As it turned out, Ash's judgment had been spot on.
While Pikachu still lacked physical conditioning, its tail was already one of its strongest and most vital body parts.
In just two days, it managed to learn Iron Tail. Of course, that only meant it could now use the move. To master it in real battles would take far more experience and training.
But what truly satisfied Ash was Charizard, who had been training with the heavy and rigid Forced Training Device—it had completely adapted to the weight and restriction!
"Again!"
Ash's fists glowed with a blue aura as he charged toward Charizard's swinging claws instead of dodging, meeting the blow head-on with his own punch.
But right at that moment, something about Charizard's claws changed.
"Huh?"
Ash's Aura flared with a sudden sense of danger, and he quickly dodged to the side.
In that instant, blue-green Dragon-type energy surged around Charizard's claws, shining with a sharp, dazzling light!
Slash!
Those claws looked sharp enough to slice through steel. After Ash dodged, they pierced deep into the rocky wall behind him.
"Stop!"
Ash immediately called for a halt. If those claws had actually hit him just now, even with the protection of Aura, he might've ended up seriously injured.
Brock and Misty rushed over.
"Ash, what was that just now?"
Ash glanced at Charizard, who looked just as confused. "Charizard… I think it just learned Dragon Claw. That's a Dragon-type move!"
"Dragon Claw?! That's amazing!" Misty's eyes sparkled with admiration—the move truly was impressive.
"Charizard, take some time to get used to Dragon Claw. That's it for today's special training." As he spoke, Ash removed the Forced Training Device from Charizard.
"Roar!"
Now unshackled, Charizard let out a triumphant roar, spewing fire into the sky. The pillar of flame surged over five meters high.
Stretching its arms, Charizard felt more powerful than ever before.
"Huh? What's this?"
Nearby, Brock suddenly exclaimed in surprise. In his hand was a beautiful, shimmering fragment of stone.
"This looks just like the necklace Miss Yuki wears! Don't tell me…" Misty's voice was filled with excitement.
Ash took the fragment from Brock. "Looks like luck's on our side today. Charizard's new Dragon Claw just happened to dig up a chunk of agate!"
"That's great! And it was Charizard who found it, too!" Misty said, looking delighted. "Huh? Is it just me, or does Charizard look taller now?"
Charizard had grown a little. Clearly, the effects of the Forced Training Device were showing results.
Not only that—Ash's bond with Charizard had risen to 175 out of 255. This training session had clearly paid off.
After Charizard had familiarized itself a bit more with Dragon Claw, Ash and his group packed up and made their way back to find Miss Yuki with the piece of agate they'd discovered.
"Miss Yuki, fate has brought us together once again!"
Yuki had been on the other side of the valley for the past few days, training a young Donphan to search for agate.
The moment they saw her, Brock vanished from Ash's side—only to reappear dramatically in front of her.
…Then vanished again, as Misty dragged him away.
"Ash, are you guys heading off already?" Seeing them all packed up, Yuki could immediately tell they were preparing to leave.
"That's right, Miss Yuki. We found this—could you tell us if it's really agate?" Ash handed over the stone fragment.
It was agate—and a rather high-quality one at that! Yuki was genuinely stunned.
When she asked how they had found it, she was amazed at Ash and Charizard's stroke of fortune.
Since she had promised to process it for free, Ash accepted the offer without hesitation.
The agate was just enough to make two pendants. Ash gave one to Misty—and the other, naturally, would go to his mother, Delia.
"Well then… time to say goodbye!"
. . . . . . . . .
After bidding Miss Yuki farewell and crossing through Donphan Valley, Ash and his group were—once again—lost.
Even though Ash had Aura powers that could help him sense direction, something about this forest felt wrong.
There was something truly eerie in the air.
"Ash, do something! I don't want to sleep in a creepy forest like this!"
Night was falling fast. While they were used to camping outdoors, something about this forest felt… off. Misty, for one, wasn't thrilled with the idea of spending the night somewhere that felt like ghosts could pop out at any moment.
Unknowingly, she was beginning to rely more and more on Ash.
Just as she finished speaking, a cold, eerie laugh echoed through the rustling leaves of the forest.
"Ahhh!!"
Without thinking, Misty clung tightly to Ash's arm. She hated this sort of thing the most.
Then they all saw it—strange ghostly faces appearing on the bark of nearby trees.
"Pikachu, that way—Thunderbolt!"
A flash of blue light. Ash quickly gave the order in the direction where he sensed the strange Aura.
"Gya-ha-ha-ha!"
Sure enough, even though nothing was visible, Pikachu's electricity struck something hidden on the trees.
There was a yelp of pain—followed by more eerie laughter.
"Hmph. Pikachu, try that direction!"
Ash pointed again—and once more, Pikachu hit the mark.
"That was Gengar… and Haunter, and Gastly!" Ash had finally caught a glimpse of the shadowy figures as they darted through the forest.
All of them were Ghost-type Pokémon!
"Misty, don't worry! These are all just illusions created by those Ghost Pokémon!" Ash gently reassured her.
"Ash, do you have any way to stop them?"
"I can sense their Auras, but I don't have a way to break the illusions. If only we had a Pokémon with Foresight…"
Ash let out a helpless chuckle.
"Ash, looks like you've grown a lot."
A voice echoed from deep within the forest.
That voice—Ash recognized it instantly. "Gary? Is that you?"
From the shadows emerged a familiar figure—Gary Oak, Ash's eternal rival.
And standing at his feet was a little owl-like Pokémon, balanced on one leg.
"Hoot?"
It was a Hoothoot!
Gary had brought it specifically to counter the illusions in this forest using its Foresight move.
"To get out of this confusing forest, we'll need Hoothoot to lead the way," Gary explained.
Ash nodded. "Alright then, Gary—let's get out of this place. And tomorrow, let's have a battle. One-on-one!"
"You're on."
Bond Levels:
Pikachu: 195/255
Charizard: 175/255
Snorlax: 135/255
Heracross: 100/250