After defeat, the only path forward is relentless training.
After Red left, Ash and Brock rested briefly before heading back up the mountain to meet Serena.
"You're back."
Serena walked toward them with a smile. In her arms was a pink Pokemonthat looked soft and round.
Ash stared at it with a puzzled expression.
"Why does that Clefairy look a little strange?"
He tilted his head.
"Serena… did you braid Clefairy's hair?"
"…No." Serena looked both amused and baffled by his observation. The Pokemonin her arms clearly didn't look like Clefairy.
"This is Happiny."
"Happiny?"
"Bu-cha!"
Happiny raised its arms energetically when it heard its name.
Ash immediately pulled out his Pokédex.
Beep.
"Happiny. The Playhouse Pokémon. It loves round white objects and often carries an egg-shaped stone in its pouch. Sometimes it gives this stone to someone it trusts. Happiny is the baby form of Chansey."
"Bu-cha!"
"Oh! So it's Chansey's baby form," Ash said with realization. "Did you meet a Chansey earlier?"
"No." Serena shook her head before explaining what had happened while Ash was away.
Originally, she had wanted to catch a Clefairy. But there were simply too many of them around Mt. Moon, and she couldn't decide which one to choose.
So she came up with a different idea.
She laid out a huge spread of food and let the Clefairy eat freely.
Then she planned to choose the one that ate the most.
Of course, appetite didn't necessarily equal strength—but strong Pokemonusually had big appetites. And Serena wasn't planning to use Clefairy in battles anyway.
If she participated in PokemonShowcases, a Clefairy that looked rounder and shinier would probably stand out more.
So that was her plan.
But among the group of Pokemonhappily devouring the food—
One tiny Pokemoncompletely stole the show.
Happiny.
Its appetite was unbelievable.
And it was incredibly cute.
After chatting with it for a while, Serena eventually used delicious food to successfully befriend and catch it.
"That's pretty much what happened," Serena said happily as she rubbed cheeks with Happiny.
"This little one is adorable."
"Bu-cha!"
"Congratulations, Serena," Ash said sincerely.
"Thanks. Did you catch Kangaskhan?" Serena asked curiously. "Wait… where's Red?"
"He already left," Ash replied, scratching his head awkwardly. "And… I didn't catch Kangaskhan."
"I caught a Weedle."
"…Huh?"
The difference between Kangaskhan and Weedle was enormous.
Serena looked at him in surprise.
"Did something happen?"
"Maybe Weedle and I just had better chemistry than Kangaskhan," Ash said, scratching his head again.
He then explained everything that had happened earlier.
After hearing the whole story, Serena didn't quite know what to say.
"Well… don't feel too discouraged, Ash," she said gently. "Beedrill is actually a very strong Pokemonafter it evolves. And I've heard that Shiny Pokemonsometimes have special abilities compared to normal ones."
Ash looked at her strangely.
"I'm not discouraged."
"…Oh."
Serena froze for a moment, unsure how to respond.
Fortunately, Brock stepped in to smooth things over.
"Well then," he said, "everyone caught the Pokemonthey wanted. Ash, what are you planning to do next?"
"I'm going back to Pewter City first," Ash replied. "I'll get the Gym Badge there, then head to Cerulean City."
He looked at Serena and Brock.
"You two are probably going to Cerulean too, right? Maybe we should split up here?"
Before Serena could answer, Brock spoke again.
"About the Pewter Gym, Ash… there's no need to rush."
He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a gray badge.
Then he handed it to Ash.
"Here."
Ash stared in shock.
"Wait… this is the Boulder Badge!"
He looked up suddenly.
"Brock… don't tell me you—"
"You're giving me your badge?!"
Ash jumped like a startled cat.
"No, no, I can't accept that! I want to earn my badges with my own strength! Besides, that's illegal under League regulations!"
"Exactly!" Serena whispered nervously while glancing around. "Brock, hurry and put that away! Don't worry—we won't report you to Officer Jenny!"
"…What are you two talking about?"
Brock laughed helplessly.
