In the morning light of Pewter City, Ash and Misty were making their final preparations in front of the Pokémon Center.
"Ash, what are you waiting for?" Misty asked, noticing that Ash kept glancing toward the entrance.
"I'm just seeing if a certain someone can finally make up his mind," Ash replied. He knew Brock would follow them eventually, though he wasn't sure exactly when.
Just as they were about to set off for Mt. Moon, a familiar voice called out from behind them.
"Ash! Misty! Please, wait a moment!"
The two turned around to see Brock running toward them, panting under the weight of a massive hiking backpack. His face wore a smile of unprecedented relaxation and anticipation.
"Brock? What's all this?" Ash asked, already having a good guess.
Brock came to a halt, took a deep breath, and said solemnly, "My father has completely taken over the Gym and the family affairs. He supports me in pursuing my own dreams! So... if you don't mind, I'd like to travel with you!
I can serve as the team's Pokémon Breeder and handle the logistics. Besides, your next stop is Mt. Moon, right? I'm very familiar with the Mt. Moon area on the road to Cerulean City!"
Misty's eyes lit up. "Really? That's wonderful!" Having a reliable Pokémon Breeder along would certainly make the journey much easier.
Ash also offered a sincere smile and reached out his hand. "Welcome to the team, Brock! We could definitely use a reliable partner like you!"
"Thank you so much!" Brock said, shaking Ash's hand firmly.
With that, the trio was officially formed.
With Brock, a professional Pokémon Breeder, on board, the Pokémon were kept in peak condition. This effortlessly lifted a significant burden off Ash's shoulders.
Once they entered the Mt. Moon region, Brock's role as a guide became immediately apparent as he skillfully navigated the paths.
"Mt. Moon is famous for its Moon Stones and Clefairy," Brock introduced as he led the way. "However, the caves here are quite complex, and there are many swarms of wild Zubat. We need to be careful."
No sooner had he spoken than a dense sound of flapping wings echoed from above as they passed through a large cavern! A massive swarm of Zubat had been disturbed; they dove down like a black cloud toward the trio, clearly treating them as intruders!
"Oh no! It's a Zubat swarm!" Brock shouted. "Onix, use Rock Tomb to block the cave entrance and cut down their numbers!"
Onix appeared, using rocks to temporarily seal part of the opening, but dozens of Zubat had already rushed inside.
"Pikachu, use Thunder Shock for a wide-range attack!"
"Staryu, use Water Gun!" Misty sent out her reliable ace, Staryu.
"Brock, watch out!" Ash warned as several Zubat circled behind to lunge at Brock.
Brock reacted quickly, rolling across the ground to evade the strike while instinctively tossing another Poké Ball. "Geodude, block them!"
Geodude appeared, standing firm against the incoming Zubat.
In the middle of the chaos, however, a smaller but exceptionally agile Zubat caught Brock's eye. It didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the swarm, circling alone on the periphery. It used its sound waves to skillfully dodge attacks and even "accidentally" interfered with other Zubat that were trying to attack Brock's group.
"That Zubat... is special." As a Rock-type expert, Brock had a keen eye for these kinds of Pokémon.
He waited for his chance. After the Zubat made a particularly graceful dive, he accurately threw a Poké Ball. "Go, Poké Ball!"
The ball hit its mark, wobbled a few times, and then grew still.
This clever and seemingly independent Zubat would likely be a great addition to his team.
Meanwhile, with the combination of Pikachu's wide-range Thunder Shock and Staryu's precision Water Gun, the remaining Zubat were driven away.
"Great job, Brock!" Ash praised. Brock rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
Just then, a frantic male voice called out from a nearby side path. "Thank goodness! I finally found other Trainers! Please, I need help!"
A young man in a researcher's lab coat and glasses ran toward them. It was Seymour the Scientist, who was currently conducting ecological research on Mt. Moon.
"Seymour? What happened?" Brock recognized him.
"It's Team Rocket!" Seymour said urgently. "They're in a cave where the Clefairy live, using machines to forcibly mine Moon Stones! They even hurt a Clefairy that tried to stop them! I'm not strong enough on my own, so I was coming to find help!"
"Team Rocket again!" The three of them shouted in unison, their anger flaring.
"Lead the way, Seymour!" Ash said immediately.
Under Seymour's guidance, they quickly reached the cave in question.
They saw the Team Rocket trio surrounding a Clefairy with an injured leg, while a nearby drilling machine continued to roar.
"You brats?! How is it always you!" Jessie snapped, looking exasperated.
"And this time they brought a helper and a nerd!" James added.
"Clefairy..." the injured Pokémon let out a helpless cry.
"Team Rocket, stop your villainy this instant!" Ash stepped forward.
"In your dreams! Ekans, Koffing, go!"
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"Staryu, Rapid Spin!"
"Onix, Rock Throw!"
"Zubat, use Supersonic to confuse them!" Brock also sent out his new partner.
The battle erupted once more! With the addition of Brock and Seymour who also released a Geodude to assist Team Rocket was instantly at a disadvantage.
Zubat's Supersonic effectively disrupted the enemies' movements, allowing Pikachu's electricity and Staryu's attacks to land one after another!
"Curse you! We're taking this Moon Stone regardless!" Jessie snatched up a freshly mined Moon Stone and tried to bolt.
"Scyther, stop her!" Ash commanded. A green blur flashed by, and a pair of scythes were leveled in front of Jessie.
Simultaneously, countless small eyes lit up around the cave. The Clefairy tribe had arrived!
They raised their small hands toward the moon, combining their power to unleash a massive wave of Confusion. The sheer force sent Team Rocket and their machinery flying!
"We're blasting off again!"
Seymour and Brock quickly moved to treat the injured Clefairy's leg.
The Clefairy tribe was deeply grateful. To show their thanks, the rescued Clefairy presented the Moon Stone to Ash.
"I really can't thank you enough!" Seymour said, shaking their hands. "Without you, the Clefairy and the Moon Stones here would have been in grave danger. I'll be sure to record your heroic deeds in my research report!"
[Ding! The Host assisted Seymour the Scientist in repelling Team Rocket and protecting the ecology of Mt. Moon, gaining high praise from the research community. Reward: 300 World Essence.]
[Current World Essence: 3500 points.]
After bidding farewell to Seymour and the Clefairy, Ash and the others took the Moon Stone and Brock's new Zubat and continued their journey. The experience at Mt. Moon had made their team more united and added new strength to their ranks.
In the next chapter, they will challenge the Cerulean Gym. Does the protagonist need to point the three sisters in the right direction?
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