Who's the person you hate the most?
The moment that question left the lips of those two shadowy figures, Goh already knew the answer.
Without a doubt, the one he hated most was Haru.
If Haru had only stopped him from catching Pokémon and lectured him a little, Goh wouldn't have disliked him so much. At worst, he would've just avoided people on Haru's level from then on.
But the real problem was—Haru had the Pokémon he dreamed of, the Pokémon he longed for—Mew.
Even if he refused to admit it on the surface, deep down, he had always been jealous of Haru.
Why didn't that Mew belong to him? If that Mew were his, then everything Haru had should rightfully be his as well.
To Goh, Mew was like a fishbone stuck in his throat—constantly making him feel awkward and suffocated.
Until Haru lost that Mew, no matter what Haru did, Goh would always be filled with negativity.
And now, under the demands of those two shadows, he was being told to personally push Chloe toward Haru.
Compared to their earlier demand of "sacrificing" Chloe, this was something Goh found even harder to accept.
After all, Chloe was his only "friend." And now he was supposed to shove his one "friend" into Haru's arms?
If it came down to it, Goh would rather sacrifice Chloe in some crueler way than hand her over to Haru.
As for the idea of selling out his own Pokémon for profit... the other side hadn't even given him that option, let alone anything else.
Damn it. Damn that Haru!
If not for him, how would things have come to this? It was all Haru's fault.
Goh stood with his head hanging low, his expression shifting constantly.
At that moment, he wished he could tear apart this rotten world with his burning fists!
But the cruel truth was that he had never possessed that kind of strength.
So—should he really go through with it?
This was his last chance. The power of infinite Pokémon was right before his eyes. Was he really going to give it up just like that?
Goh's heart was in total chaos.
---
Fine rain fell like silken threads, brushing across the surface of the sea and stirring up rippling waves.
Altomare lay bathed in that gentle drizzle, as though veiled in a thin layer of gauze. Boats swayed in the misty waters, drifting like phantoms among the clouds.
The city's lights shone through the rain curtain, hazy yet warm, adding a quiet sense of comfort to the waterscape.
"Ah, rain. That's not ideal."
Haru stood near a pier not far from the Secret Garden of Alto Mare, a black umbrella in hand.
Perhaps a Kyogre had passed by nearby—shortly after breakfast, the skies over Alto Mare had opened up.
It added an unexpected obstacle to today's investigation.
Originally, he had planned to take this chance to check on Cynthia and see if she really was the "Lillie" from last night.
But he hadn't seen the Sinnoh Champion at all since waking up.
According to Mewtwo—the ever "well-informed"—Cynthia had supposedly gone out for a morning walk.
Honestly, this only made Haru more suspicious.
Cynthia had never had such a habit before. So why the sudden change? Using that excuse to avoid him... how could he not find it suspicious?
Still, while waiting for Cynthia's return, Haru strolled the nearby streets with Latias, treating it as a bit of post-breakfast exercise.
But before long, rain cloaked all of Alto Mare.
Just as Haru was about to head back to the Garden, he caught the faint sound of an argument.
The voices were oddly familiar, belonging to people he knew.
He stopped, peering in the direction of the noise.
There stood two people in bizarre uniforms with a Meowth, arguing heatedly with a boy in a cap.
The two sides stood so close it looked like a fight could break out at any moment.
"Hey, brat, what's your problem?!"
"We weren't even here for you this time, so knock it off already!"
"Yeah, meow! Don't push your luck, meow."
Clearly, the trio had lost patience with the boy, glaring at him, fists clenched, one hand already resting on their Poké Balls as though ready to throw them.
And the boy wasn't backing down either.
"But I saw you stealing someone else's Pokémon. Hand them back to their Trainers, now."
"Nonsense! How dare you assume who those Pokémon belong to? Pokémon are 'undefinable.' There's no such thing as ownership!"
"Well said, Jessie!"
"Exactly, meow! The real hopeless ones are you people who call yourselves Pokémon 'owners,' meow."
The trio argued back with misplaced confidence.
"Argh, you're no ordinary crooks... I'll have to go all out!"
"Pikachu, let's go! It's raining—time to show them what thunder in a storm can do!"
"Don't think we're scared of you, brat!"
"Arbok!"
"Weezing!"
"Team Rocket is unbeatable, nyaa!"
And so, words turned to action. Both sides released their Pokémon, and the battle was about to explode.
But before they could unleash their moves, Haru—who had been "watching from the shadows" all this time—finally spoke.
"What are you doing here?"
He stepped forward, sweeping his gaze across everyone present.
There they were: the true Team Rocket trio—Jessie, James, and Meowth—facing off against none other than Ash, whom Haru hadn't met until now.
Though Haru had already heard from Professor Oak that Ash was in Alto Mare, so he wasn't surprised.
What was noteworthy, though, was that this Ash seemed far more mature than his "anime counterpart."
