Pokemon: Ash's Yellow Rodent 05

Oh. Well, SoufulGiner17, yeah, Brock's gonna be just like in the anime.

Chapter 5: Team Rocket on Mt. Moon

After he managed to get his very first badge, Ash left Pewter City, going towards the next city where he could get a second badge. Along with Pikachu, the trainer was now traveling with Brock, who left the gym to his father and decided to travel with Ash to learn more about becoming a great Pokémon Breeder.

At this moment, a few minutes had passed since they left Pewter City.

"Do you know which city is the closest to us?" the trainer asked his traveling companion.

"I think it's Cerulean City, but I'm not entirely sure." Brock replied. "Let me check my map."

The teenager took a map from his backpack and looked at it.

"Yep. It's Cerulean City indeed. There's a gym there, so you can get your second badge when we arrive in that city."

"That's great to hear!" Ash exclaimed with joy.

"Pika!" the Pokémon said.

"However, we will have to go through Mt. Moon to get there." The breeder said.

"The mountain? So, it's gonna take us a while?" the boy asked.

"Most likely."

Ash sighed at that before looking up with determination.

"Alright then. It's not a mountain that will discourage me from continuing my journey!"

"Pika Pika!"

"That's good to hear." Brock said. "By the way, aside from Pikachu and Nidorina, what other Pokémon do you have?"

"I have Caterpie, Pidgey, and Ratatta. I know it's nothing much compared to much stronger Pokémon, but I think it's a good start." Ash replied.

"Yeah. You're just starting after all."

"What about you? Do you have any Pokémon on you?"

"Well, I have the same Onyx and the same Geodude you fought yesterday. Those are the only Pokémon I have."

"I see. By the way, if you don't mind me asking... How come your eyes are always shut?"

"What are you talking about?" Brock asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Hum... Never mind." Ash replied, smiling sheepishly.

"Hey, you!"

Ash, Brock, and Pikachu noticed someone in front of them. It was some young boy wearing a blue cap, a yellow shirt, blue shorts, and white and blue shoes.

"My name is Joey and I wanna fight either one of you in a Pokémon Battle!" the young boy exclaimed.

Ash smirked as he heard that.

"I'm Ash Ketchum and you can count me in, Joey!" the boy from Pallet Town exclaimed.

"Alright then. Ratatta, go!"

Joey threw a Poké Ball, making a Ratatta appear in front of him.

"Ratatta!"

"I have a Ratatta myself, but I have someone else in mind for this. Caterpie, I choose you!" Ash exclaimed as he threw a Poké Ball.

The bug-type appeared in front of the trainer.

"Rattata, use Tackle!" Joey exclaimed.

"Rattata!"

The normal-type ran towards Caterpie and tackled him. The bug-type immediately stood back up.

"Caterpie, use String Shot on that Ratatta!" Ash ordered.

Caterpie used his attack, mummifying the normal-type. The latter struggled to get itself free.

"And now, follow it with a Tackle!"

The bug-type ran towards the normal-type and tackled it, throwing it away. The Ratatta was too dazed to fight. Seeing that, Joey was shocked.

"Rattata, come back!" he exclaimed as his Pokémon went back inside its Poké Ball. "I can't believe my Rattata lost to a small bug like yours." He said to Ash.

"Well, I guess it's a good example of not judging a book by its cover." Brock said.

"Go ahead. Choose another Pokémon." Ash said to Joey.

"Hum... It's the only one I have. So... you won the fight." The Youngster said.

"Woo-ooh! I did it!" the boy from Pallet Town cheered.

"I swear I'll make my Ratatta stronger and we'll see if you can defeat me again!" Joey said, with determination in his eyes.

"Good luck with that. I wouldn't mind doing a rematch with you." Ash said, smirking.

"Alright then. See ya!" Joey said as he waved at them and left.

"Bye, Joey!" Ash said, waving back.

As he waved back as well, Brock then noticed something.

"Hum, Ash..."

"What?"

The breeder pointed towards Caterpie. The latter was spraying mist, covering himself with it. Several seconds later, Caterpie changed his form turning into a Metapod. Ash smiled widely as he saw that.

"Sweet! You evolved into a Metapod!" the trainer exclaimed as he knelt down and hugged the bug-type. "I'm so glad to see that. I'm guessing you're glad as well."

Metapod blinked his eyes, making it his own way of nodding.

"You deserve some rest now." Ash said before making his Pokémon disappear inside his Poké Ball. "I'm ready to go." He said as he stood up.

"So am I." Brock said.

"Pika."

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Ash, Pikachu, and Brock continued their way towards Mt. Moon. Along the way, they encountered several other trainers, all ready to fight. Of course, the boy from Pallet Town was always willing to fight any of them. Some fights ended with victory for the young Ketchum, while others were the opposite. This went on and on until, after three days of traveling, our heroes finally arrived next to Mt. Moon.

