After leaving Heracross Forest, Ash and his group continued heading toward Violet City.
After passing through a dense woodland area, a small valley surrounded by rocky cliffs appeared before them.
"These rocks have such strange shapes," Misty remarked as she looked at the stone walls weathered with countless holes and crevices.
Meanwhile, Brock crouched down and carefully examined the tracks in the dirt.
"Hm... These footprints look like they belong to Donphan."
Just then, a faint and anxious crying sound came from ahead.
Following the sound, they spotted a Donphan that was noticeably smaller than normal, clearly still a young one. It was nervously circling between several large rocks, using its trunk to sniff around the ground as if it had gotten lost.
"It's a baby Donphan!" Misty's eyes lit up, and she instinctively stepped forward.
Ash gently stopped her with one hand and shook his head slightly. He remembered this place and this part of the story.
This was Donphan Valley, where the Donphan possessed a special ability to locate underground agates. And this baby Donphan should belong to a woman named Rochelle.
"It looks like it got separated from its family." Ash observed the young Donphan's condition but made no move to take out a Poké Ball. "Let's just keep an eye on it and make sure nothing dangerous happens. Someone should come looking for it soon."
Sure enough, before long, a young woman wearing practical explorer clothing and a sun hat hurried into the valley with a worried expression on her face.
The moment she saw the baby Donphan, she visibly relaxed.
"Donphan! Finally found you! Honestly, I told you not to run off on your own!" The woman rushed over and hugged the little Donphan lovingly. The baby Donphan rubbed its trunk against her affectionately and let out relieved little grunts.
Only then did the woman notice Ash and the others nearby. She quickly stood up and thanked them.
"Thank you so much! I'm Rochelle, and this little Donphan is my partner. It's still young and a bit mischievous, so it tends to wander off if I take my eyes off it for even a moment."
"It's no problem. We just happened to pass by," Ash said with a smile.
Looking at Ash and his group, Rochelle warmly invited them.
"You all look like traveling Trainers, right? My cabin isn't far from here. Would you like to stop by for some tea? Consider it my way of thanking you."
Unable to refuse her hospitality, and genuinely curious about Donphan's ability to locate agates, the group followed Rochelle to her cabin built near the edge of the valley.
The cabin was simple in appearance, but inside were many unpolished agates that emitted a soft and beautiful glow.
"These agates were all found by Donphan and its herd," Rochelle explained while pouring everyone hot tea. "Donphan are extremely sensitive to underground vibrations and mineral scents. They can accurately locate shallow buried agate ore with their trunks. I've worked together with their herd for a long time. They help me find agates, and in return, I take care of and protect the ecosystem of this valley."
"Wow, that's amazing!" Misty picked up a piece of red agate and admired the natural patterns inside under the light.
At that moment, Brock's old habit resurfaced yet again.
At some point, he had already moved right beside Rochelle, holding a cup of tea in his hands while gazing at her with what he believed to be a deeply affectionate expression.
"Ah, Miss Rochelle ! Your heart, living in harmony with nature and Pokémon, is as pure and beautiful as these agates! Your healthy complexion, shaped by your adventures outdoors, is like wheat kissed gently by the sunlight..."
"Oh, knock it off already!" Misty skillfully unleashed her "Iron Grip of Mercy," grabbing Brock's ear with perfect precision and dragging him back while scolding him in a low voice. "Can't you calm down for even one minute?!"
"Owowow... Misty, go easy on me..." Brock covered his reddened ear and shrank pitifully into the corner.
Rochelle seemed amused by the scene and waved her hand to show she did not mind.
However, nobody noticed that outside the cabin window, three pairs of ears were standing straight up.
"Did you hear that, meow? Those Donphan can find agates!"
"As long as we catch the little one, the big ones will have to obey us too! Hehehe..."
It was Team Rocket once again! Still unwilling to give up, they had now set their sights on the special little Donphan.
