The King's Rock was an important evolutionary item.
When held by a Pokémon, any damaging move that would not normally cause flinching had a ten percent chance of making the target flinch. If the item was thrown at a target, it would also cause the target to flinch. Outside of battle, certain Pokémon could evolve while holding it.
Ash looked at the King's Rock he had won from the tournament but did not feel particularly excited.
The reason was simple. Although it was rarer than an Evolution Stone, his system shop also sold King's Rocks, and their quality was far superior to the one in his hand.
The King's Rock he had previously given Slowpoke had been exchanged from the system shop. Aside from being a little expensive, it had been perfect in every other respect.
He might as well save this one for Misty. She still had a Poliwhirl, so he could find an opportunity to give it to her later and let Poliwhirl evolve into Politoed.
After all, Misty's Poliwhirl had evolved into Politoed in the original story too. This could be considered correcting the timeline.
"Ash, it's time to eat."
After leaving Rikishii Town, Ash sent Snorlax back to Professor Oak's lab. Before doing so, however, he purchased several Technical Machines containing moves suitable for Snorlax, including Giga Impact, High Horsepower, Heavy Slam, and Earth Power.
Technical Machines were superior to move discs because they allowed Pokémon to comprehend moves more thoroughly and learn them much faster.
Ash then had Bayleef and Bulbasaur transferred back to him.
According to Professor Oak, Bulbasaur was already showing signs that it would evolve soon. Bayleef had also grown increasingly energetic while training with Bulbasaur. Barring any surprises, it would probably evolve before long as well.
As for Bulbasaur, it had been watching all its companions evolve one after another, and no one knew how it truly felt about that.
According to Professor Oak, aside from helping maintain order in the backyard, Bulbasaur spent every night sitting beneath the moon and staring blankly into the distance.
All three of Ash's Fire-type starters had reached their final evolutions. His Grass-type and Water-type starters were next.
"That should do it. Golbat, it's time to eat," Brock called.
Watching Golbat fly toward them, Misty could not help praising it. "Brock has raised Golbat so well."
Brock had caught Golbat at Mt. Moon, back when it was still a Zubat. It had evolved during Ash's previous encounter with Suicune.
Ash studied Golbat for a moment. With the right opportunity, it would probably evolve into its final form, Crobat.
Just as they were about to eat, Golbat seemed to sense something and suddenly flew toward one side of the forest.
Seeing this, Ash remembered what had happened in the original story.
There had been some kind of mask and staff that allowed their wielder to control Pokémon. Jessie of Team Rocket had been the one who wore the mask and wielded the staff.
At the time, Golbat had been the only Pokémon traveling with Ash's group that was unaffected by the mind control. After a difficult struggle, they had reclaimed the mask and staff, and Golbat had evolved into Crobat as a result.
With that in mind, Ash and the others recalled their Pokémon and followed Golbat deeper into the forest.
When they caught up, they found an attractive young woman with short red hair. Judging by her clothing, she appeared to be a Pokémon researcher and was currently adjusting a machine.
After introducing themselves, they learned that her name was Tierra. She had come in search of a golden mask and staff hidden within an ancient temple. The ever-helpful Brock repaired her ultrasonic detector, which was probably what had attracted Golbat.
Through an ancient stone tablet she had discovered, Tierra learned that a legendary mask and staff capable of controlling Pokémon were buried underground. She hoped to uncover their secret.
Ash responded, "As a Pokémon researcher, you're free to study ancient ruins, and I won't interfere with that. But I don't want this power to fall into the hands of villains. An item that disregards the bond between Pokémon and Trainer should never exist in this world."
"Ash is right," Misty said, fully supporting his opinion.
With the help of Brock and the disguised Team Rocket trio, they soon finished repairing the detector.
Events then unfolded just as they had in the original story. With Golbat scouting the way, Tierra and the others discovered the location of the mask.
A golden mask and a red staff appeared silently before them. Both artifacts radiated waves of mysterious power, almost as if they were tempting everyone to reach out and claim them.
Jessie could no longer restrain herself. She charged forward, put on the mask, and then grabbed the staff.
"Power..." she said, trembling. "I can feel power unlike anything I've ever experienced before."
"This is bad!" Misty cried.
"Why aren't you bowing before your queen?"
Jessie pointed the staff at Meowth. "Meowth, perform a ridiculously funny dance for me."
Upon hearing the command, Meowth said nothing and immediately began dancing.
"Good. Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on your master."
A red light flashed across Pikachu's body, but Pikachu immediately shook its head, completely unaffected.
"What? How could you possibly break free from my control?" Jessie asked in disbelief.
"Because Pikachu and I share a deep friendship and an unbreakable bond. Something like that toy in your hands could never control him so easily."
"That's right. A Trainer must form a connection with their Pokémon's heart. That is what creates a true bond," Brock said as he stood beside Ash with Golbat.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
"Golbat, use Hyper Beam!"
Lightning and an orange beam struck the Team Rocket trio and blasted them away. However, since they were underground, they could not go flying off into the distance.
Ash picked up the two artifacts. "I said from the beginning that these things could never be allowed to fall into anyone's hands. I'm sorry, Tierra."
Before Tierra could stop him, Ash shattered both the mask and the staff into pieces.
Golbat also successfully evolved into Crobat.
...
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