Episode 140: Land of the Lost

In a tropical jungle, a Tyrantrum stands watch above its nest of eggs. When it hears the sound of something moving through the nearby jungle, it runs off to investigate.

At the first moment of the eggs no longer being guarded, a Cranidos runs to the nest and grabs one of the eggs. It makes a bolt for it, only to find itself staring down a Kabutops. The Cranidos growls angrily at Kabutops. The Kabutops growls back.

The Kabutops attacks with one of its scythe arms, forcing Cranidos to drop the egg. Cranidos angrily attacks back by ramming its head into Kabutops' stomach.

The prehistoric Pokémon circle each other cautiously, waiting for the right time to strike. At the same time, they both leap forward to attack again. With this action, Kabutops accidently kicks the egg, sending it tumbling down a hill and into a river below.

Then there's an echoing roar. Tyrantrum comes running out from the jungle, roaring. It grabs Cranidos with its mouth and tosses the Pokémon aside. It looks to Kabutops and roars intimidatingly. Both the Cranidos and Kabutops flee.

The Tyrantrum returns to its nest but is distraught to find one of its eggs are missing. It roars in anguish.

Meanwhile, the missing egg floats away from its mother, carried by the current of the river. As it floats, an Omanyte tries to catch it, but the egg slips from its grasp. It keeps on floating away until it hits rapids. The white water flings the egg about, but somehow doesn't crack it. Just before the egg floats down a waterfall, an Aerodactyl dives down and plucks the egg out of the water.

The Aerodactyl seems pleased with itself as it flies over a snowy mountain range, but it doesn't last long. An Archeops attacks the Aerodactyl from the side in an attempt to grab the egg for itself.

Aerodactyl is forced to drop the egg. Its fall is cushioned by the snow of the mountain. The egg now rolls down the hill, gathering an ever-growing snowball around it as it tumbles. It rolls all the way down past the snowline to the base of the mountain, where the snowball crashes into a tree and breaks apart, exposing the egg once more.

A curious Shieldon approaches the egg and sniffs it, but is promptly startled away when the egg starts to glow. Within moments, the eggs hatches.

The hatchling Tyrunt looks around with caution and curiosity. "Ty? Runt?" It suddenly stomps the ground angrily and screams, "Tyruuuuuuunt!"


Ash and Dashilisk have just defeated a trainer with a Quaxly in battle. Ash cheers, "Way to go, Dashilisk!"

Dashilisk hops around as it dances in celebration. "Dashi dashi!"

The trainer admits after recalling his duck Pokémon, "That was a great battle! You're really strong! One of the toughest opponents I've faced!"

Ash grins back at him. "We do our best, don't we, Dashilisk?"

"Dashilisk!"

"I bet you that dragon guy would battle you."

Ash pauses. "That dragon guy?"

"Yeah, I met some dragon trainer guy before I saw you. I challenged him to a battle, but he said I wasn't worthy of fighting him, or something like that."

Ash gasps. "That sounds like Ryu! Where'd you see him?"

"He was just down that road."

"Thanks!" Ash runs off suddenly. Dashilisk happily sprints after him.

Brock and Brenda aren't too happy by the sudden change of pace. Brenda shouts, "Ash! Wait!" as they chase him.

It seems as if it might be time for Ash to have another encounter with his rival, Ryu. Would it be wishful thinking to hope that this is the time they work out their respective differences? Yeah. Probably.

Ash keeps on running until he sees Ryu training with Dragonite on the side of the road. "It is you!"

Without turning to see Ash, Ryu groans. "Here we go again."

"Hey, Ryu! You ready for that rematch yet?"

Ryu sighs. "One thing has changed since the last time we met. You no longer have any Dragon-Type Pokémon on your team. If I didn't think it was worth my effort before, why would it be now?"

Ash crosses his arms, his mood suddenly souring. "Because I always try to give you the benefit of the doubt and hope that you changed."

"You certainly never change, so why should I?"

"You really don't have any compassion at all, do you?"

"That's none of your business, nor your concern. Now leave Dragonite and me be."

Ash turns around with his arms still crossed. "I don't even know why I bother with you."

"I don't know why you do either."

This gets Ash upset. He swivels around as he prepares to shout something else, but before he can, dirt is flung in his face. He wipes it clean and asks, "Huh? What gives?"

