Even though Ash and Red recovered their stamina fairly quickly, the brief delay was more than enough time for Team Rocket to make their escape. Adding to the problem was the fact that the interior of Mt. Moon was an incredibly complex labyrinth. Once they lost the trail, the chances of tracking them down were essentially zero.
After pursuing them for a short while, the group gave up the chase. They rested for a few minutes to catch their breath and then swiftly navigated their way out of the cavern, emerging near the summit of Mt. Moon.
Brock immediately hurried over to the mountain's most famous attraction: the giant Moon Stone. Because the massive meteorite was so incredibly valuable, it was heavily fenced off and generally restricted from public access. But given the circumstances, Brock wasn't going to let a few fences stop him. He vaulted over the security barriers in three smooth, practiced motions, looking as comfortable as if he were walking into his own backyard.
His fluid movements made it blatantly obvious this was far from his first time trespassing here. Aside from Serena, who felt this was slightly sketchy, Ash and Red were completely unfazed. Red already knew Brock's true identity as the Pewter Gym Leader, and Ash... Ash was simply too dense to notice anything wrong.
When they finally approached the famously massive Moon Stone, Brock thoroughly inspected it. He circled it three times, analyzing every inch, but couldn't find a single scratch.
"This is weird. I don't see any damage at all."
Brock scratched his head, looking back at Ash and Red in total confusion.
"Are you two absolutely sure you heard Team Rocket say they finished extracting the Moon Stone?"
"I'm pretty sure I heard it right." Ash looked over at Red for confirmation. "You heard it too, right, Red?"
"...Yeah." Red offered a single syllable in agreement.
"Then this makes no sense. This Moon Stone looks completely untouched."
Brock's frown deepened. Did Team Rocket mobilize an entire squad and chase out all the local Trainers just to pick up a few stray Moon Stone fragments scattered on the ground? Given Team Rocket's tyrannical reputation, it wasn't impossible, but it felt like a massive overreaction.
What exactly did Team Rocket take from here?
And what did they plan to do with the Moon Stones?
Unable to figure it out, Ash simply stopped thinking about it. Seeing Brock stressing over the puzzle, Ash walked over and patted him on the back.
"If we can't figure it out, there's no point worrying about it! Let's just report everything to Officer Jenny. I'm sure the police know way more about this stuff than we do."
"Hmm... you make a fair point." Brock's brow finally relaxed. "That's the only thing we can do right now. Hopefully, Officer Jenny can find some clues."
Although Mt. Moon was eerily deserted due to Team Rocket's rampage, the group hadn't forgotten their original reason for coming here. The summit might not have had as many Pokémon as the dark caves, but there were still plenty of encounters to be found. Specifically, they saw Clefairy, more Clefairy, and... even more Clefairy.
Most of the Clefairy were hiding in the brush, but since there were so many living on the mountain, a quick glance around was enough to spot at least a handful.
"Ash, are you going to catch a Clefairy?"
Serena's eyes sparkled as she looked at the pink fairies.
"They're so adorable."
"I was hoping for something a little cooler," Ash admitted, scanning the area for any tracks or signs of other species. Unfortunately, he wasn't finding any suitable targets.
"This is frustrating."
Ash scratched his head and let out a sigh.
"I just want to find a really cool Pokémon to catch..."
"...Cool?"
Standing nearby, Red suddenly interjected. Catching Ash's attention, Red pulled out his Pokédex. He scrolled through the regional data for a moment before pointing to an image on the screen and showing it to Ash.
"This?"
Ash leaned in to look. The Pokédex displayed a large, bipedal, yellowish-brown Pokémon. Ash read the name listed on the screen.
"Kangas...khan?"
"Kangaskhan? Did you just say Kangaskhan?" Hearing the name, Ash hadn't even reacted before Brock practically teleported over. Seeing the entry on Red's Pokédex, Brock looked at Red in sheer amazement. "Are you saying there are Kangaskhan living around here?"
"...Yeah." Red replied with his usual brevity. "Go?"
"Are Kangaskhan really strong?" Ash, the total novice Trainer, asked curiously.
"Incredibly strong," Brock stated with deep reverence. "I remember hearing that one of the Kanto League Champions used a terrifyingly powerful Kangaskhan on their team."
