Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Ash finally took in the scene before him.
Rotom.
Frogadier.
Charizard.
All present.
And on the floor—
the Drowzee that had been transferred in that night—its feet firmly glued to the ground by Frubbles, its entire body pinned down beneath Charizard's foot.
Ash's drowsiness vanished instantly.
His expression hardened, brows knitting together as cold clarity returned.
"Rotom. Frogadier. Charizard."
"What happened?"
"Frogadier…"
"Rotom…"
Rotom, Frogadier, and Charizard quickly recounted everything that had just occurred.
"This Drowzee came out of its Poké Ball on its own… and tried to attack me?"
After hearing their explanation, Ash slowly turned his gaze toward the Drowzee crushed beneath Charizard's foot.
That gaze grew dangerous.
Ash had no reason to doubt his Pokémon.
And given the current circumstances, caution was mandatory.
First, Team Rocket had set its sights on him.
Then, immediately after he announced the service to teach Magikarp Tackle, his name was pushed straight into the spotlight.
If earlier it was merely his Trainer talent that earned him attention from the League and mild interest from Kanto's major forces—
then now, Ash had fully entered the field of vision of powerful individuals and organizations.
Just as Professor Oak had said at noon:
This was an opportunity.
But it also came with trials—and danger.
For the moment, Ash couldn't be certain which faction had sent this Drowzee.
But there was one thing he could confirm.
Through Aura Powers, he sensed it clearly—
This Drowzee's heart was filled with thick, unmistakable malice toward him.
"Bang!!"
Even while pinned down by Charizard, Drowzee showed no fear.
Instead, the hostility in its heart only intensified.
That realization ignited a nameless fury in Ash's chest.
He reached to the wall rack, grabbed the baseball bat resting there—
And swung it straight at Drowzee's cowering face.
"Drow—zee!!"
Drowzee never expected such decisiveness.
Such brutality.
Without a word, Ash brought the bat down on it.
Drowzee's face twisted in pure disbelief.
In the Pokémon world, humans were notoriously lenient toward Pokémon.
Even Pokémon belonging to the most vicious criminals—
the League's stance was often:
"What evil intent could a Pokémon possibly have?
They're just following their Trainer's orders."
Many criminals were sentenced to life imprisonment—
while their Pokémon, after brief observation and "education," were released back into the wild.
Drowzee, as a Pokémon of Team Rocket's elite operatives, had committed countless crimes with its Trainer.
It had been arrested by Officer Jenny more times than it could count.
It understood this system very well.
Which was why—even if caught—it felt no fear.
Only contempt.
This time, when it fell into Ash's hands, it sensed the boy's genuine kindness and warmth toward Pokémon through psychic perception.
Drowzee believed that as long as it played dumb and acted innocent, it could easily fool him.
But it never imagined—
Ash wouldn't even give it the chance to speak.
The baseball bat rained down mercilessly.
This didn't just terrify Drowzee.
Even Pichu, Frogadier, and Pidgey stared in stunned disbelief.
Up until now, their image of Ash was gentle—
especially toward Pokémon.
They had never seen this side of him.
This violent, ruthless side.
Their respect for Ash deepened—
but now it was mixed with something else.
Fear.
Awe.
Only Charizard, watching from the side, looked at Ash with clear approval.
Bang—bang—bang…
The bat struck again and again.
Only when Ash sensed genuine fear finally bloom inside Drowzee's heart did he stop.
He planted the bat against the floor, breathing heavily.
"Drowzee," Ash said coldly.
"Talk."
"Who sent you?"
"Which faction are you working for?"
"Drow… Drowzee…"
Ash could hear thoughts.
He could sense lies.
And Drowzee was still pretending.
Bang!!
The bat came down again—straight across Drowzee's face.
"I treat everyone—Pokémon included—with sincerity and goodwill."
"But if you mistake my kindness for weakness—
then I don't mind helping you face reality."
"I'll let you see who I really am."
Ash raised the bat again.
"I'll ask one last time."
"Who sent you?"
"Which faction?"
"D… Drowzee…"
Drowzee trembled violently.
When it met Ash's eyes—
Those eyes were cold.
Unfeeling.
Identical to Boss Giovanni's.
Fear flooded Drowzee's heart.
The pain wracking its body.
The suffocating pressure.
The certainty that this boy would not hesitate again.
For the first time in its life—
Drowzee felt true terror.
Its teeth chattered as it finally broke.
"Cassidy… Butch… Jessie… James… Meowth…"
"They're the ones—Team Rocket sent me!"
"So it was Team Rocket."
Ash's voice was calm, almost detached.
"Hypnotize me. Force me to leave Pallet Town on my own."
"No wonder your Hypnosis proficiency was so high—this mission was prepared long ago."
"Jessie and Cassidy's elite squads working together…"
"Using my own Ash's Move Mastery Room, placing an order to bypass Pallet Town's defenses—
and delivering you directly to my side."
"I really should say—"
"Worthy of Team Rocket's elite operatives."
Terrified now, Drowzee dared not hide anything.
Ash questioned it further—about Team Rocket, their structure, their operations.
Through Drowzee, Ash gained a much deeper understanding of the organization.
There was only one thing Drowzee didn't know—
Why Team Rocket kept targeting Ash again and again.
But Ash still learned something crucial.
First:
This operation targeting him was issued directly by Boss Giovanni.
Second:
The order was capture—not assassination.
Which meant that even if he fell into Team Rocket's hands…
his life would not be in immediate danger.
Ash exhaled slowly.
The night was far from over.
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals