On the screen—
More and more Bulbasaur climbed up onto the roof of the Pokémon Gym.
Koharu watched them closely, her eyes full of curiosity.
She had never once seen the process of a Pokémon's evolution with her own eyes.
As more and more Bulbasaur gathered and prepared—
They began to glow.
This was the sign that they were about to evolve.
A group evolution of Bulbasaur—such a rare miracle! Even Ash had only seen it a handful of times.
Just as he was about to savor the moment—
A massive net fell from the sky, trapping all the Bulbasaur on the roof in one swoop.
The movements, the flawless timing…
Even the reflexive reaction—it was almost muscle memory.
"Team Rocket, it's you again."
Ash didn't even need to look up. He knew exactly who it was.
As expected, the moment he spoke,
The Team Rocket trio responded instantly, as though triggered by a switch.
"Since you've asked so sincerely!"
"Then we'll be generous enough to tell you!"
"To prevent the world from devastation!"
"To protect the peace of all peoples!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!" "James!"
"We're the Team Rocket duo, traveling through the galaxy!"
"White hole, a white tomorrow awaits us!"
"That's right, meowth!"
"Wobbuffet!"
The classic speech, the familiar voices.
Sure enough, floating in a hot air balloon above Ash was the Team Rocket trio.
"Long time no see, brat. I'll be taking this group of Bulbasaur, no need to thank me."
Maybe because it had been so long since they'd crossed paths, Jessie even found time to greet Ash after securing her prize.
Hearing her familiar voice, Ash actually felt a strange comfort.
No wonder something had felt missing during his time resting at home.
Without Team Rocket's constant meddling, he hadn't quite felt himself.
They're back! All of them are back!
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"
"Pikachu!"
Pikachu leapt from Ash's shoulder, its tail gleaming with metallic light.
A sharp flash swept across.
The massive net trapping all the Bulbasaur was sliced clean apart.
Seeing that the Bulbasaur were unharmed, Ash finally let out a breath of relief.
But even if it was Team Rocket, this sort of thing wasn't forgivable.
Ash was getting angry.
"If we can't catch Bulbasaur, then brat, your Pikachu will do as payment!"
Jessie's voice rang with anger from above.
Their hot air balloon descended, landing on the ground.
Jessie, James, and Meowth glared at Ash furiously.
That twisted way of blaming others for their own failure—it was all too familiar.
Ash couldn't help but wonder: could there be any other disgusting villains lurking nearby?
Fortunately, his fears were unnecessary.
Jessie and James, just like always, were simply preparing for another battle.
On the ground, Pikachu was already in a fighting stance.
After all, they all knew each other too well by now.
Ash waited for Jessie and James to throw their Poké Balls.
But this time, he miscalculated.
Instead of Poké Balls, the Team Rocket trio pulled out a strange gacha machine.
They swore up and down that it was a special weapon they had borrowed from headquarters, built solely for capturing Pikachu.
What else could he say? Classic Team Rocket.
Their so-called "secret weapons" for Pikachu never seemed to run out.
"Brat, watch closely!" Jessie shouted.
She and James began cranking the gacha machine.
Bang! Bang!
Two Poké Balls popped out.
The audience watching the live broadcast gasped in shock.
The Poké Balls flew through the air, opening with a flash of red light.
Appearing before Ash—
A fearsome Gyarados, and a massive Tyranitar!
Wait a second! Something's not right with this gacha machine!
Gyarados—ferocious and violent by nature!
Tyranitar—a pseudo-legendary, no explanation needed!
Ash eyed the machine. This time, it looked like the Team Rocket trio had gone all in.
But so what?
They were facing Pikachu.
Not a freshly restarted Pikachu at the beginning of a new region—
But the Pikachu with six whole regional journeys' worth of experience!
This Pikachu was far beyond "1 + 1 + 1."
As the ace of Ash, the first Alola Champion—
Neither Gyarados nor Tyranitar could gain any ground against it.
After only a brief clash,
Both Pokémon were already marked with scars from Pikachu's attacks.
"Brat, when did you get this strong?" Jessie muttered.
"Should we try something else?" James suggested.
"Why not target those Bulbasaur instead, meowth~"
After some quick whispering, they agreed on Meowth's idea.
Just as the battle stalled,
Team Rocket suddenly ordered Gyarados and Tyranitar to attack the helpless Bulbasaur.
Tyranitar's Stone Edge, Gyarados's Hydro Pump!
The battlefield fell into chaos.
Team Rocket, as always, had no honor.
But how could Ash just stand by while those innocent Bulbasaur were attacked?
Before Koharu's astonished eyes,
Ash and Pikachu threw themselves in front of the attacks.
Water drenched Ash completely, and Pikachu's body was covered in wounds.
"Brat, looks like we win this time!" Jessie sneered.
[Yulongdu: At first I thought these three were just comic relief clowns. But seeing how despicable they can be… yes, they're definitely Team Rocket.]
[Misty: Eh? No, they really are comic relief clowns!]
Who had accompanied Ash from the very beginning? That was Misty.
But the Team Rocket trio weren't far behind.
From the moment they laid eyes on Pikachu, they had stuck to Ash like glue.
No matter where he went, they were always there.
All along the way, their antics truly made them comic relief.
But… could it be that after Ash became Champion, the Team Rocket trio also "evolved"?
A version update, maybe?
[Jessie: Boss Giovanni, did you see that? We're your most loyal subordinates! We'll definitely bring Pikachu back to you!]
[James: Brat! Pikachu can't beat us anymore! Just give up already!]
[Denji: Hold on a second. Aren't you three forgetting something? What you're watching is the future. Do you really think you could beat Ash now?]
[Jessie: …We can't.]
[Iron-Mask Marauder: Then stop jumping around like fools, before you get wiped out in one go.]
[Jessie & James: Sorry, our bad!]
At Viridian Gym—
Watching the footage, Giovanni felt suffocated.
He couldn't afford to get angry at his own chosen subordinates.
But still…
His hand, stroking Persian, grew heavier and heavier.
Persian: Yes, right there, harder! Boss, you really are amazing!
[Leon: Probably just coincidence. I still say they're pure comic relief.]
[Cynthia: Amusing, I'll admit. But if I ever see you three in Sinnoh, I'll personally see to it you're locked away in the League's prison.]
The Team Rocket trio shivered.
Even so, their sales pitch didn't stop.
"Step right up! Get your sneak peek at the future Champion Ash's secret photos!"
"The untold story of Ash and Pikachu—any takers?"