Following Pikachu's lead, Kazuki and Officer Jenny made their way to a hilltop.
Just then, a shadow swept across the sky. Kazuki looked up and spotted a familiar sight—
a Meowth-shaped hot air balloon.
"Again? Team Rocket!"
"Man, their funding must be crazy. They've got a new balloon every single time we see them!"
"Team Rocket?" Officer Jenny instantly snapped to attention upon hearing the name. "That Pokémon-stealing criminal gang?!"
"So it was them meddling behind the scenes!" she growled.
As Kazuki looked up to confirm Pikachu's direction, his [Aura Power] flared in his mind.
Ever since boosting his mental strength by 50%, his Aura ability had leveled up significantly—it was sharper than ever.
"Officer Jenny! Hit the brakes!" Kazuki shouted without hesitation.
Though unsure of what was happening, Jenny immediately trusted Kazuki's instinct and yanked the brakes.
BOOM!
Right in front of them, an explosive charge thrown by Team Rocket detonated.
Though the two dodged the blast, the sudden brake caused them both to be flung forward from the motorcycle due to inertia.
Kazuki reacted fast, grabbing Officer Jenny tightly around the waist, rolling with her several times over the grass to absorb the fall.
"U-um! I know you were trying to protect me, so this technically isn't assaulting an officer… but could you maybe let go now?"
"The fireworks they threw don't seem that strong. We'll be fine if we just stay cautious."
Jenny's normally bold tone came out unusually flustered.
Kazuki glanced down—and realized his hand had landed squarely on the soft, ample swell of her chest.
"Uh—sorry, Officer Jenny!"
Just as he released her, Misty emerged from a nearby cave.
Seeing Kazuki on top of Officer Jenny, sprawled out across the grass, her eyes went wide.
"H-hey! What are you two doing?! This is still outside, you know! Is this… is this really appropriate?!"
"Pikachu! Staryu! Quick, cover your eyes! Don't look at this indecency!"
Kazuki stood up and helped Jenny to her feet, then walked over and flicked Misty lightly on the forehead.
"What are you even imagining? Can't you see Team Rocket's bombing from the sky?!"
"Weren't you supposed to be rescuing Staryu? Let's go!"
"Uh… no need. Turns out the Squirtles were just pulling a prank. Look!"
Misty pointed back toward the cave—Squirtle and Staryu strolled out, chatting and laughing as if nothing had happened.
But just as they stepped outside—
Whoosh!
A massive net dropped from above, snatching up the four Squirtles and Staryu all at once.
"Bwahaha! These Pokémon are ours now!"
"Huh? Meowth, didn't we miss Pikachu?" Meowth blinked, tilting his head.
"Wait, what? We did?" James leaned over the balloon's edge. "Should we grab him too?"
"Nah. Let's just call it a day!" Jessie scowled, catching sight of Officer Jenny below.
"These rotten Squirtles stole my lunch earlier—I'm taking them home and making them pay!"
"Quick! Toss more bombs—we're not letting that brat ruin this again!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosives rained down—not powerful, but enough to ignite the surrounding forest, turning the area into instant chaos.
"Squirtle! Squirtle!"
The Squirtle leader climbed onto a boulder, blasting water to save his comrades.
But Team Rocket had already flown out of range—his water couldn't reach.
"Squirtle! Squirtle!!"
In a panic, the leader Squirtle leapt down from his perch and ran straight to Kazuki, eyes wide with desperation.
"Squirtle! Squirtle!"
It pleaded for help—for Kazuki to rescue its brothers.
"I can help you save them—but you'll need to atone for your pranks first."
"Look around—the forest is on fire. If we don't stop it soon, it'll spread to the whole town."
"Squirtle!!"
Understanding immediately, the Squirtle leader gave a firm nod, then sprinted onto a large rock and began blasting water to extinguish the flames.
Seeing it finally choose the right path, Kazuki pulled out a Poké Ball and began organizing a rescue plan.
——————————————————
"Bwahaha! That annoying Squirtle! It can't touch us now—feels good to finally win one!" Jessie cackled.
"Don't let your guard down, meow! That brat still has a Pidgeotto that can chase us down!" Meowth warned.
"Heh." James smirked. "What do you think I am? A loser who never learns?"
"This time, I reinforced the balloon with steel rings! Even if Pidgeotto hits us with its strongest move, it won't pop our balloon!"
"It's coming! It's coming! It's Pidgeotto again!!"
"Don't panic! I told you—it's reinforced!" James repeated nervously, though he and Meowth instinctively huddled closer together.
"Wait… why does this Pidgeotto look weird? What's that yellow thing on its back? Some kind of… tumor?" Jessie squinted in confusion.
James looked up. "Tumor? That's not a—"
"Pikachu!?"
"Pikachu!" ×2
All three shouted in unison.
"Pikaaaaa~~~CHU!!!"
Pidgeotto soared closer—and Pikachu, mounted on its back, launched a powerful Thunder Shock!
The "reinforced" steel rings turned out to be the perfect conductors.
"Meowth, why is Pikachu flying?!"
"What kinda combo move is this?!"
"Since when could Pokémon do that?!"
Each of the three croaked out a line of disbelief—
And then the balloon exploded, sending them rocketing into the sky.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" ×3
Twinkle~!