The next morning.
Early dawn.
Ash stood in neat formation with his Pokémon, doing morning calisthenics.
It was said that exercising like this reduced the risk of fractures in old age.
"Alright! Let's keep moving toward becoming a Pokémon Master!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu raised its little paws, responding first.
The harder you work, the luckier you get!
Ash and his Pokémon shouted their oath with fiery enthusiasm, the noise giving the just-awakened Misty a splitting headache.
By the way… what does 'Pokémon Master' even mean?!
"Hmph! A Pokémon Master is, of course, the greatest existence of all—"
BOOOOM!!
Before Ash could finish, a thunderous explosion rang out from the sky.
Three dark silhouettes descended dramatically from above.
There were no speakers anywhere, yet it felt as though over-the-top background music was blaring.
"Who goes there?!" Ash shouted instinctively.
"!"
"!"
"****!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"And Meowth, that's right!"
"We are Team Rocket, traveling across the galaxy!"
The trio struck a bizarre new pose atop a rocky platform—somehow ridiculous and cool at the same time.
"Ugh, you Team Rocket people are seriously relentless," Misty said flatly.
"Hmph! We came especially for the perceptive little brat," Jessie declared.
"That Pikachu is clearly a rare mutant—destined to belong to Team Rocket!" James added.
"Idiot, nyah! Don't tell them the plan!" Meowth snapped.
Ash had originally thought they were here to encourage him.
Instead, they were after Pikachu again.
Panicking, he scooped Pikachu into his arms.
"Oh? You're trying to resist?"
"We only lost last time because we were careless!"
"This time, defeat is guaranteed for you!"
They released their Pokémon once more.
Ekans.
Koffing.
There was no helping it—budget constraints.
Low-ranking Team Rocket members like these three could only requisition Pokémon like this.
That said, rumors claimed Team Rocket was undergoing internal reforms, improving logistics and supply-side efficiency.
Maybe soon they'd be able to borrow powerful Pokémon used by elite operatives.
Ash, meanwhile, was utterly confused.
Isn't this our first time meeting?
What do they mean 'last time'?
Are they trying to scam me?
Still, seeing Ekans and Koffing clearly wasn't harmless, Ash didn't dare take them lightly and prepared to send Pikachu out.
After all—this would be his first real battle.
Just thinking about it made his blood boil with excitement.
"Wait!" Jessie suddenly shouted.
"Pikachu is the loot—so it's not allowed to battle!"
Ash froze.
That… actually sounded logical.
"Then come back, Pikachu."
Misty: "???"
Why did this insane sense of mutual understanding exist?!
"Then—it's your turn! Pidgey!"
Ash sent out his second Pokémon.
In a flash of red light, Pidgey spread its wings, brown feathers gleaming, full of spirit.
Seeing Ash prepare to fight two opponents alone, Misty hurriedly shouted:
"There are two of them! Send out another Pokémon!"
"But… that would break the battle rules," Ash replied hesitantly.
In Kanto, single battles were the norm.
Double battles were rare.
"Since when did League rules say you get to steal someone's Pokémon after winning?!" Misty snapped.
She was about to pass out from frustration.
Why did yesterday's Ash feel like a battle-hardened veteran—
But today he's acting like a clueless rookie?!
Is he doing this on purpose just to mess with me?!
Team Rocket, of course, didn't wait for them to finish arguing.
"Ekans! Use Bite!"
"Koffing! Use Poison Gas!"
Ekans lunged forward with its jaws wide.
Pidgey beat its wings and soared upward, dodging the bite.
Purple smoke surged toward it—
Pidgey flapped again, whipping up a dusty whirlwind that scattered the gas.
Gust!
As a second-stage evolution, Pidgey wasn't weak—it could fight right away.
Ash quickly scanned it with the Pokédex.
"Beep. Pidgey—a very common Bird Pokémon. Likes eating Caterpie."
"Moves: Tackle, Quick Attack, Gust, Sand-Attack."
Ash steadied himself.
"Then it's our turn—use Quick Attack!"
"Pidgeee!!"
Pidgey cried sharply and became a streak of white light, charging toward Ekans.
But Ekans had already seen Extreme Speed before—it didn't panic.
Instead, it dove straight underground, dodging the attack.
"Koffing! Mud-Slap!" James shouted.
Splurt!
