The rain had passed, giving way to clear skies. A rainbow hung high in the distance, but Ash and Misty had no time to admire it.
"We have to get to the Pokémon Center, now!" Ash yelled, his voice strained with anxiety as he cradled the unconscious Pikachu.
Pikachu's breathing was steady, but the burden of forcibly channeling natural lightning had clearly taken a massive toll on its body.
"Follow me! I know the way!" Misty shouted. She recalled her Goldeen and took the lead without a second thought.
Their experience fighting side-by-side had earned Ash her trust. She was curious about this trainer who seemed like a complete rookie yet was capable of performing miracles.
The two sprinted through the city. Soon, a familiar building with a bright red roof came into view: the Viridian City Pokémon Center.
Bursting through the doors, Ash ran straight to the front desk. "Nurse Joy! Please, you have to help my Pikachu!"
"And my Goldeen as well," Misty added, handing over her Poké Ball. "It's exhausted."
"Don't worry, leave them to me," Nurse Joy said gently. she took Pikachu and the Poké Ball, placing them on a gurney before handing them to her Chansey. "Quickly, get them to the emergency care room."
Only after watching Chansey wheel the gurney into the back did Ash finally allow himself to exhale. A wave of exhaustion hit him like a tide, nearly knocking him off his feet.
"Hey! Are you okay?" Misty asked, quickly reaching out to steady him. "You should sit down and rest. You're pretty banged up yourself, aren't you?" She noticed the scrapes on his arms and face, as well as the potential internal damage from when he had blocked the Fearow's attacks earlier.
"Thanks..." Ash sat on a bench in the lounge, finally taking a good look at the girl.
Her orange hair was tied in a side ponytail, giving her a lively appearance, and the concern in her eyes betrayed a kind heart. "I really owe you for earlier. We would have been in real trouble without you. I'm Ash, from Pallet Town."
"I'm Misty!" she replied, keeping her specific identity a secret. "Your Pikachu... that Thunder move earlier was incredible! Is it going to be alright?"
"It should be. Nurse Joy will fix it up." Even as he spoke, Ash felt a faint connection through his Aura Power. He could sense that Pikachu was merely in a deep sleep to recover its strength, and its life force was slowly stabilizing. That realization put his mind at ease. "By the way, what were you doing out there?"
"I was fishing for Water-type Pokémon in a nearby river when I heard the commotion," Misty explained, her expression turning into a scowl. "Those Spearow and Fearow were horrible! I can't believe they'd swarm a trainer like that."
As they talked, the automatic doors slid open again. A refined, middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat and glasses walked in, a gentle smile on his face.
"Oh? It's quite lively here today," the man remarked.
"Bill!" Misty recognized him immediately. Viridian City was close to the famous Bill's Lighthouse, and she was well aware of the researcher behind the Pokémon Storage System.
Ash's heart skipped a beat. Bill? He was a crucial figure in the world of Pokémon technology.
According to the original timeline, we shouldn't have met until I reached his lighthouse. Why is he meeting us this early?
"Hello there." Bill nodded with a smile. "Judging by your appearance, you two have had quite an ordeal."
"We were attacked by a flock of Spearow on the road," Ash explained briefly.
"I see. The wild can be full of surprises." Bill nodded understandingly. He pulled a small, USB-shaped device from his pocket and handed it to Nurse Joy. "Nurse Joy, this is the data module for the latest Pokémon Status Checker model. I'd like you to install it and run some tests."
"Of course, Bill. Thank you very much," Nurse Joy said, taking the module with a grateful nod.
Suddenly, the lights in the Pokémon Center flickered erratically and then plunged into darkness! Only the dim, red emergency lights provided a faint glow.
"What happened? A power outage?" Misty stood up, startled.
"No..." Ash's Aura Power surged, sensing a malicious presence... and a strangely comical vibe. He whipped his head toward the shadows in the corner of the hall.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
The familiar opening lines echoed through the hall. Team Rocket stepped out of the shadows, striking their bizarre poses!
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
Jessie and James looked triumphant, while Meowth pushed a strange cart holding a small energy jammer the clear culprit behind the blackout.
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth! That's right!"
Ash couldn't help but nod. The first generation of Team Rocket really did have the most impressive lines.
"Team Rocket!" Misty snapped into a battle stance. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Heh heh heh!" Jessie put her hands on her hips. "Isn't it obvious? We're here to make a profit during the blackout! Hand over all your powerful Pokémon! Especially that Pikachu. we saw it discharging electricity earlier. It has quite the potential, Meowth!"
"You got it, meow!" Meowth began operating the jammer, sending out a pulse toward the Pokémon Storage System in an attempt to hack the Poké Balls.
"Don't even think about it!" Misty shouted, throwing a Poké Ball. "Starmie, use Water Gun!"
However, before Starmie could fire, James's Koffing spewed out a massive cloud of Smokescreen, instantly filling the hall and obscuring everyone's vision.
"Useless, useless!" Jessie laughed. "Ekans, use Acid to give them a little scare!"
Ekans spat a dangerous liquid toward Ash and Misty. Though its aim was poor, it created chaos within the thick smoke.
Ash's eyes narrowed. In the original story, Pikachu would have been snatched, leading to a massive brawl. But Pikachu was currently undergoing treatment, and he would never allow these fools to disturb its recovery—let alone destroy the Pokémon Center!
In the darkness, his Aura Power became even sharper. He could clearly "see" the positions of the three Team Rocket members and their Pokémon.
"Pidgey!" Ash barked, throwing his Poké Ball. "Use Gust on Koffing to blow away the smoke!"
