After talking with the Professor on the phone, Ash didn't leave immediately but called his mom.
"Huh? Ash! If you can make a call, it means that you have arrived in Viridian City?" Delia, who picked up the phone, was obviously a little surprised to see Ash.
Although it had only been two days, Delia was still very worried about Ash's situation. No matter how mature Ash had become in the past three years, he would always be a child in his mother's eyes.
"Yes, I've made it to Viridian City, and I'm at the Pokémon Center now."
"That's great! As expected of Ash, you're much faster than your grandfather and father! It took your father four days to visit Viridian City. Seeing you now is like seeing your father." Delia seemed to be lost in memory.
"But remember to take good care of yourself!"
"Understood, you too mom." Ash felt a warm feeling in his heart after hearing her voice.
At this time, Misty, behind him, also secretly moved her head over curiously. When Delia's eyes swept over, Misty quickly shrank back in fright.
"Huh? Who's that?"
"Could it be Ash's girlfriend?" Delia's eyes lit up immediately.
"Huh? No! We just met." Ash was a little speechless. It seemed that people in this world really didn't have the concept of puppy love.
"Well... Aunt, my name is Misty, and I'm Ash's friend." Misty stood behind Ash, a little embarrassed, and bowed. She spoke cautiously.
For some reason, she felt a little nervous. She glanced at Ash secretly and felt relieved when she saw that he didn't react too much. However, when Ash said they weren't together, she didn't know why but felt a little disappointed.
"Hi, you are such a lovely little girl. Thank you for taking care of our Ash," Delia said with a smile as if she understood.
Ash knew his mother's character, and it was useless to say anything more, so he didn't. As for taking care of something, it was just a form of politeness.
Even if he wasn't the one being taken care of, it was polite to say so.
"No... it's Ash who took care of me." Misty was a little embarrassed. One reason was that although she often called herself the most beautiful girl in the universe, people didn't usually admit it. Now, she felt a little shy to be called cute in person.
The other reason was that she realized she was the one being taken care of now.
"Anyway, just take care of each other! Ash, you can't bully others!"
"I didn't bully her!" Ash was a little speechless. Was this still his real mother?
After chatting for a few more words and reporting that he was safe, he hung up the phone. Misty was still a little embarrassed and didn't know what to say to Ash for a while.
"Your mother is a very gentle person!"
"Yeah, except she's a bit long-winded." Ash felt the warmth in his heart, something he could already feel just by watching anime.
"Okay, let's go eat..."
Snap! Crash! Hush!
Just as they were about to go eat, a sudden commotion alarmed everyone in the center. The skylight above the Pokémon center suddenly shattered, and two Poké Balls fell from the sky.
Snap!
With a bang, the two Poké Balls exploded, blue light flickered, and two figures fell down. Two Pokémon appeared in front of everyone.
One Pokémon was spherical and entirely purple, with bumps on its body, a smiling face with fangs, and a white skull pattern on its lower body. It floated in the air. The other was a snake-like Pokémon covered in deep purple with yellow patterns on its body.
"Ekans, Koffing?" Misty exclaimed in surprise, wondering why Ekans and Koffing had appeared out of nowhere.
Ash saw this and immediately understood the situation. Before he could explain, Koffing started to act. The protruding parts of its body released bursts of black smoke, filling the air with a smell as if 100 tires were burning simultaneously. The people in the center covered their noses, trying to shield themselves from the awful stench.
"What's going on here?" Nurse Joy emerged from the passageway, covering her mouth and nose as she looked around in confusion.
"Hmph, blah blah!! Since you asked that..." A burst of laughter echoed through the smoke.
Ash felt a surge of excitement. It's coming! The classic scene is about to unfold!
"We will tell you mercifully."
"To prevent the destruction of the world!"
"To protect the peace of the world!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!"
As the smoke dissipated, two figures in silver uniforms with the letter "R" appeared—a man and a woman in their 20s. The man had mid-length blue hair, and the woman had long wine-red hair. In the middle stood a talking Meowth on two feet. It was Team Rocket, the notorious villains from the Pokémon series.
Although this scene appeared in almost every episode, Ash never skipped it when watching in his previous life.
"Having said so much, what on earth do you want to do?" Misty's fiery temper flared up, and she clenched her fists, demanding an explanation.
"Hmph! Don't you understand after all that? We just want Pokémon!"
"So you are the Pokémon theft group!" Misty remembered what Officer Jenny had said earlier and instantly understood their identities.
"We're Team Rocket, and it would be an insult to call us a theft syndicate. We only collect precious Pokémon!"