Author's Note: News it seems the copy was done by Ai or some scrapping from the site it seems not sure but thats what google is saying regarding the site in general , I have also mailed them about it but thats it , I will focus on writing more chapters this week so enjoy and expect one daily at least for this week but you guys also have to respond to it well.
Grey's POV
I continued walking through the forest in search of the Butterfree colony but didn't find much of anything. Even the search duo wasn't having much success. Exeggutor found the dense concentration of Bug-type Pokémon troublesome, as many of their minds were constantly buzzing together and interfering with his attempts to pinpoint a specific group through his psychic senses. Persian was still somewhat useful, but her talent was more suited for finding hidden items than tracking Pokémon. While she could search for scents and trails, locating an entire colony wasn't exactly her specialty.
So, we switched to Plan B.
Caterpie's POV
It had been a wonderful day.
I had finally learned String Shot after practicing all morning.
I managed to sneak some delicious trainer food because one human wasn't paying attention to his lunch.
I hadn't been chased by any Spearow.
No Weedle had tried to stab me.
No Pidgey had mistaken me for breakfast.
Life was good.
Today was definitely one of the best days of my life.
Three minutes later...
Life was not good.
Very much not good.
I was cornered against a tree, crying, while a terrifying human stood in front of me with several enormous Pokémon beside him.
The giant coconut tree had too many faces.
The blue shell looked like it wanted to freeze me.
The cat kept staring at me with predator eyes.
And the dragon...
The dragon was just standing there.
That somehow made it even scarier.
The human crouched down before me.
"Hey Caterpie," he said with a smile that somehow made me even more nervous. "Do you know where your colony is?"
I shook my head furiously.
The coconut Pokémon's eyes glowed.
"...You're lying," the human replied after looking at his Pokémon.
Caterpie froze.
IT CAN READ MY MIND!?
The human sighed before continuing.
"Look, if you tell us where your colony is, I'll give you some really good Pokémon food. You look pretty hungry."
He paused for a moment.
"But if you don't..."
He slowly reached into his backpack.
Caterpie's imagination immediately ran wild.
He's getting a Poké Ball!
No... a net!
No... an even bigger Pokémon!
"I'LL TALK!" Caterpie squeaked immediately.
The tiny Bug-type pointed frantically deeper into the forest while babbling everything it knew.
Exeggutor listened through telepathy before turning toward me and nodding.
"He isn't lying."
I smiled.
"Thanks, little guy."
Reaching into my backpack once again, I pulled out a packet of Pokémon food and placed it gently in front of the Caterpie.
"There you go. A deal's a deal."
Without another word, my team and I headed deeper into the forest.
Caterpie stared at the food for several seconds before cautiously taking a bite.
Its eyes widened.
It immediately began stuffing the entire packet into its mouth before another Pokémon could steal it.
As it ate, only one thought remained in its tiny head.
Going outside the colony is terrifying.
From now on... I'm staying home.
———————————————————-
Grey's POV
Man... that Caterpie seemed incredibly weak-willed.
The little guy had started crying the moment I cornered it. Persian was laughing the entire time after that little incident, clearly finding the whole situation hilarious. Maybe she actually had talent for playing a villain in a movie or something.
Still, thanks to Caterpie's directions and Exeggutor getting a general idea of where it was pointing, we eventually managed to locate the Butterfree colony.
The moment we approached, a few Butterfree immediately flew out to intercept us. Their wings scattered fine powder into the air, and from the look of it they were about to put us to sleep before asking any questions.
"Hold on!" I quickly raised both hands before looking at Exeggutor. "Tell them our terms."
Exeggutor's eyes glowed as he relayed my thoughts through telepathy.
"My trainer isn't here to capture any of you. He simply wishes to battle the strongest Butterfree in this colony. Win or lose, he will reward you with high-quality Pokémon food. If your side wins, you'll receive even more food. However..."
Exeggutor paused as all six of his heads looked toward the gathered Butterfree.
"If you choose to attack first, all of us will fight back. We believe you're intelligent enough to understand that wouldn't end well for either side."
