"Ah! My ramen!"
After successfully transmitting the photo of Ho-Oh, Professor Oak briefly said a few words to the two brothers and then hung up.
At that moment, an angry orange-haired girl burst into the Pokémon Center, dragging behind her what used to be a bicycle. Now, it resembled nothing more than a pile of burnt scrap metal. She stormed up to Ash, glaring fiercely.
"You're here!" she shouted.
Ash looked confused. "What's going on with that bike?" he asked, genuinely surprised, unaware that he and Pikachu were the cause of its destruction.
"Does this look like a bike to you?!" she yelled, holding up the charred remains. "It's just burnt bones! It's completely destroyed!"
Misty was furious and had no intention of letting Ash off the hook. Just as she was about to launch a full verbal assault, she collapsed from exhaustion. Carrying the destroyed bike all this way had drained her completely.
Ash rushed forward, trying to help her up, but Misty stubbornly shook him off. Luckily, Mason, who had been quietly standing by, stepped forward and helped Misty to her feet.
"I'm sorry, Misty," Mason said sincerely. "Ash will definitely compensate you."
Misty blinked in surprise. "It's you?!" she gasped. She hadn't expected to meet Mason here. After scrutinizing the two brothers' appearances and clothing, she muttered in disbelief, "Are you two twins?!"
"Don't we look alike?" Mason asked curiously.
(They don't really look that alike...) Misty thought to herself. Although they shared about 70% of their features, their clothing styles and overall vibes were different enough that most people wouldn't immediately guess they were twins.
"There's such a huge gap between them!" Misty said sharply. Ash, knowing he was at fault, simply lowered his head and stayed silent.
At that moment, Nurse Joy and Chansey pushed Pikachu out of the emergency room. Pikachu had fully recovered. Ash immediately forgot about Misty's complaints and ran over to embrace Pikachu happily.
Seeing that Pikachu was okay, Mason quietly left the Pokémon Center. He didn't want to get caught up with Team Rocket, who he knew were about to make their first big move.
After all, Team Rocket's constant harassment was a crucial part of Ash's growth. Without them, Ash wouldn't have developed so quickly. Mason had no intention of disrupting the plot.
Sure enough, things unfolded exactly as they should. First, the emergency alarms blared across the Pokémon Center. Then, the glass ceiling shattered as two Poké Balls smashed through it. Ekans and Koffing appeared, immediately using Smokescreen to cloud the room and disorient everyone.
"What's happening?!" Ash cried out, shielding Pikachu.
From within the smoke, three figures struck a dramatic pose.
"Since you asked sincerely,
We will mercifully tell you!
To prevent the world from devastation,
To protect the peace of all nations,
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 smoke cleared, Ash and Misty could clearly see their flashy new enemies: Team Rocket had arrived.
They quickly realized that Team Rocket wasn't here for any old Pokémon—they wanted the rare and valuable ones.
Ash instinctively shielded Pikachu, but the trio merely scoffed. They dismissed Pikachu as a weak and ordinary specimen, focusing instead on ransacking the Pokémon Center.
In a hurry, Nurse Joy led Ash and Misty to the storage room where Poké Balls were kept. There, she initiated a transfer link to the Pokémon Center in Pewter City, trying to save as many Pokémon as possible.
But Team Rocket wasn't far behind.
Ash tried to defend the warehouse by randomly throwing out Poké Balls, but most contained weak Pokémon like Pidgey and Rattata, who were easily frightened off by Ekans.
Misty summoned her Goldeen, but it was barely effective out of water.
When things looked dire, Pikachu—motivated by a surge of energy from nearby fellow Pikachu—channeled a massive electric current into itself. Fully charged and re-energized, Pikachu unleashed an enormous Thunderbolt that sent Team Rocket blasting off for the very first time.
Because Pikachu had absorbed an unusually large amount of electricity, it had begun to surpass the limits of its species.
In the wrecked hot air balloon as they floated away, Jessie and James bemoaned their loss.
"That Pikachu isn't normal!"
"Ordinary Pikachu can't generate that kind of power!"
"Could it be... something special?!"
From that day forward, Ash's adventures would always be shadowed by Team Rocket's persistent, bumbling pursuit.
