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The Johto region is located west of the Kanto region. These two regions are actually on the same continent, and like Kanto, the climate here is mild. In the eastern part of the Johto region is Mt. Silver, which connects the Kanto and Johto regions. And Ash and his group's first destination, New Bark Town, was the starting point for challenging the Johto League. They needed to register at the Pokémon Center in New Bark Town to sign up for the Johto League Silver Conference. But when they arrived, they found that Nurse Joy wasn't there; she had gone to Professor Elm's laboratory.
"Then let's just wait!" Misty was exhausted. But Brock, a big sister-complex fan, immediately grew anxious. "Now's not the time to be calm! She hasn't returned so late. Nurse Joy must be in trouble!" To his surprise, Brock was right. When Ash and Misty were dragged by Brock to Professor Elm's laboratory, they happened to hear the alarm blaring. Officer Jenny had pulled up a police line at the lab entrance.
"Officer Jenny, you've worked hard!" Seeing Officer Jenny, Brock immediately darted over, a bouquet of flowers somehow appearing in his hand. Where did you learn magic? "My name is Brock, please treat me well!" "I came all the way here just to see you..." Before he could finish speaking, Misty pulled him away. Ash stepped forward and asked, "Officer Jenny, is this Professor Elm's laboratory?" Ash and Misty both had Pokémon with them, so their identities were obvious. Officer Jenny naturally wouldn't make things difficult for them. It turned out that Professor Elm, obsessed with research, had allowed a Totodile to be taken by someone. This Totodile was the Water-type starter Pokémon given to new trainers in the Johto region. If it were lost, it would mean that a new trainer would be unable to start their journey because they couldn't get their first Pokémon.
Soon, Officer Jenny's team found clues and deduced that they were footprints left by a thief. A man, a woman, and a cat. "It's them!" Ash and Misty exchanged glances. They were far too familiar with such a combination!
"Growlithe, I'm counting on you!" Growlithe was indeed Officer Jenny's most trusted partner. Growlithe, trained by the Officer Jenny family, could even use the scent remaining in footprints to track down the opponent's location. Growlithe and Pikachu took the lead. Ash and Officer Jenny, along with Brock and Misty, pursued them from behind. Before long, they spotted Team Rocket!
"Team Rocket, release that Totodile!" Ash uttered the classic line! But upon closer inspection, they realized that Totodile had actually bitten onto Jessie's long hair and was hanging behind Jessie.
"We won't listen to you! If you tell us to release it, we absolutely won't!" Jessie yelled back, then turned and pulled James and Meowth to run. However, Ash was quick to act, directly throwing a Poké Ball. "Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!" The powerful Vine Whip tripped the three, leaving them no chance to escape.
"Since that's the case!" James stood up to fight. "Go, Weezing!" Weezing spewed black smoke, obscuring everyone's vision. But just as they thought of using the smoke to escape, Ash had already thrown another Poké Ball. "Charizard, I choose you! Blow away the black smoke!"
Summoning Charizard, Ash carefully observed his old partner. It was about a head taller than himself and looked very strong, but it was actually a bit smaller than the Pokédex description. Charizard flapped its wings, and the black smoke dispersed. With their vision restored, Team Rocket once again lost their chance to escape.
"Bulbasaur, pull Totodile back for me!" Bulbasaur controlled its Vine Whip to pull Totodile, who was still biting onto Jessie's hair, back. "Damn it, that little guy finally let me go!" Jessie, feeling her head lighten, also threw out her Poké Ball. "Lickitung, grab Totodile for me!"
"Charizard, Flamethrower!"
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"What!" Team Rocket's trio was shocked. They knew that the strongest Pokémon in Ash's hands were Pikachu and Charizard. Now, these two were attacking together! Flames and electricity simultaneously struck the two humans and one cat. They inexplicably exploded again, sending them flying.
"What an awful feeling!" Hearing that voice, Ash felt that his trip was worthwhile. "They can really fly!" Misty couldn't help but complain. Then, Ash handed Totodile to Officer Jenny. Although Team Rocket's trio flew away, recovering Totodile was enough. After Ash registered his participation at the Pokémon Center, the group set off again, heading for the nearby city with a gym, Violet City.
Charizard: 145/255