And now, we're on to our first big boss... will Ash and Starfire take down the large behemoth of a Pokemon... known as "Cinderblock", who is a Rhydon in this universe? Let's find out!
Up in the skies, the humming Beedrill known as Bumblebee was happily humming to herself, feeling the breeze in the air as she looked up at the morning sky.
"Life is beautiful today, isn't it?" The Beedrill said to herself as she kept flying forward. She didn't know where she would end up, but she knew that things were going to be looking up for her today. Bumblebee took a deep breath as the bee Pokemon continued to fly through the upper sky, surfing the treeline as it looked over to see some various bird Pokemon flying by.
However, that was all going to be disrupted when a large tree started to get uprooted from the ground, flying towards the flying Pokemon as they squawked in fear, flying all around in confusion, not knowing where to land or to fly.
Beedrill, on the other hand, stopped short as it raised an eyebrow, before turning her eyes towards where the tree had been thrown. She frowned in suspicion, sensing something was off. Immediately, she dove right in, wondering what was going on.
Petrel and Proton kept a safe distance as they were watching the red-eyed Rhydon giving a roar and stomping around, scaring off the native crawling bugs that had appeared from the bushes. The large Rhydon stomped fiercely as it tore through a few trees, uprooting one of them by the hand before throwing it like a javelin. The Caterpies nearby whimpered as one of them called out in horror, "Pablo, no!"
Rhydon let out a loud roar as it stomped forward, looking around and roaring, as it was commanded to. The red-eyed Rock/Ground type looked around for potential targets, as if trying to go on a rampage.
"You know, usually rocky fellows like you should be found in caves." A tough voice called out before a large fairy-like aura came flying from out of nowhere and hitting the monster.
"Hold it there, Rhydon! There are five good reasons why you're about to be a good addition to the team!" A bit of an arrogant, yet young voice called out as the rock/ground rhinoceros creature turned as he saw four characters coming down. The young boy, Ash Ketchum, came out first, holding out a Poke Ball. "1!"
Starfire then came flying through before landing as she turned her head. "2!"
Clefairy came rolling in as she held up a fist, getting her angry face on. "3!"
Pikachu zipped forward as if doing a Quick Attack, landing on Ash's shoulder. "4!"
It was right then and there that Ash sent out a Poke Ball, unleashing Pidgeotto from it as the bird looked up, fierce and frowning as it held a pose. Ash quickly said, "And 5!"
The bird Pokemon, who looked like he was still recovering, looked up at its master as it stood firm with the boy, pointing towards the rock creature. Pidgeotto blinked twice as its eyes shrank. "Really? We're fighting THAT?"
"I know you just came in, but it looks like we got a big one." Pikachu quickly explained.
Pidgeotto turned towards Ash as he cocked his head in pure confusion and anger. "You CAN'T be serious!"
"And it doesn't matter how much you do the math, it'll all add up to you being a new member of the team!" Ash said as he gave a nod, pulling out another Poke Ball. "So… how about it? Do you want to be part of the team, or are we going to have to do this the hard way?"
"I seriously didn't vote for this!" Pidgeotto complained.
"Live with it, man! We're in a big fight now!" Clefairy said as she gave a quick pose. "Just be sharp!"
"...could I at least get healed first? Like, a Potion, maybe? Before we do this?" Pidgeotto asked nervously.
The Rhydon let out a yell as it started to stomp towards its targets.
"All right, then!" Ash nodded as he turned his hat backwards, before turning to Starfire. "Remember the movesets, and keep an eye on how Rhydon attacks! Eventually, we'll find a weak point!"
"All right. I trust you, Ash!" Starfire nodded as she floated, looking ready as she was about to charge.
"Whoa, whoa, hold on, Star! Let's see how our Pokemon fares, THEN we'll see if push comes to shove!" Ash started as he pulled Starfire back to the ground.
Starfire looked at the young man, a bit disappointed, but giving a firm nod. "All right, Ash. Clefairy, ready yourself!"
"Already on it, sistah!" Clefairy smirked as she held her fingers up, ready to do a Metronome.
"Pikachu, Pidgeotto, I know this is going to be tough, but we need your all here! Can you do that?" Ash asked.
"As if I have any other choice!" Pidgeotto frowned.
"Just follow my lead!" Pikachu nodded.
