Chapter 280: Evolution — Tangrowth
Ho-Oh was a Tier 1 Legendary Pokémon, and more than that, it was the sacred guardian of Johto itself.
To ordinary Pokémon, Ho-Oh was the king above all kings, like a divine ancestor, a godlike being beyond their reach.
And indeed, Ho-Oh truly was a deity.
With the ability to resurrect the dead, it possessed a power no ordinary Legendary could ever hope to wield.
Though Ho-Oh had long since disappeared, the Clear Bells were preserved as its sacred relics.
The Tangela would never allow humans to defile those bells, for within them resided Ho-Oh's lingering will.
"But Tangela, we're not thieves. In fact, we're here searching for the real thieves who stole the Clear Bells, just like you."
Through the power of Aura, Yozora transmitted his thoughts to the Tangela leader before him.
Gradually, under the astonished eyes of everyone present, the Tangela leader's scarlet, rage-twisted eyes softened. Its terrifying visage returned to calm.
First the leader, then all the other Tangela, until finally, every Pokémon around them settled down.
They had chosen to trust Yozora.
"Incredible…" Both Morty and Eusine, as well as Ash and his friends, stared at Yozora in awe.
To calm the fury of wild Pokémon with nothing but the heart of a human—if they didn't know better, they might have mistaken him for Ho-Oh itself.
Just then, a Gengar emerged from underground and nodded to Morty.
Morty understood. He turned to the group."Everyone, the Clear Bells have been located. Let's go."
And so, they followed Gengar through the woods. Even the Tangela leader came along.
This Tangela leader, truth be told, wasn't very strong—only at the peak of Senior level. The others were weaker still.
For Yozora, these wild Pokémon, though numerous, were little more than paper tigers. If he wished, he could sweep them aside with force just as easily as with Aura.
But he would not.
Toward Pokémon, Yozora always showed a gentleness he would never afford Team Rocket. Unless absolutely necessary, he would never resort to violence.
At last, guided by Gengar, they found the missing Clear Bells in a forest outside the city.
Dozens of wild Pokémon were guarding them. And strung up like mummies in sticky webbing were the real culprits—the Team Rocket trio, dangling helplessly from the branches.
"Team Rocket! Of course it was you again!" Ash and his friends shouted furiously.
"Save the lecture—just get us down already!" Jessie and James cried out.
"I've got a bad feeling, meow…" Meowth muttered. It could understand the language of Pokémon and sensed the hostility radiating from the surrounding Pokémon toward the humans.
Sure enough—
Moments later, the wild Pokémon encircled Yozora and the others, just as they had outside the Bell Tower.
Back then, they had been mistaken as the thieves who stole the Clear Bells.
Now, even though the real culprits had been caught, the wild Pokémon believed Yozora's group were their accomplices, here to free them and steal the relics once more.
"Tangela, tangela…" The Tangela leader stepped forward to defend them.
But before it could finish speaking, it was struck and hurled back by a vicious Vine Whip.
Yozora quickly caught the injured Tangela and gave it a reassuring smile."It's alright. Leave this to me."
The words had barely left his lips when countless Vine Whips lashed toward him. Morty, Eusine, and Ash's group shouted in alarm.
But Yozora simply raised his hand. Aura surged outward, forming a blue barrier that encased both him and the Tangela leader.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The barrier held firm, unshaken even as the whips rained down.
"Impossible… a human can do this?" The others stared, shaken. For a moment, they truly believed Yozora must be Ho-Oh's avatar in human form.
Just as Yozora was about to extend his Aura to speak with the Pokémon—
A majestic roar shook the forest.
At once, the wild Pokémon fell silent. Their fury faded into calm.
The webs strung through the forest dissolved, vanishing into nothingness.
"Thud!"
Jessie, James, and Meowth crashed to the ground. Though groaning in pain, they barely seemed to notice. Their eyes were fixed in shock upon the cliff ahead.
Everyone else turned too—Yozora, Ash, Morty, Eusine.
There, upon a high cliff, stood a shining blue figure.
Suicune.
"The Aurora Pokémon… Suicune!"
Everyone was stunned—none more so than Eusine and Team Rocket.
"Whatever it is—Suicune, Firecune, we'll take it for Team Rocket! Go, Arbok!" Jessie shouted.
"Go, Weezing!" James added.
The Rocket trio, as always, rushed headlong toward death. Within seconds, Suicune blasted them into the sky with psychic force.
"Suicune! I've searched for you for so long! You will be mine! Go, Alakazam!" Eusine cried.
But his ace Pokémon lasted less than a single move. With a roar, Suicune sent Alakazam flying back into its Poké Ball.
"No… impossible…" Eusine's face went pale with despair.
Years of searching. Years of raising Alakazam. Yet it couldn't endure even one strike…
All eyes turned to Yozora.
