Chapter 24: The New Bonds to Forge

Last time on "Pokémon Kanto Journey", the group were continuing their way towards Vermillion City after Ash had caught Charmander as his fifth Pokémon. But as they were making their way, Ash, Misty, and Brock had fallen into a pitfall trap!

But this time, it wasn't created by Team Rocket, but by a Pokémon group called the Squirtle Squad! While Ash, Misty, and Brock learned about them from Officer Jenny, Isamu, Yellow, and Luna chased after a duo of Eevee that seemed to be siblings.

Upon learning that they were being chased by two poachers, the three made it their decision to protect the two from the poachers while trying to be friendly with them as well as they split to make it easier to find them.

But while Luna and Yellow discovered the two and began to bond with them, Isamu discovered the two poachers working for Team Rocket while also speaking about a mysterious Pokémon that's been labeled as the Phantom Pokémon.

"Anyways, you ever heard about the Phantom Pokémon?" The second poacher suddenly asked, stopping Isamu from his tracks.

"You mean the little rumor about a mysterious, powerful Pokémon? Ain't that just a rumor? We're supposed to capture some Eevee, not that kind of Pokémon." The first poacher questioned with a frown.

"Phantom Pokémon?" Isamu thought with a frown as the second started to explain.

"I know, but I heard word that it wasn't just a rumor, but it was real! There were sightings of that kind of Pokémon around another town! Some group of baddies tried to capture it, but it ended up getting away..." The second poacher explained with a smile.

"Baddies? You mean those Team Rocket goons?" The first asked, causing Isamu to blink in surprise. The only Team Rocket members he knew of were Jessie and James along with Meowth.

Another group would be Cassidy and Butch, the duo that claimed to be superior than Jessie and James. But from what the poachers were saying, it sounded like there were more Team Rocket members than he had thought.

"Team Rocket... and Phantom Pokémon...? Just what is this all about exactly...?" Isamu thought seriously before he shook his head. Remaining silent with Eevee, the two made their quick and silent escape to reunite with Yellow and Luna.

Meanwhile...

"I see... Is that why you don't trust humans at all? Even me?" Yellow asked, as she had listened to everything on what the Eevee brother had just said, hearing about what had happened to him and his sister in the past.

"Vee..." was all Eevee needed to say to tell Yellow that that was the reason why he refused to trust humans.

No matter how nice they look or how much nice things they do in order to gain their trust, the male Evolution Pokémon wouldn't fall for it, as he believed that every words or actions would be a bait to lure him and his sister in.

Because of that, the two would immediately run away from any humans that they come across, whether they were kids, Trainers, adults, even the elderly ones that are kind to many Pokémon.

Just hearing that made the Viridian girl a bit sad, since that would mean the Eevee brother will soon trust no one as long as he continued to live like that. And from what Yellow had seen upon their first meeting, the Eevee sister didn't seem to like what they were doing very much.

"So you're going to keep on running and running until you can't run anymore...? What about your sister? What about on what she wants to do? Do you ever stop to think that your distrust on others is making her sad?" questioned Yellow.

The question surprised the Normal Type as he recalled of when they continued to run from the humans, the sadder the sister got when they made their escape from them.

There was one time when kids offered them food to eat. But when the sister wanted to take a bite out of a rice ball that one of the kids offered her, the brother snapped at the kids and chased them away by either growling and attacking them.

That caused the kids to be scared and run off before the brother took his sister away, much to her displeasure as she would fight her brother after that for hurting and scaring the human kids, much to his annoyance and displeasure.

The thought of the past of when he and his sister would get into fights made the brother frown a little, as he began to see the point that Yellow was bringing up, even with the fact that she was a human.

"Chu...! Chu!" Chuchu tried to say, in order to convince the Eevee brother that there are good humans that show genuine love and care for their Pokémon friends, just like how she is with Yellow right now.

