"You fools," Giovanni mused, watching the surveillance feed from his office in Viridian City. "To think the S.S. Anne was a gift." He watched the 'prey' gather in the grand hall, ready to give the order. But then, his eyes landed on a familiar, calm figure in the crowd. "Red... I didn't expect him to be aboard. This changes things." He dismissed the operation with a wave of his hand. "No matter. I never expected that incompetent trio to succeed anyway." The money he'd collected from the merchants setting up stalls was enough to cover the cost of the party.
After Red had taught the pompous Gentleman his lesson, Team Rocket's plan proceeded as scheduled. The doors to the hall slammed shut and locked. Waiters tore off their disguises, revealing black uniforms and devices designed to absorb Poké Balls, their menacing presence intimidating the bewildered trainers.
"Hey! Uncle! Where are you?! Give me back my money!" A frustrated voice echoed through the hall. It was James, wandering dejectedly, trying to find the Magikarp salesman, completely oblivious that the operation had already begun.
"Time to work!" Jessie hissed, dragging him away to change.
The lights suddenly went out. A single spotlight snapped on, illuminating Jessie and James on a high platform.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James..." His delivery was completely flat. After being swindled out of all his money, his spirit was broken.
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth! That's right!"
"All the Pokémon here belong to Team Rocket now!" Jessie yelled.
Before the trainers could react, the grunts activated their absorption devices, sucking away dozens of Poké Balls. But just as they tried to snatch Ash's, Pikachu unleashed an electric attack that paralyzed them on the spot.
"We won't let you take our Pokémon!" Ash's passionate cry ignited the fighting spirit of everyone in the room. "We'll fight to the end!"
"He's right!" "Let's fight!"
A wave of Poké Balls flew through the air. Though the devices snatched many, dozens more opened, releasing a tide of Pokémon that overwhelmed the unprepared grunts. Seeing that his brother had the situation handled, Red simply watched, letting Ash have his moment. In an instant, the combined power of the trainers' Pokémon defeated the Team Rocket squad.
"This is the Pokémon we're all proud of!" Ash declared, becoming the unintentional spiritual leader of the group. "We'll never let you take them!" Red nodded silently from the side. This was his brother's unique charm—the ability to inspire others.
Seeing the tide had turned, the Team Rocket trio quietly slipped away. But just as Jessie was wondering how they would explain this failure to the boss, a fierce wave slammed into the S.S. Anne, tilting the entire ship. The Poké Ball James had bought rolled from his pocket. "My advance salary!" he cried, chasing after it.
It was only the first. Another, larger wave crashed into the ship, and the already unstable vessel began to tilt violently. Panic erupted.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! By the time I noticed, the storm had already blown us off course!" the captain explained with a nervous laugh.
"Why didn't you notice earlier!" the crowd demanded.
"Everyone, please calm down!" the captain assured them with a firm, confident tone. "I guarantee this ship will absolutely not sink!"
But another wave hit. As everyone scrambled to find their footing, the captain vanished. He reappeared moments later, already in a lifeboat he was lowering over the side. "Everyone, please rest assured!" he called out with a determined expression. "This ship is absolutely unsinkable!"
After witnessing the captain's inhuman hypocrisy, the crowd rioted. They forgot the friendship forged in battle just moments before and rushed for the remaining lifeboats, a desperate, selfish crush where every person was an enemy.
"We have to get on a lifeboat, or we'll be left behind!" Leaf said nervously.
"These people have lost their minds," Red said calmly. "It would be a waste of time to fight them." He was about to suggest they use their Water-type Pokémon to escape when disaster struck again.
"Oh no, my Ivysaur!" Leaf exclaimed. Another lurch of the ship had sent a Poké Ball rolling away from her belt. Without thinking, she rushed after it.
"Leaf!" the four of them yelled in unison. They were not the kind of people to abandon a friend. They followed her into the chaos.
"Aren't they afraid of death?" someone on a lifeboat muttered, not understanding their choice.
"Who cares! Let's get out of here!" another trainer yelled impatiently.
Leaf desperately chased the rolling ball. Red's eyes glowed, and his psychic power lifted the Poké Ball into the air, returning it safely to her hand. Before she could thank him, a final, colossal wave struck the S.S. Anne. With a great, groaning tear of metal, the ship began to capsize.
The lucky survivors on the lifeboats watched with complex emotions as the grand vessel turned over, their relief mixed with a fleeting, guilty thought for the ones left behind.
Inside, the world turned upside down. Red's psychic power flared, creating a protective bubble that kept his friends from being slammed against the ceiling-turned-floor. For a moment, they floated in a terrifying, zero-gravity limbo.
"I'm sorry, everyone! It's all my fault!" Leaf sobbed, blaming herself.
"It's okay, Leaf. Do you think we're the kind of people who would abandon a companion?" Red said with a calm smile.
"Exactly! As long as my big brother is here, we'll be fine!" Ash added cheerfully, completely unfazed.
"Ash is really naive..." Misty sighed.
"If Red hadn't protected us, we might have woken up at the bottom of the ocean," Brock said, his voice filled with lingering fear.
"Our only option now is to find a breakthrough point and leave on our Water-type Pokémon," Red said, already outlining their escape.
***
(End of Chapter)
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