---
The next morning, Mason woke up early as usual. His long-standing training had conditioned him to wake at six, even without an alarm.
Thanks to the earplugs he used the night before, he had managed a good night's sleep. After a refreshing shower and a hearty breakfast, Mason set off toward Viridian Forest.
Viridian Forest was famous for its abundance of Bug-type and Flying-type Pokémon. It was a favorite hunting ground for young bug catchers.
Mason had a clear goal today: he wanted to capture a gifted Scyther. Scyther's evolution, Scizor, had a powerful Mega Evolution form—something Mason had long planned to add to his team.
"Come out, Charmander, Pidgey," Mason said, throwing two Poké Balls into the air.
Charmander landed with a fiery roar, and Pidgey soared into the sky.
Of the five Pokémon Mason currently had, Charmander and Pidgey were the weakest. Mason intended to let them train hard in the forest, defeating as many wild Pokémon as possible.
"Your mission is simple," Mason said, looking at them seriously. "Defeat every Pokémon you encounter."
Charmander and Pidgey nodded eagerly. They had trained hard and were eager to prove their strength.
At that moment, a fat Caterpie slowly crawled into Mason's path.
Before Caterpie could even react, Charmander blasted it with a Flamethrower, knocking it out instantly.
"Be careful," Mason warned. "Don't start fires in the forest."
With a wave of his hand, Mason used his Psychic abilities to disperse any lingering flames.
Charmander stared at Mason with wide, admiring eyes. It was clear the little Pokémon was amazed by Mason's strength.
"You'll be the one protecting me someday," Mason said with a chuckle, patting Charmander's head.
Not to be outdone, Pidgey swooped down and affectionately rubbed its head against Mason's cheek, demanding equal attention. Smiling, Mason petted Pidgey too.
However, the powerful display of Charmander and Pidgey quickly caused chaos among the forest Pokémon. Frightened by the defeat of their comrades, most scattered and fled deep into the woods.
Meanwhile, hidden among the bushes, a samurai boy clad in old-fashioned armor had been secretly observing Mason.
But ever since the battle at the Viridian Gym, Mason's wave-sensing abilities had been partially activated. As soon as the samurai boy entered his detection range, Mason knew.
Pretending not to notice, Mason waited as the boy tried to sneak up behind him. The boy raised his wooden samurai sword and rushed forward, aiming to strike Mason from behind.
At the last second, Mason casually sidestepped and countered with a swift side kick, sending the samurai boy sprawling. Calmly, Mason caught the falling wooden sword between two fingers.
"Attacking from behind with a blunt sword? How very 'samurai' of you," Mason said sarcastically, glaring down at him.
The boy blushed with shame but quickly got up, puffing out his chest. "You're the source of the chaos here! I challenge you!"
"You're mistaken," Mason said calmly. "The Pokémon I've defeated are only temporarily knocked out. I heal the ones who are seriously hurt and make sure no flames remain. If anything, I'm helping them grow stronger."
The boy hesitated, realizing that Mason's words made sense.
"The wild is harsh," Mason continued. "If they want to survive, they need to grow tougher. My actions only push them toward that goal."
The samurai boy pondered Mason's words, eventually nodding reluctantly. His indignation faded, replaced by a reluctant respect.
Then the boy's eyes widened in realization. "Wait—Charmander? Are you Mason from Pallet Town?!"
"That's me," Mason replied casually.
A fire of excitement lit up in the boy's eyes. He threw out a Poké Ball, summoning a fierce Pinsir.
"I challenge you! Let's battle!"
Mason smiled. Charmander stepped forward eagerly.
"You may go first," Mason offered generously.
"Pinsir, use Vice Grip!" the boy ordered.
Pinsir charged, horns clashing together menacingly.
"Charmander, Flamethrower," Mason commanded coolly.
Charmander opened its mouth and released a scorching blast. The fire engulfed Pinsir in seconds.
The battle was over almost before it began.
The samurai boy dropped to his knees, devastated. "Just one move..."
Charmander happily returned to Mason's side, looking up at him with pride.
Mason patted Charmander's head again and turned to the boy.
"My younger brother will be passing through Viridian Forest soon. You should battle him too."
He smiled mischievously.
"Just a heads-up—he's a pretty passionate kid."
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