At that, the brother looks at the Mouse Pokémon, before looking back at Yellow, who smiled softly down at the Evolution Pokémon, wanting to prove that there was a way for him to trust her, even with the difficult past he had to endure.

"It's like what Chuchu said... You can trust me... If I didn't have this power to begin with, I probably would've had difficulty in understanding the pain that you had to go through in the past... like I did when I was..."

Yellow started to speak before she stopped herself, recalling of the mysterious time that made her change... to the person that she is right now.

The brother looked at her in confusion, as if wondering on why she had suddenly stopped talking. Noticing the look Eevee was giving her, the Viridian girl gave a sheepish smile to him and shook her head.

"I-It's nothing... Forget what I was saying... except for the part when I had said that you could trust me." Yellow spoke, making the Normal Type feel a bit suspicious to her as her tone and expression had changed a bit while she talked.

But with the way she understood him made him feel a bit mellow before he gave a small nod to her, as if he was willing to trust her for a bit.

"Ah... Thank you. I promise that you won't regret trusting me and Chuchu...!" Luna assured, with the Mouse Pokémon giving a cute cry of agreement.

At seeing the happy faces both Yellow and Chuchu were giving off, something new began to bubble up inside the Evolution Pokémon's mind. Whether he was timid or satisfied, he didn't know... but he felt a bit flushed from seeing the happy faces.

He turned away, giving a small huff to try and show that he didn't care at the moment. But to the Viridian girl, she knew deep down that he appreciated of what she was saying to him.

To Luna...

The adopted sister of Brock was carrying her new friend in her arms with Arcanine and Ninetales by her side. The Eevee sister looked rather comfortable in the girl's arms, causing her to smile down at her.

The look that Eevee had on her face made the girl remember of the time when Arcanine as a Growlithe would care for him back when she was young, and when she had to suffer because of her father's abuse.

Upon remembering the good times that were sometimes brief in the past, Luna could only smile and look at Arcanine, who looked back at his human girl.

The look that Luna had gave him the hint that she was thinking that Eevee was just like her in a way, as they both had suffered through a lot in the past, until their cherished ones saved them from all that.

And the Legendary Pokémon had to agree with that, even if Luna didn't say it with her own mouth. To that, he gave a smile and a nod to her in agreement, causing the Kanto girl to smile back before she continued to walk with her two Fire Types.

But as she was walking, she didn't take notice of one of the poachers that were hunting the two Eevee spotted her and narrowed his eyes with a smirk before he started to trail after her in order to take his prize.

But unfortunately, the poacher didn't realize the sharp sense of smell both Ninetales and Arcanine had. Plus, the steps that the poacher was taking was a bit too loud for his steps to be stealthy as the Fire Types turned and growled!

"What the hell?!" The poacher exclaimed in surprise, startling Luna as she turned to see the poacher had nearly snuck up on her, if it weren't for Ninetales and Arcanine catching her attention with their growls.

"You...! You're that poacher...!" Luna pointed out as Eevee woke up to the fuss before noticing the man that tried to ensnare her and her brother.

Upon seeing the familiar face, the Eevee sister began to tremble at the sight of the man, much to his amusement as he had noticed on how the female Normal Type was reacting to him by just seeing him.

"Heh... That's right, and it looks like the fur ball there seems to remember on who I am..." chuckled the poacher as he took out a Pokéball, getting ready to take on what belonged to him...

But the Kanto girl wasn't about to let that happen as she glared at her enemy.

"Over my dead body you're taking the little one away!" Luna snapped as she got ready to fight back if she needed to. And her two Fire Types were right by her side to help her out with this battle.

"It's your funeral, little girl! Let's go, Rhydon!" The poacher called out, sending out the big Rock-Ground Type to face off against Luna, causing her to widen her eyes before she frowned.

"A Rock and Ground Type... Arcanine and Ninetales together might struggle due to the type disadvantage..." Luna thought before she got ready to fight, despite the disadvantage she and her team were in.

"Arcanine! Flamethrower! Ninetales! Will-o-Wisp!"

