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Swish, swish!!!
As I was walking toward the town, I suddenly heard a rustling sound in my ear, and the leaves of the trees on both sides of the road flickered.
"Pika!"
Ash wasn't the only one who noticed. Pikachu twitched its ears at the noise. Suddenly, ropes flew from both sides, aiming directly at Ash and Pikachu.
Ash reacted quickly, jumping back just in time as the ropes missed and hit the ground. He glanced left and right, assessing the situation.
Two figures leapt out from the bushes—they were Squirtles, both wearing sunglasses, marking them as part of the notorious Squirtle Squad.
"Just the two of you? If you're trying to catch me, at least come at me all at once!" Ash chuckled as he taunted the Squirtles.
The Squirtles looked frustrated, clearly not expecting Ash to be so difficult to handle. Pikachu quickly jumped in front of Ash, its cheeks sparking with electricity as it growled at the Squirtles.
BRZZZZT!!!
"Hey! Watch it, kid, don't go shocking people for no reason!" A voice rang out as Meowth emerged from the grass, smirking confidently.
"It's you again? You never seem to learn your lesson!" Ash glared at Meowth, his expression growing serious. Meowth visibly tensed up but quickly regained his composure, relying on the backup plan.
"Ahem... Listen up, twerp. We've got your pals, Brock and Misty, in our grasp. So don't do anything rash, or they'll be in real danger!" Meowth declared, feeling smug.
Hearing this, the two Squirtles relaxed slightly, reassured by the leverage they had.
Ash looked at them with a blank expression, almost amused. The villains' plans always seemed so childish to him.
"So, where are they?" Ash asked, unimpressed.
"Jessie, James, and the Squirtle Squad have already taken them away! If you want them safe and sound, you'd better surrender!" Meowth sneered, confident in their trap.
"So... they're not here right now?" Ash inquired.
"Of course, meow!" Meowth replied, confused by the question.
"Then what makes you so bold?" Ash rolled his eyes at Meowth. If Brock and Misty were here, maybe he'd hesitate, but knowing they weren't, it seemed like Meowth had made a big mistake.
"What do you mean, meow?" Meowth's smugness began to falter, sensing something wasn't right.
"You think my friends are in your hands, but don't you realize you're about to fall into mine?" Ash smirked, his gaze shifting between Meowth and the Squirtles.
"Meow?" Meowth gulped, beads of sweat forming as he realized how bad the situation had become. Jessie and James weren't around, and the Squirtles alone weren't enough to deal with Ash and Pikachu. Meowth quickly realized that if they got caught, Ash would have leverage against them!
Ash, wasting no more time, pulled out a Poké Ball. "You thought you could handle me? Think again! Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf! Pikachu, Thunder Shock!"
Ash didn't give them many chances. He quickly threw his Poké Ball, calling out Ivysaur to team up with Pikachu for an attack.
"Oops, meow!" Meowth's face turned pale with panic.
**BOOM!!!**
An explosion echoed at the edge of town.
"What a disgusting feeling!!" echoed Team Rocket's familiar cry.
Meanwhile, outside the town's opposite exit, in a hidden cave near the jungle—the base camp of the Squirtle Squad—both Misty and Brock had been brought there.
"Let me go!" Misty shouted, struggling against the ropes.
"Save your energy, little girl! If that twerp doesn't show up, you'll be in big trouble," Jessie said with a smug grin. After suffering so many losses at Ash's hands, she was eager to take revenge.
"Ash won't be captured that easily," Brock said, confident in Ash's abilities. Even with a surprise attack, catching him was no simple feat.
"You don't need to worry about catching him. As long as we have you two, that twerp will come running to us," Jessie boasted, clearly proud of their devious plan.
"You're such cowards! If you have any guts, face Ash in a fair fight!" Misty snapped, her worry for Ash turning into anger.
"Oh, you poor naive little girl. We're Team Rocket!" Jessie laughed, paying no mind to Misty's protests.
"SquirtlSquirtle !"
At that moment, the leader of the Squirtle Squad spoke up, its tone unclear to the Rockets, as Meowth wasn't around to translate. But Brock, observing Squirtle's movements, could figure out the gist.
"Wait, are you saying you don't want to hurt us? Then why are you working with these guys?" Brock asked, curious.
"Yeah! These guys are villains who steal Pokémon from others!" Misty added, trying to appeal to Squirtle. The Squirtle Squad leader frowned slightly at her words.
"SquirtlSquirtle! Pika, pika!"
Squirtle responded with a few more yells, even mimicking Pikachu's growl. Brock and Misty exchanged glances, starting to understand.
"You mean, you just want to challenge Ash and Pikachu?" Brock asked cautiously.
**Jenny, Jenny!** Squirtle nodded in agreement.
Upon hearing this, Team Rocket's expressions changed—they didn't like where this was going. But with Meowth absent, they had no choice but to wait and see how things played out.
Suddenly, **WHOOSH!!!**
A thick cloud of black smoke rushed into the cave, quickly filling the space. Squirtle, Team Rocket, and everyone inside began coughing and rubbing their eyes, unable to see clearly.
"Ack!! What's going on?! James, can't you control your Koffing?" Jessie yelled through the haze.
"Hey, it's not my fault! I didn't even send out Koffing!" James protested.
"Cough... what's happening?" Misty asked, her voice barely audible as she and Brock struggled to understand the sudden chaos.