"Whoa... It's pretty huge." Ash commented, looking at the mountain.

"Before we go there, we should go to that Pokémon Center." Brock said, pointing at the aforementioned building set next to the mountain.

"You're right." Ash said, knowing his Pokémon needed to have their health restored.

They arrived inside the Pokémon Center. The trainer spotted Nurse Joy at the counter and came nearby.

"Hello. Could you take care of my Pokémon?" Ash asked, putting his Poké Balls and Pikachu on the counter.

"Of course." She replied with a smile. "Is there anything else we can do for you?"

"No, that's all..."

Ash was interrupted when Brock pushed him out of the way. The trainer nearly fell on his back before getting the right balance to avoid falling. He sighed in relief before looking at the breeder. Much to Ash's confusion, Brock was holding Joy's hands in his, while also blushing.

"Nurse Joy, it is my pleasure to meet you on this beautiful day." The teenager said, in a charming tone.

"Hum... Yes, it's a beautiful day indeed." She said, confused to see Brock doing that.

Both Ash and Pikachu arched an eyebrow at that.

"Hum... Brock?"

"Later, Ash." The breeder said, hearts floating above his head. "Can't you see I'm busy right now?"

Ash and Pikachu then looked at each other, shrugging at what was going on.

"I'll see you in a few minutes, Pikachu." The trainer said to his Pokémon.

"Pikachu." He nodded.

The boy walked away from the counter, looking around the Pokémon Center.

"Hey! Young man! Come here!"

The trainer turned around and noticed some guy behind some table. The man had brown hair and a thin mustache. He was wearing a white shirt, green pants, brown shoes, and a white headband. Ash looked around before pointing at himself.

"Were you talking to me?" the boy asked.

"Who else? I've got a special deal for you and you only!" the man said.

Ash shrugged before coming next to the table.

"You are a Pokémon Trainer, right?" the man asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You must be looking for the best Pokémon to catch and train, right?"

"You could say that."

"Then, I've got the perfect deal for you, young man!" the man exclaimed enthusiastically. "I've got something to sell and you seem like the right person who would want what I have to offer."

"What is it?" Ash asked.

"Take a look at this Pokémon!" the salesman said as he showed him a picture.

Ash looked at the picture. The Pokémon on it looked like a red-skinned fish with white fins, yellow fins on its back and stomach, and long barbels.

"Who's that Pokémon?"

"It's a Magikarp, boy! And let me tell you why you should get one. Once you trained it enough, it evolves into a powerful Gyarados. With such a Pokémon, you'll be able to win several fights! On top of that, it produces tons of eggs within a year. If you want, you could sell those eggs to other people who want a Magikarp and you'll become rich!"

"Are you serious?" the trainer asked, surprised to hear that.

"Absolutely! Also, because you seem like a nice kid, I'm gonna do something for you. Usually, I would sell it $1,000. However, I'm willing to sell it to you for just $500!" the salesman said.

"Hum..." Ash said, hesitating as he wasn't sure if it was such a good deal to accept or not.

"Refuses that offer entirely." Brock said as he arrived next to them, frowning at the salesman. "Magikarp aren't rare. They are one of the most common Pokémon to find. Even a baby could catch one without putting any effort whatsoever."

"WHAT!?" Ash exclaimed, shocked to hear that before turning his attention towards the salesman and glaring at him. "Did you think I was foolish enough to accept such a lame deal?"

"Well..." the salesman said, sweating nervously. "I wouldn't say foolish... More like inexperienced."

"You should be ashamed of yourself for trying to scam my friend." Brock said, still frowning at the salesman.

"Hey!" Nurse Joy exclaimed as she noticed the salesman. "I thought I already told you to leave this place!" she said, glaring at him.

"Hum... Gotta go!" the salesman quickly said before rushing towards the main entrance and exiting the Pokémon Center in a hurry.

"Thanks, Brock." Ash said. "I hesitated at his offer because I felt like something wasn't right and I'm glad you came to confirm my suspicion."

"Hey, no problem. That's what friends are for." The teenager said, smiling. "At least, you weren't dumb enough to accept his offer right away."

"By the way, young man..." Nurse Joy said, getting Ash's attention. "Your Pokémon are ready. They're all in perfect health."

"Oh, good!" the trainer said.

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A few minutes later, Ash, Pikachu, and Brock exited the Pokémon Center and headed towards the entrance to Mt. Moon. The heroes went through the entrance, going inside the mountain. They arrived inside a large cave, with walls, ground, and ceiling made of rock. It was darker than on the outside, but they were still able to look fine.

"Whoa... That place seems huge. It feels like being inside a labyrinth. I just hope we won't be lost there." Ash commented.

"Pika." Pikachu nodded.

"Don't worry about it, guys. Plenty of trainers have been able to get through the mountain. We still need to be careful, though." Brock reassured them.

Ash and Pikachu nodded before making their way through the cave. Suddenly, they heard a screech. They looked up and noticed several flying Pokémon coming their way really fast.