The two Fire Types launched their attacks to Rhydon, who only braced himself for impact before the man countered with an attack of his own as he shouted it out for his Pokémon to hear.

"Now Rhydon! Use Dig!" The poacher shouted, causing Rhydon to use its drill to dig underground! The two Fire Type attacks missed, surprising Luna as the ground began to tremble a little...

Then, with seconds passing, Rhydon appeared right between both Fire Types, much to their surprise as they both took big hits from the super effective Ground Type attack! Both yelled in pain as they skidded back.

"Arcanine! Ninetales...!" Luna gasped as the poacher smirked, continuing on with the attacks.

"Don't let them recover quick, Rhydon! Use Rock Slide!" The poacher called out. At the order, the Drill Pokémon roared before it unleashed some boulders that were falling to where Luna and her team were!

Realizing how much damage the attack could cause, the Kanto girl turned to her two Fire Types to defend themselves and to defend her in the process.

"Ninetales! Hyper Beam! Arcanine! Flame Wheel!"

Some of the boulders were destroyed thanks to the destructive force of the Hyper Beam attack. As for the others, Arcanine managed to deflect some of them with the Flame Wheel attack, making the attack useless!

"You little...! Rhydon, Rock Slide again!" The poacher shouted as Rhydon unleashed more boulders to fall onto the two Fire Types! But this was where things got difficult as Ninetales needed to recharge after using Hyper Beam!

Knowing this, the Kanto girl turned to Arcanine to protect the entire family with his strength.

"Arcanine, use your full strength! Flamethrower!" Luna called out as Arcanine fired the Fire Type attack, which clashed with the Rock Slide attack! The boulders continued to rain down as Arcanine continued to shoot Flamethrower at each of the falling boulders.

For Ninetales, she recovered enough to dodge the other incoming boulders as this gave Luna the chance to get the evolved Fire Type to work with her husband.

"Okay, Ninetales! Will-o-Wisp!" Luna called out, which Ninetales did so.

The purple fireballs clashed with the falling boulders, destroying them to bits as the poacher gritted his teeth, realizing how much time this was taking due to how stubborn his opponent was.

"You're starting to make me mad, little girl! Just give up already! Rhydon! Earthquake!" The poacher yelled as the Drill Pokémon did so, stomping his feet on the ground hard! As a result, the ground began to tremble!

The Kanto girl shrieked in surprise while the two Fire Types struggled to keep their balance of standing on the ground. Eevee shrieked in surprise and began to cry in the Kanto girl's chest, much to her surprise.

"No, no...! It's okay...! It's okay..." Luna said, trying to comfort the crying Evolution Pokémon. But it was at that moment when the poacher saw an opening, now that the Kanto girl was distracted thanks to his prize!

"Now, Rhydon! Use this chance for another Rock Slide attack!" The poacher shouted as Rhydon did so, unleashing more boulders to fall! This time, the two Fire Types couldn't dodge in time as they both got hit with the super effective attacks!

That caught the Kanto girl off guard as she gasped to see her two Fire Types stumbling back from the Rock Slide attack.

"No!" Luna gasped as the two struggled to get up, causing the poacher to laugh at the condition both Ninetales and Arcanine were in.

"Hahaha! Man, this is rich! Not only am I gonna get that Eevee prize, but those two should do well for a big price!" The poacher laughed, causing Luna to widen her eyes and turn to hear the poacher target her two Fire Type family.

"No..."

"Hm?"

"I won't let you... I won't let you do such horrible things to my Pokémon family! We'll fight you no matter how difficult it may be!" Luna declared loudly.

At her voice, both of her Fire Types slowly started to get up, despite the condition they were in from the hits they've taken from the Rock Slide attacks! That left the poacher and his Drill Pokémon shocked, as they thought they had won already.

"Y-You've gotta be kidding me! Just what are you...!?" The poacher snapped as Luna began the comeback with her two partners.

