Chapter 3: Why Not Join Our Team, Team Rocket?

Kasumi was almost fainted with rage; how could she run into such an eccentric person!

"You little thief, you stole my bicycle today!"

She scolded him righteously.

"You've got the wrong person."

Red just glanced at her indifferently.

Afterward, he shook off her arm and continued walking forward, minding his own business.

She was nothing more than a girl trying to pull a scam.

He still remembered that back in the day, there were many trainers who would send out Rattatas to attack his Charizard. Before he even commanded an attack, the opponent would run headfirst into Charizard’s belly and instantly lose the ability to battle.

Then, they would demand medical compensation from him.

Come to think of it, why does this woman look a bit like the second Gym Leader from his world?

Well, just a few years younger.

But Red was face-blind; if she weren't wearing a swimsuit, he really wouldn't have recognized her.

However, he had forgotten that his current body was just that of a naive novice trainer; no one would ever try to pull a scam on him.

"You..."

Kasumi was so angry she couldn't speak. She stood there trembling, pointing at his back, and only when he had walked far away did she suddenly snap out of it and hurriedly chase after him.

Report him to the authorities!

Yes, report him—this was simply lawless!

Besides, Officer Jenny was right next door!

In the Pokémon Center lobby late at night, there weren't many trainers.

Red arrived at the lobby and saw a charred bicycle still lying at the entrance.

"Who left this salted fish here?"

Red shook his head, stepped over it, and then turned his gaze toward the computer nearby; this was his target.

"Please..."

He muttered in a low voice, his flat tone carrying a hint of excitement and prayer.

Sweat had already beaded on Red's forehead. His hands trembled as he opened the computer and selected the option to access Pokémon.

"Ash's computer."

"Red's computer."

When he saw the second signature, Red’s entire body felt as if it had been sublimated.

He couldn't remember the last time he had been this excited.

Perhaps it was that time in the Champion's room at the Indigo Plateau, when he taught Green—who had only been Champion for three minutes—a lesson?

He clicked the option, and when he saw the familiar Pokémon still lined up in the computer, Red almost screamed with excitement.

"..."

But he was already withdrawn now; he could only stare at the computer screen in silence, though his eyes were already moist.

Although he knew he was nothing more than a game character, those Pokémon were his most precious partners.

Emotions cannot be faked.

If he could travel through worlds so strangely, but his Pokémon were to be forever trapped and lost in another world, he would rather not have had this journey at all.

"Click!"

Without hesitation, Red hurriedly tried to pick one Pokémon from the list and place it into his travel party.

*Zzzzt!*

With the crackle of electricity from the transfer device, a Poké Ball appeared in Red's hand.

Feeling the familiar aura, he threw it out with a trembling hand.

"Come out..."

The next moment, a Pokémon identical to the Pikachu on his shoulder appeared in the Pokémon Center lobby.

Only, this one had darker fur, a rounder face that differed from a normal Pikachu's, and a powerful aura that leaked out faintly—at a glance, it was clearly a veteran actor of the highest caliber.

A seasoned electric mouse!

The round-faced Pikachu opened its eyes and looked around curiously, as if adapting to this new environment.

"Pika?"

Seeing this, Ash's Pikachu jumped down and locked eyes with the new round-faced Pikachu.

The two electric mice performed the same action, turning their backs to each other simultaneously, their tails touching.

"This is a very formidable senior..."

With just a simple tail-touch, Ash's Pikachu knew that the one in front of him was a "big boss" Pikachu.

"?"

Kasumi arrived late, and upon seeing this scene in the lobby, she couldn't help but rub her eyes.

How was she seeing two Pikachus?

Had they already learned a high-level skill like "Double Team"?

Even so, that was no excuse for being a bike thief!

Thinking of this, Kasumi walked over angrily again, intending to deliver a "triple justice" strike.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass came from above.

Three figures broke through the roof of the Pokémon Center and descended from the sky, striking a very handsome pose upon landing.

One was a woman with long red hair, styled with plenty of hair wax.

The other was a man with blue seaweed-like hair, both wearing uniforms engraved with the letter "R"—at a glance, they looked like excellent employees of some large multinational corporation.

Plus a Meowth of a strange species, which was actually walking upright, its expression as cunning and varied as a human's.

"Who are you!?"

Kasumi blurted out instinctively.

This sentence seemed to trigger some kind of mechanical switch, instantly activating the trio.

A string of flashy lines, like bullets being loaded into a chamber, was fired off: "Da-da-da!"

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

For a moment, the large Pokémon Center was stunned by this dialogue; it felt as if even the air had frozen.

*Clap, clap, clap!*

Just as everyone fell into silence, Red suddenly began to clap, breaking the awkwardness.

So, are the real humans of this world all like this?

Do they perform a piece of performance art whenever they meet someone?

Should he also follow the local customs and design an entrance line?

Otherwise, what if his identity is exposed one day, and it turns out he's just a stupid outsider?

Red thought to himself.

"Kid, you've got good taste!"

"Why don't you join Team Rocket?"

Jessie and James instantly maxed out their impression of the boy in front of them.

Team Rocket?

Hearing this, Red muttered to himself.

In his own game world, Team Rocket was the evil organization he had single-handedly dismantled—just him and one mouse.

Even their boss, Giovanni, had been defeated by him.

He didn't expect this world to have a Team Rocket too?

Has Team Rocket's business expanded across worlds?

"So it was you! You are the thieves who specialize in stealing other people's Pokémon!"

At this moment, Kasumi suddenly scolded them righteously.

There were wanted posters of the three of them posted right at the entrance of the Pokémon Center. After saying that, she added another sentence with a hint of sarcasm

"That's even more detestable than the little thief who stole my bike! Don't you think? Trainer with the Pikachu?"

Red: "???"

If your bike was stolen, go find Officer Jenny; why are you always trying to pull a scam on him, a passerby?

As expected, has my identity as an outsider been exposed?

Before Red could speak, Team Rocket took over the conversation.

Jessie tilted her head, nostrils flared, and said proudly

"Hey, little girl, don't you dare compare us Team Rocket to some small-time crooks."

James also rubbed his muscular chest and teased

"Tsk tsk, the little blonde girl hasn't even fully developed yet, and she dares to insult our great Team Rocket!"

Meowth extended its sharp claws, its expression fierce, in a provocative stance as if it were about to scratch someone.

"Don't you dare look down on us, little girl!"

"You... you... you..."

Kasumi was once again so angry that her pretty face turned red, and she couldn't speak.

In a battle of wits, she was slightly inferior.

But was that guy named James a pervert? What was the meaning of him constantly rubbing his chest muscles?

"Go, go, go, don't disturb our work."

"There must be many Pokémon here; we'll catch them all to contribute to the great construction of Team Rocket!"

The Team Rocket trio was already looking around, searching for where the Poké Ball storage was hidden.

Kasumi hurriedly pushed Red to the front.

"Trainer with the Pikachu, hurry up and defeat them!"

Red: "?"

He was just a pure passerby, using someone else's body; watching from the sidelines was the most appropriate thing for him to do.

"Oh, the kid with good taste wants to intervene?"

"Although we appreciate you, if you want to intervene, don't blame us for being impolite."

"Just relying on those two common electric mice? Meowth is laughing, what can an electric mouse do?"

"!"

Originally, Red wanted to stay out of it, but he didn't expect the other party to dare speak ill of Pikachu.

His brows furrowed, and his temper slowly flared up.

Red was a veteran electric mouse fan.

Well then, let's try out what a battle in this world is like.

Hmm, just this once!