Purify or Bust
Chapter 5: A Mountain of Trouble!
The next morning...
The sun was just barely peeking over Mt. Moon as the trio finished breaking down their campsite and set out for the mountain. Within 30 minutes, the three Trainers had reached the entrance to the labyrinthine caves of Mt. Moon.
After a quick stop at the nearby Pokémon Center, the young angel and pair of disguised Legendary Pokémon entered the cave system, only to find the place swarming with Team Rocket Grunts. Recognizing that he couldn't purify them with the local Trainers around, Ash asked Misty and Brock to distract the nearby Trainers while he takes down the Grunts. "We're on it." Brock replied. "Works for me." Misty agreed. The two experienced Trainers took the nearby Trainers outside with the promise of battles while Ash retrieved his purifying device and purified every dark angel in the area before sending them all to Arceus. The process was repeated until the purifier ran out of angelic light energy, but by then, most of the dark angels had been purified and sent off to the Hall.
The trio regrouped and eventually exited the caves. Outside, the found themselves in a forest teeming with plant life. "All right, guess we should go this way." Ash remarked, following an unmarked path. The three Trainers soon reached a clearing filled with all kinds of Pokémon. However, a small frog-like Pokémon with a plant bulb on its back ran over and rammed Ash in the gut. "Ow..." Ash winced "What didja do that for?" "Bulba bul bulbasaur. Bulba bulba bulbasaur." the Pokémon growled. "Eevee vee eevee?" Lucy queried. "Bulba bulba bul bulbasaur bulbasaur. Bulbasaur bulba bulba bulba bulba." the unknown Pokémon replied. "Eevee eevee eevee?" "Bul bulba bulbasaur bulbasaur."
By this point, Ash's ability to comprehend Poké-speak had kicked in and he looked at Lucy inquisitively. "Apparently this is a safe haven for Pokémon who were mistreated. As such, humans aren't exactly given a warm welcome around here." Lucy elaborated. "I see... So this Pokémon acts as a bodyguard for the others and protects them." "Exactly." Ash then crouched down so he was at eye level with the Pokémon bodyguard. "I'm sorry we came into your home unannounced. We're travelers trying to get to Cerulean City. We mean no harm." he explained. "I understand, but it would be best if you left immediately." the bodyguard responded. "Of course. Sorry for the fuss."
The teen angel and his friends retraced their steps back to the fork in the road when they sensed dark angels approaching the clearing. Swiftly, they raced back to the Pokémon Sanctuary and found the duo from the Viridian City Pokémon Center using pressurized net launchers to round up all the Pokémon in sight. The evildoers turned around and smirked. "Well, look who it is. The little brat who derailed our plans in Viridian. You got lucky last time, but let's see you defeat us again. Raticate, attack!"
The giant rat Pokémon raced toward the trio. "Lucy, you're on! Use Swift!" Many stars of light formed around Lucy and slammed into Raticate. Cassidy had Raticate counter with Crunch, dropping Lucy's HP to the three-quarters mark. Another Swift attack KO'ed the golden nuisance. Ash then sent out Mike to use Iron Tail to cut through the nets and send the enemy flying with Thunderbolt.
The bodyguard Pokémon, now free from its net, approached Ash. "You saved us. I see now that not all humans are bad. Thank you for that." "Don't mention it." "I would be honored if you'd allow me to travel alongside you." "Fine by me. What should I call you, though?" "I am known as Barb the Bulbasaur. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." Ash held out an empty Poké Ball and tapped Barb on the head with it. The Poké Ball shook in the angel's palm before a snap was heard, confirming the capture as successful.
The Trainers, alongside the new addition, returned to the fork in the road and followed the paved trail to Cerulean City...
Translation of Poké-speak this chapter:
Paragraph 3:
Barb: "You are not welcome here. Return to where you came from."
Lucy: "Why can't we be here?"
Barb: "This is a place where Pokémon can be safe. I will not let some random human put that at risk."
Lucy: "What if I vouch for him?"
Barb: "Your seal of approval means nothing."