"Duck!" Ash yelled at their sight.

The trainer and his friends lied on their stomach, avoiding the flying Pokémon. Ash and Brock looked at them and were able to see what they looked like. They looked like blue-skinned bat with skinny legs. They had no eyes and no nose. The inside of their ears, along with the underside of their wings, was purple. They also had four visible fangs. Ash immediately grabbed his Pokédex and scanned them.

"Zubat. Poison-type and flying-type Pokémon. It lives in a cave and uses a supersonic cry against any threat."

All of sudden, the Zubat were flying back towards them.

"Pikachu! Get rid of them with your Thundershock!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pika!" the rodent nodded. "Pika-CHUUUUUUUUU!"

The poison/flying-types were electrocuted by the attack. They all flied away soon after. Suddenly, one of them turned around and went back to attack the heroes.

"I'll take care of this one. Geodude, go!" Brock exclaimed as he stood up and summoned his Pokémon.

"Geodude!" the rock-type exclaimed.

"Geodude! Use your fists on that Zubat!" the teenager ordered.

"Geodude!" his Pokémon exclaimed as he punched the poison/flying-type hard enough.

"Now, tackle it to the ground!"

The flying boulder did so, with the Zubat soon hitting the ground. Immediately, Brock grabbed a Poké Ball and threw it at the poison/flying-type. The latter disappeared inside the device. The Poké Ball then shook around for a few seconds until its center stopped being red. Smiling proudly that he managed to catch the Zubat, Brock grabbed the Poké Ball and put it in his pocket.

"Great job, Geodude. You deserve to rest now." The breeder said as Geodude went back inside its Poké Ball.

"Nice catch you did there, Brock." Ash said as he stood up alongside Pikachu.

"Thanks, Ash. With Zubat, I hope we'll make a great team."

"Hey! I think I heard something over there!" a voice from afar exclaimed.

Ash, Pikachu, and Brock turned their attention towards where they heard that voice.

"Looks like we ain't the only one here." Ash said.

"Hmm... Somehow, I have a bad feeling about it." Brock said, slightly concerned.

"Huh?"

The breeder looked around and noticed a large amount of rocks all piled up on each other.

"Let's hide behind those rocks and see what happens." The teenager said before running towards that pile of rock and hiding behind it.

Not sure why Brock was doing that, Ash didn't bother to question it further as he joined him along with Pikachu. Hiding behind the rocks, they took a peek and noticed five persons coming. They were all men wearing a black domino mask, a black hat, a black shirt, black pants, white shoes, white gloves, and a white belt.

"I see no one here." One of those guys said.

"Weird. I thought I heard someone talking." Another said.

Taking a closer look, Ash noticed they all had a big red 'R' on their chest. The trainer had the feeling he already saw that 'R' before. Suddenly, it hit him. That 'R' was the same he noticed on that wanted poster about Team Rocket when he was in Viridian City.

"They're members of Team Rocket." He whispered to his friends.

"Pika?"

"Team Rocket?" Brock asked, concerned. "I think I've heard about these criminals. Their main goal seems to steal Pokémon."

Hearing that, Ash glared at the Team Rocket grunts. He then remembered that Officer Jenny also said something similar about those criminals when he met her a while ago.

"Well, since it seems like no one's there, we should go back to work." One Team Rocket grunt said to the others.

They all nodded before leaving, going further inside the cave. After they left, Ash slowly walked away from the pile of rocks and was about to follow them.

"Hey, wait a minute..." Brock said as he grabbed Ash's hand, preventing him from going any further. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm gonna follow them. I'll put a stop to their activities." The trainer replied, with determination in his eyes.

"Ash, they're criminals. It's dangerous to deal with them. And I doubt they would show any mercy to you."

"Maybe. But I won't let these guys steal Pokémon from others. No trainer, no breeder, no Gym Leader, and no one else should be unfortunate enough to have their Pokémon be stolen like if they were money from a bank vault. I'm gonna stop them, whether you agree or not!" he exclaimed while clutching his fists.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded in determination before jumping onto Ash's shoulder.

"Glad to hear that, Pikachu." The trainer said, smirking before removing his hand from Brock's grip and running towards where the Team Rocket grunts had gone.

"Ash, wait!" the breeder exclaimed. He then sighed as he followed the boy from Pallet Town. "He's looking for trouble and I can't believe I'm following him into that."

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Inside the cave, the grunts were at work. A lot of them were using either shovels or pickaxes, digging as they seemed to look for something. At this moment, Ash, Pikachu, and Brock hid behind another pile of rocks. They took a peek at the grunts at work.

"If only we could know what they're doing exactly..." the boy whispered to the Pokémon and the teenager.

Soon enough, one grunt stopped digging for a moment, rubbing his forehead as he looked tired.

"Hey, could someone remind me what we're looking for again?" the grunt asked the others.