A clump of dark mud flew past Pidgey by a hair's breadth.
"Now—Ekans! Use Wrap!"
Ekans burst from the ground beneath Pidgey, lunging upward.
Its purple body coiled tightly around Pidgey, binding it before it could react.
One-versus-two was too much.
James pressed the advantage.
"Koffing! Mud-Slap again!"
Splat!
This time, the black mud struck Pidgey square in the face.
The damage was significant.
"Damn it, Pidgey!" Ash cried.
Panic set in.
This really was his first real battle.
"Idiot! Send out your second Pokémon!" Misty yelled.
Ash snapped back to his senses, abandoning all thoughts of fairness.
He hurled another Poké Ball.
"Go—Rayquaza) (as Caterpie)!!"
A dazed Caterpie appeared before everyone.
Team Rocket: "?"
Had the Pokémon League officially renamed Caterpie?
Such an arrogant, over-the-top name…
Rayquaza (as Caterpie) ?
Wasn't that asking for karmic backlash?
Still, Team Rocket prided itself on keeping up with trends.
From today onward, all Caterpie would be called "Rayquaza (as Caterpie)."
Otherwise, people might think they were country bumpkins.
"Hah! What can Rayquaza (as Caterpie) even do?" Jessie scoffed.
"Exactly! Rayquaza (as Caterpie) is on the same useless tier as Magikarp!" James mocked.
Misty: "..."
Did I mess up the way I woke up again today?!
The battle reached a stalemate.
Caterpie's fragile body made breaking through difficult.
Ash hesitated.
When in doubt—quantum mechanics!
He scanned Caterpie.
"Beep. Caterpie, nickname: Rayquaza (as Caterpie)."
"Moves: Tackle, String Shot, Thunder Wave."
"Thunder Wave?"
Ash frowned.
What kind of move was that?
It sounded Electric-type—definitely not usable while Pidgey was tangled up.
"Then use String Shot, Rayquaza (as Caterpie)!"
"Shhhk—!"
Caterpie spat out massive amounts of white silk.
The sheer volume instantly wrapped Ekans into a cocoon-like ball.
"Pidgeee!!"
Pidgey broke free.
"Now! Rayquaza (as Caterpie)—use Thunder Wave!"
The silk changed color midair, turning bright yellow and spreading into a massive net that engulfed both Ekans and Koffing.
Bzzzzzt!!
Electric currents crackled violently, paralyzing both Pokémon.
Ash's eyes lit up.
He spun his cap backward and shouted:
"Final attack! Rayquaza (as Caterpie)! Pidgey! Use Tackle!"
A bug and a bird charged together.
The combined impact blasted Ekans and Koffing away—
Along with Team Rocket themselves.
They streaked across the sky like meteors and vanished beyond the horizon.
"Rayquaza (as Caterpie)is such an amazing Pokémon…"
As they flew, the trio finally understood why the Pokémon League had "renamed" Caterpie.
The battle ended.
Winning his first battle made Ash ecstatic.
He recalled Pidgey, scooped up Caterpie, and spun around in circles.
Misty and Pikachu clapped enthusiastically beside him.
She had never imagined Rayquaza (as Caterpie)(as Caterpie) could be this powerful.
"Damn it—now I'm getting dragged into it too!" Misty shook her head violently.
But just as Ash was about to return Caterpie to its Poké Ball—
"Shhhk—!"
Caterpie suddenly shot silk skyward.
The threads rained down, wrapping its body into a cocoon as a strange white light erupted.
"This is…?" Ash stared.
"That's evolution light!" Misty exclaimed.
Battles grant experience.
Experience leads to evolution.
That was common knowledge.
"Evolve—no, wait! Pokédex—Pokédex!!"
Ash panicked.
Now was absolutely not the time!
Only by suppressing evolution until Caterpie reached perfect max level could it become the invincible Rayquaza (as Caterpie)!
"Right—the B button! The B button!!"
Eyes locked on the glowing cocoon, Ash mashed where the B button should be.
"Huh?"
No feedback.
He looked down.
The B button… was gone.
The spot was bald—sealed over with some strange glue, making it impossible to press.
All Ash could do was watch as Caterpie's shape changed within the light.
"DAMN IT—WHO TOOK MY B BUTTON?!!"
Ash's dragon-like roar echoed through the entirety of Viridian Forest.