Another clump of dirt flies by him. He and Ryu look to the side and see a hole being dug near them. They both walk over and peer over its side to see Team Rocket busy shoveling away dirt.

Ash asks, "Um…what are you guys doing…?"

Jessie looks up to him and scoffs. "Duh, isn't it obvious? We're digging a pitfall trap for you twerps." She returns to work. All three of them suddenly freeze up as they realize who was asking the question. Jessie suddenly panics, "Pitfall trap? I didn't say anything about pitfall traps! I said we're digging…a spitball rap! Yeah…whatever that is…"

James announces, "Don't you know it's rude to stare? How about you give us a little privacy."

Meowth adds, "Yeah, leave us be. We're not bothering you. Yet…"

Jessie declares, "We're allowed to dig wherever we please!"

Wobbuffet appears in order to agree. "Wobbuffet!"

Wobbuffet's added weight causes the ground beneath Team Rocket to collapse, sending them plummeting into a deeper hole than the one they dug. They have just enough time to shout, "Team Rocket's falling off again!" before they disappear into the hole.

Ash leans over and questions, "Huh? What happened?" only for the ground beneath him and Ryu to collapse as well, sending them, Pikachu, and Dragonite into the hole as well.

Brock shouts, "Ash!" He stops just short of the hole so that he doesn't fall too.

Ash and Ryu slide down a long and winding tunnel that goes on and on.

When it finally spits them out, it's in a jungle. Ash gets up and pats himself off. "You okay, Pikachu?"

"Pik."

"How about you, Ryu?"

"That is not your concern."

Ash sighs. He looks around and takes in their surroundings. "I wonder how we got to a jungle. I don't remember anything like this nearby." He contemplates further. "Actually, for that matter, how are we even above ground after falling underground?"

Ryu is looking up. "It would seem we're not."

Ash looks up for the first time and realizes that, somehow, they have ended up in a massive cavern big enough to fit its own jungle environment, completely underground. Ash shakes his head in disbelief. "And underground jungle!? How is this possible!?"

Ryu curtly points out, "It doesn't matter how. All that matters is that's where we are." He looks to Dragonite. "Dragonite, can you fly up and survey the area?"

Dragonite growls an affirmation. It prepares for flight, only for it to suddenly snort in pain.

Ash asks with worry, "What's wrong?"

Ryu steps up to Dragonite. "It's Dragonite's wing. It was hurt from our fall. Dragonite won't be able to fly."

Ash turns to look at the hole they fell from. It's up a few yards above them on a cliff. "I think we can climb back to the hole. Hopefully from there we can the rest of the way up."

Ryu nods. "It seems to be the only option."

But before they can try, their attention is grabbed by a nearby bush shaking. From the bush, a Rampardos leaps out. It charges at them, headfirst.

As he leaps out of the way, Ash shouts, "A Rampardos!? How is that possible!?"

Ryu snaps, "That's the second time you've asked that in as many minutes! Just accept it!"

The Rampardos rams into the cliff wall, causing it to shake. It then turns around and charges again at Ash and Ryu.

Ryu urges, "Into the jungle! It shouldn't be able to keep up with us if it can't run in a straight line!"

They weave through the trees with Rampardos chasing them. As Ryu suggested, Rampardos is best at running in a straight line, and has trouble avoiding the trees. It smashes straight through several of them but is slowed in the process. It's not enough. The Rampardos keeps up with them.

At the same time, both Ash and Ryu swivel around and shout at once, "Enough of this! Use Thunderbolt!" They look to each other in surprise as Pikachu and Dragonite unleash electrical attacks at the Rampardos.

The double dose of electricity is enough to deter the rampaging Pokémon. It shouts in pain as it's electrocuted and then runs away. Ash and Ryu breathe a sigh of relief. They also notice that they're at an edge of a tree line. They walk out from the trees to find themselves at a clearing at the foot of a mountain.

The sights around them are breathtaking. A herd of Shieldon, led by a Bastiodon, drink water from a lake. Several Tirtouga poke their heads above the water nearby. A colony of Lileep are latched to a rock in the middle of the lake. What looks to be the head of a Dracozolt pokes up from beneath a bush and looks around. Overhead, three Aerodactyl fly by.

Ryu shakes his head in disbelief and awe. "It's as if the world of ancient fossil Pokémon lived on in this subterranean world. Amazing. Simply amazing."

Ash grins smugly. "You know what else is simply amazing? I've never seen you react with emotion to anything that has nothing to do with a dragon."