"I'm someone who won't forgive anyone who hurts Pokémon no matter what reason they may have! Arcanine! Flame Wheel!" Luna shouted as Arcanine charged first, surrounding himself with flames before he hit Rhydon!

The Drill Pokémon roared in surprise before it stumbled back before the Kanto girl turned to Ninetales this time.

"And now, Ninetales! Hidden Power!" Luna called out as Ninetales blasted the Drill Pokémon away with glowing orbs that had some mysterious power! The move knocked Rhydon high into the air before it crashed onto the ground, hard!

"What!? Rhydon!" The poacher gasped as he witnessed his giant Pokémon be defeated as he gritted his teeth, before calling back his defeated Drill Pokémon.

"Why you little brat...! If you won't give that Eevee to me, I'll get it from you by force! HAAAAAH!"

At that, the poacher began to charge and run for Luna, which was a foolish move to make as he was quickly intercepted by both Ninetales and Arcanine!

The two Fire Types glared at the poacher for trying to steal despite being the loser of the battle as they got ready to hit him with everything that they've got. And the Kanto girl was the one who pulled the trigger for their attacks.

"Don't hold back, you two! Double Flamethrower!" Luna shouted out as the two did so, blasting the poacher away! In doing so, the man screamed in pain from the burn he had felt as he was sent flying high into the air!

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" The man screamed before he disappeared into the blue sky, soon out of the Kanto girl and her Pokémon family's sight.

With the tough battle and the enemy gone out of their sight, the Kanto girl sighed in relief before slumping down to the ground. Arcanine was the first to come over and check to see if his human girl was doing fine.

Upon seeing the concerned look on his face, Luna could only giggle from the way her Fire Type friend was acting.

"I should be concerned with you and Ninetales, Arcanine... I mean, you two are the ones that got hurt during the battle..." Luna giggled, causing the Legendary Pokémon to smile, with the same going for his mate.

As for the Eevee sister, the Normal Type had noticed that the threat was gone, causing her to poke her head around to see if something else was up. It took only Luna's words to help her calm down.

"Hey now... it's okay. He's gone. He won't ever hurt you again... That's a promise." Luna assured softly, causing the Eevee to give a soft and timid smile before she let out a thankful cry to the human girl and her Fire Type partners.

The cry could only make Luna giggle, while the two evolved Pokémon smiled to see the little one safe from further harm.

With that being done, the Kanto girl got up, remembering on what she needed to do, now that she had found the younger sister, and defeated the poacher that was hunting her down.

"I've got to get back with Isamu and Yellow... Maybe they found the brother, too..." Luna hoped as she turned to her partners. As they nodded towards her, the Kanto girl made her back to where she and her two friends parted to search for the Eevee siblings.

Back to Isamu...

"How did I get involved into this mess..." Isamu grumbled to himself as he was face to face with the second poacher that he had eavesdropped on when he and his ally were talking about the Phantom Pokémon.

"Is that Eevee your Eevee, kid?" The second poacher sneered, causing the elder Ketchum brother to narrow his eyes and glare at the man.

"And so what if it is, old man? You're planning to steal her away from me?" Isamu snapped, causing the poacher to chuckle darkly.

"Something like that... so why don't you make it easy on yourself and hand the little one to me? If you don't, well... things could get very ugly for you should you try to resist..." The second poacher taunted, except that he sounded rather serious upon saying that.

But the elder Ketchum brother wasn't fazed as he dealt with bigger threats than the poacher himself, as he got ready to battle.

"You're going to have to get through me if you want to get to her..." Isamu shot back as he took out Nidoran's Pokéball.

Upon seeing the challenge in Isamu's eyes, the second poacher sneered before he took out a Pokéball of his own.

"A battle, is it? Fine... Then it's a battle you'll get! Let's go, Tauros!" The poacher shouted out as he sent a short-tempered bull-like Pokémon to face the elder Ketchum brother.