"Pikachu, Pidgeotto, GO!" Ash shouted as he pointed towards the stomping Rhydon.
The electric type and flying type Pokemon nodded as they turned and rushed forward, ready to take down the large Pokemon. Ash quickly looked up Pidgeotto's moveset in the Pokedex before giving a nod. "Pidgeotto, Pikachu, use Gust and Thundershock respectively!"
"Thundershock? On a GROUND type?" Pikachu blinked twice, before shaking his head as he let his cheeks spark up a bit. "All right, that's a bad idea, but I'm doing it!"
"Pidgeotto Tornado Attack!" Pidgeotto cried out as it flapped its wings as a small gusting tornado came rushing out and slapping the large Rhydon in the back, groaning.
"Metronome pulling… AQUA JET!" Clefairy shouted as it spat out a quick spurt of water, landing on Rhydon as the large monster gave out a large yell of pain.
Rhydon growled angrily as it turned to Clefairy, as if ready to punch, only for the Gust Pidgeotto summoned to trip up the ground rhinoceros. Rhydon shook its head in recovery before glaring towards the bird, raising its arm as if ready to punch, only for Pikachu to unleash its Thundershock, sending lighting bolts directly towards the Rhydon.
However, Rhydon didn't seem to be affected by the shocks… if anything, the horn on its nose was beginning to glow, as if raising some sort of special attack.
Starfire was the first to notice as she gasped. "Ash, tell Pikachu to stop using Electric attacks! I think that large Rhydon has some sort of the lightning rod on its horn!"
"It does?" Ash asked before giving a frown. "That could be a problem… Pikachu, back off on the electricity!"
"Yeah, I probably could have told you that!" Pikachu said in annoyance as Rhydon began to glow. "Wait, what are you-"
"Pikachu, duck!" Clefairy shouted as it used its fingers to summon a large rock wall before using its powers to push it down and slam on the Rhydon.
"Yipe!" Pikachu yelped as he jumped backwards, before looking in relief towards the smiling Clefairy. "Thank you, Clefairy!"
"My pleasure!" Clefairy grinned cheekily towards the mouse as Pikachu had a small blush form around his face.
"Pidgeotto, up in the air, and use Quick Attack!" Ash commanded.
"Right!" Pidgeotto nodded as it flew up in the air and started to dive down, charging faster as its beak was beginning to catch fire a bit.
Rhydon paused as it looked up at the shadow, before jumping up in the air and digging underground.
Pidgeotto seized its attack as it started to fly upwards, as if in a panic. "No, no, no, no, no, no!"
The brown bird seized its attack as it kept hovering, trying to keep a close eye on the ground. "Where is it?"
"Pidgeotto, dodge!" Ash yelped as he noted the shadow above Pidgeotto about to poke out.
The bird Pokemon yelped as it flew to the side, avoiding the digging monster as it popped up in the air.
"Hang tight, bird friend! Time to give out a little Disarming Voice action!" Clefairy shouted before letting loose a long note, causing the Rhydon to yelp as it covered its ears.
"Pikachu, now's your chance!" Ash ordered as the yellow Pokemon looked firm. "Hit it with all you can!"
"Right!" Pikachu nodded before rushing forward and leaping into the air, hitting the Rhydon as hard as it could, only to yelp as he hit his head on the hard shell. Pikachu groaned as he got dizzy. "Owwww…"
"PIKACHU!" Ash shouted in concern as the Rhydon quickly recovered and noticed the small mouse, before lifting its leg and stomping it to the ground. "NO!"
Rhydon lifted his foot as the injured Pikachu was giving a slight moan, trying to get up, but its injuries were a little too much to continue.
Starfire gave a gasp as she turned to Clefairy. "Clefairy, you need to get Pikachu out of the battlefield!"
Clefairy turned and noted her injured friend as she gave a gasp, before narrowing his eyes. "Already on it!"
The Rhydon was about to get another stomp towards Pikachu when Clefairy moved its fingers as it summoned a green ball of energy. "Metronome use! Energy Ball!"
Clefairy then threw the ball of energy as it made direct contact with the Rhydon, causing it to give a yelp. Clefairy then rushed forward and lifted the injured Pikachu up.
"Come on, Pika! Let's get you out of there!" Clefairy said as she started to rush forward.