He was the strongest among them. If anyone could capture Suicune, surely it would be him.
But Yozora made no move.
"Yozora… aren't you going to try?" Brock asked carefully.
Yozora shook his head. This Suicune's aura was overwhelming. Even if not a god-tier being, it was at least demi-god level.
Even with all his Pokémon together, he had no chance.
There was no way this was an ordinary Suicune. He suspected… this was the original Suicune, the one revived by Ho-Oh itself—Ho-Oh's chosen emissary.
"Tangela, tangela…"
The Tangela leader stepped forward reverently. Suicune met its gaze.
Then—
A white light burst forth. Tangela evolved into Tangrowth.
The towering vine Pokémon now stood over two meters tall, with massive vine-arms like powerful limbs.
"That's… Tangrowth? Could its evolution be connected to Suicune?" Morty gasped.
Tangela were already rare; Tangrowth even rarer. Humanity had never fully understood its evolution.
"It's Ancient Power," Yozora said, smiling. "A Tangela that learns Ancient Power will evolve."
To prove it, he gave a command:"Tangrowth—use Ancient Power!"
Tangrowth raised its arms. Huge boulders the size of basketballs rained down, piling into a rocky mound several meters high.
"This doesn't prove anything," Eusine objected. "Maybe it already knew Ancient Power before evolving."
"No."
Yozora shook his head firmly. "Tangela cannot use Ancient Power. The moment they learn it, they evolve. If you doubt me, capture some Tangela yourself—you'll see."
Morty nodded slowly."That makes sense. I've battled many Tangela before, but never once saw them use Ancient Power."
As the group debated, Suicune silently vanished. The Bell Tower incident was over.
After bidding farewell, Yozora and Ash's group went their separate ways.
Notably, Yozora captured the Tangrowth using a Research Ball. Soon after, he published a paper as a researcher, officially explaining Tangela's evolution.
Tangela evolves into Tangrowth by mastering Ancient Power.
The challenge now was how to help Tangela acquire the move.
Ancient Power was no ordinary technique. If it struck, all of the user's stats—attack, defense, speed, special attack, special defense—could rise at once. Few Pokémon were capable of learning it.
Yozora suggested trainers take their Tangela to ancient ruins, where the aura of legends lingered. With long enough exposure, Tangela might awaken Ancient Power.
Better still, if possible, let Tangela encounter a Legendary Pokémon, for their very presence radiated primal energy.
The paper caused a sensation.
Professors everywhere captured Tangela for testing. As expected, none could use Ancient Power.
But every Tangrowth examined could.
Thus, Yozora's theory was confirmed.
Scholars marveled at his genius. Unable to contact him directly—since cell phones were still in development—they called Professor Oak one after another, showering him with praise.
"Professor Oak, truly the pillar of our field! Even his students are prodigies!"
"This Yozora… his future is limitless!"
Flattered beyond measure, Oak could hardly stop smiling.
Meanwhile, Yozora was deep in the mountains, training.
"Dragonite, use Extreme Speed!"
At the base of a mountain, Dragonite blurred forward in a streak of light, demonstrating the technique for Growlithe.
"Did you catch that, Growlithe?" Dragonite asked, panting after several repetitions.
Growlithe nodded eagerly and tried the move itself. In a flash of golden light, it shot forward with astonishing speed—
But it couldn't control the dash and slammed headfirst into a massive boulder.
BANG!
The rock cracked. Growlithe collapsed, eyes swirling, unconscious.
Time passed swiftly.
A month later, Growlithe had mastered Extreme Speed. Its power had risen dramatically, reaching the Commander-tier peak.
It had grown larger, stronger, more imposing than most of its kind—just standing there radiated authority.
Yozora's Current Team:
Dragonite: Elite Level, entry stage
Ampharos: Gym Leader Level, entry stage
Eevee: Lord-tier, peak
Crystal Onix: Lord-tier, advanced
Tangrowth: Lord-tier, entry stage
Growlithe: Commander-tier, peak
Pokémon: Tangrowth
Type: Grass
Abilities: Chlorophyll + Drought + Huge Power + Flash Fire
Tier: Lord-tier, entry stage
Potential: Champion-level
Moves: Vine Whip, Bind, Growth, Ancient Power, Stun Spore, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder
Description: A Tangrowth with incredible potential, capable of overwhelming strength. Under sunny weather, it shines brightest.
Its base ability was Chlorophyll, doubling its speed in harsh sunlight.
Yozora then granted it Drought, letting it summon sunshine immediately upon entering battle.
This meant Tangrowth would always enjoy doubled speed.
Ordinarily bulky and slow, Tangrowth became a swift powerhouse under sunlight.
Already strong enough to rival the final evolutions of starter Pokémon, now its one weakness—speed—had been eliminated.
Tangrowth's power soared to new heights.
(End of Chapter)