“Lorelei, gentle!
Gentle!
My ear’s going to be torn off!”
Aaron begged for mercy like a coward.
He had gone to Professor Uzuki to collect his Pokémon Egg, only to be told it had already been taken by Lorelei.
So he followed her to retrieve it—only to find that instead of getting the egg, his ear got destroyed first.
“You still dare call me Lorelei?
What did you say on the battlefield?” Lorelei said, pretending to look fierce.
“I wasn’t lying!
I told the truth!
In this day and age, can’t a person even tell the truth anymore?” Aaron cried out in injustice.
“You dare say that again?” Lorelei twisted his ear harder.
Aaron howled in pain and quickly surrendered, signing humiliating terms and agreeing to once again provide professional care services for Lorelei’s Pokémon.
Only then did he finally get his Pokémon Egg back.
The egg was deep blue, mixed with hints of pure white.
Aaron stared at it, trying to identify what it was, before thinking of a terrifying possibility he didn’t even want to admit.
“What’s with that expression?” Lorelei asked in confusion.
“I’m afraid I’ll hatch a big eater I can’t afford,” Aaron sighed.
“Forget it.
Where’s Meowth?
The competition’s over, so their business should be done too, right?”
“Pay your debts!”
“Boss, help!”
Just as he spoke, shouting erupted from not far away.
Aaron immediately felt a sense of foreboding.
His mind automatically constructed the worst possible scenario.
He silently moved behind Lorelei.
Lorelei, still confused, suddenly saw Meowth and James being chased by a group of merchants.
Both of them looked terrified, running as if their lives depended on it.
She also felt something was wrong and quietly tried to leave—but Meowth spotted Aaron immediately.
“Boss!
I finally found you!”
Meowth lunged forward and hugged Aaron’s leg.
“Who are you?
I don’t know you,” Aaron said, playing dumb.
“No, boss!
How can you abandon your most loyal servant, Meowth?” Meowth cried while clinging to his leg.
James quickly grabbed Aaron’s other leg.
“Boss!
I’m your most loyal underling, James!
How can you abandon me too?”
Aaron struggled desperately, but both legs were firmly locked down by these two human-shaped parasites.
He rubbed his forehead in misery.
Damn it… I want to die.
Seriously, how much tolerance did Giovanni have in the original story to keep these three idiots in Team Rocket?
One of the merchants grabbed Aaron’s hand.
“Since you’re their Trainer, pay up.
They owe us fifty thousand.”
He shot a murderous glare at Meowth and James.
Meowth and James turned their heads away, still clinging tightly to his legs with zero intention of letting go.
You two bastards—how the hell did you manage to rack up that much debt in just a few days?
Weren’t you even making a profit earlier?
Aaron took a deep breath.
“Sorry, I don’t know them.
This Meowth isn’t even my Pokémon.
You can skin them alive for all I care.”
“Boss!
You’re abandoning your most loyal servant!” Meowth cried, quickly jumping up and pressing Aaron’s Poké Ball.
It popped itself inside to prove ownership.
“Evidence confirmed.
Stop pretending.
You are the Trainer.
Pay up,” the merchant said firmly.
Aaron looked up at the sky in despair.
Pay?
I’m broke too!
Sure, my family might have money—but my mom worked hard for it, and besides, help doesn’t arrive instantly!
Tears welled up in his eyes as he turned to Lorelei.
“Lorelei sis…”
Lorelei made the exact same exhausted expression and rubbed her forehead.
This kid… really wasn’t born to my family.
I adopted him.
And now?
Even if I’m crying, I still have to deal with it.
“Fifty thousand, right?
I’ll pay,” Lorelei sighed.
She quickly settled the debt, and only then did Meowth pop out of the Poké Ball again, excited.
“Luckily Meowth is smart!
Meow!”
“Smart?” Aaron grabbed its tiny neck and lifted it up.
“Explain yourself.
How did you rack up this much debt?
If you don’t give me a good explanation, I’ll boil you right now.
Believe it or not?”
“Meow!
It was an accident!” Meowth hurriedly explained.
“Business was booming a few days ago—we were making a lot of money.
So we expanded and bought a huge batch of goods.
Who knew we couldn’t sell them today…”
As expected.
Aaron rolled his eyes helplessly.
He had seen this exact same pattern before in Johto and Hoenn arcs—overstocking inventory, then going bankrupt.
“I see.
Let’s talk about how you’re going to repay me now,” Aaron said.
“Boss, everything I have is yours.
I’m your most loyal subordinate,” Meowth said immediately.
“Boss, I’m your most loyal underling too.
Whatever you say, I’ll do it,” James added. This story is hosted at g.com.
“I refuse.
You think I want to clean up your mess for you?” Aaron snapped.
“No choice, boss.
You already took us in,” Meowth said shamelessly.
“How about I pay you back with my body?
Hit me, do whatever you want.
Meow.”
“Boss, I’m very capable!
As long as you feed me, I can do anything.
But money… I really don’t have any,” James added sincerely.
Looking at these two useless idiots acting like they had nothing to lose, Aaron felt his liver hurt.
But strangely… he really couldn’t do anything to them.
He forced himself to calm down and began thinking about how to extract value from them.
Meowth was already completely squeezed dry.
No use there.
As for James… in the original story, he was nothing but trouble.
What could he possibly do?
Aaron tilted his head and studied James carefully.
Then suddenly—
His eyes lit up.
Wait a second.
I’ve been thinking about this all wrong.
These two are Team Rocket.
What is Team Rocket?
They are one of the three legendary “comedy pillars” of the anime world alongside Tom and Jerry, and that stupid wolf from Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf.
Aside from failing to catch Pikachu, mice, or sheep, they are basically万能 (omni-useful).
Especially James.
He’s skilled in bottle cap appraisal, disguise, acting, mechanics, aerial competitions, and even cross-dressing so good he once looked better than most women—and apparently even got Ash’s first kiss.
And more importantly… he’s the only son of the wealthy Sasaki family.
If things ever go wrong financially, I could even contact his fiancée Jessiebelle and squeeze money out of that.
Aaron revealed a sinister smile and patted James on the shoulder.
“I’ll take you in as my underling.”
“Boss!” James’s eyes filled with tears.
Finally, a group!
If business with Meowth failed again, they could just make the boss pay!
“Cough cough… Aaron, shouldn’t we talk about how you’re going to pay me back first?”
Lorelei’s voice mercilessly broke the strangely warm atmosphere.
“Lorelei sis…” Aaron froze, then forced a smile.
“I can use my body too.
You can hit me however you like.
I’ll accept it!”
Lorelei took a deep breath and released her Slowbro.
“Mega Punch.”
“Wait—Lorelei sis, you’re serious?!”
Before he even finished speaking, Slowbro’s fist came flying.
And then—
The world spun.
Aaron found himself soaring into the sky.
For a brief moment, he really wanted to shout those six words—but looking down at those two idiots below, he swore he would never become like them.
He bit down hard on his lip and forced himself not to make a sound.