"CLEFAIRY!" Starfire shouted as the red-eyed Rhydon was raising its foot.
"What?" Clefairy asked as the Fairy-type found itself swifty kicked forward like a football, sending her and Pikachu up in the air.
Rhydon then leapt up and waved its arms as a bunch of stones came up, giving both Pikachu and Clefairy a pointy defeat as they landed on the rocks. Both Pikachu and Clefairy came down as they fell.
"Clefairy!" Starfire gasped.
"Pikachu!" Ash called out in worry before looking up towards Pidgeotto. "Pidgeotto, you have to handle this on your own!"
"I… I think I can do this!" Pidgeotto said as he lifted himself up in the air, rushing forward.
"Pidgeotto, use your Gust att-" Ash shouted, but much to the boy's dismay, the wild Pokemon slammed Pidgeotto with its fist, sending the flying type down. "Oh no!"
Starfire looked concerned as she turned to Ash. "Ash, maybe I can help out! You said you needed this capture… well… this is it!"
Ash looked a bit concerned as he turned to Starfire. "Wait, what about Caterpie? Maybe-"
"I cannot send him out, Ash! He is still too young!" Starfire said. "Just trust me on this!"
The young man looked towards the green-eyed alien before looking at the battle between his bird Pokemon and the towering behemoth. Giving a frown, he gave a sigh, knowing he had no other choice. "All right, Starfire… let it all loose!"
Ash then dug out his Poke Ball and held it up. "Pidgeotto, return!"
A dazed Pidgeotto, who looked close to fainting, felt the red light engulfing him as he was returned to his Poke Ball. The Rhydon let out a loud roar of triumph as Starfire gave a nod and lifted herself up in the air.
Not too far away, Petrel and Proton were looking up in shock as Petrel gave a stammer. "She can fly?"
"She can fly!" Proton said with an equally shocked look on his face, before smirking in amazement. "Ahhh, so that's why the boss is interested in this girl…"
"And from the looks of things…" Petrel said as he adjusted his body, watching as Starfire's eyes and hands began to glow green. "...there's a lot more to this girl than what it seems… let's see how Cinderblock here manages to go against this… fascinating girl."
"Agreed. THIS is going to be a show!" Proton smirked.
As the two Rocket admins laughed to themselves, little did they realize that right above them, a small bee Pokemon was watching the fight. She didn't notice the Rocket grunts, but she had been observing the fight, and imagine to her surprise when she saw the strange red haired human flying around and using what seemed to be… Pokemon type powers?... on the large Rhydon. The bee couldn't help but stare in fascination…
Rhydon/"Cinderblock" was about to continue its stomping before he felt the attack of a green energy-like ball hitting him square in the back. "Cinderblock" then turned its head and attention towards a floating girl, looking ready to battle. The rhinoceros Pokemon gave a small grunt before stomping on the ground, before charging forward at the flying teenage alien.
Starfire nodded as she started to fly forward towards the large rhinoceros Pokemon, her hands glowing ready as she started to throw her green orbs. Rhydon grunted as it felt the brunt of the attack before the red haired alien flew upwards, before diving down to throw another green orb towards the Pokemon.
The rhinoceros Pokemon gave a loud roar before using its hands to grab at Starfire, surprising the girl as he pulled her forward, its eyes locking towards the glowing green eyes of the alien, as if to try to intimidate the alien.
Starfire could only give a grin towards "Cinderblock" as she said, "I am sorry to disappoint you, but I am stronger than I look."
As she said those last words, her eyes started to glow once more as she gave a frown. She then lifted her foot up and kicked "Cinderblock" square in the face, sending the large Pokemon flying as it bounced up and down.
Nearby, Petrel and Proton stared in fascination as Proton started to scribble down some notes on his notepad.
Not too far away, "Cinderblock" recovered before looking up towards the flying girl, before narrowing its eyes as it grabbed a tree, uprooted from the ground and started to use it as a baseball bat.
Even Ash was looking rather surprised at this turn of events as he saw Rhydon use the tree against Starfire. "What type of Rhydon IS this?"
"Certainly not the type that can uproot trees like that…" Pikachu coughed weakly, he and Clefairy sitting down as they were watching the battle between Starfire and "Cinderblock" in amazement.
