February 16th, Tuesday.
"Where the heck are we, James?!"
After making their distress call, the Trio's phone ran out of credit and officially shut down.
Jessie violently shook James by the collar. "Hurry up and think of something!"
"I-I'm trying!" James gasped, his face turning purple.
"At this rate, James is gonna die by Jessie's hands first, meow~" Meowth sweatdropped.
Jessie instinctively let go, covering her mouth with an awkward laugh. "Ohohoho, my bad. Lost my cool there."
"Anyway…"
The ever-patient James wheezed, rubbing his throat. "The flashlight still works. Let's just keep moving forward!"
The beam illuminated the ancient ruins' walls, revealing faded murals and crumbling stone.
"Feels like we stumbled into some kinda ancient tomb, meow…" Meowth shivered.
"Who knew following the twerp would lead to this?!" Jessie stomped her foot in frustration.
CLUNK.
A massive iron ball suddenly rolled toward them from the corridor's end, triggered by her movement.
"WHAT A TERRIBLE FEELING!" The Trio screamed as they bolted.
"Wobbuffet!"
...
Deep in the Ancient Ruins.
"Hey, Pikachu… you hear something?" Ash tilted his head.
"Pika…chu?"
"Never mind, let's keep looking. Mr. Brandon should be around here somewhere!"
Two weeks into his Frontier challenge, Ash had only one Symbol left to collect—the Brave Symbol.
Rumors said Pyramid King Brandon, the Frontier Brain, was investigating these ruins.
So Ash brought Pikachu, ready to challenge him the moment they met.
The ruins were dimly lit. Footsteps echoed from the cavern's depths.
Ash rushed toward the sound—then slammed into a man's broad back.
"Ow!" Ash rubbed his head.
Brandon, mid-investigation, staggered from the impact. He steadied his aching spine and glared.
"Young man, you are…?"
"I'm Ash from Pallet Town!" Ash clenched his fists, grinning. "You're Mr. Brandon, right? I've got five Symbols already. I'm here to challenge you!"
"Wrong!"
Brandon's sharp rebuff made Ash flinch.
"A challenger shouldn't recklessly enter dangerous ruins! Courage without wisdom isn't bravery!"
"Huh? But you're here too!"
"I'm an archaeologist. I came to study the ruins of the Portlandis Empire."
"The… Portlandis Empire?"
Brandon eyed Ash, then strode deeper into the cavern. When Ash stubbornly followed, he sighed and explained:
"Legends say the king of Portlandis angered Ho-Oh. Overnight, the entire empire vanished."
"Yet its ruins remain. Some say… the king's ambition and darkness are imprisoned here."
"You mean this?"
Ash held up an ancient stone orb.
Brandon froze. His gaze darted across the ruins—then panic set in.
"Wrong! Put it back—!"
Too late. A chilling aura seeped from the orb. The vengeful spirit of Portlandis's king possessed Ash.
Ash's eyes glazed over. Then he let out a dramatic, villainous laugh:
"Kekeke! After millennia, I finally return!"
"Pikachu?!" Pikachu trembled.jpg.
Brandon's eye twitched. He pressed a hand to his chest.
"Great King… If you battle me and lose, I shall grant you the Legendary Giants from the tales."
Maybe I can save this kid in the process.
"Very well! I accept!" 'Ash' grinned.
He actually agreed?!
Brandon hadn't expected him to be this gullible. Coughing, he added, "Then… let us proceed to the Battle Pyramid outside the ruins."
"I shall be your opponent!"
...
Team Rocket's phone was cut off—again.
Natsume sighed, dialing Matori.
"Can you send me Meowth's location?"
Matori blinked. "Going to fish them out again?"
"Yeah—wait, isn't that Boss Giovanni's job?!"
"Ahaha, same difference…"
Realizing her slip, Matori tensed.
"Location sent! Forget what I just said!"
"Got it. I'll forward the recording to Giovanni later."
"DON'T!!"
Ignoring Matori's shriek, Natsume hung up and prepped for departure.
Rotom hovered mid-air, navigating toward Meowth's location.
"Where are we going?" Cynthia asked curiously.
"Uh… Three idiots got stuck in some ruins. Gotta go fetch them."
"Ancient Ruins"—
The phrase seemed to trigger something.
"I'll come too." Cynthia smiled.
Natsume paused, then nodded.
As a mythologist and archaeologist, Cynthia knew the area well.
With her, the safety margin skyrocketed.
"Which ruins exactly?" Cynthia asked.
"Near Pewter City. Sending you the coordinates."
After checking, Cynthia's expression turned thoughtful.
"This place… It might be the legendary Portlandis Empire."
Portlandis?
Natsume glanced skyward, recalling the embarrassing king.
The guy tried to capture Ho-Oh—and got his entire kingdom erased.
Should've taken notes from King AZ… At least his ultimate weapon could rival a Mythical Pokémon!
Sensing trouble near Pewter City, Gym Leader Brock privately messaged Natsume.
"Natsume-sensei… Ash seems to be in some kind of trouble."
"What happened?"
"He's acting… off."
Brock stood inside the Battle Pyramid, a Frontier facility near Pewter City.
His frown deepened as he watched Ash—grinning unnaturally—in the arena.
"It's like… something's possessing him."
"Oh. Probably the Portlandis King's ghost. I'll head over."
Brock: "Understood!"
Natsume wasn't worried. If anything, he wanted to laugh.
Ash got possessed?
The one in danger wasn't Ash—it was the king.
Following the coordinates, Natsume and Cynthia arrived at the Portlandis ruins.
They fished Team Rocket out of the cavern without issue.
Meowth and the others burst into tears upon seeing daylight. "We're saved~!"
"Thank you, E.....—"
Meowth clamped Jessie and James's mouths shut.
"I remember you~ The talking Meowth." Cynthia smiled, eyes crescent-moon sweet.
Meowth's face turned beet red.
Mom… I've seen an angel!
"I topped up your phone credits." Natsume waved his device. "Catch you later. Gotta check the Battle Pyramid."
"Natsume-sensei, please be careful, meow!"
Cynthia patted Meowth's head. "Don't worry. I'll take care of him."
Team Rocket—now realizing they were third wheels—snapped a salute and vanished.
Somehow, they hammered together a three-seat bicycle mid-smokescreen.
Pedaling away, they turned back, thumbs-up, teeth glinting.
"This is the way!"
"Wobbuffet~!"
Natsume facepalmed and called Brock.
"How's the situation there?"
Loud battle noises crackled through. Brock's voice was tense.
"Ash is… fine. Pikachu's Thunderbolt shocked the ghost right out of him."
Natsume wasn't surprised. "So it's over?"
"No." Brock's tone darkened.
Brandon, caught off guard, was now shrouded in black mist. His eyes glazed as the Imprisoned Orb clattered to the ground.
The mist thickened. Brock's spine chilled.
"The Portlandis King's real target…"
"…was Pyramid King Brandon all along!"
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