By evening, Rochelle brought Ash and the others to tour Donphan Valley.
The setting sun painted the valley in golden light. Several adult Donphan leisurely roaming around, while Donphan happily ran around beside Rochelle 's feet.
Ash appeared to be admiring the scenery, but in reality, his Aura had been monitoring the surroundings the entire time.
He had already expected that with Team Rocket's personality, there was no way they would let the agate information go so easily.
Sure enough, when Donphan wandered slightly farther away and approached a patch of bushes, a giant net suddenly dropped from the sky!
"Wahahaha! We're taking the little Donphan!"
"Come quietly with Team Rocket and help us find agates!"
Jessie and James jumped out from behind the bushes, looking extremely smug.
But their smiles froze on their faces before even two seconds had passed.
Because before the net could fall onto the little Donphan, it suddenly stopped in midair, suspended by an invisible force! A faint blue Aura barrier shimmered around it.
Ash slowly turned around and looked at the stunned Team Rocket trio.
"I knew you guys would show up. Aren't you tired of using the same old tricks?"
"You little brat! Ruining our plans again! Arbok, Weezing, attack!"
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Heracross, Pin Missile!"
Ash barely needed to give any further commands. Pikachu's electric blast combined with Heracross's dense barrage of needle attacks instantly swallowed Team Rocket and the Pokémon they had just released.
Faced with such overwhelming strength, Team Rocket's resistance was completely meaningless.
"Why does every plan get seen through?!"
"What a terrible feeling!!!"
Under the glow of the sunset, Team Rocket once again turned into shooting stars, bringing today's farce to an end.
Rochelle held the frightened little Donphan in her arms and once again expressed her deep gratitude to Ash.
"Ash, I truly don't know how to thank you enough. If it weren't for you, Donphan might have been kidnapped. Please, let me repay you somehow. Anything I can do."
Ash thought for a moment, then looked toward the agates inside Rochelle 's cabin before making a request that surprised everyone.
"Miss Rochelle, if possible, I'd like two simple necklaces made from the agates here. Would that be alright?"
The request was far too simple.
Rochelle immediately brought out her tools and carefully selected two warm colored, beautifully shaped pink agates, crafting them into necklaces.
"Here, I hope you like them."
Ash accepted the necklaces and thanked her.
The next day, they bid farewell to Rochelle and continued on their journey.
While passing through a town, Ash specifically stopped by the post office. He carefully wrapped one of the necklaces and mailed it back to Pallet Town. Attached was a simple card with only one line written on it:
"Mom, this is an agate from the Johto region. I hope you like it. Love, Ash."
As for the other necklace, he kept it in his pocket the entire time.
That evening while camping, the campfire crackled softly.
Ash walked over to Misty, who was helping prepare dinner, and awkwardly scratched the back of his nose.
"Misty, this... is for you."
He took out the pink agate necklace and handed it to her.
Misty froze for a moment. Looking at the necklace glowing gently under the firelight, her cheeks slowly turned pink.
"F-For me?"
"Yeah." Ash nodded, his eyes drifting away awkwardly. "I just... thought the color suited you. And also, thanks for taking care of me along the way."
Misty accepted the necklace. The cool agate touched her palm, yet for some reason, it felt warm.
Lowering her head, she gently rubbed the smooth stone surface with her fingers and softly said,
"...Thank you. I really like it."
Nearby, Brock had been cutting vegetables. Seeing this scene, his hands paused briefly, and a knowing smile mixed with teasing appeared on his face.
He looked at the slightly blushing Ash, then at Misty, who was fiddling with the necklace with reddened ears, and wisely chose not to say anything. Instead, he silently continued preparing dinner while muttering inwardly:
Looks like the relationship between those two has quietly become a little different...
The campfire flickered brightly, illuminating the shy yet smiling faces of the boy and girl. A subtle and warm atmosphere filled the air.
Sometimes, you have to deepen the relationship a little too!
...
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