"Bayleef?"
Stepping out of the forest, the Bayleef carrying little Mei let out a joyful cry. Before Ash's group lay a vast prairie teeming with Grass-type Pokémon: Oddish, Gloom, Sunflora, Bellsprout, Weepinbell, and many more. The environment here was perfectly suited for them.
"Oh my god, a Bayleef! Amazing, I actually get to see a Bayleef!" a boy's voice exclaimed from behind. He was holding a Skiploom, the evolved form of Hoppip, which now had a green body and a yellow flower atop its head.
"Hello! My name is Minoru!"
"I'm Ash, and these are Misty, Brock, and Mei. This is my Pikachu and Bayleef!" Ash introduced everyone. "That's right, we're heading to Ecruteak City for a gym challenge."
"Ash, you must be a really strong trainer!" Minoru's eyes shone with earnestness. "Please, I beg you, use your Bayleef to have a battle with my Skiploom!"
"Of course! I never refuse a request for a battle!"
Since it was a friendly match, there was no need for a referee. Both Pokémon were already out of their Poké Balls.
"Bayleef, go for it!" Mei's cheering served as the signal to begin.
"Skiploom, use Tackle!" Minoru's command was decisive. Skiploom reacted quickly, but as it slammed into Bayleef, it simply bounced off, sent flying backward by the sheer weight difference.
"Minoru, Skiploom is too light; a Tackle won't be effective. You need to look closely at your opponent, compare your strengths and weaknesses, and then make a judgment!" Ash advised from across the field.
Brock and Misty smiled at each other. "Ash has so much battle experience now; he's no longer that impulsive rookie!"
Minoru quickly processed Ash's words. "Ash, thank you! Skiploom, use Double Team!"
Dozens of Skiploom clones surrounded Bayleef. It was clear he had trained this move well. But Ash had seen this many times before. Even Bayleef didn't panic; it lowered its stance, ready to strike.
"Do you know there's a move that's guaranteed to hit?" Ash smiled confidently as Bayleef moved. "Magical Leaf!"
Green energy transformed into emerald leaves, sweeping through all the clones and knocking the real Skiploom back.
"Now, use Body Slam!"
Bayleef's massive frame lunged forward, raising its body to crush the smaller opponent.
"That's enough!"
With a loud thud, Bayleef's foot landed on the empty ground beside the Pokémon. The winner was decided.
"Ash's battling style is getting more mature. Just as he said, he fully utilized Bayleef's advantages. The transition between skills was perfect," Brock noted, giving Ash high praise.
After the battle, they followed Minoru to his home—a warm house nestled in the center of a sea of flowers.
"I see. Minoru and Skiploom worked very hard!" Minoru's father affirmed his son's effort immediately, easing the boy's disappointment.
"I gave it my all, but Ash's Bayleef is just too strong!"
"Also, thank you, Ash. I learned a lot!"
Minoru's father also thanked Ash. "Thank you. Having an excellent trainer like Ash practice with Minoru provided a valuable lesson. Please, stay at our home tonight and rest."
"Ash, these flowers are so beautiful!" Mei was in love with the floral landscape.
"Our family cultivated these alongside our Grass Pokémon," Minoru explained. "But Grass Pokémon are also great in battle! I'm entering the local Grass Pokémon Championship tomorrow!"
It was a local tournament, similar to a Bug-Catching Contest, with a grand prize. Ash decided to join; it was the perfect time for Bayleef to evolve into Meganium and bloom its beautiful flower.
"Sorry for the wait! The town's routine Grass Pokémon Championship is finally beginning!"
"Go! Go!" Mei cheered, sitting atop Meganium (who had just evolved during the training rounds).
Suddenly, a storm rolled in. Rain began to pour, and a massive tornado appeared in the distance, sweeping a public bus into the air. Dozens of lives were in peril!
"Oh no!" the staff worker cried out.
"Damn it!" Ash gritted his teeth and dashed into the storm, Pikachu's cheeks sparking with electricity behind him.
Ash pushed his Aura power to the limit, catching up to the flying bus. His eyes glowed blue as he activated his psychokinesis. However, his beginner-level mental power wasn't enough to hold a full bus!
Suddenly, he felt a powerful, familiar psychic force join him. Together, they brought the bus safely to the ground. Ash quickly hid in a corner with Pikachu, not wanting to deal with the subsequent chaos.
But that mental energy... it was strangely familiar.
On an island in the middle of a lake surrounded by Mount Purity, a high-tech screen showed Ash's face. A familiar pale purple figure smiled nostalgically. "So it's him. I didn't expect him to change so much, even awakening psychic powers."
A Pikachu stood before the figure. "Pika?" (You ask why I saved the humans?)
"If an accident happened here, many people would come to rescue them, and our existence would be discovered," Mewtwo replied coldly.
"Pika pika pi!" (It's more than just that!)
"You say it's more than that? That I don't want to hurt humans? Do you think I'm the kind of Pokémon that is friendly to humans? I am Mewtwo! How foolish."
Ash returned to the station where the others were resting. He had made a decision.
"Brock, Misty, please stay here and take care of Mei!"
"Ash, what are you doing?" Misty asked anxiously.
"I'm going to see an old friend. I need to cross Mount Purity alone; it's faster this way. Don't worry, there's no danger!" Ash gave her a reassuring smile.
"Ash, are you going alone? Can't Mei come?" Mei asked, hugging his leg.
"Be good, Mei. I'll be back soon! I have the communicator Ling gave me, so you can contact me anytime!"
"Okay! Mei will be good!"
Ash contacted Professor Oak and had his Charizard, Houndoom, and Slowking transferred over. Along with Meganium, Pikachu, and Snorlax, he had his strongest team ready for the journey to Mount Purity!