"Geez, if only you had the memory of a Donphan!" one other grunt snapped while still digging. "We're trying to find a Moon Stone. According to the Boss, it's pretty valuable and might be useful in his plan. There, now will you stop asking, or do I have to hit you?"

"Oh... I'm fine." The first grunt replied, smiling nervously at the threat of being hit.

"Huh. Talk about convenience." Ash whispered.

"Yeah. Now that we know what they're doing, we could think of a plan." Brock whispered. "I think we..." he was interrupted as Ash left the pile of rocks and charged towards the grunts. "No! Come back here!"

"Stop what you are doing here right now!" the trainer exclaimed at the grunts.

The latters looked at the boy from Pallet Town and his rodent before bursting out laughing.

"Look, guys! That brat and his Pikachu want us to stop!" one of them said, laughing. "Who do you think you are? A wannabe superhero?"

"No! I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! I'm gonna be the greatest Pokémon Master and you will pay for your criminal activities!" the boy exclaimed with determination.

"Pikachu!"

"Enough with that. Guys, let's get that snooping kid and tie him up before he can alert the authorities." One other grunt said to the others.

The others nodded as one of them grabbed some rope and a white cloth to gag the trainer.

"Uh-oh..." Ash said, not sure what to do against the bad guys.

"Pika..." the rodent jumped from his trainer's shoulder and aimed at the grunts. "...CHUUUUUUU!"

The grunts yelled in pain as they were electrocuted. After a while, Pikachu landed in front of his trainer.

"Good work, Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pika!"

The grunts looked dazed before they came back to their senses.

"Alright, kid. You want a Pokémon fight? You'll get one." One grunt said, gritting his teeth as he took a Poké Ball from his pocket. "Raticate, go!"

Some second later, another Pokémon arrived. It looked like a much larger version of a Rattata. It was furrier and walked on two legs. Its fur was brown and beige. In addition, it had three rows of whiskers and its tail was closer to that of an actual rat. Ash took his Pokédex to scan it.

"Raticate. Normal-type Pokémon. Evolved form of Rattata. Its whiskers maintain its balance and it swims in river to hunt preys." The Pokédex said.

"Rattata, I choose you!" the boy exclaimed.

The purple-furred rodent appeared in front of Ash.

"Rattata!" he exclaimed.

"Ha!" the grunt exclaimed in amusement. "You think your Rattata has a chance against my Raticate? Pathetic!"

"We'll see who's the pathetic one soon enough." Ash said, glaring at the bad guy. "Rattata, use Tackle on your evolved form!"

"Rattata!"

The purple-furred one charged at the Raticate. Suddenly, Rattata tackled his evolved form, throwing it on its back.

"Raticate, use Hyper Fang!" the grunt ordered.

"Raticate!" the huge rodent exclaimed.

The normal-type stood back and leapt at its pre-evolved form, biting it with its sharp teeth. The purple-furred one yelled in pain at that before falling on his back, too weakened to continue the fight.

"Rattata!" Ash exclaimed in shock, concerned for his Pokémon. "Come back now!"

The purple-furred rodent went back inside his Poké Ball.

"Ha! Told you your Pokémon didn't stand a chance against mine!" the grunt exclaimed, smirking.

"I'm not done yet. I choose you, Pidgey!" Ash exclaimed as he summoned his flying-type.

"Pidgey!" his Pokémon exclaimed.

"Pidgey, use Quick Attack!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pidgey!" the flying-type exclaimed as it flied fast enough towards the normal-type, hitting it quickly.

"Use Gust!" Ash exclaimed.

His Pokémon flapped its wings really fast, making a tornado that blew away normal-type away. The latter fell on its side. The Raticate was struggling to stand up, not giving up. Then, it gave up, landing on its stomach.

"Raticate, come back!" the grunt exclaimed as his Pokémon went back inside its Poké Ball.

"My turn, now!" another grunt exclaimed as he threw a Poké Ball. "It's your turn, Sandshrew!"

Some seconds later, a Sandshrew appeared in front of the grunts.

"Use Scratch, Sandshrew!" the grunt exclaimed.

The Sandshrew leapt at Pidgey and used its claws to scratch it.

"Pidgey!" the flying-type yelled in pain.

"Pidgey, use Gust!" Ash ordered.

Pidgey used that same attack on the ground-type, which blew it away.

"Use Quick Attack now!" the trainer exclaimed.

"Pidgey!" the flying-type exclaimed as he flied fast enough to hit Sandshrew, sending the latter crashing into the grunt.

The latter groaned in pain as he was crushed by the weight of his Pokémon.

"It's our turn now!" the other three grunts who hadn't fought yet said, smirking as they hold their Pokémon.

"Don't even think about it." Brock said as he arrived next to them. "Come here, Onyx!"

The teenager summoned his large rock-type Pokémon. The latter roared loudly. At this moment, the Team Rocket grunts all looked in fear at the Pokémon that was so large, it could reach the ceiling.

