Knowing that the legendary Pokémon Mew was nearby and likely to be hunted, Ash and Serena couldn't stay still. They quickly dropped the items in their hands, hurriedly packed them, and rushed toward the lower reaches of the river.
Before they had run far, everyone spotted a red-haired young man standing face-to-face with a group. They all wore matching dark gray uniforms emblazoned with a large "R" logo—the notorious Team Rocket, the largest illegal Pokémon organization in the Kanto region.
At the front of these Rockets stood a burly man with strange eyes on his head. He looked like a crazed cyborg straight out of a TV show.
A row of Pokémon stood before him. Ash took a quick glance but only recognized one—Houndour. The others were unfamiliar.
Normally, Ash would have pulled out his illustrated book to identify them one by one, but now his attention was fully captured by the Pokémon caught between the two forces.
Its pink body, petite size, and agile movements were exactly what Ash had seen before.
"Mew..." he whispered.
"Hmph, don't think you can beat us just because you have a legendary Pokémon!" the burly man sneered, waving his hand with an ugly expression.
"You guys, come to me! Stop him!" he barked.
"Yes, Lord Bishas!"
At once, the Team Rocket members threw their Poké Balls forward.
"Golbat, use Supersonic"
"Raticate, use Superfang!"
"Spearow, use Gust!"
"Houndour, use Beat Up!"
The red-haired young man remained calm despite the barrage of attacks coming at him. Without hesitation, he commanded,
"Urshifu, Wicked Blow!"
In an instant, a burly bear stood before the young man. Its black-and-white fur resembled a gym training uniform, the hair on its head slightly raised, eyes resolute like a mountain waterfall.
Standing on a rock, Urshifu crouched sideways, placing its right paw on its waist, then blasted out a dark red shockwave.
"Ho-ha!"
The shockwave exploded, shattering all incoming attacks. The attacks collided with the Pokémon without resistance, causing a massive explosion that incapacitated them instantly.
Just as the red-haired young man defeated the minions, a numbness tingled his scalp. He turned sharply and saw a beast silently approaching, claws glowing with purple poisonous light, ferocious eyes lined with black eyeshadow fixed on the young man's neck—obviously intent on cutting his throat.
Bang!
At the critical moment, the Poké Ball at the red-haired young man's waist opened on its own. Out jumped a Pokémon resembling Sneasel but much larger. Its claws flashed with cold blue light as it fiercely clashed with the attacker.
"Not good!"
Seeing his Pokémon block the attack, the young man sighed in relief. But his expression soon changed as he looked back at Mew. He saw Bishas already restraining Mew with a Scizor and holding a dark Poké Ball.
His pupils shrank. He roared uncontrollably,
"Stop!"
"Go, Dark Ball!"
But Bishas didn't listen. Smirking arrogantly, he threw the dark ball toward Mew without hesitation.
Just as the ball was about to hit Mew,
"Froakie, use Fling!"
"Quack."
Suddenly, a small stone shot out from the distance, hitting the dark ball with perfect precision and diverting its trajectory. Mew reacted swiftly, turning and vanishing right before Bishas' eyes.
"Hateful!"
Bishas, furious that his seemingly foolproof plan was thwarted by such a small stone, spun around and spotted Ash and Serena. Especially when he saw Mew near Ash, Bishas froze for a moment, then grinned menacingly,
"So, it's just two little brats. Little brats, call back the Mew behind you quickly, or you'll regret ever being born!"
"I'll never give it to you!"
Ash stepped forward, standing between Bishas and Mew. He locked eyes with Bishas without flinching, then turned to comfort Mew,
"Don't worry, Mew. I'm with you all the way."
"..."
Mew said nothing, but Serena froze, stunned.
That sentence brought her rushing memories—back to when she first came to the Kanto region and attended the Pokémon summer camp as a child.
She recalled being separated from her group, her left leg scratched and so painful she couldn't walk. She was terrified. But then a boy had found her and carried her out of the forest.
Serena had cried then, but the boy's childish voice soothed her,
"Don't worry, I'm with you all the way."
Hearing those words again now, from Ash, Serena's expression softened, a mixture of surprise and warmth flooding her face.
"Ash... what exactly are you..."
But Ash didn't notice Serena's gaze. The situation left no time for questions. He felt the malice radiating from Bishas, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. This felt different from any battle before. If he wasn't careful, Ash feared this might be a real fight to the death.
Still,
Ash touched his chest.
Why don't I feel scared?
Shouldn't I be terrified?
But this hot, throbbing sensation—
Could it really be excitement?
"Froakie."
Though his voice was low, endless enthusiasm surged through Ash's tone.
"Let's go."
"Quack."
Froakie glanced up, startled for a moment, then grinned with interest.
