Chapter 15: The Dark Forest and the Abandoned Base

Chapter 15: The Dark Forest and the Abandoned Base

After leaving the gym, Ron and Lillie returned to the Pokémon Center to heal their Pokémon.

Meanwhile, Lt. Surge had also stopped accepting challengers.

It seemed he had taken Ron's suggestion seriously and decided to temporarily close the gym to restructure his challenge system.

This greatly reduced the pressure on the Pokémon Center.

However, when Xiao Fei heard the gym would be closed for a few days, he was speechless—he hadn't even had the chance to challenge Lt. Surge yet.

Ron ignored Xiao Fei's complaints.

He still had more badges to collect, and his mission required two more Pokémon.

He had already set his sights on them.

One was the giant Onix from Mt. Silver, which even Elite Four's Bruno had his eyes on.

If he could get there before Bruno, he'd have a chance.

The second was Giovanni's Mewtwo.

The giant Onix was strong enough to catch Bruno's attention, so it was definitely no ordinary Pokémon.

As long as Ron could reach Mt. Silver first, he had a shot.

Mewtwo, however, was an entirely different challenge.

Capturing it would practically guarantee victory in the Pokémon League.

But there was one big problem—would Mewtwo even be willing to follow him?

If he failed to convince Mewtwo before it escaped, then catching it would become nearly impossible.

His current team wasn't strong enough to battle a Legendary Pokémon, let alone one as powerful as Mewtwo.

And if he did manage to capture Mewtwo, Team Rocket would never let him go.

Unless he kept Mewtwo hidden, life would never be peaceful again.

Ron was realistic—his current team could reach the Top 4 in the League, but after that, he'd be facing only the strongest trainers.

With so few Pokémon, his opponents would target his weaknesses.

Without Mewtwo, his chances of winning were slim.

With Mewtwo, however—unless his opponent also had a Legendary Pokémon, victory was almost guaranteed.

Still, thinking too much wouldn't help.

The key was to keep improving his strength.

Without power, even meeting Mewtwo would be impossible, let alone catching it.

After healing their Pokémon, Ron and Lillie prepared to leave for Celadon City.

Checking the map, they had two routes to choose from.

A direct highway—by car, they could reach Celadon in a day.

The Dark Forest—a long route filled with wild Pokémon.

The forest's name alone suggested it was home to many Ghost-type Pokémon.

Ron's eyes lit up.

He didn't have any Ghost-types yet.

Catching one would cover his team's weakness.

After discussing with Lillie, she agreed.

"Ron, I think taking the forest route is better."

"We'll get to see many different Pokémon."

"And besides, we're traveling—we shouldn't just be using vehicles all the time."

Ron nodded in agreement.

The Dark Forest it was.

After stopping by the market to stock up on medicine and supplies, they set off.

Following the game's map, the forest supposedly had a Diglett Tunnel leading to Pewter City.

But since their goal was Celadon, they wouldn't be taking that route.

The moment they stepped into the forest, they realized it was exactly as described—full of diverse Pokémon species.

Lillie's eyes were instantly drawn to a Pikachu eating fruit in a tree.

She clenched her fists, eagerly announcing.

"Ron, I want to catch that Pikachu!"

Ron smirked.

"Then go for it—I'll back you up."

Lillie ran up to the Pikachu and called out.

"Pikachu, I want to catch you! Battle me!"

Ron watched with approval.

Spending time with him had changed Lillie.

Before, she wasn't interested in battling.

But after their double battle, she had started enjoying it.

Though her skills weren't great yet, she was growing.

Instead of asking Ron to catch Pokémon for her, she was taking the initiative.

This was a big step forward.

"Pika?"

Pikachu tilted its head in confusion.

Ron chuckled.

"Pikachu, battle her."

"She wants to be your trainer."

The young Pikachu, still inexperienced, didn't fully understand battles yet.

But after hearing Ron's explanation, it shook its head, then hopped away.

"Wait! Battle me!"

Lillie wasn't giving up that easily.

She immediately ran after it, waving her Poké Ball.

Ron blinked, then chuckled.

Before he could react, both Pikachu and Lillie had disappeared from sight.

"Hah… guess I'd better catch up."

Shaking his head, he ran after them.

As he ran, suddenly—

"Ahhh!"

Lillie screamed.

Ron skidded to a stop.

Turning around, he saw only an empty path… and a large hole in the ground.

His expression darkened.

Rushing to the edge of the hole, he peered down.

It was pitch black inside.

"Lillie! Are you okay?!"

"Ugh… I think my foot is injured."

Lillie's pained voice echoed from below.

Ron gritted his teeth.

"Hold on! I'm coming down!"

Taking out a rope from his backpack, he secured it to a tree, tying the other end around his waist.

Giving it a firm tug, he confirmed it was sturdy.

Then, slowly lowered himself into the hole.

When he reached the bottom, he lit a camping lantern.

In the dim light, he quickly spotted Lillie.

She was sitting on the ground, clutching her right foot in pain.

Seeing him, she winced.

"Ron… I think my foot is dislocated."

"It hurts a lot."

Ron knelt beside her.

After a quick examination, he confirmed it was indeed a dislocation.

Taking a deep breath, he asked.

"Lillie, do you like me?"

"W-What? I—"

"Ahhh!"

Before she could finish, Ron reset her joint in one swift motion.

Sweating, he sighed.

"Alright, you're good now. But you shouldn't move too much."

"I'll carry you."

As Ron lifted Lillie onto his back, she held the lantern up and gasped.

"Ron, look around… this place looks like an abandoned underground base!"

Ron turned his head, scanning their surroundings.

The walls were made of metal, and old, broken glass and scattered papers littered the floor.

It looked like a secret laboratory.

Ron frowned.

"There should be an exit somewhere."

"We should look around first."

If they could find a way out, they wouldn't have to climb back up—which might risk injuring Lillie again.

With that decision, they began exploring the abandoned base.