Barely a rookie Trainer, yet he already knew how to use weather to his advantage. That wasn't the reckless style of "Type-disadvantage Master Ash."
Thunder, after all, was a move Pikachu could learn.
In the games, it boasted a mighty base power of 110 with no recoil.
The drawback, however, was its accuracy—just 70%. That meant a 30% chance of missing entirely.
In competitive battles, 70% was practically unacceptable. Even Earthquake—85 accuracy and hitting two targets—was enough to make Trainers rage, let alone a single-target 70.
But Thunder had a special clause: in rain, it never missed. And it could hit airborne Pokémon, making it a perfect counter to flying threats.
Today, Ash didn't need a Pelipper or Kyogre to set rain—the weather had already given him the edge.
And it wasn't just about the move mechanics. In real life, water conducts electricity, giving Ash an even bigger advantage.
For a rookie to realize all this—he deserved some credit.
Of course, once Haru appeared, the outcome no longer mattered.
James, who had been about to command Weezing, froze the moment he recognized Haru. Even Weezing itself began to tremble.
"Haru?!"
Memories of their humiliations in Kitakami and Paldea came flooding back.
This man... was terrifying.
It wasn't just that Haru had a small army of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon—the women at his side were absurdly overpowered too.
Just the other day, on a mission to Alola, they'd considered exacting revenge on that girl with him—Lillie.
But she'd casually sent out a Legendary. With one move, they were blasted out of the sky. If she hadn't held back, they wouldn't even be here.
Did Haru get his Legendaries wholesale or something?!
And it wasn't just James.
Jessie quickly pulled Arbok in front of her, puffing herself up as she shouted nervously:
"Why are you here?! Don't think I'm afraid of you!"
"Team Rocket will never bow down to you!"
Compared to their bravado, Meowth was far more practical—it dove behind the others.
"If there's fighting, go ahead and hit Jessie and James, meow! I know nothing, meow."
"What?! Traitor!"
"Yesterday you were the one saying, 'Next time we meet Haru, he's not leaving alive'—and now you're selling us out?!"
"That was James's idea, meow! Don't blame me!"
"Liar! I only backed Jessie up after she started! This is all Jessie's fault!"
Before Haru could even speak, the trio were already in chaos, bickering amongst themselves.
"What on earth...?"
With a sigh, Haru turned to the only reliable one—Ash.
"Uh..."
Startled, Ash scratched his head awkwardly.
"Well, you see... I was in the water race earlier, and I saw them snatch another Trainer's Pokémon. So I stepped in to get them back. Those Trainers must be worried sick."
Ash had never met Haru before, but he'd seen the viral footage of Haru demolishing Blue. Meeting him now felt almost like meeting an idol.
And Haru's interest was piqued.
Team Rocket's methods were laughable, sure, but they usually targeted valuable Pokémon. What had they set their sights on this time?
He turned back to the trio.
"Tell me. Whose Pokémon did you steal?"
"No reward for silence. Punishment for talking."
"..."
The three exchanged nervous glances, trying to parse what "punishment" and "reward" meant in Haru's mouth.
Finally, James fished a letter marked "Last Will" out of his pocket and handed it to Jessie, then muttered to Haru:
"Honestly, it's not a big deal. We stole from the top-ranked thieves on the global wanted list—the twin sisters."
"Taking their Pokémon is basically doing a good deed, right? We've deprived them of their crime tools! We're helping the world!"
"And besides, they called us 'small fry' first! This is all their fault!"
"Oh?"
Now Haru was truly intrigued.
If he recalled correctly, the "Top Thief Twins" of the global rankings were none other than Annie and Oakley—the pair who had stolen the Soul Dew and Latios.
He had been wondering how to track down those high-tech thieves... and here they were, practically delivered to his door.
But something didn't add up.
Jessie and James weren't exactly strong. At best, they were like takeout—always served up ready to be beaten.
How could they possibly rob Annie and Oakley? Especially when those two had a Latios in their control?
Suspicious. Very suspicious.
Still, catching the twins would answer everything. For Haru—and for Latias—their location was the most important clue.
"Where are they now?"
Haru's voice sharpened.
"I don't know! We only cared about stealing, not where they went."
"Well... I might know a little. Before I left, I asked them for their contact info."
"But since James says they're master thieves, the info might not be real."
Ash pulled out a scrap of paper and handed it to Haru.
"Perfect. That helps a lot."
Taking the paper, Haru nodded, satisfied.
Whether it was real or not, it was at least a lead.
Just then, a familiar voice called from behind him.
"Haru? Weren't you waiting for me at the Sanctuary? What are you doing here?"
"Huh? You're back already?"
Slipping the note into his pocket, Haru turned to face Cynthia.
"Good timing. I've found a lead. But before that, there's something I want to ask you—about last night."
"Last... night...?"
Cynthia's smile began to stiffen.
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