{In the Stadium}
Brock, Misty, Yellow, and Horace were battling alongside at least 15 or so different Pokémon against the Team Rocket Robot.
It was not hard to see who was winning. If most of the time, these robots couldn't even survive three of them; then with over 15, the robot was being reduced to a training dummy for all the Pokémon.
As Gyarados and Steelix slithered and grabbed the robot's arms, its exposed chest was bombarded with blasts from all the Pokémon, causing Jessie, James, Wobbuffet, and Meowth to go spinning inside.
As they were being held down, Horace looked over at Yellow. "Hey, I have a plan, but I need some help. Can you cover me?"
Yellow seemed slightly surprised that he was asking her for help, but she nodded. "O-okay, leave it to me. Chuchu, Pikachu, get ready!"
Horace nodded gratefully as he looked forward and waved in front of him. "Okay, Chikorita, you know the plan—charge!"
Horace's Chikorita nodded as it started running as fast as its little legs could take it, darting by the robot. But it didn't go unnoticed.
"Hey, where's that Chikorita going?" James asked.
As Jessie got up and looked out of the window, Meowth jumped over her and pushed her out of the way. "Hey! That Chikorita is going for the Tauros!"
Jessie got up again and grabbed Meowth by the coin on his head, throwing him into a corner of the cockpit. "Well, what are you waiting for? Stop it!"
As soon as she said that, Wobbuffet jumped out and saluted. "WOBBUFFET!"
"No, not you, you… Actually, what are you? How can I insult you if I don't know what you are?" Meowth said, looking at the blue Pokémon.
"NOT THE TIME!" Jessie yelled.
Meowth snapped out of his thoughts. "Right, sorry! Engaging defense protocol!"
As he pressed a button, the robot gained strength. A compartment opened on its chest, and all the attacks entered it, converting to energy. It then used that energy to overpower Gyarados and Steelix, using them like a whip and slamming them on the ground.
As it did, the robot turned, and a robotic hand came down, aiming to grab Horace's Chikorita. Suddenly, they heard someone shout.
"Do it now!" Yellow screamed with as much energy as she could muster.
Chuchu and Pikachu rushed forward in front of Chikorita, then jumped up, flipping. They landed a duo [Iron Tail], clashing with the robotic arm, making it stumble back a step before it caught itself.
Horace gave a thumbs-up to Yellow. "Good work! Now leave the rest to me." Then he looked back at Chikorita. "Now use your [Razor Leaf] and cut the net!"
Chikorita jumped into the air and, with a flip of its leaf, shot out a large glowing leaf that slashed through the net, holding all the Tauros.
As they started tunneling out, Yellow looked over at them and called out, "Hey, Tauros! There are the ones that put you in the net!"
The Tauros all looked at Yellow and immediately believed her due to her power. Then they looked at the robot, digging their hooves into the dirt as they began to charge recklessly at it.
As this happened, Jessie, James, Wobbuffet, and Meowth looked at all the Tauros charging at them from one side. Then, on the other side, they saw all the different Pokémon, including Gyarados and Steelix, who were starting to get up, looking annoyed.
James took a breath and clasped his hands together. "Again… is it too late to surrender?"
—-
Ash watched the battle from a good distance. Around 30 different Pokémon were attacking Team Rocket's Pokémon. Needless to say, it didn't take much for the robot and the trio inside to go blasting off.
He sat on a bench with Chikorita on his lap, feeding her. He could tell Chikorita was close to evolving, which was good since she would play a crucial role in the next Gym battle.
As he heard the celebrations coming from the stadium, he debated whether he should go meet up with the others now or wait for them while squeezing in some training. After all, his next battle was against Whitney, and her team was pretty stacked.
He wasn't too worried, though. He still believed he could beat her, especially with several Pokémon on his team that could likely solo her. Pikachu, for instance—or even Victreebel or Vileplume, which he considered the weakest members of his Kanto team—could probably handle it.
But that was beside the point. He stood up and looked around, deciding to explore the festival instead. If his friends found him, he could just pretend he was lost—no big deal.
Just as he was about to leave, someone called out to him.
"Excuse me, would you be interested in trading?"
Ash turned around to see a girl with red hair and violet eyes dressed in overalls. Although they'd never officially met, Ash recognized her from Brock's first breeder competition—it was Yui Shiori, Brock's unofficial rival.
Standing next to Yui was a small, yellow sheep Pokémon.
"Maree-e-eep," it bleated, looking up at Ash.
Ash glanced at her and then at Chikorita, who had climbed onto his shoulder. He shook his head. "Sorry, I'm not in the market to trade Chikorita here."
Upon hearing that, Chikorita looked at Ash with stars in her eyes and nuzzled into the crook of his neck. "Ita~"
Yui watched the interaction, her expression softening. "I see. That's fair enough. But I'm not looking for a specific Pokémon. You see, I'm a breeder—well, in training—but I want to raise any and all Pokémon I can."
