Professor Oak's Laboratory Backyard:
In the backyard of the lab, Misty's heart skipped a beat as she watched the screen. She saw that in this timeline, she had given Ash a special fishing lure—and more importantly, that Ash cherished it so deeply he kept it safely at home, terrified of breaking it.
'That big wooden dummy... sometimes he actually knows the right thing to say,' she thought, a warm blush creeping onto her face.
In the Footage—
Ash and Chloe began their fishing session. While Ash had a fair amount of experience under his belt, this was Chloe's first time holding a rod.
Ash took on the role of mentor, patiently teaching her the proper form and the art of waiting for the right moment.
By the time they officially cast their lines, other fishers nearby had already hauled in three or four Magikarp.
Unbeknownst to them, the Team Rocket trio—plus Meowth—had also arrived at the Totem Lake. This trip was entirely at James's insistence.
As a self-proclaimed hardcore fishing enthusiast, there was no way he could pass up the legendary "Totem Pokémon" rumored to dwell in these waters!
Finding every prime spot taken, they wandered along the bank until, by a twist of fate, they ended up right behind Ash and Chloe.
The Scene Shifts—
The screen cut to a dimly lit, high-tech command center. A mature woman with purple hair and sharp glasses was methodically issuing orders. This was Matori.
"The Resort Area is currently swarming with Trainers lured by the rumors of Totem Pokémon. Many of them likely carry rare specimens," she murmured coldly.
"Our objective is to sweep them all up in one net! To ensure absolute success, I personally petitioned Boss Giovanni to send those three idiots away on 'vacation.' This operation must be flawless!"
"Understood, Matori-sama!" a chorus of voices replied.
As the light hit the ranks of soldiers, the audience saw the truth: rows of Team Rocket elites, clad in sleek black uniforms with the iconic crimson 'R' emblazoned on their chests.
Matori pushed up her glasses, her voice dripping with disdain. "This is an elite operation. If those three morons were involved, they'd turn the whole thing into a circus.
Honestly, why the Boss keeps those three around is beyond me. Total dead weight. Not a single successful mission to their names... just three useless failures."
The situation was now clear to the viewers: the Trio's "vacation" was a calculated move by Matori to keep them from sabotaging the "real" Team Rocket.
Having worked alongside them for years, she knew their reputation all too well. They were experts at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Little did Matori know, the very location she had chosen for her elite strike was the exact spot where the Trio was currently "vacationing."
The Elite Unit was heading straight for a disaster they couldn't possibly foresee.
[Lance: Jessie, James—did you see that? Your own colleagues are stabbing you in the back!]
[Leon: It's not too late to defect! The League is willing to overlook your past "crimes." We can offer high-paying, low-stress positions. The League is always looking for... unique talent like yours!]
Leon joined Lance in the attempt to scout the trio. "Overlook their crimes"? Truth be told, had they ever actually succeeded in doing anything truly evil? Most of their schemes ended up helping people or stopping worse villains by accident.
Even if the League prosecuted them, they'd probably get a month of community service at most.
[Jessie: We would never betray Boss Giovanni! The only one in the wrong is that four-eyed Matori! Just you wait, you goggle-eyed goldfish! We'll settle the score with you soon enough!]
Team Rocket Headquarters:
Matori stood right beside Giovanni. Despite seeing the footage, she remained composed. She hadn't done anything wrong in her eyes; the Boss would surely understand.
Taking the Trio on a mission was a statistical guarantee of failure. The previous videos had proven that ten times out of ten, they ruined everything.
However, Jessie's "goggle-eyed goldfish" comment made Matori's eye twitch. In the headquarters, saying that to her face would usually result in a person "disappearing" overnight.
But Jessie was... special. She was a "legacy" member with connections. Matori could only seethe in silence.
Giovanni shook his head, signaling Matori not to take it to heart. Her logic was sound, but Giovanni knew something she didn't. If one were to judge "talent," the Trio might actually be the greatest geniuses in the world—they could do anything except be successful villains.
In the Footage—
Back at the lake, Ash and Chloe were finally seeing some action. They had caught a few standard Magikarp and Goldeen, but Ash wasn't interested in keeping them, and Chloe was focused solely on her goal: Feebas.
Suddenly, Ash's rod doubled over. A massive force jerked the line, and even with Ash's legendary physical strength, he was nearly pulled into the water!
"Whoa! This is a big one! Chloe, help me!"
"Ah! Okay!" Chloe dropped her own rod and grabbed Ash around the waist, digging her heels into the dirt. Even with their combined strength, the line was barely holding steady.
Just as Ash was about to tap into his Aura to end the struggle, three figures suddenly appeared behind them, grabbing onto the line and Chloe!