Narrowing his eyes at the sight of the new Normal Type, Isamu scanned it with his Pokédex to know the details of the bull-like Pokémon.

"Tauros, a Wild Bull Pokémon. When whipping itself with its three tails, its Tackle is a powerful destructive force." Isamu's Pokédex explained, causing the elder Ketchum brother to narrow his eyes, as he realized what he needed to look out for.

"Take the field, Nidoran!" Isamu called out as the little Poison Type appeared, hissing at Tauros, who only mooed in response. The poacher could only smirk down at the little Pokémon, mocking him for his size.

"Are you really going to fight me with that little pipsqueak?" The second poacher asked mockingly, causing Isamu to narrow his eyes at the little insult.

"That's right... And this 'pipsqueak' you're speaking about is going to bring your Tauros down in its place." Isamu assured sternly, causing the second poacher to raise a brow in amusement before he began the battle.

"Interesting... well, let's see if you can back those words up! Tauros! Take Down!" The second poacher called as the Wild Bull Pokémon charged to strike hard at Nidoran, who braced himself for the incoming attack.

"Use your speed and dodge it, Nidoran!" Isamu called as Nidoran did so, evading any head-on attack that would've hurt him badly if it had made contact.

For every attempt Tauros attempted to hit the little Pokémon, the Poison Pin Pokémon would easily dodge it as his size was making it easier for him to dodge something that was bigger and heavier than he was.

And with every dodge, the Normal Type started to grow angrier and angrier for every attack that missed its target! And it wasn't the only one that was being ticked off.

The second poacher was seeing this too, and he wasn't pleased to see the little Poison Type making every dodge.

"DARN IT! Quit dodging and fight like a man, brat!" The poacher demanded furiously as Isamu narrowed his eyes before glancing at Nidoran, who noticed his glance before the Poison Pin Pokémon stopped running and stood in front of his Trainer.

"You mean like this?" asked the elder brother, surprising the poacher before he narrowed his eyes.

"What are you... Tch, never mind! Tauros! Double-Edge!" The poacher yelled as Tauros charged, putting more firepower into the attack that he was about to unleash onto the little Poison Type!

But while the Wild Bull Pokémon was getting closer and closer, Isamu watched carefully to await for the right timing to strike before...

"Do it now, Nidoran! Double Kick!"

"Say what!?"

Nidoran ran before skidding underneath Tauros! Then, with a Double Kick attack, the Wild Bull Pokémon was sent flying up high into the air! The big Normal Type mooed in pain before he crashed down onto the ground, hard!

"What the hell!? Tauros!" The poacher gasped as he watched the dust clear to show his Normal Type groaning, unconscious from the big hits it had taken from under!

As for Nidoran, the Poison Pin Pokémon huffed, feeling satisfied for his victory as Isamu smiled a little, understanding the feeling that his Poison Type Pokémon was feeling. And the same went for Eevee, who smiled at their victory.

But the good times were only brief as the poacher called back his Tauros before bringing out another Pokéball!

"You've done it now, kid! You're gonna regret making me angry! Let's go! Persian!" The poacher yelled as the second ball opened to reveal a Pokémon that looked similar to Meowth, only that it walked on all fours and looked a bit more menacing.

"Persian..." Isamu breathed out before scanning it with his Pokédex.

"Persian, the Classy Cat Pokémon and the evolved form of Meowth. Although its fur has many admirers, it is tough to raise as a pet because of its fickle meanness." Isamu's Pokédex buzzed, causing the elder brother to look back at the Classy Cat Pokémon.

"That one is giving me the creeps, no matter how much I want to put it..." Isamu thought before he got ready to fight again. Nidoran was ready too, as Persian hissed in amusement, as if it was hoping that the Poison Type would at least put up a good fight.

"Try to dodge his attacks, brat! Persian is much faster than Tauros was! Use Slash!" The poacher yelled as Persian screeched before lunging at Nidoran!

