The moment he heard someone calling for help, Ash immediately released a Pokémon.
"I choose you, Pidgeot! Bring that Hoppip back down!"
By the time Pidgeot returned carrying the Hoppip, the young woman who had been chasing after it had also caught up.
The moment Brock saw yet another beautiful older girl, his heart instantly fluttered again. In a flash, he appeared in front of her and said, "Beautiful lady, if you don't mind, could you please tell me your name?"
However, the young woman completely ignored Brock and instead walked straight toward Ash. Seeing that Pidgeot had safely brought Hoppip back, she immediately hugged it tightly.
"Hoppip, thank goodness you're okay!"
Then she looked toward Ash and gratefully said, "Thank you so much for helping me catch Hoppip."
"Oh, it's nothing. Helping others is just something we should do." Ash recalled Pidgeot and smiled casually.
Afterward, she introduced herself.
"My name is Mariah. If you don't mind, please come visit my house!"
Under Mariah's warm invitation, Ash and the others followed her home.
Her house was located not far away in the countryside. In front of the red-roofed house stood a giant net stretched overhead.
Apparently, it was a precaution designed to stop Hoppip from being blown away by strong winds.
Through Mariah's explanation, Ash and the others learned that she worked in weather forecasting. Besides the various wind-testing devices on her rooftop and the instruments inside her home, she had recently begun using the behavioral patterns of Hoppip to predict the weather.
"Can weather really be predicted like that?" Ash asked skeptically. After all, weather was something nobody could predict perfectly.
"Most of the time, it's surprisingly accurate," Mariah answered confidently.
Suddenly, Misty noticed something.
"Look, isn't there something strange mixed in with the Hoppip?"
Everyone turned to look.
Among the group of pink Hoppip, there really was one completely out-of-place Oddish. Judging from its behavior, it had probably started thinking of itself as a Hoppip too.
"This Oddish has lived here for quite a long time," Mariah explained. "Originally it was just a normal Oddish, but after spending so much time with my Hoppip, it started believing it was one of them."
After hearing that, Ash smiled slightly and walked over to Oddish.
"Oddish, do you want to fly in the sky too?"
Oddish nodded immediately.
"All right then. Pidgeot, I choose you again!"
Ash released Pidgeot once more.
"Pidgeot, take this little guy for a flight and let it experience the sky properly."
Pidgeot nodded, grabbed Oddish gently with its claws, and spread its wings as it soared into the air.
When Oddish realized it was finally flying, it waved its limbs around excitedly in happiness.
As they flew higher and higher, Ash secretly transmitted an order through Aura.
"Pidgeot, let go."
Although Pidgeot did not understand why, it still obeyed.
The moment Oddish was released, it dropped straight downward. Unlike Hoppip, it could not sway gently with the wind at all.
This time, it was truly terrified.
At that moment, it finally understood.
It could never drift with the wind like Hoppip.
It was just an Oddish.
After letting it fall for a short distance, Pidgeot swooped down and caught it before bringing it safely back to the ground.
Once Oddish's feet touched solid earth again, it still looked shaken.
It glanced at the Hoppip floating lightly with the breeze nearby, then lowered its gaze toward its own root-like feet. For the first time, clear disappointment and understanding appeared in its eyes.
It realized that it would never be able to fly like them.
However, at that moment, the Hoppip Ash had rescued earlier floated over and affectionately rubbed against Oddish.
The other Hoppip gathered around as well. Rather than rejecting it for being unable to fly, they surrounded it warmly and chirped happily toward it.
Mariah also walked over and gently stroked Oddish.
"Oddish, it's okay even if you can't fly. You're still one of everyone here."
Looking at the kind companions and trainer surrounding it, the disappointment in Oddish's eyes gradually faded, replaced by warmth.
It no longer obsessed over flying.
Instead, it peacefully stayed beside its companions, experiencing the wind across the grasslands in its own unique way.
At that moment, a strange mechanical claw suddenly appeared and snatched Mariah's Hoppip away.
"Who are you people?! Why did you grab my Hoppip?!"
"Since you asked so sincerely..."
"Team Rocket, spare us the extra dialogue already!" Ash interrupted them immediately before they could waste time with their introduction. "Pidgeot, Twister! Oddish, Solar Beam!"
Under the combined attack of the two Pokémon, Team Rocket was blasted off into the sky once again with a massive explosion.
Suddenly, seven Hoppip gathered tightly together, pressing against one another while the leaves atop their heads wrapped together firmly.
"A strong wind is coming soon."
The moment Mariah noticed the situation, she immediately rushed back inside to check her instruments.
"There's no mistake. An extremely powerful storm is heading straight toward us."
After confirming the situation, everyone began to worry.
"Look!"