"Onyx, use your tail to swipe those grunts away!" the breeder ordered.

The rock-type swung his tail before using it to hit the criminals. All five of them were thrown against the wall. They then fell on the ground, groaning in pain at that. They looked up and noticed Onyx, ready to attack them again.

"I don't know about you guys, but I wasn't prepared to fight an Onyx today." One of the grunts said to the others.

"How about we run away and deal with this kind of Pokémon another day?" another of them suggested.

"Good idea." Another replied, with the rest nodding.

Immediately, all five grunts stood up and ran away to the nearest exit.

"Well, that takes care of that..." Ash began to say.

All of sudden, he was interrupted as Pidgey started to glow in a bright light. The Pokémon started changing size, becoming larger. After a while, the flying-type stopped glowing, showing his new form. He had a long head-crest that was also red. His tail had yellow feathers and red feathers. His wings and feet were much larger, as was the rest of his body.

"Pidgeotto!" the flying-type exclaimed.

"Oh, cool!" Ash exclaimed in amazement before getting his Pokédex to scan it.

"Pidgeotto. Normal-type and flying-type Pokémon. Evolved form of Pidgey. It protects its territory and is much more dangerous than a Pidgey."

"This is getting better and better!" Ash exclaimed with joy. "By the way, great work, Pidgeotto. You can rest now."

The boy made his Pokémon come back inside his Poké Ball. Brock did the same with Onyx before slapping the back of Ash's head.

"Ow!" the trainer yelled in annoyance. "What was that for!?"

"You charge into these criminals without even thinking of a plan first." The breeder said, frowning.

"So, what? We eventually won, right?"

"That's no excuse. You could have gotten us into a dangerous situation! Thankfully, we're alright, but you should have thought more about it. If we ever come across other criminals like that, make sure you know what you are doing. Do you understand?" he asked, crossing his arms.

Hearing what the teenager just said and looking at his expression, Ash looked down, feeling ashamed of what he had done.

"Yeah, I understand... Sorry, Brock... I'm... I'm sorry." The trainer said.

"Pika." Pikachu said, looking down as well.

"Hey, look at me." Brock said as he put his hand on Ash's shoulder. "Sorry if I sounded harsh, but I just wanted to make sure you understand my warming. I don't want either of us to get into a dangerous situation that would cost his life. It's alright now, but don't forget what I said." He said, smiling.

Ash looked up and nodded, smiling a bit more.

"Thanks, Brock. I'll make sure I'll know what to do next time this happens to us again." The boy said.

Suddenly, they heard some loud noise. They looked around and noticed some crate shaking around. Ash and Brock nodded to each other before coming next to that crate. They opened the crate, revealing that someone was in that crate. It was some guy with long black hair, glasses, a white buttoned shirt, black pants, and black shoes. He looked like some nerd. At this moment, the guy was tied up with ropes and gagged with a white cloth.

"Mmmph! MMMPH!" he screamed through his gag.

"Don't worry! We'll get you out." Ash said as he and Brock got the tied up guy from the crate.

The trainer removed the gag while Brock untied the ropes, freeing the stranger.

"Oh, thank goodness! I'm glad someone came to save me!" the guy said.

"What happened to you?" Ash asked.

"I was doing some research in this mountain. And then, those men working for Team Rocket came here for their own business. They feared I was going to tell the police about them if I left the mountain, so they tied me up and put me in that crate! That was a horrible experience!" the nerd exclaimed.

"Well, those Team Rocket grunts are gone, so you're no longer in danger." Ash said.

"That's a relief! And to show you my gratitude, I'm allowing you to choose one of the fossils I found." The nerd said as he took two fossils from his pockets.

Ash, Pikachu, and Brock looked in awe at the fossils. They both looked like shells of different shape. Hesitating for a moment, the trainer then looked at the breeder.

"Hum... Brock, I was thinking... Given that Onyx was the one who chased those criminals, maybe you should be the one to get a fossil." Ash said.

Brock smiled at the generosity the trainer was showing.

"Thanks, Ash. But I think the fossil should be yours. I'm not that interested into getting a fossil anyway." The breeder said.

"But... Okay then. If you say so." Ash looked at both fossils. After several seconds to think about it, he pointed towards the one on the nerd's left hand. "I'll take this one."

"Good. You've chosen the Helix Fossil. I'll keep the Dome Fossil then." The nerd said as he gave the Helix Fossil to the trainer. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna leave this mountain right away. I've been trapped in that crate for hours and I can't wait to get outside. See ya!"

Leaving with the Dome Fossil, the nerd waved at the heroes, who waved back at him.

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Several minutes later, Ash and his friends were walking around the cave, on their way towards the exit leading to Cerulean City. At this moment, the trainer was looking at the fossil, which he was still holding in his hands.

"I can't believe I managed to get a fossil. It must be an extremely rare Pokémon! You're sure you don't want it, Brock?" he asked the breeder.