The Butterfree looked at one another before a few of them flew back into the colony.
A couple of minutes later...
Dozens of Butterfree emerged from deeper inside the forest.
I instinctively tensed for a second before one of them fluttered forward.
Exeggutor translated once more.
"They're only here to watch."
I relaxed a little.
After another short discussion among themselves, the Butterfree agreed.
A 3 vs 3 battle.
Third POV
Grey released his first Pokémon.
"Fraxure."
Across from him, a rather ordinary-looking Butterfree floated onto the battlefield.
Grey frowned slightly.
He had specifically asked for the strongest members of the colony.
This one didn't look particularly impressive.
He found out how wrong that assumption was almost immediately.
The Butterfree opened with Quiver Dance, gracefully boosting itself before suddenly darting between the trees.
It wasn't simply flying.
It was using String Shot to latch onto branches and swing through the forest almost like Spider-Man, changing direction so quickly that even Fraxure struggled to follow its movements.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Fraxure fired a Dragon Pulse toward it.
The Butterfree simply released another String Shot, swung to another tree, and the attack missed entirely.
The battle quickly became one of speed.
Fraxure repeatedly tried closing the distance while Butterfree continued dancing through the trees, stacking Quiver Dance after Quiver Dance. Dragon Rage and Dragon Pulse were both avoided with surprising agility.
Then Butterfree finally made its move.
A cloud of Sleep Powder drifted through the battlefield.
Fraxure tried backing away, but it was too late.
Within seconds, he collapsed asleep.
Butterfree didn't waste the opportunity, repeatedly striking the sleeping dragon until the referee Exeggutor signaled the end of the battle.
Butterfree fluttered over before looking directly at Grey.
Almost expectantly.
"...Right."
Grey sighed before taking out several portions of premium Pokémon food and placing them on the ground.
"A deal's a deal."
The victorious Butterfree happily accepted its reward while Grey recalled Fraxure.
...Man.
Butterfree are scary too.
The second battle began soon after.
Grey sent out Cloyster.
This time the opposing Butterfree had noticeably different wing patterns compared to the others, making it stand out slightly from the colony.
"Cloyster... don't hold back."
Unlike Fraxure, Cloyster had no trouble attacking from a distance.
Icicle Spears flew across the battlefield one after another, forcing Butterfree onto the defensive immediately.
The strange Butterfree responded with Bug Buzz, the vibrating sound waves disrupting several of the incoming spears before they could connect.
For a while, both Pokémon traded attacks almost evenly.
Then Cloyster used Shell Smash.
Everything changed.
His speed and power skyrocketed.
Icicle Spears now came so rapidly that Butterfree struggled to evade them. Cloyster even mixed in Counter Shield, firing spears in every direction and leaving almost no room for Butterfree to maneuver.
Eventually, one spear landed.
Then another.
Then several more.
The accumulated damage became too much, and Butterfree finally fell.
The watching colony began murmuring among themselves.
Grey simply walked over, placed a smaller pile of premium Pokémon food in front of the defeated Butterfree, and smiled.
"You fought well."
He then recalled Cloyster.
He also gave the food that was due but in less amount than last time.
The final battle was between Persian and what appeared to be a shiny Butterfree.
The colony clearly held high expectations for it.
The battle, however, ended surprisingly quickly.
The shiny Butterfree specialized in Confusion and Psybeam, repeatedly attempting to keep Persian at a distance with psychic attacks.
Unfortunately for it, Persian had spent far too much time sparring against Exeggutor.
Whenever Confusion or Psybeam approached, Persian slashed straight through the psychic energy with Shadow Claw or Night Slash, disrupting the attacks before immediately closing the distance.
One well-timed Thunderbolt sealed the match.
The shiny Butterfree could only accept defeat.
Grey kept his promise once again, rewarding the colony with the agreed amount of Pokémon food before packing up his things.
"Thanks for the battles."
With that, he and his team continued deeper into Viridian Forest.
None of them noticed what happened after they left.
