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"Grime! Grime!" came urgent sounds from ahead.
Just as they were discussing their observations, they heard distinctive Pokemon cries echoing through the tunnels. The three friends looked at each other with alarm, and Ash quickly signaled for everyone to hide.
They quickly took cover behind some pipes and equipment, and soon heard the sound of splashing water. Looking around the corner ahead of them, they could see several dark figures swimming frantically through the sewage in the main drainage channel.
The Grimer appeared anxious and frightened, moving as if they were desperately fleeing from something dangerous.
"What's happening to them? They don't look right at all," Misty whispered quietly in Ash's ear.
It was puzzling to see the Poison-types in this condition. Not long ago, these same Grimer had been wreaking havoc on the city streets, and now they were considered a menace in the eyes of all the citizens. Yet here in their own underground territory, they seemed to have encountered something that genuinely terrified them.
"This proves that they must have really encountered something threatening before they went to attack the streets," Brock analyzed thoughtfully after observing the scene before them.
"Should we follow them?" Misty asked after nodding in agreement with Brock's assessment.
"No, we need to go in the direction they came from! Brock, is the direction they escaped from the same as our target destination?" Ash shook his head and asked for confirmation.
"Yes, it appears to be correct!" Brock consulted the map again and responded with certainty.
"Let's continue forward!" Ash decided. Looking at the direction from which these Grimer had fled, it was almost identical to their intended destination, which further indicated that something significant must have happened in that area.
Ash and his companions continued their underground investigation, and after approximately ten more minutes of careful navigation, the three friends arrived at a much more spacious location within the sewer system.
The path they had been following opened up into their current position, which turned out to be a massive underground intersection. The junction was circular in design and branched into six different passages, leading toward various directions throughout the city.
Such a complex fork in the tunnels was more difficult to navigate than a simple cross-shaped intersection, because there were multiple passages heading in similar directions.
"What should we do now?" Brock asked, looking at the confusing scene before them. Even with the map as reference, he couldn't determine the correct route, and they could no longer see any Grimer to follow as guides.
"Togepi!" came a cheerful cry from behind them.
At that moment, Misty's backpack suddenly shifted and moved, and then Togepi jumped out energetically.
The baby Pokemon seemed completely unconcerned about the unpleasant underground environment, running directly toward one of the passages ahead with a bright, happy expression. Misty was shocked when she witnessed this unexpected behavior.
After entering the sewer system, she had kept Togepi safely contained because the environment wasn't suitable for a young Pokemon. She never expected that it would escape on its own and start exploring.
"Togepi! Don't run around like that, it's very dangerous down here!" Misty called out in alarm.
Despite Misty's urgent warning, even though Togepi was newly hatched, it was surprisingly fast on its small legs. The baby Pokemon seemed not to hear Misty's concerned words and continued running enthusiastically toward the unknown passage.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried out.
"Jiggly!" Jigglypuff added its own call.
At that moment, both Pikachu and Jigglypuff saw what was happening. They immediately jumped down from Ash's shoulder and head respectively, and chased after the wandering Togepi.
Although Togepi had only recently hatched, both Pikachu and Jigglypuff seemed to have already developed protective, sibling-like feelings toward the baby Pokemon, so they pursued it with obvious concern for its safety.
The three human friends had no choice but to follow after their Pokemon as quickly as possible.
Togepi, meanwhile, remained completely oblivious to the potentially dangerous surrounding situation. It continued running forward with innocent excitement, while Pikachu and Jigglypuff chased behind, not knowing what hazards might lie ahead in the dim tunnel.
Even without any hostile Pokemon attacks, accidentally falling into the sewage channel would be extremely dangerous for such a small Pokemon.
Seeing the urgent situation, Pikachu quickly increased its speed, almost using Quick Attack to catch up. As it moved toward the front of the group, Pikachu noticed that the lighting seemed dimmer ahead, unlike the well-lit areas they had passed through earlier.
Pikachu rushed forward as fast as possible, but Togepi continued straight ahead without turning or stopping. The baby Pokemon didn't notice that it had reached a dead end, with a deep sewage channel directly in front of it. Togepi showed no signs of changing direction, instead closing its eyes and running forward with pure joy.
"Togepi!" Misty screamed in terror when she saw what was about to happen.
Fortunately, at the exact moment Togepi was about to fall, a yellow blur rushed past and quickly scooped up the baby Pokemon. Misty breathed a tremendous sigh of relief.
The three human trainers behind them also stopped running when they saw the rescue, and Misty was so frightened by the close call that she sat down heavily on the ground.
"Jiggly!" Jigglypuff called out, still running at full speed.
Pikachu had just successfully caught Togepi, but before it could fully react to the successful rescue, it saw Jigglypuff still running in that same direction. The round Pokemon was moving too fast to stop in time. Pikachu had barely begun to feel relieved when disaster struck again.
CRASH!
Jigglypuff collided directly with Pikachu and Togepi. Pikachu hadn't expected this secondary impact, and all three small Pokemon were instantly launched into the air by the force of Jigglypuff's collision.
Pikachu and Jigglypuff both showed expressions of panic as they flew through the air, while only Togepi continued to dance and giggle excitedly during their uncontrolled flight. Misty was so scared by this development that she froze completely in place.
"Venusaur, use Vine Whip!" Ash commanded quickly, reacting with impressive speed as he threw a Poke Ball.
Venusaur emerged from its Poke Ball and positioned itself on the walkway beside the drainage channel. The space was somewhat cramped for the large Grass-type, but it didn't hinder Venusaur's ability to move and respond.
"Venusaur!" the Pokemon cried out confidently.
Venusaur's body lowered into a stable stance, and multiple Vine Whip attacks shot out with rapid precision, creating sharp whistling sounds as they cut through the air. Just as the three small Pokemon were falling toward the dangerous sewage below, the strong vines caught them securely. Pikachu and Jigglypuff were too scared to move during the rescue, while only Togepi continued its cheerful movements. Fortunately, Venusaur's grip was firm and reliable, and it safely placed all three Pokemon back on the solid walkway.
After being safely returned to the ground, Pikachu immediately picked up Togepi protectively and finally felt truly secure. Meanwhile, Jigglypuff scratched its head with obvious embarrassment, since it had nearly caused a serious accident with its uncontrolled collision.
"Grimer! Grimer!" came ominous sounds from the darkness ahead.
However, just as Jigglypuff turned to look forward into the dim passage, bubbles suddenly began appearing in the sewage channel where they had almost fallen moments before.
"Jiggly?" Jigglypuff tilted its round head in confusion when it noticed this strange activity, then watched as dark figures began emerging from the murky sewage. In the dim lighting, multiple pairs of glowing red eyes became visible, flickering ominously in the shadows.
"Jigglypuff!" the Pokemon cried out in alarm, immediately hiding behind Pikachu for protection.
"Pika?!" Pikachu was startled for a moment, then looked forward and noticed that something was definitely wrong with the situation. Numerous scarlet eyes were gradually emerging from the sewage channel ahead of them, creating an increasingly threatening scene.
"What's happening? Are those...?" Misty also noticed the disturbing development, and she felt her hair standing on end with fear.
"Everyone come back here immediately!" Ash called out with a slight frown, shouting urgently to Pikachu and the other Pokemon.
Pikachu heard Ash's command and quickly picked up Togepi, running back toward safety. Jigglypuff also panicked and grabbed onto Pikachu's tail as they fled together, though this caused Pikachu some discomfort. Pikachu couldn't help but think that these two teammates were really becoming quite a handful to manage in dangerous situations.