After leaving the place where they met Casey, Ash and his group continued toward Violet City along the forest trail.
Gradually, the scenery around them began to change. The once vibrant trees now looked somewhat withered. Their leaves had turned yellow, and some branches even showed an unhealthy gray decay.
"These trees... don't seem very lively," Misty said worriedly as she touched one of the wilted leaves.
Brock crouched down and checked the soil. "The soil looks fine, and there's enough moisture too. It doesn't seem like natural withering."
Pikachu stood on Ash's shoulder with its ears perked up warily, as if it too sensed something unusual in the air. Togepi stirred uneasily in Ash's arms.
"There are sounds coming from ahead." Ash's Aura perception detected a large concentration of life energy nearby, mixed with anxiety and unease.
Following the sounds, they pushed through a particularly withered patch of bushes. The sight before them left them stunned.
In a relatively open clearing within the forest, around twenty to thirty Heracross had gathered.
These Pokémon, resembling giant rhinoceros beetles, should have looked powerful and imposing. Yet most of them were weakly slumped against tree trunks or sluggishly licking the small amount of remaining tree sap.
Their eyes looked vacant and exhausted, and a heavy, oppressive atmosphere hung over the entire group.
Ash carefully scanned the area and frowned slightly.
There were plenty of Heracross here, but it felt as though... they lacked a true leader.
The especially powerful Heracross from his memory, the one with sharp and determined eyes, was nowhere to be seen.
"Are you Trainers passing through?"
A calm voice suddenly came from nearby.
The group turned around and saw a dark skinned middle aged man approaching. He wore a green uniform and a wide brimmed hat, with a sturdy Donphan accompanying him.
Pinned to the man's chest was a badge labeled "Forest Ranger Unit."
"I'm Woody from the Forest Ranger Unit," the man introduced himself. Looking at the dying forest and the dispirited Heracross, his face was filled with worry. "As you can see, the situation here is terrible."
"What happened here?" Ash asked.
Woody sighed and pointed toward a river on the other side of the clearing.
"Across that river used to be Pinsir Forest, the territory of the Pinsir colony. This side is Heracross Forest. The two groups always stayed out of each other's business."
He paused, his tone growing heavier.
"But recently, for some unknown reason, the Pinsir on the other side have become abnormally violent. Not only did they leave their own territory, but they've also been constantly crossing the river, invading the Heracross territory and stealing their food, the tree sap."
"Heracross..." Ash looked toward the gentle looking Pokémon.
Woody nodded helplessly. "Heracross may be powerful, but they're naturally peaceful and dislike fighting. Faced with the Pinsir invasion, most of them chose to retreat. As a result, their living space keeps shrinking, and their food supply grows scarcer... If this continues, this Heracross colony will probably..."
Misty looked at the helpless Heracross with sympathy. "How could this happen... It's so unfair!"
Ash listened silently while once again sweeping his gaze over the Heracross colony.
He remembered Woody's words. Heracross disliked conflict by nature... but were all of them truly willing to accept this fate?
He slowly spoke, his voice calm yet strangely certain.
"When a group faces a survival crisis and is pushed to the brink... a hero often rises up."
As if to prove his words, heavy and steady footsteps suddenly echoed from the back of the Heracross colony.
One Heracross slowly emerged.
Its body was larger and sturdier than the others, its shell shining with healthy luster. Most striking of all was the massive horn on its head, which seemed to contain explosive power.
Its eyes were not gentle like the others'. Instead, they were filled with resilience, vigilance, and hidden fighting spirit. Just standing there, it naturally radiated the aura of a leader.
The other Heracross stirred slightly upon seeing it, their gazes carrying traces of reliance and hope.
That's the one!
Ash's heart stirred.
This Heracross perfectly matched the leader Heracross from his memory, whether it was its presence, its eyes, or the hidden strength within it.
This was the partner he wanted to catch!
The Heracross leader also noticed Ash and his companions, especially Ash himself.
Its eyes met Ash's, and it seemed to sense a different kind of aura from this human boy. Not a threat, but rather... someone trustworthy?
Ash stepped forward without taking out a Poké Ball. Instead, he looked seriously at the Heracross leader.
"We heard about your situation. There has to be a reason behind the Pinsir acting this way. I want to help you uncover the truth and resolve the crisis between both colonies. Will you trust me?"
The Heracross leader stared deeply at Ash, its wise eyes seeming to evaluate the sincerity of this human.
After a moment, it let out a deep yet powerful cry and stepped forward, gently touching Ash's outstretched hand with its horn.
It was a gesture of acknowledgment, a sign of trust.
"Alright!" Ash's spirit rose immediately. "Mr. Woody, please take us to the riverbank!"
Under Woody's guidance, they arrived at the river that served as the boundary between the two territories.
The situation in Pinsir Forest on the opposite side looked even worse. Trees were toppled everywhere, and the entire area was in complete ruin.
