Poison War Prologue: The Joy of the World

**"Poison War Prologue: The Joy of the World"** is the twentieth chapter of *Pokémon Reset Bloodlines.* After the Celadon City Gym battle, and with Pidgeot having regained her evolved form, Ash sends her to Kalos with a letter for Serena, hoping to warn her of possible danger in the future. The group continues to travel to Fuchsia City, going through Crimson City and a Bug-Catching Contest on the way out, as Misty and Iris discuss their feelings about Ash. Meanwhile, nearby in Gringy City, a group of teenagers are controlling a large group of Poison-type Pokémon, preparing to shut down the local power plant...

## Plot

The night after defeating Erika, Ash's Pokédex informs him of the distance between his current location and Vaniville Town in Kalos, and how long it'd take for Pidgeot to get there by flying. Meanwhile, Ash tries to write a letter for Serena, discarding it over and over when he's not satisfied, as he wants to warn her of possible danger while not looking like he's gone insane. When he finally composes one that sounds good enough, he gives it to Pidgeot to deliver it.

The next day in the Fuchsia Gym, Paul has just won his challenge against Janine, Koga's daughter and the new Gym Leader. The trainer is pleased to see his Hypno, formerly Drowzee, pulling his weight once more after having lost to Ash before, which Janine quickly notices and mentions to him. Paul replies that he's merely taking the badge he should have earned the last time, had it not been for her getting two lucky critical hits from her Arbok. Janine replies that a win is a win regardless of whether it's earned through luck or trickery, as per the seventh rule of the ninja. Janine then notices that this time he used a Raichu and a Nidoking, and asks about the Onix and Mr. Mime from the last time, but Paul refuses to answer, as they (from his perspective) performed horribly and he released them, and even Raichu's performance has him doubting about her, Before he leaves, Janine informs him that the local warden asked her to pass on word of an upcoming Tag Tournament in a few weeks. Paul is uninterested, until she mentions that the winners will be able to enter the Safari Zone to catch Pokémon freely for a whole day. When Paul asks where he signs up, Janine refuses to tell him until he apologizes for his rude behavior, and he complies grudgingly, noticing that he hasn't apologized to anybody in years.

In Route 17, Misty has gone fishing with her Slowpoke, Wooper and Psyduck, while also borrowing Ash's Pokédex, who uses the recently acquired DexNav feature to let her know what Pokémon she can possibly find in the nearby area in both land and water. A Magikarp bites on Slowpoke's tail, but quickly lets it go as Misty already has one. The Pokédex suggests that Misty could easily dive into the water to look for the Pokémon she wants to catch, as fishing will take a while. Misty replies that it's also relaxing and diving in there is not. Psyduck then pipes up suggesting that perhaps Misty wants to relax because she had a bad dream, and keeps nagging her until she admits she did, a dream about her sisters finding her and tying her up before covering her in Bug-types, before devolving into very weird things and thankfully she woke up shortly after. Then, as the Pokédex continues to ramble, Slowpoke catches a Magikarp of an unusual golden color, and the Pokédex frantically demands that Misty catches it. Misty is uninterested and lets it go, not realizing what the big deal is, much to the Pokédex's chagrin.

At Oak's lab, the Professor has just finished watching a documentary, along with Bulbasaur and one of the Scatterbug that Ash caught a while ago, wondering how he could have gotten them while deciding he might be better off not knowing. The phone suddenly rings, and after picking it up, it turns out to be a friend of Oak, Doctor Kim Monocles Boxer, a brilliant yet eccentric inventor, who's frantically telling him to come to his house immediately as he's "finally done it". After hanging up, Oak gets into his closet to grab an oxygen tank and mask, a fire extinguisher, gas mask, metal club, and a Pokéball studded belt, and leaves an intern in charge while he goes to check what's going on.

After he goes down the road, Oak is shocked to find that Dr. Boxer's house is gone, causing him to drop his equipment. Doctor Boxer himself seems unusually happy about that, and Oak fears he might have rebuilt a ray gun that he destroyed with an Onix before. Dr. Boxer then shows him a cube-like device, and prompts Oak to touch it. Reluctantly, the researcher does, and then it materializes Boxer's house back where it used to be. Dr. Boxer explains that he managed to isolate the attribute that allows Pokémon to be absorbed into the Poké Balls, and replicated it for inanimate objects. The device in question is called the Item Capsule, and he's already patented it to put it on the market, much to Oak's surprise.

