What has been the most sensational news lately?
Naturally, it was the news of the change of leadership within Team Rocket. The new boss of Team Rocket was actually the winner of last year's Indigo League—Damian!
To be honest, when Ash's trio first heard this news, their first reaction was to think it was a rumor.
After all, they had met Damian in person. In their eyes, Damian was clearly a person with a very good personality!
However, Misty searched for a lot of information, and someone had even recorded Damian's broadcast at that time.
Then...
Then Ash and his friends all fell silent.
Ash, in particular, felt quite complicated. He had a good opinion of Damian and even viewed him as a future rival.
But he never expected that Damian would actually become a member of Team Rocket.
Most importantly, they actually ran into Damian, and it was right here in Celadon City!
Speaking of which, this was Celadon City. Even if this was a training ground, was it normal for the boss of Team Rocket like Damian to appear here so openly?
"Oh, it's Ash and your group. What a coincidence!"
Damian was also quite surprised. He looked at the three of them and greeted them with a smile.
"Damian, are you really the leader of Team Rocket?"
In Ash's eyes, there was both caution and a small hope. Maybe it was just someone with the same name?
"I didn't expect you to know about that, Ash. That's right, I am the boss of Team Rocket."
Damian admitted it very naturally.
"!!" Ash's face froze instantly.
This was unbelievable! A boy he had met by chance was actually the boss of Team Rocket!
Even TV shows didn't have plots like this.
"What about Gym Leader Erika? Why is Gym Leader Erika with you?"
Misty looked at Erika, who was standing behind Damian. Erika was the Gym Leader of the Celadon Gym.
Erika's beautiful face looked conflicted. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something.
"Miss Erika is my captive prize. A lovely girl like her is truly adorable."
Damian suddenly wrapped his arm around Erika's waist, pulling her body close to his.
Because of this sudden movement, Erika, who was caught off guard, subconsciously let out a small gasp of surprise.
"Stop that!"
"How can you do this!"
"Damian, what you're doing is wrong!"
Ash, Misty, and Brock were all shocked. Isn't this just kidnapping a girl? This was truly going too far.
"Oh? Are you going to stop me then? Do you want to save Miss Erika?"
Damian looked at the three of them with interest.
"Otherwise, I'm going to take Erika away."
"I will never let you do whatever you want! Miss Erika, don't worry, we will definitely save you!"
Ash's eyes were extremely determined. He would never let such a thing happen in front of him. Miss Erika was the Gym Leader of Celadon City; the city needed her.
He had to save her!
"..." Erika kept her head down, afraid that Ash and the others would see the look on her face.
"Your courage is praiseworthy. However, I am the boss of Team Rocket. Ash, do you really think the three of you are a match for me?"
Damian continued to hold Erika, speaking calmly.
He thought this was quite interesting—watching Ash shout things like "justice," "peace," and "saving people" before rushing forward.
"No matter what kind of opponent you are, as long as my Pokémon and I work together, we can definitely defeat you!"
Ash clenched his fists and spoke firmly, filled with a sense of justice.
Especially when facing Team Rocket, Ash's fighting spirit was high.
"Tsk."
Damian couldn't help but scoff.
"Then let me help you face reality."
Damian thought for a moment, took out a Poké Ball, and opened it. The cold and elegant incarnation of the north wind landed in front of Damian, looking forward calmly.
But in the next moment, Suicune's gaze changed slightly.
This was because it felt that the boy wearing the hat possessed the Rainbow Wing of Lord Ho-Oh. Looking closely, wasn't this the boy they, the Suicune guard, had been observing?
Suicune was stunned for a moment, but it didn't think too much about it.
After all, it was now Damian's Pokémon, and it had made a promise to Damian to work hard for a clean and blue world!
Even if the opponent was the boy Lord Ho-Oh favored, it didn't matter.
Damian could even summon Lord Ho-Oh himself as an ally!
But on Ash's side, Misty and Brock were shocked.
"Suicune!"
Misty cried out in shock. This was Suicune! One of her favorite Pokémon.
"Suicune, one of Ho-Oh's legendary guardians," Brock also said in a shocked voice. This was a legendary Pokémon!
Ash didn't fully understand how famous it was, but he could tell from Misty and Brock's reactions that this Pokémon seemed very powerful.
Ash took out his Pokédex and aimed it at Suicune.
"Suicune, the Aurora Pokémon. Water-type. It has the power to instantly purify dirty water. It is said to be the incarnation of the north wind."
The Pokédex briefly introduced Suicune.
The incarnation of the north wind? It sounded like it was very strong.
"Why would Suicune follow someone from Team Rocket?"
Misty still found it hard to accept. She originally had a good opinion of Damian because he was very handsome and fit her taste.
But after learning that Damian had become the boss of Team Rocket, her positive image of him shattered.
And now Damian had even kidnapped Gym Leader Erika, seemingly intending to take her back to do all sorts of terrible things.
But would Suicune actually accept a person like that? Misty felt this was truly unbelievable.