It looked at Mew, then approached Ash.
I was ready to kill Mew, but I'll put that aside for now. This opponent is worth fighting.
"It seems you skipped breakfast and got the penalty drink," Bishas sneered, eyeing Ash's Pokémon. "Fine then, Scizor, Bullet Punch!"
The Scizor's pincers gleamed like iron as it lunged at Froakie like a bullet.
"Then Quick Attack it is!"
"Quack."
In a flash, light shimmered around Froakie's body. It moved like a ghost, effortlessly dodging the bullet-fast strikes.
As the mantis's claws closed in, Froakie's eyes narrowed. Suddenly, a glowing white lightsaber appeared in its right paw. With a swift spin,
"Flame Wheel!"
"Quack."
Its eyes burned with fiery determination as the white blade was wreathed in illusory orange flames. Froakie charged the mantis, slashing it with an "X" shaped strike.
Four of Swords — Great Cut!
A fierce laugh escaped as two black scorch marks seared the steel-like shell of the Scizor. The strike dealt massive damage, sending the Scizor flying upside down, unable to continue fighting.
"That was... a fire move?!" Serena gasped, snapping back to reality.
Froakie using fire moves?
Froakie shot her a flat look,
"Quack."
Speed creates heat—basic physics, even kids know that.
"Snort."
Bishas wasn't as surprised. Although caught off guard, he knew the world held strange Pokémon that defied common sense. He sneered,
"You may be a brat with some tricks, but you're too young to think you can stop me."
He pulled out several Poké Balls,
"Go, grab Mew!"
A circle of fierce Pokémon appeared—Metagross, Bisharp, Rhydon, Nidoking, Drapion, and Electabuzz—all radiating dangerous power.
These were Bishas's Pokémon—or rather, controlled by his dark technology, the Dark Ball, which could forcibly conquer Pokémon, even others'. This gave Bishas a terrifying edge.
The Pokémon split into two groups: Metagross and Rhydon faced off against the red-haired young man's Urshifu and Weavile.
Bishas was confident this would trap the red-haired young man, letting him capture Mew.
"This is..."
Ash felt the pressure surge as the remaining Pokémon swarmed him.
He glanced at Froakie.
"Froakie, can you handle this?"
"Quack."
Froakie just pointed its sword at the opponents with a wild grin.
Today, I cut through pain.
Ash groaned, covering his forehead.
Though Froakie sounded confident, Ash knew better. This basically meant Froakie wasn't confident about beating all those Pokémon alone.
Understandably—each was at the same level as the Scizor.
If not for Froakie's unique talent to break through natural limits and use fire moves, he wouldn't have won that fight.
But apart from Froakie, Ash's other Pokémon...
He touched the Poké Ball at his waist, worry flickering in his eyes.
Though Mimikyu had improved drastically, even forming a solid fighting style, facing these powerful foes meant Ash wasn't sure they'd survive.
Mimikyu hadn't been hit yet.
Still, Ash's mind raced, thinking of ways out.
"The choice is yours, Mimikyu!"
"Come out, Delphox!"
Bang! Bang!
Ash blinked in surprise at the human-shaped fox-like Pokémon beside Mimikyu, then looked at Serena.
Serena smiled warmly and gave Ash a thumbs-up.
"Let's fight side by side!"
A warm current flowed through Ash's heart. Without knowing why, he smiled.
"Alright, let's fight together."
At once, Ash and Serena turned back, their expressions matching in seriousness.
They ordered in unison,
"Delphox, use Mystic Flames!"
"Mimikyu, use Scary Face!"
"Howl!"
"Mimikyu—!"
Mimikyu's speed was never slow to begin with, especially after receiving special training from Froakie. Although he was still far behind Froakie in raw speed, he had already gained an edge over most other Pokémon. So, when Mimikyu suddenly raised his Pikachu disguise to intimidate the four opposing Pokémon, it wasn't surprising.
To human eyes, the display might have seemed cute. But under the influence of an unknown power, all four Pokémon recoiled in fear. Even Nidoking and Drapion wore expressions of cowardice.
Nidoking and Drapion were scared!
The next moment, searing flames surged into a blazing wall of fire, encircling all the opposing Pokémon.
The enemy's Special Attack fell!
"Brake!"
Unfortunately, however, the four Pokémon didn't rely much on Special Attack. Lowering it wasn't entirely useless, but it didn't help much in this fight. While Nidoking and Drapion cowered, Bisharp raised his bladed wrist and, with a sharp upward motion, sliced the wall of fire in two. Just then, an Electabuzz burst through the flames, crackling with energy. Sparks erupted violently from its arms as it charged at the Delphox and Mimikyu like a runaway tank.
"Froakie, cover its eyes with bubbles!"
