Join my p@treon for more chapters
[email protected]/Tempest_29
"But don't worry," Officer Jenny quickly added, perhaps sensing that Ash might be concerned about the outcome. "I won't let the Grimer be driven away, and the citizens feel the same way about this."
Officer Jenny wanted to make sure Ash understood her position on the matter. Although Honda had been continuously protesting and pressuring the city officials, she had always advocated for finding a peaceful solution that would work for everyone involved.
The people at the power plant shared the same opinion. They remembered that the power plant had only been able to survive its previous crisis because of Ash's help. Now the facility often relied on Magnemite and Magneton to help generate electricity efficiently. They couldn't simply stay silent and allow the Grimer to be driven away just because the Electric-type Pokémon were more convenient to work with. It would be hypocritical and ungrateful.
"I understand," Ash said simply. Since Officer Jenny was handling the situation responsibly, there was no need for him and his friends to worry too much about it.
After walking with them for a while longer and showing them to the main shopping district, Officer Jenny bid farewell to the three trainers and left to continue her patrol duties. She still had important work to do around the city.
Ash, Misty, and Brock entered the large shopping center to purchase the travel supplies they needed for their journey. They spent considerable time browsing different stores and didn't finish their shopping until around noon. Afterward, they returned to the Pokémon Center for lunch, packed their belongings carefully, and then prepared to set off on their adventure once again.
After leaving the Pokémon Center behind, the three friends continued on their journey toward their next destination. Their visit to Gringey City had been brief but meaningful. They had seen how the city had become prosperous and vibrant again after overcoming its environmental problems, but they were just passing through to rest and resupply. There wasn't anything else they needed to accomplish here.
As they walked along the road leading out of the city, Pikachu's ears suddenly twitched with alertness. Small sparks of electricity began appearing on its red cheeks, a clear sign that something had caught its attention.
"Pika pika?" Pikachu called out with concern.
"Huh? What's wrong, Pikachu?" Ash noticed his partner's strange behavior immediately and stopped walking to investigate.
"Pika?" Pikachu called again, its voice filled with urgency.
Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder and landed beside him. The Electric-type Pokémon began looking around carefully in all directions. The three trainers exchanged confused glances, wondering what could be causing Pikachu's unusual reaction.
"PIKA!" Pikachu seemed to sense something specific and suddenly ran forward at high speed. The yellow mouse Pokémon spotted a narrow alley between buildings and ran straight toward it without hesitation.
Seeing this unexpected behavior, Ash immediately followed his partner. Misty and Brock looked at each other with concern, then quickly followed as well. Soon all three of them had entered the dark alley.
The alley was quite narrow and dimly lit, creating an atmosphere that was somewhat unsettling. After following Pikachu deeper into the passage, they discovered that many discarded cardboard boxes had been piled up throughout the space, creating small mountains of waste material.
"What's gotten into Pikachu?" Misty asked with curiosity and growing concern.
Ash continued walking slowly deeper into the alley. Based on Pikachu's behavior, it seemed like something important had happened here, or the Electric-type Pokémon had sensed something that required immediate attention.
As they moved through the quiet alley, Ash listened carefully and noticed that he could hear heavy, labored breathing coming from somewhere ahead of them. The sound was barely audible but definitely present in the otherwise silent space.
Ash walked cautiously toward the source of the breathing. In front of him stood a particularly large mountain of discarded cardboard boxes that seemed to be blocking their path.
CRASH!
Suddenly, a loud rumbling sound echoed through the alley. The mountain of waste cardboard boxes in front of them began to collapse and fall in all directions. Ash saw the avalanche of boxes coming toward them and instinctively stepped backward to avoid being hit.
"RAAAAH!" A powerful roar accompanied the falling debris.
A figure emerged from within the pile of waste materials. Ash could see a pair of eyes opening, glowing with an intense yellow light that seemed almost electric in nature.
BZZZZT! A tremendous crackling sound filled the air as large bolts of lightning scattered wildly in front of them. The violent Thunder Shock attack directly blasted the surrounding cardboard boxes into ashes, filling the alley with smoke and the smell of burning material.
