Chapter 12: Bat Pokémon, a Danger Warning!

At the foot of Mt. Moon.

The original trio was leisurely making their way along the road.

"Mt. Moon is a peaceful resort known for its simple folk customs. Every year at this time, large numbers of tourists come here to play. It’s also home to the mysterious Moon Stone, making it a great place for treasure hunting."

As a man whose hometown backed up against Mt. Moon, Brock was providing some popular science.

"Once we cross this mountain path, we’ll reach Cerulean City. Ash, aren't you planning to challenge the Gym? There’s a Cerulean Gym right there."

Ash nodded, wishing he could sprout wings and fly over to challenge the Gym right now.

However, as they walked, Ash began to feel a chill down his spine; the surroundings felt eerie.

He looked around, and even though they were almost at the cave entrance, he hadn't seen a single soul.

Could this be a tourist destination in the underworld?

Could they have something a bit more "alive" here?

The three of them noticed a warning sign.

"Warning: A large number of Zubat have appeared recently. Please be careful while climbing."

"Zubat?"

The three were taken aback, especially Brock and Misty.

Their home base was right by Mt. Moon, and Pokémon like Zubat were indeed common in caves, but it was rare for them to be so numerous that a warning sign was required.

"We’ll just be careful, that’s all. Zubat generally don't attack humans unprovoked," Brock said.

"True."

"I understand."

With that, the three relaxed and continued on their way.

Entering the Mt. Moon cave, they found that to fully utilize the area for tourism, a large lightbulb was installed every few meters, saving them the trouble of using the "Flash" TM.

However, this artificial brightness undoubtedly disrupted the original ecosystem.

Especially for those Pokémon adapted to the dark, it was clearly a heavy blow.

"Perhaps this is why there’s a Zubat riot," Brock analyzed.

Hearing this, Ash nodded: "You really do understand."

As the three walked through the cave, they suddenly heard screams ahead, accompanied by the chaotic sound of flapping wings, which sounded jarring in the quiet cave.

Ash, always eager for action, took the lead and ran ahead.

In a corner of the cave, a young man wearing a white lab coat was being attacked by several Zubat, the situation looking quite dire.

Seeing someone approach, the man in the lab coat cried out for help

"Righteous passerby, save me!"

Hearing this, Ash’s body trembled; he was moved by the word "righteous."

"Since you have asked with such sincerity, I shall show mercy and save you! Pikachu, use Ten Thousand Volts!"

Pikachu jumped off his shoulder, its form turning into a nimble bolt of lightning as it rushed forward, unleashing a "Ten Thousand Volts" at the rioting Zubat.

A low-spec Thunderbolt.

As the electric light flashed, the Zubat swarm had a shocking time.

"Zzzzt—"

Of course, the man in the lab coat also enjoyed a bit of electrotherapy.

He couldn't handle a full Thunderbolt.

After the electric light faded, the Zubat instantly wilted, their bodies charred, and they prepared to flap their wings and flee.

"Now's the chance, Poké Ball!"

Brock, his squinting eyes revealing a flash of cold light, threw a Poké Ball with quick reflexes, hitting the Zubat with the largest eyes square on.

*Click, click, click!*

A red light flashed, and after three shakes, the large-eyed Zubat was successfully captured.

"Nice one!"

Ash, seeing this, grew anxious and hurriedly reached for his waist, intending to catch a squinty-eyed Zubat himself, but accidentally bumped into his Pokédex.

"Beep. Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. Not edible. Danger warning!! Danger warning!!"

The Pokédex even flashed a red alarm light, as if some major crisis had occurred.

Ash: "???"

Because of the interruption by the Pokédex, by the time Ash pulled out his Poké Ball, the Zubat swarm had already vanished.

"Damn it!"

He could only sheepishly retract his Poké Ball, looking at Brock, who was showing his white teeth, and feeling a surge of frustration.

"Is this your Rock-type spirit? To actually sneak a Zubat catch—that’s hilarious."

Ash couldn't help but mock him.

Brock replied with a smile

"Oh, the Rock-type spirit is a family tradition. I have plenty of younger brothers to inherit that; being a Breeder is my true spirit!"

"Oh, then the misunderstanding is cleared up."