"Quack!"
Froakie quickly pulled a ball of white foam from around his neck and hurled it. Then, grasping his sword, he leapt in front of Bisharp.
Clang!
The sword met Bisharp's slash with a shower of sparks. Froakie raised his head slightly, his eyes as sharp as blades.
Kill you.
Crack! In a sudden burst of strength, Froakie locked down Bisharp's arm. The next moment, he activated his burst of speed and slashed directly at his opponent.
Ash didn't need to worry about Froakie for now. Once he saw that the Electabuzz's vision was blocked, he exchanged a glance with Serena, and the two of them shouted in unison:
"Now! Delphox (Mimikyu), use Psychic (Wood Hammer)!"
"Howl!" (Mimikyu!)
Following their command, the two Pokémon didn't hesitate to go all out. Mimikyu swung his oversized hammer and struck Electabuzz square in the face, just as a blast of invisible psychic energy exploded against it. The concentrated assault was too much—Electabuzz was completely overwhelmed and collapsed, unconscious.
"Roar!"
"Gah!"
But before Ash and Serena could celebrate, Nidoking and Drapion had already shaken off their fear. One lowered its horn, and the other bared its massive fangs as a gust of malice surged toward Delphox and Mimikyu.
"Mimikyu, dodge it!"
Seeing that Drapion was about to lunge at Mimikyu, Ash's face changed as he shouted,
"Use Double Team—now!"
"Mimikyu!"
At the critical moment, Mimikyu split into multiple illusions, dodging the attack just in time. But his teammate, Delphox, wasn't so lucky.
Boom!
Delphox cried out in pain.
"Delphox!"
"Nido!"
Nidoking's assault wasn't over. His tail glowed with an eerie purple light as he spun around and lashed it straight at Delphox.
Crack!
Delphox was sent flying.
"Damn it!"
Ash gritted his teeth. The tide of battle was shifting against them. They simply had too few Pokémon—if they had just one or two more, this wouldn't be happening.
His desire to capture new Pokémon burned stronger than ever.
But wishing wouldn't change the present. Ash's mind raced, searching for a way to break the deadlock.
As he focused, a faint blue light flickered in his eyes.
"Mu."
Behind him, Mew watched Ash thinking hard, tilting its head curiously. A moment later, as if it understood his frustration, Mew floated closer.
"Mu."
"Mew?" Ash's thoughts were interrupted. He blinked at the small figure hovering in front of him. "Do you want me to command you?"
"Mu!"
Mew nodded firmly, and Ash's eyes lit up.
This was it. The turning point.
"All right—let's fight together, Mew!"
"Ash, do you have a plan?" Serena asked, noticing the change in his expression.
"Yeah, I've got it figured out." Ash gave her a sideways glance and whispered, "When the time comes, just follow my lead."
"No problem." Serena nodded without hesitation.
"Froakie!" Ash called across the battlefield.
"Quack."
Froakie fended off Bisharp, then glanced toward Ash.
When he saw the look in Ash's eyes, Froakie paused for a moment—then nodded slightly.
The signal was clear.
Ash didn't hesitate.
"Mew, use your strongest Whirlwind!"
"Mu!"
A powerful cyclone erupted as Mew summoned a massive storm. Dust and debris whirled into the air, obscuring everything on the battlefield.
"No one can see anything!"
"Serena, now!"
In the chaos, Ash quickly recalled Mimikyu. Serena, understanding immediately, did the same for Delphox. Before she could ask what was next, she saw Ash signaling Froakie in the distance—then, without warning, he grabbed her by the arm and spun her onto his back.
He took off at full speed.
Serena was completely caught off guard. She clung to Ash's back in shock, her expression frozen.
"U-Uh… Ash? What are you doing?"
"Running, obviously."
Ash spoke with complete seriousness.
"We're outnumbered and outmatched. If I keep fighting, I'll lose again. So I'm retreating! I'll win next time—once I catch more Pokémon!"
"Uhh…" Serena blushed as she pressed against Ash's back. "Then… why are you carrying me?"
"You're too slow."
Ash's reply was blunt. Just then, Froakie appeared beside him, matching pace with ease.
Ash turned to Mew.
"Mew, grab onto my hair—don't let go."
He glanced back.
"Serena, hold on tight."
"Eh?!"
"Hang on—we're speeding up!"
Boom!
Ash shot forward like a cannonball, cutting through the air, fighting against the wind.
"Ahhh!" The fierce wind rushed against Serena's face. Even though Ash shielded her from most of it, the stray gusts still stung her cheeks. She pressed herself tightly against his back and gripped his arms for dear life.
And the worst part?
Ash was still accelerating.
He used Agility.
It was super effective—Ash escaped!