In Crimson City, Ash is having some sparring matches in the Battle Club. Charmeleon is venting his frustration of not being able to take part in the battle against Erika, demanding more punching bags. Ash notices they've been fighting plenty of Weepinbell, Bellsprout and even a Victreebel, to what the referee reveals that Crimson City used to belong to the Fisher Clan, who still have influence in the economic power, and their evolutionary line won them many battles. Ash wonders if that's why Jeanette Fisher's Bellsprout was so strong in the old timeline, and if they're bred to flip Groudon of all things. Before leaving, A.J. shows up, asking Ash if he's up for a battle with him, as he plans to challenge Erika for his third badge. Before accepting Ash looks at Misty and Iris to give them the go, and he recalls Squirtle before sending out Snivy to fight along with Charmeleon, while A.J. brings out a Beedrill and a Butterfree. During the battle, Ash mentions to A.J. that he battled Erika not long ago, and that she has counters for Bug-types that could give him trouble if he's not careful. The battle continues, and after Snivy defeats A.J.'s Beedrill, she gets hit by an Aerial Ace from Butterfree, causing her to get mad and decide to learn that move to start hitting others with it. Meanwhile, A.J.'s Butterfree ensnares Charmeleon with an Electroweb, who after breaking out fires out a Flamethrower, defeating his foe and leaving him delighted to have regained that move. Once the battle is over, A.J. asks about how his match with Erika went, before deciding he's going to catch a new Bug-type in the upcoming Bug Catching Contest for additional backup. This picks Ash's interest, and asks A.J. where it'll be, planning to sign up himself as well.

Afterwards, Ash tells Misty and Iris of his plan to enter the Bug Catching Contest, but Misty doesn't want more bugs around. When Iris asks if it's about who can catch more Bug-types, a passerby boy with a Caterpie mentions that it's actually about catching the strongest Bug-type in the local park, where you can win evolutionary stones and even get a picture taken. The boy mentions he caught his Caterpie in the last contest but lost, although he doesn't mind since many trainers like him catch Bug-types there as starters. Ash Pokédex demands that he enters the contest so he can acquire data in compensation for letting go of the golden Magikarp from before, much to Misty's chagrin. The boy mentions that he's been watching Ash's battles and he's pretty good, while wishing he could train his Caterpie but the other local trainers never go easy on him. Ash offers to have a sparring match with his Scatterbug, who might be on similar level to his Caterpie to make it a fair match. Misty is surprised that Ash decided to help this boy out of nowhere, while Iris also watches closely. The battle goes underway, and the two Pokémon end up evolving as a result. With his new Metapod in tow, the boy thanks Ash for his help with tears in his eyes.

Later in the Crimson City Park, Ash is getting ready for the Bug Catching Contest, also spotting A.J. and the boy he helped before among the contestants, while also seeing a photo of a younger Jeanette Fisher with braces. Ash's Pokédex scans the area while the warden explains the rules: one hour to catch the best Bug-type they can find, two Park Balls and they can only keep one Pokémon in them at the time, and they'll be allowed to keep the last Pokémon they catch, showing them the evolutionary stones they can choose after winning.

The contest goes underway and the Pokédex informs Ash of the Pokémon they can find in the area using the DexNav. The Pokédex informs of a nearby Shuckle, which seems to be within a nearby rock. Pikachu smashes it with Iron Tail, revealing the aforementioned Shuckle. Before Ash orders Pikachu to attack, the Shuckle yells something at them, and after weakening it with a Zap Cannon, Ash catches it. However, the Park Ball does not click as it would usually do, to what the Pokédex informs that the Park Balls won't register a permanent capture until after the contest, and they'll also heal the caught Pokémon instantly like Heal Balls. Ash asks Pikachu if they should keep the Shuckle, to what the mouse denies, leaving the trainer wondering if it said something very rude to his friend to make him reject it so easily.

Not long after, Ash notices a line of Weedle walking nearby in a very strange manner, which the Pokédex notices isn't normal behavior. Some Oddish quickly follow, then also a Venonat and a Spinarak, which Ash decides to catch to release the Shuckle, who mutters something that makes Pikachu angry before squirming away. The Pokédex then notices that when Ash caught the Spinarak, it caused a sudden shift in its brain activity, breaking it out of the abnormal behavior exhibited by the nearby Pokémon, all of which are Poison-types. Ash wonders if Team Rocket is behind it, but then as if called on cue, they appear to break it to him that whatever's happening here is not their fault, as they've been ordered to stalk him until told otherwise. They leave him to continue the contest, even wishing him luck on it.

Ash overhears some of the other contestants, who've also noticed the erratic behavior of the Pokémon, and suspect there might be a Bloodliner behind it trying to cheat to win the contest. The comment gets Ash thinking if that's what's going on, but the Pokédex doesn't have enough info to give him an answer. Not long after, they run into a Yanma, which the Pokédex points out it's a pretty rare Bug-type, and Ash sends Pikachu to battle and catch it, hoping that this is just what they need to win the contest.

