34. The First Night In Viridian Forest

Misty doesn't know how to cook, but Ash can. Unfortunately, he didn't bring a complete set of kitchen utensils, so he couldn't do much. He simply found some wild fruits and dry food.

The Pokémon had their food, which Ms. Joy had given them as a token of gratitude when they departed from Viridian City.

Although it wasn't a lavish meal, it was already quite good for the wild.

"Are you going to rest now?" Misty asked after eating and resting, sitting in front of the camp fire.

"No, I still plan to train for a while. If you're afraid, don't wander around. With a camp fire here, Bug-type Pokémon won't approach casually."

Ash shook his head slightly after hearing her, got up, and stretched. Pikachu and Caterpie settled on Ash's shoulders, and he reminded Misty by the way.

"Understood, don't tire yourself out!" Misty was moved by Ash's concern and responded with care.

With that, Ash led Pikachu, Caterpie, and Magikarp into the forest along the river. There were few trees by the river, and the moonlight illuminated it, so it wasn't too dark, and the path was still visible.

"Caterpie, please!" Ash called to Caterpie standing by the river.

"Momo~~~"

Caterpie spat out white silk thread after hearing Ash. Caterpie's silk thread was stronger than a normal rope, and it would only get stronger as Caterpie grew.

Ash found a stump and asked Caterpie to tie it to Magikarp with a String Shot, continuing to let Magikarp swim with weights.

Then Ash arranged a training plan for Caterpie, but Pikachu was the main focus. His Iron Tail was almost mastered, and Ash wanted to continue training it.

Neither Caterpie nor Magikarp was currently suitable for challenging Pewter Gym; Pikachu's Iron Tail would be the key.

"Okay, Pikachu, remember the feeling from this morning? Maintain that feeling, again!" After arranging the training for Magikarp and Caterpie, Ash started coaching Pikachu again.

"Pika!"

Pikachu didn't waste any time. Following Ash's morning instructions and his muscle memory, he rushed forward, jumped high, and aimed at the big tree in front of him again.

"Pika...chuu!"

Pikachu seemed to have adapted to this condition. As he jumped, his tail strength improved. This time, his tail shone brightly.

However, it was just a simple white light, without the metallic luster of Iron Tail.

"Very good!!" Although it wasn't complete, Pikachu had made significant progress. The moment Ash saw the light, he also saw hope.

Pikachu fell from the air towards the big tree, but just before his tail touched the tree, the light on his tail suddenly disappeared, and Pikachu was startled.

His tail landed on the tree and was bounced back. Ash saw this and ran up to catch him.

"Are you okay?" Holding Pikachu, Ash breathed a sigh of relief and asked.

"Pika..." Pikachu shook his head slightly, his ears drooping in disappointment. He had thought he was going to succeed.

"It's okay, you've made great progress. Don't be discouraged; keep working hard!" Ash said, comforting the dejected Pikachu.

To be honest, Pikachu was advancing faster than Ash expected. Cultivation is long and hard, and the best Ash could do was to encourage them.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cheered up quickly after hearing Ash's words and jumped out of his arms to try again. The constant sounds in the jungle during the night, combined with the gloomy woods, made for a spooky atmosphere.

Swish...

"Try again... huh?" Ash was instructing when he heard noises from the surrounding grass. He turned his head to look around but saw nothing in the darkness.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu was waiting for Ash's order and looked at him in confusion when he hadn't spoken for a while.

"Pikachu, did you hear something?" Ash asked, a bit unsettled.

It was the first time he had felt like he was being watched. Although he didn't have any Psychic abilities, Ash had been training himself to enhance a mysterious power over the years. This power enhanced his senses. Once or twice might have been due to his nerves, but this time felt different.

"Pika?" Pikachu found Ash's tone strange and listened carefully, his ears twitching slightly. Pikachu's hearing was excellent, but he had been so focused on training that he hadn't noticed anything else.

Whoosh, whoosh!

As Ash looked around, a gust of evening wind blew, causing the surrounding leaves to rustle. Pikachu couldn't hear anything, and Ash couldn't feel anything either. Looking around, Ash didn't find anything. He wasn't sure if it was Team Rocket, but if it was, he wasn't worried.

"Forget it, it was probably just the wind or a Pokémon in the forest. Let's continue."

"Pika!" Pikachu didn't hesitate and continued training.

After working hard until late at night, Ash called Caterpie back, then waited for Magikarp to swim back by the river. They returned to the camp to find Misty still not resting, sitting alone in front of the camp fire with her chin in her hand. She dozed off from time to time, looking like she might fall to the ground from exhaustion at any moment. Ash saw this and walked over.

"It's dangerous to sit and doze off in front of the fire!" Ash stepped forward and reminded her.

"Ah!! That... I..." Misty started, wanting to explain that she was afraid of Bug-type Pokémon approaching while she slept in the forest. Though she was in a tent, she was still scared, especially with Caterpie on Ash's shoulder.

"Go to bed early! We have to get up early tomorrow!" Ash smiled and didn't press her further. He brought Pikachu and Caterpie into the tent.

Misty breathed a sigh of relief, but for some reason, it always felt like Ash could guess what was on her mind.

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