"Dodge and use Horn Attack!" Isamu shouted out as Nidoran did so by evading the powerful cut that would've hurt him before jabbing Persian with the Horn Attack, causing it to yowl in pain before it skidded back.

"Do it right, Persian! Slash again!" The poacher yelled, causing Persian to run up and use the same move, causing Isamu to counter with a different move.

"Now, Double Kick!" Isamu shouted out as the two charged at each other before Slash and Double Kick made contact with one another!

And when the Classy Cat Pokémon tried to slash with its other paw, Nidoran kicked the other claw too, causing a stalemate! The two skidded back before glaring at each other as the two Trainers called out their next attacks.

"Skull Bash!"

"Poison Sting!"

That however, was an error in Isamu's judgment as the Skull Bash attack knocked Nidoran hard despite the fact that Poison Sting made the hit!

The Poison Pin Pokémon shrieked in pain as he tumbled back from the big hit he had taken on the head. Persian on the other hand, winced from the hit he had taken from the Poison Type attack, but managed to ignore it.

"Nidoran!" Isamu widened his eyes as Eevee called him, trying to encourage him to get up.

And Nidoran did so, while grunting in pain from the hard hit he had taken. The poacher scoffed, before noticing the huge amount of damage the Poison Type has taken because of Skull Bash.

"Not so tough now, eh, brat!? Persian! Pay Day!" The poacher yelled, causing Isamu to blink as he watched the Classy Cat Pokémon to unleash numerous glowing coins that came out of its charm!

The move knocked Nidoran back, causing him to shriek in pain again before he tumbled back to where the elder Ketchum brother was standing at.

Shocked at how much damage it caused, the elder Ketchum brother tried to call Nidoran back so that he could recover from the big hits he had taken just now. But before he could, Nidoran stubbornly gets up and glares to where Persian stood.

"NIDO!" Nidoran screeched loudly, startling both it and the poacher while Isamu blinked to see Nidoran starting to glow!

Eevee gaped in awe as the Poison Pin Pokémon was starting to grow bigger. The height was bigger, yet it remained smaller to Isamu's size as the body of Nidoran began to change before the glow stopped to show...

"RINO!" A Nidorino took place of Nidoran, making Isamu awed at the miracle that occurred during the match.

"It's Nidorino!" Isamu exclaimed before he scanned his newly evolved Pokémon with his Pokédex.

"Nidorino, the Poison Pin Pokémon, and the evolved form of Nidoran. Its horn contains venom. If they are stabbed into an enemy, the impact makes the poison leak out." Isamu's Pokédex explained, intriguing the elder brother.

"Whoa..." was all Isamu could say while the poacher was shocked with what just happened.

"It evolved...!? No matter... evolving doesn't mean a thing as we're still going to win this no matter what! Persian, use Slash!" The poacher yelled as Persian screeched loudly before leaping up to give Nidorino a painful Slash attack!

But this time, Nidorino was prepared, and so was Isamu.

"Get ready, Nidorino! Counter with Body Slam!" Isamu shouted as Nidorino charged.

Just when the two looked like they were going to collide with one another, Nidorino ducked out of the way to prevent Slash from making its mark before slamming Persian away with the Body Slam attack!

The Classy Cat Pokémon screeched in pain upon being hit as it tumbled back to where the poacher was standing at, much to the man's shock and disbelief.

"What!? Persian!" The poacher exclaimed in shock as Isamu glared at the poacher as Nidorino stood proudly at himself for winning against two tough opponents in a row with his own strength.

"You... Get out of here. And if I ever see your face again, old man... you're going to deeply regret that you ever met me." Isamu spoke coldly, causing the poacher to widen his eyes in shock before panic started to appear on his face.

"S-Stay away from me, brat! I mean it! Y-You may have beaten me this time, but this... this won't be the last time that we see each other! I promise that!" The poacher snapped in a fearful tone.

With that, the poacher began to scream in fear before he began to run off. As he did so, he dropped what seemed to be a file of some sort, catching the elder Ketchum brother's attention as he walked over to pick it up.

