A mechanical hand reached for Pikachu. "Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Wham! The mechanical hand broke off.
Ash's Aura had been on alert ever since he sensed Team Rocket's presence.
"What? How could this happen, Meowth?"
"What's going on, Meowth? Didn't you say catching Pikachu was foolproof?!"
"Uh... the anti-shock measures were foolproof! I didn't expect the twerp to not follow the script, Meowth!" Meowth was annoyed. Don't they always start with a Thunderbolt no matter what?!
"It's time to send you off! Go, Taillow, Wing Attack!" Taillow flew up and sliced through Team Rocket's hot air balloon.
"Ah! We didn't even get to say our lines!" "We had one more line!" "This feels so bad!" "Wobbuffet! (???)~"
After saying goodbye to Shorts Boy Archie, everyone continued on their way to Rustboro City!
"Hey! Wait for me! I can't go on... Can we take a break?" May said to Ash and the others, panting.
"Seriously, big sister, we just took a break! Your stamina is terrible!" Max said, turning back to his sister.
Ash and Brock were also speechless. They had stopped to rest so many times on the way; otherwise, they would have reached their destination by now.
"But I'm really tired again," May said, sitting down on the ground and refusing to move.
"Sigh, May, you really should get some exercise," Ash said helplessly. "Pika~" Pikachu nodded in agreement.
"Hmm~ there's a Pokémon Center nearby!" Max said, checking the Pokémon Navigator.
"A Pokémon Center? That means lots of delicious food!" (?) May immediately jumped up, her eyes sparkling. But someone else was in an even bigger rush than her.
"A Pokémon Center! Charge! For Nurse Joy, no, I mean, for the food! Let's go, let's go!" Brock grabbed May's arm and was about to rush forward.
"Hey~ wait a minute!" May broke free from Brock's big hand, took a few steps back, and leaned against a tree trunk. "Ow, that hurts."
"This is... a capture net used by Pokémon poachers to capture Pokémon. These aren't sold to the public." Ash walked over to the tree trunk, pulled out a broken piece of net, and examined it carefully. "This means there are Pokémon poachers nearby. Everyone, be careful."
"How can people like that exist?!" May said angrily.
"In any case, let's head to the Pokémon Center first! We should be able to find out more information there."
"Okay!" x3
The four of them picked up their pace and quickly arrived at the Pokémon Center.
As they stepped inside, "Welcome!" Nurse Joy said with a smile.
"Ah~ Nurse Joy!"
Just as Brock was about to lunge forward, May pushed him away, and he missed his chance to greet Nurse Joy, shedding tears in silence (╥﹏╥).
"Hi, Nurse Joy! Did you move here from Oldale Town?" May asked.
"Huh?"
"May, you've got it wrong. The Nurse Joys all over the country are identical," Ash explained.
"That's right! Big sister, look at this." Max took out a photo album with a group photo of all the Nurse Joys.
"What! They're all the same!" ?(?´?`?)?????? May exclaimed in shock.
She really is the female protagonist who is most like Ash. She's making all the same mistakes he did.
"Yes, I think you met my sister," Nurse Joy said.
"No, you're all too naive and innocent!" Brock said, walking over confidently. He grabbed Nurse Joy's hand. "I can tell the difference. Among all the Nurse Joys in the country, your bangs are one centimeter longer than theirs."
Everyone... (??w??)
Only Brock could tell the difference. Nurse Joy probably can't even tell herself, Ash thought to himself.
"That's amazing!" May looked at Brock with admiration.
"I don't think 'amazing' is the right word for that, big sister," Max said, sweating.
"Nurse Joy." At that moment, Officer Jenny walked into the Pokémon Center with her Growlithe.
"Ah~ Officer Jenny, I can tell the difference. Among all the Officer Jennys in the country, your eyelashes are 0.5 centimeters longer than theirs." Brock abandoned Nurse Joy and immediately rushed over to Officer Jenny.
Officer Jenny: "Uh... really? I didn't know that myself."
"No way! All the Officer Jennys in the country!" (′⊙w⊙`) May's eyes widened.
"Yes, big sister!" Max flipped a page in his album, revealing a group photo of all the Officer Jennys.
"Excuse me, but I have a mission." Officer Jenny pushed Brock aside and went up to Nurse Joy. "Nurse Joy, have there been any injured Pokémon recently, or any that have been transported here?"
"No, why do you ask?" Nurse Joy was confused.
"Because Pokémon poacher activity has been very frequent in this area recently," Officer Jenny explained.
"It really is poachers!" May and Max said, startled.
Officer Jenny took out a wanted poster and showed it to everyone.
"Based on their methods, the poacher is likely the Pokémon Hunter Arlon. This guy is a big villain who doesn't care about hurting Pokémon," Officer Jenny said angrily.
Ash handed the broken net he had found to Officer Jenny. "Officer Jenny, look at this."
"This... this is part of a capture net that poachers often use. Where did you find it?" Officer Jenny asked Ash excitedly, happy to have a clue.
"We found it in the forest we passed through on our way here," Ash explained the situation.
"Could you please take me to the spot where you found it?"
"No problem!"
Ash and his friends then led Officer Jenny to where they had found the broken net.
"It seems that the poachers use nets to immobilize the Pokémon before capturing them," Officer Jenny said, frowning as she carefully examined the area.
Suddenly, Max pointed to the ground and yelled, "Ah! Look at this!"
Ash and the others looked over and saw a tire track.
"These must be the poacher's tire tracks! And they're still fresh," Officer Jenny said.
"That means the poacher must be nearby!" Brock agreed.
"I'm counting on you, Taillow, Pidgeot!" Ash told them to scout the area from the air. He also used his Aura to search for Team Rocket's presence. If Ash remembered correctly, this episode in the original series was a home game for Team Rocket.
Ash and the others followed the tire tracks.
Meanwhile, the Team Rocket trio was working on a plan. Meowth accidentally rolled down a slope.
"Ah! Help me, Meowth~" Wham! Meowth hit something. He was covered by a camouflage cloth. "What? What's under here, Meowth?"
Meowth pulled the cloth off, revealing a cage full of Ekans, which startled him. "Ah! What is this?! All Ekans, Meowth! What's going on, Meowth?"
Just then, Jessie and James came down the slope. "Are you okay, Meowth? What happened?"
After a quick explanation, Team Rocket decided to rescue the Ekans and form an Ekans army.
As Team Rocket began to act, a Fearow flew over and crashed into them.
Then, a Jeep drove up, and a man with green hair got out. "What are you three doing with my haul?"
Team Rocket then noticed the Koffing in Rico's car. The two groups began to face off. One side wanted to save the Ekans and Koffing, while the other wanted their Arbok and Weezing.
To be continued...