“Rhydon, charge!”
Outside the Pokémon Center near the trainer camp, a burly Trainer barked out an order as his imposing Rhydon thundered forward.
“Ah!
The size difference is enormous!
Will Ralts be okay?”
May asked nervously.
“Hmph!
Big Brother definitely won’t lose!”
Max folded his arms and lifted his chin confidently.
May glanced at him strangely.
“That’s not like you, Max.
Aren’t you usually the one analyzing everything?”
Max pushed up his glasses and replied matter-of-factly,
“If Big Brother sent out Ralts, then he already has a plan to win!”
Ever since being proven wrong over and over again and after witnessing Ash’s incredible battles firsthand Max’s admiration had reached an entirely new level.
His constant “Big Brother” this and “Big Brother” that always reminded Ash of a certain overly enthusiastic kid named Konohamaru from another world.
“Ralts, Teleport!”
“What?!”
The burly Trainer was caught completely off guard.
In a flash of light, Ralts vanished from Rhydon’s sight.
The massive Pokémon lost its target instantly.
Before either Trainer or Pokémon could react, Ash swung his arm forward.
“Ice Beam!”
“Ralts!”
Appearing directly above Rhydon, Ralts gathered icy blue energy and unleashed a freezing beam.
Crack!
Frost rapidly spread across Rhydon’s body, locking it in place.
Before Ash even needed to issue another command, Ralts’ eyes glowed with psychic power.
A blue aura enveloped the frozen Rhydon.
Slowly, the gigantic Pokémon was lifted into the air.
Then
Boom!
Rhydon crashed back to the ground with tremendous force, shattering ice in every direction.
Rhydon was unable to battle.
Ding!
Ralts gained 1,200 Experience Points!
Ding!
Ralts leveled up to Level 14!
Ding!
Gained 20 Points!
“Ralts~!
(Daddy, I beat the big guy!)”
Ash laughed and gently patted her head.
“Good job, Ralts.”
“Ralts~”
The little Pokémon beamed with pride.
“Your Pokémon are really incredible.
That Ralts is especially impressive!”
The burly Trainer wasn’t upset at all.
Recalling Rhydon, he walked over and shook Ash’s hand before cheerfully taking his leave.
“Awesome!
Ash has reached a forty-five battle winning streak now!”
May cheered excitedly.
“That’s true,” Brock added thoughtfully.
“But the challengers are getting stronger and stronger.”
“The battles have also changed from one-on-one matches to two-on-two and even three-on-three battles.
That’s putting a lot of pressure on Ash’s Pokémon.”
“Yeah!”
May nodded.
“Even Ralts looked exhausted after only a few battles today.
And Taillow and Combusken have been fighting nonstop too.”
“Doesn’t matter!”
Max declared proudly, hands on his hips.
“Nobody can beat Big Brother anyway!”
Bonk!
May immediately rewarded him with a punch to the head.
“Don’t get so arrogant on Ash’s behalf, Max!”
“Owww!
What was that for, Sis?!”
Watching the siblings bicker yet again, Ash and Brock exchanged helpless smiles.
Then
Whoosh!
Several mechanical arms suddenly shot out from the nearby bushes.
Before anyone could react, they snatched Pikachu, Torchic, and Taillow.
“Torchic!”
May cried out in alarm.
At that moment, three familiar figures leaped dramatically into view.
“If you’re asking for trouble so sincerely ”
“We’ll gladly give you an answer!”
“To protect the world from devastation ”
“Pikachu, Iron Tail.”
“Pika!”
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Before the trio could finish their motto, Pikachu’s glowing tail shattered all three mechanical arms in a single sweep.
Torchic and Taillow immediately regained their freedom.
“You should at least let us finish our introduction, meow!”
“Yeah!
That’s incredibly rude!”
Jessie complained angrily.
“Seriously, where are your manners?!”
James added.
“Since you’re acting like this, we’ll just show you our new power!”
Meowth declared dramatically.
Jessie and James each threw a Poké Ball.
“Things are different now!”
“Team Rocket has entered a new era!”
“A new era?”
May blinked in confusion.
“Go, Dustox!
This is your first important mission!”
Jessie shouted.
“Seviper, show them your strength!”
James added.
“Dusssstox!”
“Seviiiiper!”
The two Pokémon appeared before everyone.
Brock immediately recognized one of them.
“That’s the Seviper from before!”
Max’s eyes widened.
