Misty clutched her faintly aching forehead, feeling an extra wave of irritation at the arrival of Team Rocket’s trio.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Ash, who had just regained his senses after the shock of the explosion, was coughing violently while staring up at the massive hole in the ceiling, his face filled with confusion.
“What on earth just happened?”
The moment Ash finished speaking, a dazzling spotlight suddenly shone down from outside the hole, precisely illuminating three figures hovering at the edge of the opening.
Along with them, an inexplicable burst of music also began to play.
“Since you have sincerely and earnestly asked!” a female voice rang out.
“Then we shall mercifully tell you!” a male voice followed.
“Prepare for trouble!”
“And make it double!”
“To protect the world from devastation!”
“To unite all peoples within our nation!”
“To denounce the evils of truth and love!”
“To extend our reach to the stars above!”
“Jessie!”
“James!”
“Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!”
“Surrender now or prepare to fight!”
“Meowth! That’s right!”
After the long and utterly nonsensical introduction finally ended, the Pokémon Center fell into complete silence.
Everyone present had been completely bewildered by the spectacle put on by Team Rocket’s trio.
Ash blinked, taking quite a while to process everything before tilting his head and asking in utter confusion, “Team Rocket? What’s that? And that Meowth… it can talk?”
Hearing this completely expected question, Jessie, James, and Meowth exchanged glances.
Although their faces maintained the arrogance and disdain befitting villains, deep inside they were already overjoyed.
It was him!
This guy was still that clueless rookie kid who had just set out on his journey and knew absolutely nothing!
James felt a surge of wild excitement in his heart.
He recalled how, in the future, they had spent countless days and endured endless failures trying to capture Ash’s Pikachu, a long and painful saga filled with both blood and tears.
But now things were different.
Fate had given them another chance.
To deal with a kid who had only just begun his journey, they did not need to exert much effort at all.
Even now, James still felt a sense of unreality.
The goal they had pursued for so long was about to be achieved today, on the very first day of everything.
This time, they absolutely would not fail again.
The revival of Team Rocket would begin with stealing Pikachu!
Jessie and Meowth were just as stirred with excitement.
They were convinced that they were the protagonists of this new world, and that the kid in front of them was nothing more than the first stepping stone on their path to success.
Suppressing their inner excitement, the three of them maintained a composed and elegant exterior.
Jessie covered her mouth in feigned surprise and let out a soft scoff.
“Where did this brat come from, not even knowing the great name of Team Rocket?”
“Exactly,” James said as he stylishly brushed back the hair on his forehead, speaking in a tone of regret.
“We are the ultimate villains who steal Pokémon all across the land!”
“Running into us means you’re out of luck, meow!” Meowth added proudly.
“Stealing Pokémon?” Ash repeated, then asked curiously, “Do you steal any kind of Pokémon?”
Faced with Ash’s innocent question, the trio let out a synchronized scoff of disdain.
James spoke first.
“Of course not. Our targets aren’t those common, worthless Pokémon you find everywhere. We only go after powerful and rare Pokémon!”
“Powerful Pokémon…” Ash murmured as he lowered his head to glance at Pikachu, who was sitting beside him happily eating ketchup straight from a bottle, its face smeared red.
Then he looked back up at the trio in the air and reached a logical conclusion.
“Then it probably has nothing to do with us, right?”
“Pika.” Pikachu nodded in agreement before continuing to eat enthusiastically.
It was only after hearing Pikachu’s voice that Team Rocket’s trio seemed to snap back to reality, collectively freezing for a moment.
This was not how things were supposed to go according to their memories.
In the original sequence of events, Pikachu should have been severely injured by now, lying in the emergency room with an uncertain fate.
They had even worried about cutting off the power and accidentally harming Pikachu, which was why they had gone through the trouble of making a dramatic entrance like this.
So why did Pikachu now look so lively, even having the leisure to sit here and eat ketchup?
Although confusion filled their minds, the trio quickly adjusted.
The plan might have changed, but the objective had not.
No matter what state Pikachu was in, they just had to take it.
With that thought, James immediately took the initiative, pointing angrily at Ash.
“What did you say! You brat, how dare you look down on Team Rocket!”
“???”
Ash’s face was full of question marks as he pointed at himself, completely baffled as to why the other party had suddenly become angry.
Before Ash could respond, Jessie also chimed in aggressively, “That’s right! How dare you look down on Team Rocket, you’ve got some nerve!”
“As punishment for your arrogance, your Pikachu will now belong to Team Rocket, meow!”
Seeing that the three of them seemed determined to take his Pikachu, Ash felt even more puzzled.
Crossing his arms, he said with a confused expression, “But my Pikachu doesn’t meet your requirements. It doesn’t look strong at all. If you really want powerful Pokémon, wouldn’t the Gym Leader of Viridian City be a better choice? His Pokémon are definitely stronger than mine.”
Team Rocket’s trio: “?!”
The Gym Leader of Viridian City?
Their expressions instantly froze.
The Gym Leader of Viridian City…
That was none other than their supreme leader, Giovanni!
This brat was actually telling them to go steal their boss’s Pokémon?!
This was provocation!
Blatant provocation!
This kid clearly had a death wish!!
Feeling as though they had been toyed with, the trio burned with rage.
At this point, they no longer hesitated and decided to teach Ash a lesson immediately.
“Go, Ekans!”
“Go, Koffing!”
Jessie and James threw their Poké Balls at the same time.
Two flashes of white light appeared, and Ekans and Koffing materialized inside the hot air balloon.
The moment they appeared, both Pokémon prepared to leap down and attack Ash with fierce momentum.
However…
In the very next second, they felt themselves being tightly embraced by a pair of strong arms.
Confused, the two Pokémon turned their heads, only to see their trainers, Jessie and James, clinging to them with tears streaming down their faces, crying uncontrollably in overwhelming emotion.
“Ekans! My Ekans!”
“Koffing! It’s really you, Koffing!”
Seeing their original partners, seeing them in their unevolved forms, Jessie and James could no longer suppress their emotions.
The sorrow and joy of reunion after such a long separation surged forth all at once.
Ekans and Koffing were completely at a loss from the sudden embrace, frozen in place as their trainers wiped tears and snot all over them.
Meanwhile, Meowth, who had been standing at the front preparing to supervise the battle, waited for quite a while without seeing any action.
Just as it was about to turn around and urge them on, it suddenly felt a damp, cool sensation beneath its feet and across its body.
(End of Chapter)