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"What do I do? What should I do now?"
Misty stared at the departing airship with a look of anguish on her face. She hadn't expected something like this to happen during their brief separation.
Ash had always been there to handle every crisis before, but this time he was the one who had been taken, and Misty felt momentarily lost without his leadership.
"Misty, you need to calm down!" Brock said, though he too was uncertain about their next move. They had no idea where Team Rocket had taken Ash.
Pidge...eot...
A faint sound caught their attention. Brock tensed slightly. Misty instinctively raised her head, then scanned the area to locate the source of the noise.
They quickly traced the sound to beneath the ruins of a collapsed tree. The weak cries clearly indicated something was trapped underneath.
"Over there! Onix, move those trees away!"
Brock threw his Poké Ball, and in a flash of light, the Rock Snake Pokémon emerged. Onix used its massive tail to lift the fallen trees, revealing a familiar figure beneath the debris.
"It's Pidgeotto! They didn't take it with them," Misty and Brock exclaimed simultaneously, immediately recognizing Ash's Flying-type.
"Pidgeotto, are you okay?"
Misty rushed forward, distressed by the Pokémon's severe injuries. She pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped the mud from Pidgeotto's eyes.
Pidge...
Pidgeotto blinked as its vision cleared. Upon seeing Misty and Brock but not Ash, it struggled to stand despite its injuries, attempting to take flight even though its current condition made that impossible.
"Don't push yourself—your injuries are serious!" Brock quickly stepped forward to support the bird Pokémon, understanding that it was worried about Ash's whereabouts.
"What should we do now, Brock?" Misty looked to him for guidance, feeling helpless in this unexpected situation.
"First, we need to get Pidgeotto to a Pokémon Center for treatment. Then we'll contact Officer Jenny for help."
Brock couldn't think of a better solution. Confronting Team Rocket alone would be too dangerous—they needed reinforcements.
"You're right," Misty nodded, acknowledging there was no better alternative.
After their brief discussion, Brock carefully lifted Pidgeotto onto his back, and they hurried back toward Neon Town. Fortunately, they weren't far from the city, and if they moved quickly, they could still make it back before nightfall.
In their haste to get help, they completely forgot about Jigglypuff, who had been watching from a distance. Seeing their worried expressions, the Balloon Pokémon followed them toward Neon Town.
Soon, Misty and Brock reached the city and rushed directly to the Pokémon Center. As they arrived, they hurriedly pushed open the doors, with Misty entering first.
CRASH!
"Ouch! That really hurt!"
As Misty rushed in while looking back at Brock and Pidgeotto, she failed to notice someone in her path and collided with them.
"Would you please watch where you're going? The people in this town are so—huh?"
The complaint from the other party was cut short as they recognized who had bumped into them.
Misty and Brock looked up, initially ready to snap back due to their anxiety over Ash's situation. However, they froze in surprise when they saw who stood before them.
"Gary? Is that you?"
"So you're here without Ash... Interesting. I'm surprised he's made it this far already!"
It was indeed Gary Oak, with his usual entourage of cheerleaders behind him.
Upon recognizing Brock and Misty, Gary couldn't resist the opportunity to make a snide remark about his rival, Ash.
"Huh? Wait a minute... where is Ash anyway?" Gary paused mid-taunt, suddenly realizing that Ash wasn't with them.
At Gary's words, Misty's eyes welled up with tears. Unable to contain her emotions any longer, she shouted:
"Ash isn't here right now! If you want to make your sarcastic comments, save them for another time! Get out of our way—we don't have time for this!"
Her outburst caught Gary off guard, leaving him momentarily stunned.
Misty quickly gestured to Brock, and they rushed past Gary toward the front desk with the injured Pidgeotto. Gary turned to watch them, his brow furrowing in concern.
"Isn't that...?" Looking at the severely injured Pokémon in Brock's arms, Gary recognized Ash's Pidgeotto.
The severity of Pidgeotto's condition, combined with Ash's absence and Misty's uncharacteristic outburst, immediately signaled to Gary that something was seriously wrong. Knowing Ash's devotion to his Pokémon, Gary realized he would never allow one of them to become so badly injured unless something had happened to him.
He quickly spun around and hurried after them. By the time he caught up, Brock and Misty were explaining the situation to Nurse Joy. Chansey was already wheeling Pidgeotto into the emergency room for treatment, prompting sighs of relief from the two trainers.
"Hey! What happened? Where's Ash?" Gary demanded.
"Whatever happened to Ash is none of your business!" Misty snapped, clearly still upset.
"It is my business! What happened to him?" Gary's tone suddenly became urgent as he clenched his fists anxiously.
Misty paused, taken aback by his reaction. Even Gary's cheerleaders looked surprised—they had never seen him respond so emotionally before.
Despite their constant bickering whenever they met, giving the impression they disliked each other, Professor Oak had once mentioned that Ash and Gary understood and cared about each other better than anyone else.
They had grown up together, and while they were fierce rivals who inevitably argued whenever they crossed paths, Gary's current expression made it obvious that he was genuinely concerned about Ash.
"Misty, calm down," Brock intervened, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Well... Ash was captured by Team Rocket," Brock explained, noting Gary's agitated state. "When we arrived at the scene, it was already too late. Pidgeotto was the only one left behind, probably because they didn't notice it among the debris."
Gary's expression changed dramatically as he processed this information.
"Team Rocket? Are you kidding me? How could Ash get captured by those losers?" Gary's voice rose with disbelief and what sounded almost like indignation on Ash's behalf.