"Ahh! I can't see the road anymore!"
"Don't panic!" Meowth shouted. "Jessie, send out a Pokémon to attack that brat!"
"Fine! James, you keep driving! Meowth, you be James's eyes and guide him!"
Even under pressure, these three were no pushovers.
They might've been comedic clowns in the anime, but in this reality, the Team Rocket Elite Squad lived up to their name. Despite all of Ash's tactics, the trio stayed hot on his trail with frightening coordination and drive.
"Damn it! Why are these three so hard to shake?!"
Ash had been pedaling for over fifteen minutes straight. Even with his enhanced abilities and psychic powers, he was still in a six-year-old's body. His stamina was finally starting to crack.
Worse still, this was the third time he'd tried to shake them off—and again, they were closing in. His heart began to sink.
"Frogadier! Aim Water Shuriken at the jeep's tires!"
Swish swish swish swish—!!
BANG! BANG!
The Water Shurikens struck with sharp precision.
But they weren't enough.
They might've torn through the jeep's fuel tank before—but when it came to the thick rubber tires? They just bounced off harmlessly.
Ash grimaced. Strike one.
"You brat! You've got tricks, I'll give you that," Jessie snarled. "But if you don't stop right now, big sis is gonna turn your butt into a baseball mitt!"
Ash ignored her.
"Frogadier, hit the jeep's wheels with Frubbles!"
"Froa!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Though clearly tired, Frogadier summoned his remaining strength and hurled sticky Frubbles straight at the jeep's tires.
"Even if the boss wants you alive, once I get my hands on you, I'm still giving you a lesson!" Jessie snapped, eyes burning with fury. "Arbok—Poison Sting, now!"
With a flash of red light, Jessie summoned her ace—Arbok.
Pew! Pew! Pew!
Venomous needles shot out toward Ash.
At the same time, Frogadier launched another volley of Frubbles.
SCREECH—!!
Two screeching sounds tore through the air.
One came from Ash's bike as he swerved violently to avoid Arbok's poison attack.
The other?
It was from the jeep—its wheels suddenly locking up, rubber dragging against asphalt.
Turns out, while Water Shuriken couldn't do a thing to the tires, the Frubbles could.
The sticky foam had gummed up the treads. After a few direct hits, the wheels seized up like tangled vines.
"YOU LITTLE BRAT!!!"
"Frogadier, don't get caught in the fight! Use Aqua Ring to restore some strength. We're getting out of here!"
Seeing the jeep halt behind him again, Ash didn't hesitate.
He leaned forward and pedaled hard, making a clean break with Pichu and Frogadier still riding with him.
But he knew it wouldn't last.
Just like before, his tricks only bought him time. A few minutes at most—and then they'd be on him again.
He glanced at his bike.
Then looked back at the jeep.
There's no way this bike can outrun a jeep…
Looks like it's time to ditch it.
Ash made a snap decision.
"I'll abandon the bike and head into the forest. With my Viridian Power: Natural Affinity, wild Pokémon shouldn't attack me. If I'm lucky, maybe I can even ask them to help block Team Rocket!"
Wasting no time, Ash veered off-road.
Once he was sure the coast was clear, he jumped off the bike, stored it into his System Backpack, and darted over the guardrail into the forest—carrying Pichu and followed by Frogadier.
…
Just as Ash predicted, Team Rocket wasn't held back for long.
Though their wheels were gummed up, Jessie ordered Arbok to use Acid, melting most of the foam right off.
Then she grabbed a water bucket from the trunk and gave the rest a rinse.
As if trained in an auto shop, James and Meowth swiftly removed the two ruined tires and replaced them with spares.
It wasn't long before the jeep roared back to life—and they were off again.
But Ash was gone.
The bike was nowhere to be seen, and they'd driven for quite a while without spotting even a trace of him.
Jessie's face twisted with rage.
"Meowth! Are you SURE he went in here?!"
Meowth sniffed the air.
"My nose might not be as sharp as a Growlithe's, but it's still 100,000 times more sensitive than a human's! I'm telling you—he definitely came in here with his Pokémon."
"That brat!" Jessie growled. "So crafty… when I catch him, I'm going to—"
"Less threats, more action," James interrupted. "He's already been in here for a while. If we don't hurry, his scent will disappear completely."
"Let's go!"
"There's no way elite Team Rocket agents like us are going to lose to a brat who hasn't even hit puberty yet!"
…
"Whew…"
Deep in the forest, Ash finally allowed himself a breath.
They hadn't caught up. At least not yet.
He didn't know exactly why Team Rocket was after him—but from the scraps of surface thoughts he'd caught with Aura Telepathy, he'd caught something terrifying.
He'd heard them mention Giovanni—the boss of Team Rocket.
That alone confirmed it for Ash: this wasn't some coincidence.
He was being targeted. Directly.
And if Giovanni was behind it, then Ash knew—whatever the reason—it was nothing good.
I can't afford to get caught. Not by them.
He respected Giovanni as a Trainer, even admired his charisma and strength in a twisted way.
But Team Rocket?
They were poison.
Worse than Hoenn's Team Aqua or Team Magma… even worse than Galactic or Plasma.
Those other groups sought power through legendaries.
But Team Rocket?
They tampered with life itself.
They created Mewtwo by experimenting on Mew's DNA—playing gods with biotechnology.
They were willing to sacrifice any Pokémon, any life, to reach their goals.
If I ever get the chance, Ash vowed silently, I'll take them down. Not just Team Rocket—but every twisted organization in every region.
"Pichu! Pichuuu~!"
Ash blinked and looked down.
Pichu was pointing ahead, cheeks crackling in warning.
"Oh? A Beedrill nest up ahead?"
Ash's eyes lit up.
A plan was forming already.
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T/N:
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