Pokémon: Ash's Sinnoh Reset

"Looks like I'll have to carry you for a while longer. By the way, is there a Pokémon Center nearby?"

Because his current location was relatively remote, and he had only used a public phone to contact Professor Oak, Ash couldn't get Aipom's Poké Ball right away. Reluctantly, he had to let it stay on his shoulder for now.

"Aipom!"

Unlike Ash's frustration, Aipom was overjoyed to be allowed to stay outside in broad daylight. Seeing Aipom so happy, Ash could only shake his head.

Well, it's a rare opportunity. Let it stay out here for a while.

If there was anything he regretted, it was related to Aipom. Ash remembered how Aipom had become engrossed in Pokémon Ping Pong in the Sinnoh region, so Ash and Dawn had left it there. But Ash hadn't gone back to see it since. Meeting Aipom again in this way today made up for a little bit of the regret in his heart.

"Pika~"

Seeing Ash and Aipom getting along so well, Pikachu, as the "big brother," was also happy. But Pikachu's happiness was natural; after all, Aipom wasn't standing on its shoulder. Without any effort on its part, the more harmonious its companions were, the better.

Ash hung up the phone and walked out of the booth. As he was about to head towards the city, he suddenly heard a familiar sound of machinery.

"Get out of the way!"

Ash instinctively shouted, then jumped forward. Pikachu and Aipom, though not understanding what was happening, were forced to land on the ground on either side due to Ash's sudden action.

As Pikachu landed, it saw a mechanical arm, clenched tightly, where it had been standing. Suddenly alarmed, it noticed the familiar Meowth-shaped hot air balloon in the air.

...

"Ugh! What are you trying to grab?! You're so bad at this! I should have done it myself!"

"What are you yelling about, Meowth?! Didn't you see that the arm was positioned perfectly?! Isn't it because the twerp reacted and dodged it?! How is that my fault, Meowth!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Get back in there!"

In the hot air balloon, due to Meowth's misstep, two members of Team Rocket seemed to be having a small argument, and Wobbuffet was caught in the crossfire just for agreeing with Meowth.

Looking at the hot air balloon above, Pikachu and Aipom both adopted battle stances, while Ash watched the trio above with nostalgic eyes.

For a long time in the future, Team Rocket would continue to target Pikachu. Ash would meet them almost every few days, becoming more familiar with them than with his own family. However, during Ash's participation in the Pokémon World Coronation Series, Team Rocket had disappeared for a long time. He had heard Brock say that they were doing some kind of business in Viridian City, but Ash hadn't inquired about the details. He just felt a mixture of pity and relief for the three of them.

He was relieved that they could finally give up on Pikachu and pursue a proper career.

He was sad that he would probably have fewer opportunities to meet them in the future. Although they had always been enemies, they had also cooperated many times. It seemed a bit inaccurate to describe them simply as villains. In short, Ash had complex feelings towards Team Rocket.

"Ugh! Forget it. If you can't even do something this simple, we should have just used a rocket launcher from the start! If we were fast enough, Pikachu would already be ours!"

"What, Meowth?! In that situation, you would have caught the twerp too?! It's meaningless if we don't catch Pikachu alone, Meowth! If you're so confident in your idea, why don't you try it yourself, Meowth! See if you can catch it!"

"Huh?! I'll try it! Let me show you how useless you are!"

"What, Meowth?!"

"What do you want?!"

"Th-that... sorry to interrupt you two while you're arguing." Just as Jessie and Meowth were arguing heatedly, James timidly walked to the middle and raised his hand to stop them.

"What is it, Meowth?"

"Are you going to judge who's right and wrong, too?"

Jessie and Meowth both turned their attention to James, their combined intensity causing him to tremble. He quickly shook his head in denial.

"N-no, that's not what I meant. It's just that while you were arguing, the twerp... he already ran away..."

"What (Meowth?!)?!"

Hearing James's words, Jessie and Meowth quickly looked down, only to find that Ash's figure, who had been there a moment ago, had disappeared without a trace. When they looked further into the distance, they saw Ash leading Pikachu and Aipom running away frantically.

"How underhanded!"

"How can you run away while people are talking?!"

Jessie and Meowth seemed completely unaware that they were the underhanded ones who should have launched a surprise attack in the first place. Now that Ash had escaped, Jessie and Meowth began their ranting spree.

Although Ash had run away at first sight, it didn't matter. He couldn't be faster than them, and Ash's behavior also gave them confidence.

"The fact that the twerp ran away as soon as he saw us means that he's afraid of us, right? Looks like even he doesn't think he can beat us without more help!"

Jessie puffed out her chest confidently, like a victorious general. Ash's escape gave her the illusion that they could win, while Meowth, who had been as aggressive as Jessie, was now silent, instead looking at James and saying, "Is the twerp the kind of person who would run away in this situation?"

Meowth was a bit confused.

If it were the past, Ash would have shouted as soon as he saw them, "Not you guys again! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

That's what he should have done.

As the saying goes, "Something strange must be afoot." Meowth, who had initially thought they could win because Ash didn't have other Pokémon with him, was now less certain of his opinion. However, after calming down, Meowth's position in Team Rocket had gradually slipped to second place. Without the added buff of anger, Meowth couldn't match Jessie's strength.

"Hurry, chase him! Don't let the twerp get away!"

Watching Jessie giving orders, Meowth, James, and Wobbuffet, though somewhat apprehensive, began to do their respective tasks, with Jessie in command.

....