Normally, at Molly's age, she wasn't supposed to own Pokémon. The League's regulation existed to prevent children who were too young from accidentally hurting themselves or their Pokémon. However, those concerns didn't apply to Molly. Her current abilities were already on par with a rookie trainer.
She had previously made a promise to Pikachu No. 2 that she would travel with it once she was of age. That wasn't because she was too young now, but because her journey would only last until the end of Ash's Johto travels,
after which she would return to her studies. Pikachu No. 2, having been kept by Mewtwo for so long, was desperate to see the world and enjoy true freedom. The arrangement suited both of them perfectly.
But Jigglypuff was different. The little darling had high compatibility with Molly and would make an excellent playmate. Furthermore, Jigglypuff could evolve into Wigglytuff using a Moon Stone. Wigglytuff was even more defined by its cuteness, having a gentle and caring nature. In the Kalos region, they even served as assistants to Nurse Joy. It would become Molly's ace!
Molly held the pink, balloon-like Pokémon, refusing to let go. With Meganium watching over them, the group no longer worried about being put to sleep by its singing. And so, another companion joined Ash's party.
"Ash, look!"
Higher up the mountain, they were surprised to find a Pokémon Center.
"I didn't expect a Pokémon Center to be all the way up here!"
A sign stood before the building: Good News! The world's highest Pokémon Center! Your last chance for Pokémon recovery!
It was a rare sight, and to commemorate the moment, the group took a photo together with the sign and their Pokémon in the background. It would become a precious memory of their journey.
The Pokémon Center's appearance was timely. The newly caught Jigglypuff needed a check-up; after being frozen and then thawed by fire, it had surely suffered some strain.
"Ash, we have to find Articuno! I want to take a photo from as close as possible!" Todd's determination was immense. He seemed to have sensed the change in Ash and was now looking to him for help.
"That's easy. Ash will just catch Articuno, and then you can take as many pictures as you want!" Molly said, acting as if it were a given. In her mind, Ash was omnipotenthe could probably even catch Arceus if he wanted to!
But before that, they had to find Articuno's trail.
"Are you all here looking for Articuno?" Nurse Joy emerged, accompanied by Officer Jenny, who frequently patrolled the area. Nurse Joy was returning Jigglypuff and the group's other Pokémon.
"Jigglypuff!" Molly pulled the Pokémon back into her arms. Ash released his Lapras, letting it play with Molly and Jigglypuff in the snow. Children deserved to enjoy their playtime.
"Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, do people see Articuno around here?" Todd asked eagerly.
Nurse Joy nodded. "Mt. Snowtop has a deep connection with Articuno."
As they spoke, the two women led the group to a cliff face behind the Pokémon Center. There stood a shrine dedicated to Articuno, containing a lifelike stone carving of the bird.
"Articuno is the guardian deity for those who travel the snow mountains," Nurse Joy explained with reverence.
"According to legend, besides announcing the arrival of winter, Articuno builds its nest on the summits of mountains covered in perpetual snow and flies across the sky," Officer Jenny added.
Mt. Snowtop's summit was covered in eternal snow, making it a likely place for an Articuno nest.
"If it's called a guardian deity, surely there must be actual records of its deeds?" Todd asked, showing his keen eye as a journalist.
Indeed, there were. Otherwise, such a statue wouldn't exist. There were many local legends about Articuno rescuing people who had become lost or stranded in the mountains.
While the group held their strategy meeting, the Team Rocket trio was already struggling up the slopes. The steep, treacherous terrain was putting them through hell. Meowth, who considered himself more human than Pokémon, complained bitterly. "It's so cold, meow! In weather like this, I just want to curl up in a blanket, meow!"
"Weren't you the one who said we should get ahead of the twerp and set a trap?" Jessie snapped, annoyed by his whining.
"But going this way is much faster than taking their route!" James added.
Their plan was simple: take a shortcut to get ahead of Ash's group and set an ambush. As Ash grew stronger, Team Rocket had begun to learn their lesson. They tried to find more sophisticated ways to attack and tried to accumulate more funds. Unfortunately, the wealth they had painstakingly gathered had been wiped out because James had purchased an "Itemfinder" in Ecruteak City.
The expensive device had only managed to dig up a pile of junk and bottle caps that only James considered "treasure." Meowth and Jessie were completely discouraged, which was why they hadn't made a move in Ecruteak.
Now, they were back to their most primitive yet effective tactic: digging pit traps to ambush Ash and steal Pikachu. They had seen with their own eyes that Ash's Pikachu could "transform"!
However, it was clearly a bad plan. They hadn't climbed very high before they were harassed by a flock of Spearow. Their safety rope came loose, and they tumbled down toward the base of the mountain. Luckily, they landed on a ledge, escaping with their lives.
But it was freezing. "What do I do? My brain is frozen solid, I can't think of anything!" Jessie was the first to give up.
"Help! Somebody help us!"
Crying for help was their only option now.
"No one's going to be in a dump like this..." James started to say, but then, it began to snow. Through the blizzard, a majestic azure figure appeared before them.
"Pika!"
The moment Pikachu sounded the alarm, snow began to fall from the sky. Ash, his body flashing with blue light, took the lead and dashed out with Pikachu.
"Ash, wait for us!" The others scrambled to follow.
When they caught up to Ash, they found him looking with a wry smile at three frozen figures on the ground. It was the Team Rocket trio, turned into ice sculptures.
"Quilava, Flamethrower!"
The Team Rocket trio had physical constitutions even better than Ash's. They were blasted into the sky every day, yet they never seemed to suffer permanent damage. James was frequently bitten on the head by his Victreebel, yet he was always perfectly fine.
The Flamethrower thawed them out, and they sprang back to life, looking at Ash as if they'd seen a ghost. "The twerp!"
"Team Rocket, did you just come down from the summit?" Ash asked.
The trio nodded obediently in unison.
"What brought you down here?"
The trio thought back and then cried out in realization. "We didn't see it clearly! A cold wind blew, and then this terrifying thing flew right at us!"
The group's eyes lit up. "Team Rocket, thanks for the intel!"
Ash turned to Officer Jenny. "Officer Jenny, I'll leave these three to you. Please treat them to a few good meals!"
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