"I'm not breaking any laws. This badge isn't exactly mine… well, actually it is mine."
"Let me explain."
He smiled.
"I'm the Gym Leader of Pewter City."
Ash and Serena froze.
"Right now I'm traveling with Goh," Brock continued, "so my father is temporarily running the Gym."
"Ohhhh."
Ash finally understood.
But he still hesitated.
"Still… is this really okay? We didn't battle."
"Gym battles are just a way to evaluate whether a Trainer deserves a badge," Brock explained calmly. "They're not strictly required."
He looked at Ash seriously.
"The battle you had with Red earlier already showed me your ability."
"You're more than qualified to hold this badge."
He extended it again.
Ash hesitated for a moment before accepting it.
"…Alright."
"But Brock—"
"Can we still have a Pokemonbattle later?"
Brock blinked.
"You still want to battle?"
Ash nodded.
"Without battling the Gym Leader, holding this badge feels a little strange."
Brock smiled warmly.
"Of course. Challenge me anytime."
"Great!"
Ash immediately reached for a Poké Ball.
But Brock stopped him quickly.
"Not now."
"Your Pokemonjust finished a tough battle. They need rest."
"You don't want them fighting while exhausted, do you?"
Ash paused.
"…You're right."
He put the Poké Ball away.
"Froakie and the others should rest first."
"Exactly," Brock said while handing him the badge.
"By the way—you're heading to Cerulean City next, right?"
Ash nodded.
"Yep. Time for my second Gym."
"That's perfect," Serena said with a bright smile.
"We can keep traveling together."
Ash froze briefly when he saw her expression.
Then he looked away and nodded.
"Yeah… that sounds good."
"Well then," Brock said, rolling up his sleeves.
"Let's rest here a bit."
"And I'll show you my cooking."
After a comfortable break at the summit of Mt. Moon, the group began traveling toward Cerulean City.
But Ash didn't stop training for even a moment.
He trained alongside Froakie, Mimikyu, and Weedle constantly.
After losing to Red, Froakie's training became even harsher.
Carrying boulders while doing squats.
Push-ups with extra weight.
Pulling entire tree trunks to build arm strength.
Even striking a waterfall with bare hands until the current split apart.
If not for Froakie's clearly aquatic appearance, Brock and Serena might have mistaken it for a Fighting-type Pokémon.
But the most shocking thing wasn't the Pokémon.
It was Ash himself.
He trained strength alongside Froakie.
Practiced speed drills with Mimikyu.
And even practiced Poison Sting training with Weedle.
The first two were understandable.
But the third…
Why was Ash practicing it too?
And how was he somehow teaching Weedle how to improve Poison Sting?
Serena couldn't help asking,
"Ash… how exactly are you teaching Weedle Poison Sting? You can't even shoot needles."
Ash scratched his head.
"Well… Poison Sting is basically about accuracy and power, right?"
He looked at the sharpened wooden needle in his hand.
"So if Weedle improves its aim, the move should naturally get better."
"That actually makes sense," Brock admitted.
Then he glanced at Ash.
"But… have you ever practiced throwing needles before?"
"Nope."
Ash casually tossed the wooden needle.
SHINK.
A tiny hole appeared in a leaf several meters away.
The needle embedded itself deep into the tree trunk.
"…But it doesn't seem that hard."
Serena and Brock stared in silence.
For a brief moment, they both wondered the same thing.
If Ash himself fought Red's Pokémon…
Would he actually stand a better chance than his Pokémon?
Though Ash's training style looked like chaotic trial-and-error, the results were undeniable.
After all—
If even the supposedly "weak" Trainer was training alongside you…
How could the Pokemonnot push themselves to the limit?
Of course, calling Ash "weak" was questionable.
The group continued traveling in this strange yet passionate training atmosphere.
During the journey, Ash and Brock also had a long-awaited battle.
The result?
Froakie defeated all three of Brock's Pokemonalone.
Which wasn't surprising.
Not only was Froakie absurdly strong for a starter Pokémon—
Brock's Pokemonwere mostly Rock- and Ground-types.
