Today was yet another fruitful day!
"Unbelievable! That kid only cast his line once from start to finish—and he actually hooked the ruler of the lake with a single cast! Is this what they call the Fishing Saint Physique?"
Everyone gasped sharply at that.
One cast, one catch!
Terrifying beyond belief!
"The Overlord Feebas beside him is also his partner!"
"No way! That's fake! This lake only has Magikarps and Goldeen, where would an overlord come from?!"
Hmm… this fisherman must have gone mad.
Some of the sharper onlookers quietly approached Ash.
"Hey, little brother, what kind of rod and bait are you using? Mind sharing the secret?"
For the question from this seasoned angler,
Ash naturally gave a glowing recommendation for Lana's Special Selection Bait—
though, of course, if you wanted to buy it, you'd have to go all the way to Alola!
After being hauled onto shore, the two Overlord Pokémon didn't struggle much.
Perhaps the prolonged fight in the water had drained their strength.
Still, the group of anglers showed good sportsmanship—
aside from snapping a few photos, no one stooped to throwing Poké Balls at them.
After resting on shore for a while, the two Pokémon began to stir again.
Seeing this, Ash immediately ordered Pikachu to use Thunderbolt to stun them—
but before he could, Chloe stepped forward, pulling out her Poké Ball.
"My Pokémon—I want to catch it myself!" she said sharply, eyes gleaming with resolve.
The path was there; Chloe had decided to walk it herself.
"Boltund! Spark!"
Energy surged; the air was crackling.
"Waaang!"
Boltund barked, and golden lightning erupted from its body, striking straight toward the Overlord Feebas.
In an instant, the Feebas was enveloped in blinding light—
but it leapt up with Splash, breaking free!
"What?!"
Ash and Pikachu exchanged glances, both reading helplessness in each other's eyes.
"Chloe, let us handle this. Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"Pika—CHUUU!"
As Ash's voice fell, Pikachu's cheeks sparked, and a torrent of lightning exploded forth.
Compared to Boltund's playfulness, Pikachu's Thunderbolt was like a golden serpent,
completely engulfing both Overlord Pokémon.
Even so, their enormous vitality let them endure several seconds under the storm.
Watching this made Team Rocket's trio shudder from afar.
When the lightning faded, both Pokémon were smoking visibly—
yet they were still twitching!
That only deepened Ash's excitement.
Even at its Magikarp stage, it already had that much endurance—
withstanding Pikachu's double-super-effective Thunderbolt without fainting outright.
Now that was champion material!
"Throw your ball, Chloe. Go on—catch your Pokémon."
Ash clapped her on the shoulder encouragingly.
"But which one should I choose?" she murmured, staring at the two Pokémon.
"Magikarp evolves into Gyarados, Feebas into Milotic… both are strong."
The goal of this trip had been to help Chloe catch a promising partner,
and hauling up two Overlord Pokémon was a huge bonus.
Both Gyarados and Milotic were known for their immense potential.
"For a girl, Feebas seems more fitting—after all, Milotic is called the most beautiful Pokémon."
As Chloe wavered, a gentle, mature woman's voice sounded right beside her ear.
Chloe felt a soft hand rest on her shoulder.
She turned—and golden hair caught the sunlight, shimmering like silk.
Her first thought: So cool, yet elegant.
"Champion Cynthia! I didn't expect you here!"
"Long time no see, Ash."
Cynthia brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear,
and the ice of her usual expression melted into a smile like the first bloom after winter.
"This is a slice of Jubilife City's Swiss Roll—want to try?"
The golden-haired beauty took out a neatly wrapped cake from her black coat and handed it to Ash, smiling warmly.
[Wallace ]: I agree with Champion Cynthia—Milotic suits Chloe better. Having a girl command a Gyarados feels a bit brutal, don't you think, Lance?
[Lance]: How would I know? I'm not a girl! And what's wrong with Gyarados being fierce?!
[Sonia]: Cynthia-senpai, please spare me! That side profile just killed me with beauty!
[Flint]: Why does it feel like Big Sis Cynthia and Ash are really close? Even I've never gotten one of those Jubilife Swiss Rolls—and I even mentioned it once to her!
[Lucian]: Think, Flint, think. What's your place in Cynthia's heart—and what's Ash's?
[Flint]: Am I not top three?!
[Lucian]: …Are you serious right now?
On screen—
Ash was surprised to see Cynthia appear,
but since this was Sinnoh, it wasn't all that strange.
After a few words of encouragement from her, Chloe made up her mind.
"Ash, I'll catch Feebas!" she said firmly.
"Then I'll take Gyarados!" Ash replied cheerfully, pulling out a Poké Ball.
"Chloe, let's throw together!"
"...O-Okay."
The two hurled their Poké Balls at the same time—
red light flared, and both Overlord Pokémon were drawn inside.
One shake, two shakes—click!
Both captures were successful.
Ash quickly retrieved the Poké Balls,
handing the one with Feebas to Chloe,
then raised his own high above his head before the watching anglers.
"Overlord Magikarp—caught!"
Chloe's face flushed at his sudden enthusiasm.
Under Ash and Pikachu's bright, expectant gazes, she bit her lip—
then shouted too:
"Overlord Feebas—caught!"
Applause erupted all around.
Chloe's cheeks grew even redder.
She had seen Ash bask in crowds' cheers many times,
but being in that spotlight herself—
it was a whole different feeling.
