"The Rainbow Hero!"
Ash!
Was the Rainbow Hero chosen by Ho-Oh!
The one chosen by Ho-Oh—the hope to fulfill the wish of harmony between humans and Pokémon!
After being abandoned by Ho-Oh for hundreds of years—
The final hope had appeared in Ash!
At the Viridian City Gym—
"Heh, Ho-Oh? The Rainbow Hero? Now that's interesting."
Giovanni crossed his legs, a faint smile of intrigue appearing on his face.
"Looks like I really can't underestimate this rookie Trainer."
"Hm… better have my people keep an eye on him."
"And that Pikachu too."
With a wave of his hand, Giovanni immediately issued the order.
After witnessing all the unusual things about Ash—
There was no way he would overlook such a special individual!
The moment Team Rocket's trio received the mission, their eyes lit up instantly.
"Finally—!"
"It's our turn—!"
"To prove our importance, meow!"
Jessie, James, and Meowth hugged each other, shouting excitedly.
From the moment they saw Ash and Pikachu appear on the screen—
The trio had already been stunned speechless.
Ash!
Pikachu!
Their destined rivals!
And now, they were appearing on this mysterious screen!
Then, after watching Pikachu's past and the battle against the Spearow—
The trio grew even more excited.
"As expected of Pikachu!"
"How dare those Spearow challenge the brat and Pikachu? They were asking for it!"
"Hahaha! Blasted off again, meow!"
The three of them never stopped talking while watching the footage.
Chattering nonstop with excitement.
While everyone else was shocked by Ho-Oh's appearance—
Team Rocket's trio felt nothing out of the ordinary.
In fact…
They were almost unimpressed.
That's it? That's all?
Of course the brat and Pikachu were that amazing!
Wasn't that obvious?!
Having had their plans ruined countless times—and having been blasted off just as many—
They were the ones who understood Ash and Pikachu's strength the most.
Perhaps this was what people meant by—
Your greatest enemy is the one who knows you best.
After receiving Giovanni's new mission—
The trio huddled together, heads touching, excitedly planning their next move.
"Boss Giovanni's new mission is the same as our lifelong goal!"
"As long as we capture that Pikachu and present it to Boss, we'll finally get promoted and get a raise!"
"That's right, meow! Promotion and a raise, meow!"
…
Unlike everyone else's shock, excitement, or awe—
Diantha's expression was filled with unease.
Damn it!
What kind of embarrassing past was it?!
Couldn't they just get it over with already?!
Diantha was frustrated.
Diantha… was helpless!
All she could do was cross her arms and glare fiercely at the screen.
Trying hard to recall any embarrassing moments from her past.
Embarrassing past…
"As if a superstar like me would have anything like that!"
"Right, Gardevoir?"
She turned to look at her Gardevoir.
Gardevoir nodded seriously.
That's right!
Its beautiful Trainer couldn't possibly have any embarrassing history!
Unable to recall anything, Diantha could only temporarily put the matter aside.
…
When the screen lit up again—
Everyone's curiosity surged.
What would appear next?
Pikachu's battle against the Spearow.
Ho-Oh's appearance.
Those should have been Pikachu's highlight moments, right?
They simply couldn't imagine—
What else a seemingly weak Pikachu could possibly do.
As their thoughts ran wild—
A towering, majestic pyramid appeared on the screen.
The Battle Pyramid!
Inside the pyramid—
Was a standard battle arena!
On opposite sides stood two Trainers, both wearing serious expressions.
One of them was Ash—
But compared to the Ash who had just left Pallet Town, this version of him looked slightly different. His clothes and hat had subtle changes, and his demeanor had become noticeably more mature.
Standing opposite him—
Was a middle-aged man in mountaineering gear, stern and expressionless.
Many rookie Trainers and less experienced Trainers were confused.
Who was that?
But for elite Trainers—and those with long-standing reputations—
They recognized him far more easily than they did Ash.
[Lance: Brandon! It's you, right?! That's definitely you on the screen! When did you battle Ash?!]
[Brandon: For the record, yes, that's me. But don't jump to conclusions—we've never battled. This must be from the future.]
Brandon was certain.
Before seeing this screen today, he had never battled Ash.
If he had—
There was no way he wouldn't remember that Pikachu!
He immediately thought of what the voice had said earlier—
Scenes from the future.
"Now this… is interesting."