On the second day, Ash and his companions continued their determined journey toward Jubilife City.
However, their travels today were, as expected, far from smooth, because…
Musashi: The stars of the era are us!
Kojiro: We are invincible…
"Team Rocket!" ×3
"Wobbuffet~!"
"Mime~Jr.!"
As Team Rocket suddenly appeared before them, piloting a massive robot, Ash and Brock wearily covered their faces. Dawn, encountering Team Rocket for the first time, felt a surge of curiosity.
"Hey! What's that look, you little brat?!"
"Exactly! We racked our brains for these new lines! At least give us some reaction!"
"How rude, meow!"
Though their goal was to capture Pikachu, Team Rocket was visibly upset that Ash wasn't paying attention to their revamped entrance speech.
"No matter how you tweak this boring stuff, it's not gonna sound any better! Nobody cares about your opening lines anyway!"
Ash bluntly pointed at the trio in the cockpit, his words thoroughly igniting Team Rocket's fury.
"Ugh! How did this brat get so infuriating?!"
"Exactly! We went into massive debt to build this robot, all for revenge!"
"Forget it! Start it up, meow!"
Finally, Meowth cut off Musashi and Kojiro's complaints. Stretching out its arm, it slammed the red button, and the giant robot began lumbering toward Ash and his group.
"What do we do…" Brock glanced at Ash, frowning. "A machine this size can't move far in this forest. If we want to escape, now's the time to run. There's no need to tangle with them."
"Hm… You're right, but there are other Pokémon in this forest. It's better to take them down."
"I'm starting to get why those three are so mad…"
Dawn, overhearing Ash and Brock's conversation, couldn't help but mutter.
As Team Rocket had said, their main goal today was capturing Pikachu, but they also came seeking vengeance.
In their first battle in Sinnoh, they'd been ambushed and suffered a crushing defeat. Today, after meticulous preparation—including using drones to track Ash's movements—they aimed to use this giant robot to shock him and make him regret ever crossing them.
But when they arrived, Ash's reaction was utterly disappointing. Far from showing regret, his face held a hint of disdain, an outright insult to their efforts. Naturally, Team Rocket couldn't stomach it.
"By the way, are we really foolproof this time, Meowth? We're not gonna get blasted away by a single Thunderbolt like before, right?"
"Don't worry, meow~ We went all in this time. Our anti-electric measures are perfect~ Forget one Pikachu—even ten Pikachu zapping together wouldn't faze us, meow~"
BOOM—!
A deafening crash erupted near the robot's feet, causing the entire machine to lurch violently.
"And… what about impact resistance?"
Meowth: "…"
"?!"
Meowth's silence sent Kojiro and Musashi into a panic. Musashi grabbed Meowth by the scruff, shaking it frantically as she shouted, "Why would you only prep for electricity?! Are you an idiot?! This is a robot we went into debt for! How could it lack such basic durability?!"
"What could I do, meow?! Our credit's so bad we could barely get a loan! What was I supposed to do?!"
"No! Wait! It's not Pikachu attacking us—it's that thing at our feet!"
"?!" ×2
…
As Team Rocket peered at the small figure relentlessly attacking them through their screen, Ash and his group's attention was similarly drawn to it.
"That Pokémon is…"
"Turtwig?"
Staring at the Turtwig repeatedly ramming the robot's frame, Ash and Dawn identified it.
Ash had been ready to command Pikachu to act, but unexpectedly, Turtwig burst from a patch of bushes, charging at Team Rocket's robot without a word and continuing to bash it relentlessly…
"Hey! Stop that, you! We're not here for you!" Kojiro finally snapped, leaning out of the cockpit to yell at Turtwig.
"Exactly! We've got no beef with you! Why are you attacking us, meow?!"
"Are you even listening?! Stop it already!!!"
"Pika…"
Pikachu, watching this bizarre scene, wasn't sure whether to intervene. It turned to Ash with a pleading look.
Ash was momentarily stunned, but since his and Turtwig's goals aligned, he decided…
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"
"Pika~!"
Since Team Rocket had just revealed their machine's weakness, Ash had no reason not to exploit it.
Seeing Pikachu prepare Iron Tail, Team Rocket's expressions turned to panic.
"No! Not Iron Tail!"
"At least use an Electric move! Otherwise, our money's wasted!"
"Please, meow!"
Team Rocket's pleas didn't sway Ash or Pikachu. After a massive explosion, the trio was blasted into the sky, vanishing as a twinkling star, leaving only their classic line behind.
"What an awful feeling! (Meow!)"
"Wobbuffet~!"
"Mime~Jr.!"
…
Dawn watched the soaring Team Rocket, then glanced at Ash, pointing skyward curiously. "That's the evil organization? They feel more like comedians."
Ash: "Well… just don't take them seriously. Real evil organizations aren't like them."
Brock: "Exactly."
Brock nodded in heartfelt agreement.