"I already told you. I don't need a fossil. Even if it was an extremely rare Pokémon, it's not like I've been looking all my life just to get one. So, keep it. It's yours." The teenager replied.

"Alright then. It's the last time I'm asking you about it." Ash said, smiling before looking back at his fossil.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu said, smiling at that as well.

All of sudden, a smoke bomb landed next to the heroes. Soon after, smokes appeared, covering the area. Ash, Pikachu, and Brock were having some difficulties trying to see what was going on.

"Where did that smoke bomb come from?" the breeder wondered out loud.

Suddenly, a mechanical hand appeared from out of nowhere and snatched the fossil away from Ash.

"Hey!" the trainer yelped in alarm. He looked at where the hand came from and glared at whoever was responsible for this. "Give me that fossil back!"

"Allow us to introduce ourselves." A female voice said, with a tone that sounded pretentious.

"Ladies first." A male voice said, also with a tone that sounded pretentious.

"To protect the world from devastation..." the female voice said.

"To unite all people within our nation..." the male voice said.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love..."

"To extend our reach to the stars above..."

The smoke gradually disappeared, revealing those mysterious voices. One of them was a young woman, with red hair that was long enough to reach her waist, and blue eyes. She was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt with a red 'R' on it and a black shirt underneath, white shorts, long black gloves, long black boots, and green earrings.

"Jessie..." she said, smirking.

The other one was a young man with green eyes, and blue hair. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a red 'R' on it and also a black shirt underneath, white pants, black gloves and black boots. At this moment, he was holding a rose in his right hand.

"James..." he said, smirking as well.

Taking a closer look, Ash noticed about how much they looked like the ones that were on that same wanted poster he saw a while ago.

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!" the young woman exclaimed, striking a pose as she hold a fist next to her face.

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" the young man exclaimed, striking a pose which consisted of lifting his left leg and pointing his rose at the heroes.

Suddenly, a Pokémon landed right between Jessie and James. It looked like a cat with cream-colored fur and was standing on its feet. It also had four whiskers on his cheeks, a gold oval coin on its forehead, two whiskers surrounding said coin, brown fur on its paws and the curled tip of its tail, black ears with the inside being brown, two visible fangs, and no nose at all.

"Meowth! That's right!" the feline Pokémon exclaimed.

"Oh, man! More members of Team Rocket!" Ash said, gritting his teeth in annoyance. Suddenly, he looked confused as he thought about one thing in particular that just happened at this very moment. "Wait a minute... Did... Did that Pokémon just TALKED?" he asked, pointing at Meowth.

"Impressed, huh?" the feline asked.

"Well... It's just that I've never seen a Pokémon speak in English... or any other human language for that matter." The trainer said.

"Yeah, me neither." Brock agreed.

"Pika Pika." The rodent said.

"Let's just say I'm one of a kind." Meowth said, smirking.

Ash then quickly remembered they had just stolen his fossil and glared at them.

"Give me back my fossil right away!" the trainer exclaimed.

"Pika, Pikachu!" the rodent exclaimed, glaring at them as well.

"No way, you little brat." Jessie said. "It's ours now!"

"Give him back his fossil, or else..." Brock began to say.

"Ha! Ha!" James laughed. "The way you talk, it gives me the impression you THINK you're a threat to us!"

"You're certainly no threat to us and we'll show it to you! Ekans, attack them!" the young woman exclaimed as she threw a Poké Ball.

Soon after, another Pokémon appeared. This one looked like a purple-skinned snake. Its tail had a yellow rattle at its tip. Also, its eyes, its underside, and the band around its neck were all yellow as well.

"Ekans!" the reptile exclaimed.

"Koffing, attack too!" the blue-haired man exclaimed as he threw a Poké Ball as well.

Once again, another Pokémon was introduced. This one looked like a floating purple ball, with several craters around it. It had two eyes, a mouth with two visible fangs, and a skull and crossbones below his mouth. The Pokémon had a dumb smile too.

"Koffing!" the floating ball exclaimed.

"Nidorina, go!" Ash exclaimed while throwing a Poké Ball.

"You too, Geodude!" Brock exclaimed while doing the same thing.

Both Pokémon appeared in front of them.

"Ekans, use Wrap on the Nidorina!" Jessie ordered.

"Ekans!" the reptile exclaimed as he lunged at Ash's Pokémon.

Ekans wrapped Nidorina with his body. The female Pokémon struggled to get herself free, but the reptile's attack was causing her some damage.

"Geodude! Go help Nidorina!" Brock ordered.

"Koffing, use Smog on their Pokémon!" James ordered.

"Koffing!" the poison-type exclaimed as he made some fog appear from his craters.

Geodude started coughing a bit at that. Nidorina, being a poison-type herself, wasn't too much affected by that attack.

"Nidorina! Bite that reptile now!" Ash exclaimed.

His Pokémon nodded before biting Ekans. The latter yelled in pain as he was forced to let go of his opponent.