“So it got caught by Team Rocket!”
Meanwhile, May raised her Pokédex toward the other Pokémon.
“Dustox, the Poison Moth Pokémon.
Dustox is attracted to bright lights and uses the fine scales released from its wings to protect itself from enemies.”
A smile appeared on Ash’s face.
It seemed fate still had a funny way of keeping certain events intact.
And more importantly
New experience points.
Though admittedly, their levels weren’t particularly impressive.
Still, they were perfect opponents for Treecko’s next step forward.
Team Rocket truly deserved their title as Ash’s most reliable sparring partners.
“Taillow, Dustox is yours!”
After issuing the command, Ash pointed toward Seviper.
“Treecko, your opponent is that Seviper!”
“Treeeecko!”
The moment Treecko saw Seviper, its eyes sharpened.
It immediately remembered the humiliation of being overpowered before.
“What?!”
Jessie scoffed.
“This little Treecko is acting way too cool!”
Nobody irritated Jessie more than someone acting cooler than herself.
“Teach him a lesson, Seviper!”
“Seviiiiper!”
“Treecko, Quick Attack!
Then Pound!”
Facing the approaching Seviper, Ash chose direct confrontation.
Treecko exploded forward.
At the last instant, it leaped high into the air.
Smack!
Its tail struck Seviper squarely on the head.
Unfortunately, the difference in strength was still significant.
Seviper winced from the hit but immediately retaliated.
Its body coiled around Treecko.
Just like before.
“Treecko got caught again!”
Max cried anxiously.
Jessie’s laughter became even more obnoxious.
“That’s it!
Crush him, Seviper!”
Ash rubbed his forehead.
With commands like that, even a Legendary Pokémon wouldn’t reach its potential.
“Treecko, Absorb!”
“Treeeecko!”
Green energy immediately enveloped Treecko’s tail.
Streams of life energy began flowing from Seviper into Treecko.
The longer Seviper maintained its grip, the weaker it became.
“Seviii…”
Its cry gradually lost strength.
Realizing the opportunity had arrived, Treecko broke free and sprang backward.
“Now!
Pound!”
Treecko twisted in midair.
Its tail glowed with power.
Crash!
The strike sent Seviper flying directly into Jessie.
Both Pokémon and Trainer collapsed into a tangled heap.
Seviper was unable to battle.
“Perfect.
Pikachu, Thunderbolt!”
“Pikachuuuu!”
Boom!
A pillar of lightning erupted across the battlefield.
“Our brand-new Team Rocket debut…”
“Failed already…”
“Looks like Team Rocket’s blasting off again!”
“Wobbuffet~!”
Ding!
Treecko gained 1,100 Experience Points!
Ding!
Treecko leveled up to Level 15!
Ding!
Gained 20 Points!
Ding!
Taillow gained 950 Experience Points!
Ding!
Taillow leveled up to Level 22!
Ding!
Gained 20 Points!
Even with Team Rocket defeated, no bonus multiplier appeared.
Apparently, the system didn’t think much of them anymore.
Ash shook his head helplessly.
Still, Treecko had finally avenged its earlier defeat.
That alone made the battle worthwhile.
After some rest and cleanup, Ash and his friends finally arrived at a major city nearby
Rustboro City.
“Wow, it smells amazing!”
May inhaled deeply, looking delighted.
Max immediately turned toward her.
“Smells amazing?
Did you find food already?”
“No!”
May rolled her eyes.
“I mean the atmosphere of the city!”
She happily looked around at the bustling streets and towering buildings.
“As expected, someone who grew up in a city needs to enjoy this kind of environment every now and then!”
“That’s fair.”
Ash nodded while carrying Ralts.
“We’ve spent quite a while traveling through forests.
It’s nice being back in a city.”
“How about we split up for a bit and meet again later at the Pokémon Center?”
“Agreed!”
May immediately raised her hand.
“I want to go shopping!
Ash, do you want to come with me?”
Ash shook his head apologetically.
“Not this time.”
“I’ve been battling all day and barely had time to eat.
I’m going to find something first.”
“Brock will probably be buying supplies anyway.
You can go with him.”
“Okay then…”
May looked slightly disappointed.
Then she turned toward her younger brother.
“What about you, Max?”
Max adjusted his glasses and answered without hesitation.
“Of course I’m going with Big Brother!”
“Don’t cause Ash any trouble.”
“I won’t!
You’re the annoying one, Sis!”