When Pikachu saw the electrical attack, it instinctively stepped forward to protect Ash from any stray lightning bolts. Through the bright flashes of electricity, Ash managed to see the figure that had emerged from the debris.
"Electabuzz!" he called out in recognition.
The Pokémon seemed to hear Ash's voice calling its name. The intense yellow glow in its eyes paused for a moment, and the electricity coursing through its body suddenly dissipated completely. Then, without warning, its body began to fall forward toward the ground.
"Electabuzz!" Ash rushed forward to catch the falling Electric-type Pokémon, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity as he reached out to help.
The Electabuzz was breathing heavily and with obvious difficulty. Misty and Brock were also startled by the sudden encounter. As Ash took a closer look at the injured Pokémon, he could see that its eyes were barely open and it was panting heavily from exhaustion.
It was clearly visible that Electabuzz had sustained serious injuries. Its condition appeared to be quite poor, and it was obviously in need of immediate medical attention.
"Pika!" Pikachu ran over immediately to join Ash. Like its trainer, Pikachu felt a strong sense of familiarity with the Electabuzz lying before them. The yellow mouse Pokémon seemed to recognize this particular Electric-type, though the circumstances of their meeting were confusing.
"An Electabuzz? Why would there be an Electabuzz here in such a terrible condition?" Misty observed the scene with both surprise and sympathy. It was obvious that this Pokémon had been seriously injured and was suffering.
"This Electabuzz... could it be..." Brock looked at the injured Pokémon thoughtfully, as if he was beginning to remember something important about their past encounters.
"We need to get to the Pokémon Center immediately!" Ash didn't waste time with speculation. He carefully lifted the injured Electabuzz into his arms.
Although Electabuzz was significantly larger than its pre-evolution Elekid, it was still only about 1.2 meters tall and weighed around 60 to 70 kilograms. This made it relatively manageable for Ash to carry, especially given the urgency of the situation.
Misty and Brock didn't ask any questions. They had originally planned to leave the city, but now all three of them hurried back toward the Pokémon Center as quickly as they could manage while carrying the injured Pokémon.
VROOOOM! While they were running along the road, they heard the sound of a motorcycle engine approaching. Officer Jenny, who was still on patrol, came driving over from the roadside. She spotted Ash and his friends immediately and quickly drove over to meet them.
"Ash, what happened?" Officer Jenny asked immediately when she saw the anxious expressions on all three of their faces.
"Officer Jenny! This Pokémon is badly injured - we need to get it to the Pokémon Center right away!" Ash explained urgently.
"Electabuzz? Isn't that..." Officer Jenny looked at the Electric-type Pokémon in Ash's arms and seemed slightly startled, as if she recognized it. She appeared to want to say something more, but this obviously wasn't the right time for a detailed conversation.
"Get on! I'll take you there immediately!" Officer Jenny said decisively.
"Thank you so much! I'll go ahead with Electabuzz," Ash said gratefully as he climbed onto the back of Officer Jenny's motorcycle. He then turned to his friends. "Misty, Brock, can you follow on foot?"
"Of course!" both of them replied without hesitation. Officer Jenny's motorcycle couldn't carry that many people safely, so she could only transport Ash and the injured Electabuzz first. Misty and Brock would have to make their own way back to the Pokémon Center.
Officer Jenny immediately turned on her siren and spoke into her radio communicator with authority.
"Emergency situation! All vehicles and pedestrians ahead, please clear the road immediately!"
Accompanied by the wailing sound of the siren, the motorcycle roared to life and sped through the city streets. They arrived at the Pokémon Center just a few minutes later.
Ash jumped down from the motorcycle first and rushed into the Pokémon Center with Electabuzz still in his arms. He quickly located Nurse Joy at the main desk.
"What's happened to this poor Pokémon?" Nurse Joy asked with surprise when she saw Ash return. She had expected him and his friends to have left the city already, since they had checked out and departed earlier.
At the same time, she immediately noticed the Electabuzz in Ash's arms. It was obvious at first glance that the Electric-type Pokémon had sustained serious injuries and needed immediate medical care.