Ash, finally arrived in Vermilion City as sunlight fell across its uneven streets.
Ash looked at the city’s famous buildings and busy crowds, excited to finally be there.
“We finally made it to Vermilion City!”
This was where he planned to win his third Badge.
Misty shook out her sweat-damp hair, looking excited to have arrived.
“I want to take a shower as soon as possible. I feel so sticky and gross.”
Her cheeks were flushed from the heat.
She could not wait to cool off.
Brock wrinkled his nose and looked down at his dirty clothes.
“And I want to do some laundry.”
Ash nodded.
“All right. Let’s go to the Pokémon Center first.”
He wanted their Pokémon back at full strength before challenging the Gym.
The Vermilion Gym Leader, Lt. Surge, used a Raichu.
He had evolved it almost immediately after catching it, so it never learned Agility.
Against it, either his newly evolved Dragonair or his agile Sprigatito would be a good choice.
With his skill as a Trainer, Ash estimated his chances of winning at ninety-eight percent.
If he chose Pikachu, whose second Ability was Lightning Rod, his chances of winning would rise to a full one hundred percent.
…
At the Pokémon Center, Ash left his Poké Balls, Pikachu, and Eevee with Nurse Joy.
“Please take care of them.”
Nurse Joy accepted the Poké Balls with a smile.
“No problem. Leave them to me.”
She gave him a playful wink.
“You weren’t about to tell me I look just like my sisters, were you? The Nurse Joy in Pewter City is my younger cousin, and the one in Viridian City is my older cousin. But I’m the prettiest, don’t you think?”
Brock’s eyes lit up.
Blushing, he nodded again and again like a lovestruck fool.
“Yes! You’re the most beautiful and charming Nurse Joy of them all!”
Just then, an anxious shout came from the entrance.
“Hang in there, Rattata! They’ll save you!”
Everyone turned and saw a worried Trainer rush inside with a Rattata in his arms.
The Rattata was blackened with burns and barely breathing.
The Trainer quickly followed the nurses into the emergency room.
Misty felt sorry for the Rattata.
“What happened to it?”
Nurse Joy sighed, looking worried.
“This is already the fifteenth one this month.”
“They were all defeated by Lt. Surge, the Leader of the Vermilion Gym.”
Misty looked toward the injured Pokémon in the treatment ward.
“That’s awful. Is he really that strong?”
Since Ash was about to challenge Lt. Surge, they needed to know how strong he was.
Brock said seriously, “It looks like this Gym Leader doesn’t hold back. Ash, you’d better be ready.”
Ash smiled with confidence.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get that Badge!”
…
Once their Pokémon had recovered, Ash, Misty, and Brock headed straight to the Vermilion Gym.
The heavy doors made the Gym look dark and intimidating.
Ash took a breath, pushed open the doors, and called, “Is anyone here? I’ve come to challenge the Gym!”
“Boss, another sacrifice has arrived,” one of the punk-looking Gym members called toward the figure in the shadows.
The figure stepped out of the shadows, his footsteps heavy.
The man had brown skin and a towering, muscular build.
The floor seemed to shake beneath each step.
“Welcome to Vermilion City. I’m Lt. Surge, Leader of the Vermilion Gym,” he said as he approached.
“Whoa, he’s huge!” Brock blurted out when he saw Lt. Surge’s massive build.
His biceps were bigger than Ash’s head!
“So he’s the Gym Leader,” Misty said, staring at him in surprise.
“Welcome to Vermilion City.” Lt. Surge turned to Misty, gave her a suggestive grin, and reached toward her.
“This challenger sure is cute, but I still won’t go easy on you.”
Ash immediately stepped forward and activated his psychic power.
A blue glow surrounded him.
His psychic power locked Lt. Surge in place.
Lt. Surge’s body went rigid, and he could not move at all.
Lt. Surge stared at Ash’s glowing blue eyes in disbelief.
Ash’s power made him look intimidating.
“I’m the challenger. Hurry up and start the match,” Ash said coldly.
“G-got it,” Lt. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Surge managed, still shocked by Ash’s sudden display of power.
Everyone in the Gym went quiet as the mood turned tense.
“Go, Poké Ball!” Lt. Surge shouted.