"Really?!" Hearing that, Ash's interest instantly peaked. "Alright! Then I've decided on Kangaskhan! Red, please lead the way!"
"Okay."
Red agreed instantly. He was a man of action. Upon hearing Ash's request, he simply waved his hand.
"Follow."
"Got it!"
Ash eagerly fell into step behind him. Wanting to see the rare Pokémon for himself, Brock tagged along as well. Serena hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.
"You guys go ahead. I want to try and catch a Clefairy, so I'm going to stay right here."
The boys agreed without a fuss. After reminding Serena to stay safe, the three guys excitedly marched down the mountain trail to hunt for the Kangaskhan.
Before they left, Froakie had mercilessly beaten Ash up again. It resulted in a fresh set of bright red welts layered directly over the ones that hadn't completely faded from earlier.
Watching the brutal sparring session, both Red and Brock threw Ash frequent, deeply concerned sideways glances. Froakie's strikes were no joke. If a normal human took those hits, they would be severely injured at best, and potentially killed on the spot at worst. Yet for Ash, the damage barely registered as a minor scrape.
The boy's physical durability was easily on par with some fully evolved Pokémon.
The more Red watched Ash, the stranger he felt about the whole situation. His fellow Trainers from Pallet Town really were getting weirder and weirder.
"Oh, right! Red! Once I catch Kangaskhan, let's have a Pokémon battle!"
Remembering his earlier promise, Ash suddenly turned to Red. He pumped his fist in the air, overflowing with fighting spirit.
"I heard from a Bug Catcher that you're incredibly strong! So we absolutely have to battle!"
Through their brief earlier exchanges, Ash had figured out that Red was one of the three "monsters" from Pallet Town the Bug Catcher had complained about. Ash had been curious about these hometown rivals for a while now. Stumbling into one out here basically guaranteed they were destined to fight.
"...Okay."
Red agreed without a second thought. His thirst for battle rivaled Ash's, and he never backed down from a challenge. Sure, his hometown rival seemed incredibly rough around the edges... but his Froakie was undeniably impressive. More importantly, this kid was just plain bizarre. Red had a sneaking suspicion Ash was going to pull off some crazy stunt during the battle, just like he did when they were kids.
Yes, Red actually recognized Ash. They weren't super close, but Red remembered helping Ash out of a jam once when they were younger, which left a lasting impression. And as for the "crazy stunts" Ash used to pull... well, there was that one time Ash covered himself head-to-toe in mud and pretended to be a Diglett so he could get closer to a wild Dugtrio.
The absolutely insane part was that it actually worked.
Red had been so completely blown away by the success that he later tried the exact same trick himself. He ended up caked in so much mud he looked like a Grimer, and the Dugtrio completely ignored him.
He was mercilessly mocked by Blue for an entire week after that.
It was just a small childhood memory, but Red remembered it vividly. So truthfully, Red was actually quite looking forward to battling Ash.
But the battle had to wait until Ash actually caught his new Pokémon.
Thinking of that, Red suddenly stopped in his tracks. He pointed straight ahead.
"...Here."
"We're here? The Kangaskhan is right here?" Ash whipped his head around, scanning the trees. "Where? I don't see it!"
Thump! Thump! Thump!
As soon as he spoke, the heavy, rhythmic sound of massive footsteps shook the ground. A second later, a massive, imposing reptilian head breached the tree line above them.
It was Kangaskhan!
Spotting Ash and the others, the Kangaskhan's expression instantly hardened into a fierce scowl. It threw its arms wide and let out a threatening roar, warning them to back off.
"Alright! I'm going to catch you, Kangaskhan!"
Ash didn't hesitate. He pulled a Poké Ball from his belt and threw it forward.
"I choose you, Mimikyu!"
"Mimi!"
"Use Double Team!"
"Mimi!"
Mimikyu instantly split into over a dozen perfect illusions. The moment the copies appeared, Ash noticed the Kangaskhan suddenly flinch, its face contorting as if it were struggling to pass a kidney stone.
"What's wrong with it?"
"It probably just failed to use Sucker Punch," Brock explained, noting Ash's confused expression. "Sucker Punch allows a Pokémon to strike first, but the attack only works if the opponent is preparing to use a damaging move. Since you used a status move, the attack failed."