"Yeah, we're brothers."

Misty: "..."

Is this how "tough guys" talk? She didn't understand a word of it.

With the Zubat gone, the young man who had been electrocuted by the "Ten Thousand Volts" finally rubbed his head and woke up, immediately expressing his gratitude to the three.

"Thank you all for saving me. My Pokémon had all lost the ability to battle, and then I ran into the rampaging Zubat. I almost lost my life here."

"Losing the ability to battle just from a few Zubat—you're really something."

It was unclear which of the three whispered that.

The man in the lab coat pretended not to hear and continued his introduction

"Hello, my name is Hikawa Gangban, and I am a fossil enthusiast."

Mt. Moon not only had scarce Moon Stones but occasionally yielded ancient fossils; it was truly a tourist destination.

"Oh? Did you dig up any fossils?" Ash asked curiously.

The fossil man, Hikawa Gangban, nodded and said with a smile

"I’ve already dug up two ancient fossils. To repay you for saving my life, I’ve decided to give you one."

As he spoke, he pulled two fossils from his backpack.

The three were immediately interested and crowded around.

One looked like a smooth stone, while the other was spiral-shaped and yellowish—it looked like something from a long time ago.

"Hey Brock, your Rock-type spirit is gone, why don't you stop looking? Be careful your ancestors don't come to greet you in your dreams tonight," Ash couldn't help but say.

"It's fine, my younger brother isn't an adult yet, and I am a man with a dual spirit now."

Pewter City had a fossil museum, so he had some understanding of fossils. He widened his eyes, observed them carefully, and said

"I’ll take a wild guess—these should be a Dome Fossil and a Helix Fossil, right?"

"Is that so? This one looks like a fossilized poop to me," Ash said, pointing at the spiral-shaped fossil.

Come to think of it, the spiral protrusions did look a bit like it, and even Brock became suspicious, unable to help but ask

"Mr. Hikawa, you didn't actually dig up a fossilized poop, did you?"

"Impossible! This is a genuine Helix Fossil! If you go to a large museum, you can even use special equipment to revive an ancient Pokémon from this fossil!"

Hikawa Gangban laid out the two fossils one by one to show Ash.

"Choose, my savior."

Ash didn't hesitate and reached out to grab the Dome Fossil, which had a decent shape.

"In that case, I'll take this one!"

He weighed it in his hand; it was surprisingly heavy.

It would be perfect to use as a hidden weapon to ambush Team Rocket later.

After a bit of "PY trading," the fossil man hurried away along the path they had come from, intending to take this opportunity to rush to the Pewter City museum and see if he could revive an ancient Pokémon.

"Congratulations, Ash. Maybe you really will get an ancient Pokémon in the future."

Every ancient Pokémon was a rare species; whether they still existed today was not a certainty in the academic world.

Because they carried the wild bloodline passed down directly from ancient times, the physical strength of ancient Pokémon was often much greater than that of normal Pokémon, and their temperaments were more ferocious.

"Jeni-wishful thinking."

The three set off again, continuing deeper into the Mt. Moon cave.

Before long, halfway along the mountain path, they discovered a hidden cave entrance with a wooden sign stuck in front of it.

"Mt. Moon Official Clefairy Shop. Turn left 50 meters ahead. Welcome!"

The three didn't know what it was, but they were tired from walking, so they decided to sit down at this shop first.

Mt. Moon Plaza.

"I didn't know there was such an open space inside Mt. Moon," Misty exclaimed.

Surrounded by steep rock walls, the place they were in felt like an oasis, appearing exceptionally isolated.

It wasn't very large; besides a patch of grassland not far away, there was only a small shop. The shop's sign featured a cute, innocent-looking pink devil.

"Is that the Clefairy Shop? Let's go over and take a break."

The three didn't hesitate and quickly entered the shop.

"Welcome~~ Everything in this shop is free~~"

Just as they entered, a listless shout came from the counter nearby.

The voice was soft; it must be a cute girl.

It was a young girl wearing a white sun hat with a Poké Ball pattern on the brim. Her head was completely hidden by the hat, and she was slumped over the counter, dozing off.

"Bulba-bulba~"

Beside her lay a green bulb-creature, looking wilted, as if it were in need of fertilizer.