Ryu quickly regains his composure. "I was simply acknowledging a fact."

Their attention is suddenly grabbed by a shout, "Tyruuuuuuunt!"

Ash and Ryu look to the side to see the Tyrunt stomping around and throwing a tantrum atop a mound of melting snow.

Ryu gasps. "A Tyrunt?"

Ash, gushing with excitement, shouts, "No way! A Tyrunt! That's awesome!" He runs up to it. "Hey there, little guy!"

Ryu's eyes widen. "Stay back, you fool!"

Ash is reaching his hand out to the Pokémon when Ryu grabs him by the back of his shirt and yanks him back. Just in time, too, as Tyrunt snaps its jaw down at the spot where Ash's hand was a second ago.

Ryu explains, "Tyrunt will bite just about anything that moves. Especially a newly hatched one like this."

"Newly hatched? How do you know that?"

"The ruff around its neck. It's matted down with no volume. The older a Tyrunt is, the more volume its ruff will have."

"How could you know that about an extinct Pokémon?"

Ryu responds simply, "Extinct, but still a Dragon-Type."

"I should have guessed you would say that…"

Ignoring him, Ryu slowly approaches Tyrunt. "Hey there, little one." His voice is uncharacteristically calm, lacking any of its usual sternness. "Where's your mother? One as young as you shouldn't be on your own." Tyrunt cocks its head to the side as it stares at Ryu. Ryu slowly reaches into his bag and pulls out a red berry. "Look what I have here. It's a Haban Berry. I'll bet that you like it." He slowly places the berry on the floor in front of Tyrunt.

Tyrunt stares at the berry for a second. "Ty?" It bites down on the berry and eats it in one bite. "Runt!" It seems to like it.

With the Pokémon happy, Ryu reaches out and pats the top of Tyrunt's snout. Tyrunt seems to like this as well.

Ash asks, "How did you know it would like Haban Berries?"

"Jaw Fossils have often been found in proximity to fossils of Haban plants. It's basic paleontology." He stands straight up. "We have to get this Tyrunt back to the other side of that mountain."

Ash is taken aback. "Huh? What? Why?"

"That's where it's mother will be. This Tyrunt is too young to fend for itself."

Ash still doesn't follow. "And that would be over the mountain, why…?"

Ryu points to the snow, which is now melted almost entirely. "We're not in the proper climate for snow like this. That mountain, on the other hand, is. Now, being Dragon-Types, Tyrunt and Tyrantrum don't like the cold. So, their nest must be on the other side of the mountain."

Ash shrugs. "Makes sense. I think…" He grins. "Okay. Let's get this Tyrunt home."


Who's the Pokémon!?

One of the Ultra Beasts. It refuses to touch anything, perhaps because it senses some uncleanness in this world.


Team Rocket are huddled up in a tree. Below them, a Rampardos, possibly the same one that chased Ash and Ryu, looks around trying to find them.

Jessie whispers, "How is this possible? Pokémon like that are extinct."

James points to the sky, where an Archeops flies, and whispers back, "It's not just the Rampardos either."

Meowth surmises, "Either that hole was a time vortex, or we've found a lost world where fossil Pokémon still roam."

James ponders, "It's too soon for another time travel adventure, so my money's on lost world."

Meowth smirks. "And that's a lot of money to be had."

Jessie questions, "How so?"

"Think about all we could do if we could capture these prehistoric Pokémon. We could open a theme park where people would get to be face-to-face with Pokémon once thought extinct. We would make mountains of cash."

James grins. "That sounds like something out of a movie."

Meowth nods. "And nothing ever goes wrong in the movies. This plan is perfect."

Together, all three of them shout, "It's dino-might!"

This shout alerts the Rampardos to their location. It roars, then rams its head into the tree they're hiding in. Its tough skull turns the trunk to splinters and Team Rocket falls as they scream in terror. They quickly leap up and run away. The Rampardos pursues.


It's Pheromosa!


Ash and Ryu walk up a rocky path that goes up the side of the mountain. Tyrunt is chasing Pikachu, attempting to bite its tail. Pikachu is having fun pulling its tail away just before Tyrunt chomps down.

Ryu states bluntly, "If Pikachu values its tail, it shouldn't tease Tyrunt like that."

Ash chuckles. "They're just having some fun."

"Per pound, Tyrunt has one of the strongest bite forces in the Pokémon world. Asking for it to bite you is not what I would call fun."

