Everyone nodded in agreement. It was clear that the Tentacruel's rampage wasn't just a matter of a stray tentacle. Even after being frozen, it continued to attack, clearly targeting someone specific.
"But the target wasn't you," Carl turned to May, "You were just caught up in it while trying to help."
"Who was it trying to attack then?" May asked, the question slipping out almost instinctively. All eyes turned to Ash.
If May hadn't been there, Ash was indeed the most likely target. It seemed the giant Tentacruel was after him.
"Pika~" Pikachu edged away, trying to dissociate itself from the situation.
"Me?" Ash pointed to himself, bewildered, "Why me?"
"To be precise, it's after Pikachu," Carl clarified.
"Pika?" Pikachu froze, stunned.
Could it really be because of it?
Everyone turned their gaze to Pikachu, curious about what was so special about the electric mouse.
At that moment, Misty, hiding nearby, exclaimed, "Oh my! Could Team Rocket be right? Is Ash's Pikachu really extraordinary?"
Attention shifted to Misty, surprised she knew some insider information.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu waved its paws frantically, trying to insist it was just a regular electric mouse without any special traits.
"Exactly!" Carl snapped his fingers, turning to Misty, "You're absolutely right!"
First off, Pikachu was indeed unique—what with a fragment of the Creator's plate, could it be ordinary? Secondly, Team Rocket had a keen eye. After being zapped once at the Pokémon Center, they realized Pikachu's extraordinary nature and never gave up pursuing it.
"I... I was right?" Misty was completely at a loss.
She couldn't understand why this powerful trainer called her "Misty" and what she had been right about.
"It's those three from Team Rocket!" Carl pointed directly behind Ash and his friends.
There, three figures who were trying to sneak away froze mid-step, experiencing Pikachu's earlier feeling of being caught out.
They were done for!
Everyone turned to see three people in ridiculous costumes trying to sneak away.
"You're with Team Rocket!" Misty suddenly realized.
"What Team Rocket? I'm a legitimate talent scout, and this outfit is just for work," James quickly defended.
"Exactly, I'm a professional artist with no ties to Team Rocket," Jessie hurriedly chimed in.
"That's right, meow~" Meowth tried to add, but its habitual phrase gave them away. Jessie and James tried to cover its mouth, but it was too late.
"So it is you!"
"Pikachu!"
Ash was truly angry this time. Thinking about how he was almost blamed for the Tentacruel attack and seeing the damaged surroundings made him frown with heartache.
"Pika!" Pikachu was even angrier than its trainer, unleashing a powerful Thunderbolt without waiting for orders.
The intense electricity left Team Rocket's trio in convulsions, their skeletons briefly visible. Once the shock subsided, their disguises fell away, revealing their true Team Rocket uniforms.
But unlike the usual black uniforms, James and Jessie wore silver, indicating they were reserve members. As to why they had direct contact with Boss Giovanni, well, one was the founder's son and the other was a sponsor's daughter.
"Can't deny it now, can you?" Ash pointed at their uniforms, "Tell us, why was the giant Tentacruel attacking here?"
He trusted Carl's judgment completely, believing in his skills that there was no need to frame Team Rocket for anything.
"Now that we've been exposed..." James discarded his coat and exchanged a glance with Jessie.
"We'll tell you the truth!" Jessie stood by James.
"To protect the world from devastation!" James struck a classic pose.
"To unite all peoples within our nation!" Jessie tossed her hair flamboyantly.
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!" They shouted in unison, delivering their iconic lines.
"The cool and villainous team is here!" James struck his signature pose.
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"We are Team Galactic Rocket!"
"A white future awaits us!"
"That's right, meow~"
Meowth tossed away its coat and jumped in front of the pair.
The entire scene fell silent.
Carl quietly turned off his phone recording, thinking how awkward those lines were. He planned to show the video to Giovanni someday, curious about his former boss's reaction.
After all, Giovanni initially was just a businessman, using Team Rocket as a money-making tool. It wasn't until the reformation into Team Rainbow Rocket that their goal shifted to world domination. Yet, regardless of the era, their villainy never became truly impressive.
Clap, clap, clap.
The sudden applause left everyone puzzled.
May explained, "I thought their introduction was quite creative."
Team Rocket's trio:
This was more embarrassing than silence!
"What are you up to?" Ash skipped the preamble and demanded answers.
"Don't accuse us wrongly!" James hastily defended, "We were stopping the Tentacruel's attack, just aiming to capture Pikachu along the way."
"Yes, yes!" Jessie echoed, "We were hiding to ambush, having nothing to do with Tentacruel's growth."
"That's right, meow~"
Ash was hopping mad, "Trying to steal my Pikachu again? I won't forgive you this time!"
"Bring it on!"
Jessie and James swiftly pulled out Poké Balls, ready to release Pokémon at any moment. Pikachu was charged up, poised to attack.
"Wait!" Misty stopped Ash just in time, "Since they've confessed, let's leave it to Master Lorelei to handle." She turned to Lorelei, eyes full of admiration.
As one of the Elite Four, Lorelei was indeed the best person to handle this. Though Misty also knew Sabrina and Cynthia, Lorelei held a special place in her heart.
"You brat, what nonsense!" Team Rocket's trio panicked. They knew well of Lorelei's strength, and falling into her hands would be disastrous.
Misty wagged her finger smugly, "You admitted to enlarging the Tentacruel."
"Nonsense! That guy framed us!" Jessie pointed angrily at Carl, glaring viciously.
Carl calmly replied, "I only said the Tentacruel was after you, never mentioning why it got bigger. But you did manage quite a spectacle."
His words left Team Rocket's trio stunned. Thinking back, it seemed they really did slip up.
"These guys?" Lorelei looked incredulously at the seemingly unreliable trio.
"It's the truth," Carl shrugged. He hadn't intended to expose it this way.