"What's this?" spoke Isamu before he checked to see that it seemed to be a disc of some sort. And it even had a name on the label... "Mew".

The name stopped Isamu as he widened his eyes in shock, as realization came to his mind.

"Mew...? As in... the Mythical Pokémon of the Kanto region...?" Isamu spoke in disbelief as he had heard about the legends from Prof. Oak once back when he was young. But for him to learn that the poachers were talking about Mew as the Phantom Pokémon...

Just as the thought of it became too much for Isamu to take, he felt a presence near him, as did both Nidorino and Eevee! They all turned to see who was watching them, and to their shock...

"Mew?"

"W-What...?" Isamu gasped, as did both Eevee and Nidorino. Right in front of them was no doubt, the Mythical Pokémon Mew... a Pokémon that was said to be very rare and is unable to be found so easily.

But here it was, right in front of the elder Ketchum brother where he and his two Pokémon could see it.

Mew continued to keep its gaze onto the elder Ketchum brother and his two Pokémon friends before it gave some sort of giggle, as it seemed to have found the expressions on Isamu's face to be priceless.

Shaking his head, the elder Ketchum brother raised a brow before scanning Mew with his Pokédex.

"Mew, the New Species Pokémon. Mew is a Pokémon that is so rare that it is still said to be a mirage by many experts. Only a few people have seen it worldwide." Isamu's Pokédex buzzed.

As Isamu looked back up, the Mythical Pokémon was already gone out of his sight, startling him as he looked around to see where Mew had disappeared off to. Eevee and Nidorino looked around as well, as they were surprised to see Mew had gone out of their sight.

Unknown to them, Mew had teleported to a nearby tree, giggling at the bewildered and confused looks the three had on their faces before it flew off to head somewhere to a place where it would be less crowded.

To the New Species Pokémon, the town that was near the forest that it was in was too crowded for Mew as it continued to fly around to find a place where it could settle a little for peace... and for a bit of fun.

Later...

"Isamu! Luna!" Yellow called out as soon as she saw her two friends. The three reunited with one another as the elder Ketchum brother blinked, seeing the brother and the sister Eevee in the girls' arms.

"Looks like you two managed to get to them first before the poachers did." Isamu spoke softly, as the brother and sister noticed each other before they gave cries of relief to see each other safe in the human girls' arms.

"Mm... except that I had to go through with dealing with the poacher in order to keep this little one here safe." Luna sighed, recalling the tough battle she had to go through because of the man and his Rhydon.

"You too?" Isamu asked, causing the girls to turn to him in surprise.

"You fought a poacher, too?" Yellow asked, earning a nod from the elder Ketchum brother.

"Yeah... but thanks to that battle, Nidoran was able to evolve..." Isamu explained, surprising his two friends.

"That's amazing...! Congrats, Isamu!" Yellow exclaimed, causing the brother to smile and nod back at her.

"Mm..." was all Isamu needed to say to respond back to her before the three all looked to see the brother and sister cuddling each other, as they both looked relieved to see each other safe from the danger that threatened to tore them apart from each other.

As they finished their bonding and cuddling together, the two Eevee looked up at the girls as the brother looked up at Yellow while the sister looked up at Luna, as if they were both wanting something from the two.

"Hm? What is it?" Yellow asked, causing the Eevee brother to respond seriously, pointing at himself before pointing at Yellow. At that motion, the Viridian girl was able to understand what the brother wanted, before realizing that the sister had the same feelings, too.

"You... two want to join us?" Yellow asked, surprising both Isamu and Luna.

"Wait, really?" Luna asked, causing the Eevee sister to smile and nod with a cute cry. Their affirmation caused the girls to be in a little bit of shock while at the same time, they were happy for what the two have decided together.

Isamu just smiled, as did Eevee. The two understood that a new pair of Evolution Pokémon would be joining in on the group during their adventure.

