A long, exhausting day left Hayato completely drained. Within minutes of lying down, his snoring filled the room.
"My Mewtwo, Mega Evolve! Mega Mewtwo Y—use Shadow Ball! Haha! I've defeated the Elite Four! Ash, I'm the Pokémon Master now—the man standing at the summit of the Pokémon world!"
Of course, all of that was just sleep talk.
As night faded, the golden rays of dawn slowly poured over every corner of Pallet Town. Hayato rubbed his eyes and forced himself out of bed.
"Time to head for Viridian City. I wonder if Ash has arrived yet?"
Suddenly, his Pokédex lit up with a soft flash. Hayato blinked in confusion.
"Huh? What's going on? Don't tell me a Pokémon snuck into the house?"
Upon checking, he realized it was just a message from Ash:
"Hayato! I saw Ho-Oh! It was so beautiful! A real Legendary Pokémon—I really wanna catch it!"
Hayato twitched the corner of his mouth.
"Catch it? That's a Tier 1 Legendary! It can literally Recover itself mid-battle! Seriously, kid. But hey, if you gave me a Kyogre, beating Ho-Oh would be like swatting a Caterpie! Then again… even a high-level Tyranitar could probably shake it up with Earthquake!"
He paused, then shook his head.
"But Ho-Oh can fly, and Tyranitar would never even land a hit… What is this, a turn-based game? My turn, your turn?"
Glancing down at his two Pokémon—Spearow and Psyduck—he sighed. Flying-type and Water-type? Against Pikachu, that's a recipe for a lightning-roasted disaster.
"No way. In seven days, I'll get my second shot at turning my fate around. Gotta prepare the materials. At least this system's kind to newbies—if it asked me to catch a Jynx, I'd have to give up. All I need is a bit of luck… even a Magikarp would do!"
After replying to Ash, Hayato slung his bag over his shoulder and set off. Just one day behind—no big deal.
As he walked along the dirt path, a shadow passed over him. He looked up.
"A balloon… with a Meowth face? Wait—is that Team Rocket? Already?"
High above, Jessie and James were having a heated conversation.
"James, everyone in Viridian City's useless! Not a single rare Pokémon in sight!" Jessie complained.
"Maybe we should check the Pokémon Center," James suggested. "Never know what surprises await."
Meowth chimed in, eyes narrowing, "Hey, look down there! Some brat! Should we nab 'im first?"
Both leaned over the basket and shouted in unison:
"Of course! A place this deserted? Perfect time to strike!"
The balloon began descending slowly.
Hayato blinked.
"Wait—are they attacking me? Or just asking for directions?"
Jessie straightened her hair dramatically.
"Since you asked so sincerely…"
James joined in, puffing out his chest.
"We'll be kind enough to answer!"
Then, together, they struck their signature pose.
Jessie: To protect the world from devastation!James: To unite all peoples within our nation!Jessie: To denounce the evils of truth and love!James: To extend our reach to the stars above!Jessie: Jessie!James: James!Both: Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light! Surrender now or prepare to fight!Meowth: Meowth! That's right!
Hayato almost spat blood.
"Ask what? I didn't even say a word! You guys have issues!"
Jessie frowned, tugging at her face in irritation.
"Hey, brat! That's rude! Don't interrupt someone's introduction—it's style, you know?"
"Yeah!" Meowth added. "Ain't it cool?"
But when Hayato looked at the talking Meowth, his eyes lit up.
"A Meowth that can talk and invent stuff… Meowth, how'd you like to work under Giovanni himself?"
Meowth's eyes sparkled as if stars were twinkling in them.
"Really?! I'd love that! Tell me, what do I gotta do?"
Hayato smirked slyly.
"Simple. Stick with me. Giovanni's my relative. One word from me, and your dream comes true."
Jessie stumbled.
"Wait, what? I've never heard of the Boss having relatives!"
James scratched his chin.
"If he is related to the Boss… we're lucky we didn't attack first…"
Meowth immediately rubbed up against Hayato's leg, purring happily. Hayato almost burst out laughing.
"Well, if that's all, I'll be going now. Bye!"
"Meowth, wait!" Jessie and James shouted in panic. "We're your partners!"
"But I wanna be with the Boss! Sorry, can't help it!"
The two looked at each other and nodded.
"Then we'll just take him back by force!"
"Koffing, Smokescreen!" Jessie yelled."Ekans, Bind!" James added.
They thought the smoke would cover their tracks—but it only made them more obvious. Luckily for Hayato, his "Giovanni relative" story was a total bluff.
"Cough—what are they even trying to do?"
When the smoke cleared, Meowth was gone.
Looking up, Hayato spotted the balloon rising again—Meowth tightly coiled in Ekans's grip.
"Meowth! You're so disloyal," Jessie scolded. "You'd follow that kid without even knowing who he is?"
"Let me go!" Meowth cried, tears welling up. "I just wanna see Giovanni!"
Hayato looked skyward and sighed.
"Seriously? My Meowth got kidnapped? Oh well… characters like them show up every episode anyway. We'll meet again."
Later, at a creek, he splashed water on his face.
"Been walking half a day already. Viridian City should be close. But with only Spearow and Psyduck, my lineup's looking pretty weak."
He pondered catching another Pokémon. After all, Poké Balls could be reused once a Pokémon was fused or released.
Then he felt something nudging his foot. Looking down, he saw a tiny Weedle rubbing against him affectionately.
[Pokédex Entry: Weedle, the Hairy Bug Pokémon. It feeds on leaves in forests and has a sharp, poisonous stinger on its head. Being stung can cause poisoning.]
Sometimes Pokémon take a liking to humans and follow them voluntarily. Apparently, this was one of those times.
"That's cute, but you're too weak. Doesn't make much difference having one more or less. Sorry, buddy—you'd better go."
But Weedle wouldn't leave. Eventually, Hayato gave up and walked off.
Behind him, Weedle began to cry pitifully. Suddenly, a Beedrill swooped down from the trees, buzzing furiously.
"Zzzrraaa!"
[Pokédex Entry: Beedrill, the Poison Bee Pokémon. Highly territorial—approach its nest with extreme caution. When angered, it attacks in swarms.]
"Oh, come on! Is this bad luck or divine punishment? It's definitely coming for me!"
Beedrill dived with lightning speed—far faster than Hayato could run.
It didn't hesitate, launching a barrage of Pin Missiles straight at him.
Hayato ducked behind a tree, cold sweat running down his face.
"Psyduck! Do something! Fight back!"
Psyduck's eyes glowed with a purple hue. A beam of psychic light burst forth—Confusion—and struck Beedrill dead on.
Despite being able to fly, Beedrill's Bug/Poison typing made it weak to Psychic-type moves. The blow hit hard, and the startled Beedrill quickly fled.
"Ha! Not bad for a silly duck! Show me another one!"
Psyduck grabbed its beak, tilting its head adorably.
"Psy… duck?"
"Use Confusion again!"
Psyduck took three steps forward… then tripped flat on its face.
"Psy… duck!"
Hayato groaned.
"Ugh! Get back in your ball! You're just like Misty's Psyduck—completely hopeless!"
(End of Chapter)