The power of Evergreen differed greatly from the powers of Psychic and Wave. Its strength mainly lay in the ability to communicate with Pokémon, understand their thoughts, heal injuries, and soothe wounded souls.
"Not a bad ability," Mason said to himself after obtaining the power of Evergreen. He could feel his own heart becoming calmer and more in tune with the world around him.
However, before he could savor this newfound strength, another problem arose.
Just as Mason was planning to leave Viridian Forest, a disturbance appeared within his reconnaissance range. Quickly moving forward to investigate, Mason discovered a group of Team Rocket members, clad in their signature black R uniforms, chasing after a Pokémon.
"Is that an Eevee?" Mason murmured in confusion. It was rare for Team Rocket to mobilize so many members to capture a single, ordinary Eevee. Mason's instincts told him there was something unusual about this particular Pokémon.
"Magneton, use Thunderbolt!" barked the Team Rocket squad leader, commanding his Magneton to strike the fleeing Eevee.
Electricity crackled violently as it surged toward the small creature. However, just as the bolt was about to land, Eevee suddenly emitted a brilliant white light and began to evolve—right in the midst of danger.
When the light faded, the once small Eevee had transformed into a majestic Thunder Pokémon, now carrying the Charge Storage ability. With its newfound strength, it absorbed Magneton's Thunderbolt and immediately counterattacked with its own blast of lightning.
"It evolved without a Thunder Stone?!" Mason exclaimed, stunned.
But what happened next astonished him even more.
A duck-billed fire dragon—Yakawa's Charmeleon—launched a Flamethrower at the Thunder Pokémon. However, Eevee's form once again emitted a bright light. It transformed seamlessly into a Fire Pokémon, absorbing the flames with its Flash Fire ability before retaliating with a fierce Flamethrower of its own.
"Subject No. 2 is too powerful!" one of the panicked Team Rocket members cried out.
"As expected of Professor Xiemu's masterpiece—truly extraordinary!" Yakawa, the Rocket Squadron Leader, sneered as he stepped out from the shadows. His scarlet eyes locked onto Eevee like a predator spotting its prey. The flames from earlier had been fired by Yakawa's own prized possession: Ragnarok, his duck-billed fire dragon.
Ragnarok was the pride of Yakawa's team, a powerful Pokémon he had received as a reward after becoming a squadron leader. Originally, he had only been promised a simple Ponyta, but his assignment under Professor Xiemu earned him this superior fire-type Pokémon. He paraded Ragnarok in every battle to draw admiration from his subordinates.
"Team Rocket... Subject No. 2...?" Mason quickly connected the dots. This Eevee wasn't ordinary—it was another of Team Rocket's unethical experiments, much like the genetically altered Gyarados he had heard about.
Clenching his fists in anger, Mason called forth his Pokémon to intervene.
"I'm counting on you!" he whispered as Beedrill and Scyther leapt into battle, throwing Team Rocket's ranks into immediate chaos.
Beedrill darted through the air with unparalleled speed, launching Poison Jab and X-Scissor attacks to dismantle the grunts' defenses. Meanwhile, Scyther sliced through Team Rocket's ranks with Quick Attack and Razor Wind, forcing them to separate from their fire Pokémon.
"Team Rocket, I won't let you have your way," Mason said, his voice steady but filled with fury.
---
Pokémon Analysis:
Beedrill
Type: Bug/Poison
Abilities: Bug Premonition / Snipe Shot
Moves: Poison Jab, Crazy Attack, Swords Dance, X-Scissor, Brick Break, Agility
Personality: A loner by nature but unwaveringly loyal to companions; would lay down his life for Mason if necessary.
Background:
A rogue from his Beedrill tribe, preferring the life of a solitary traveler over the constraints of tribal hierarchy. His venom is three times as potent as that of his kin, but he wields it with great restraint.
---
Scyther (Flash Variant: Cyan)
Type: Bug/Flying
Abilities: Technical Expert / Bug Premonition
Moves: Quick Attack, Fury Cutter, Agility, X-Scissor, Air Slash, Laser Focus
Personality: Arrogant and proud, respects only those stronger than himself.