"Now, grab it and throw it away!" Ash added.

"Nidorina!" she exclaimed before grabbing the reptile, turning around while swinging him and then threw him on the nearest wall.

Ekans then fell on the ground. Nidorina didn't waste time before stomping onto him.

"Ekans!" the red-haired woman exclaimed at the sight of her Pokémon being treated like that.

"Geodude, go punch that Koffing!" the breeder exclaimed.

"Koffing, use Sludge on them!" the blue-haired man exclaimed.

"Koffing!" the poison-type exclaimed before spewing dark brown sludge at both Nidorina and Geodude.

Both Pokémon were blinded by the sludge. This caused Nidorina to stop her stomping.

"Ekans! Here's your chance! Use Tackle!" Jessie ordered.

"You too, Koffing!" James ordered.

Both poison-type Pokémon charged at Nidorina and Geodude, tackling them in the process.

"Nidorina!" Ash exclaimed, concerned for his Pokémon.

"Geodude!" Brock exclaimed, having the same reaction.

Jessie, James, and Meowth laughed evilly at that.

"Look at them! They're just pathetic!" the feline said in amusement.

"Those losers don't stand a chance against us, Jessie!" the blue-haired man said.

"I couldn't agree more with you on that, James!" the red-haired woman said.

"We'll see who's the real losers here!" Ash snapped at them before noticing that Meowth was the one holding the fossil. The boy then looked at the rodent on his shoulder. "Pikachu, I'm counting on you for the next part."

"Pikachu!" the electric-type nodded.

"Pikachu, use Thundershock on Ekans and Koffing now!"

"Pika..." the rodent said as he leapt in the air and arrived closer to both poison-types. "...CHUUUUUUUU!"

Ekans and Koffing yelled in pain at that. After Pikachu stopped electrocuting them, the two of them fell on the ground, unconscious. The Team Rocket trio was speechless at the sight of that.

"Ekans!" Jessie exclaimed, concerned for her Pokémon

"Koffing!" James exclaimed, having the same reaction. "How dare you attack our Pokémon like that?!" he snapped at Ash.

"How dare 'I'? YOU'RE the bad guys here!" the boy snapped back.

Jessie and James made their respective Pokémon coming back inside their Poké Ball.

"You may have defeated our Pokémon, but this ain't over yet!" the red-haired woman exclaimed.

"I'm fully aware of that." Ash said. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack on the short one!"

"The short one?" Meowth asked, confused. "Who is he calling the...?" he then looked at Jessie and James, who were both much taller than him. "Oh..."

"Pika!" the rodent exclaimed and quickly hit the feline, causing the latter to accidentally throw the fossil away.

Removing the sludge from his eyes already, Geodude immediately grabbed the fossil while it was in the air and floated back to where Ash and Brock were.

"Good job, Geodude!" Brock congratulated the rock-type while also pointing at Ash so the Pokémon would know who he should give the fossil to.

"Pikachu, use Thundershock once again, but on these three!" the trainer ordered while taking the Helix Fossil from Geodude.

"Pika...CHUUUUUUUUUU!"

Jessie, James, and Meowth screamed in pain as they were electrocuted. A moment later, the rodent stopped electrocuting them. The three of them sighed of tiredness after that before coming back to their senses.

"We haven't lost yet!" James exclaimed.

"Meowth, bring the mecha over here!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Here we go!" the normal-type exclaimed as he grabbed a remote control and pushed on a button.

Soon after, a huge human-shaped mecha appeared from a darkness-covered part of the cave. As the mecha arrived, Jessie, James, and Meowth went inside it, controlling it with the help of switches and buttons.

"Try to get rid of that, now!" the red-haired woman exclaimed, taunting the heroes.

"You can bet we're gonna try. Pikachu, use Thundershock again! This time, give it full power if you can!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pika!" the rodent nodded before leaping in the air again. "Pika...CHUUUUUU!"

Again, the bad guys screamed in pain as they were being electrocuted inside the mecha. After a while, Pikachu stopped electrocuting them as he landed on the ground. Soon after, sparks of electricity appeared all around the mecha. And then...

BOOM!

The mecha exploded, creating a hole in the ceiling. The explosion was so powerful that Jessie, James, and Meowth were launched in the air, getting closer and closer to the sky.

"We... were... defeated?" the red-haired woman asked in disbelief.

"I can't believe it!" the blue-haired man exclaimed.

"Neither can I." the feline said.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off!" the three of them screamed as they disappeared into the sky with a twinkle that made the sound of a DING!

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Ash looked up through the hole, looking where Team Rocket disappeared and whistling in amazement.

"If they were sent into the sky like that, I can't imagine how much that attack must have hurt." He said to himself.

Pikachu sighed in relief, as he was getting tired after the fight they had against them. Nidorina managed to remove the sludge from her eyes.

