"Pika! Chu!!!"
Pikachu's expression turned fierce as it cried out loudly.
At its call, a bolt of thunder descended from the sky. Like a furious serpent of lightning, it tore through the air and slamd heavily into the protective barrier summoned by Umbreon.
"Crack."
"Crack."
Under the divine thunder, the shield created by Protect was as fragile as glass. Spiderweb-like cracks spread rapidly across its surface.
Gary's pupils shrank. He swallowed hard, unsure of what to do.
All he could do now was pray that Umbreon could endure the attack.
The golden lightning struck Umbreon directly. Even though the ground helped disperse much of the electricity, the remaining current was far beyond what Umbreon could withstand.
Umbreon let out a pained cry. Its eyes rolled back, turning white as it collapsed, completely unable to battle.
At the sa ti, Pikachu exited its "Skin God" state. It blinked in confusion, clearly unsure of what had just happened.
"That was amazing, Pikachu!!! You really did it!!!"
Ash jumped excitedly, rushing forward to hug Pikachu and celebrate wildly. Defeating his rival Gary was a milestone in his journey as a Trainer. He would rember this day forever.
Gary, however, had not yet recovered from the shock of defeat. He stood there blankly, staring at Ash celebrating, looking lost and sowhat stunned.
After a reminder from Sam, Gary recalled Umbreon into its Poké Ball.
He looked at Ash and Pikachu, then quietly asked Sam beside him, "Is that really a Pikachu, Sam?"
It seed today's battle had truly shaken him.
Sam chuckled. "Who knows? But at least we know it's not an ordinary Pikachu."
Gary was, after all, a mature Trainer. Although losing to Ash was hard for him to accept, he quickly adjusted his mindset.
No one said Ash had to remain weaker forever.
He had to admit it—his childhood companion, the boy who had always lagged behind him, had truly grown up. Ash was gradually becoming an outstanding Trainer.
Gary felt both relieved and slightly disappointed.
"It's getting late. Everyone should get so rest. We've got a big day tomorrow."
Darkness soon enveloped the camp. Dasha Valley grew quiet as Trainers who had worked hard all day slipped into their sleeping bags to rest.
---
Early the next morning, Sam followed Ash and the others to begin digging in Dasha Valley as planned.
Standing on a ridge and looking down at the valley filled with enthusiastic Trainers searching for legendary fossils, Ash's excitent surged.
"Brock, Misty, Sam! Let's head down and start digging!"
He sounded impatient, as if worried that soone else would dig up all the fossils first.
For once, Misty agreed imdiately. "Yeah, let's hurry!"
"Let's wait a mont," Brock said calmly, stopping them. He placed a hand on his chin and analyzed the situation.
"Trainers have been digging here for days, but no one has found fossil Pokémon. Could it be that everyone's digging in the wrong place?"
He turned to Sam. "What do you think?"
Sam shrugged. "Why don't we check other areas? There are too many people here. It doesn't feel like the best spot."
He had no intention of digging randomly.
If he rembered correctly, Team Rocket would soon use explosives to blast open a fissure in Dasha Valley. Ash and Team Rocket would fall underground and discover fossil Pokémon there.
So right now, the real priority was finding Team Rocket.
Sam and Brock quickly reached an agreent. Ash and Misty didn't object, and the group decided to explore elsewhere.
They wandered around Dasha Valley for quite so ti but found nothing promising. Eventually, they decided to take a lunch break before continuing.
Sam couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. The Team Rocket trio was notoriously elusive.
Just as he was wondering what to do, a familiar voice drifted into his ears.
"Jessie, Jas, have you installed the explosives yet?" owth asked suspiciously.
owth's doubt imdiately angered Jessie. She pulled out a hamr from nowhere and smashed owth straight into a rock wall.
"Of course we installed the bomb!!!"
owth struggled free from the wall and said, "Then let's get started already!"
Clearly used to Jessie's temper, owth didn't make a fuss. He pulled out a lighter and lit the fuse.
"Team Rocket!!!"
The mont Ash realized what was happening, he reacted instantly. Without hesitation, he dashed toward Team Rocket, determined to stop them.
One second he was standing beside them—the next, he was already gone.
Misty, Brock, and Sam barely had ti to react.
Team Rocket had finally appeared.
Seeing them, Sam let out a quiet sigh of relief. For a mont, he had worried that his presence might have changed the plot. Now, everything seed back on track.
"Let's go, Misty, Brock. We need to follow them."
Sam didn't waste any ti and ran in the direction Ash had disappeared.
At the thought of seeing legendary fossil Pokémon, excitent stirred within him.
After coming to the Pokémon world, Sam had developed the sa "bad habit" as most Trainers—he wanted to see every kind of Pokémon this world had to offer.
Perhaps that was the original dream of every Trainer who set out on a journey:
To et countless Pokémon, gather like-minded companions, and climb steadily toward the top.
That was the unique romance of being a Trainer.
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