Chapter 18: The Bat Disaster

Chapter 18: The Bat Disaster

As the two Pokémon collapsed simultaneously, Ron and Erika each recalled their respective Pokémon. Erika let out a sigh and said, "That was a mistake. If I hadn't used Petal Dance earlier, you wouldn't have won so easily."

Lillie, still riding Nidorina, walked over with an astonished expression. "So Gym Leaders are this strong? I always thought they weren't that impressive since Ron won so easily before!"

Ron knocked on Lillie's forehead lightly and said, "Who told you that? Gym Leaders are the strongest trainers in their cities. They don't just oversee Pokémon battles; they also help the League govern their respective towns and prevent wild Pokémon invasions. As for giving out Gym Badges, they don't send out their strongest Pokémon. Their job is to test and train skilled challengers for the League Tournament. If they always used their strongest Pokémon, almost no one would ever earn a badge."

Erika glanced at Ron with a slight smile and said, "You sure know a lot. Just as Ron said, young lady, don't underestimate Gym Leaders again. But I must congratulate you, Ron—you won fair and square. If your Mewtwo keeps growing at this pace, you might be the next champion."

Ron took the Rainbow Badge and placed it in his backpack. Curious, he asked, "So you're saying that if I competed in the Indigo League now, I wouldn't have a high chance of winning?"

Lillie's eyes lit up with interest. "Is there really someone stronger than Ron?"

Erika hesitated for a moment before saying, "Have you heard of Lance, the Dragon Master?"

Ron nodded and thought to himself: Isn't he the Flying-type Elite Four?

"Lance has a cousin named Clair, who is a Gym Leader in Johto. But he also has a younger cousin named Tao, who is about 13 years old now and has been serving the League for some time. Lance is set to move to Johto soon to take over as Champion, and the vacant Elite Four position might go to Tao. He's not as strong as Lance, but he's still one of the top trainers."

"He will also be competing in this year's Indigo League. I battled him before—he's even stronger than you, Ron."

Ron rubbed his chin and smirked. "Interesting. I thought with Mewtwo, this year's tournament would be boring. But now, it seems like I finally have a worthy rival. This is exciting!"

After being in the Pokémon world for so long, Ron had realized something—he had changed a lot. Back on Earth, he was just an ordinary person, living a monotonous life. But in the Pokémon world, even though the system pushed him forward, he had truly immersed himself in this world. Some parts of his personality, once buried deep, had begun to surface.

Now, he was cheerful, slightly cunning, and had a deep love for Pokémon battles. Facing powerful opponents didn't intimidate him—it excited him. Instead of fear, he felt thrilled to have strong rivals pushing him to become even stronger.

After saying goodbye to Erika, he also received a discount coupon for her perfume store. Although Ron had no interest in perfumes, Lillie was delighted—after all, it was a woman's natural instinct.

Lillie bought some perfume as a gift for her mother and sent it via Pokémon delivery service. After a day of rest in Celadon City, they stocked up on supplies the next day and set off for Fuchsia City.

Unlike the route Ash took in the anime, Ron chose a shorter path, passing three villages before reaching Fuchsia City.

Everything seemed smooth—until trouble struck on the very first day.

---

As evening approached, they set up camp near a small creek. Ron prepared dinner, while Lillie, still recovering from her injury, sat by the creek with a simple fishing rod, hoping to catch a fish to add to their meal.

All of their Pokémon were out, enjoying free time—some playfully sparring with each other. Mewtwo was training his psychic abilities, and seeing his determination, the rest of Ron's Pokémon felt immense pressure.

Even though Mewtwo was not yet level 30, he could already compete evenly with Pokémon above level 40. If they didn't train harder, they would soon be surpassed by the young Mewtwo. As proud older Pokémon, they refused to fall behind.

Ron watched with amusement, but he hadn't told them that Mewtwo was a Legendary Pokémon. He was glad to see them pushing themselves.

If his Pokémon could keep up with Mewtwo, or at least not get completely outclassed, then when Mewtwo eventually grew into a full-fledged Legendary, his entire team would be capable of fighting Legendary Pokémon as equals!

As the sky darkened, dinner was finally ready—a large pot of creamy soup, paired with bread and enough energy cubes for all the Pokémon.

Just as they were about to eat, a sharp screeching sound echoed from the distance, growing louder and closer.

Ron's face turned pale as he looked up—a massive swarm of Zubat and Golbat was approaching! At least a thousand of them!

"Get inside the tent! Don't engage them!" Ron shouted.

He immediately scooped up Lillie in a princess carry and rushed into the tent, recalling all his Pokémon to avoid conflict.

Wild Zubat and Golbat were known to suck blood. While a few bites wouldn't be dangerous, an entire swarm of thousands could easily drain them dry.

Although they sealed the tent shut, the continuous flapping and scratching sounds outside grew intense. The tent fabric was beginning to tear in several places.

Ron frowned and sent out Mewtwo, instructing him to reinforce the tent with Psychic energy to prevent collapse.

Lillie, visibly terrified, clutched Ron's arm tightly, her body trembling.

"Don't worry, I'm here." Ron tried to reassure her, but his shaking hands betrayed his own fear.

The saying "too many ants can kill an elephant" had never felt so real. Even a Legendary Pokémon wouldn't dare to provoke a swarm this massive—quantity could override quality in a situation like this.

The attack continued for what felt like an eternity. Finally, the swarm moved on, and the outside fell silent.

Stepping out of the damaged tent, Ron surveyed the aftermath—the camp was a disaster, but at least they were alive.

"Luckily, they only ate our food. No one was hurt." He let out a relieved sigh.

Lillie nodded, still shaken. She had never witnessed the sheer power of a massive wild Pokémon swarm before.

After a quick meal, they immediately packed up and left the area.

Staying there was too dangerous—there was no telling if the Zubat and Golbat would return for another attack. If they did, it could be fatal.

---

Traveling through the night, they finally reached a small town just before dawn.

Exhausted, they knocked on the Pokémon Center door until a sleepy Chansey answered.

After explaining their ordeal, Chansey finally let them inside.

Only after entering the Pokémon Center did Ron and Lillie finally feel safe again.

This was, without a doubt, the most dangerous encounter of their journey so far.

Drained both physically and mentally, the two collapsed into deep sleep, unaware of what awaited them next.