"Phew..."
"Finally, I'm almost there."
Gu Yuan stretched his arms and let out a sigh of relief. Just as he prepared to continue his journey, the System detected an unknown presence nearby.
Could it be?
After a soft murmur, he had Alakazam use Teleport to vanish from the spot.
"I knew it!"
"Should I call this protagonist luck? Or is this the reason why Ash grows stronger against powerful foes and weaker against simple ones?"
Hidden in the shadows, Gu Yuan spoke with surprise as he watched Ash's group. He had come here specifically because the System's detection function had picked up Ash's Pikachu.
However, much like with Legendary Pokémon, the System could only detect Pikachu's name and type. Details such as its power level or specific moves were not displayed. Gu Yuan guessed that this situation likely applied to all of Ash's Pokémon, not just Pikachu.
Furthermore, Gu Yuan chose not to show himself because a good show was about to start, and he didn't want to interrupt.
The performance he was waiting for soon began. Ash and the others, walking side-by-side, suddenly fell into a deep pit. Simultaneously, a robotic hand shot out, snatched Pikachu from Ash's shoulder, and locked it inside a special container.
"What's going on!?"
Following Ash's question, a familiar scene played out before Gu Yuan's eyes.
"Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!" "James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth! That's right!"
As the familiar motto rang out, the Team Rocket trio looked down at Ash's group from their hot air balloon.
"Team Rocket! You again!"
"That's right, and this Pikachu belongs to us now!"
"Goodbye, twerp!"
Waving farewell to Ash, the trio began to make their exit with victorious smiles, but things weren't that simple.
"You're not getting away, Team Rocket!"
"Bulbasaur, I choose you! Use Vine Whip to toss me up there!"
Tossing a Poké Ball, Bulbasaur appeared at the edge of the pit and used its vines to grab Ash before hurling him into the air with great force.
"Pidgeotto, use Gust to send me up!"
Releasing Pidgeotto, Ash essentially took flight.
"Weezing, knock that twerp down!"
Seeing this, James immediately ordered Weezing to attack.
"Not so fast!"
With a roar, Ash demonstrated his superhuman side. He grabbed Weezing directly and used it as a springboard to leap into the hot air balloon, engaging the Team Rocket trio in a physical scuffle.
System, scan again. Are you sure this isn't some new species of Pokémon?
Seeing Ash's performance with his own eyes, Gu Yuan couldn't help but ask the System. Unfortunately, his query was destined to go unanswered.
During the struggle, Pikachu was successfully freed.
"Go, Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"
As he gave the command, Ash leaped from the balloon. Immediately after, orange electricity enveloped the balloon. The resulting explosion sent the Team Rocket trio flying.
"We're blasting off again!"
Watching the trio turn into a distant star, Gu Yuan felt that these three were no ordinary people either. If anyone else were treated like that by Ash, they would probably be dead by now.
Pidgeotto flapped its wings, creating a current of air that helped Ash and Pikachu land safely. Gu Yuan didn't rush to appear. He waited for them to calm down before stepping out.
"It's been a long time, Ash."
As Gu Yuan's voice rang out, seeing Ash's appearance match his memories, he couldn't quite describe the feeling.
"Big brother Gu Yuan!"
Ash shouted excitedly and ran toward him with a smile. Pikachu hopped down from his shoulder and looked at Gu Yuan curiously. Brock and Misty remembered meeting Gu Yuan over the video call. Since they were well aware of his achievements, they didn't feel like strangers.
"Big brother Gu Yuan, let me introduce you. This is my partner, Pikachu, and these are my traveling companions, Brock and Misty."
"Hello, I'm Gu Yuan, Ash's older brother. Thank you for looking after him during his journey."
"Oh, it was nothing."
"No problem, it's what we should do."
Misty and Brock answered shyly. Unlike Ash, they knew exactly how incredible Gu Yuan's record was and viewed him as an idol. Being able to meet him in person made them excited and a bit bashful.
Gu Yuan didn't have Alakazam interfere further. He simply joined Ash's group to continue their journey. After getting acquainted, he was soon able to pet Pikachu. Gu Yuan felt that being able to pet the Pikachu that would one day rival Arceus was probably the highlight of his life.
"Big brother Gu Yuan, can you have a battle with me?"
Suddenly, Ash seemed to make up his mind and asked Gu Yuan.
"You finally said it."
"I could see what you were thinking. Next time you want to challenge me, just say it directly."
"Since this is our first battle, I'll send out my strongest ace!"
With that, Gu Yuan released his Pokémon first. With a flash of light, Charizard appeared. Naturally, Charizard remembered Ash, so it gave a friendly greeting before quickly entering a combat stance.
Misty and Brock shook their heads with smiles. They had clearly seen through Ash's intentions long ago and moved aside to watch.
"In that case, I'm counting on you, Pikachu!"
Seeing Gu Yuan release Charizard, Ash sent Pikachu into the field.
"Go, Charizard! Fire Spin!"
At Gu Yuan's command, scorching flames turned into a storm, rushing toward Pikachu.
"Pikachu, Quick Attack!"
"Charizard, Flamethrower!"
Although Pikachu's movement speed was fast, it was still a bit slow in Gu Yuan's eyes. As Pikachu turned into a white blur, Charizard followed Gu Yuan's command and unleashed a Flamethrower. The flames surged out, creating a sea of fire that swept toward Pikachu.
"Pikachu, jump to dodge it!"
"Now, Fire Blast!"
The moment Pikachu jumped, Charizard's Fire Blast surged forward.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
Orange-yellow electricity flared up. Unfortunately, the gap in power was too great. Pikachu's Thunderbolt had no effect at all, and the Fire Blast struck Pikachu directly.