"You brat!"
"How dare you look down on us!"
"We'll show you the might of Team Rocket, meow!"
"Wobbuffet!"
Team Rocket naturally misunderstood Ash's smile.
Seeing them, who had almost lost their will to fight, become motivated again, Ash scratched his cheek apologetically and said with a smile, "Before we battle, can I ask you a question? Have you seen my Aipom?"
Each of them had a large question mark over their heads.
What do you mean? What does it have to do with us that your Pokémon is missing? Why are you asking us?
Just as Team Rocket was pondering this, suddenly there was a commotion above them.
As they all looked up, they saw a purple figure jumping down from a tree, its tail flashing with a dazzling white light.
"Aip~ Aip~ Aip!"
"It's Aipom, meow!"
"Hey, Wobbuffet!"
"Wobbuffet!"
In a flurry of hasty repositioning, Team Rocket finally managed to move Wobbuffet below Aipom before it could attack, letting Wobbuffet deal with it.
"Quick, use Counter!"
Jessie didn't care about the details and issued the command directly.
But even if Jessie didn't give the order, it wouldn't matter.
I mean, Wobbuffet was already mature.
In so many battles, it had long grown to the point where it could rely on itself.
A mere Focus Punch was far too simple for it to reflect.
"Wobbuffet!!"
Wobbuffet stood upright, a layer of white light flashing on its body.
Just as Focus Punch was about to hit Wobbuffet, and then be bounced back as a matter of course, Aipom began to giggle, looking like its plan had succeeded, and jumped to the side.
"Huh?"
Aipom's abruptly halted attack once again bewildered Team Rocket.
They hadn't even reacted to what had happened.
They only felt that tingling sensation spreading throughout their bodies again.
They looked with difficulty towards Ash, only to realize that while Aipom had been drawing their attention, Pikachu had taken the opportunity to gather power and use Thunderbolt on them for the second time.
"Li-li-li....."
"You brat!!!"
"You're too despicable
la!!!"
"So-so-so~~nans!"
This time, Pikachu's Thunderbolt was a full-powered strike that had been carefully gathered, so naturally it wouldn't end so simply.
Also, Ash, noticing that the white light on Wobbuffet's body had disappeared, waved his hand and commanded Aipom, "Aipom, Focus Punch!"
Without the threat of Mirror Coat, Aipom's attack was naturally unstoppable.
Accompanied by Aipom's heavy punch, combined with the power of Thunderbolt, an explosion suddenly rang out in the forest.
Then, several figures flew into the sky.
It was the same ending as usual.
Team Rocket was once again blasted away by Ash, turning into shooting stars in the sky.
"Why is this happening?!!"
"Meow, humans' growth is terrifying.
I didn't expect even a kid to start using such tricks."
"I told you our preparations this time were too rough.
If you had listened to me earlier..."
"Shut up!" ×2
"Wobbuffet!!"
"I hate this feeling!!!!!" ×n
Watching Team Rocket turn into shooting stars, Ash clapped his hands in satisfaction and said, "Well done, thanks for your hard work~ But I really didn't expect to meet Team Rocket in that situation... They really don't give up."
"Pika..."
"oki!"
For the Team Rocket trio, Pikachu seemed a little tired.
I mean, it was their target, being watched day and night like that.
It was impossible not to be tired.
Compared to Pikachu, Aipom seemed much more excited.
It seemed to be still immersed in the Focus Punch that sent the trio into the sky.
It kept waving its fist-like tail, still waving it forward.
Although it was a little short, it really had the aura of a boxer.
Ash saw Pikachu's fatigue and Aipom's quietness after the excitement.
Although they had rested for a long time on the plane, for some reason, unless they were lying in bed to Rest, sleeping on a long-distance bus or plane could hardly be called Rest.
At most, it just made people feel less sleepy.
The fatigue brought by the long journey still needs to find a place to settle down and Rest first.
"In short, let's put the Team Rocket matter aside for now, let's head towards the first city.
Let's go, it seems...wait, let me see."
Ash said this, then, under the confused gazes of Pikachu and Aipom, he took out the Sinnoh region map from his backpack, confirmed the markings on the map, and then put it back and said, "Twinleaf Town doesn't seem far from our location, it should take another half an hour or so to get there.
Once we get to Twinleaf Town, let's have a good feast and then rest up."
"Pika!"
"Oki!"
Hearing that there would be a feast soon, Pikachu and Aipom were both exceptionally excited, but it wasn't just them, Ash was feeling just as excited.
Of course, the feast is only one aspect of it, the bigger reason is probably only known to Ash himself.
Twinleaf Town, I really miss it.
Walking slowly down the slope towards the bottom of the hill, the breeze passed through from one side of the road, bringing a hint of coolness to the hot summer, and Ash's thoughts traveled back to the memory of his encounter with her along with the wind.
Will she be in Twinleaf Town? Or has she already set off?
The one Ash is longing for now should be the girl named Dawn, who was the most tacit and had the most similar personality to him in many travels.
Speaking of regrets, the journey with Dawn can also be said to have ended with regret... Even though everyone initially agreed to travel together for a little longer, it ultimately didn't happen because Dawn had something to attend to.
But of course, it concerned Dawn's future, so he and Brock naturally wouldn't say anything.
They simply offered their most sincere blessings and said their final goodbyes.
Memories are Pearl, friendship is Diamond.
Even though the last period was a bit regrettable, they still moved towards their dreams.
But, unlike himself, Dawn had already completed her dream, achieving final victory at a large festival several years later, while his dream was paused and rewound on that stage.
Whether this journey can still be with Dawn is still a mystery.
The original incident has changed due to his involvement.
Will the future encounters with Dawn and reunions with Brock also change as a result?
Ash is unaware of this, but despite that, the journey must continue.
You never know what the future holds until you reach tomorrow, and that's the beauty of travel.