The Butterfree gathered all the food together before carrying a surprisingly large portion of it toward the center of the colony.
Waiting there was a Metapod.
It was far larger than any normal Metapod had any right to be. Its shell was thick, its body almost twice the size of an ordinary one, and despite remaining perfectly motionless, every Butterfree in the colony treated it with obvious respect as they quietly placed the food before it.
———————————————————————
Grey's POV
After travelling for a while, I decided it was time to stop and eat along with my Pokémon. I wasn't too worried about returning to Pewter later. Persian had been leaving scent markers along the route every now and then, and if those weren't enough, he could always ask the local Pokémon for directions. Between the two, getting lost wasn't really a concern.
I laid out everyone's specially prepared food and began eating my own lunch. Just to avoid unnecessary interruptions, I sprayed a ring of Repel around our resting spot.
Apparently one Pokémon hadn't gotten the memo.
A lone Heracross casually walked straight through the area, ignored everyone present, picked up Charmander's food bowl, and began eating it right in front of her.
Charmander froze for a second.
"..."
Then her face twisted in outrage.
"Char!"
A Flamethrower shot straight at the bug.
The Heracross simply tilted his head to the side, letting the flames pass inches from his face before continuing to chew.
"..."
That somehow made Charmander even angrier.
The Heracross finally finished swallowing the stolen food before turning toward her with an annoyed look of his own, as if asking why she was interrupting his meal.
"...Alright."
I stood up with a sigh.
"I'll handle this one. Charmander, battle."
Then I looked towards Fraxure.
"Fraxure, make sure nobody steals the food while we're busy."
Fraxure nodded confidently and immediately stood in front of the remaining bowls like a loyal bodyguard.
Third POV
Charmander and Heracross stood opposite one another.
One was furious because her lunch had been stolen.
The other was annoyed that someone had attacked him while he was eating.
Neither side intended to back down.
The moment the battle began, Charmander opened with Flamethrower after Flamethrower, forcing Heracross to keep moving. The Bug-type's aerial agility was incredible. Every burst of fire narrowly missed as he zigzagged through the air before suddenly diving in.
"Brick Break!"
The glowing arm crashed into Charmander.
She barely managed to block with Dragon Claw, but the sheer physical strength behind the attack overwhelmed her and sent her skidding several metres across the ground.
She quickly flipped back onto her feet.
"Smokescreen!" Grey ordered.
Dark smoke spread throughout the clearing, swallowing both Pokémon from view.
Using the cover, Charmander fired several Flamethrowers into the smoke. A couple finally connected, forcing Heracross backwards.
But instead of panicking, Heracross focused on the one thing he could still see.
Charmander's tail flame.
He burst through the smoke straight toward it.
Charmander swung another Dragon Claw, but Heracross twisted around it mid-flight before landing another Brick Break squarely across her shoulder.
She was launched backwards for the second time.
Grey's expression became serious.
"Sunny Day."
The sunlight intensified almost instantly.
Heracross answered by crossing his arms before his muscles visibly swelled.
Bulk Up.
Both Pokémon stared at one another.
Neither intended to lose.
"Full power Flamethrower!"
A massive torrent of fire erupted from Charmander's mouth, now strengthened by both Sunny Day and Solar Power.
Heracross avoided most of it and continued charging.
"Switch to Ember!"
Instead of maintaining the larger attack, Charmander instantly swapped to a point-blank Ember.
The sudden change caught Heracross completely off guard.
The smaller attack fired almost instantly and exploded against his chest before he could dodge.
He staggered backwards, smoke rising from his shell.
But he got back up.
Grey couldn't help but smile.
"This guy..."
Even at a type disadvantage, the Heracross refused to quit.
Charmander narrowed her eyes.
Neither Pokémon moved.
Then...
A brilliant white light engulfed Charmander.
Her body began stretching taller. Her limbs lengthened, her claws sharpened considerably, and crimson scales spread across more of her body, replacing the softer orange hide she once had. The small horn at the back of her head became more pronounced, while her tail flame flared brighter than ever before, roaring with renewed intensity. When the light finally faded, the small lizard had disappeared.
