Mt. Moon, a mountain in the northern Kanto region, is located between Pewter City and Cerulean City, and is famous for its wild Clefairy and frequent meteor showers.
It is said that the meteorites that fall here turn into Moon Stones, and fossils can also be excavated here.
However, Mt. Moon is difficult to traverse, so most travelers pass through the caves.
In the deep caves, paths extend in all directions.
Adrian was riding his newly bought bicycle, with a headlight illuminating the way.
Pichu was perched on Adrian's head, its diamond-shaped black ears constantly twitching, cautiously listening to the surrounding movements.
At the slightest rustle, Pichu would give a warning.
There was no other way; although Gyarados was more powerful and better at handling various crises, its size was simply too large and inconvenient to have out.
Pichu, on the other hand, was small and could just be kept in a pocket or on his head.
"Na~"
Suddenly, a wild pokémon, deep blue all over with purple ear canals and wing membranes, no eyes, but four teeth visible in its wide-open mouth, flew out of a small side cave.
It seemed to have been startled awake by the sound of Adrian cycling, and its face was full of impatience. It aimed its large mouth at Adrian and immediately shot out an invisible sound wave, making his eardrums ache.
"It's Zubat's Supersonic move!"
Adrian put one foot on the ground, quickly covered his ears with his hands, and then shouted, "Pichu, counterattack with Thunder Shock!"
"Pichu~"
Pichu paused, looking adorably dumbfounded.
"Ah? Me, fight?"
"I don't know how!"
"What are you waiting for? Thunder Shock!"
Hit by Supersonic, Adrian's face showed pain.
"Pi~"
Pichu nodded and jumped, its cheek pouches immediately sparkling with electricity, then a thumb-thick current shot out, accurately hitting the Zubat in mid-air.
"Na~"
Zubat shrieked, its body somewhat stiff and numb, slowly falling to the ground with black smoke rising from it.
After completing the attack, Pichu accurately landed back on Adrian's head.
"Pichu, well done!"
Adrian quickly praised it.
After the feather of intelligence and the nourishment from the energy cubes these past few days, Pichu's overall abilities had greatly improved.
Dealing with a wild Zubat was naturally not a problem.
"Pichu~"
Receiving praise and looking at its own masterpiece, Pichu was also slightly dazed.
"So I'm that amazing?"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
But just then, a flurry of urgent wing beats suddenly sounded.
Immediately after, a large group of Zubat, dozens of them, flew out of the small side cave.
They must have been awakened by the sound of the earlier battle, and now, seeing their companion injured, they naturally turned their aggression towards Adrian and Pichu.
"Pi~"
Seeing a large group of Zubat fiercely attacking, Pichu's expression changed dramatically. It immediately scurried behind a rock in the cave, trembling, with only its rear visible.
Adrian was speechless watching Pichu quickly make its escape.
This little guy, small in stature, was even smaller in courage, with weak battle will.
It was fine in a Tailwind battle, but when facing strong enemies, it always couldn't help but feel timid and run away.
Of course, this was also due to its upbringing in a harsh environment.
"It seems Pichu still needs to battle more in the future!"
Left with no choice, Adrian could only release Gyarados to deal with them.
"Roar~"
Accompanied by a deafening roar, Gyarados's massive form appeared, almost completely filling the cave.
"Na~"
Upon seeing Gyarados's fierce and intimidating appearance, the wild Zubat swarm, not being foolish, immediately retreated.
"Pi~"
After the danger passed, Pichu, hiding behind the rock, scratched its head and returned with a red face.
"Oops, it's a habit!"
"Return, Gyarados!"
Adrian didn't say much. After recalling Gyarados, he continued cycling forward, and before long, he exited the cave.
"Finally out of Mt. Moon!"
Seeing the light again, Adrian was also excited.
Looking out from high up on Mt. Moon, the city of 'Pewter City' at the foot of the large rocky mountain to the northwest was clearly visible, and even a glimpse of the distant Viridian Forest could be faintly seen.
"Huh? There's a small lake at the foot of the mountain?"
Adrian exclaimed in surprise, his face full of delight.
Passing through the Mt. Moon caves had taken him a full two days.
In other words, Adrian hadn't fished for two whole days, which was undoubtedly an ordeal for a fisherman.
Now, his hands were practically itching to fish.
"Come on, let's go fishing at the lake first."
Adrian excitedly got on his bike and slid down the mountain slope.
Compared to fishing, Gym battles and such were minor details.
After all, Adrian's progress to this day was all thanks to fishing.
"Here we go!"
Arriving at the lake and baiting his hook, Adrian quickly cast his rod.
Thump!
The bait entered the water, creating ripples.
This was a small lake, with a water area of less than a thousand square meters, so there probably weren't many Water-type pokémon living there, but it was excellent for relieving Adrian's fishing addiction.
Perhaps because of the small water area, the pokémon underwater discovered the bait as soon as it entered the water.
"Got a bite! Got a bite!"
Adrian was overjoyed and quickly reeled in his rod.
"Pi~"
Pichu's eyes also widened at the sight, and electric arcs flickered on its cheeks.
As soon as Adrian gave the order, it would immediately attack.
Before long, a pokémon with a blue body but a white belly, large round ears, a black, curvy tail with a blue sphere at the end, was reeled out of the water.
"It's Marill!"
Adrian's eyes widened, filled with pleasant surprise.
Marill's evolved form, Azumarill, was known as the 'Dragon Slayer,' with its Fairy typing and Huge Power ability, it made all Dragon-types cry for their parents.
In his previous life, Azumarill's famous scenes were also widely circulated.
"Dragon-types, not a single one could stand against it!"
"I remember that 'Huge Power' isn't Marill's hidden ability, so that means..."
Adrian looked at the Marill on the hook, his gaze burning.
If it really was a Huge Power Marill, then he would definitely catch it.
"[Caught 'Marill', rewarded with 1 'help' tm.]"
"[First time catching 'Marill', additionally rewarded with 1 'Draining Kiss' tm.]"
The cheat ability reward prompt appeared, followed by Marill's ability panel.
"[pokémon: Marill]"
"[Type: Water + Fairy]"
"[Ability: Thick Fat (Protected by thick fat, it takes half damage from Fire-type and Ice-type moves)]"
"[Moves: Tackle, help, Water Gun, Rollout, Defense Curl, Bubble Beam, Charm]"
"Thick Fat ability?!"
Upon seeing Marill's panel, Adrian was disappointed.
The Thick Fat ability was very practical for Venusaur, as Venusaur was weak to Fire and Ice, and it could significantly reduce damage.
But for Marill, it was undoubtedly useless, because Marill itself resisted Fire and Ice, so further damage reduction from Thick Fat had little meaning.
"Don't be scared, I won't hurt you."
Adrian didn't attack Marill. Instead, he used his old trick, taking out bait to build rapport, and said, "Go, call your adult."
"Pichu~"
Pichu also cutely went forward to make friends, indicating that "my trainer is a very good person" to gain Marill's trust.
Seeing that Adrian and Pichu had no ill intentions, Marill also relaxed. It timidly ate a few bites of bait, then submerged back into the water.
Adrian then re-baited his hook and cast his rod again, waiting for a big fish to bite.