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When Lt. Surge released Raichu to attack the Pikachu, they immediately scattered and dodged the assault.
At the same time, on the other side where Thunder had just struck, thick smoke still lingered in the air.
Ten Pikachu quietly approached through the smoke, reaching Daisy and preparing to carry her away to safety.
"Wait! Stop! I just need you to take this device and give it to Eddie! Hurry up and go!" Daisy exclaimed in shock.
She had only wanted the Pikachu to take a small machine from her and deliver it to Eddie, but she hadn't expected this group of Pikachu would actually try to rescue her directly.
Taking a small machine and escaping was completely different from rescuing a person!
In the former case, Team Rocket wouldn't care at all—they wouldn't even realize what the Pikachu were planning. In the latter case, they'd definitely be hunted down!
"Hurry and leave! Take this device and give it to Eddie when he arrives here later! Go now!" Daisy urged desperately.
She struggled to pull out a small device hidden in her sleeve with her bound hands, then handed it to one of the Pikachu and yelled at them to leave immediately.
"Pika! Pika! Pika!" the Pikachu protested reluctantly.
They knew it would be extremely difficult to rescue Daisy, but they still wanted to try because Daisy was the one who had taken care of them the most.
"Well, well, well! I didn't expect this group of electric mice wanted to save the young lady. How interesting! But unfortunately for you, you're dealing with an Electric-type expert like me. I can always detect the sound of Pikachu's electrical current!!" Lt. Surge shouted.
"Raichu! Watch your positioning and don't let that woman get hurt! Use Thunder!!"
"BOOM!!!"
A lightning strike far more powerful than the combined Thunder attacks the Pikachu had used earlier came crashing down. While carefully avoiding Daisy, it blasted several Pikachu away.
"Pika!" cried the Pikachu holding the small machine.
It was fortunate enough not to be hit directly, but it let out an angry cry when it saw its companions being blown away.
"Please, go! I'm fine. If you stay here, you'll be in real danger. Remember—wait for Eddie to come back and give him the machine," Daisy pleaded.
Her heart ached seeing the Pikachu injured, but she knew this wasn't the time to be overcome with emotion. She instructed the Pikachu holding the machine once more, urging it to take its companions and leave quickly.
"Pika... Pika Pika..." the Pikachu responded reluctantly.
It had no choice but to follow Daisy's instructions. Looking at her with shame, it seemed to apologize for not being able to save her.
"It's alright. As long as you deliver the machine to Eddie, you'll have helped tremendously," Daisy said gently, comforting the Pikachu.
The latter's shame gradually faded.
"Pika!" it replied decisively.
The Pikachu said goodbye to Daisy and immediately led its companions away using Agility once more.
However, they were a bit slower leaving this time, as Lt. Surge had already arrived with his Raichu.
"Hmph! You think you can attack Team Rocket and leave safely? Raichu, go after—"
"Stop! They only wanted to save me. Now they're scared and running away. Don't hurt them anymore! If you still want to harm them, you'll have to knock me out first!" Daisy interrupted.
Just as Lt. Surge was about to order Raichu to chase down the electric mice, Daisy quickly ran in front of Lt. Surge and Raichu, positioning herself as if saying she'd take the hit if he attacked again.
"...Fine. You win. But only this once. If those electric mice still don't know what's good for them next time, hmph!" Lt. Surge responded after a pause.
He looked at Daisy, who was ready to sacrifice herself, and thought for a few seconds. Finally, he decided not to cause more trouble—after all, those electric mice wouldn't amount to much anyway.
"Someone come here! Continue escorting Daisy. Be more careful this time! Don't let other Pokémon attack again," Lt. Surge commanded.
"Actually, forget it. Just to be safe, I'll escort her personally."
Lt. Surge waved his hand to call for other members, but then realized that the most troublesome element at this stage seemed to be Daisy herself, so he decided to escort her personally instead.
"Grandpa... Gary... Eddie... I'm leaving Pallet Town in your hands..." Daisy thought as she was taken away again.
When she left, she couldn't help but think of her family and Eddie.
Meanwhile, at Cinnabar Island, at Blaine's long-abandoned Cinnabar Gym.
Cinnabar Town also existed on Cinnabar Island, but the environment there was rather harsh and not many people lived in the area.
Moreover, there had been a battle between Legendary Pokémon there yesterday, which had frightened the residents so badly that they wanted to move away immediately. The population would likely decrease for a while.
However, this morning, in the eyes of the townspeople of Cinnabar Town, a bald researcher who looked very familiar walked straight toward the gym with a young man who looked even more familiar. Everyone watched in surprise.
"I remember now! That bald guy is Blaine, the Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island! He's been missing for so long, and he's finally back!?" exclaimed a townsperson with better memory.
They finally recognized who the familiar bald man was—the Gym Leader who had been absent for such a long time had finally returned.
"I remember too. That iconic bald head is so easy to recognize," another agreed.
"I was originally planning to leave here, but now that the Gym Leader is back, our safety should be guaranteed. I'm not leaving anymore."
"Yeah, yesterday's situation was terrifying, but now that the Gym Leader is back, it should be fine."
The townspeople discussed the matter enthusiastically, and many who had been planning to move decided to stay.
After all, in this world, Gym Leaders weren't just powerful figures in their respective locations—they were also the guardians of those places. The mindset of residents in towns with Gym Leaders versus those without was completely different.
Originally, Blaine had been missing for a year, and everyone had assumed he wanted to abandon his identity as a Gym Leader to work as a researcher full-time. But now that he'd returned openly, it meant he would continue being a proper Gym Leader.
Now that their Gym Leader was back, it was like a shot of adrenaline for them. Everyone's spirits were lifted, and all that was left was to throw a celebration party.
"Wait, that young man—is he the famous Trainer from TV? Eddie, the one who's repeatedly stopped Team Rocket's operations, destroyed Team Rocket's branch in Celadon City, and even defeated the rampaging Dragonite in Vermilion City a few days ago?" one townsperson asked.
Some townspeople also recognized Eddie. He was famous now because he'd accomplished so many notable things and many people spoke highly of him. His reputation had grown so great that even the rather remote Cinnabar Island knew about him.
"He must be here to challenge the Gym! Maybe he's the one who found Blaine! What a good guy!" someone suggested.
"Yes, exactly! While he's been fighting the evil organization Team Rocket, he's been doing good deeds wherever he goes! This time he must have come to find the Gym Leader of our Cinnabar Island!"
The townspeople of Cinnabar Island talked among themselves, all agreeing that Blaine's return must have something to do with Eddie. Even if Eddie hadn't brought him back personally, there had to be a connection.
"The townspeople of Cinnabar Island are quite enthusiastic, aren't they? By the way, how did my reputation spread so widely?" Eddie asked, somewhat bemused.
"You'll get used to it. Ever since you took down Team Rocket in Celadon City, your past actions have been uncovered and spread around. You're really impressive—you've been opposing Team Rocket all along," Blaine replied.
"The League and influential people naturally support you, so your reputation has grown accordingly."
"Misty has already publicly confirmed that Team Rocket was behind the Mt. Moon incident."
"The passengers on the ship are helping spread word about what happened on the S.S. Anne."
"And then there's Lavender Town, Celadon City, Pewter City, and Vermilion City."
"Don't you realize how many significant things you've accomplished along your journey?"
Blaine sometimes genuinely admired Eddie. He'd basically been opposing Team Rocket throughout his entire journey. It would be strange if he wasn't famous. Did Eddie really not keep track himself?
"Ahem, I'm embarrassed to say it. I just did some minor things, really..." Eddie replied modestly.
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