"No matter why, if he's an opponent, we just have to defeat him!" Ash didn't think that much.
"And since it's a Water-type... Pikachu! I choose you!"
"Pika-chu!"
Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder with plenty of energy. It landed opposite Suicune, with small sparks of electricity flickering in the pouches on its cheeks.
Ash had great confidence in his Pikachu. Moreover, Electric-types beat Water-types; he had the type advantage.
He would win!
"I don't know why you joined Team Rocket, Damian! I will defeat you!"
And bring you back to the right path!
Ash didn't say that last part out loud. He still believed that Damian wasn't just a bad person. As long as he defeated him, he could surely make him come to his senses.
"You're quite confident. But Ash, I'm afraid you can't do it." Damian laughed softly and curled his finger to beckon Ash.
"Come, let me see how strong your Pikachu is."
Damian was indeed quite curious about Ash's current level.
After all, this was the Ash from the movie with the "Rainbow Hero" talent template; his talent was extremely outstanding.
Damian's attitude—acting completely confident and not taking him seriously at all—made Ash's blood boil instantly.
"Damn it, he's so arrogant!"
Clearly, at this moment, Ash still had an impulsive personality. He wasn't yet as hot-blooded but mature as he would be in later journeys.
"Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"
Ash decisively ordered an attack.
Actually, this wasn't an official battle. Ash could have sent out several of his main Pokémon at once, as long as he could manage the commands.
But Ash was clearly not that kind of person. Moreover, he felt that since Damian only used one Suicune, if he used several Pokémon, it would be unfair.
Although talking about fairness with Team Rocket was a bit funny, that was exactly what Ash was thinking right now.
Pikachu's four legs moved quickly. It ran at high speed and then jumped. At the same time, electric light lit up on its body—a fast Thunderbolt attack!
"Extreme Speed."
Suicune raised its head and looked at Pikachu, its gaze still cold and calm.
The Thunderbolt came crashing down, but as a breeze blew past, Suicune's figure instantly disappeared from its original spot.
The Thunderbolt hit the ground. It missed and failed to hit the target.
"So fast!" Misty was shocked by what she saw.
"With the boost from the priority move Extreme Speed, Suicune's speed is too high," Brock said in a low voice.
The Thunderbolt ended, and the electricity on Pikachu's body disappeared as it began to land.
But in the next second...
Bang!
A blurry, light-blue figure slammed hard into Pikachu's body, causing it to let out a cry of pain as it fell to the ground.
It was Suicune's Extreme Speed attack!
"Pikachu!" Ash cried out in worry.
"Ice Beam."
Before Suicune even landed, it opened its mouth and gathered icy light. A zig-zagging Ice Beam shot toward the Pikachu on the ground.
The follow-up attack came incredibly fast.
"Pikachu! Quick, dodge it!" Ash quickly shouted to Pikachu.
Hearing this, Damian raised an eyebrow. Using "quick, dodge it" right at the start? Is he out of options already?
Pikachu opened its eyes. It gritted its teeth and endured the pain from being hit by Extreme Speed just now. It quickly stood up and jumped backward, narrowly avoiding the Ice Beam.
Suicune didn't stop. It controlled the Ice Beam to keep spreading and followed Pikachu. Sparkling ice crystals appeared everywhere the Ice Beam hit.
Pikachu kept retreating by rolling and jumping. Although it was almost caught by the Ice Beam several times, it managed to escape without being hit.
Pikachu was truly very agile.
The Ice Beam ended, but before Pikachu could even catch its breath, the light-blue figure shot forward again like a bolt of lightning.
Bang!
There was another dull thud. Suicune's Extreme Speed hit Pikachu once again, sending it flying directly through the air.
Extreme Speed was simply too fast. Even Ash's Pikachu couldn't react in time. Moreover, there was a huge gap in strength between the two sides.
"Pikachu! Damn it!"
Ash gritted his teeth. This Extreme Speed was really too fast; Pikachu had no good way to counter it.
And...
Looking at Pikachu, who was already starting to pant after being hit by Suicune's Extreme Speed only twice, it was clear that the power of Suicune's attack was also very high.
"Ash's Pikachu is really durable. It actually managed to hold on after two Extreme Speeds," Damian thought.
Damian continued to hold Erika's slender waist with one hand while rubbing his chin with the other.
In fact, anyone who has watched the anime can notice one thing: Ash's Pikachu is a Pokémon with almost no weaknesses.
Its physical attacks, special attacks, defense, explosive power, agility, and stamina are almost perfect.
Especially Pikachu's willpower; it is truly exaggerated. Sometimes it really acts like an unkillable cockroach.
Words like "Stand up," "Keep going," or "Show your spirit" can always trigger some kind of limit-break in Ash's Pikachu.
However, it was a pity. The current Pikachu was still not strong enough in front of Damian's Suicune. It couldn't even counter Suicune's Extreme Speed.
Ash's eyebrows were tightly knit. Should he switch to Charizard?
In his current team, only Charizard and Pikachu were the strongest.
But Charizard is weak against Water...
Ash was very conflicted.
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