Starfire frowned as she started to dodge the swinging of the tree from "Cinderblock" as she held out her hand, her hand glowing as she aimed it at the tree. Much to "Cinderblock"'s surprise, the tree started to glow green, then red as it wilted pretty fast. "Cinderblock" grunted in confusion upon seeing the wilting tree, before narrowing his eyes towards Starfire, who could only give a giggle and a small grin. The rhinoceros Pokemon growled before raising its arm up in the air, starting to glow red.
Ash gasped as he pointed up. "Star, look out!"
Starfire gasped as she dodged to the side, causing the arm to miss by a mile. "Cinderblock", upon noticing the attack missed, gave out a loud roar before rampaging forward towards the girl. Starfire gasped as she held her hands, looking ready to defend herself, only for the Rhydon to send out more pointy stones that hindered Starfire's flight as the girl gave a yelp.
"STAR!" Ash gasped as Starfire gave a gasp, feeling a bit of pain from the Stone Edge "Cinderblock" sent out. He gave a growl as he started to rush forward in anger. "Don't you dare lay a hand on her!"
Pikachu's eyes widened as he tried to get up, weakly. "Ash, no, are you crazy?!"
Ash growled as he tried to charge towards "Cinderblock" before trying to lay a hand on the large Pokemon, only to yelp as his hands punched the rocky exterior of the Pokemon. This caught "Cinderblock"'s attention as he gave a smirk. He grabbed Ash and held him up with a smirk.
Proton and Petrel could only watch in curiosity as Petrel said to himself, "That has got to be the luckiest kid or the stupidest kid."
"Say, Petrel, does that kid look like someone we know?" Proton asked as he tilted his head. "I can't put my finger on it, but…"
"Stay focused! I think the girl's attention is on that boy!" Petrel frowned as he pointed towards the girl, who looked horrified.
Starfire narrowed her eyes towards "Cinderblock" as her hands started to glow green once more. "Let go of Ash, you horrifying monster!"
Starfire yelled in anger before sending out another green orb towards the Pokemon, directly hitting it as it let go of Ash, causing him to fall. Thankfully, Starfire was there to swoop in and catch him in her arms as the boy gave a yelp. Ash looked up as Starfire looked concerned. "Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah…I think so…" Ash nodded as a blush started to form on his face… before giving a gasp. "STAR!"
Starfire gasped as she saw the Rhydon approaching, about ready to do another attack… or, it would have, had a flying yellow object not come straight in and slammed it directly in the face.
Both Ash and Starfire looked confused as they noted the strange yellow object buzzing around before them. Indeed, it was a yellow bee Pokemon, narrowing its eyes at the target as all attention turned towards the bug.
"Is that another… Bug type?" Starfire asked curiously.
Ash quickly grabbed his Pokedex as he used it to scan the Beedrill.
"Beedrill. The evolved form of Weedle, following its Kakuna stage. It has three poisonous stingers on its forelegs and its tail, used to jab enemies repeatedly." Ash's Pokedex explained as the Abilities "Swarm or Sniper" appeared under the picture, with its moves, "Fury Attack, Fury Cutter, Venoshock and Pin Missile".
"Looks like this Beedrill is helping us out!" Ash called as he got off of Starfire's grasp.
"Well, if it is, we could use it very much!" Starfire said before holding out her hands, glowing green once more. "But I don't know if one is enough! I'm going in!"
"Be careful!" Ash shouted out in concern as Starfire flew in.
The Beedrill narrowed its eyes towards "Cinderblock" as she gave a loud buzz, before rushing forward and jabbing the Rhydon with a Poison Jab. "Cinderblock" gave a loud roar as it narrowed its eyes towards the little bee.
"This is highly peculiar." Petrel said as he raised an eyebrow upon watching the fight. "There's only ONE Beedrill here. Shouldn't there at least be a group of them?"
Proton raised an eyebrow in curiosity, before he gave a smirk. "You're right. Beedrills often come in droves. It's very rare to see just ONE Beedrill away from its herd."
"But why choose now to interfere with this fight?" Petrel asked in curiosity as Proton took some more notes. "Wanting to become strong, perhaps?"
"Look at the way its looking at the girl, though." Proton paused as he pointed towards Starfire, who had flown over to the Beedrill as the Rhydon groaned. He then noticed Starfire then starting to talk… in buzzing sounds. "Fascinating… it seems that this girl is eligible in Pokemon talk. You know what this means…"
"Indeed…" Petrel smirked as he wrote it down. "The boss is going to have a FIELD day with THIS one…"
"Thank you!" Starfire said towards the Beedrill.