In her place stood a proud Charmeleon.
She flexed her newly grown claws before looking back at Grey.
He couldn't hide the grin on his face.
"You finally did it."
Behind him, Fraxure, Exeggutor, Cloyster and Persian all let out excited cries.
The battle resumed almost immediately.
Heracross shot forward with incredible speed.
Charmeleon answered with an even larger Flamethrower than before.
The wall of flames rushed toward Heracross.
Instead of dodging...
He lowered his horn.
"Herraaaa!"
Megahorn.
The Bug-type charged directly into the inferno.
Grey's eyes widened.
"Is he seriously—"
Wrapped in flames, Heracross forced his way through the attack by sheer determination before slamming his glowing horn straight into Charmeleon.
The impact sent both Pokémon stumbling apart.
Charmeleon stared in disbelief.
She had evolved...
Yet this bug was still standing.
Before either could recover completely, Heracross followed up with another Brick Break.
Charmeleon answered with a quick Ember at point-blank range.
Both attacks landed.
The recoil forced both Pokémon backwards.
For several seconds...
Neither moved.
Charmeleon breathed heavily. Solar Power had already taken its toll, and even after evolving she still hadn't had a chance to beat .
Heracross remained standing too.
Then his body suddenly trembled.
The burns from forcing himself through that Flamethrower finally caught up with him.
His shell had turned black in several places, and flames continued to flicker across the injuries. He wanted to keep fighting...
But every step now brought obvious pain.
Grey's POV
I raised a hand.
"That's enough."
Both Pokémon looked toward me.
"There isn't much point continuing."
I walked over and first gently patted Charmeleon's head.
"You did well."
She folded her arms proudly, though she still looked annoyed that the battle hadn't ended with her victory.
I then stopped before Heracross.
The bug Pokémon met my eyes without flinching.
"Heracross... you've got talent."
"You fought a Fire-type at a disadvantage, charged straight through a boosted Flamethrower, and still nearly won. That isn't normal."
I glanced back toward my team.
"Charmeleon isn't even among the strongest members of my team right now."
Charmeleon immediately puffed out her cheeks in protest.
"...For now," I corrected with a chuckle.
"But even then, pushing her this far says a lot about your potential."
I crouched slightly.
"So here's my offer."
"Join my team."
"I can't promise easy days."
"In fact, I'll probably train you harder than everyone else. You don't have another evolution waiting to make you stronger, which means every bit of your growth will come through effort."
"My Pokémon train every single day."
"They fight."
"They improve."
"They push one another to become stronger."
"And if you join us..."
I pointed toward the now empty food bowl.
"...the food you stole today will become your daily meal. Properly made for you."
Heracross quietly looked around.
Fraxure stood proudly beside the supplies.
Cloyster looked eager for another battle.
Exeggutor calmly watched everything unfold.
Persian lazily cleaned one paw while pretending not to care.
Charmeleon, despite still being tired, stared straight back at him with determination.
Heracross slowly lowered his head.
He remembered the giant Beedrill that had once entered Viridian Forest with another trainer in dressed in a black suit .
He hadn't even managed to scratch it.
If he stayed here...
Nothing would change.
After a long silence...
He nodded.
A smile spread across my face.
"Welcome aboard."
The Poké Ball tapped against his horn.
Click.
Without a single shake...
It locked shut.
My sixth Pokémon had officially joined the team.
Author's Note: So Grey now has 6 pokemon in his team , I didnt think I would reach till here ever when I started writing but here we are , of course he will have more in the Kanto arc itself but he has the standard 6 for now.
Based on the poll Interlude Lance was the best and would be the next chapter , I am keeping it open for the other one for this week as both Ash and Green/Silver are popular .
I wont be spoiler dropping what will happen in each interlude as that would ruin the suspense and fun you just have to read and see whether schrodinger's cat died or is alive in the box by reading the chapter.
Also keep at it with the powerstone and collections