"Your great deeds are just the worst thing ever for me! Bulbasaur, handle them, use Razor Leaf!" Ash waved his hand, skillfully commanding Bulbasaur.
Without hesitation, Bulbasaur obeyed Ash's order. Its body shook, and several sharp Leaf Blades shot out, aiming straight at the hot air balloon in the sky.
The hot air balloon was not like that vacuum cleaner; it was just a paper-thin membrane, and the moment Razor Leaf passed through, it left dozens of holes in it.
Immediately after, with Team Rocket's faces turning ashen as they shouted their signature line, 'What a bothersome feeling,' they disappeared without a trace.
After fending off the Team Rocket trio, Ash and the others checked the Pokemon for injuries. Luckily, none of them were seriously hurt.
And after finishing the check, Bulbasaur also approached Ash with a determined expression.
"Dana!" I want to go with you.
"Really?! That's great!" Ash jumped three feet in the air with excitement. He hadn't been too hopeful, so he didn't expect Bulbasaur to change its mind.
Brock laughed as he gazed at the endless blue sky, "Team Rocket did another good deed this time. Because of them, Bulbasaur saw its shortcomings, saw your strength, and that's why it chose to follow in your footsteps so decisively, Ash."
Upon hearing this, Ash paused in his joyful embrace of Bulbasaur, a strange look appearing on his face.
Come to think of it, Brock was right; without Team Rocket, Bulbasaur might still be hesitating.
The last time it was also because of Team Rocket that he managed to witness Clefairy's mysterious ritual and capture Ralts.
Could it be... those three are his lucky stars?
No no no, there couldn't be such a thing; they're just a simple comedic villain organization!
Ash would never admit they were his lucky stars...
...
In the end, Ash successfully captured Bulbasaur, which meant his Pokemon team now had five members, just one more to be complete.
After capturing Bulbasaur, Ash and the others took the opportunity to ask Melanie for directions, and then continued their journey toward Vermilion City.
Compared to the smooth journey to Pewter City and Cerulean City, the road to Vermilion City was much more challenging.
It was like they lost their way for the umpteenth time. Taking a direct bus might only take a day to reach Vermilion City, but walking would be another story.
Even if they walked straight toward Vermilion City, it would at least take a week.
Not to mention Ash and the others were constantly getting lost, making the walk more time-consuming.
According to Melanie's directions, they had only covered half of the journey, even though they'd been walking for more than half a month.
A week's journey took them more than half a month, and they had only covered half the distance, which showed how seriously they were lost.
But getting lost had its advantages; just capturing a Bulbasaur made it all worthwhile.
Following Melanie's direction, Ash and the others finally got out of the forest and onto a normal road.
Then they found their position on the map and continued heading towards Vermilion City.
...
Two days later, Ash and the others found themselves in another jungle, and looking at the similar surroundings, a bead of sweat rolled down Ash's forehead.
They... seem to have... gotten lost again?
"No way!! Why are we lost again! The road to Vermilion City is just too hard! We should have taken the direct bus from Cerulean City back then! I've lost count of how many times we've been lost!" Misty exclaimed, clutching her head in frustration.
"Don't say that. If we hadn't gotten lost, I wouldn't have captured Bulbasaur. Besides, we've gained a lot of experience and learned many things along the way!" Even though Ash was also struggling with being perpetually lost, he was the biggest beneficiary of it.
Anyone could complain about being lost, but he couldn't.
"All the benefits you're talking about are yours! We haven't gained anything!" Misty said indignantly.
Ash's growth during the journey was evident, not just for himself but for his Pokémon too, especially with capturing the rare Bulbasaur. His gains were immense.
But what did they gain? Maybe Brock's Pokémon leveled up slightly, or her Staryu gained a level, and that was it.
This kind of gain could have been achieved without getting lost!
"Ugh..." Ash quietly closed his mouth and silently studied the map in his hand.
For a girl, being lost in a forest and unable to find a town, leading to not being able to bathe for a long time was incredibly frustrating. Misty couldn't be blamed for her tantrum; in fact, it would have been odd if she hadn't shown frustration.
The immediate priority was to find a way out of this forsaken place.
"We should be here now, and if we head in that direction, we should reach a normal road. Then, if we follow this road, we should reach the nearest town to Vermilion City, and once through the town, we'll be in Vermilion City."