Just as they were preparing to reinforce the house with wooden boards and other materials, Misty's shout interrupted them. Following the direction she pointed toward, they saw an enormous tornado rapidly approaching.
"I've never seen such a huge tornado before!"
After crying out in shock, Mariah immediately turned toward Ash and the others.
"Everyone, hurry and hide under the tables!"
Clearly, she had already realized that her house would never be able to withstand a tornado of this magnitude.
Suddenly, Ash thought of something.
"Miss Mariah, where are the Poké Balls for the Hoppip?"
"But the Poké Balls..." Under the current circumstances, finding them would already be difficult, and even if they could be found, it would take far too much time.
"No choice then. We'll have to do this."
Since Ash had only recalled Pidgeot earlier and forgotten to recall Chikorita, he had no choice but to hold Pikachu, Oddish, and Chikorita together in his arms.
Chikorita stretched out two Vine Whips and wrapped them around two Hoppip. Seeing this, Misty also grabbed one Hoppip and held it tightly in her arms. Brock hugged two Hoppip as well, and together with the two Hoppip Mariah was protecting, all seven Hoppip were accounted for.
"Ash, thank you so much!"
"Save it for later. The tornado's here!"
The moment Ash finished speaking, the terrifying tornado instantly ripped the roof off the house. The force of the wind was so overwhelming that people could barely even think properly before their thoughts were blown away with everything else.
A moment later, even the tables above them were swept into the air.
"Everyone, just hang on a little longer!"
Among all of them, Ash was under the greatest strain because he was holding not only Hoppip, but also Pikachu, Chikorita, and Oddish.
But in front of a natural disaster, human strength truly felt pitifully insignificant.
As several tables were blown away, a large machine suddenly toppled over.
And the direction it was falling toward... was exactly where Misty and the others were.
"Oh no!"
Ash shouted and immediately rushed forward, using his own body to block the machine.
"Ash!!!"
Everyone cried out in panic.
"Don't worry... I can hold it!"
The moment he finished speaking, blue light erupted across Ash's body as he used his Aura powers to form a protective barrier around everyone.
However, the cost was enormous.
His mental energy plummeted rapidly. It felt as though his head were splitting apart, while a dull pain spread across his chest.
"Ash, you..." Misty said worriedly.
"Don't be scared... Chikorita... the tornado will pass soon."
Ash forced a smile, but anyone could see his condition was terrible.
Meanwhile, Mariah and Brock were pressed tightly together. Do not misunderstand, Brock had absolutely no thoughts about taking advantage of the situation right now. The leaves of the Hoppip they were holding had intertwined together, allowing them to barely resist the violent winds.
At that moment, Ash suddenly noticed his Chikorita beginning to glow with brilliant white light.
Its body slowly grew larger.
It leaped out of Ash's arms, and its suddenly elongated Vine Whips smashed the falling machine away!
Immediately afterward, the newly evolved Bayleef caught Ash just as he was about to collapse, while also pulling Misty to safety.
After withdrawing his psychic powers, Ash clutched his chest and looked toward Bayleef.
"I didn't expect... this time you'd be the one saving me."
"Bayleef... Bayleef..."
It sounded as though Bayleef was asking: Are you okay? Does it hurt?
"I'm fine."
After some time, the tornado finally passed.
Not a single Hoppip had been lost.
"Ash, are you alright?!" Misty and Brock hurried over to check on him.
At this moment, Ash was drenched in sweat. His right hand still pressed against his chest while he continued gasping heavily for breath.
"Don't worry... Bayleef, let me go first. I need to lie down for a bit."
Bayleef loosened the Vine Whips wrapped around his waist, and Ash immediately collapsed onto the ground.
Thinking back on what had just happened, it had truly been dangerous.
Still, Chikorita evolving ahead of schedule was definitely an unexpected pleasant surprise.
Ash believed that once Bayleef completed its final evolution in the future, it would absolutely become one of his core team members.
And at a certain important moment in the future, it would shine brilliantly!
"Ash, I really have to thank you this time." After being helped twice in a row by Ash, Mariah felt extremely embarrassed.
Ash waved his hand casually.
"It was nothing. Just what I should do."
"Oh, right. Please take this Oddish with you. From the looks of it, I think it suits you very well."
Mariah looked toward Oddish, who was currently saying goodbye to the Hoppip.
Then Oddish walked over to Ash and stared at him with determined eyes.
Ash smiled softly.
"Then please take care of me from now on too, Oddish."
He took out a Poké Ball, and Oddish gently tapped it before being drawn inside.
At the same time, Ash looked toward Bayleef and gently patted its head.
"And you too, Bayleef. Let's keep working together from now on."
Helping Chikorita evolve had always been part of Ash's plan.
After all, if things continued like they had in the original story, it might not even complete its final evolution before the Silver Conference.
...
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