"How do you know so much about Tyrunt?"

"Tyrunt is one of the earliest known Dragon-Type Pokémon. It's my business to know."

Ash sighs. "I should have figured Mister Dragon Master would say something so clinical."

Ryu ignores the remark.

Ash shivers. "It's starting to get cold."

"And it's about to get a lot colder." Ryu points up. "We're about to pass the snow line." Not far above them, the rocky terrain gives way to snow and ice.

Ash stops his shivering. "I can take it."


"I take it back. I can't take it!" Ash and Ryu are now trudging their way through a blizzard. Ryu is cradling Tyrunt in his arms, holding it close to his body to help it keep warm.

Ryu comments bluntly, "We should find shelter." While he is clearly uncomfortable, he seems able to withstand the cold better than Ash.

Ash turns to him and demands, "Why? Do you think I'm weak? Do you think I need a break to warm up? This weather is nothing! I can do this all day!" He shivers uncontrollably as an icy breeze blows past him.

"You clearly can't. But that's not the point. Tyrunt usually live in warm climates. It can't take this cold. Dragonite's not doing well either." Ash looks behind Ryu to see Dragonite violently shivering.

Ash stares at Ryu silently for several moments, before relenting, "Okay. Let's find somewhere to warm up."


"Go, Solurtle." Ash and Ryu have found shelter in a cave. Once Solurtle appears, Ash points to a pile of wood and asks, "Can you light a fire for us?"

"Lurtle." Solurtle nods, then uses Flamethrower to light the fire.

Tyrunt runs up to the fire and happily curls up next to it. "Runt."

Ash thanks Solurtle and recalls it to its Pokéball. "You stay warm too," he says to the ball.

Ryu has stepped over to Dragonite and is examining its wing. "It should heal after a few days' rest. You'll be fine." He rips a strip of cloth off his shirt and uses it and a stick to form a makeshift splint around the hurt wing.

Ash asks, "Why don't you just put it in its Pokéball? That way it wouldn't have to worry about its wing or the cold."

Ryu scowls at Ash. "Dragonite prefers to stay out of its Pokéball unless absolutely necessary."

Ash laughs. "That's a little silly. Isn't it necessary right…" He trails off as he looks down to Pikachu, who's curled up in his lap.

"You were saying?"

Ash shakes his head. "Nothing. Don't mind me." He turns his attention to Pikachu and strokes it behind the ear.

Pikachu enjoys this. "Chu."

Ryu sits down next to the fire, lifts up Tyrunt, and puts the Pokémon on his lap. "Ty?" Then he removes his jacket and wraps it around the baby Pokémon.

"You need this more than me." He pets the Pokémon's head as it gets comfortable. He looks up to see Ash staring at him. "You're staring."

Ash quickly looks down to Pikachu. He denies swiftly, "No I wasn't."

Ryu groans. Once Ryu returns his attention to Tyrunt, Ash returns his to Ryu. Without even looking to Ash, Ryu remarks, "I don't even need to look up to know you're staring again."

Ash sighs and admits, "Okay, I am. It's just so bizarre to see you acting with compassion towards Pokémon." As an afterthought, he adds, "Even if they are your precious Dragon-Types."

"That's what happens when you make assumptions about people." Ryu is content to leave it at that.

Ash is not. He contemplates his next words. "I've seen how you interact with dragon Pokémon. Usually, they have to prove themselves to you before you accept them. I remember what you said about Heala when you first tried catching it. Why is Tyrunt different?"

Ryu would have been happy stopping the conversation, but he answers anyways. "When I was a kid, Tyrunt and Tyrantrum were my favorite Pokémon." He pauses as he remembers. "Plenty of other people could claim the same thing, but it was serious for me. I told the other kids that someday I was going to train a Tyrunt. They all laughed at me for it, as it would be impossible to train an extinct Pokémon. They were, of course, correct, but it didn't change the way I felt."

"Hey, they weren't correct. Look at you now. You're caring for a Tyrunt."

Tyrunt momentarily looks up to Ash and asks, "Ty?" before going back to sleep.

"The fact that this Tyrunt exists is a miracle. It is not something that should have ever been counted on." Ryu sighs. "I suppose in some ways, I never outgrew my desire to train a Tyrunt. In a way, my goal of becoming a Dragon Master was inspired by that deep seated desire for the impossible."

