After a night of rest in Lavender Town, Ash and his group began heading west toward Saffron City.
There was a smooth road between Lavender Town and Saffron City, located at a slightly higher elevation with a wide view. On both sides, endless forests and shrubs stretched, green and full of vitality.
From time to time, wild Pokémon would pass by or jump out, startling the group and causing them to exclaim in surprise.
As night began to fall, it became clear they wouldn't reach Saffron City by evening. The group decided to find an open rocky area to camp for the night.
The "enlightened" Brock had already set up the dining table and stove, blinking his big, sparkling eyes. He looked very happy, humming a little tune as he prepared to cook.
"Mimi~~"
"Mimi~~"
Suddenly, several butterfly-shaped Pokémon flew out from the nearby bushes. They had white transparent wings, soft blue bodies, and big red eyes. They weren't particularly beautiful, but rather cute.
As they flew, white powder, sparkling like stars, scattered from their wings, falling around Brock. He instinctively spread out his palms to catch some.
For a moment, the scene in front of him became sacred and flawless.
Ash and Misty: "..."
Damn, the more they looked at Brock, the more his behavior seemed off!
When they reached Saffron City, they'd need to lock him in the Pokémon Center!
Face Nurse Joy for twenty-five hours and restore the brilliance of his rock-hard will!
Their attention was suddenly drawn to the Butterfree, and all three of them looked up.
"Beep. Butterfree, the fallen Pokémon. It abandoned its dragon bloodline but grew wings. It is the result of Metapod's fallen evolution," the Pokédex announced.
Ash quickly released his Metapod, and after a flash of red light, a massive green, banana-shaped Pokémon thudded onto the ground, creating a small crater.
This Metapod was at least 150% the size of an average one. Its eyes were firm, and black cracks covered its green body, exuding a mysterious aura.
It just raised its eyes to take in the dancing Butterfree, and instantly, it felt a strong sense of disdain.
You could have evolved into a Sky Dragon, but instead, you became a long-winged insect for momentary pleasure? Madness!
There's nothing in this world more tempting than evolving into Rayquaza!
Ash, inspired by Metapod's fighting spirit, slapped its shell excitedly, ignoring the metallic sound of "clang" that rang from his palm, and shouted:
"That's right! We're going to evolve into the most powerful Rayquaza and soar above Kanto's skies one day!"
"metapod!!"
The man and the insect were both excited.
Misty: "…"
Both of her companions seemed to have lost their minds.
What was even stranger was that this time, the Pokédex didn't stop after delivering its analysis. It suddenly made a "ding" sound as if it had received a new notification, and then the mechanical voice spoke again.
"So this is how Butterfree takes off. The citizens of Saffron City all kneel down after hearing this."
The group: "??"
"In the past week, there will be a force 7 southeast wind in the eastern suburbs of Saffron City. Tourists passing by will have the opportunity to witness the collective migration of Butterfree. This is truly a rare sight. Next, please check out the detailed information about Beedrill. Beedrill, a gentle Pokémon, is a kind insect that rarely attacks humans."
The group: "???"
Ash quickly pressed the pause button and switched the Pokédex back to the main interface. He found that several new apps had been installed without his knowledge.
Vermilion News,
Vermilion Headlines,
Shake the vermilion,
Drying in a Flash.
There were nearly ten news notifications above them.
- "If your monthly salary reaches 3,000, you should visit Gemini Island."
- "After learning these few moves, even a Rattata can defeat a champion!"
- "Dark secrets the Pokémon League doesn't want you to know!"
Ash scratched his head, feeling tempted by the clickbait titles. Shaking his head quickly, he thought,
When did I install these things?
"Beep beep. Trainer passed by Vermilion City and connected to the public Wi-Fi in Vermilion. The system automatically installed them," the Pokédex replied.
The reason it hadn't alerted him before was that these apps had a 15-day grace period before they sent notifications.
Once they're rooted, they spread.
Where the dead leaves fly, the fire never dies.
Ash was furious. Wasn't this just bundled software? He couldn't encourage this, so he shouted:
"Delete them all! I want a pure Pokédex!"
"Beep beep. Starting deletion of Vermilion Headlines"
"Beep. Deletion failed."
"Beep. Start using option 1: Install Vermilion Manager to delete."
"Beep. Deletion failed."
Ash: "???"
"Idiot, Ash! How can you use Vermilion's antivirus software to delete Vermilion's app?!" Misty scolded urgently.
"Misty, please stop swearing!" Brock righteously interrupted, his eyes wide.
Misty: "…"
Ash's eyes sparkled with a new idea.
"Pokedex, install Pallet Town Security Manager!"
Pallet Town was pure and pristine. There's no way it would have any messy bundled software.
Then he could use Pallet Town Manager to take down Vermilion!
"Searching…"
"Can't find Pallet Town Security Manager. Trying alternatives."
"**Viridian Manager installed. Silver Mountain Antivirus installed. Alola Guard installed."
The Pokédex installed three antivirus programs in a row.
Misty and Brock: "…"
You can't install antivirus programs from four different companies at the same time! Won't the Pokédex crash?
Ash's confidence shone brighter than ever. He slapped the Pokédex triumphantly.
"Now delete each other! Let's see who survives!"
I'm really good at fixing my Pokédex!
Misty and Brock: "…"
Legend has it that in a remote part of the Sinnoh region, there was a tribe that used a brutal method to train Poison-type Pokémon.
They'd throw five highly toxic Pokémon into a small space and let them fight to the death.
This method was known as "raising Gu."
Eventually, only one Pokémon would emerge — the King of Gu.
Though barbaric, it produced unparalleled Poison Pokémon.
However, last month, an enthusiastic local resident reported the tribe, and they were all taken away for re-education to embrace progressive ideas.
But Ash's method of installing four antivirus programs at once felt eerily similar.
Could the Pokédex be used to raise Gu?
You're amazing, Ash!
Soon, Ash placed the Pokédex down, and its fan began to spin, indicating that the CPU was working at full speed, locked in its bloody internal battle.
The group stepped back several meters, fearing the device might explode.
"Ash, are you sure your Pokédex isn't from the SAN brand?" Misty asked cautiously.
Ash grinned confidently.
"Don't worry! Everyone in Pallet Town uses IP!"
---
(End of the chapter)