Luke kept things brief, quickly explaining his identity, his purpose, and how he ended up being attacked by the Zubat.
According to the legend of Mt. Moon, a meteor once fell there. That meteor became the rare Moon Stone, a mineral capable of enhancing certain Pokémon.
When news of this spread, it attracted attention from many parties.
As a result, the habitat of the Pokémon living in Mt. Moon was severely damaged.
After discovering the situation, Luke immediately came to investigate. He soon found that the local ecosystem had been badly disrupted—especially inside the caves, where Pokémon habitats had been destroyed by illegal miners.
While following the clues deeper into the cave, he was mistaken by a swarm of Zubat as another intruder damaging their home.
So they surrounded him and tried to drive him away.
After that, Ash and his companions heard his screams and came to rescue him.
Ash felt speechless.
You're certainly brave… but that's about the only thing worth praising.
Coming alone to Mt. Moon, a place filled with wild Pokémon, without any preparation…
That took some serious nerve.
"Didn't you bring any Pokémon?" Misty asked.
"It all happened too suddenly, so I forgot," Luke replied awkwardly.
"…Did you at least report it to the authorities?"
"No."
Ash and the others were stunned.
Investigating a crime scene involving illegal activity…
Without informing the authorities.
Without bringing any Pokémon.
And coming alone.
They had never seen someone this stubbornly reckless before.
"I was just too anxious and didn't think things through," Luke said awkwardly.
Situations like this had never happened before. Today's incident was completely unexpected.
Fortunately, Ash and his group happened to pass by.
Otherwise, he would have ended up becoming a complete laughingstock.
"That's basically what happened."
Luke finished explaining everything with a troubled expression.
Seeing that Ash's group carried plenty of travel gear, he guessed they were Gym-challenging Trainers traveling together, so he asked them for help.
"H-help—help—"
Ash quickly responded while pulling his arm free from Luke's grip.
Stop hugging me already.
If you were a girl, maybe I'd be okay with it…
But you're a grown man.
Ash quickly stepped away. Luke was staring at him with intense enthusiasm, which made him feel uncomfortable.
Luke just laughed sheepishly. He didn't look calm and composed like most researchers—he was clearly a bit clumsy and impulsive.
"Don't worry," Misty said firmly.
"We'll help you find whoever destroyed the Pokémon habitat in Mt. Moon."
Misty loved Pokémon deeply—no less than Ash or Brock.
She absolutely couldn't tolerate criminals harming Pokémon.
Brock nodded seriously.
Even if Luke hadn't asked for help, they still would have stepped in.
As Pokémon Trainers, they couldn't ignore the destruction of Pokémon homes.
New Quest Triggered!
Objective: Find the culprits destroying the Pokémon habitat in Mt. Moon.
Rewards:
TM – Toxic(This move possesses a corrosive effect.)
Nemesis of Evil Reputation +1(Increases the sense of safety others feel around you.)
Nemesis of Evil?
Ash blinked.
If defeating Team Rocket's trio could grant that title, then they were practically delivering rewards to him.
Ash already knew the culprits in Mt. Moon were Team Rocket.
The two humans and one Meowth had heard rumors about Moon Stones here and came specifically to mine them, hoping to strengthen their Pokémon using the stones.
Following Luke, they entered the cave.
The cavern was filled with hanging lamps, making it as bright as daytime.
This had completely disrupted the Pokémon living there.
Sandshrew, Paras, and Zubat were all behaving abnormally, clearly suffering from the disturbance.
"Clefairy?"
A Clefairy carrying an unexcavated Moon Stone walked deeper into the cave.
"Let's follow it," Ash said.
That Clefairy was heading back to its group.
And the Team Rocket trio had been secretly following it as well—planning to catch them all at once.
After about ten minutes of walking, faint moonlight shone in from outside the cave.
A group of Clefairy gathered around a large rock and placed several Moon Stones beside it.
The stones began glowing with a soft, crystal-like light.
BOOM!
With a loud explosion—
Team Rocket made their flashy entrance.
They began reciting their usual embarrassingly long motto.
Ash immediately had Pikachu interrupt them.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"Those rotten twerps!" Jessie shouted angrily.
"Don't you know interrupting someone is extremely rude?!"
Team Rocket had been forced to cut their introduction short just to dodge Pikachu's attack.
"Heh," Ash said with a smirk.
"You say the same lines every time. I'm already sick of hearing it."
He blinked playfully.
"If you came up with a new motto, maybe I'd actually let you finish."
"A dog could tolerate this—but a cat cannot!" Meowth snapped.
"Twerp! We'll show you what happens when you offend Team Rocket, meow!"
Meowth extended its sharp claws, which gleamed under the moonlight.
"Ekans!"
"Koffing!"
Misty and Brock moved to protect the Clefairy, while Ash sent out Gyarados.
Fortunately, the cavern was large enough to accommodate its massive body.
"Oh my goodness—"
"That thing's huge!"
"When did the twerp catch a Shiny Gyarados?!"
The Team Rocket trio was shocked by Gyarados's terrifying presence.
Now they understood why Ash hadn't relied on Pikachu earlier.
He had an absolute powerhouse in reserve.
Gyarados's enormous body blocked out the moonlight, plunging the cave into dimness.
Perhaps because it was nighttime, Ekans and Koffing looked even more frightened by the massive, ferocious Pokémon.
"Don't be scared!" Meowth said while trying to encourage them.
Then it immediately ran back and hid beside Jessie and James.
Ekans: "???"
Koffing: "???"
"Jessie! James!"
Meowth tugged their pant legs and whispered excitedly:
"If we capture that Shiny Gyarados, Team Rocket's power will increase tremendously!"
"Then the Boss will definitely be pleased!"
"A promotion and a raise won't just be a dream anymore!"
Jessie and James' eyes burst into flames with excitement.
They completely forgot their fear of Gyarados and issued commands immediately.
"Ekans, Bite!"
"Koffing, Smokescreen!"
The cave was already dim.
With Smokescreen, visibility dropped to almost zero.
"Zubat, blow the smoke away!"
Brock sent out a newly caught Zubat.
So that's what he had been doing earlier while Ash rescued Luke—he had secretly captured it.
The thick smoke was instantly blown away.
"Gyarados, Twister!"
The swirling vortex lifted Ekans and Koffing into the air.
Brock then commanded Zubat to blow Team Rocket themselves into the tornado.
"Now finish it—Brine!"
Gyarados fired a powerful jet of water straight into the swirling mess.
Team Rocket experienced what felt like a water-powered rocket launch.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!!!"
The farce finally ended.
The Clefairy successfully protected the Moon Stones—though not entirely.
During the battle, many stones were scattered around.
Several Clefairy evolved into Clefable on the spot.
As thanks, one of the Clefable gifted a Moon Stone to Ash and his companions.
Before leaving, Ash and the others also restored the cave environment, removing much of the equipment and returning the habitat to a healthier state for the Pokémon.
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