"Oh, I get it!" Ash nodded in sudden realization. His eyes lit up. "A priority move? In that case! Mimikyu, use Shadow Sneak—"
"Hold on, Ash. Ghost-type moves have absolutely no effect on Normal-type Pokémon. You do know that, right?"
Seeing Ash stare back at him with total, unfiltered confusion, Brock helplessly massaged his temples. "Okay, fine. You're a total beginner, so I guess it's normal you don't know."
Brock quickly gave Ash a crash course on the type-matchup chart.
Did Ash memorize it? Of course not. But he at least understood that Normal and Ghost-type moves couldn't hit each other.
"So I can't use Ghost-type moves?" Ash thought for a second. "In that case... Mimikyu, use Hone Claws!"
"Mimi!" Mimikyu extended a pair of shadowy claws and aggressively sharpened them against the dirt. A moment later, the claws gleamed with a deadly luster.
Mimikyu's Attack rose!
"Roar!"
While Mimikyu was busy buffing itself, Kangaskhan wasn't just standing around. It charged forward like a runaway train. Relying entirely on its massive bulk, it swept its arms and tail wildly, rapidly obliterating all the illusory clones. Spotting the real Mimikyu, Kangaskhan opened its massive jaws and lunged for a vicious bite.
Crunch!
"Don't panic, Mimikyu! Use Slash!"
"Mimi!"
Mimikyu vaulted into the air. The pitch-black claws hidden beneath its rag shot out and delivered a devastating, heavy chop straight to Kangaskhan's face.
Thud!
The immense physical force behind the blow caused Kangaskhan to shudder violently, forcing the massive beast to stagger two steps backward.
"Now! Use Wood Hammer!"
"Mimi!" Still suspended in the air, Mimikyu's tail morphed into a massive wooden mallet. Spinning with the momentum of its descent, it brought the hammer crashing down viciously across the bridge of Kangaskhan's nose.
The catastrophic impact rolled Kangaskhan's eyes to the back of its head. However, the massive recoil force from the attack instantly transferred back into Mimikyu, causing the Ghost-type to let out a pained groan.
Wood Hammer was a move that caused severe recoil damage to the user. However, Ash had thoroughly tested this during training: recoil damage alone was not enough to break Mimikyu's Disguise ability or trigger its berserk state. That was exactly why Ash felt confident commanding Mimikyu to use it.
Seeing the Kangaskhan stumbling dizzily on its feet, Ash immediately pulled out an empty Poké Ball.
"Go, Poké Ball!"
Whoosh!
The red and white sphere sailed through the air in a perfect arc. But just as it was about to strike the dizzy Kangaskhan, a sudden rustling sound exploded from the nearby bushes. A dark shadow violently launched itself out of the grass, flying directly into the path of the Poké Ball.
Click!
The Poké Ball popped open, instantly sucking the mysterious shadow inside.
Beep. Beep. Click!
Capture successful.
"HUH?!"
Everyone stared at the locked Poké Ball in absolute shock. Nobody expected a literal interception right in the middle of a capture attempt. But Ash didn't have time to dwell on it. Seeing the Kangaskhan rapidly recovering its senses, Ash frantically grabbed another Poké Ball.
"Go! Poké Ball!"
Whoosh!
But at that exact moment, a second shadow erupted from the exact same patch of bushes. It aggressively collided with the thrown Poké Ball in mid-air.
Beep. Beep. Flash!
"Squawk!"
This time, the capture failed. After shaking twice, the sphere burst open, and a wild Spearow materialized in the air.
"Squawk! Squawk!"
The Spearow let out a harsh, aggressive cry at the group, as if warning them not to mess with it. It frantically scanned the area, seemingly looking for whatever it had been chasing. Failing to find it, the bird quickly flapped its wings and flew away.
"Why did another Pokémon have to jump in the way?!" Ash's mind was reeling. He desperately looked back at Kangaskhan.
Unfortunately, the beast had fully recovered from the dizziness. Taking one look at the chaotic scene, it turned its massive tail and immediately marched back into the deep forest.
Kangaskhan fled!
"No way..."