The Beedrill turned in surprise as it started to buzz back. "You speak my language?"
"I am speaking all sorts of Pokemon talk. I am not of this world, you see." Starfire explained as she noted "Cinderblock" getting up. "But let us save our conversation for another time… preferably after we take down this monster!"
"Heh, you don't need to tell me twice, Glowy." The Beedrill nodded as she armed herself with her jabbers before charging forward as it started to attack the Rhydon in the eyes. Starfire nodded before sending another glowing green orb towards "Cinderblock"'s body, causing the Pokemon to stumble backwards.
The Beedrill then started to buzz forward as it lifted its stinger, landing it right on the Rhydon's neck as the stinger buzzed and vibrated. "Cinderblock"'s neck then started to gibble a bit as it started to hold his head, giving a groan.
"Fell Stinger, baby! Never fails!" The Beedrill called out before giving a pause as the Rhydon shook itself, the stinger coming out from its neck as it stared at the Pokemon furiously.
It was then Starfire rammed right into "Cinderblock" causing the large Rhydon to let out a huge yelp of pain as it came tumbling downwards. The Beedrill could only give a whistle with a look of awe. "Wow, I can never calculate that!"
Starfire gave a giggle as she turned towards the bee Pokemon. "We Tamaraneans have always had these types of powers to fight."
"Tamaranean, huh?" The Beedrill cocked its head. "I don't think I've heard of that Pokemon species."
"Well, I'm not really a species of Pokemon, it's more my alien species… I came from another world entirely, and-" Starfire started to say, before noting "Cinderblock" getting back up. "It's STILL getting up?!"
"That is one tough Rhydon." The Beedrill said before narrowing her eyes. "Stand back!"
The Beedrill's jabbers then started to glow before waving them around as various pin missiles started to fly towards the Pokemon, denting the rock-hard shell a bit as Rhydon grunted a bit, and gave a loud moan of pain.
Beedrill smirked a bit as it floated upwards, holding its jabbers up in the air. "Just as I calculated!"
As the Rhydon was trying to recover the best it can, the Beedrill turned towards Starfire as she gave a nod. "My name is Bumblebee, by the way. My drones always refer to themselves as Beedrill Drone A or Beedrill Drone B and whatnot, but I did not want to be a drone! I am Bumblebee, the best Beedrill that's going to help the world!"
"That sounds very fascinating!" Starfire asked. "How do you plan on that?"
Bumblebee gave a frown before putting down its jabbers. "I'm still working on that…"
Around that time, "Cinderblock" recovered from the attack, before its red eyes narrowed at the bee, stomping its foot to summon some more pointy rocks. Bumblebee yelped as she dodged the Stone Edge, though not by much as she managed to get her wing grazed during the attack.
"Ah!" Bumblebee yelped as she felt the sting of the rock pierce her wing a bit as Starfire gave a gasp.
"Bumblebee!" Starfire said in concern as she tried to fly over, only for the Rhydon to smirk as it held out his hand, about ready to perform another Hammer Arm.
Ash gasped as he tried to shout, "Star, the Rhydon!"
But the shout came too little, too late as the Hammer Arm made direct contact with Starfire, sending the girl down to the ground. Starfire grunted as she felt the pain as she tried to get up, before giving a groan. "My… I don't feel so good…"
"Star, we need to get something to slow down that Rhydon!" Ash called out. "What about Caterpie?"
Starfire's eyes widened as she looked up and shook her head. "Ash, no, I have already told you, I do not want-"
"Star, you very clearly can't hold out anymore, that Beedrill can't take anything more, and Pikachu, Clefairy and Pidgeotto are too hurt to continue!" Ash called out. "What other options do we have left?"
Starfire bit her lip as she looked nervous, before looking at the Poke Ball containing Caterpie attached to her. She shut her eyes and gulped as she grasped the Poke Ball in her hand. "I am very sorry, my little bumgorf… but you are my only hope right now… just give it your very best shot."
Starfire shut her eyes before throwing the Poke Ball in the air. "Go, Caterpie!"
