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"Next up is our grand finale! Please welcome our leader, Stella, and the Mr. Mime!"
The performance was drawing to a close, and it was finally Stella's turn to take the stage with the "Mr. Mime." Stella quickly changed into her performance costume and brought what appeared to be Brock's Mr. Mime outfit onto the stage.
"Is that the Mr. Mime costume Brock was wearing? It looks so well-made! You can hardly tell it's a costume at first glance," Delia commented, unable to hide her amazement as she watched the performance below. It was genuinely difficult to distinguish whether it was real or fake.
"It really does! I hope everything goes smoothly!" Misty added with an encouraging smile.
"Huh?" Ash stared at the stage below, his expression shifting slightly as an odd feeling washed over him.
"What's wrong, Ash?" Being his mother, Delia immediately sensed something was bothering him and turned to ask.
"Something's strange."
Ash studied the Mr. Mime on stage carefully, a puzzled look crossing his face. Though it wasn't immediately obvious, upon closer inspection, this one seemed slightly plumper than the costume Brock had been wearing earlier.
"Strange?"
"Yeah. I don't think that's Brock down there," Ash said, resting his chin on his hand thoughtfully.
"What? Then... is this actually...?"
After hearing Ash's observation, Misty looked more carefully as well. Indeed, this Mr. Mime did appear somewhat rounder than Brock's costume had been.
"I think it might actually be Ms. Stella's real Mr. Mime!"
"Really? But then where's Brock?"
"I don't know," Ash admitted, shaking his head slightly. He couldn't figure out what was happening.
"Perhaps that Mr. Mime was genuinely inspired by Brock's costume performance and decided to perform on its own!" Delia suggested, having already learned about the earlier situation from Ash and the others.
After hearing her theory, the two young trainers looked at each other. Thinking it through carefully, that seemed like the only logical explanation.
"And now, our troupe leader Stella and her Mr. Mime will perform for you!" As the voices of other circus members announced the act, Stella raised her animal training whip, preparing to begin the performance.
Bang!
Suddenly, the lights throughout the entire tent went dark, and startled screams erupted from the audience all around them.
Most people didn't panic immediately, assuming this was simply part of the show. However, Stella and the other circus members present were genuinely shocked.
"What's going on? This wasn't in our rehearsal!" Stella called out urgently, peering into the darkness surrounding them.
"We have no idea what's happening!" the other members replied awkwardly in response to Stella's question. And at that very moment...
Bang!
"Since you're asking what's going on, we'll tell you mercifully!"
"Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"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!"
A spotlight suddenly illuminated the center of the stage, shining directly on Stella and the Mr. Mime. Stella instinctively shielded her eyes from the intense beam of light.
On the high platform used for the aerial rope acts above, two silhouetted figures stood prominently. When they spoke, they instantly captured the attention of every audience member. The moment Ash and Misty heard those familiar voices, they knew something bad was about to happen.
However, the audience still believed this was all part of the performance, just like what had happened back in Cerulean City.
"Team Rocket!"
"What are you two doing here again?" Misty felt her anger rising at the sight of these troublemakers, demanding answers after hearing their cliché introduction.
"Hmph! The circus performance is finished, and now it's Team Rocket's turn to put on a show!" James declared with a sneer, then snapped his fingers dramatically.
A tear suddenly appeared in the tent's ceiling, and their hot air balloon descended through the opening.
The basket beneath the hot air balloon opened up, revealing a dark metal cage that dropped down. A sturdy rope connected to the cage plummeted rapidly, directly capturing the Mr. Mime inside.
"Guuuum!" The Mr. Mime cried out in fright, quickly grasping the bars of the cage with its suction cup hands. Stella gasped in shock at the sudden turn of events.
"Brock?!" one of the circus members shouted in surprise upon seeing this.
"Hmph! We're taking this Mr. Mime with us!" Jessie announced proudly. Soon the rope began retracting upward, lifting the now-closed cage with the trapped Mr. Mime inside.
When the cage reached the height where Jessie and James were standing, they leaped onto it and began climbing up together. The hot air balloon started ascending as well. This time, their operation was swift and efficient, with no wasted movements.
At this point, some audience members began to realize something was genuinely wrong and started to panic. Though Stella was desperate to help, she found herself powerless, forced to watch helplessly as the Mr. Mime was carried away.
"I'm very sorry, everyone. Due to this unexpected incident, our Mr. Mime has been captured by unknown assailants. We cannot continue the performance," one of the circus members announced into the microphone, his voice shaking with panic. After hearing this announcement, murmurs of concern spread throughout the crowd. Seeing such a distressing event occur during what was supposed to be entertainment, everyone understood the show could not go on.
Although some people felt disappointed at the abrupt ending, they began making their way toward the exits.
"Let's go check on them! Mom, we'll be back!" Ash called to Misty, then turned to Delia.
"Alright! Please be careful, you two!" Though worried, Delia didn't try to stop Ash from helping.
The other circus members worked to maintain order as they guided the audience out of the tent. Meanwhile, Stella's face showed a mixture of remorse and deep concern. Ash and Misty rushed over quickly, but when they looked outside the tent, there was no trace of Team Rocket anywhere.
"Miss Stella! Are you alright?" Ash and Misty hurried over, with Misty asking immediately.
"I'm fine, but Brock..." Stella said, her voice heavy with guilt. The attackers' target had clearly been the Mr. Mime, but they hadn't known it was actually Brock in costume, so they'd grabbed him directly.
Ash and Misty exchanged surprised glances when they heard this, understanding the situation clearly now. Didn't Stella realize that wasn't Brock at all?
"Um, Miss Stella, that just now was actually—"
"Help! Let me out of here right now!"
Just as Misty was about to explain the truth, they suddenly heard a very familiar voice calling out. Ash and Misty recognized it instantly—it was definitely Brock's voice.
"Huh? Brock?" The circus members naturally heard it too and felt confused. Hadn't he just been taken away?
"Over there!"
Ash spoke up immediately after hearing the voice, then headed toward Stella's RV. When they reached the back of the vehicle near the edge of the jungle, they discovered a figure standing there.
"Brock?!" Looking at that figure, Stella was astonished. It was indeed Brock, still wearing the Mr. Mime costume, though he'd removed the headpiece.
At that moment, Brock was pounding his fists against the air in front of him. However, there appeared to be something invisible blocking his path, producing a dull thud with each strike he delivered.