After selling the large pearl, Misty took Ash shopping and even helped him pick out a small accessory. Ash bought it for Misty as a token of his gratitude.
Misty really liked the hair tie Ash gave her. It was inexpensive, but she cherished it.
Seeing Misty's smile return, Ash let out a sigh of relief. Giving gifts seemed to make anyone happy, although he still didn't know why Misty had been upset before.
Back at the dorm, they sorted through the items they had bought. It was only during the shopping that Ash realized how much needed to be prepared for their journey. Without Misty, he probably wouldn't have remembered to buy half of these essentials.
They made sure to have enough food to last at least a week in the wild, along with an adequate supply of drinking water. While they might find berries or streams in the wilderness, these weren't guaranteed everywhere, so it was crucial to be well-prepared.
Ash's backpack couldn't fit everything, so some items were stored in Misty's backpack. By the time they finished organizing, it was ten o'clock—time to sleep.
There were two beds in the room. Misty chose the one near the balcony, leaving Ash the bed closer to the bathroom.
"I'm thinking of challenging the Viridian Gym tomorrow, Misty. Any advice?" Ash asked after Misty changed into her pajamas and came out of the bathroom.
Pikachu was already fast asleep by the pillow, exhausted from the day's adventures.
"Challenge the Viridian Gym?" Misty paused, then asked, "Do you have three Pokémon now?"
"What do you mean?" Ash asked, puzzled.
"There's a requirement to challenge the gym. The Viridian Gym requires trainers to have at least three Pokémon. Besides Pikachu, do you have others?" Misty was curious, as she had only seen Pikachu.
"I actually don't..." Ash realized he was at a loss. He almost forgot that challenging the gym had this condition. He had only just become a trainer today, and after being chased by the Spearows, there hadn't been time to catch more Pokémon. He could have had two if he had captured the Pidgey he defeated earlier, but that still wouldn't meet the requirement.
"So... we'll have to start by heading to Pewter City to challenge the Pewter Gym..." Misty shrugged, pulling out a map of the Kanto region and pointing to the cities on it. "If we follow this route starting from Pewter City, we can make our way back here to Viridian City, collect all eight badges, and then head to the Indigo Plateau."
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Ash considered Misty's suggestion thoughtfully. Her proposed route matched the trajectory in the anime, making it a convenient option.
"Thanks, Misty. Without you, I'd really be taking a lot of detours!" Ash expressed his gratitude sincerely.
"We're friends now, so you don't need to thank me for every little thing!" Misty pursed her lips, appearing slightly unhappy, thinking Ash was being too formal.
"Still, when thanks are due, they should be given. I'll just be less formal with you in the future," Ash replied with a smile.
"Oh, it's so annoying, I'm sleepy now... going to bed..." Seeing Ash's smile, Misty's cheeks flushed slightly. She quickly lay down on her bed, pulled up the covers, and turned away.
"Goodnight, Misty." Ash thought Misty was genuinely tired—after all, they had been through a lot today, and it was normal for her to feel exhausted. After wishing her a goodnight, he turned off the light.
Just before falling asleep, Ash felt as if he had forgotten something, but as sleepiness overwhelmed him, he no longer had the energy to figure out what it was...
...
"Are we really doing the right thing here?" High above Viridian City floated a gigantic hot air balloon shaped like a Meowth's head, looking rather comical. Inside the basket below were two humans and a Pokémon—the very Pokémon that matched the balloon's design, Meowth!
The one questioning their actions was a young man with light purple hair and handsome features, resembling a nobleman, though his expression showed some hesitation.
"What's there to fear? If we pull this off, we'll surely gain the boss's favor, get promoted, and become executives!" Beside him, a young woman with magenta hair and striking features spoke discontentedly, then drifted into a daydream, imagining receiving their boss's approval.
"Exactly, meow! And since this is Viridian City, it's our boss's own turf, there's no way we'll run into any trouble, meow!" Meowth astonishingly spoke in human language, an ability that made it rather unique.
"But…" The young man named James hesitated, wanting to voice his concerns. Among the group, he was the most knowledgeable, having been exposed to various situations and people from an early age. He was somewhat aware of the reasons Team Rocket, despite controlling Viridian City, didn't usually operate openly here.
However, his influence in this trio was minimal, overshadowed by the young woman's dominance. She looked at him disapprovingly, "James, if you keep talking like that, you won't share in the glory when the boss rewards us!"
"Sigh… okay…" James, resigned, agreed to go along with Jessie and Meowth. They were partners, after all, and whatever challenges they faced, they had to face them together.
"Later, we'll cut the Pokémon Center's power supply, then in the chaos, we'll steal all the Pokémon stored there. A flawless plan, meow!" Meowth grinned mischievously, evidently very pleased with its own scheme.
"Then… let's strike!" Jessie waved her hand dramatically and issued the command.
"Yes!" James responded, and together with Jessie, he threw their Poké Balls toward the Pokémon Center, smashing the glass on the roof and allowing the Poké Balls to drop right into the main hall.
With a 'bang', the Poké Balls opened, and in front of the bewildered trainers and staff, a burst of white light revealed the figures of two Pokémon.
One Pokémon was round and purple, with various protrusions all over its body, and two half-circular sockets with small eyes inside; beneath them, a mouth with two sharp fangs bore an evil smile, and its belly sported a skull pattern.
The other Pokémon was serpent-like, also purple, with a yellow underbelly and similarly colored round eyes with slit pupils. Its large mouth made it appear equally unapproachable.