"Good job, you two." The trainer said to the electric-type and the poison-type. "You've done well against those bad guys. Well, time to rest, Nidorina." He said before making his poison-type going inside her Poké Ball.

"You too, Geodude. You earned it well." Brock said as his rock-type went inside his Poké ball as well.

Ash put the fossil inside his backpack and then put Pikachu on his shoulder, petting him soon after.

"So... How close are we to the exit?" the trainer asked the breeder.

"I don't know. The only way to find out is to continue walking." The latter replied.

Ash nodded before they continued on their way. Several minutes later, their eyes widened as they noticed an entrance with light from the outside. Arriving next to it, they realized they finally found the exit.

"Alright! We're finally out of here!" Ash exclaimed with joy as they went through that exit and arrived in a forest.

Brock smiled before looking up and noticing it was getting closer to nighttime.

"We should find a place in the forest where we could have a campfire and sleep." The breeder said.

"You're right. Let's go find that place."

"Pikachu!" the electric-type nodded.

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Meanwhile, in another part of the forest that was far away from the heroes, everything was calm. That was until several screams were heard from the sky.

"AAAAAAAAAH..."

CRASH!

Jessie, James, and Meowth groaned in pain as they landed on the grassy ground.

"I can't believe we were defeated by those... those... TWERPS!" the red-haired woman exclaimed furiously.

"In all my time as a member of Team Rocket, I think this is the first time I experienced such a humiliating defeat." The blue-haired man said, looking down.

"The Boss isn't gonna like it when he'll hear about that." The feline nervously said, fearing what their Boss would say. "Who would have thought that Pikachu was powerful enough to take down our mecha like that?"

Hearing what the Pokémon just said, Jessie suddenly got an idea as she smirked.

"That's it! That's what we should do!" she exclaimed with joy.

"Huh?" James and Meowth asked, confused.

"Think about it." she began to explain. "Pikachu aren't exactly among the most powerful Pokémon. Am I right?"

"Yeah." James nodded.

"Well, this Pikachu in particular was able to take down our mecha in one hit! If anything, this Pikachu is probably the most powerful of his species, which makes him rarer than an average Pikachu."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Meowth asked, smirking as he was starting to understand what Jessie was trying to say.

"What are you guys thinking?" James asked, still confused.

"I'm thinking that we should capture that Pikachu and bring him to the Boss!" the red-haired woman exclaimed in excitement.

"Yep! That was what I was thinking!" the feline exclaimed proudly.

"Oh! Of course!" James exclaimed as he finally got it. "Hee-hee-hee-hee! The Boss will be so proud of us when we'll bring him that Pikachu!"

"Then, it's official. Our main objective will be to capture that Pikachu at all cost!" Jessie proudly exclaimed.

"Oh, yeah!" Meowth exclaimed. Suddenly, his stomach started to growl. "Hum... Heh-heh... Before we do that, could we stop at some restaurant? I'm starving." He said, sheepishly.

Jessie's stomach started to growl as well.

"Alright. We will stop at a restaurant. If I remember correctly, James is the one in charge of our money. How much money we can spend on our meal?" she asked the blue-haired man.

"Hum..." he nervously said. "Well... Hum... The thing is... I already spent all of our money."

"You WHAT!?" Jessie and Meowth screamed at once.

"Don't worry! I use it to buy us a rare Pokémon!" James said, trying to reassure them.

"Huh? A rare Pokémon?" the red-haired woman asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I was going to keep it a surprise to you guys until later this week, but now that you know, may as well tell you already about it." he said, sheepishly.

"So, what kind of Pokémon is it?" Meowth asked eagerly.

"Well, get ready... Because I'm going to tell you that I bought... a Magikarp!" James proudly exclaimed.

Instantly, Jessie and Meowth were literally slack-jawed at that.

"A... Magikarp?" the feline asked in disbelief.

"You used all of our money to buy... a Magikarp?" the young woman asked, also in disbelief.

"Yep! The salesman sold it to me for $500. He would have sold it to me for $1,000 if I hadn't seemed like a nice guy to him." The young man proudly said.

After several seconds of just staring at him, Jessie's eyes twitched before she finally snapped and jumped at him. She grabbed him by the collar and started slapping him in the face several times in a row.

"You moron! You idiot! You fool! You stupid, STUPID blue-haired partner!" she exclaimed furiously at him.

"Ow! Jessie! Ouch! Stop that! Ouch!" James complained as he received the numerous slaps in the face.

"This isn't a good start..." Meowth said as he slapped his forehead.

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End of chapter.

Ash, Pikachu, and Brock have exited Mt. Moon after meeting several members from Team Rocket. In the next chapter, they'll arrive in Cerulean City.

Jessie, James, and Meowth, ladies and gentlemen! Oh, boy. I have the feeling I'm gonna have a LOT of fun with these three during this fanfic.

Honestly, the easiest part here was writing the Team Rocket motto, especially since I know it by heart. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who knows it by heart either.

Read and review!