Beep—Beep—!
The sound of a police siren rang out.
Ash saw Officer Jenny racing toward the scene in a police car. Unfortunately, she had still arrived a step too late—Team Rocket had already escaped into the distance.
"Ash, are you alright?" Officer Jenny asked as she looked around the area.
Her brows furrowed slightly, but when she saw that the Pokémon Center itself hadn't been seriously damaged, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
The nearby fire hydrant was broken, the ground was charred and soaked, and in some places the surface had been blasted away, exposing the concrete underneath. A strange smell of burnt electricity mixed with damp air lingered all around.
"I'm fine," Ash replied, snapping back to reality.
Looking at the damage around him, he felt a little embarrassed. He hadn't expected Pikachu's destructive power to be this strong.
A moment later, Nurse Joy and Misty rushed out of the Pokémon Center, both slightly out of breath.
"Ash! Are you okay?"
"Did you drive Team Rocket away?"
"Yes," Ash answered carefully.
After all, the area outside the Pokémon Center had been turned into a mess. There was a good chance someone might ask him to pay compensation.
He originally didn't want to admit it—but everyone present had seen him battling Team Rocket. There was no way to deny it.
"It's alright," Nurse Joy said kindly, noticing Ash's concern.
"Thank you for driving Team Rocket away. Otherwise, the Pokémon being cared for at the Pokémon Center could have been in great danger."
"As a token of appreciation, please accept this."
She took out a snow-white egg-shaped item from her nurse uniform pocket and handed it to Ash.
"A Lucky Egg."
Ash stared at it blankly.
The Lucky Egg was an item filled with happiness. If a Pokémon held it, it could gain more experience and level up faster.
Chansey waved happily beside Nurse Joy and tugged on Ash's sleeve, signaling that he should accept the gift.
"Alright, thank you!" Ash said, accepting it without hesitation.
This Lucky Egg was perfect for the Shiny Magikarp.
Otherwise, who knew how long it would take for Magikarp to evolve into Gyarados?
Shiny Magikarp… your cheat item has arrived.
Taking down the Pewter Gym will depend on you.
"No, we should be the ones thanking you," Nurse Joy said, shaking her head.
If Ash hadn't been there, the Pokémon stored in the Pokémon Center—hundreds of them—might have been stolen. The losses would have been enormous.
"Ash, the police department will award you a banner honoring you as an 'Outstanding Trainer' to commend your bravery in standing up against an evil criminal organization," Officer Jenny said.
She had already thought of using Ash's heroic act as a public awareness campaign—rewarding Ash while also reminding Trainers to stay vigilant against Team Rocket.
"That won't be necessary… it sounds troublesome," Ash quickly replied.
He didn't want to become too famous. What if Team Rocket's elite members found out and came after him early?
"Don't worry," Officer Jenny reassured him.
"The police will also provide a reward for your act of bravery, and your personal information will remain confidential."
She clearly understood what Ash was worried about.
"In that case, thank you, Officer Jenny," Ash said, his eyes lighting up.
If that was the case…
Then every time he ran into Team Rocket, he could earn another reward.
This might actually become a money-making opportunity.
Though… it would be a bit rough for Team Rocket.
Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy began checking the Pokémon Center for damages with Chansey, making sure nothing had been overlooked.
The Pokémon themselves were the top priority.
Nurse Joy felt incredibly fortunate that Ash had managed to hold off Team Rocket. Otherwise, the Pokémon Center might have been completely looted.
While she could technically transfer Pokémon away using the storage system, without Ash buying time, the system wouldn't have helped much.
And Chansey was mainly a support Pokémon—excellent at caring for Pokémon, but not exactly suited for battle.
Suddenly—
"Ah!"
"My bicycle?!"
"How did it end up like this?!"
Misty had been happy about Ash receiving recognition earlier.
But that happiness vanished instantly.
In front of her stood a pitch-black bicycle frame, charred beyond recognition.
If someone didn't know better, they might think it was an ancient artifact on display.
Misty's heart ached.
Her bicycle had been burned down to nothing but a metal frame. Who knew what kind of suffering it had endured?
She slowly turned her head and stared at Ash.
"…About that. You see… listen to my expl—explanation."
Ash stammered.
Earlier, Pikachu's electricity had been too strong, and the bicycle beside them had unfortunately been caught in the blast.
To be fair…
Maybe the bike's quality wasn't that great.
Perhaps the bicycle was simply destined to suffer this disaster. Some fates were impossible to avoid…
After all, even Team Rocket themselves could survive Pikachu's Thunderbolt.
"You may explain," Misty said calmly, crossing her arms.
"This is actually because Pikachu had too much energy and couldn't control its power properly…" Ash said awkwardly.
Pikachu: "????"
Pikachu had been lying on Ash's shoulder watching the drama unfold.
And now it had suddenly been blamed for everything.
"Hmph. You're going to compensate me," Misty said, turning her head away.
Honestly, it was just a bicycle.
And Ash was about to receive a reward anyway.
"It's fine," Ash said. "Let me treat you to a late-night meal as an apology."
He poked Misty's arm lightly.
She was still quite tsundere about the whole thing.
"Well… since you're inviting me so sincerely, I suppose I'll give you that honor," Misty said.
After all, she hadn't had a proper meal since arriving at the Pokémon Center. They had only eaten some lunchboxes earlier on the road.
Now she was starving.
About a hundred meters away from the Pokémon Center, the two found a small restaurant.
Ash ordered quite a lot of food.
Pikachu even stood on the table eating alongside them.
"Ash, are you heading to Pewter City next?" Misty asked casually while eating a spoonful of pudding.
"Yeah," Ash replied.
Then he looked at her and grinned.
"Didn't you say you wanted to become the world's greatest Water-type Pokémon Master?"
"Of course!" Misty lifted her chin proudly.
"And don't think you can run away."
She added fiercely:
"You still haven't paid for my bicycle. Otherwise I'll ask Officer Jenny to arrest you."
She tried to look threatening.
But with her naturally cute appearance, it only made her look even more adorable.
"What are you looking at?" Misty suddenly blushed slightly when she noticed Ash staring.
She glared at him.
"I—I didn't do anything…"
Ash already understood.
Misty had basically decided to travel with him—all because of that bicycle.
In the end…
The bicycle had shouldered everything.
After finishing their meal, they returned to the Pokémon Center to check in for the night.
Ash had deliberately lured Team Rocket outside earlier to fight.
Otherwise, they might have ended up camping outdoors tonight.
As everyone knew, Pokémon Centers provide free food and lodging for Trainers, and healing Pokémon is also completely free.
All of these expenses are funded by the Regional Pokémon League.
The goal is simple:
So Trainers can focus fully on raising their Pokémon—and hopefully achieve excellent results in the Pokémon League tournaments.