Within the entirety of Team Rocket, only two elite operations squads existed.
One was led by Butch and Cassidy.
The other—the infamous trio of Jessie, James, and Meowth.
Despite their often bumbling appearances, Jessie and her team were officially recognized as an elite unit—highly effective when they got serious. So, the moment they received intel from a Team Rocket informant embedded in Officer Jenny's police force that Ash had appeared in Viridian City, they sprang into action.
Everyone involved in this mission, whether it was Jessie's squad or the undercover agent who passed the intel, shared the same belief:
This mission was already as good as done.
Their confidence came from two sources:
Absolute faith in Jessie's team.
The fact that their target was just a six-year-old boy who had only recently acquired his Pokémon.
Even if Ash was a gifted prodigy with sky-high potential, at the end of the day, he was still a child. How hard could it be to snatch a six-year-old?
If Ash had remained holed up in Pallet Town under League protection, it might've posed some difficulty. But now?
He had stepped out of safety and walked right into Team Rocket's territory.
If they couldn't catch him now, then their so-called "elite squad" title would be a joke.
…
"Phew…" Ash sighed in relief after shaking off the crowd of fans begging for photos and autographs. He quickly darted into a League-certified Pokémon food store.
Unbeknownst to him, his every move was being tracked. His location was now exposed, and the net was already closing in.
"Welcome, little one!" greeted the clerk warmly as Ash stepped inside. "Is there anything I can help you with today?"
"I'd like to buy three days' worth of food for each Pokémon type—just the regular quality is fine," Ash said confidently, scanning the shelves filled with colorful, fragrant bags.
"Oh, and for Electric- and Water-type Pokémon, I want the highest quality food you've got. Please pack three days' worth of those too."
He paused, then added, "If those two types come in different flavors, is it possible for my Pokémon to sample them first?"
The clerk blinked in surprise. "That's… quite a lot."
"Is that a problem?" Ash asked, tilting his head and smiling politely.
"No, no—my apologies!" The clerk quickly bowed in embarrassment. "Let me confirm your order: three days of regular-quality food for all types, and three days of premium-quality Electric and Water-type food. Got it."
Ash nodded. "By the way, do you offer delivery? I plan to shop here regularly, but carrying everything by myself is kind of difficult."
"We do provide delivery," the clerk replied. "There's a small fee depending on the distance. Could you share your address?"
Ash hesitated. "Well… I don't live in Viridian City. I'm from Pallet Town. Do you still deliver there?"
His voice dropped to a whisper at the end.
After all, now that he suspected Team Rocket had their eyes on him, every trip outside was a calculated risk. It wasn't just a matter of convenience—it was a matter of safety.
If the store could handle delivery, then next time, he could simply place an order over the phone.
"Yes, we do deliver to Pallet Town," the clerk said, smiling. "The delivery fee will be slightly higher than local orders, but if you become a regular customer, we can offer discounts on both food and delivery."
"Perfect. Thank you."
This was a League-official Pokémon supply store, so Ash had no worries about quality. Even the regular food here was dependable.
That said, "regular" food wasn't cheap.
For one day's worth of standard-quality food, the price was 200 Pokédollars—equivalent to the cost of 10 standard Poké Balls.
Doing the math:
200 Pokédollars × 3 days × 18 types = 10,800 Pokédollars.
That was over ten thousand just for the basic stuff.
Now for Pichu and Frogadier, Ash had picked premium-quality food, the best the store had.
That was 1,200 Pokédollars per day—equivalent to a Great Ball in cost.
1,200 × 3 days × 2 Pokémon = 7,200 Pokédollars.
In other words, feeding just his two Pokémon cost him almost as much as feeding all 18 types with regular food!
The numbers didn't lie:
Being a Pokémon Trainer was expensive.
Forget about training—just keeping your Pokémon well-fed with quality nutrition could burn through your wallet faster than a Flamethrower.
"Thank goodness the skill shop earned me some money today," Ash muttered as he handed over his savings card, the one his mom Delia had opened for him during summer camp.
The cashier took the card respectfully, scanned the payment, and returned it with both hands.
"Would you like us to arrange delivery for you today?"
Ash shook his head. "Not this time. But I'll call in future orders, and you can send someone then."
"Understood!"
With a mountain of bags in hand, Ash left the shop. Luckily, Frogadier helped him carry half the load. Otherwise, there was no way he'd have managed alone.
He made a quick stop at a public restroom, pretending to take a break—then used the moment to stash all his food into the system storage backpack.
From there, Ash headed straight to the Electronics Plaza in central Viridian, where he picked up a mid-range smartphone for 3,500 Pokédollars.
In the Pokémon world, prices were weirdly lopsided.
Anything Pokémon-related—like food, TMs, or training gear—was stupidly expensive. A high-damage TM started at 5,000 to 6,000 Pokédollars, and a top-tier elemental move could cost millions.
But stuff for regular people?
Totally affordable.
A basic meal outside city centers cost around 15 Pokédollars.
Even a high-end smartphone rarely exceeded 10,000 Pokédollars.
It was clear:
In this world, being a normal person was cheap.
But being a Trainer?
That was a luxury lifestyle…
Only the determined could afford to chase it.
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T/N:
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