Ash held that seven-colored feather in his hand, turning it over again and again as he examined it for quite a while.
In the end, simply because it looked so beautiful, he decided to store it in his backpack.
If it had been a Fearow’s feather, he would have definitely thrown it away without a second thought.
Ash planned to show this feather to Professor Oak later and see if the professor knew what kind of Pokémon could possess such stunning plumage.
After finishing all of this, a rumbling sound suddenly rang out at an awkward moment.
Ash held his protesting stomach, his face showing a slightly embarrassed expression.
From oversleeping in the morning and rushing out in a hurry, to being chased everywhere by a flock of Spearow, to jumping off a cliff and falling into the water, he had barely had a moment to rest throughout the entire day.
The physical exhaustion he had accumulated was immense.
Even though he believed his body was quite resilient, it was not something that could withstand such relentless strain.
Now that the crisis had passed, the intense hunger that had been suppressed all this time immediately surged up.
“I’m so hungry,” Ash said weakly to Pikachu, who had now willingly taken its place on his shoulder.
“Let’s hurry to Viridian City and get something to eat.”
“Pika,” Pikachu responded quietly in agreement.
It was also very hungry.
Although it had just eaten an entire bottle of ketchup earlier, that amount was nothing after going through such an intense battle.
Speaking of ketchup, Pikachu suddenly remembered something.
It raised its small paw and tapped Ash on the cheek, then began chirping “Pika pika” at him.
Hearing Pikachu’s cries, Ash was momentarily stunned before quickly understanding what it meant.
“I remember, I’ll buy it for you, the ketchup,” Ash said.
“We agreed on it before, right? Enough ketchup to fill an entire backpack.”
“Pika~!” Pikachu immediately let out a satisfied cry.
Seeing Pikachu’s content expression made the smile on Ash’s face grow even brighter.
But as he smiled, his expression suddenly froze, as if he had realized something important.
He muttered in surprise, “Come to think of it… I somehow understand what you’re saying.”
“Pika?”
Pikachu, perched on Ash’s shoulder, stopped wagging its tail.
Tilting its head, it looked at Ash with an expression as if staring at a fool.
“Pika?” (Idiot?)
“…” Ash’s lips twitched.
“You just insulted me, didn’t you?”
“Piii?!” (You can really understand?!)
“Of course I can understand! You really were insulting me!”
Ash reached out and began playfully bickering with Pikachu.
And so, while arguing and chatting, Ash and Pikachu continued on their way toward Viridian City.
The sunlight was just right, and a gentle breeze brushed past them.
Having just experienced a life and death crisis, their mood at this moment was unexpectedly light and cheerful.
However, as he walked, Ash felt a strange sense of distraction.
Did I… forget something?
A vague thought flashed through his mind, but no matter how hard he tried to recall it, he could not remember what it was that he had forgotten.
Forget it, it probably isn’t anything important.
Ash scratched his head and eventually gave up thinking about it.
Humming a cheerful tune, he continued forward with Pikachu toward the distant Viridian City.
…
In stark contrast to the relaxed atmosphere on Ash’s side…
On the very wilderness where Ash and Pikachu had collapsed, Misty had finally arrived, panting heavily.
When she saw the chaotic scene before her, she immediately understood that everything was already over.
She had still arrived too late.
With a heart full of despair, Misty dragged her heavy steps forward, her gaze slowly falling upon the charred black shape in the distance that was no longer recognizable.
In the next moment, she could no longer hold herself up.
Staggering forward, her legs gave out and she dropped to her knees in front of that pile of scrap metal.
“My bicycle!!!”
Her mournful cry echoed across the entire wilderness, startling a group of Spearow that had just awakened from unconsciousness.
Misty covered her face with both hands, her heart filled with helplessness.
She had never imagined that even after starting over, even after preparing herself mentally in advance, she still could not protect anything in the end.
…
Not long after.
In the sky not far from Viridian City.
A giant Meowth-shaped hot air balloon floated slowly toward the city under the glow of the setting sun.
Inside the basket, three figures each occupied a corner.
None of them spoke, and the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
They all looked into the distance, each lost in their own thoughts.
These three figures were naturally the Team Rocket trio, Jessie, James, and Meowth.
James leaned against the edge of the basket with one hand, gazing at the sky dyed a magnificent red by the sunset, his heart filled with confusion and bewilderment.
He had no idea what had just happened.
Just a moment ago in his memory, he had been standing together with Jessie and Meowth, watching that brat they had chased for their entire lives stand proudly on the podium of the Masters Eight Tournament, holding up the championship trophy that symbolized the strongest trainer in the world.
But in the very next moment, all it took was a blink, and everything around him had changed.
He had arrived here.
The Kanto region, above Viridian City.
Of course, James remembered this place.
After all, this was where they had first met that brat, where they had first witnessed the power of Pikachu, and where their future life had truly begun.
He immediately understood that he had traveled through time, returning to the day they first met that brat.
For a moment, James did not know what he should feel.
Was it novelty, or was it melancholy?
After all, chasing after Ash and Pikachu had practically defined most of their careers.
When he saw Ash standing victorious, James had felt a mix of emotions.
Although they had suffered countless hardships while chasing Ash around, looking back now, those days did not seem so bad after all.
Yet at the moment Ash reached the very top, an inexplicable sense of sadness and emptiness had also welled up inside him.
That brat was about to achieve his dream, but what about them?
Were they supposed to continue chasing him?
Continue making capturing Pikachu the ultimate goal of their careers?
Even though they had smiled and carried on at the time, thinking about it now, James still felt unwilling to accept it.
But now, having returned to the very beginning of everything…
All the confusion and melancholy in James’s heart vanished completely.
A flash of inspiration struck his mind, and suddenly, he understood!
This must be the will of heaven!
Heaven must have felt that his life should not remain so ordinary, which was why it had given him this precious opportunity, hoping that he could achieve something earth-shaking!
At this thought, a blazing fire ignited in James’s eyes.
He clenched his fists tightly, silently swearing to himself.
This time, he would definitely accomplish something great!
Meanwhile, Jessie and Meowth, standing on the other sides of the basket, were experiencing the exact same train of thought.
Just like James, they believed that since they had been given a new life, they must surely be the protagonists of this world!
Especially Jessie, who could practically already see herself standing under the spotlight, basking in the cheers and screams of countless fans, finally realizing her dream of becoming a superstar.
Those little twerps!!!
This time, she would definitely make them pay!
Heh!
After each secretly made their own resolutions, the three of them turned to look at each other at the same time.
All of them wore calm, nonchalant smiles, as if nothing had just happened.
“So, what should we do next?” Jessie was the first to break the silence.
James pretended to ponder, stroking his chin.
“Hmm… this is quite troublesome. Since we do not know what to do, how about we go rob the Pokémon Center later and take their Pokémon?”
“Sounds like a great idea, meow,” Meowth said, placing his paws on his hips and nodding in agreement.
The Team Rocket trio maintained their composed smiles, none of them mentioning anything about their rebirth.
Yet in their hearts, the same thought arose simultaneously.
This time, with all the battle experience they had accumulated over the years in the future, they would definitely capture that brat’s Pikachu right from the very beginning!
They had no choice but to consider this their one and only chance at success!
Revitalize Team Rocket!
Achieve their dream of becoming high-ranking officers!
The three of them would shoulder this responsibility without hesitation!
(End of Chapter)