After leaving the town that hosted the P1 Fighting Tournament, Ash and his companions arrived at Gringey City, a place famous for its heavy industry.
A faint haze of smoke hung over the city, and a subtle but unpleasant odor lingered in the air.
Ash suddenly recalled something.
Wasn't this the place where Muk was captured in the original story?
Not long after entering the city, the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder suddenly became weak and listless. The electric sacs on its cheeks began to leak tiny sparks uncontrollably, and it looked extremely uncomfortable.
"Pikachu! What's wrong?" Ash cried anxiously, immediately scooping Pikachu into his arms and rushing toward the city's Pokémon Center.
The Pokémon Center in Gringey City felt strangely quiet. The Nurse Joy who received them looked lazy and absent-minded, completely different from the Nurse Joys they had met before.
"Nurse Joy, please take a look at my Pikachu!" Ash said urgently.
Nurse Joy slowly examined Pikachu and let out a yawn.
"Oh, it's just a cold for an Electric Mouse. Nothing serious. A night's rest should fix it."
Ash was extremely dissatisfied with her dismissive attitude and was about to argue when suddenly the lights in the entire Pokémon Center went out with a sharp snap, plunging everything into darkness. Even the medical equipment stopped running.
"What happened? Did the power go out?" Misty exclaimed.
Only then did Nurse Joy look a little flustered.
"Oh no! This has been happening often lately, but this time even the backup power…"
Seeing Pikachu suffering even more in his arms without electricity to power the treatment equipment, Ash felt frantic.
"We can't just sit here and wait! Something must be wrong with the power plant. I'll go check it out!"
He temporarily entrusted Pikachu to Misty and Brock, then rushed out of the Pokémon Center toward the power plant on the outskirts of the city.
Misty and Brock, worried, quickly followed behind.
The power plant of Gringey City was enormous, yet it now lay eerily silent. Inside, the lighting was dim, with only emergency lamps casting a faint glow.
The three of them carefully ventured deeper into the facility. Pipes crisscrossed everywhere, and the usual roar of machinery was absent, making the place feel even more unsettling.
"I feel like… something is following us…" Misty said nervously, grabbing Brock's arm.
Ash also sensed subtle movement. His Aura ability detected faint life signals carrying weak electromagnetic waves.
Suddenly, a metallic object floated out of the shadows, startling everyone.
"Whoa! What's that?"
"Mag—!"
It turned out to be a Magnemite. It seemed very interested in them, or rather in the faint electrical current coming from the weakened Pikachu in Misty's arms, and had been hovering nearby at a cautious distance.
"So it's just a Magnemite. That scared me," Brock sighed in relief.
"But why is it following us? And why is it so interested in Pikachu?" Misty asked in confusion.
Ash explained, "Magnemite are genderless Pokémon made of inorganic material. They're only interested in electricity. It's just that this kind of 'interest' is hard for people to understand."
Just as Ash was explaining, a sticky, squelching sound suddenly echoed around them.
Squish… squish…
Immediately afterward, large numbers of purple, sludge-like Pokémon poured out from pipes and corners all around them.
Grimer.
They had occupied the generators and clogged crucial components, making them the true cause of the blackout.
"So these Grimer are behind the power outage!" Ash realized.
The Grimer noticed the intruders and began attacking, trying to drive them away with Sludge and Body Slam.
"Pikachu, use Thunder Shock!" Ash shouted hurriedly as he took the weakened Pikachu from Misty.
Pikachu forced itself to release electricity, but because he was sick, the attack was far weaker than usual. It could only push back a few approaching Grimer and had little effect on the massive swarm.
As the number of Grimer continued increasing and the situation became dangerous, the Magnemite that had been following them suddenly let out a sharp cry.
As if answering a call, more Magnemite flew in from all over the factory, along with several evolved Magneton. They gathered together, their bodies bursting with intense electrical light.
Zzzzt!
A powerful electromagnetic wave spread outward like an invisible tide, covering the entire swarm of Grimer.
Although the wave itself didn't cause much damage, the paralysis effect slowed the Grimer's movements drastically. Writhing in discomfort, they finally retreated back into the dark corners.
Among them was a particularly large Muk, its color slightly different from ordinary ones, clearly the leader of the group. Before retreating, it gave Ash a deep, lingering look.
Ash seized the opportunity and threw a Poké Ball, successfully capturing it.
[Ding! Host has captured Muk (Leader). Reward: 150 World Points.]
[Current World Points: 13,800.]
Power was quickly restored, and the entire city of Gringey lit up once again.
Ash immediately sent Muk to Professor Oak. Its smell was so overpowering that even the Poké Ball seemed unable to completely contain it.
Back at the Pokémon Center, with the electricity restored, Pikachu finally received proper treatment. The Electric Mouse Pokémon quickly recovered from its cold and returned to its lively self.
Just as they were preparing to leave Gringey City, a Magneton suddenly followed them and floated in front of Ash.
This Magneton's body shone with an unusually bright metallic luster. It was clearly a Shiny Magneton.
It seemed deeply interested in the now fully recovered Pikachu, brimming with electricity again, as well as in Ash himself, who could command Pikachu and carried a special Aura.
Ash looked at the Magneton that had chosen to follow him and smiled slightly as he took out a Poké Ball.
"Looks like you want to travel with us. Welcome aboard!"
The Poké Ball gently tapped it, and the Shiny Magneton was captured smoothly.
[Ding! Host has captured Magneton (Shiny). Reward: 400 World Points.]
[Current World Points: 14,200.]
With the crisis in Gringey City resolved and new partners added to the team, Ash and his companions bid farewell to the industrial city and continued their journey toward Fuchsia City.
A Shiny Magneton had joined the team, strengthening their lineup even further.
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