And though she felt shy,
it wasn't… unpleasant.
From the crowd, Cynthia rested her chin on her hand,
watching the two with a teasing smile.
Ash, you really haven't changed.
[Flint]: Whoa, Big Sis Cynthia's eyes just got way softer! Why doesn't she ever look at me like that?!
[Bruno]: Even I can tell there's something between those two. They're made for each other, man. You, with your explosion hair, should stop talking nonsense.
[Flint]: You can insult me, but not my hair!
[Volkner]: I've said it before—you really should cut that mess. People might think you're cosplaying a buffalo.
[Flint]: You all have no taste! This afro's a masterpiece!
[Cynthia]: Tell you what—if you beat me in a battle, I'll bring you Swiss Rolls. If you lose, though, you're shaving it all off.
[Lucian]: No contest. I'm just here to see bald Fire Elite Flint!
[Flint]: Lucian! For the sake of my afro, I'll never lose!
[Misty]: Uh, guys—has anyone noticed Team Rocket slipped away already?
[Brock]: My intuition tells me there's something… romantic between Cynthia and Ash.
[Sabrina]: Oh? And what exactly did you see?
[Brock]: Nothing. It's pure instinct.
Instinct?
Sabrina stroked the small Ash doll in her hand thoughtfully.
Ash really was popular with girls.
Even older "big sisters" couldn't seem to resist him.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Should she… nip this in the bud early?
But then the memory of Ash challenging her at the Saffron Gym surfaced—
and she sighed.
After all, that was why she liked him in the first place.
If she interfered now, Ash would only be hurt.
"Haunter… do you think Ash likes surprises?"
Sabrina tilted her head toward her floating partner.
"Haun?"
Me?
Meanwhile—
Just as Misty had said,
while Ash was busy catching his Overlord Magikarp,
Team Rocket's trio quietly slipped away from the lakeside.
Unfortunately, around the same time, chaos broke out in the nearby tourist district.
Reports spread fast—Team Rocket was attacking trainers and stealing Pokémon!
This squad wasn't large, but they were elite.
When the local trainers sent out their Pokémon to fight,
Team Rocket deployed advanced capture devices,
snatching them all in an instant.
The locals were stunned—
not even Sinnoh's own villain group, Team Galactic, had such technology.
The trainers were left helpless,
like lambs to the slaughter.
Thankfully, these Rocket elites only targeted Pokémon, not people.
At that moment, Ash—returning from the lake—noticed the commotion.
He overheard the words "Team Rocket" whispered by the rushing crowd.
That name instantly triggered his instincts.
Team Rocket = the trio = Jessie, James, and Meowth…
The equation fit perfectly!
Without hesitation, Ash ran toward the source.
At the center of the chaos stood a sharp-eyed man pushing up his glasses—Agent [RECURRING] Butch (Butch).
As expected, without those three idiots around, the mission was flawless.
"All units, prepare to withdraw," he ordered coolly.
But then—
"You again, Team Rocket! Give back everyone's Pokémon!"
That young, furious voice rang out.
[RECURRING] Butch blinked, turning toward the boy.
That kid again?
No Jessie or James in sight—good.
Without them, he wasn't afraid of some brat.
"You think you alone can stop the Rocket elite? Seems you've never been beaten before. Guys, teach him a lesson."
"Yes, sir!"
Poké Balls flew through the air—
Rhyperior, Purugly, Toxicroak…
These weren't grunts.
The trainer commanding Rhyperior smirked.
All Ash had was a Pikachu?
An ordinary electric rodent from Kanto? Laughable.
He'd crush this kid and his mascot.
But before Rhyperior could even strike—
"Pikachu! Iron Tail!"
What happened next shattered his worldview.
The mighty Rhyperior—
outweighing Pikachu by dozens of times—
was sent flying by a single glowing tail strike!
Impossible!
The other Rockets stood frozen, forgetting to give orders.
"What are you idiots waiting for? Attack!"
[RECURRING] Butch's composure faltered.
No wonder those three kept failing—
This Pikachu was insane!
Even he began to understand their obsession.
But they were Rockets—
and the Rockets never played fair.
"One can't win? Then all together!"
"Purugly, Slash!"
"Toxicroak, Poison Jab!"
A swarm of attacks rained down.
Meanwhile, [RECURRING] Butch commanded the others to load their stolen Poké Balls into helicopters.
They couldn't linger—Officer Jenny would be on the scene any minute.
Let the boy have his little victory; the mission came first.
"Move out!"
As smoke bombs filled the air, Ash tried to give chase,
but the helicopters were already lifting off.
"Brat, count yourself lucky. Next time, you won't be!"
"Stop! Don't run!"
By the time the smoke cleared,
Team Rocket was gone without a trace.
"Damn it! They got away!"
Ash clenched his fists in frustration.
Team Rocket really were the worst!
Moments later, Chloe and Cynthia arrived on the scene.
One glance told Cynthia everything she needed to know.
She opened her mouth to speak words of comfort—
but Ash beat her to it.
"Everyone, don't worry! I'll get your Pokémon back!"
So kind. So Ash.
[Professor Kukui]: Ash… he's going to make me cry again. Always putting others first—our little sun.
[Delia]: My Ash has always been wonderful.
[Lance]: Hmph. Team Rocket really hasn't changed at all, have they?
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