"Khh—!!"
His hand swept to his waist in a practiced motion. Gathering energy, Greninja suddenly drew out a short purple-black energy blade.
Leaping into the air, it crossed the blade left and right in a rapid flurry.
Slash! Slash!
The net trap hanging from the oak branch was instantly shredded into countless pieces.
The move Greninja had used was the Dark-type advanced move Night Slash.
Ash paid little attention to Greninja venting its frustration. Instead, he stared thoughtfully at the torn trap scattered across the ground.
"A Gloom drinking by the spring…"
"A Bulbasaur that suddenly appeared…"
"A rope bridge with its ropes cut…"
"A pitfall trap in the middle of the road…"
"And a hidden net buried beneath fallen leaves…"
As he connected all the clues from their journey, a strange and shocked expression gradually appeared on Ash's face.
"Why does all of this feel so familiar?"
"This place couldn't possibly be…"
A certain location from the original anime surfaced in his mind.
Whether his guess was correct or not, they only needed to keep moving forward to find out.
"Greninja, stop being angry. Let's keep going."
"Gwa..." (-_-)
Hearing Ash's words, Greninja took a deep breath and suppressed its irritation before continuing to lead the way.
Fortunately, after surviving the three traps—the broken bridge, the pitfall, and the hidden net—they encountered no more obstacles.
And after entering a peaceful valley, the Bulbasaur finally stopped running.
Clearly, this was its home.
A small wooden cabin stood beside a stream.
The creek widened into a clear, open waterway.
The valley itself was tranquil and picturesque.
Looking at the scene before him, Ash's eyes widened.
"So it really is…"
"The Pokémon Sanctuary from the anime where Ash originally met and caught Bulbasaur?"
"I never expected that bringing Clarissa into Viridian Forest to catch a Gloom would lead me here ahead of schedule."
The discovery genuinely surprised him.
"Who are you two!?"
A startled voice suddenly rang out.
Ash and Clarissa turned to see a young woman standing near the stream.
She had dark blue hair braided into a long plait, a reddish-brown headscarf tied around her head, and matching work overalls. In her hand was a small metal bucket, apparently intended for fetching water.
The young woman looked completely shocked.
After all, this place was hidden deep within Viridian Forest.
Not only that, she had set up numerous traps along the way specifically to keep outsiders from finding it.
No one had ever reached this valley before.
That was why seeing Ash and Clarissa suddenly walk into the sanctuary left her utterly stunned.
"Bulba! Bulba!!"
At that moment, a furious shout came from behind.
The Bulbasaur that had abducted the Gloom earlier came charging over from the direction of the cabin like an enraged guardian.
It had never expected Ash and Clarissa to actually make it here.
After all, they had carefully prepared numerous traps to stop anyone from approaching.
Yet these two humans had still followed it all the way back.
The surprise lasted only a moment.
"Huff! Huff!"
Bulbasaur pawed at the ground, hot breath shooting from its nostrils as it assumed a battle stance.
As one of the protectors of the Pokémon Sanctuary, it could sense a powerful and dangerous aura from Ash.
Even so, the two humans had trespassed into this sacred haven.
It was Bulbasaur's duty to drive them away.
"We're—"
Ash had just opened his mouth to introduce himself.
Bulbasaur was preparing to attack.
Then suddenly—
A strange buzzing echoed from the forest beyond the valley.
"Bzzz—"
"Bzzz—"
"What's that?"
Both Ash and Clarissa looked puzzled.
But the young woman and Bulbasaur reacted completely differently.
Their expressions changed instantly.
As though they had sensed something terrible.
"It's the Beedrill swarm!"
"Those hateful vicious Beedrill are back again!"
"Everyone, come out! Prepare for battle!"
The moment the buzzing reached her ears, the young woman no longer paid any attention to Ash and Clarissa.
Neither did Bulbasaur.
Both immediately began calling the Pokémon around the cabin to assemble.
Unsure of the situation, Ash gently pulled Clarissa aside and guided her behind a nearby bush, concealing themselves while observing the unfolding events.
Soon, numerous Pokémon rushed over from the direction of the cabin.
However, they all appeared weak and vulnerable.
And every one of them wore a frightened expression.
Caterpie.
Rattata.
Bellsprout.
Weepinbell.
Paras.
Even the Gloom that Clarissa's Chansey had defeated earlier was among them.
"Bzzz—"
"Bzzzzz—"
The atmosphere became increasingly tense.
The young woman, Bulbasaur, and the gathered Pokémon all looked terrified, yet they still stood their ground and prepared to fight.
Then the owners of the buzzing finally emerged from the forest.
A massive swarm of Beedrill burst from the trees.
Their crimson compound eyes gleamed menacingly.
Black-and-yellow striped bodies filled the sky.
Gigantic poisonous stingers reflected cold light.
Combined with their overwhelming numbers, the Beedrill immediately crushed the opposing side in terms of sheer presence.
The young woman and the sanctuary Pokémon were completely outmatched.
"Bzzz—!"
"Bzzzz—!"
It was obvious this wasn't the first time the two sides had faced each other.
The moment the Beedrill entered the valley, they didn't hesitate for even a second.
Their twin stingers flashed.
Then they dove downward and launched a full assault.
"Everyone!"
"Fight back!"
"Don't let these horrible Beedrill destroy our cabin and steal our food!"
The young woman shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Bulba! Bulba!!"
Before her command had even fully left her mouth, Bulbasaur had already charged forward.
As the guardian of the Pokémon Sanctuary, it took the lead without hesitation.
"Bulbaaa!!"
Bulbasaur roared with determination.
Suddenly, sharp leaves began spinning out from beneath the bud on its back.
It was one of Bulbasaur's signature attacks—
Razor Leaf!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless razor-sharp leaves shot through the air.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Most of them struck their targets successfully.
Several Beedrill were hit and temporarily intercepted.
Unfortunately, Bug-type Pokémon naturally resisted Grass-type attacks.
Furthermore, Bulbasaur itself wasn't particularly powerful.
Its Razor Leaf only managed to hold back a handful of Beedrill.
The attack created little real trouble for the swarm.
"Ash..."
Clarissa looked up at him anxiously.
Her kind-hearted nature made it difficult for her to watch the scene unfold.
"Let's wait a little longer."
Ash gently patted her hand.
"We're outsiders, and we still don't know the full story."
"If they truly can't hold on anymore, then we'll step in."
"Besides, I have psychic healing abilities, so you don't need to worry too much."
Clarissa nodded, though concern still lingered in her eyes.
Ash wasn't acquainted with the young woman.
If he intervened immediately, it might simply come across as meddling in someone else's affairs.
But if they waited until she truly needed help—
Then his assistance would be like delivering charcoal during a snowstorm, or a lifeboat to someone stranded at sea.
Only then would it have its greatest effect.
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T/N:
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