"Hmm? Ash, you already made it to the Pokémon Center in Viridian City so quickly?"
His mother, Delia, answered the call and saw the surroundings behind Ash through the screen—it was clearly a Pokémon Center.
"Yep!" Ash replied with a cheerful smile. "I did some research beforehand, so I managed to travel a lot faster."
"I see."
Delia then reminded Ash about many things he should pay attention to during his journey.
"You must always keep an eye on your Pokémon's condition. Don't push them too hard."
Ash nodded seriously.
After hanging up, he called Professor Oak.
"Ash, you've reached Viridian City already, right?"
Professor Oak appeared on the screen—but oddly enough, the old professor was using an alcohol burner to cook instant noodles. It had to be said, Professor Oak had quite the creative mind.
"Yeah, I'm resting at the Pokémon Center right now," Ash replied.
"Oh right, Ash—how many Pokémon have you caught so far?"
Oak switched the camera and asked expectantly.
"One."
Professor Oak nodded and said seriously, "Not bad for a rookie Trainer."
"Although it's only a small step toward becoming a Pokémon Trainer, it's still a big step for you."
Ash decided not to tell Professor Oak about encountering Ho-Oh or catching a Shiny Magikarp just yet—he was worried the professor might get too excited.
After chatting briefly with Oak, Pikachu and Magikarp still hadn't finished their examination.
Ash wandered around the lobby, looking at the decorations inside the Pokémon Center.
"Skarmory, Spearow, Starmie, Growlithe."
Looking at the rather abstract mural on the wall, several Pokémon that vaguely matched the shapes popped into Ash's mind.
"What are you talking about?"
Misty, who overheard him, frowned and corrected him:
"Those are Moltres, Articuno, Zapdos, and Arcanine."
"They're all legendary Pokémon."
She rolled her eyes. Spearow? Starmie? That was a bit ridiculous.
Of course Ash knew that already. The Pokémon he mentioned just looked somewhat similar—and besides, it wasn't like most people had actually seen Legendary Pokémon before.
The door to the treatment room opened.
Nurse Joy and Chansey pushed Pikachu and the Shiny Magikarp back out.
"Ash, your Pokémon have fully recovered," Nurse Joy said.
Suddenly—
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Emergency Alert!
The Pokémon Center's broadcast system blared:
"Warning! Intruders have entered Viridian City. They are suspected to be a Pokémon kidnapping syndicate."
Just as the announcement ended, thick smoke suddenly filled the lobby, choking the air.
Moments later, the power to the Pokémon Center was cut.
"Who are you?" Nurse Joy asked cautiously.
At that moment—
Challenger [Ash], your eternal friends [Team Rocket] have arrived.
"Since you asked so sincerely—"
...
After finishing their opening line, Jessie and James announced their names and struck their signature poses.
"We are Team Rocket, blasting off through the galaxy!
A white hole, a white future is waiting for us!"
Meowth jumped out.
"That's right, meowth!"
Finally finishing that painfully embarrassing introduction, Ash didn't even know what to say. He felt secondhand embarrassment on Team Rocket's behalf.
"Team Rocket!"
Nurse Joy and Misty both gasped in shock. Team Rocket was a criminal organization that specialized in stealing powerful or rare Pokémon. Now they had set their sights on the Pokémon resting inside the Pokémon Center.
"No need to be that scared," Ash muttered.
Looking at the two humans and one Meowth in front of him, they seemed… kind of silly.
Especially their Ekans and Koffing—they didn't look very bright.
"You two should take the Pokémon away. I'll hold them off," Misty volunteered.
But after thinking about it, she suddenly realized something awkward.
All of her Pokémon were water-type Pokémon that battled in water.
None of them were suitable for land battles.
Was she supposed to have Goldeen flop around on the ground like Magikarp?
Seeing Misty's embarrassed expression, Ash understood. Aside from Goldeen and Staryu, she had almost no combat capability on land—and even Staryu's performance would be limited.
"Leave this small-time Team Rocket to me," Ash said softly, stepping in front of her.
"You and Nurse Joy should go restore the power."
"Be careful," Misty said worriedly.
"Pikachu, get ready for battle."
Pikachu ran in front of Ash, staring at Team Rocket with vigilance. It could clearly sense the hostility coming from them.
"Tch. Just a common electric rat," Jessie scoffed dismissively.
"It can't be that strong."
If it's so weak, then stop staring at my Pikachu, Ash thought silently.
Ash quickly checked the data on their Pokémon.
[Ekans – Lv. 14]
[Koffing – Lv. 14]
As for Meowth, all its talent had apparently gone into learning to speak human language. In battle it probably couldn't even defeat that Spearow from earlier.
Ash suspected he himself could probably beat Meowth.
Ekans and Koffing both had Gym Leader Tier Potential.
Meanwhile, Meowth actually had Elite Four Tier Potential.
What a shame—its talent points had clearly been put into the wrong skill tree.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack on Ekans!"
Ash ordered Pikachu to stop Ekans and prevent them from chasing Misty.
"Pika—!"
Pikachu shot forward at incredible speed and slammed into Ekans.
The yellow electric mouse's speed was practically maxed out. Ekans was knocked flying back toward Jessie.
"So fast?!" Jessie exclaimed in surprise.
That electric mouse had completely exceeded her expectations.
"Koffing, use Smokescreen!"
James planned to use the smoke to confuse Pikachu before having Ekans and Meowth attack.
"Pikachu, Thunder Shock."
Ash planned to lure them outside the Pokémon Center—otherwise the battle might damage the building.
Having just recovered, Pikachu was in perfect condition. Sparks crackled across its cheeks as a powerful electric current shot forward, forcefully interrupting Koffing's attack.
Team Rocket screamed as they were electrocuted.
Well—maybe they shouldn't have been standing so close.
"Fury Swipes!"
Meowth suddenly leapt out, trying to ambush Pikachu.
Pikachu immediately stopped its attack and dodged in time.
"Hmph! You're getting beaten up by a little electric mouse. Guess we have to handle this ourselves, meowth!" Meowth taunted.
"Mice are my favorite food!"
Meowth, looks like you're addicted to the internet. Pikachu will help cure that...
"Pikachu, use Double Team."
"Then all of them—Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu instantly created over a dozen clones.
In the next moment, brilliant yellow lightning intertwined in the air, all locking onto Meowth.
Meowth immediately sensed danger and tried to run.
Too late.
The Thunderbolt trapped it completely—along with the teammates who had just recovered.
BOOM!
The electricity intensified, causing an explosion nearby. A fire hydrant beside them burst open, spraying water everywhere.
Rain poured down on Team Rocket.
They were charred black from electricity, and now soaked like drowned rats.
Did they forget to check the calendar before leaving today? Why did they run into their natural enemy again—just like always?
"You little brat—we'll remember this!"
"And that yellow mouse too! I'll eat you someday, meowth!"
Team Rocket scrambled into their Meowth hot-air balloon. Even while fleeing, they still managed to shout their threats.
[ Quest Completed.]
[Reward: Potential Enhancement Candy ×1]
[Reward: Rare Candy ×3]
Ash waved goodbye to Team Rocket.
Thanks to them, he had gotten some pretty good rewards.
He decided not to attack their balloon this time.
Better leave a good first impression—so future meetings wouldn't be so awkward.
"Damn that brat!"
"He's mocking us! James, don't hold me back!"
"I'm jumping down to duel him!!!"