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After Bruno bid farewell and departed, the camping life of the three companions returned to its normal routine. The only difference was that they now had an extra member in their group.
After capturing Onix, Ash's Pokémon lineup had been strengthened once again. Although Bruno had left, Ash's rigorous training continued without interruption.
Ash incorporated Onix into his training regimen as well. However, to be completely honest, given its massive size and natural strength, it didn't really need much training—or rather, most standard training exercises were far too simple for it.
Nevertheless, Onix followed along with the practice sessions without showing any impatience whatsoever. It also got along remarkably well with the other Pokémon.
Despite its intimidating appearance, from a human perspective, Onix was actually a gentle giant with a warm personality.
It didn't mind at all when Charizard occasionally came over looking for a sparring match, and it wasn't nearly as aggressive or competitive as Electivire and Scizor tended to be.
As a result, Onix quickly bonded with the rest of the team. During their camping sessions, it would use its enormous body as a natural shelter and windbreak. When resting at night, it would curl its massive form protectively around Squirtle and the smaller Pokémon.
The days of intensive training passed steadily, one after another, and the opening day of the Pokémon League's Indigo Plateau Conference drew ever closer.
Before anyone quite realized it, more than twenty days had passed since Ash began practicing in these mountains. Now only a few days remained before the Indigo Plateau Conference would officially begin.
Since the journey back would take some time, today was effectively the last day they would spend at Mount Hideaway.
Over the course of nearly a full month, all the Pokémon's strength had improved dramatically, and several had learned impressive new techniques as well.
"I never imagined I could actually stay in the wilderness for an entire month!"
At dusk, after Ash had given all the Pokémon permission to rest, the three companions ventured outside the camp to collect some wild berries. As they prepared to return, Misty hugged Togepi close and spoke with a satisfied smile.
Although they'd camped outdoors many times before, it was quite rare to spend such an extended period in the wild with only a single focused purpose.
"Actually, extended outdoor training is pretty normal for serious Trainers," Brock responded with his characteristic smile, his eyes crinkling closed contentedly.
This time hadn't just been about wilderness training—he'd also met his idol Bruno in person, which had put him in exceptionally good spirits.
"Today is our final night here. Thank you both for all your hard work during this time," Ash said as they walked together.
"You don't have to be so formal with us!" Misty smiled and waved her hand dismissively after hearing this.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Just as everyone was making their way back toward the camp, suddenly a series of powerful explosions rang out. The expressions of all three companions changed dramatically upon hearing the sounds.
Numerous Flying-type Pokémon throughout the forest were startled by the disturbance and took flight in alarm. Ash and the others heard the commotion at the same moment.
"What? What's happening?" The explosions had occurred quite close to their position. The sounds resembled something detonating violently. They looked up into the air and saw thick plumes of smoke rising not far away.
"That's coming from the camp!" Brock's expression shifted with alarm. Judging by the position where the smoke was billowing upward, it was obviously originating from their campsite.
Ash's brow furrowed with concern, and he immediately sprinted toward the camp. Brock and Misty quickly followed after seeing his urgency.
"Ha ha ha ha! This time we can capture all of that little brat's Pokémon at once!"
When they reached the camp location, the surrounding ground was covered with devastation—charred craters and blast marks everywhere. The area had clearly suffered a powerful assault.
Many of their Pokémon lay scattered on the ground, obviously having been attacked while resting.
At that moment, a massive mechanical figure stood menacingly before the fallen Pokémon. A mechanical Meowth approximately five to six meters tall loomed over them.
This mechanical Meowth was heavily armed, featuring a pair of sharp metallic claws for hands, rocket boosters mounted like a backpack on its back, side-by-side cannon barrels positioned on its shoulders, and a red R-shaped emblem emblazoned on its belly.
"But... is this really okay? The Boss already announced that Team Rocket has been disbanded!"
Inside the mechanical Meowth's cockpit were none other than the trio of Jessie, James, and Meowth.
James looked somewhat hesitant and uncertain. His personality had always been rather timid to begin with, especially after the incident with the Slowpoke at Slowpoke Well.
After hearing Misty mention something about Team Rocket's disbandment back then, they initially hadn't taken it seriously. However, after being blasted away that time, it wasn't long before they'd seen confirmation on the news. That's when they discovered Misty's claim hadn't been false at all.
After investigating for themselves, they'd learned that Team Rocket really had been disbanded. Some members had apparently relocated to the Johto Region, while their Boss—the one they'd served directly—remained in Viridian City.
Originally, they'd wanted to travel to Viridian City to speak with the Boss in person. However, Viridian City was now under heavy police surveillance, making it impossible for them to enter.
Through their investigation, they'd also discovered that a boy traveling with a Pikachu had defeated their Boss, which had led directly to Team Rocket's disbandment.
When they heard about the Pikachu detail, they'd immediately suspected it was Ash. Not understanding Giovanni's true motivations, they'd assumed Giovanni had been so devastated by losing to such a young Trainer that it had affected him psychologically, prompting him to disband the entire organization.
Initially, they'd been completely demoralized. After all, having your fundamental beliefs shattered after serving so loyally for so long was extremely difficult to accept.
However, they'd soon regained their determination and energy. Feeling deeply loyal to their Boss, they'd decided to defeat Ash and help Giovanni recover his spirit and confidence.
"What nonsense are you talking about? We have to help the Boss regain his motivation and strength!" Jessie declared through gritted teeth.
She absolutely refused to accept that their Boss had actually disbanded the organization just because he'd been defeated by some kid.
"That's right, meow! We can never let the Boss stay depressed like this! We must work hard to win back the Boss's favor, meow!"
Meowth chimed in emphatically. If Team Rocket was truly disbanded, that meant only Persian would remain by the Boss's side in the future. Meowth absolutely couldn't accept such an outcome.
"Alright! I'll follow your lead!" Seeing both his companions so determined, James rallied his courage once more.
"Okay! Launch the Electro Web attack, meow!"
After those words, Meowth pressed a button on the control panel. The mechanical Meowth suddenly opened its massive jaws wide, then began spitting out black spherical projectiles one after another.
The spheres exploded in mid-air, unfurling into large nets crackling with blue electrical energy that descended from above like a deadly rain.
Witnessing this attack, Charizard and several other Pokémon who had been less affected by the initial explosion quickly tried to evade. However, many other Pokémon couldn't avoid the nets in time.
The falling Electro Webs landed directly on the bodies of numerous Pokémon. The moment their bodies made contact with the electrified nets, powerful electrical currents surged through them.