Ash suddenly stands up. "That's how the greatest of dreams are formed! You think I wanted to become a Pokémon Master because people thought it was possible? No! Everyone said it was impossible. That just made me want to prove them wrong all the more!" Ash pauses, likely questioning why he's suddenly supporting Ryu. He sits back down and helps Pikachu back into his lap.

They sit in silence for several moments. Dragonite moves to sit next to Ryu.

Ash looks to Dragonite and takes a deep breath. "Brock told me what you told him about how you met Dratini. How, as a wild Pokémon, it saved you from a pack of enraged Granbull."

"And?"

"Well…I hate to admit it, but your story with Dragonite sounds just like my story with Pikachu." He pets Pikachu some more. "Pikachu and I didn't get along at all until it risked itself to save me from a flock of enraged Spearow." He stops to remember the event. "That moment, right at the beginning of both of our journeys, is what forged such a strong bond for us, I think. And I…" He stops himself from saying anything further.

"You what?"

Ash sighs. "I have to admit that I can understand how a similar moment for you must have shaped your journey as well."

Ryu raises a brow skeptically. "Are you saying that you understand my desire to only train Dragon-Types?"

Ash quickly denies, "No. Not at all. Just that…I can understand why you might feel strongly about Dragon-Types in general…"

Ryu looks back down to Tyrunt. "Is there really a difference?"

"There is." But Ash offers no explanation of what it is. "We have a long hike ahead of us. I'm going to get some sleep." He lies down next to the fire with Pikachu curled up against him.

Ryu shakes his head in dismay. As he looks down to Tyrunt, he says under his breath, "Maybe we are more similar than I give you credit for…" He leans back against Dragonite and closes his eyes.


The next morning, light filters in through the mouth of the cave. The storm has ended. Ryu steps out first, and Ash follows. They are both stunned by the sight they see ahead. The mountain is covered in a pristine blanket of snow. A herd of Amaura and Aurorus march across the snowfields, their icy scales glistening under the morning sun. In a nearby stream, a tail fin, possibly belonging to a Arcotvish, breaks the surface of a river. Nearby a Mahemoth leads a herd of other Pokémon to the stream to drink. These Pokémon, like Mahemoth, are elephant-like Pokémon with a thick brown fur coat. It has an oversized head with large eyes, giving it a cute appearance. Its tusks made of ice are about half the relative size of Mahemoth's. Though it's smaller than Mahemoth, and looks like a younger form of it, it is still very large in its own right.

Ash and Ryu are rendered speechless. Ash pulls out his Pokédex to identify the new Pokémon. It says, "Massodon, the Mastodon Pokémon and Rock and Ice Combo-Type. Though this extinct Pokémon was docile, its weight made it formidable. Specimens preserved in ice have been discovered. Evolves into Mahemoth at level 38."

Ash finally says, "I can't believe all this beauty exists here, deep underground. And no one gets to see it."

Ryu remarks, "It's better that way. If people could see it, they would disrupt this delicate ecosystem. Before long, beauty like this would no longer exist."

Ash slowly nods as he contemplates Ryu's words. "Yeah…you're right…"

Ryu looks down to Tyrunt. The baby dinosaur Pokémon looks back up to him silently. "You really do live in a paradise. Even the tortuous cold has its beauty."

"Tyrunt." It is unclear if Tyrunt agrees with him, or if it's just randomly speaking.

Ash steps forward, ready to continue their journey. Pikachu hops up onto his shoulder. "Pika." Ash grins at it.

Tyrunt watches this. It looks back to Ryu and asks, "Runt?"

Ryu looks at it quizzically. "What do you want?"

"Tyrunt!" The Pokémon leaps up and tries to climb up Ryu's side, only to fall head-first into the snow.

Ash laughs. "Looks like Tyrunt wants a ride."

Ryu helps Tyrunt out of the snow. "I'm sorry, but only Dragonite rides on my shoulder." He pauses as he looks to his massive Dragonite. "Well…at least that used to be the case…"

"Tyrunt?"

Ryu sighs. "Fine." He leans over, lifts up the Pokémon, and places it so that it sits on his shoulder. "Happy now?"

It shouts with glee, "Tyrunt!" as it throws up its arms.

The usually stern Dragonite cracks a grin at seeing this.

Ryu declares, "Enough wasting time. Let's move."

Ash stifles a chuckle at the ridiculous sight of the barely fitting Tyrunt sitting on Ryu's shoulder.


