Chapter 30: Xiao Erlang's Iconic Scene Re‑Enacted!

White Light Curtain—

Ash and his friends finally arrived in Goldenrod City, after going through Team Rocket's daily antics, Ash and his group were accidentally transported to Sabrina's Gym, when an old man appeared nearby warning Ash and his friends not to challenge Sabrina.

But at this time Ash was fearless, and after completing the so-called evaluation, he battled Sabrina.

Ash and his friends were thoroughly beaten by Sabrina's psychic Pokémon, not only shrinking in size but also being treated as toys by Sabrina.

However, the old man rescued them, and the mysterious old man suggested Ash go to Lavender Town to catch a Ghost-type Pokémon to battle Sabrina.

Thus, Ash and his friends headed to Lavender Town.

Brock, Xiaoxia, and Pikachu said the Ghost-type Pokémon were too scary and they dared not enter.

Helpless, Ash really wanted to defeat Sabrina, so he mustered his courage and brought Charmander into the Ghost Tower.

Team Rocket got thoroughly beaten up inside!

After a series of events, Ash still failed to capture a Ghost-type Pokémon.

However, Gastly promised to help Ash.

Perhaps because playing with Ash was fun, Gastly followed him and together they went to challenge Sabrina.

Ash entered the battle full of confidence with Gastly, but Gastly suddenly disappeared, and Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle also lost their will to fight; Ash and his friends already had a psychological shadow from Sabrina, so without Gastly to break the deadlock, they could only flee.

However, their escape failed, resulting in Brock and Xiaoxia being turned into dolls; the old man appeared just in time to rescue Ash, then told him the reason Sabrina had become this way and revealed his own identity.

Sabrina had extraordinary psychic powers from childhood, but because she devoted all her body and mind to those powers, her personality as a child became extremely reclusive and odd; she even used her psychic abilities to drive away her own parents, and by closing herself off, she developed two personalities, leading to her current state.

In order to restore Xiaoxia and Brock, Ash had to defeat Sabrina no matter what.

After finding Gastly again, Ash brought Gastly to the Gym.

Gastly pulled out all the stops and finally made Sabrina laugh; Machamp, which shared Sabrina's feelings, laughed just as uncontrollably, so Machamp could no longer continue fighting.

Thus, Ash successfully obtained the Gold Badge!

【Xiaomao: Ash really had a rough time getting this Gold Badge, and this Gold Badge was also given to him—out of four badges, three were given!】

【Ash: What are you saying, Xiaomao? You haven't collected a Gold Badge yourself—you must be afraid of Sabrina's psychic power and dare not come challenge her!】

【Xiaomao: Who's scared? I just listened to advice; to save time, I went straight to challenge the next Gym.】

【Kenan: When facing a Gym Leader like Sabrina who has powerful psychic abilities, you can temporarily avoid challenging her; wait until you and your Pokémon are stronger before coming back, because if you force a challenge and still lose, getting turned into a doll would be troublesome!】

【Brock: Yes, yes, Kenan the Heavenly King is right!】

【Wusong: All the Gym Leaders in the Kanto region have such formidable psychic powers—truly terrifying!】

While eating lunch by the roadside under the White Light Curtain, Ash and his friends learned that he was the Trainer from Pallet Town who had obtained the fewest badges, and he was preparing to catch a few more Pokémon.

Coincidentally, Ash saw a Mankey, and the Mankey really liked the rice balls Brock made.

Ash wanted to capture the Fighting-type Mankey, but he was no match for it; the Mankey snatched the hat he had painstakingly made and also gave him a beating.

Team Rocket's old acquaintances also came to join the fun.

After the Mankey finished harassing Ash, it went to harass the Team Rocket trio, but Xiao Erlang kicked it away with a foot.

However, the Mankey that was kicked away became furious, evolving into Primeape, and seeking revenge, it promptly gave Team Rocket a lesson.

Ash then sent out his Pokémon to battle Primeape in turns, and not only did he retrieve his hat, but he also managed to capture Primeape!

Finally, he even fulfilled Team Rocket's wish to see Primeape!

【Xiba: Another iconic scene, Xiao Erlang's shining moment!】

【Does Xiao Erlang have some kind of superpower? From the Magikarp on the Saint Anne to this Mankey, they all evolve after he kicks them once!】

【Ash: It's possible, and it's not just Xiao Erlang alone—I've discovered that the two humans and one cat of Team Rocket are all talented: Musashi has strong fighting power, Xiao Erlang has the Evolution Kick, and Nyasu can speak human language!】

【Brock: And that's not all—they also have excellent machine‑making skills; you could say that apart from catching Pikachu, they can do just about anything!】

【Musashi: Of course, we Team Rocket are all talented!】

After Ash praised them like that, the Team Rocket trio's mood instantly became a bit pleasant; they never expected that the little brats they usually target would say nice things about them.

But after that last sentence, they really didn't like it!

Although it's a fact, they also refuse to admit it's their fault.