The Poke Ball floated into the air before opening up as the little caterpillar got summoned as he looked up towards the rampaging Rhydon.
Bumblebee, trying to check for damage on her wing, looked up in shock. "You have…"
"...got to be kidding me." Proton chuckled. "What does she think that little worm can do?"
"Now, hold on." Petrel held his hand up. "We saw what a Beedrill can do… let's see what good a Caterpie can do against Cinderblock."
"Cinderblock will squash it to paste, no question!" Proton said with an air of confidence.
"Perhaps so, BUT let's just watch." Petrel said as he kept a close watch.
"Cinderblock" looked down towards the Caterpie as it looked up nervously at the large rhinoceros Pokemon.
"You can do this, Caterpie… show Miss Starfire you ARE brave enough… show her you're brave… show her…" Caterpie whimpered before looking up, narrowing its eyes. "Ah ha!"
Starfire could only watch as she saw Caterpie looking up at the Rhydon, who was stomping towards the little bug. "Caterpie… do something… please…"
Caterpie nodded as it looked up at the stomping rhinoceros Pokemon. Then, taking a deep breath, Caterpie quickly shot out some white sticky web from out its mouth, wrapping it around "Cinderblock"'s foot as the Rhydon gave a yelp, causing it to fall down to the ground, landing JUST within an inch of the small bug type.
Starfire and Beedrill stared in awe as Ash looked on with a small smile on his face. PIkachu and Clefairy looked up, also looking surprised, with Clefairy giving a small smirk. "So the little squirt DOES have what it takes."
Bumblebee the Beedrill then noted the Rhydon trying to get up, just as Caterpie shot out another round of String Shot, around its head, causing the rhinoceros to become blind as it tried to stand up. Bumblebee then gave a smile. "Of course! By using String Shot, it not only causes that behemoth to go blind, it'll also slow it down! Leaving room for an attack! Poison… JAB!"
With that shout, Bumblebee charged forward as it landed a big jab right near the Rhydon's back, injecting it with poison. Inside, the Rhydon was feeling a bit sick as it tried to get up, but to no avail as it was feeling weak…
Starfire couldn't believe her eyes as she looked towards the Caterpie, then towards the Beedrill, before giving a smile. "My little bumgorf… you actually did it… and Bumblebee… you were amazing!"
Caterpie turned as he gave a small smile. "Did I really do good?"
"You did great." Starfire smiled.
Ash laughed after healing up Clefairy and Pikachu with a Potion, before rushing forward and picking up Starfire, getting her into a hug. "Star, that was amazing! You, that Beedrill and Caterpie really worked well together!"
Starfire blushed a bit upon feeling Ash's hug, before looking back and smiled. "It certainly is the most joyous of occasions…"
As everyone was distracted, a red beam had just shot at the weakened Rhydon as it had returned to its Poke Ball.
"Hmmm… well, Giovanni is CERTAINLY going to be interested in this report…" Proton whispered as he turned to Petrel. "What now?"
"Now, we get back to headquarters and report to Giovanni. Let's make haste before they get wise and notice Cinderblock is gone!" Petrel ordered before looking back at the Poke Ball and smirked. "You did good out there, Cinderblock… maybe we'll send you back out next time for a rematch…"
With that, the two Rocket admins made haste as they started to rush off just as Ash and Starfire finished their hug.
"Oh, I should probably try to catch that Rhydon!" Ash smiled as he picked out his Poke Ball… before pausing. "Well… actually… since you defeated it, Star… maybe it's best you have it."
Starfire looked surprised. "Are you sure, Ash? I mean, you, Pikachu and Pidgeotto helped out too…"
"Yeah, but… Pikachu and Pidgeotto still have a bit of a way to go… it was mostly you, Caterpie and that Beedrill that helped take down that large Rhydon. I say you earned it." Ash smiled as he patted his Poke Balls. "I can always get the next one…"
Pikachu looked over and raised an eyebrow. "Uh… where did that Rhydon go, by the way?"
Everyone looked at Pikachu in confusion before looking at the spot where the fainted Rhydon used to be. Indeed, it had disappeared somehow.
"What? Where did it go?" Ash asked. "It couldn't have just disappeared, we'd have heard it get up!"
"Do you think it managed to retreat?" Starfire asked. "If so, maybe we can go after it!"
