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"But there's one more that escaped!" The three Team Rocket members who had disappeared for a long time had returned, tracking their targets persistently.
Seeing so many Pikachu gathered in one place left them speechless with excitement. One Pikachu was powerful enough, but capturing this many would surely earn them a promotion to Executive rank.
"It doesn't matter. That one must have gone to find Pikachu—that little twerp's Pikachu. It'll actually help lure them right to us!" Jessie said with a sinister smile.
They could have easily caught the little Pikachu that had just run away, but their true target had always been Ash's Pikachu. So they deliberately let the smaller one escape.
Meanwhile, at the camp, the three trainers were preparing to rest for the night.
"Pika! Pika!"
"Huh?" Ash, Misty, and Brock quickly looked up at the sound, spotting Pikachu standing at the edge of the tall grass. The Electric-type was staring at Ash with an unusual expression, anxiety evident in its eyes.
"What's wrong, Pikachu?" Ash, who had been about to enter his tent, stood up and looked at his partner with concern. Upon hearing Ash's voice, Pikachu seemed momentarily stunned.
"Pika! Pi!"
The yellow Pokémon darted forward and leaped onto Ash's chest. Slightly startled, Ash instinctively caught his partner, sensing something was troubling the Electric-type. He gently stroked Pikachu's head.
"Don't worry, Pikachu. I wasn't planning for you to stay here permanently. I just wanted you to spend some time with your friends," Ash said softly, trying to comfort his clearly anxious partner.
Pikachu visibly relaxed at Ash's reassurance. When it had returned to find Ash missing from where it had left him, panic had set in, causing Pikachu to rush back without even saying goodbye to its wild companions.
Misty and Brock exchanged knowing smiles at the touching scene. Ash had been right—the bond between him and Pikachu couldn't be broken by anyone or anything.
The tender moment was abruptly interrupted by a commotion from the undergrowth. A smaller Pikachu burst through the grass, its expression frantic as it looked at Ash and his Pikachu.
"Pika-Pi! Pikachu! Pika Pika!"
The wild Pikachu was clearly distressed, chattering urgently to Ash's Pikachu. Surprise flashed across Pikachu's face as it listened, and it quickly jumped down from Ash's arms. It called back to the smaller Pikachu several times, seemingly asking for details.
After the wild Pikachu's hurried explanation, Ash's Pikachu immediately followed it back into the forest.
"What's happening?" Misty asked, looking confused.
"Something must have happened to the other Pikachu. We need to go too!" Ash said, quickly understanding the situation. The three trainers immediately followed the Pokémon's path into the trees.
After making their way through the dense jungle back to the Pikachu habitat, they heard panicked cries.
"Pika! Pikachuuuu!"
They spotted Ash's Pikachu and the smaller one trapped under a net on the ground. A mechanical claw descended from a basket hanging beneath a hot air balloon floating above. The chain-operated device grabbed the net containing both Pikachu and began slowly hoisting them into the air. Maniacal laughter echoed from the balloon's basket.
"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, blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth! That's right!"
"Hahaha! You're too late, twerps! With all these Pikachu, Team Rocket's future is electrifyingly bright!" Three familiar silhouettes appeared in the balloon's basket.
"Team Rocket?!"
"You guys again?! Don't you ever give up?" Ash frowned in anger while Misty and Brock voiced their frustration.
These wild Pikachu had been living peacefully until Team Rocket arrived to cause trouble. What made it worse was the realization that Team Rocket might have followed them here—meaning they had inadvertently led these villains straight to the Pikachu colony. The thought made the trio even more determined to stop them.
Ash didn't waste time with words. He watched as Pikachu and the smaller Electric-type were hoisted higher, then immediately gave chase, with Misty and Brock following close behind.
"Hey, look! They're falling for it!" The Team Rocket members grinned wickedly at the sight.
BOOM!
"Ahhh!"
The ground beneath the three trainers suddenly gave way with a loud crack, and Misty let out a startled cry. A huge pitfall appeared where they had been walking, and all three tumbled into its depths.
"Hahaha! Did you really think we wouldn't be prepared for you, twerps? We've had this trap ready for ages!"
"The Pikachu walked right over it without triggering anything—it was specially calibrated for human weight!" Team Rocket boasted proudly from above.
The trap had been designed not to activate for the lighter Pikachu, but would definitely collapse under human weight. Team Rocket had recognized Ash's devotion to his Pikachu and deliberately used the Electric-types as bait.
BOOM!
James released a cannonball from the hot air balloon, which exploded mid-air and deployed a large net. The mesh descended rapidly, headed straight for the pit where Ash and his friends were trapped.
The net fell perfectly, covering the entire pitfall like a lid, as if Team Rocket feared their trap alone wouldn't be enough to contain their adversaries.
"Now we can make our getaway with peace of mind!" James declared smugly.
As he spoke, Meowth increased the balloon's burner power, and their aircraft began to rise rapidly into the sky. Misty's brow furrowed with worry as she watched their escape.
"What do we do now? They're taking all the Pikachu!"
"You think a simple trap like this can hold us? Scyther, use Fury Cutter!" Ash called confidently. If he hadn't been so concerned about Pikachu, he might not have fallen for such an obvious trap, but he wasn't worried about escaping.
He threw a Poké Ball, and Scyther materialized in a flash of light. The Bug-type soared upward, its blade-like forearms glowing as it executed Fury Cutter, easily slicing through the net. Scyther flew free as Ash continued issuing commands.
"Brock, use Onix!"
"Got it! Go, Onix!"
Brock immediately understood Ash's plan and tossed his Poké Ball, releasing the massive Rock Snake Pokémon.
As soon as Onix appeared, the confines of the pit became crowded. Fortunately, Onix's body stretched upward, creating space for the trainers. The three climbed onto Onix's rocky segments, readying themselves for their counterattack against Team Rocket.