"Ugh… what's with this explosion?"
Misty and May coughed due to the smoke from the explosion.
At that moment, a voice came from the robot in the distance:
"Since you sincerely asked!"
"We'll be merciful enough to answer you!"
"You two blockheads, no, wait, that's not right! We prepared new lines for our entrance, Meowth!"
Meowth swatted Jessie and James with his claws!
"Ouch! Alright, got it! We're just getting used to it!"
Jessie and James quickly came back to their senses.
Ash felt speechless, but he was still a bit excited. Was he finally about to see Team Rocket, the eternal sidekicks?
"I hear the sound of a commotion!"
"From beyond the horizon!"
"From the other side of the thunderclouds!"
"A voice is calling us!"
"We've kept you waiting, meow! These are our brand-new lines, meow!"
From inside the robot, Jessie, James, and Meowth's voices echoed.
Misty and Ash exchanged glances, then Ash looked at May, and they all shared a look of helplessness. Team Rocket never learns, do they?
"The evil flower that blooms bravely!"
"A strong yet sweet villain!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"I'm Meowth, that's right!"
"Enough, Team Rocket! It's you guys again with another outdated robot. What evil plan do you have this time?"
Misty decisively interrupted Team Rocket's lines.
"Hey, hey, hey! Blondie, we finally have new lines, and you just cut us off? That's too disrespectful!"
Jessie was furious at being interrupted.
Hearing the words "blondie," Misty immediately got angry too!
"Hey, don't waste words on them, meow! This time, we've built this robot specifically to capture Pikachu and other Pokémon. Just surrender to us, meow!"
Meowth sat in the center of the robot's control room.
James and Jessie stood beside him.
"That's right, that's right! We've named it Invincible Number One!"
The Invincible Number One robot had numerous tentacle-like arms, designed to capture Pokémon.
"Stop wasting time—capture them!"
"Roger, meow!"
Meowth pressed the start button.
Suddenly, dozens of tentacles sprang into action from the Invincible Number One robot!
The primary target was Pikachu, who was perched on Ash's shoulder!
"Pika!"
Pikachu moved swiftly, dodging the tentacles with a leap!
Ash's eyes narrowed.
He could stop Team Rocket right now, but he intended to use their interference to help resolve the tension between Misty and May.
"Azurill~~"
"Ah, Azurill!"
Misty's Azurill was caught by the robot's tentacle, and Misty herself was also grabbed.
On the other side, May's Squirtle, who had been following her from Professor Oak's lab, was similarly grabbed. May held onto Squirtle tightly as she was lifted into the air.
Now was the moment!
Ash's physical capabilities, enhanced thanks to his training, were on full display!
He charged toward Team Rocket's Invincible Number One robot!
Inside the robot's control room, Team Rocket hadn't yet noticed anything unusual.
They were absorbed in the joy of capturing Pokémon.
"Capture, capture, capture, meow! Haha, this time, our Invincible Number One robot seems to be working perfectly, meow!"
"Team Rocket, let Misty and May go!"
Ash's voice echoed.
He had already climbed onto the robot's arm!
The robot was extremely tall!
If he were to fall from that height...
Of course, Ash knew he'd be fine even if he fell.
But Misty and May didn't know that!
Seeing Ash risk his life for them, Misty and May's hearts began to race!
"That's dangerous, Ash! Get down from there!"
"It's too risky! We're fine; please, just get down!"
"Azurill!"
"Squirtle!"
Azurill and Squirtle also cried out.
Their big eyes sparkled with worry.
"Pika-pika, Pikachu!"
Pikachu, who hadn't climbed up, was held back by the robot's tentacles, watching Ash with concern.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. You're all important to me. I'll get you out of here!"
Hearing Ash's words, Misty and May felt a strange warmth in their hearts.
"Snorlax!"
Ash's Snorlax, sensing the situation, approached!
Perfect timing!
"Snorlax, use Hyper Beam on that robot!"
"Snor-la!"
Snorlax nodded, firing a Hyper Beam that hit the Invincible Number One robot!
"Meowth, do something! Why did the twerp's Snorlax manage to use Hyper Beam so fast!"
Jessie and James panicked as they saw the Hyper Beam coming.
"Meow... I can't help it, meow! We only had so much budget. I'm lucky it's insulated against electricity, meow!"
Boom!
An explosion echoed!
"As expected, our fate...
"is the same as always!"
"Next time, we need to budget more for our plans, meow!"
Jessie, James, and Meowth were sent flying as Wobbuffet appeared, shrugging mid-flight.
"Such a dreadful feeling!"
With Team Rocket's final cry, they were launched into the sky.
"Pidgeot, Swellow, go catch Misty and May!"
"Pidgeot!"
"Swellow!"
Pidgeot and Swellow each caught Misty and May, but Ash had no support and fell straight down from the high altitude!
"Ash!!!
--------------
T/N:
Access 30 Chapters in Advance on my P@treon: p@treon.com/PokePals
(Replace '@' with 'a')