White light flashed, and Raichu appeared on the battlefield.
Ash considered his options, then threw one of his Poké Balls.
“Sprigatito, you’re up!”
White light flashed, and Sprigatito landed on the battlefield, ready to fight.
“Meow!”
Sprigatito cried out, eager to battle.
“The formula for victory is already set!” Ash activated the Pokémon Data Scouter on his left ear.
Its small screen lit up in front of one eye, displaying Raichu’s data.
[Pokémon: Raichu]
[Gender: Male]
[Type: Electric]
[Introduction: The Mouse Pokémon and the evolved form of Pikachu.
Its electric shocks can reach 100,000 volts.
A careless touch can make even an Indian elephant faint.]
[Base Stat Total: 485]
[Ability: Static.
Raichu’s body carries static electricity that may paralyze an opponent on contact.]
[Current Strength: Gym Level]
[Potential: Quasi-Elite Four Level]
[Moves: Discharge; Thunderbolt; Thunder; Body Slam; Mega Punch; Tackle]
[Status: Healthy]
“Sprigatito, watch out for its Electric-type moves. Use your speed to get close!” Ash ordered.
Sprigatito nodded.
Raichu watched Sprigatito move.
Its ears twitched, and it gave Sprigatito a dismissive look.
“Raichu, use Thunderbolt!” Lt. Surge ordered.
Electricity crackled around Raichu before a thick bolt shot toward Sprigatito.
“Sprigatito, use Agility and dodge!” Ash shouted.
Sprigatito’s ears shot up.
It kicked off with its hind legs and raced across the battlefield so fast that it left afterimages behind.
Thunderbolt barely missed Sprigatito and struck the wall behind it, leaving a black scorch mark and knocking loose several chunks of stone.
Raichu’s ears twitched angrily when the attack missed, and the electricity around its tail crackled more fiercely.
Lt. Surge frowned.
This kid was better at adapting his commands than he had expected.
Ash watched Raichu closely, waiting for an opening.
“Sprigatito, use Slash!” Ash ordered as soon as Raichu’s attack ended.
Sprigatito meowed and charged at Raichu.
Its claws glowed white as they sliced through the air.
Lt. Surge reacted at once.
“Raichu, use Body Slam!”
Raichu leaped high and dropped its heavy body toward Sprigatito.
Sprigatito rolled aside and avoided the attack.
The moment Raichu landed, Sprigatito rushed in and slashed at its belly.
Raichu cried out and twisted violently, knocking Sprigatito away.
“Use Thunderbolt!” Lt. Surge shouted.
Electricity raced across the ground toward Sprigatito.
Sprigatito leaped between the arcs of electricity and avoided them.
Ash shouted, “Bullet Seed!”
Sprigatito opened its mouth and fired a rapid barrage of seeds.
The seeds struck Raichu one after another.
“Rai!” Raichu cried out in pain as the repeated hits knocked it into the air.
It crashed to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.
Lt. Surge scowled.
“Raichu, get up! Use Thunder!” he shouted, desperate to turn the battle around.
Raichu struggled to its feet.
Its body swayed, and its ears drooped.
Even so, Raichu forced itself to gather more electricity.
It slammed both paws against the ground, and a thick bolt of lightning crashed down toward Sprigatito.
“Sprigatito, dodge, then use Agility to get behind it!” Ash shouted.
Sprigatito twisted aside to avoid Thunder, then used Agility again and raced behind Raichu, leaving a trail of afterimages.
“Now! Use Leaf Storm!” Ash ordered.
A powerful green wind rose around Sprigatito, carrying a swirl of sharp leaves.
Sprigatito launched the Leaf Storm at Raichu, sending the mass of spinning leaves across the battlefield.
Raichu had already lost too much stamina to dodge.
Leaf Storm struck Raichu and hurled it into the Gym wall.
The impact left a dent in the wall.
Raichu collapsed beneath it, its eyes unfocused and its body twitching faintly.
“No way. How did this happen?” Lt. Surge went pale as he stared at his defeated Raichu.
“Raichu is unable to battle! Sprigatito wins, so the victory goes to the challenger, Ash!” the referee announced.
Ash clenched his fist and grinned.