At that moment, a harsh buzzing sound, like the screech of a chainsaw, echoed from deep within the forest across the river.
"What is that sound?" Misty covered her ears.
Ash immediately extended his Aura outward. His expression darkened at once.
"So it really was them behind this!"
The group carefully crossed the shallow river and snuck into Pinsir Forest.
Before long, they came across an infuriating sight.
A giant machine with flawless design and polished paintwork was operating in the clearing. It had been built to resemble a Pinsir, and a thick metallic tube extended from its front, viciously drilled into the trunk of a large tree as it crazily sucked out the tree sap.
The noise came from the machine's imitation chainsaw mechanism. Around it gathered many Pinsir with frenzied and restless eyes, apparently influenced by the machine and driven into extreme aggression.
"A mechanical Pinsir?" Brock exclaimed in shock.
"Wahahaha! What a massive harvest of tree sap!"
"Once we extract all this high energy sap, it'll sell for a fortune!"
"That's right, meow!"
Three familiar figures were dancing excitedly beside the machine.
Team Rocket.
"Team Rocket! So it really was you!" Ash shouted sharply.
Startled, Team Rocket turned around. The moment Jessie saw Ash, she immediately put her hands on her hips and yelled, "So it's you twerps again! Don't you dare interfere with Team Rocket's money making plans!"
James proudly pointed at the machine.
"See this? It's our specially designed Mechanical Pinsir! It's resistant to electricity and insanely strong! Built specifically for sucking up tree sap! And these big dumb Pinsir got influenced by our machine too, becoming super aggressive! Perfect for driving away those annoying Heracross! Two birds with one stone, meow!"
"So your machine was affecting the Pinsir, causing them to invade the Heracross territory!" Woody said angrily.
"You're destroying the forest ecosystem and making Pokémon fight each other just for money? That's unforgivable!" Misty said furiously.
Ash's eyes turned icy cold. He looked toward the Heracross leader beside him.
"Did you hear that? This is the truth. Now it's time for us to fight back! Heracross, show them what true strength looks like!"
"Heracross!"
The Heracross leader let out a furious roar and slammed its massive horn against the Mechanical Pinsir.
"Pika!"
Jessie and James immediately retreated into the control cockpit of the Mechanical Pinsir, operating it as it swung its giant metallic claws toward Heracross!
"Heracross, dodge it, then use Horn Attack!"
The Heracross leader displayed agility completely at odds with its size. It sidestepped the metal claw, then lowered its head sharply. Its huge horn glowed white as it smashed into the Mechanical Pinsir's chest like a battering ram!
Bang!
The Mechanical Pinsir slid backward from the impact, and fine cracks appeared across the shell covering its chest!
"What?! It's that strong?!" James shouted in shock.
"Then try this!" Meowth slammed a button, causing orange energy to gather in the Mechanical Pinsir's chest.
"Pikachu, interrupt it! Use Electro Ball! Aim for the joints!"
Pikachu quickly fired an Electro Ball. Although the machine resisted electricity, the physical impact struck the raised arm joint perfectly, causing its movement to freeze and interrupting the Hyper Beam charge.
"Great chance! Heracross, use Pin Missile!"
Ratatatatat!
The Pin Missiles struck the metal shell repeatedly. While they could not deal fatal damage, the continuous impacts made the machine lose its balance.
"Darn it! How is this happening?!" Jessie screamed furiously.
"Heracross, finish it! Full power, use Arm Thrust!"
The Heracross leader roared, unleashing all its strength. Fighting type energy glowed around both of its palms as it charged forward like a bulldozer, slamming both hands violently into the Mechanical Pinsir.
Creeeak, crash!
Under Heracross's monstrous strength, the seemingly sturdy armor of the Mechanical Pinsir finally failed. The metal twisted with a painful screech, internal parts snapped apart, and thick black smoke billowed out before the giant machine collapsed into a pile of scrap metal!
"Our machine!" Team Rocket wailed in despair.
"It's not over yet! Pikachu, send them blasting off! Thunderbolt!"
"Pika... CHUUUU!"
"Why does this always happen?!"
"What a terrible feeling!"
Accompanied by their familiar screams, Team Rocket once again turned into shooting stars and disappeared into the sky.
With the machine destroyed, the strange signal affecting the Pinsir disappeared as well.
The eyes of the surrounding Pinsir gradually regained clarity. They looked around in confusion, then glanced at the Heracross and the humans on the opposite side before slowly and orderly retreating back across the river into their own territory.
The crisis had finally been resolved.
The Heracross leader walked up to Ash. Looking at the calm and decisive human boy who had helped save its colony, its eyes were filled with gratitude and admiration.
"Heracross, would you like to become my partner?" Ash invited.
Heracross nodded without hesitation.
"Welcome aboard, Heracross!"
The first main powerhouse of Ash's Johto team had joined the group!
...
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