---
Mason lowered his hat slightly, humbled by the loyalty and strength of his Pokémon.
Meanwhile, the experimental Eevee, mistaking Mason and his Pokémon for enemies at first, reverted back to its original form. Although Eevee had the unique ability to morph between elemental forms, it came at the cost of intense pain. Only the instinct to survive had pushed it to such extremes.
"Who is this brat? How dare he interfere with Team Rocket's sacred plan!" Yakawa snarled, his expression darkening.
"I just don't like bullies," Mason responded coldly, ignoring Yakawa's growing rage.
"Charmeleon, use Flamethrower! Golbat, use Air Cutter!" Yakawa commanded.
Beedrill weaved effortlessly through the fire blasts, creating illusory images with Double Team, while Scyther countered Golbat's Air Cutter with his own Air Slash.
"Magneton, Thunderbolt!" shouted the stunned Rocket captain.
Mason quickly responded. "Onix, I choose you!"
From Mason's Poké Ball burst forth a towering Onix, casting a massive shadow across the forest. The earth shook as the colossal creature landed, absorbing Magneton's Thunderbolt harmlessly into the ground.
"That Onix—it's monstrous!" Yakawa gasped, backing away.
---
Pokémon Analysis:
Onix
Type: Rock/Ground
Abilities: Hard Head / Strong
Moves: Rock Throw, Rock Blade, Iron Tail, Sand Tomb, Dig, Sandstorm, Double Edge
Personality: Gentle by nature but yearns for a greater purpose.
Background:
A totemic leader from Miacha Mountain, guardian of his Onix clan. While protective and strong, he grew restless with his mundane duties, dreaming of greater adventures.
---
"Use Iron Tail!" Mason commanded.
Onix slammed Magneton into the dirt, stunning it. "Now, Body Press!" Mason added.
Body Press, a powerful fighting-type move scaling with Onix's massive defense stat, crushed Magneton beneath the Onix's full weight. The tearing noise that followed left no doubt—Magneton was out of commission.
The grunts surrounding Yakawa visibly trembled.
"Fire Punch, Charmeleon! Golbat, use Poison Fang!" Yakawa shouted in desperation.
Ragnarok charged at Beedrill, fists ablaze. Beedrill dodged with ease, his Double Team confusing Ragnarok's vision. Meanwhile, Scyther blitzed Golbat, clashing in a high-speed dogfight.
Despite Scyther's strength, Golbat's type advantage slowed him down. Yet, in a moment of clarity, Scyther capitalized on Golbat's reckless dive, striking him with a perfectly-timed Air Slash, knocking the bat out cold.
Meanwhile, Beedrill delivered a devastating Giga Impact from above, slamming Ragnarok into the earth. The duck-billed fire dragon twitched weakly, a flame flickering atop his head.
"You're no match for me," Mason said icily, stepping forward.
Team Rocket's morale collapsed.
Grunts tried to flee, but Mason wasn't letting anyone escape.
He silently ordered his Onix to unleash a terrifying roar, shaking the entire forest and freezing the grunts in their tracks.
At that moment, Mason noticed Eevee, now severely injured and weak. Mason tossed a healing spray at its feet.
"If you don't treat those wounds, you won't survive much longer," he warned.
At first, Eevee glared at Mason suspiciously, but after seeing the fierce expressions of Beedrill and Scyther, it hesitated and eventually grabbed the spray with its mouth before limping away into the forest. Before disappearing, Eevee gave Mason one last lingering glance, filled with cautious gratitude.
Yakawa lunged forward in panic. "No! Eevee belongs to Team Rocket!"
Scyther silenced him with another Air Slash, sending Yakawa sprawling to the ground.
"I never intended to let you go either," Mason said coldly.
With Team Rocket subdued and too terrified to move, Mason used his Pokégear to call the Nibi City Police Department. When Officer Jenny arrived with her team, she quickly secured the captured Rockets.
"Good work," Officer Jenny said with a nod, seeing the incapacitated villains.
Mason simply tipped his hat, watching silently as the officers hauled the criminals away. He would soon leave Viridian Forest behind and head for Nibi City—ready for the next adventure that awaited him.
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