Against a Water-type like Froakie…
It was basically a one-sided massacre.
After gaining valuable Gym battle experience, Ash continued his bizarre but effective training.
Finally, several days later—
The three of them arrived at Cerulean City.
And both Ash and his Pokemonhad grown significantly stronger.
"So this is Cerulean City?"
Ash stretched his arms confidently, feeling great after days of training.
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Where's the Cerulean Gym?"
"Let's storm through it in one go!"
"Froakie!"
"Froa."
Froakie responded lazily.
But that didn't mean it lacked motivation.
Instead, it had entered a state of complete focus—
Like a cannon storing power before firing.
This was a special technique Ash and Froakie developed specifically to challenge Red again.
Whether it worked or not…
They were about to find out.
"Wait, Ash!"
Serena stopped him.
"You haven't contacted Professor Oak in a long time, right?"
She pointed toward the nearby Pokemon Center.
"You should at least report to him first."
"…Oh."
Ash blinked.
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea."
"Alright—Pokemon Center first."
The three of them walked inside.
Ash found a public video phone and dialed Professor Oak's lab.
After a moment, the screen lit up.
Professor Oak appeared—
Eating instant noodles.
"Oh! Ash!" Oak said casually. "Why are you only contacting me now?"
"Well… I just reached a city," Ash admitted awkwardly. "I've been in the forest the whole time."
"What?!" Oak nearly spilled his noodles.
"You've been in the forest for two months?!"
"…You're surprisingly good at surviving."
"So where are you now?"
"Cerulean City."
"Cerulean City?" Oak blinked. "Not Pewter?"
"…Well, never mind."
"How many Pokemonhave you caught so far?"
"Two."
Ash released them beside him.
"Mimikyu and Weedle."
"Mimikyu? A Shiny Weedle?"
Oak leaned closer to the screen.
"Not bad!"
"Although… I didn't know Mimikyu lived in Viridian Forest. That could be an interesting research topic…"
"…Professor?"
"Oh—sorry. Got distracted."
Oak slurped his noodles.
"Still, Ash—you need to work harder."
"Other Trainers who left the same day as you have already reached their sixth Gym."
"And they've caught thirty or forty Pokémon."
"And Goh even encountered a Legendary Pokémon—Ho-Oh."
Ash blinked.
"Ho-Oh…"
"…I kind of want to battle it."
Oak nearly choked.
"What nonsense are you talking about?!"
"You think people just casually meet Ho-Oh?"
"That's not fair, Professor," Ash protested.
"Just because I haven't met Ho-Oh yet doesn't mean I won't."
"Besides—"
"I've already met a Legendary Pokemonbefore."
"I met Mew."
Professor Oak slammed his hands on the table and leaned into the camera.
"YOU WHAT?!"
"You met MEW?!"
"Where? When? Do you have Pokédex data?!"
Ash flinched.
"Uh…"
"I met it in the forest. But I don't really remember when."
He turned toward Serena.
"Serena, do you remember what day it was?"
Serena stepped into the camera frame.
"Hello again, Professor Oak."
Oak squinted.
"You are…?"
"I'm Serena. I attended your PokemonSummer Camp when I was younger."
"Oh! Right!" Oak said suddenly. "You were the kid who got lost in the forest."
"That situation was pretty serious—I almost had to organize a full search party."
Serena's expression stiffened.
She took a slow breath.
"…Professor."
"Do you remember…"
"Who brought me back to camp that day?"
Oak thought for a moment.
"…If I remember correctly…"
"It was Goh who brought you back."
Serena froze.
"…Are you sure?"
"I'm pretty sure," Oak replied. "Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing."
Serena forced a small smile and stepped away from the screen.
So… I was wrong after all.
She glanced quietly at Ash, who remained completely unaware.
Meanwhile, Ash was still dealing with Oak's sudden enthusiasm.
"Ash! Upload your Pokédex data immediately!"
"Even basic information about Mew would be incredible research!"
"Alright, alright…" Ash muttered while fiddling with the device.
"Let me see… I upload it like this, right?"
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