After the incident at the Celadon Game Corner concluded, numerous news media outlets swarmed the Mayor of Celadon City, shoving microphones in his face and demanding to know how Team Rocket had managed to infiltrate the city. Seeing this, the Mayor was furious but dared not speak, fearing that any careless word might be sensationalized by the media, costing him more than just his position.

The former boss of the Game Corner was arrested by Officer Jenny and escorted to a League prison. As an inside man for Team Rocket, he was half the reason for the incident.

For the Pokémon captured by Team Rocket, the police released inquiry information and gradually returned them to their trainers. The wild Pokémon were temporarily cared for by Nurse Joy, with plans to release them into a sanctuary.

Meanwhile, in Team Rocket’s now-abandoned underground experimental base…

Although most of the research data had been destroyed, police teams were still stationed on each floor, patrolling for any hidden clues.

“Ugh, this sludge of flesh looks so disgusting,” a police officer said, feeling nauseous as he poked the burnt mass with an iron rod. He thought he saw it twitch, but dismissed it. “Never mind, maybe it’s because I haven’t slept well these past few days,” the officer muttered, turning to walk elsewhere.

With faint scorch marks on its body, a mass of light purple liquid flowed into the shadows of a corner.

(Damn humans. Good thing my body’s recovery ability saved my life!)

Ditto watched the officer leave with hatred; now was not the time to act rashly.

(It seems that using ordinary genetic serums won’t allow for the mass production of an effective Triple-Headed Bird…)

Ditto pondered countermeasures, but the recovery brought intense hunger. It had to consume energy to replenish its body’s nutrients. Although it was hard to swallow, in order to survive, Ditto had no choice but to make the charred remains of the failed experiment its first choice for food. Trembling, it reluctantly devoured the still-intact parts.

(Just you wait… I will make you pay a painful price, boy from Pallet Town!)

To reach the location of the next gym, Red embarked on his journey alone once again. This area was a vast plain, and at this moment, Red and Hitmonchan were training.

To better train Hitmonchan’s dodging and observation skills, Red had set up a special training ground. He tied two heavy wooden logs to branches and pushed them vigorously, one after another. The rope-bound logs swung quickly back and forth like pendulums.

“Stand in the middle. Observe the movement of the logs and use the opportunity to avoid the attacks,” Red instructed.

Upon hearing this, Hitmonchan quickly ran to the middle of the logs, observing their direction and beginning its training.

Cubone, who hadn’t appeared for a long time, also sat obediently on a stone, looking admiringly at Red training his new Pokémon. Thanks to Professor Oak’s careful care, Cubone’s physique had quickly reached average standards, and it had even grown a little taller. However, Red still hadn’t put Cubone into a strict training phase, which inevitably made the small Pokémon a bit disheartened, though it also knew that this was Red looking out for its well-being. At this moment, Cubone only wanted to become stronger as quickly as possible so that Red would see it in a new light and not just as a baby.

Feeling Cubone’s fervent gaze, the reluctant Red had no choice but to let it warm up first, instructing it to swing its bone club against a large rock to train its attack speed.

“After the training is over, I’ll take you to the P1 Grand Prix held nearby,” Red said.

“Chan!”

Upon hearing that it could participate in a fighting tournament, Hitmonchan’s fighting spirit ignited. This was a competition that Fighting-type Pokémon yearned for; that feeling of punch-for-punch combat truly captivated it.

Sensing a familiar aura approaching, Red turned his head and saw Ash’s trio slowly appearing in his line of sight.

Since their brief separation in Celadon City, Misty and Brock had both caught new Pokémon, and their journey seemed to be going very smoothly. Misty had caught a Psyduck during an incident with a Drowzee—the same adorable Psyduck with extraordinary latent power from the original story. Although, it was more that Psyduck saw Misty’s Poké Ball drop and willingly crawled inside, making Misty reluctantly its trainer. As for Brock, on Breeder’s Street, he visited the famous breeder Suzie. After foiling a Team Rocket plot, Suzie entrusted him with temporarily adopting her Vulpix.

In contrast, Ash hadn’t cultivated good synergy with his new Primeape, nor had he encountered any other desirable Pokémon recently, and was currently feeling troubled.

At this moment, a Hitmonlee practicing punches on the road appeared before the trio, with a peeking girl hiding behind a large tree.

“Wow, it’s a Hitmonlee! Not a Hitmonchan like my big brother’s, but still cool!” Ash exclaimed excitedly. “Alright, I’m going to catch it too. I’ll leave it to you, Pikachu!”

“Pika!” Pikachu’s soft ears instantly perked up. It looked in astonishment at Ash, as if confirming if he was really going to send it out to battle.

“Don’t worry, Pikachu. With your strength, you definitely won’t lose to this wild Hitmonlee,” Ash assured him. Although his tone was full of confidence, an unpleasant image inexplicably appeared in Pikachu’s mind.

In Pikachu’s imagination, it was standing in a fighting ring, knocked out by a single punch, lying on the ground, with the flickering ceiling lights illuminating its scarred body. Thinking of this, Pikachu immediately hugged Misty’s leg, shaking its head in fear.

“No problem, I’ll teach you a finishing punch. You’ll definitely win!” Ash spoke again, assuring him.

Seeing this scene, Pikachu subconsciously chose to believe Ash.

“Practice for tomorrow. First, practice throwing a right straight punch, like this…” Ash explained the theoretical knowledge he had learned from television to the small Pikachu, who mimicked him in a proper manner.

“How come I didn’t know Ash knew so much about boxing?” Brock wondered.

“Me neither…” Misty echoed.

“Hitmonlee, I challenge you to a duel!” Ash challenged the punching Pokémon. Pikachu, by his feet, now had tiny boxing gloves on its hands—a result of Ash’s temporary brainwashing, or rather, teaching—and looked at the wild Hitmonlee with battle-filled eyes.

“Lee~” Hitmonlee glanced at the smaller Pikachu, waving its hand to signal Ash not to humiliate himself. How could such a small, cute Electric-type Pokémon be an opponent for a Fighting-type like itself?

“You only act so relaxed at times like this!” Ash provoked, stepping forward. “Go, Pikachu!”

Pikachu initiated the attack, continuously swinging its fists.

“Good job, Pikachu! First a series of jabs, then a right straight punch!”

Although Ash was directing in a proper manner, due to the size advantage, Hitmonlee simply extended its right hand to Pikachu’s forehead, preventing the little mouse from getting close and forcing him to punch only the air.

[Chapter Complete]

***

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep