor. Please take a look! On either side are fossils of ancient Pokémon—here's the Kabutops and Omastar fossils. In the middle, the biggest one is a fossil of Aerodactyl. These are incredibly rare! Who knows if any of these Pokémon are still alive in the world?"
Mark knew that these Pokémon still existed, albeit in much smaller numbers.
"Over here," Lee continued, "are various evolution stones—not just common ones like Fire Stone and Water Stone, but rare ones like Sun Stone and Dawn Stone as well. And the worst quality among them is still 'Mid-grade'—there's not a single 'Low-grade' stone here!"
"These are incredible," Mark said, eyeing the evolution stones. "A good stone is crucial for Pokémon that evolve with them. Poor ones might barely evolve and could harm their potential, while mid-grade stones are widely used and safe."
"You're very knowledgeable!" Lee smiled. "Let me show you our finest evolution stone."
He led Mark to the center display and revealed a stunning, crystal-clear stone.
"Is this… a Moon Stone?" Mark's eyes widened. "But this color… this clarity… it's far beyond even the best-grade Moon Stone! Could it be…?"
"Oh, you're sharp, guest!" Lee beamed. "Yes, this is the legendary perfect Moon Stone—priceless and unattainable! I stumbled upon it by chance, and it's our museum's pride. Wealthy merchants, powerful trainers, even the Hoenn Champion Steven have all inquired about buying it—but we refused every time! What do you think?"
"This is amazing!" Mark's eyes gleamed. For Pokémon that need stones to evolve, the quality of the stone could determine their whole future. Poor stones, while usable, contained too many impurities and gave almost no boost after evolution—or worse, could damage the Pokémon's potential. Mid-grade stones were the safest, widely used without significant drawbacks. High-grade stones, though rare, could greatly enhance a Pokémon's strength and sometimes even their potential, making them highly sought after. As for perfect stones… the description 'priceless and unattainable' was apt. Pure, flawless, and capable of vastly boosting both strength and potential—almost like the mythical body-refining techniques from ancient tales!
Having seen the perfect Moon Stone, Mark felt his visit was worth it. Though he couldn't help but wonder how Ash was faring. The day was growing late, and he decided to return to the Pokémon Center to check if Ash and the others had come back. But when he arrived, only Misty was there.
"Misty, why are you alone? Where's Ash?" Mark asked.
"Ash just battled Brock," Misty sighed. "He lost badly and's been sulking for hours. Now he's following a bearded man. The guy says he knows a way to power up Pikachu."
"Oh no…" Mark's heart sank. He remembered how in the original story, Ash used electricity overload to boost Pikachu's power—though it worked, the method risked harming Pikachu's potential. Fearing the same outcome, Mark dashed toward the outskirts. He knew Ash must be there.
When he arrived, Ash and the others were about to power up the machine.
"Wait!" Mark called out.
"A-Ash! Why are you here?" Ash asked, surprised.
Without replying, Mark approached the bearded man. "Hello, are you Mr. Muso?"
"You know me?" Muso chuckled. "You must be the trainer who beat Brock today! What brings you here?"
"Mr. Muso, I understand you're trying to boost Pikachu's electricity through charging. But rapid methods like this often have serious side effects, right? Are you sure it won't affect Pikachu's potential?" Mark asked seriously.
"What? It has that much risk?" Ash interjected.
"I see…" Muso frowned thoughtfully. "You're right to be concerned. Normally, such methods could damage Pokémon's potential. But the moment I saw Ash's Pikachu, I sensed something extraordinary. If it's that Pikachu… it should be able to handle it."
Mark quickly activated his system. "System, what do you think? Is this feasible?"
"According to my calculations," the system replied, "the success rate is over 90%. For ordinary Pokémon, this method would indeed be harmful. However, Ash's Pikachu has infinite potential. It can withstand this once without any adverse effects on its abilities."
With this reassurance, Mark turned to Ash. "Ash, Mr. Muso makes some sense. If Pikachu's potential can handle it, doing it once shouldn't be dangerous. What's your decision?"
"I can't decide—it's up to Pikachu!" Ash smiled, giving Pikachu full freedom. "Even if it refuses, it's fine. We can always start over and find suitable Grass or Water Pokémon."
Pikachu let out a determined "Pika!" Remembering the sting of defeat at Onix's hands, it nodded firmly. It wanted to try—defeat meant everything to it.
"Good! If Pikachu's decided, then I'll help too! But only once! If it fails, we can't try again!" Mark warned them.
"Got it!" Ash and Muso nodded in agreement.
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