"Bang—!"
"Bang—!"
Two sharp sounds rang out. One was from Froakie's Water Pulse slamming into Team Rocket's Meowth Balloon. The other came from Jessie's Poké Ball bursting open.
But what happened next left Ash absolutely stunned.
First: Froakie had unleashed a full-powered Water Pulse… yet it didn't even burst the Meowth Balloon. Instead, the watery blast bounced right off its surface.
Second: The Pokémon Jessie released wasn't her usual Ekans—it was the fully evolved Arbok, and a terrifyingly powerful one at that!
"Damn it!! The anime really lied to us! Which dumb writer came up with the idea that any random move could just blow up their balloon!?"
Ash grit his teeth in frustration.
"And these three aren't just clowns! They're Giovanni's elite field squad! Of course they wouldn't be using some low-level Ekans… That Arbok she sent out is already LV.31!"
Grumbling to himself, Ash quickly summoned the system interface and scanned Jessie's Arbok—sure enough, it was Level 31. High-tier and dangerous.
Ash cursed the original anime writers as idiots for portraying these three as laughable pushovers.
"Jessie, finish this quickly. If the League patrol inside the camp gets here, we won't be able to escape," James urged, frowning as the balloon kept rising.
"Relax, I know what I'm doing," Jessie responded calmly. Then she pointed at Arbok and gave the order:
"Arbok, use Acid Spray!"
"CHAAAABAAAK!!"
The coiled Arbok, its body wrapped around the rope of the balloon basket, opened its massive fanged jaws and spewed a series of toxic, corrosive purple liquids, each blast more terrifying than the last.
"Damn it!!" Ash's instincts screamed at him—the Aura flaring up in warning. His whole body tensed.
This wasn't a joke anymore. This wasn't a cartoon episode. Bringing Nurse Joy and a bunch of trainees out here to confront "three chefs" was reckless and dangerous beyond belief.
It was the first time Ash realized… everything had gone off-script. The world wasn't reacting the way he expected. His arrogance—his assumption that he could control everything—had now put others in danger.
As the deadly purple acid descended from the sky like raining death, Ash broke out into a cold sweat.
"Should I use my trump card… Viridian Power: Will Empowerment?"
But Froakie didn't hesitate like Ash did.
"Froaaakiee!!"
The vigilant Froakie leapt into the air, puffing up its chest and rapidly compressed air into hollow water orbs—launching them with pinpoint accuracy to intercept the falling poison.
"Forget it… I'll go all in. I'll expose Will Empowerment if I have to!"
Ash clenched his fists. He had to protect the others, even if it meant revealing one of his deepest secrets. He just needed to hold on long enough—Professor Oak would be arriving soon.
But just as he was about to activate the power—
"Blissey! Cast Light Screen—maximum area!" Nurse Joy's voice rang out behind him.
"Blissssey~!"
At some point, she had quietly released her Blissey. The round, pink Pokémon waddled forward and raised her tiny hands, projecting a shimmering curved barrier with a three-meter radius above their heads.
Splash, splash, splash…
The toxic acid, diluted by Froakie's counterattack, splattered against the Light Screen like faint purple raindrops. The barrier held firm.
"Jessie, we're out of time! The League patrol is coming!"
James shouted, sensing an overwhelming pressure approaching fast from the forest.
"That brat Ash… we'll be seeing you again real soon!"
With that parting threat, the trio activated the balloon's escape tech.
Aside from its reinforced outer shell that deflected Water Pulse, the Meowth Balloon now revealed a host of hidden tech upgrades. Twin booster thrusters extended from the basket, rocketing the balloon higher and faster.
Then the basket opened from the bottom like a bomber bay, releasing thick clouds of white smoke.
The balloon's special material shimmered like a stealth aircraft, changing color to blend seamlessly into the smoke and clouds.
In the blink of an eye—they vanished.
…
Moments later, Professor Oak arrived on the back of his Dragonite, having received Ash's urgent signal.
"Is everyone okay?" he asked, scanning the faces of the campers. As the event organizer, his first concern wasn't the Pokémon, but the students.
"We're okay, Professor Oak. Ash and Miss Joy protected us!" one camper said.
"But… our Pokémon… Team Rocket took them all…" another said, close to tears.
"Yeah! We didn't even realize they were imposters… I even complimented their spicy ramen earlier!" someone else cried.
"Those three… they're beyond sneaky. Evil and clever!"
As the students poured out their frustration, Professor Oak's heart sank deeper and deeper.
This wasn't just a minor mishap.
This summer camp had been a joint cultural exchange between the Kanto League and the Kalos League, co-hosted by the Pallet Research Lab and Professor Sycamore's Institute.
The Kalos side? Smooth. Professional. No issues.
The Kanto side?
First, a camper was hospitalized after being attacked by a rampaging Gyarados.
Then, it was revealed the attack was caused by cheating—the student had been using illegal methods.
When reporters visited him in the hospital, the student falsely accused the camp of favoring Ash.
The camp had to work overtime to prove Ash's innocence… only to uncover that the rumor originated from that very same student.
And now—on the final day—Team Rocket disguised themselves as chefs and stole the students' Pokémon.
Worse still, the whole thing had just been broadcast live on Saffron City TV.
This was no longer just a camp incident—it was a full-blown public relations disaster.
Oak massaged his temples, already dreading the League's next board meeting.
"Thorne, Miss Sophie—please escort the students back to camp. I'll dispatch the League's Investigation Unit to recover the stolen Pokémon."
"You kids don't need to worry anymore…"
Professor Oak tried to comfort the anxious students.
But deep down…
His headache was just beginning.
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