Ash and Ryu have made it the other side of the mountain and have returned to a jungle setting. Tyrunt still rides on Ryu's shoulder.

Ash asks, "Okay, so we made over the mountain. What now? How do we find Tyrunt's mother from here?"

His question is answered by a roar that echoes through the jungle. The roars causes Tyrunt to look around frantically. Ryu comments, "The roar would imply there's a Tyrantrum living in that direction." He runs off.

Ash complains under his breath, "I could have said that too, if that roar happened two seconds earlier." He shakes his head and runs off after Ryu.

At the source of the roar, they find a Tyrantrum toppled on its side with bindings around its legs and mouth. It struggles to break free, but to no avail.

Ryu ask with trepidation, "Who would do this?"

He is answered by, "Prepare for trouble from an era before time!"

"Make it double. This is a new paradigm!"

Ash groans. "I should have known they would have been here."

Jessie, dressed in the rugged clothes of a paleontologist, appears atop the fallen Tyrantrum. "To protect the world from its extinction!"

James, dressed ridiculously as a caveman, appears next to her. "To unite all fossils with great distinction!"

"To denounce the evils of a meteor!"

"To ignore mass extinctions easier!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket time travels at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare for a prehistoric fight!"

Meowth, dressed in a Tyrantrum costume, joins them. "Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Mime mime!"

They cast aside their costumes to return to their regular outfits.

Ash demands, "Team Rocket! What are you doing!?"

Jessie and James laugh together. James explains, "We're making money! That's what! Just think about how much people will pay to see a real, live fossil Pokémon! We'll make a theme park, and we'll be rich!"

Ash is concerned. "Um…have you not seen the movies? How's that supposed to end well?"

Meowth laughs. "Don't you worry your twerpish little head about it. We'll sort the details out."

Jessie announces, "This Tyrantrum will be our star attraction!"

Tyrunt leaps off of Ryu's shoulder and shouts angrily, "Tyrunt runt!"

Ryu declares, "You three are disgusting! You would dare take this beautiful creature, who is a miracle of nature, away from its home to make money!?"

Team Rocket look to each other with guilt. Jessie suggests, "Guys…I think the Dragon Twerp may be right. This is a horrible thing to do."

James agrees, "What kind of monsters would do such a thing?"

Meowth declares, "Only the worst."

They suddenly turn back to Ash and Ryu and declare together, "Oh wait! We are the worst!" They cackle with glee.

Meowth adds, "Thanks for the compliment, Dragon Twerp!"

Ryu clenches a fist angrily.

Ash steps forward and Pikachu prepares to battle. "Let's shock some sense into them, Pikachu."

Ryu abruptly announces, "No."

"What?"

He steps forward. "Tyrunt and I will take care of these fools."

"Tyyyyrunt!"

Ash grins at them. "You got it."

"Tyrunt, use Draco Fang to free your mother!"

"Ruuunt!" Tyrunt's fangs glow green as it runs at the downed Tyrantrum.

Jessie shouts, "Oh no you don't! If you want to see the Tyrantrum, you'll have to pay the standard ticket fee!" She throws a Pokéball, sending out Repiv. "Use Poison Sting!"

"Piiiiv!" Repiv fires poisonous needles at Tyrunt, stopping it before it can make it to Tyrantrum.

James also throws a Pokéball. "Ivine, let's show them we mean business!"

"Ivine!" As soon as it appears, Ivine leaps at James' face and latches on.

James quickly rips it back off and tosses it aside. As he furiously scratches at his rash-covered face, he shouts, "My face is none of your business!" Once he's done scratching, he shouts, "Ivine, use Ivy Whip!"

Ivine lashes at Tyrunt with its vines. Tyrunt is knocked back further. "Ty!"

Ryu orders, "Tyrunt, grab the vine!" Before Ivine can retract its whip, Tyrunt bites down on it. "Now throw it!"

"Tyrunt!" Tyrunt jerks its head around, dragging Ivine along with its vine. Ivine is slammed into Repiv.

"Now use Ancient Power!"

"Tyyyyyyyrunt!" As Tyrunt roars, it creates a silvery orb of energy which it launches at Team Rocket's Pokémon. It explodes on impact.

Jessie shouts, "We won't take that from a Pokémon that's extinct! Repiv, use Wrap!"

