After leaving Mikan Island, Ash and his group continued sailing through the Orange Archipelago aboard Lapras, eventually arriving at a bustling island known as Mandarin Island North.
The island was lined with shops everywhere, clearly a prosperous area.
However, something about the atmosphere felt very wrong.
The moment they stepped onto the dock, they witnessed a shocking scene. A group of Pokémon, including Mankey and Weepinbell, all with vacant eyes and moving in eerie unison, were advancing toward several panicked residents and their Pokémon. Energy was gathering in their mouths, as if they were about to unleash indiscriminate attacks!
"What's going on? These Pokémon don't look right!" Misty exclaimed.
"Their eyes… it's like they're being controlled!" Tracey quickly noticed the key detail.
Ash's pupils shrank sharply. With his Aura abilities, he could clearly sense an ominous, coercive mental wave wrapped around these Pokémon.
Hypnosis!
He immediately recalled the original storyline.
Just as the controlled Pokémon noticed Ash and his group and prepared to attack, and as that invisible mental wave surged toward them like a tide, Ash reacted instantly.
"Compassion Barrier!"
He shouted in a low voice, pushing both hands forward. A blue-green barrier formed instantly, a fusion of Aura and the power of Viridian, firmly protecting himself, Misty, Tracey, as well as Pikachu and Togepi beside them.
The invisible hypnosis wave struck the barrier like pebbles falling into a deep lake, creating only slight ripples before dissipating completely.
Behind the barrier, Pikachu and Togepi remained completely unharmed, curiously watching the abnormal Pokémon outside.
But other Trainers and Pokémon who were not protected were not so lucky. One after another, they yawned and fell into a deep sleep.
"Forget about that for now, these Pokémon are clearly being controlled!" Ash withdrew the barrier, his expression serious. "We have to find the source!"
At that moment, Officer Jenny arrived on a motorcycle after hearing the commotion. Floating beside her was a strange Gastly.
"What's happening here? Another case of Pokémon going out of control?"
"Officer Jenny, perfect timing!" Ash said immediately. "These Pokémon are being controlled by a powerful hypnosis wave. I think the source is somewhere on the island, probably at a high point that can cover most of the area. And whoever's behind this likely has a Pokémon skilled in hypnosis."
Officer Jenny looked at the calm and composed boy in front of her, clearly surprised by his judgment.
"That makes sense. We've been investigating several similar disturbances recently. My Gastly can infiltrate certain special locations for reconnaissance. Let's investigate together!"
"No problem!" Ash nodded, then turned to Misty and Tracey. "Let's split up and ask around, see if anyone noticed anything unusual or if any suspicious people have arrived on the island recently."
While Ash and the others began their investigation, Team Rocket's trio ran into trouble as well.
"Meowth! Where are you going?! Wait for us!" Jessie and James panted as they chased after a strangely behaving Meowth. His eyes were just as vacant as the other rampaging Pokémon, muttering "Obey… great Meowth…" as he walked toward the island's high ground.
Following Meowth, Jessie and James arrived beneath an abandoned radio tower. To their shock, they saw two familiar figures standing at the top, dressed in formal black Team Rocket uniforms.
Butch and Cassidy.
And the one continuously releasing the powerful hypnosis waves was Cassidy's Drowzee.
"So it was you two causing all this!" Jessie jumped out angrily.
"Give us back Meowth!" James shouted as well.
"Hmph! I was wondering who it was, turns out it's you three useless failures." Cassidy sneered. "Since you've discovered us, you might as well hand over your Pokémon too. Drowzee, target them!"
Drowzee's eyes shone brightly, and an even stronger wave of hypnosis descended.
In a panic, Jessie and James released Arbok, Weezing, Victreebel, and Lickitung. But they were no match for Drowzee. The moment they appeared, they were overwhelmed by the hypnosis wave, their eyes turning just as vacant as Meowth's.
"Arbok! Lickitung!" "Weezing! Victreebel!" Jessie and James cried out as they watched their partners fall under control.
Butch laughed arrogantly.
Anger and the desire to rescue their Pokémon overwhelmed everything else.
Jessie and James fled down from the high ground in a miserable state, only to run straight into Ash and Officer Jenny, who were investigating nearby.
"Y-you brat! Officer Jenny!" Jessie said awkwardly, but still gritted her teeth. "We know who's behind this! It's Cassidy and Butch! Their Drowzee is controlling all the Pokémon! Our Meowth, Arbok, and Weezing have all been taken over too!"
Ash had already sensed everything at the top of the tower through his Aura, but he feigned surprise.
"Those two… your teammates? Why would they do something like this?"
"Who knows what those idiots are thinking! Maybe to create chaos, maybe to capture more Pokémon!" James said angrily. "But they've taken control of our partners! We have to settle this!"
Officer Jenny looked at the two Team Rocket members with suspicion. "You're part of Team Rocket. Why should I believe you?"
"We just want to get our Pokémon back!" Jessie said, unusually serious. "The two of us can't beat them alone, but we can tell you their location and abilities. We can… cooperate!"
