"What? The Hoenn region?" Giovanni's face was bewildered when he heard that the Team Rocket trio had gone all the way to Hoenn. The truth was, Team Rocket hadn't yet extended its influence to that region.
"That's right! To bring you that rare Pikachu, Boss Giovanni, we followed it all the way to Hoenn!" Jessie said with a sycophantic grin.
"We've always been dedicated to the cause of Team Rocket, Meowth!" Meowth added.
Giovanni wasn't interested in the Pikachu they were talking about. No matter how special it was, it was still just a yellow rodent. After all, he could catch a dozen of them in Viridian Forest.
"So, you've gone to all this trouble to call me. Do you have some good news for me?" Giovanni's voice on the phone was impatient.
"Uh..." The trio was at a loss for words.
"Actually... we've run out of money for food, so..." James said cautiously.
"Absolutely not!" Giovanni immediately interrupted, flatly refusing. "I will not send you any supplies."
"Sigh~" The trio sighed in disappointment.
"However, I can offer you a great opportunity. We don't have a Team Rocket base in the Hoenn region yet. You three will do a good job there and make a name for Team Rocket. I expect great things from you!" Giovanni said, painting a grand vision for them.
"Thank you, Boss! Thank you, Boss!" ?(?^o^?)? This grand promise excited the trio, and they decided to give it their all.
"This is awesome, Boss Giovanni gave us a direct command!" Jessie said, feeling emotional.
"In other words, we're the top dogs in the Hoenn region!" James fantasized.
"Then we're the Hoenn branch leaders, Meowth!" Meowth covered its mouth in disbelief.
Meanwhile, in Team Rocket's secret base, Giovanni stroked his Persian, thinking, "Heh! I can use these three fools to get information on the Team Magma and Team Aqua in Hoenn. This is a huge gain! Hahaha!"
At the Pokémon Center
Ash led May to the restaurant, where they ate a delicious meal.
"Mmm~ This is so good! I never knew the food at a Pokémon Center could be this tasty! And it's free! This is amazing!" (?ˉ??ˉ??) May said, savoring a bite of food. She immediately became a gourmand, devouring her meal.
"Of course! This is a resting hub for trainers. As long as you have a Pokédex, it's free! And this hall is a great place to exchange information!" Ash said, looking at a happy Pikachu who was eating ketchup.
"Wow, so people here will tell you about nearby shopping, hot springs, and good restaurants?"
"Uh... It's limited to Pokémon information. Listen..."
"Did you know? I heard there's a new Gym Leader at the Petalburg Gym."
"The Petalburg Gym?"
"Yeah!"
"Uh~" (????) May heard them talking about her dad's Gym.
"Hey, you two, you made it here safely." At that moment, Mason walked over to them.
"Oh! Hello, Mr. Mason!"
Mason took them to his studio, where a painting of the Oldale ruins hung on the wall.
The three of them began to talk about the ancient ruins and ancient Pokémon. Mason then took out a stone tablet.
"This tablet has a description of how to enter the stone chamber, but no one has ever found the four keys."
"That's a shame!"
Suddenly, all the lights went out, and the door was broken open. Three people in red uniforms walked in, followed by their Houndoom.
"Ah!" May was so scared that she hugged Ash tightly.
"Wha... who are you?" Mason asked nervously.
"Professor Mason, we need you to come to the Oldale ruins with us," the Team Magma leader said.
[Houndoom]
[Strength: Mid-Gym-Level]
[Houndoom]
[Strength: Late Gym-Level]
[Houndoom]
[Strength: Mid-Gym-Level]
"Hmph! You want to take Mr. Mason? You'll have to go through me first! If I'm not mistaken, you're part of one of Hoenn's dark organizations—Team Magma! Come on out, Pidgeot!" Ash said. May hid behind Ash. She didn't have a Pokémon on her to defend herself!
"Pi~" "Pika~" Pikachu also stepped forward! Ash didn't send out Eevee or Phanpy because of the massive strength difference.
"Hmph! You're asking for a fight, twerp! Houndoom, use Flamethrower!"
"Pikachu, Pidgeot, dodge! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on them! Pidgeot, charge in and use Giga Impact on the Houndoom in the middle!"
Pikachu and Pidgeot dodged and launched their attacks!
"Crap! Houndoom, use Smokescreen and scatter!" Sensing the immense power of Pikachu and Pidgeot, which had reached the peak of the Gym-Level, the leader gave a new command.
"Pika~" "Pi~" Pikachu and Pidgeot looked around. The blackout already made it hard to see, and now with the smoke, they couldn't see a thing!
"Haha! Go! Houndoom, use Fire Fang!"
"Pika~" "Pi~" As canine Pokémon, the Houndoom had an advantage in the smoke! Their sneak attacks were perfectly aimed!
"You're a disgrace! Pidgeot, use Hurricane! Pikachu, time it perfectly and use Thunder to land a critical blow!"
"Pi~" Pidgeot blew the smoke away, revealing the three Houndoom.
"Now! Pikachu, go!" "Pika~"
"Awooo~" The Thunder hit directly, and the Houndoom fainted!
"You're a twerp! You dare to ruin Team Magma's plans! Team Magma will not forget this!" The Team Magma members abandoned their Houndoom and ran.
"You're not getting away! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" "Pikaaa~chuuu~"
"Aaah~ you're a disgrace!" The three Team Magma members were tied up. Ash would hand them over to Officer Jenny later!
"Thank you so much, Trainer!" Nurse Joy walked out. She had been about to tell Mason about the power outage but hid when she heard the commotion!
"Wow! Of course, it's you, Ash! That was incredible!" (?((???))?) May, who had been hiding behind Ash, looked at him with admiration.
[Ding~ Mission completed—Defeat Team Magma for the first time! Reward: Awakening of Aura!]
"What?! The power of Aura!! Hahaha, this is amazing! System, show me my information!"(^o^)/ Ash was overjoyed!
[Host: Ash]
[Physique: Super-Human]
[Ability: Aura]
[Pokémon: Pikachu, Pidgeot, Bulbasaur, Charizard...]
Soon, Officer Jenny arrived! She arrested the three Team Magma members and handed Ash the four gems she found on them! With this, she caught all the Team Magma members who were stationed at the Oldale ruins. Of course, the true protagonists of the story, the Team Rocket trio, were not caught. They secretly left the scene!
"Thank you very much for your help, Mr. Ash! These four gems must be the reason they wanted to capture Professor Mason. We owe you a great debt, Mr. Ash!" Officer Jenny said.
"It's okay! I understand!" Ash replied. He then turned and handed the gems to Mason!
"These! These are the keys!" Mason said, astonished.
The next morning, May went to the front desk and picked up her Torchic's Poké Ball.
After breakfast, the group went to the ruins. Mason used the gems to open the door, which was covered in carvings of ancient Pokémon. Following the light from the gems, they found a secret passage that led to an ancient Pokémon living in an underground stream—Relicanth!
Professor Mason immediately decided to apply to the League to make the Oldale ruins a protected area to preserve the Relicanth.
Ash and May then set off on the road to Petalburg City.
To be continued...