Meanwhile, Misty and Iris are eating at a restaurant as they wait for Ash to come back. The place is mostly empty, save for themselves and a nervous-looking girl in a nearby table. Suddenly, Iris asks Misty about her relationship with Ash, causing her to spit out her water startling the nearby girl. When Iris inquires further, Misty lowers her voice and admits that she likes Ash, taking note of his kindness and selflessness as the qualities she likes the most about him, as well as appreciating his good looks and the rest of his personality in a romantic sense. Iris then seems to understand, stating that Misty is interested in Ash but not actively courting him, much to the redhead's confusion. The wild girl then goes to state that she is attracted to Ash's strength and drive to get stronger, while also liking his personality. She's not sure how humans are supposed to court each other but wants to learn how before making a move, to which Misty assumes that she plans to compete with her for Ash. Much to Misty's confusion, however, Iris suggests that just because one of them gets together with Ash, it doesn't mean the other can't do it, while also adding that, since they're technically not "normal" humans, they shouldn't care too much about their rules in relationships.

Ash then comes back from the contest, while a bespectacled girl comes behind him and sits with the nervous girl at the other table. Ash informs Misty and Iris that he won the contest, while showing him the prize he got: a Water Stone. Turns out that he won it to give it to her, much to her surprise. She also notices that Iris looks at her, not with jealousy but with approval, making her suspect she wasn't joking about what she said before.

The group arrives to Gringy City, which doesn't live up to its name now, being rather clean and without any trace of smog, polluted water or anything similar. An older woman passing nearby on a bike tells her that the city used to live up to its name, but thanks to the efforts of Tokiomi Borealis it's clean now. Ash wonders where that'll leave his Muk, since it doesn't look like the place he'll be at, while Misty decides they should go through it before nightfall. Despite Ash's worries, Pikachu assures him they'll probably find him elsewhere, considering that they found Krabby in a different place before.

Outside the city, Jessie, James and Meowth get beaten up by Team Rocket's Delibird, who are left having to sip emergency hot chocolate and trying to patch their wounds. Before leaving them, Delibird leaves them a letter from Giovanni, who tells them that, thanks to their capture of Felgrand their pay is now doubled and they're in line for a future promotion. As they start dancing in victory, a girl dressed up in battle clothes shows up with three Tyrogue, to tell them to dance elsewhere. When the trio suggests stealing the girl's Tyrogue, she punches them, blasting them off. She's quickly joined by the two girls from the restaurant and a third one. Turns out they're a group of Bloodliners, with their leader being a Poison Heart Bloodliner named Belladonna, the bespectacled girl is called Vedia, the nervous one Aurora, and the battle girl Evanna. The four of them seem to be in a relationship amongst each other, and they're planning on shutting down the Gringy City Power Plant, using an army of enthralled Poison-types to do so, and even willing to kill any humans who get in their way.

## Continuity

* First appearances of Belladonna, Vedia, Evanna and Aurora.
* Ash's Pidgeot takes a temporary leave to deliver Ash's message to Serena. Her arrival to Vaniville Town is shown in the *Big P Pokémon Race Interlude*, and she doesn't come back until Ash's battle in the Fuchsia Gym.
* A.J's gym battle against Erika is shown in the *Erika Interlude*.
* The first of Ash's Scatterbug evolves to Spewpa.
* Dr. Boxer first reveals the Item Capsule. A full box of them will be given to Ash and his friends later on.

## Characters

### Humans

* Ash Ketchum
* Paul
* Janine
* Gym Referee
* Misty Waterflower
* Professor Samuel Oak
* Dr. Kim Monocles Boxer
* Rirtson Rojo
* Battle Club Referee
* A.J.
* Iris
* Random Biker
* Random Trainers
* Jeanette Fisher (Picture)
* Jessie
* James
* Aurora Aoi Borealis
* Vedia
* Random Civilian
* Evanna Narec
* Belladonna Tyrian

### Pokémon

* Pidgeot (Ash's)
* Pikachu (Ash's)
* Hypno (Paul's)
* Venomoth (Janine's)
* Slowpoke (Misty's)
* Wooper (Misty's)
* Pysduck (Misty's)
* Magikarp (Wild)
* Horsea (Wild)
* Bulbasaur (Ash's)
* Scatterbug (Ash's)
* Charmeleon (Ash's)
* Weepinbell (Random Trainer's)
* Drowzee (Random Trainer's)
* Squirtle (Ash's)
* Snivy (Ash's)
* Butterfree (A.J.'s)
* Beedrill (A.J.'s)
* Weedle (Mental image)
* Beedrill (Mental image)
* Scyther (Mental image)
* Caterpie (Random trainer's)
* Metapod (Random trainer's)
* Spewpa (Ash's)
* Sandslash (A.J.'s)
* Scyther (Jeanette's; picture)
* Bellsprout (Jeanette's; picture)
* Shuckle (Ash's/Wild)
* Weedle (Wild)
* Oddish (Wild)
* Venonat (Wild)
* Spinarak (Ash's/Wild)
* Meowth (Team Rocket)
* Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
* Doduo (Random trainer's)
* Growlithe (Random trainer's)
* Yanma (Ash's)
* Delibird (Team Rocket)
* Tyrogue (Evanna's)
* Inkay (James')
* Tentacool (Wild)
* Tentacruel (Wild)
* Grimer (Wild)
* Muk (Wild)
* Beedrill (Wild)
* Arbok (Wild)
* Golbat (Wild)