Ash looked at the pair of so-called villains lowering their heads for the sake of their Pokémon, and felt a complicated emotion stir within him.
He turned to Officer Jenny.
"Officer Jenny, what they're saying should be true. The source is indeed at the top of the radio tower. Right now, the priority is to stop Cassidy and Butch and rescue the controlled Pokémon. More manpower will only help."
Officer Jenny hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. But if you try anything…"
"We won't!" Jessie and James replied in unison.
The group quietly made their way beneath the radio tower.
At the top, Cassidy and Butch were still basking in their smug satisfaction.
"Now!" Ash shouted in a low voice. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Drowzee! Interrupt its hypnosis!"
"Pika—chu!" A streak of golden lightning shot toward the top of the tower like a blade, striking straight at Drowzee!
"What?!" Cassidy gasped. "Drowzee, dodge it!"
Caught off guard, Drowzee hastily cut off the hypnosis wave and barely avoided the Thunderbolt. With the hypnosis interrupted, all the Pokémon on the island that had been under control, including Meowth and the others, regained clarity in their eyes and looked around in confusion.
"Damn it! Who ruined our plan?!" Butch roared.
"Your old Team Rocket buddies, and your most hated brat!" Jessie declared with her hands on her hips.
"And Officer Jenny!" James added.
"You three useless failures again!" Cassidy snapped, her face turning livid. "Since you're looking for trouble, don't blame us for going all out! Drowzee, show them what we can do!"
"That's right, don't think stopping the hypnosis wave means you've won!" Butch shouted arrogantly.
"Drowzee, use Confusion on Pikachu!" Cassidy ordered.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack to dodge!" Ash responded calmly.
Pikachu turned into a streak of white light, nimbly evading the invisible psychic force.
"Gastly, use Confuse Ray on Drowzee!" Officer Jenny joined the battle.
Gastly released a distorted beam of light, but Drowzee swayed aside and avoided the attack.
"Arbok, use Acid!"
"Weezing, use Smokescreen to disrupt them!"
Now that they had recovered their senses, Jessie and James immediately commanded their Pokémon to join the fight. Arbok's Acid forced Drowzee to retreat repeatedly, while Weezing's Smokescreen quickly covered the entire tower top.
"Damn it! Drowzee, use Hypnosis on that troublesome Pikachu!" Cassidy shouted from within the smoke.
"You won't get the chance!" Ash, relying on his Aura to clearly perceive the battlefield through the smoke, gave his command. "Pikachu, close your eyes, use your senses to find the source, and fire Electro Ball!"
Pikachu shut its eyes, electricity crackling around its body as three Electro Balls shot precisely toward Cassidy's direction!
"What?!" Cassidy narrowly dodged the incoming attacks.
"Gastly, now, use Night Shade on Drowzee!"
"Arbok, use Poison Sting to block its escape! Lickitung, use Lick to disrupt it!"
"Weezing, use Tackle! Victreebel, use Vine Whip!"
Under the cover of the smoke, multiple attacks converged on Drowzee at once. Gastly's shadowy strike, Arbok's Poison Sting, Weezing's charge, along with Lickitung and Victreebel's attacks.
Though each individual attack wasn't particularly powerful, the continuous barrage left Drowzee overwhelmed and struggling to keep up.
"Now's the moment! Pikachu, full power Thunderbolt!" Ash seized the instant when Drowzee was restrained and issued the finishing command!
"Pika—CHU!!"
A dazzling surge of golden lightning tore through the smoke, striking the trapped Drowzee with perfect accuracy. The powerful current coursed wildly through its body.
"Drowzee!" Cassidy and Butch cried out in shock.
When the light faded, Drowzee had collapsed at the top of the tower, completely unable to continue battling.
"N-no… impossible…" Cassidy and Butch stared in disbelief. They had actually been defeated by this group working together.
"It's over!" Officer Jenny stepped forward, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. "Cassidy, Butch, you are under arrest for disturbing public order and illegally controlling Pokémon!"
Defeated and dejected, Cassidy and Butch were taken away by Officer Jenny.
"I have such a bad feeling about this!"
Peace returned to the island, and all the previously controlled Pokémon regained their freedom.
Jessie and James recalled Arbok and Weezing, while Meowth jumped back to their side.
"This time… thanks, twerp. And Officer Jenny." Jessie muttered awkwardly.
"Even though I hate to admit it, without you, we wouldn't have gotten our partners back," James added.
"Next time we meet, we're still gonna try to catch Pikachu, nya!" Meowth declared, now full of energy again.
Ash smiled. "Anytime. But seeing you work so hard for your Pokémon… you're not that bad."
The Team Rocket trio paused for a moment. This time, they didn't recite their usual motto. Instead, they simply turned and left quietly.
"That was quite unexpected," Tracey said with a sigh.
"Yeah, but at least it ended well," Misty replied, looking at the now peaceful island with relief.
With the incident on Mandarin Island North resolved, Ash's journey to collect badges continued onward.
...
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