"So, are there any Pokémon you might want to trade? The one I'm offering is this Mareep. He's really interested in battling, but I'm not a trainer, I'm a breeder, so I'm scared that he'll be unhappy with me," Yui explained, looking at Ash with a hopeful expression.
Ash looked at the Mareep and sighed. He didn't want to trade any of his Pokémon, but he was interested in getting a Mareep, afterall he did get an Ampharosite way back in Mega island.
Then he had an idea. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out one of the random Eggs he 'confiscated' from Team Rocket, and by that, he meant stolen.
"Would you be willing to trade for this Egg?" he asked.
Yui's eyes widened at the sight of the Egg. She stepped closer to inspect it. "May I?" she asked, holding out her hands.
"Sure, why not?" Ash said, handing her the Egg. She carefully examined it, holding it up to the sunlight to confirm that a Pokémon was indeed inside.
"Do you want to know what kind of Pokémon it is?" Ash offered, a small grin forming. Of course, he already knew, thanks to his Pokédex.
Yui nodded excitedly. "Yeah, seems only fair if I know."
"It's an Igglybuff Egg," Ash said, "So, what do you think? Is this what you're looking for?"
Yui nodded and handed the Egg back to Ash. "Yeah, it's a deal. Let's head to a trade machine."
One thing Ash had learned after dealing with so many Eggs was that Eggs could be caught in Pokéballs. However, any time spent inside the ball meant less bonding time with the trainer before the Pokémon hatched.
Ash quickly caught the Egg in a Pokéball while Yui returned Mareep to its ball. They placed the Pokéballs on the machine, and the trade was completed.
Yui smiled as she let out the Egg, hugging it close to her. "It's a pleasure! And hey, you know the Breeding Competition Nationals are coming up soon. I hope you can make it. Maybe by then, this little one will have hatched!"
Ash smiled helplessly. "Yeah, I'll definitely be there," he said. Of course, he was planning to go—for Brock, who Yui didn't know was his friend, "I'm Ash, by the way. I just realized we never introduced ourselves."
"Oh, right! I'm Yui," she said, sounding slightly embarrassed that she hadn't asked for his name earlier. She quickly pushed the thought aside.
"Alright, it was nice to meet you, but I guess I need to go find my friends," Ash said, noticing Chikorita tugging on his hood.
Yui seemed a little disappointed but nodded. "Alright, I understand. Thanks for trading with me, and maybe we'll see each other again. Bye," she said, waving as she walked off.
Ash waved back, then looked at his new Pokémon and sighed. Not what he was planning, but who was he to complain? For now, he'd go meet up with everyone.
Ash made his way toward the stadium, where he saw a crowd of people walking out, cheering. In the center, he spotted Brock, Misty, Yellow, and Horace. The people around them were patting them on the back and offering words of encouragement.
As they walked, they looked around until they made eye contact with Ash, who was casually waving at them.
"Yo, what did I miss?"
——-
{Ashtwo}
Ash went to the Egg station and bought more rotten eggs under the excuse that he was feeding them to his Muk. It wasn't technically a lie, but it still felt a little shady. While there, he also checked out the Egg chamber and ensured there were no cameras around. Thankfully, there weren't any.
He did a quick scan using his Pokédex to see if anything interesting was there, but nothing caught his eye. So, he ended up stealing a few random Eggs and replacing them with rotten ones before leaving.
With that done, he planned to head straight to his room to extract as many genetic points as possible from them. However, before he could, the Team Rocket phone he'd been given started ringing.
Pulling it out, he saw that he had a new mission. This one was from the Masked Man, instructing him to report to Executive Proton for a mission. He was also tasked with gathering the people who'd be joining him. Unfortunately, the details of the mission were not provided.
Ash sighed. He couldn't refuse a direct order from an Executive or the Masked man, so he opened up the list he was sent. Scanning over the list of names, he immediately realized one thing—he had to bring Helena along since she was his lackey for the next year. However, there were others, too.
As he continued reading, his mood soured. Among the group were Enid and Jay.
"Dang…" Ash mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "*Sigh* I really hope they don't mess this one up like last time," he muttered, recalling their disastrous stealth mission.
He walked down the hall, skimming through the mission details. While there was no full rundown of the objectives, the briefing stressed that they should be prepared for battle, just in case.
Reaching the cafeteria, Ash scanned the room. His eyes twitched when he spotted the three people he needed to talk to—Jay, Enid, and Helena—sitting together at a corner table.
For a moment, he wondered if maintaining this persona was even worth it. Steeling himself, he clapped his cheeks lightly, took a deep breath, and approached them.
As he got closer, he overheard their conversation.
"—You see, that is why I am the superior one, and you should help me get close to D.," Enid said confidently, gesturing dramatically. She was trying to convince Helena of something, probably because of her position as Ash's direct underling.
'A side character is a side character through and through, but sometimes, they can be useful to the main character, such as myself.' Enid nodded to herself as she crossed her arms and nodded.
Jay sat there quietly, eating a salad. "You sure? I mean, isn't D our friend? Why do you want to do all that?"
