64. Shiny Axew

Join my Patreon for 40 more chapters and earlier updates for all members( For free members too):

patreon.com/Tempest_29

100 power stones=1bonus chapter

The explosion sent everyone flying, scattering the contents of a bag that had fallen to the ground. As the bag hit the ground with a thud, it burst open, spilling its contents and drawing everyone's attention. Ash glanced over to see what had emerged.

A Pokémon lay before them.

It had sharp horns on its head, with the area from its horns to its forehead a dry yellow color. The same hue surrounded its eyes, which looked like they had dark circles, while the rest of its body was a pale yellow.

The fur on its neck was slightly darker, resembling a scarf, and its limbs and tail were shorter than average.

The most distinctive feature was its teeth, which extended in a straight line from both sides of its mouth, forming a growth pattern that defied common sense.

"Huh? What Pokémon is that?"

Both members of Team Rocket looked on curiously. They had never encountered this Pokémon before, even with their vast experience and access to many different species.

"Which Pokémon is it?" Brock asked, equally perplexed.

"Axew??"

Ash, however, had seen this Pokémon before, though he hesitated because its color differed from the Axew he remembered.

The first appearance of Axew was in the Unova region, introduced in the 5th generation of Pokémon games. Not only is it rare outside the Unova region, but it is also a rare Dragon-type Pokémon even within Unova.

Of course, the real world differs from the anime, with each region conceived gradually by the writers.

In reality, Pokémon do not appear sequentially like in games and anime but coexist simultaneously across regions.

It's not uncommon for poachers to hunt rare Pokémon worldwide, but Axew itself is rare, and this particular Axew was even more unique—it was a shiny variant.

In simple terms, this was a shiny Axew, a Pokémon with a different coloration and a special appearance compared to its usual counterparts. Shiny Pokémon are those that appear in a different color from the norm.

Due to the loss of its original color, this Axew had also lost its natural camouflage, which, combined with its differences, might lead to some shiny Pokémon facing exclusion or challenges in the wild.

This type of Pokémon is usually stronger than its regular counterparts, a belief held by many, which also holds true in the games.

Shiny Pokémon require continuous encounters, known as chaining, to be captured, and in the games, as the number of encounters increases, the base stats of the Pokémon encountered tend to be stronger.

After a normal encounter results in a shiny Pokémon, its base stats are typically maxed out, known as 6IV.

So, it's often said that shiny Pokémon are stronger than regular Pokémon.

"Is that Pokémon called Axew?" Brock asked, puzzled, as he stood beside Ash and overheard him.

"Yeah! But its color is different from Mikey's, so it must be a shiny Pokémon," Ash nodded in agreement.

"Did you hear that? It's a very rare Pokémon," Jessie and James whispered cautiously while hiding behind cover.

"If we bring it back, the boss will be thrilled, Meowth!" The two of them began plotting mischievously.

At this moment, the Axew was restrained by a rope-like ring, its tiny arms tightly bound to its body. There was also a strange device on its mouth, clearly meant to keep it from using its powerful jaws.

"Damn kid, we won't let you get away with this!" The two poachers were furious, and it was clear they weren't going to back down easily.

Just as they prepared to launch an attack, the young Axew lying on the ground began to stir. Its eyelids trembled slightly before it slowly opened its eyes. Normally red, this Axew's eyes appeared purple due to its shiny coloration. As its eyes opened, a fierce light flashed in them, and its pupils seemed to lose their luster. The purple eyes glowed ominously, radiating a red light.

"Axew!"

Suddenly, the young Axew began to struggle violently, much to the surprise of everyone watching. The ring binding its body emitted bursts of electricity—clearly, this was no ordinary rope, and it made Axew cry out in pain. But within that roar, Ash could clearly hear something more—rage and madness. Axew was fighting against the electric current, and at the same time, its abdomen began to glow with a blue energy.

As the energy built up, it began to seep through the gaps in the mouth restraint, which couldn't withstand the pressure. A crack appeared in the device.

Boom!

Roar!

The moment the device shattered, a dragon's roar echoed through the cave, and a blue light burst forth. Not only did the device disintegrate, but the light also swept across the area.

"It's Dragon Rage! Get out of here!" Ash shouted to Pikachu and the others. Quickly, he and Brock took cover with Pikachu and Zubat.

The energy of Dragon Rage slammed into the ground and then surged into the air. The crew-cut poacher's Venomoth wasn't so lucky—it was hit directly by the attack, causing a massive explosion in the air.

"How could this happen?!" The two poachers were in shock, unable to believe what they were seeing.

But there was no time for them to recover from their surprise. The light continued to sweep through the cave, and its next target was Team Rocket.

Boom! Boom!

Team Rocket had no time to escape. They were caught in the blast, sent flying towards the cave entrance.

"Ah! Why does this always happen to us? We didn't even do anything this time!" Jessie, James, and Meowth cried out as they were blasted away, leaving only their trademark parting lines echoing behind them.

"Damn it! What do we do now?" the bald poacher growled in frustration.

"For now, we retreat!" the crew-cut poacher responded, though he was clearly reluctant. The situation was spiraling out of control—his Venomoth was down for the count, and the armored rhino was still disoriented from the earlier Supersonic attack.

And now, with the young Axew still in a frenzy and Ash and his friends on the scene, capturing the rare Pokémon seemed impossible.

"Kid, I won't let you off so easily next time we meet!" the poacher snarled as they recalled their Pokémon and prepared to retreat.

"That's if you can get away!" Ash retorted, frowning as he moved to block their escape. But before he could act, another beam of light shot out from Axew, cutting through the air and striking the cave walls around them.

Join my Patreon for 40 more chapters and earlier updates for all members( For free members too):

patreon.com/Tempest_29

100 power stones=1bonus chapter