As for the girls, they both smiled together before they each took out a Pokéball for the Eevee siblings to press.

Upon seeing the balls, they both knew what to do as they had seen what the devices could do to the Pokémon that were caught by the Trainers. So with that in mind, the two pressed onto the buttons, causing the balls to suck them inside.

As soon as they were, the Pokéballs began to shake in Luna and Yellow's hands before they each made a click. Smiling together for achieving a new friend by their side, the two raised their Pokéballs in the air together in triumph.

"We caught Eevee!" The two called out, with Arcanine, Ninetales, and Chuchu cheering alongside them.

"Congrats, you two... You've got new friends to join you girls..." Isamu commented, causing the two to smile together in agreement.

"Yeah..." Yellow spoke softly, before they heard familiar voices towards them.

"Hey! Guys!" Ash called out, causing the three to turn and see Ash, Misty, and Brock coming over to where they were.

"Where were you three!? We were worried on what happened to you guys!" Misty snapped, causing the three to sweat drop as they had forgotten to inform their friends about going after the Eevee siblings.

"C-Calm down, you guys... We can explain..." Luna assured, as Isamu scratched the back of his head.

"First off... what happened to you guys? You all look like you've been through a lot..." Isamu pointed out, causing Ash to grin before he showed a Pokéball to his elder brother.

"Well... one thing... I caught the leader of the Squirtle Squad right here!" Ash exclaimed, surprising Isamu, along with Luna and Yellow as Brock gave a chuckle.

"I guess all of us have something to share of what we experienced today..." Brock chuckled, causing Luna to smile.

"Then, we'll explain first... since we worried you three by disappearing all of a sudden." Luna suggested, which was quickly agreed on.

With that being said, the concerns started to fade away as the six Trainers continued to make their way towards Vermilion City while sharing their stories to each other of what they all had to go through today.

But as they all talked, the elder Ketchum brother frowned, recalling of when he briefly encountered Mew and recorded it on his Pokédex.

The thought of wanting to share of his meeting with the Mythical Pokémon came to his mind, but... even with the data from the Pokédex, it would be hard for his friends and brother to believe him as they had never seen Mew before in their life.

So with that thought coming to his mind, the elder Ketchum brother kept his mouth closed, keeping that memory in his head, as he wanted to reveal his meeting of Mew to them... when the time was right.

To be continued...

Isamu's Team:

Eevee: (F): (Swift, Bite, Sand Attack, Quick Attack)

Pidgey: (M): (Gust, Sand-Attack, Quick Attack, Tackle)

Nidoran: (M): (Double Kick, Poison Sting, Horn Attack, Peck)

Vulpix: (F): (Ember, Quick Attack, Roar, Dig)

Oddish: (F): (Poison Powder, Mega Drain, Sleep Powder, Acid)

Next chapters:

Chapter 25: The Mysterious Lighthouse and Bill!

Chapter 26: The Mysterious Sound Appears Big!

Chapter 27: The Shocking Gym Battle! Pt. 1

Chapter 28: The Shocking Gym Battle! Pt. 2

Chapter 29: Aboard the St. Anne! A Big Challenge?

Next chapter preview:

Ash: With the six Pokémon I have right now, I have a full team that I need in order to enter the Pokémon League!

Misty: Even if you have a full team, you still have a long way to go. Remember, some of these Pokémon just joined you.

Isamu: Hate to agree with her, little bro, but she's right. It's good that made you made new friends in the team... but...

Ash: I'm still behind Gary when it comes to catching and training Pokémon, right? That's what I thought...

Brock: You could try to ask Professor Oak on what you should do with the Pokémon that you catch.

Luna: That's easier said than done. Is there a phone somewhere that allows us to call him?

Events that occurred:

- Luna and Yellow each catches an Eevee for their team

- Ash is revealed to have caught Squirtle as his sixth member of his team

- Isamu's Nidoran evolves into a Nidorino

- Isamu briefly encounters the Phantom Pokémon, now known as Mew