Mt. Moon was a mountain in the northern part of the Kanto region, located between Pewter City and Cerulean City.
It was famous for wild Clefairy and frequent meteor showers.
Legend had it that meteorites falling here would transform into Moon Stones, and fossils could also be excavated from this place.
However, Mt. Moon was difficult to climb over, so ordinary travelers typically passed through the cave tunnels.
In the deep cavern, small paths led in all directions.
Caster was riding his newly bought bicycle forward, the bike's headlight providing illumination.
Pichu lay on top of Caster's head, its nearly diamond-shaped black ears constantly twitching, vigilantly listening for any movement around them.
If anything stirred, Pichu would sound the alarm.
This couldn't be helped. Although Gyarados was much stronger and better at handling various crises, its body was just too large, making it inconvenient to have outside.
Pichu, on the other hand, was tiny and could just stay in a pocket or on top of his head.
"Zubat~"
Suddenly, a wild Pokémon—deep blue all over with purple inner ears and wing membranes, eyeless but with a wide-open mouth showing four teeth—flew out from a small side cave.
It seemed to have been awakened by the noise of Caster riding his bike. Its face was full of annoyance as its large mouth aimed at Caster, immediately shooting an invisible sound wave that made his eardrums ache.
"It's Zubat's Supersonic attack!"
Caster braced himself with one foot, quickly covering his ears with his hands, then shouted, "Pichu, use Thunder Shock to counterattack!"
"Pichu~"
Pichu froze, looking adorably confused.
Huh? I'm supposed to fight?
I don't know how!
"What are you standing around for? Thunder Shock!"
Hit by Supersonic, Caster's face showed pain.
"Pi~"
Pichu nodded and jumped up. The electric sacs on its cheeks immediately sparked, then fired a thumb-thick electric current that shot out and precisely hit the Zubat in midair.
"Zubat~"
Zubat cried out in pain, its body somewhat stiff and numb, slowly falling to the ground while smoking.
After completing its attack, Pichu landed precisely back on top of Caster's head.
"Pichu, well done!"
Caster quickly praised it.
After being nourished by the Genius Feather and Energy Orbs these past few days, Pichu's abilities had improved tremendously in all aspects.
Dealing with one wild Zubat was naturally no problem.
"Pichu~"
Receiving praise and looking at its handiwork, Pichu was also slightly dazed.
I'm that amazing?
Flutter flutter flutter!
But just then, a rapid sound of flapping wings suddenly rang out.
Immediately after, a whole swarm of Zubat flew out from the small side cave, dozens of them at least.
They must have been awakened by the battle sounds just now. Discovering their companion injured, they naturally turned their attention to Caster and Pichu.
"Pi~"
Seeing the huge swarm of Zubat fiercely attacking, Pichu's expression changed dramatically.
It immediately high-tailed it and hid behind a rock in the cave, body trembling, only its rear end showing.
Watching Pichu decisively run away, Caster was speechless.
This little guy—small body, even smaller courage, weak fighting spirit.
It was fine when winning easily, but when facing strong enemies, it couldn't help feeling scared and running away.
Of course, this was also caused by its survival environment growing up.
"Looks like Pichu needs more battle experience going forward!"
With no choice, Caster could only release Gyarados to respond.
"ROAR~"
Accompanied by a deafening roar, Gyarados's massive form appeared, nearly filling the cave completely.
"Zubat~"
Seeing Gyarados's fierce, not-to-be-messed-with appearance, the wild Zubat swarm wasn't stupid and immediately retreated.
"Pi~"
After the crisis was resolved, Pichu, hiding behind the rock, scratched its head and came back with a red face.
Sorry, force of habit!
"Come back, Gyarados!"
Caster didn't say much. After recalling Gyarados, he continued riding forward and soon exited the cave.
"Finally out of Mt. Moon!"
Seeing daylight again, Caster felt a wave of excitement.
Looking out from high on Mt. Moon, the city of 'Pewter City' at the foot of the massive rocky mountain to the northwest was clearly visible, and even Viridian Forest in the distance could be partially seen.
"Huh? There's actually a small lake at the foot of the mountain?"
Caster exclaimed in surprise, his face full of delight.
Passing through the Mt. Moon cave had taken him a full two days.
In other words, Caster hadn't fished in two whole days, which was undoubtedly torture for a fishing enthusiast.
Right now, his hands were practically itching to death.
"Let's go fish at the lake first!"
Caster excitedly got on his bike and coasted down the mountain slope.
Compared to fishing, gym battles and such were just trivial side matters.
After all, Caster had gotten to where he was today entirely through fishing.
"Here goes nothing!"
Arriving at the lakeside and baiting his hook, Caster quickly cast his line.
Splash!
The bait hit the water, creating ripples.
This was a small lake with a water area of only about a thousand square meters.
There probably weren't many Water-type Pokémon living here, but it was perfect for satisfying Caster's fishing itch.
Perhaps because the water area was small, a Pokémon underwater noticed the bait as soon as it entered the water.
"I've got a bite! I've got a bite!"
Caster was overjoyed and quickly pulled the rod.
"Pi~"
Seeing this, Pichu also widened its eyes, electric arcs flashing on its cheeks.
As soon as Caster gave the order, it would immediately attack.
Before long, a Pokémon - blue with a white belly, large round ears, a black tail that zigzagged with a blue sphere at the tail's end, was pulled from the water.
"It's Marill!"
Caster's eyes widened with delight.
Marill's evolved form, Azumarill, was known as the 'Dragon Slayer,' with its Fairy type and Huge Power ability making all dragon-types cry for mercy.
In his past life, Azumarill's legendary moments were widely circulated.
Dragon-types, not a single one could stand against it!
"I remember Huge Power isn't Marill's hidden ability, so that means..."
Caster looked at the Marill that had taken the bait, his gaze burning.
If this really was a Huge Power Marill, he'd definitely catch it.
[Caught 'Marill.' Reward: 1 Helping Hand TM.]
[First time catching 'Marill.' Bonus reward: 1 Draining Kiss TM.]
The cheat's reward notification appeared, followed immediately by Marill's stat panel.
[Pokémon: Marill]
[Type: Water + Fairy]
[Ability: Thick Fat (Protected by thick fat, Fire-type and Ice-type move damage is halved)]
[Moves: Tackle, Helping Hand, Water Gun, Defense Curl, Rollout, Bubble Beam, Charm]
"Thick Fat ability?!"
After seeing Marill's panel, Caster was deeply disappointed.
The Thick Fat ability was very useful for Pokémon like Venusaur since it was naturally weak to Fire and Ice, greatly reducing damage.
But for Marill, it was undoubtedly useless since Marill already resisted Fire and Ice. Having Thick Fat reduce damage further didn't mean much.
"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."
Caster didn't attack Marill but used his old trick again, pulling out bait to build rapport, saying, "Go get your friends."
"Pichu~"
Pichu also came forward acting cute to make friends, indicating that its Trainer was a really good person, trying to gain Marill's trust.
Seeing that Caster and Pichu had no ill intentions, Marill also relaxed. It timidly ate a few bites of bait, then dove back into the water.
Seeing this, Caster re-baited his hook and cast his line again, then quietly waited for a big fish to bite.