"Abstinence before marriage, moderation after marriage.
Cultivate the mind, nurture the body, strive ever upward."
"Life goes on—so must self-restraint."
Brock poured out all the wisdom he had absorbed from his self-discipline forums, sharing it like a treasured manual. For a moment, it felt as though divine springs surged forth from heaven and earth alike, and faint, sacred chants echoed in the air.
Ash and Misty could only stand there like clueless villagers, listening in a daze.
"Uh… that actually kinda makes sense?"
Coming back to himself, Ash hurriedly started clapping, secretly thinking that Brock really was Brock—every sentence a quote-worthy gem.
Misty, however, frowned. There was even a hint of alarm in her expression.
If this had been a week ago, Brock would've already tossed Metapod into the air and passionately preached about free love and bravely pursuing true romance—the indomitable will of rock-types.
Now, while Brock seemed… more spiritually elevated, something felt off.
BOOM!
A sudden explosion rang out from the sky.
The trio immediately looked up.
At some point, a massive bug-catching net had appeared overhead, spreading across the sky and trapping countless Butterfree inside, leaving them struggling helplessly.
"Mi-mi…"
"Mi-mi…"
The net tightened, bundling nearly a hundred Butterfree together.
Only a few lucky ones escaped, but they were badly startled and scattered in all directions.
Tracing the source of the net, the three spotted a hot-air-balloon-shaped machine hovering in the sky. The balloon itself was molded into a gigantic Meowth head—tasteless to the extreme.
"Who's there?!" Ash shouted.
That single sentence seemed to trigger some kind of mechanism.
In an instant, colorful fireworks flashed before their eyes, and thunderous explosions echoed in their ears.
"Did we hear some small fry asking who we are?"
"Since you so sincerely asked!"
"We'll graciously tell you!"
"Musashi!"
"Kojiro!"
"Meowth—that's right!"
The long-absent Team Rocket trio struck a dramatic pose from the wooden basket hanging beneath the balloon.
Short. Clean. Efficient.
So efficient that Ash felt deeply uncomfortable.
After not seeing them for so long, surprise flashed across his eyes… then anticipation…
And finally—disappointment.
"That's it?"
Where was the whole 'to protect the world from devastation, to unite all peoples within our nation' speech?
This was all?
Impressive, Team Rocket. You never fail to disappoint when it comes to disappointing people.
"Hey, Team Rocket—you've lost your flavor," Ash shouted up.
"I'll ask again. Can you make it longer this time?"
Misty & Brock: "?"
Why does it feel like this kid actually likes Team Rocket's opening speech?
Up in the balloon, the trio were still holding their pose—but Ash's words crushed most of their momentum. Their faces darkened.
Damn it!
Did Ash think they wanted to shorten their lines?
This was the critical decade of economic reform within Team Rocket. Internal restructuring from top to bottom, sailing boldly into the future.
The very first policy was banning flashy, time-wasting opening speeches among lower-level operatives.
Even striking a pose now required extreme caution. If some passerby snapped a photo and posted it on Team Rocket's official account, they'd be "invited to karaoke" the very next day.
Still…
"The harvest today isn't bad."
They were here in the first place because, after submitting their S.S. Anne corporate team-building report, they'd been boredly scrolling Viridian Headlines when they stumbled upon this:
"Bizarre! Collective Ascension Event in Saffron City's Eastern Suburbs—The Pokémon League Falls Silent"
Since it wasn't far, they'd rushed over.
"We just need to catch one hundred Butterfree," Jessie said smugly,
"Then after Boss Giovanni finishes a long day of work and steps out of the office, he'll look up and see butterflies dancing across the sky."
"That'll definitely help him relax!"
Meowth patted Jessie and James on the shoulders, mimicking Giovanni's tone.
"To bring me such comfort… truly my most loyal left and right paws. I hereby promote you from Fearless Bronze to Unyielding Silver, nya!"
Maybe Boss Giovanni would even be so moved that he'd dance along with the butterflies.
The plan was flawless.
They crunched the numbers, wrote a proposal, set a budget, built the giant net overnight—and successfully executed it today.
Looking at the Butterfree crying "mi-mi" inside the net, the trio were extremely satisfied. A rough count suggested they'd already hit their target.
Still… after a closer look, the wild Butterfree swarm lacked coordination.
Impressive, yes—but not elegant. Not moving.
In simple terms:
The choreography sucked.
They planned to take them back and train them properly.
So who was this brat interfering with their KPIs?
The trio frowned and turned toward the source of the voice.
"Oh? If it isn't the kid with taste—and that freaky Electric Mouse," Jessie sneered.
"Perfect timing!"
"And that flat-chested little girl," James added, mocking as he squeezed his own pecs.
"Tsk tsk. Still not cutting it."
Misty: "?"
"And hey—it's that blind kid from the S.S. Anne, nya!
Huh? Why does he have eyes now?!"
"That's a medical miracle."
"And why do I suddenly feel like letting the net go when I look into those big eyes…?"
Damn it!
People who always keep their eyes closed are terrifying once they open them!
Team Rocket hurriedly slapped their own faces, forcing themselves not to look at Brock.
Brock: "?"
After all that, Ash finally realized the priority.
"Hey, Team Rocket! Release the Butterfree right now!"
Jessie shot back, "Huh? Why should we?"
"Because… catching Pokémon is wrong?"
Even as he said it, Ash's firm statement turned into a question.
"That's weird, kid," James said lazily.
"If catching your Electric Mouse is wrong, it's because it belongs to you."
"But these Butterfree are wild Pokémon. Why can't we catch them?"
"Didn't you catch that Metapod the same way?"
"You're hilarious, nya."
Their barrage of logic turned Ash's face red. He wanted to fire back—but didn't know how.
They were right.
Catching Pokémon was catching Pokémon. Why was it fine when he did it, but wrong when Team Rocket did?
"…That's different," Ash muttered weakly.
"I only caught one. You caught a hundred."
"Is that really a difference?" Jessie shrugged.
"If I like them, can't I just catch more?"
"I bet when you find a Pokémon you like, you'll try catching thirty of them at once."
"That's not true!" Ash shouted.
"I'd never catch thirty of the same Pokémon!"
Then—suddenly—he found his angle.
"We use Poké Balls. You use a giant net. That's illegal!"
"Idiot. Bug Catchers use nets all the time."
"Poké Balls and nets are both external tools. Why look down on nets?"
"Do you know how hard a bug-catching net works, nya?"
Ash: "..."
He hurriedly turned to the two veterans beside him for help.
This was verbal combat.
Naturally, it should be 3 vs 3!
Brock blinked his big eyes, puzzled.
"Well… it is twisted logic, but I honestly don't know how to refute it."
Misty frowned as well.
"Bug-catching nets really do work hard…"
Team Rocket had always been masters of trash talk.
Ash: "..."
When he finally came back to his senses, he realized something terrifying.
Why did it feel like this had turned into 5 vs 1?
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