"Of course, you don't get it," Enid scoffed, rolling her eyes before turning back to Helena. "So, what do you say?"
Helena, clutching an Egg in her hands, looked utterly confused. "I-I don't…" she stammered. She hadn't even realized how she ended up here. One moment, she'd been getting lunch, and the next, these two were beside her.
"Come on, Enid," Jay chimed in. "You can't seriously expect her to agree. I've known you for like six months, and I can hardly understand you half the time."
Enid clutched her chest as though wounded. "You be quiet! You don't understand the true integrity of my plan."
"Not sure that's the right context to use that word," Helena muttered under her breath. "Giving off major wannabe main character vibes here…"
"What was that?" Enid snapped, narrowing her eyes.
"Uhh, I said you give off the aura of a main character… If you were in a story, you'd be the protagonist," Helena quickly corrected herself.
Enid's expression brightened as she smiled and nodded. "Now you see it. Finally, someone recognizes my greatness!"
Jay rolled his eyes. He was used to this. He'd walked in on Enid, declaring herself the main character more times than he could count.
Enid pointed dramatically at Helena. "It's decided! You shall now be my friend. You should feel honored—no one else has this privilege!"
Jay and Helena sighed helplessly. 'Don't think that's something you should be proud of,' they both thought in unison.
Helena, still clutching the Egg, decided why not. "Okay, I don't mind being friends," she said with a small smile.
But Jay cleared his throat. "What about me or D.? Aren't we your friends?"
"Please," Enid scoffed, rolling her eyes dramatically. "How could I possibly call either of you my friends? You're one thing, but D.? He's another story. How can I possibly call someone like him my honored friend?"
As Enid began her rant, Ash walked up behind her. Jay and Helena, noticing his arrival, widened their eyes and started making frantic gestures for Enid to stop. Oblivious, she kept going.
"And another thing—his whole mysterious persona, hiding his face all the time. I mean, sure, I get covering up his face after what we saw under there, but I swear he's so cringy. He tries way too hard!" she said, waving her arms dramatically for emphasis.
"'Look at me, I'm D.! I don't even want to tell anyone my name. Don't mess with me—you wouldn't understand my dark backstory. I'm so edgy because I was experimented on, and I don't even have a face!'" Enid added, mocking Ash's voice and mimicking his mannerisms as she tugged at her uniform in mock imitation.
Jay and Helena exchanged worried glances, trying one last time to signal Enid, but it was too late. A throat cleared loudly behind her.
Enid froze, her expression going pale. "…He's right behind me, isn't he?"
Jay and Helena both nodded silently.
Turning slowly, Enid saw Ash standing there, holding some papers in his hand. His expression was unreadable, but the weight of his gaze made her stomach drop.
"D., I—" Enid began, her voice faltering. She didn't know what to say. An apology would feel pointless now.
Ash set the papers down on the table with an audible thunk. "We've been assigned a mission," he said coldly, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "Prepare to head out soon. And Enid?" His tone dropped further, the chill in it unmistakable. "Try not to mess it up like last time."
Without waiting for a response, Ash turned and walked away, heading off to find the other grunts.
Enid sat there in stunned silence, her thoughts racing. "W-wait, I-I…" she stammered, but the words refused to come out. She clenched her fists on the table as she watched Ash's retreating figure disappear down the hallway.
Jay let out a low whistle. "Yeah, no. This one's all on you. You really shouldn't have said all that stuff."
"I-I didn't know…" Enid tried to explain, but the excuse felt hollow even to her.
Jay shook his head, his usual laid-back demeanor replaced with uncharacteristic seriousness. "Why does it matter if he was here or not? You shouldn't have said it at all. We both know how much D. hates wearing that scarf all the time. Whenever he doesn't, people treat him like a freak—and you just made fun of that."
"I get it if you're annoyed with me. Heck, maybe I am annoying sometimes, but D.? He hasn't done anything to deserve that. So, seriously, what's your problem with him?"
Enid's shoulders slumped as Jay's words hit home. Jay might be an idiot in most situations, but when it came to understanding people, he could be surprisingly smart.
"And what was that about experiments?" Helena asked, breaking the silence. "What did you mean by that? D. never said anything about being experimented on."
"Yeah, good point," Jay added, leaning forward. "Where did that even come from?"
"It's… nothing," Enid muttered, avoiding their gazes. "I was just saying something stupid without thinking," she added, her hands tightening into fists beneath the table, grasping at the fabric of her uniform.
But the truth was, Enid still thought that the memories Natu read were Ash's when, in reality, Natu accidentally read Drowzee's mind. The memories Natu glimpsed; the trauma, the experiments, everything was burned into his mind, and when he explained that to Enid, she thought he was referring to Ash, and Natu had been too shaken to ever mention it again
Enid sighed and stood up abruptly. "I should go. We need to get ready for the mission." Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away, leaving Jay and Helena at the table to process everything that had just happened.
Jay leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Well… that was a mess."
Helena nodded silently, her thoughts mirroring his.