After Meowth and the others finished pummeling the researcher, Ash didn't give the man a second look. He sprinted straight toward the Clefairy—he was determined to catch one, no matter what!
However, by the time Ash caught up to them, three familiar faces were already on the scene.
"The twerp?!" Meowth yelped.
"Team Rocket... so you're the ones behind the chaos here?"
In response to Ash's question, the trio launched into their all-too-familiar opening act:
"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 prey and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth! That's right!"
Ash watched them, pulling the brim of his hat down low. He was already at his breaking point; his anger was practically vibrating off him.
"So, it really was you guys?" Ash's voice was eerily calm, but it sent a chill down Misty and Brock's spines. Team Rocket, however, completely failed to read the room. Jessie smirked triumphantly. "That's right! We had to see if there were any Moon Stones around here, didn't we? Wait—what are you doing?"
Watching Ash crack his knuckles, Team Rocket finally felt a flicker of unease. But it was Ash's next words that made them realize they were truly in deep water.
"You all heard them. These are the punks causing all the trouble."
As Ash's voice fell, groups of wild Pokémon began to emerge from the shadows, their eyes gleaming with pure malice.
"You three have some nerve," Ash growled. "Do you have any idea how much trouble your moronic behavior has caused the Pokémon living here? Well? Get 'em, boys! Thrash them!!"
At Ash's command, every wild Pokémon in the area lunged at Team Rocket. What followed was a brutal, one-sided beatdown.
Paras after Paras paralyzed them with Stun Spore; a swarm of Zubats descended to sink their fangs into the trio; Sandshrew curled into balls, slamming into them with Rollout attacks. Then, out of nowhere, a group of Clefairy stepped forward and began wagging their fingers in unison.
"Holy—! That's a lot of Metronomes! Get down!" Seeing the sheer amount of energy building up from the Clefairy and Clefable, Ash immediately tackled Misty and Ralts to the ground, shielding them. The other Pokémon dove for cover behind rocks.
Then... BOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the cave, and Team Rocket was sent soaring through the air once again.
Her hair, a bird's nest and her clothes tattered, Jessie couldn't help but complain: "Why did we get the living daylights beaten out of us before we even did anything?!"
"Maybe we actually managed to piss everyone off this time?" James, his face covered in bruises and lumps, offered a pathetic answer.
"Wobbuffet!" / "We're blasting off again—!"
*
Looking at the new hole in the ceiling and the disappearing trio, Ash let Misty and Ralts up before dusting himself off. "I figured that would have some kick to it."
Seeing Ash covered in grime, Misty began patting the dust off his shoulders. "Thanks, Ash..."
"No big deal. Protecting the girls is part of the job. Speaking of which, Brock... Whoa! What happened to you?"
Ash jumped back. Brock looked like a statue made of soot, buried nearly waist-deep in debris and dust.
"I'm fine... I just... chose a bad spot to hide..." Brock wheezed.
"Right. Well, stay sharp. We still have one more thing to handle." Ash turned his gaze toward the Pokémon of Mt. Moon.
*
"Tear that equipment down! Over there too! Don't damage the habitat!"
"Understood!"
It didn't take long for Professor Oak to arrive with a crew of researchers and police officers. Their first priority was dismantling the illegal machinery inside the cave. Thanks to Ash's earlier instructions, the wild Pokémon didn't attack the workers. However, a major problem remained: the Clefairy were guarding a massive, ancient Moon Stone. Now that it had been discovered, it was only a matter of time before it became a target for thieves.
Ash stepped forward to negotiate with the Clefairy.
"Look, I know a guy who is absolutely obsessed with stones. If you let him study the Moon Stone under your supervision, he can provide you with permanent protection. What do you think?"
"Clef! Clefairy!"
A Clefable waved its small hands, gesturing wildly at Ash for several minutes. Meowth, acting as translator, chimed in: "She wants to know if this guy can be trusted?"
"Don't worry. Given how much he loves rare stones, he'd never let anyone—including himself—damage your Moon Stone. He'd protect it with his life."
The Clefable thought for a moment, then consulted with the rest of the group. Finally, she stepped forward and offered a small hand to Ash.
"Thank you for trusting me."
After shaking hands with the Clefable, Ash pulled out his PokéNav.
"Hey, Steven? It's Ash. I've got something here I think you're really going to like."