"You... you're the older siblings from earlier?" Chloe gasped, looking back to see a disguised Jessie pulling for dear life.
"Don't talk, just pull!" Jessie grunted.
Meowth hissed through clenched teeth, "Why... are we... doing work... on our vacation, nya!?"
James strained against the tension. "I... I don't know! My body... it just moved on its own!!"
[Lance: I'm moved to tears! Is there any enemy more reliable than the Team Rocket Trio? Or any ally more dependable?]
[Caitlin: Pfft—sorry, I couldn't hold it in. "Reliable enemies, dependable allies"—that's the most ridiculous and accurate thing I've ever heard!]
[Cynthia: It's true, isn't it? As enemies, they give Ash constant "assists" and training. When he can't catch a Pokémon, they accidentally deliver it to him. And now, as "allies," they're teaching him fishing techniques and helping him land a catch. They really are... lovely, charming villains.]
[James: J-Just because you're praising us doesn't mean we're happy! And we're definitely not joining the League!!]
Giovanni watched the chat, a sense of unease settling in. The League is trying to poach my best (worst) agents?
[Giovanni: Jessie, James, and Meowth are Team Rocket for life! I will never let them join the League!]
The Boss had spoken. He knew he couldn't stay silent while the League wooed them. It didn't matter if they were "failures." What mattered was their bizarre, unbreakable bond with Ash Ketchum.
Giovanni was playing the long game. If Ash ever became the strongest in the world and came for Team Rocket, as long as these three were around, Team Rocket would never truly fall.
He was keeping his "ultimate insurance policy."
In the Footage—
With the combined strength of the five of them, the rod finally gave a mighty heave!
A colossal black shadow blotted out the sun as it flew into the air, crashing back down to earth with a thunderous impact that sent up a cloud of dust.
"Cough... what is that?" Ash waved away the dust and looked at the prize.
It was a Giant Red Magikarp! A normal Magikarp is about one meter long. This monster was at least five meters!
"The Totem Magikarp!" someone shouted.
But that wasn't all. Clinging stubbornly to the Totem's tail was a small, tattered-looking fish covered in brown spots. It was the "ugliest" Pokémon in the sea—a Feebas!
A double catch!
The crowd gathered around in awe. No one tried to steal the catch; despite the high stakes, the local fishers were respectful.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!!" Ash commanded.
Seeing the giant fish flopping with immense vitality, Ash decided a "treatment" was in order. One massive blast of golden electricity surged through both the Totem Magikarp and the Feebas. The Feebas fainted instantly, while the Magikarp continued to twitch—a testament to its incredible life force.
"Chloe, throw your Poké Ball!"
"Wait, but Ash, you did the work—"
"Don't worry about it! You came for Feebas, and I came for the Totem! Our goals don't clash. Go for it!"
With Ash's encouragement, Chloe nervously threw a ball at the Feebas. Ash, meanwhile, wound up and hurled a Poké Ball with all his might at the massive red fish.
Wobble... wobble... Click!
"Alright! I caught the Totem Magikarp!!" Ash cheered, holding the ball high.
"I... I caught... a Feebas..." Chloe whispered, quickly hiding her Poké Ball in her bag, her face red from the attention.
Nearby, the Team Rocket Trio nodded with a sense of accomplishment. In their minds, since they were on vacation, the "Twerp's" victory was their victory. And when they went back to work? That Magikarp would be theirs anyway! (At least, that's what they told themselves.)
[Wallace: That Magikarp has incredible potential! I can only imagine the terror it will be once it evolves into Gyarados!]
[Steven Stone: Look at the screen... the "Elite Unit" is starting their move.]
In the Footage—
The celebration was cut short as chaos erupted at the entrance of the Resort Area. Matori's elite troops were forcibly seizing Pokémon from tourists using high-tech capture nets.
When Ash and the others arrived, the elites were already preparing to retreat with their haul.
"Stop right there! Give everyone's Pokémon back!" Ash yelled.
Matori looked at Ash's young face and sneered. "A brat thinks he can stop Team Rocket's finest? Teach him a lesson."
An elite member stepped forward, summoning a massive Rhyperior. He laughed, seeing only a small Pikachu by the boy's side. He expected an easy victory.
He was wrong. He didn't realize that not every kid is Ash, and not every Pikachu is Ash's Pikachu.
"Pikachu, Iron Tail!"
Pikachu's tail glowed with a metallic sheen as it blurred through the air. With a sound like a falling skyscraper, the Iron Tail slammed into Rhyperior. The "invincible" armor of the Ground-type cracked, and the massive beast was sent flying meters away, unconscious.
The elite member stood frozen. A Pikachu... just one-shot a Rhyperior?
Matori's smug expression twisted into one of pure shock. This wasn't in the mission briefing!
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