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"Phew! Looking at it from a distance, I didn't expect this mountain would be so difficult to climb!"
After hiking upward for an hour, they still hadn't found a suitable place to set up camp. Misty wiped the sweat from her forehead and glanced back in the direction they'd come from.
By now, they were quite far from Professor Oak's Laboratory. From the Professor's vantage point, the mountain appeared lush and green, not particularly challenging at all.
"Of course. This mountain is basically untouched wilderness deep inside. Because of the environment, even the Pokémon living here are extremely strong and wild!" Ash explained as he walked.
"Ash, how do you know all this?" Misty couldn't help asking.
"I've snuck up here before!" Ash smiled at the question. Before he became a Trainer, he would often visit Professor Oak to play.
When Professor Oak was busy with work, Ash would seize the opportunity to slip away and explore the mountain.
He'd come here secretly, without telling Delia. Of course, he'd never dared tell her—otherwise, he definitely would have gotten scolded.
"You were so brave!"
Hearing this, Brock and Misty exchanged glances. To think he'd come to a place like this alone before becoming a Trainer! Then again, knowing Ash's personality, it wasn't all that surprising.
"There's a tea house up ahead where we can take a break!" Ash smiled and said no more. Since he'd been here before, he knew what to expect along the route.
Just as he finished speaking, Brock and Misty looked forward and spotted a wooden structure built among the trees. Though it was rather simple, it provided shelter for passing travelers to rest.
"Great! You can rest too, Togepi!" Misty excitedly hugged Togepi and hurried forward.
"Togeprii~~~!"
The three of them arrived at the tea house. It was run by an elderly woman. They ordered tea and dango, then sat down to rest. The old woman glanced at the Pokémon resting nearby and spoke up.
"What brings you young people here?"
"We're going up the mountain to train our Pokémon!" Ash replied to her question.
"I see!"
The old woman didn't seem surprised. Because of the mountain's pristine environment, many Trainers came here to train. She'd seen it countless times before. However, this time her brow furrowed slightly.
"Is something wrong?" Misty noticed the old woman's expression and asked while feeding Togepi some dango.
"Well, if you're planning to train on the mountain, you should be extra careful!"
"What happened?" Brock asked.
"Recently, I've been hearing about an Onix in the mountains. I don't know what's gotten into it, but it's suddenly become agitated and restless. It's been rampaging through the mountains quite often."
"It's caused quite a bit of trouble for both wild Pokémon and Trainers. Many Trainers who come here to travel and train have run into problems because of it!"
The old woman explained. While she wouldn't stop them from proceeding, she wanted to warn them to be cautious.
"Did something happen to it?"
Brock seemed puzzled. Although Onix looked intimidating due to its massive size, it was actually quite gentle compared to many other large Pokémon.
Typically, Onix lived underground or disguised themselves as rocks. Because their bodies were so sturdy, even if someone accidentally walked over one, the Onix would barely notice, let alone become angry.
"I don't know the details! Anyway, if you're going to camp in the mountains, please be careful!"
"We're Trainers, so we should be fine!" Misty replied confidently. Onix was most vulnerable to Water-type attacks. As a Water-type Trainer, she wasn't worried at all. Plus, Ash was with them.
"Don't underestimate the Pokémon here. The living conditions are excellent, so the Pokémon in these mountains develop exceptionally well."
"Especially the Onix—they have no natural predators here, and the environment is ideal. The Onix in these mountains are famously large compared to Onix found elsewhere."
Seeing Misty's casual attitude, the old woman warned them again.
"I understand. Thank you for the warning!"
Ash had known this for a long time. Even without watching the anime, he'd learned about the environment here through his years of exploring this world.
"You're welcome. Just be careful. Though I should mention, the Onix here are large but have very gentle temperaments. If you don't provoke them, you should be perfectly safe."
"Got it! We'll be going now. Thank you for your hospitality!"
After that, the three finished their food and set off again. Once they entered deeper into the mountains, they quickly found a suitable camping spot.
There was an open clearing right next to a waterfall, close to a water source. The area provided enough space for all the Pokémon to move around comfortably.
"All right! Let's start training now!" As soon as they arrived at the clearing, Ash spoke up. Misty and Brock looked slightly surprised.
"Training? But we haven't set up camp yet!"
Misty sounded confused. Wasn't this a bit rushed? They hadn't even pitched their tents, and he wanted to start training already? Sure, the Indigo League was coming up, but this seemed overly hasty!
"Setting up camp is also part of the training. This time, we won't be using tents!" Ash responded.
"Then what are we going to do?" Brock asked, puzzled.
"We're going to build a temporary shelter, and everyone's going to help!"
Ash looked around and explained. Survival skills were also part of training, and while they practiced, building shelter would test the Pokémon's adaptability.
"But how are we supposed to do that?" Misty looked uncertain.
"Just watch. Venusaur, use Razor Leaf!" Ash gave the command. Venusaur responded, looked around to assess the surroundings, and activated Razor Leaf.
Like steel darts, the sharp leaves shot through the air in rapid succession. In the nearby woods, several trees fell to the ground with loud crashes.
"Now bring the trees over with Vine Whip!"
After the trees fell, Ash continued issuing instructions. Venusaur responded and released its Vine Whip, quickly dragging all the fallen timber over to the clearing.