Ash paused briefly, before shaking his head. "I don't see any tracks… and it would have made a loud noise by now…"
"Very strange, indeed…" Clefairy paused as she turned to Starfire. "I guess you didn't get your chance, after all… sorry, Star."
"It's all right, Clefairy. That Rhydon looked a little too fierce to be a member, anyway." Starfire shook her head.
"...can't believe we missed out on a chance to catch a Rhydon!" Ash groaned, before holding his head. "I just can't believe there's Rhydon in the Viridian Forest!"
"I mean, there shouldn't be. Most of the Pokemon in Viridian Forest are flying or bugs… maybe the occasional Pikachu… and that's it." Bumblebee buzzed as Starfire looked up in curiosity.
"Bumblebee here says that Rhydon are not native to the forest." Starfire translated back to Ash.
"That's what I was thinking, but-" Ash started to say, before pausing. "Wait… Bumblebee?"
"That is what this Beedrill refers to herself as." Starfire said as she pointed to the Beedrill, who gave a small buzz and a wave.
Ash blinked twice. "I didn't think Pokemon could nickname themselves."
"You'd be surprised." Bumblebee buzzed a bit as Starfire looked up.
"Bumblebee, I cannot thank you enough for helping me in that battle." Starfire said with a smile.
"Don't think much of it." Bumblebee said with a joyful buzz. "I was actually seeing you battle out there, Star, and I have to say… you are an enigma… but an intriguing one. I wouldn't mind studying you up close."
Starfire looked up in curiosity as she raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you would like to… join us on our journey?"
"If you'd like me to. After all, I could use the time to get to know you a little better… you and the little Caterpie." Bumblebee buzzed as she turned towards the small caterpillar Pokemon. "Hey, great moves back there, kid! I think you might be very powerful!"
"Really?" The Caterpie asked in surprise, before giving a small trill of happiness. "Thank you!"
"Indeed, Caterpie, I… I am very proud of you." Starfire smiled as she lifted the small caterpillar up. "I am truly sorry I didn't believe you had what it took… but I understand your power now. And I believe you will grow to be the mightiest of warriors."
"Awwww… Miss Starfire…" Caterpie trilled happily as it closed its eyes.
"Hey, don't leave me out!" Clefairy shouted as she flexed her muscles a bit. "I helped out in that Rhydon fight more than you think! And you know, we all made a great team in a way!"
"You're right, Clefairy… we all managed to contribute in some way." Starfire giggled as she turned to Ash. "And Ash?"
"Yes?" Ash asked, cocking his head.
"I think you were a great leader. I know you didn't do much in the field, but the fact that you stepped in to help out and save me… it's a noble effort in and of itself." Starfire asked as she stared at the boy with a smile.
"Hey… it's no big deal, really…" Ash smiled, blushing a bit… before giving a sigh. "I'm still disappointed we didn't get a Rhydon, though."
Starfire giggled as she patted Ash's head, feeling his hat. "Maybe next time."
It was then that Starfire noticed Caterpie starting to glow. "Huh? C-Caterpie?"
She put the small caterpillar down as the bug type started to shoot out a String Shot as it started to glow. The red haired girl looked concerned as she asked, "What's happening?"
Ash looked rather surprised at first, before giving a smile. "Don't worry, Star, this is completely normal! Whenever a Pokemon has battled enough OR whenever you get close to bonding OR if you happen to have special stones with you… that Pokemon will evolve into a completely brand NEW Pokemon!"
"Wait… so, Caterpie is… evolving?" Starfire asked.
"Just watch! You'll love it!" Ash grinned as Pikachu, Clefairy and Bumblebee nodded with happy looking faces.
Starfire could only turn as Caterpie finished evolving, no longer being a caterpillar, but a green cocoon like Pokemon with yellow eyes staring up at her.
"Hello, Miss Starfire! What do you think of my new form?" The little green cocoon Pokemon asked with excitement. "If I could move, I'd jump in excitement!"
Starfire paused as she pulled out her Pokedex and looked it over.
"Metapod, the Cocoon Pokemon. The evolved form of Caterpie. Using a hard shell to protect its body, it prepares for its next evolution." Starfire's Pokedex explained as the ability "Shed Skin" was seen underneath Metapod's picture, with its only move 'Harden' being featured.
"Does that mean Metapod will keep changing?" Starfire asked in curiosity.