Ash was utterly devastated. Red and Brock had absolutely no idea how to console him. After all, having two wild Pokémon actively jump into the trajectory of a Poké Ball during a capture attempt was an insanely rare, freak occurrence.
Brock eventually stepped forward to comfort the boy.
"Don't be so upset, Ash. You did technically catch a new Pokémon, right? Why don't you open the ball and see what it is? Maybe it's just as strong as Kangaskhan."
"You make a good point." Ash quickly reigned in his disappointment. He walked over and picked up the first Poké Ball from the dirt. Taking a deep breath, he tossed it into the clearing.
"Come on out! My new partner!"
Flash!
The bright white light slowly materialized on the grass, forming the shape of a Pokémon. A moment later, the light faded, revealing Ash's newest catch to the group.
"Wee?"
It was... a tiny, golden-yellow bug.
"Is this... a Weedle?"
"Weee!"
Finding itself surrounded by staring humans, the poor little bug's eyes instantly welled up with terrified tears. It looked around in pure panic before frantically scurrying behind its own Poké Ball. It curled itself into a tight little circle, desperately trying to hide behind the metal sphere.
"It seems a little timid." Ash rubbed the back of his head and let out a nostalgic sigh. "I never expected my first new catch to be a Weedle."
As the single most common Pokémon in the entire Kanto region, Ash had easily seen over eight thousand Weedles in his lifetime.
Quickly adjusting his mindset, Ash walked over and crouched down in front of the trembling bug. He gently extended his hand.
"Hey there, Weedle. My name is Ash. I'm going to be a Pokémon Master."
"Will you be my partner?"
"Wee?" Hearing Ash's soft, soothing voice, the Weedle tentatively peeked out from behind the ball. Seeing the completely unfiltered affection and warmth in the boy's eyes, the little bug hesitated. Finally, it slowly uncurled and crawled forward, gently tapping the sharp stinger on its head against Ash's palm.
"Wee!"
"Alright!"
Thrilled, Ash gently scooped the Weedle up into the air.
"I caught a Weedle!"
Weedle might be an incredibly common Pokémon, but given the utterly bizarre, miraculous way he caught this specific one, Ash was convinced they shared a special bond.
More importantly, Ash's love for Pokémon wasn't just talk. He loved every single one of them.
"Hold on a second, Ash." Just as Ash was celebrating with his new partner, preparing to return it to its ball, Brock suddenly called out. He stared intently at the bug in Ash's hands, then turned to Red for confirmation. "This Weedle... it looks a little different, doesn't it?"
Red didn't mince words. He nodded instantly. "...Shiny."
"What are you guys talking about? What's shiny?" Ash tilted his head curiously.
"Your Weedle is a Shiny Pokémon. That means its coloration is completely different from a standard member of its species," Brock explained. "A normal Weedle has a dull, brownish-yellow body. But your Weedle is a brilliant, shining gold. Its colors are much more vibrant."
Brock suddenly realized something and sighed.
"That explains it. Because its coloration is so bright, it easily attracts the attention of predatory Bird Pokémon. That Spearow from earlier must have been trying to hunt this Weedle down."
Brock's deduction made perfect logical sense. Ash didn't really understand the deep ecological implications, but he scratched his head and grinned brightly at his new partner.
"That's awesome, Weedle! That means you're super strong!"
"Wee!"
Weedle had absolutely no idea why its Trainer was so happy, but seeing Ash smiling made it happy too.
Brock thought about correcting Ash, but ultimately decided against it.
Shiny Pokémon were literally just color variants. Outside of their appearance, they held no inherent statistical advantage over a standard Pokémon. Ultimately, a Pokémon's true strength depended entirely on how well their Trainer raised them.
But there was no need to crush Ash's excitement with technicalities.
Even though they had only traveled together for a single day, Brock could already tell this boy possessed a bizarre knack for creating miracles.
Perhaps even an ordinary Weedle could achieve greatness in his hands.
After spending a few more minutes bonding with his new partner, Ash let Weedle settle comfortably onto his shoulder. His eyes blazed with renewed fighting spirit as he looked at Red.
"Alright, Red! Let's have that battle now!"
"...Okay."
Red agreed without hesitation.
He never refused a challenge.