Pokémon: Starting with Ash's Mom

Cassandra's grandmother walked steadily ahead, leaning on her cane, moving with a confidence and strength that didn't match her seventy or eighty years of age.

Kazuki followed behind, his gaze occasionally sweeping across the surroundings.

The forest air was damp, leaves rustling softly in the breeze, punctuated now and then by birdsong, lending the place an unusual stillness.

Yet Kazuki frowned slightly, an uneasy feeling prickling faintly in his heart.

"Aura Power… I definitely sensed something before, so why has it weakened as soon as we entered the mountains?"

Kazuki silently mulled it over, trying to extend his Aura Power again, but picked up nothing.

"This is off…" His inner alarm bells rang, and he unconsciously slowed his pace.

He secretly began channeling his Psychic Power, readying himself.

Cassandra's grandmother seemed to pick up on his subtle change. She paused, glancing back with a meaningful smirk. "What's wrong? Can't keep up?"

Kazuki shrugged, forcing a casual smile. "Grandma, these mountain trails of yours aren't easy to walk. My body's only just recovered — it's a bit much, to be honest."

"How about you just say whatever you wanted to say right here?"

Cassandra's grandmother snorted coldly, slamming her cane hard on the ground. "Cut the crap! Keep moving!"

Kazuki raised an eyebrow, his guard going up. What is this old witch really trying to pull?

Sure, he did think Cassandra was a great girl — but it's not like he'd made any big moves on her yet!

Healing, detox, that was normal enough — but now she wanted to test him in the mountains?

All right, let's see what you've got planned.

Kazuki quietly pulled out a shining talisman meant to summon old Gastly, layering on extra protection.

One behind the other, they kept moving deeper into the forest.

The further they went, the thicker the trees grew, making the path almost tunnel-like.

Though Kazuki's Aura Power didn't detect any living presence approaching, there was a strange, eerie energy pervading the air, and he noticed odd carvings on vines and stone slabs nearby.

Just as he was studying them, a mass of green toxic mist rushed straight at him.

Kazuki instantly summoned a dried shield with his Psychic Power to block the toxic cloud.

Looking up again, he saw Cassandra's grandmother had already floated up onto a branch, staring down at him with a cold, cryptic smile.

"Kazuki," she sneered, "you truly aren't an ordinary person."

Kazuki felt a chill in his heart but kept his expression steady. "Grandma, what exactly do you mean by that?"

"I'm just a passing Pokémon trainer — what could be so unusual about me?"

Cassandra's grandmother let out a harsh laugh, slamming her cane on the branch. "Don't play dumb! You think I wouldn't notice you using Psychic Power just now, just because the light's dim?"

Since she'd already seen through him, Kazuki clapped his hands and dropped the act.

"You old witch, your eyes really don't miss a thing!"

He glanced again at those strange runes all around, a teasing glint flashing in his eyes.

"So this is witchcraft you're using, huh? Didn't expect you'd have witchcraft skills too!"

Cassandra's grandmother scoffed, her gaze sharp with appraisal. "Your Psychic level is no joke! What's your connection to Sabrina of Saffron City?"

"Sabrina?" Kazuki chuckled. "Sabrina? Oh, her? She's my woman. What about it?"

Cassandra's grandmother snorted in disbelief. "Nonsense!"

"Sabrina won't even let her own parents near her, let alone any man!"

"Anyone who so much as looks at her sideways never makes it past her Gym — they get buried by her!"

Kazuki shrugged, completely unbothered. "If you don't believe me, can't help you."

"But, old witch, don't tell me you dragged me out here just to figure out how many women I have — so you can rank your granddaughter in the lineup?"

Cassandra's grandmother's face darkened, tapping her cane again in annoyance.

"Enough of that smooth talk! None of that matters! What matters is your Gastly!"

Kazuki lightly touched the Poké Ball at his waist. "Oh? What about my Gastly?"

"Your Gastly is beyond ordinary!" At the mention of Gastly, her voice carried a trace of suppressed anger.

"In this Kanto Region, there is an Elite Four who excels at using Ghost-type Pokémon!"

"Especially her Gengar — it's far beyond any normal Gengar in power!"

"Your Gastly shows the same kind of terrifying potential!"

"That's not something a beginner trainer could ever raise!"

"What is your connection to her?"

Kazuki's mind turned quickly — from her description, he instantly realized she meant Agatha, one of the Kanto Elite Four.

So this old witch must have some old grudge with Agatha!

Yesterday I only had Gastly spar with Paras for a bit — didn't even show its real power — and this old lady could tell from that distance how extraordinary Gastly was!

She must really know Ghost-types inside out.