Ash nodded. "Most Pokemon, but not all of them, can be evolved, sometimes twice, but mostly three times in total. And because Caterpie is a pre-evolution, it can evolve to its final one pretty quickly."
Starfire looked over to Ash in awe, before smiling as she looked over to Metapod. "Oh, my little Metapod, whether you change or not, you will always be my little bumgorf."
"Please, Miss Starfire, you're embarrassing me a bit." Metapod said as he started to blush, with Pikachu, Clefairy and Bumblebee giving a few laughs.
Ash gave a small laugh as well as he looked around. "Say, Starfire, weren't you about to add a new member to the team?"
"Huh? OH!" Starfire said as she looked around, then noticed a discarded Poke Ball lying on the ground. "What's this? Looks like someone dropped an empty Poke Ball here."
Ash paused in curiosity as he and the other Pokemon looked over. "Was that there before?"
"I don't know… but it doesn't seem to belong to anyone…" Starfire said, before giving a shrug as she looked up to Bumblebee. "Will you be okay staying in a Poke Ball for a while?"
"Hey, no problem at all!" Bumblebee the Beedrill crossed her stingers with a small nod to her head. "Go ahead and throw away, Star. I won't hesitate at all!"
Starfire smiled as she threw the Poke Ball right at Bumblebee, the bee Pokemon getting engulfed in a red light before entering the Poke Ball. And after three shakes, the Poke Ball closed itself as Starfire smiled, lifting the Poke Ball up in the air.
"You did it! You got yourself a Beedrill!" Ash smiled as he hugged the girl once again, making her blush.
Starfire smiled a bit before hugging him back as she gave a smile. "You know, Ash, today was not such a bad day…"
"And we STILL have plenty of daylight." Ash said as he pulled out another Potion and released the weakened Pidgeotto to heal him. "Let's try to heal up best we can, and continue on our journey! We still have a lot of forest to go through… and plenty of Pokemon to see!"
Starfire giggled as she returned Metapod to his Pokeball. "You bet!"
"Stick with me, Star, and we'll take on ANY challenge!" Ash smiled as he returned the relieved Pidgeotto to its Poke Ball, before putting the Poke Ball back on his belt. "Come on, our journey has just begun!"
"Don't forget about me!" Pikachu chirped as he started to follow Ash.
Starfire could only giggle a bit as she started to fly upwards, following the young man as Clefairy leapt up on Star's back, peering out as if being a captain. "Anchors aweigh, guys! I'm ready for the next part of our adventure!"
Starfire smiled as she nodded towards Clefairy. "Well, Clefairy, we'll have plenty more new friends soon enough!"
"Yeah, I'm surprised you made friends with a Poison type rather easily." Ash smiled.
Clefairy paused for a brief moment. "What?"
"What do you mean, Ash?" Starfire asked, tilting her head curiously.
"Well, Beedrill is classified as a Bug and Poison Type. I thought you knew that." Ash said.
Clefairy stared silently, before glaring at her master. "Why did you capture her? Why is she a Poison Type?! WE DON'T NEED ANY OF THOSE!"
Starfire groaned as she turned to Ash. "Great, Ash. I think you gave Clefairy a traumatic flashback."
Ash grinned sheepishly as he kept walking. "Uh, sorry?"
"Oh, Ash… what'll we do with you?" Pikachu took a deep breath and sighed as the four kept walking through, heading closer and closer towards the heart of Viridian Forest… with Starfire learning a lot more about Pokemon that day…
But as they kept moving forward, they couldn't help but look concerned, wondering where that Rhydon had gone… and why it was even there in the first place… a question that would never be answered for now, but in time…
And so, we end our next episode with Ash and Starfire gaining some brand new understandings not just in each other, but in their Pokemon... and with Starfire having a new addition to the team, along with a new evolution, Ash can't be helped but be proud of her, and be more determined to catch up with her during the journey! And although neither of them got Cinderblock, they couldn't because he belonged to Team Rocket, who make their getaway without Ash or Starfire being aware of their presence. And though we'll leave Ash and Starfire for now, there will be more to come with them. For now, though, we'll focus on the epilogue of the episode next chapter, focusing on both Giovanni and some certain new 'captures', alongside Blackfire's side of the story! How will these two interconnect? Find out next time!