The two humans and one mouse sat by the river eating their bento while discussing what had just happened.
Ash explained that the Magikarp was actually shiny. Misty immediately regretted giving it away—but since she had already promised it to him, she could only ask Ash for one more bento as compensation.
Mom's homemade bento really was priceless.
A free Shiny Magikarp just like that!
"Thanks for the bento. I'm the world's number-one beautiful girl—my name is Misty."
That was… incredibly straightforward.
Misty swallowed a piece of sushi and introduced herself.
"Pallet Town. Ash. I'm planning to compete in the Indigo League," Ash replied briefly.
His gaze drifted toward the bicycle beside her.
Things hadn't followed the original storyline—he hadn't been chased by Spearow, hadn't jumped into the river, and Misty hadn't fished him out.
Instead, she had practically given him a Shiny Pokémon.
"You've still got a long way to go," Misty said.
Looking at Ash's youthful face, she guessed he had just started his journey as a rookie Trainer.
"That's true."
Ash nodded.
He didn't even have a single Gym Badge yet. He had only just left the starter route.
"Are you heading to Viridian City?" Misty asked.
"Yeah. I'm planning to restore Pikachu's energy at the Pokémon Center there."
Ash noticed dark clouds gathering overhead.
Rain was coming.
He hurriedly packed up his things and prepared to find shelter.
Soon after, rain began to fall.
Fortunately, it was only a small passing shower, so the two of them—and Pikachu—simply waited by the river until it stopped.
"Look!"
"There's a Shiny Fearow over there!"
Misty pointed toward the sky.
A rainbow had appeared, and a Pokémon surrounded by golden light flew toward it. From this distance, they could only see a vague outline.
From afar…
it really did look like a Shiny Fearow.
"You're right," Ash said seriously.
"That's definitely a Shiny Fearow!"
He quickly pulled out his Pokédex and snapped a photo. Later he could show it to Professor Oak—it would absolutely blow his mind.
"Why not just scan it with your Pokédex?" Misty asked curiously.
"I prefer taking photos," Ash replied.
He didn't bother explaining that the Pokémon was actually Ho-Oh. Even if he said it, Misty probably wouldn't believe him.
"The rain stopped. Let's go."
Misty was also heading to the Viridian City Pokémon Center, so they decided to travel together.
As the sun gradually set, Ash and Misty walked toward the first city of Ash's journey—Viridian City.
The slanting sunlight stretched their shadows long behind them.
"Attention all residents of Viridian City."
A public broadcast echoed through the streets.
"Recently, there have been frequent incidents of pickpocketing, theft, and Pokémon kidnapping. Please remain vigilant."
Hearing the announcement, Ash immediately knew Officer Jenny must be on patrol nearby, checking suspicious individuals.
"Hold it right there—you two."
Officer Jenny stepped forward and blocked their path.
Ash looked at the tall, beautiful police officer in uniform.
No wonder Brock always fell in love at first sight.
"What's the problem?" Misty asked, stopping her bicycle.
"Suspicious individuals are not allowed to pass."
"How do we look suspicious?" Ash asked.
He was genuinely curious.
With his looks, he should be considered a heartthrob, not a criminal.
"You two look a bit similar to the people on this wanted poster…"
Officer Jenny pointed to a poster pinned to a notice board.
Ash glanced at it.
…Wasn't that Jessie and James?
Ash's mouth twitched.
Those two were practically the real "protagonist team"—Team Rocket's trio.
How did he look anything like them?
Before constantly running into him, they had actually been fairly competent. Aside from stealing Pokémon, they were skilled at plenty of other things.
As long as they didn't try stealing Pikachu—or run into Ash's group—they usually succeeded in their missions.
The Team Rocket trio were considered elite members of Team Rocket, extremely loyal to their boss Giovanni.
Talents like that were rare.
Mission Triggered — Defeat the Team Rocket Trio for the First Time.
Mission Reward:
Potential Enhancement Candy ×1
(Raises the potential tier of a Pokémon below Gym Leader Tier by one level)
Rare Candy ×3
(Raises the level of a Pokémon below Elite Tier by 1)
Ash's eyes lit up.
He hadn't expected the Team Rocket trio to trigger such a generous mission reward.
Now he was actually looking forward to meeting them.
"That doesn't look like us at all," Misty said.
She leaned closer to examine the poster and immediately protested.
"You can't even see their faces clearly!"
"This is my ID."
Ash held up his Pokédex, which also functioned as his Trainer identification.
"Here's mine too," Misty said, doing the same.
"Alright. Your identities have been verified."
After confirming their information, Officer Jenny apologized.
"Sorry about that. A criminal group has been active in Viridian City recently. For everyone's safety, we need to verify identities."
"Apologies for the inconvenience."
"It's fine—we understand," Ash replied, waving it off.
Whether she apologized or not didn't matter. What mattered was helping Officer Jenny do her job.
"Yeah, it's fine," Misty agreed, glancing at Ash.
Officer Jenny watched them leave before returning to her post.
She had to make sure no criminals slipped into Viridian City.
"Ash, Officer Jenny said there have been several Pokémon kidnapping incidents in Viridian City recently."
Misty pushed her bicycle along the road, clearly worried.
"You should be careful."
"After all, you've got a Shiny Magikarp."
"I'll be careful," Ash replied seriously.
This wasn't some ordinary Magikarp caught randomly with a fishing rod.
It was a top-tier Shiny Magikarp that could be trained as a core team member.
Night had already fallen by the time Ash and Misty arrived at the Pokémon Center.
Bright lights illuminated the building like daylight.
The Pokémon Center stood tall and grand, almost like a castle rising in the night.
The automatic doors slid open as they approached.
Inside, behind the counter, stood Nurse Joy.
She wore the usual white nurse uniform, with gentle eyes and a kind, warm smile.
"Nurse Joy, please take care of them."
Ash handed over Pikachu from his shoulder and the Poké Ball containing the Shiny Magikarp.
They had battled all day. And the Shiny Magikarp could use a full checkup too.
Besides, treatment here was free.
"Leave the treatment to me," Nurse Joy said warmly.
She placed Pikachu and the Poké Ball onto two beds pushed by Chansey.
The Chansey then wheeled them toward the treatment room.
Misty's Pokémon went through the same process.
Chansey really were incredible helpers—they could even transport Pokémon to their examinations on their own.
"Chansey~!"
The Chansey cheerfully responded as they pushed the Pokémon into the medical room.
Ash couldn't help admiring them.
Chansey were incredibly adorable.
Not only were they cute in appearance and voice, but they were also powerful support Pokémon, with extremely high HP and Special Defense. Many of their moves focused on healing and protecting allies.
However, Pokémon skilled in medical care like Chansey were almost exclusively associated with the Joy family, serving in Pokémon Centers.
It was extremely rare for ordinary Trainers to have one.
If a Trainer had a Chansey on their team, traveling would be much more convenient—especially when dealing with injuries in the wild.
During the time Pikachu and the Shiny Magikarp were being treated, Ash made a phone call to Delia and Professor Oak, updating them about the first day of his journey.