“Great job, Sprigatito! You were amazing!”
Sprigatito raised its head proudly and meowed several times before running back to Ash and rubbing against his leg. The source of this chapter is g.com.
[Congratulations, host, on your victory.
You received 1,000 points and an Electrium Z.]
Lt. Surge took a breath and composed himself.
Then he walked over, took a Badge from his pocket, and held it out to Ash.
The Badge had an orange octagonal center surrounded by eight yellow triangular rays.
“Ash, you’re strong. This Thunder Badge is yours.”
Ash happily accepted the Badge.
“Thank you, Lt. Surge!”
[Congratulations, host, on obtaining the Thunder Badge.
Reward: 10,000 points and a Shiny Charm.]
[Shiny Charm: Increases the chance of encountering Shiny Pokémon.]
“I got the Thunder Badge!”
Misty and Brock ran over to congratulate him.
“Ash, that was amazing! You got another Badge!” Misty said excitedly.
…
The setting sun cast a golden light over the streets of Vermilion City.
Ash, Misty, and Brock left the Vermilion Gym, still excited about the victory.
Ash smiled as he placed the Thunder Badge in his Badge case.
Ash suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, right! Before we leave Vermilion City, I need to visit Professor Cerise.”
“You mean you want to see Chloe too, right?” Misty asked, sounding jealous.
“Uh…” Ash had no answer.
…
Using the address Ash had, the three soon found Professor Cerise’s laboratory.
Ash opened the door.
“Professor Cerise, are you here?”
Professor Cerise came out of the lab with a smile.
“Ash? What brings you here?”
His hair was a little messy, and he looked thoughtful behind his glasses.
Ash stepped closer.
“We were passing through Vermilion City. I just won the Thunder Badge, so I wanted to visit you.”
Professor Cerise smiled.
“Congratulations, Ash. It sounds like your Pokémon journey is going well. Come inside. I’ve been studying a special energy from the Galar region, and I recently made a few discoveries.”
Ash, Misty, and Brock followed Professor Cerise into the laboratory.
“Look. I managed to extract this special energy. My preliminary research suggests it may be connected to a particular kind of Pokémon evolution…”
…
That evening, Chloe entered the laboratory with her school bag and immediately spotted Ash.
“Ash!”
Surprised and delighted to see him, Chloe broke into a broad smile.
“Chloe, long time no see.” Ash smiled too, happy to see her again.
Chloe hurried over and gave Ash a big hug.
Ash was surprised at first, then smiled and hugged her back.
Misty felt uncomfortable as she watched them.
Her hands curled into fists, and she frowned in jealousy.
She gave a small cough to hide her feelings, but she still sounded jealous.
“My, my. You two sure are close.”
Chloe realized what she was doing and blushed.
She let go of Ash and scratched her head, embarrassed.
“I was just so happy that I didn’t think about it.”
…
Everyone gathered around the table and enjoyed dinner together, filling the laboratory with laughter and cheerful conversation.
Professor Cerise told them stories about his research, while Ash, Misty, and Brock shared what had happened during their journey.
Chloe listened closely and wished she could have adventures of her own.
By the time dinner ended, it was late at night.
Professor Cerise arranged for Ash, Misty, and Brock to spend the night at the laboratory.
Later, Ash lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Pikachu and Eevee curled up beside his pillow, purring softly.
That night, he had a pleasant dream.
…
The next morning, Ash, Misty, and Brock washed up, ate a simple breakfast, and said goodbye to Professor Cerise.
“Professor, thank you for letting us stay. It’s time for us to continue our journey.”
Professor Cerise smiled and nodded.
“Ash, good luck with the rest of your journey. If you discover anything new, don’t forget to tell me about it.”
Chloe stepped forward, sad to see Ash leave.
“Ash, be careful on the road.”
“Don’t worry, Chloe. I will.” Ash smiled.
Misty and Brock also said goodbye to Professor Cerise and Chloe.
At the laboratory entrance, Ash turned and waved to Professor Cerise and Chloe before setting off again.
The morning sun stretched their shadows behind them.
Ash, Misty, and Brock walked farther away until they disappeared down the road.
Many more Pokémon and new adventures were waiting for them.