But truthfully, he had no connection to Agatha at all!

Isn't this a bit paranoid, lady?

He laughed loudly. "Old witch, you have quite the imagination, don't you?"

"What, just because I have a Ghost-type Pokémon, that means I'm linked to her?"

"So what if I catch an Ice-type — does that make Lorelei my wife?"

"Is there really a perk like that?"

Cassandra's grandmother raised her cane and pointed straight at Kazuki.

"You sharp-tongued little brat! Whether you have a connection or not isn't up to you to say — I'll have to test it for myself!"

Before her words even faded, the tip of her cane began to glow green.

In an instant, the air around them turned icy cold, and a strange, eerie wave of energy rose from the ground as if to swallow Kazuki whole.

But Kazuki had been on guard all along. His Psychic Power burst forth, and with a flicker of movement, he dodged right out of the area of effect.

"Old witch, you really need more practice with that witchcraft!" Kazuki landed nimbly on a tree branch, a teasing grin at his lips.

"You think I can't see through those runes on the ground? That's a witch's array if I've ever seen one!"

Cassandra's grandmother let out a cold laugh. "Oh? Self-satisfied fool!"

Just then, the trees around Kazuki began to shake violently. Countless vines shot out from the ground and the trunks, growing wildly and lunging to entangle him!

Kazuki frowned, flashing from place to place with his Psychic Power, but no matter where he landed, more vines slithered up, as if they were alive and unwilling to let him go.

"This place… definitely has a problem!"

As he brushed against the vines, Kazuki's Aura Power responded — there was an actual living presence.

"Old witch, what on earth have you raised in here?"

"You sure this thing's even from this dimension?"

Cassandra's grandmother stood proudly on her branch, laughing as she watched Kazuki dart about.

"Little brat, weren't you so impressive before?"

"Aren't you the powerful trainer who even captured a Dratini?"

Kazuki felt a chill run through his heart.

No way… this whole mountain can't be a Pokémon, right?

Impossible!

Or maybe there are just a lot of individuals hidden here!

"If it's just numbers…"

"Old witch, you trying to turn this into a Pokémon battle royale?"

Kazuki sneered and threw out a Poké Ball.

"Go! Gastly!"

With a flash of white light, Gastly appeared beside him.

"Gastly, use Millennium Dark Pulse!"

At Kazuki's command, Gastly's face turned terrifying, thick purple smoke swirling around it.

As soon as the smoke hit the ground — BOOM! — it exploded in a shockwave that rolled over the vines.

The vines instantly shriveled and fell away like popped balloons.

"Ha! So they aren't witchcraft — they're alive! What do you think, old witch, eye-opening enough for you?"

Cassandra's grandmother chuckled low in her throat. "Not bad, really not bad! You actually forced me to show more of my tricks!"

"But looking at your Gastly, after using that move, I bet it can't keep fighting, right?"

She waved her cane again, and even more writhing vines surged out behind her.

Kazuki narrowed his eyes. "There's still more? Old witch, what exactly did you raise here?"

"Scared now, so-called Pokémon Master?"

"Oh, wow, praising me that much?" Kazuki laughed lightly. "All right then! If that's how you want to play, let's play!"

With the shining talisman to summon old Gastly and the ancient Dragonite as backup, Kazuki felt no fear at all in the face of this nightmarish scene.

Instead, he calmly drew another Poké Ball, ready to fight her properly.

"Old witch, since you love games so much, let's play a big one!"

"Go! Charizard!"

With a deafening roar, Charizard shot out of a burst of flames.

Its blazing fire looked even more dazzling in the gloom of the forest, as if it would burn the entire place to ash.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower — burn everything!"

At Kazuki's command, Charizard opened its huge jaws and unleashed a torrent of searing flames toward the vines!

BOOM! The flames instantly ignited the tangled vines, turning the whole forest into a sea of fire.

Cassandra's grandmother's face turned dark.

"You really have some guts, kid!"

"Ever heard of burn the mountain, rot in prison?"

"You're not worried Officer Jenny will haul you in?"

Kazuki laughed heartily. "Old witch, you don't have to worry about that!"

"Officer Jenny is one of my women too — it's just role-play for her!"

"Charizard! Keep burning!"

As Charizard's flames devoured more and more of the forest, Kazuki suddenly saw a giant black shadow, nearly ten meters tall, emerge behind Cassandra's grandmother.

"That is…"

Kazuki squinted, trying to make out the shape.

"Giant Tangrowth!"

"Wait, no, no way!"

"That's a giga — giga — Giga Tangrowth!"

----

Join my Patreon for early access to chapters: Patreon.com/rivyura