Repiv lunges at Tyrunt constricts around it. Tyrunt cries out in pain as Repiv tightens its hold.

Ash and Pikachu step forward as they prepare to intervene.

Ryu shakes his head. "No. Leave this to Tyrunt."

Ash objects, "But-"

"It would seem that Repiv does not value its tail."

Ash nods in understanding.

"Draco Fang!"

Tyrunt gets just enough control to bite down on Repiv's tail. Repiv shouts in agony, "Piiiiiiiiv!" It's forced to let go of Tyrunt.

Jessie shouts angrily, "Don't let go! What are you doing!?"

"Use Ancient Power again!" Another silver orb forces Repiv and Ivine to crash into Jessie and James. "Now use Stomping Tantrum!"

Tyrunt begins to stomp from one leg to another. "Ty. Ty. Ty. Ty! Ty! Ty! Tyruuuunt!" Tyrunt stomps faster and faster, causing the ground to shake. A moment later, and the floor beneath Team Rocket explodes, hurtling them up.

They shout, "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting–!" They abruptly crash into the roof of the subterranean cavity. After several seconds of sticking to the roof, they slowly peel off, then fall to ground, disappearing into the nearby jungle.

Ash says excitedly, "You and Tyrunt were great! It was like you two were meant to be partners!"

Ryu doesn't respond, but the slightest of grins does work its way onto his face. "Okay Tyrunt, go and free your mother."

Tyrunt runs over to the bound Tyrantrum and bites down on the leg bindings, then the snout. Its strong jaw rips easily through the bindings. As soon as its free, Tyrantrum stands back up and sounds a roar that echoes across the jungle.

The first thing it does is to run over to its nest and check its eggs. Minus Tyrunt's, they're all still there.

"Runt?"

Tyrantrum turns around and looks down at Tyrunt. It sniffs the small Pokémon as it stares at it. "Rantrum." Tyrantrum snorts, then turns around to return its attention to its nest.

"Tyrunt…?" Tyrunt looks sadly at its mother.

Ash is confused. "Huh? What just happened?"

Ryu takes a deep breath as he stares at Tyrunt. "I was afraid this would happen. Tyrunt's mother rejected it."

"Rejected it? Why would she do that?"

"Because it hatched away the nest. She doesn't recognize it as her own baby."

"That's…so sad…" Ash stares at the dejected Tyrunt. "What happens to it now?"

Ryu explains clinically, "A baby Tyrunt would be unable to make it on its own. It needs someone to care for it."

"Can we–?"

Before he can ask any further, Ryu steps up to Tyrunt and strokes the top of its head like he did the night before. "Tyrunt, I'm so sorry. But I won't let you be alone. Come with me. I'll take care of you."

Tyrunt looks up at Ryu with surprise. "Runt?"

Ryu nods. "I mean it."

"Tyrunt!" The Pokémon excitedly leaps onto his shoulders. "Tyyyyyy!"

Ash smiles at the two. He says to Pikachu, "It almost makes you think he has a heart after all." He chuckles. He walks up to Ryu. "In that case, what do you say we find our way out of here?"

Ryu nods. "Yes. That is long overdue."


Ash and Ryu climb out from the hole they fell in through. Brock and Brenda are standing nearby with Officer Jenny. Brenda shouts with surprise, "Ash! You're back!"

Brock laments, "There goes my chance to work together with Officer Jenny…" He pushes aside his disappointment and explains, "We were just working with Officer Jenny to organize a rescue party to find you."

Ash grins at him. "Well, there's no need."

Brenda asks, "What happened down there? Where did you end up?"

Ash smirks. "Nothing too interesting." As he says this, Brock and Brenda notice the Tyrunt on Ryu's shoulder for the first time. They look to each other in surprise.

Wow! I was wrong! Ash and Ryu actually took steps towards working out their issues! Who could have guessed? Clearly not me. What other exciting developments might occur, as the journey continues?


Team Rocket cower behind a large boulder. Loud stomping sounds echo behind them. Tyrantrum peeks in from above the boulder. Meowth whispers nervously, "Whatever you do, don't move. It can't see you if you don't move."

James asks, "Where'd you learn that?"

"From a movie." Tyrantrum roars loudly as it snaps its jaw at them. Team Rocket bolt off just in time. "Never mind! Move as much and as fast as you can!"

Jessie shouts, "I'm never trusting a movie again!"

Tyrantrum roars as it runs behind them.

To Be Continued…