"Pidge!" Pidgey appeared and flapped its wings furiously. Though it wasn't a high-powered attack, the blast of wind was enough to tear a hole through the thick smoke, momentarily clearing the area.
"What?" The Team Rocket trio froze.
"Now, Starmie! Use Water Gun on that machine!"
Starmie's Water Gun hit the jammer with pinpoint accuracy!
"Oh no, meow!" Meowth shrieked as the jammer sparked and sputtered, completely short-circuiting. The lights in the Pokémon Center flickered and then roared back to life!
"Our machine!" James cried out in pain.
"Curse you! If that's how it is, we'll do it the hard way! Ekans—"
Before Jessie could finish, Ash made his move. He knew he couldn't let them drag this out.
He lunged forward—not at the Pokémon, but at Jessie and James themselves! He channeled a small burst of Aura Power, not as a direct attack, but as an invisible force that shoved the two of them from behind!
"Whoa!"
"Oof!"
Jessie and James never expected a trainer to attack trainers directly. Caught off guard, they shrieked as they were pushed forward, colliding into each other and tumbling to the floor in a daze.
"Meowth! Do something, meow!" Meowth panicked.
"Pidgey, use Tackle on Meowth!" Ash commanded.
Pidgey dove down and slammed into Meowth. The talking cat scrambled away, abandoned the broken machine entirely.
"You brats! How dare you!" Jessie and James scrambled to their feet, looking to retaliate.
But by then, the Pokémon Center's alarms were blaring, and Nurse Joy was already on the communicator calling for Officer Jenny.
"Bad news! Joy's calling Jenny!"
"Let's get out of here, meow!"
Seeing the tide turn against them, Team Rocket frantically recalled their Pokémon and grabbed their broken machine.
"We'll remember you, brat!"
"Next time, we're taking that Pikachu for sure!"
"Just you wait, meow!"
As they fled, they didn't forget their signature exit line: "We're blasting off again!"
The trio scrambled out of the Pokémon Center and vanished into the city streets.
A potential crisis had been averted with almost zero damage to the facility.
Misty let out a sigh of relief, looking at Ash with surprise. "You... you just charged right at them?" That wasn't how standard trainers handled things.
"When you're dealing with people who don't play by the rules, you have to use special methods," Ash replied with a smile, patting the dust off his clothes.
His Aura sensed that Pikachu's condition was stable and improving rapidly, which put him in a great mood.
Just then, Chansey came out pushing the gurney, which held the Poké Balls for Pikachu and Goldeen. Pikachu had woken up. Though still a bit weak, it looked spirited as it hopped onto Ash's shoulder, affectionately nuzzling his cheek. "Pika-pi~"
"That's great, you're okay." Ash happily rubbed its head.
Bill walked over, looking at Ash with admiration. "Remaining calm in a crisis, reacting quickly, and using the environment and your opponent's psychology to your advantage... You're quite impressive, Ash."
[Ding! Host has successfully prevented Team Rocket from stealing Pokémon and protected the Viridian City Pokémon Center from destruction, altering the 'First Encounter with Team Rocket' event node. Reward: 300 Realm Origin points.]
[Ding! Host has received Bill's praise, slightly increasing fame. Reward: 50 Realm Origin points.]
[Current Realm Origin: 1050 points.]
The system notifications rang out at the perfect time. Another massive payout. Ash was secretly delighted—his startup capital was becoming quite substantial.
"Well then, I should head back to the lighthouse." Bill nodded to them and then turned to Nurse Joy. "Contact me if there are any issues with the module tests."
After seeing Bill off, Misty suddenly remembered something. Her face went pale as she shrieked, "Ah! My bike!"
She bolted out of the Pokémon Center, and Ash followed close behind.
Sitting not far from the entrance was a stylish, bright pink bicycle laying on its side. It was covered in mud and rainwater, looking absolutely miserable. Worse yet, the chain had come off and the handlebars were bent. It had clearly been damaged during the frantic flight through the storm and the subsequent battle.
"My precious bike!" Misty wailed, picking it up and inspecting the damage with a heartbroken expression. "It's ruined! The chain is jammed, the handlebars are crooked... I'm in big trouble!"
Ash looked at the familiar bike and thought to himself, I knew it.
History still had a bit of inertia, though this outcome was much better than the original story where the bike was literally fried to a crisp by lightning.
"I'm sorry, Misty," Ash said apologetically. "If it weren't for you helping us, your bike wouldn't have..."
"What's the point in saying that now!" Misty snapped, though her tone held more sorrow than genuine blame. "This was my favorite bike! I rode it all the way from Cerulean City... how am I supposed to get to Pewter City now?!"
She tried to fiddle with the chain, only to get her hands covered in grease while the bike remained unresponsive.
Ash watched her, knowing this was the key to "binding" Misty to his journey.
He stepped forward and said, "Don't worry, Misty. Since it's my fault your bike is broken, I'll take responsibility."
"Responsibility? How are you going to do that?" Misty looked up at him, skeptical.
"First, let's find a repair shop in Viridian City and see if they can fix it," Ash suggested.
The two of them walked around the city until they found a shop that doubled as a Pokémon item store and a mechanic. The old master took one look at the bike and shook his head. "Little lady, this bike has seen better days.
The chain assembly needs replacing, and the frame is slightly warped. It needs realignment. I don't have the parts here; I'd have to order them from Celadon City or Vermilion City. It'll take at least a week, and it won't be cheap."
"A week? That long!" Misty cried out in disappointment. "And how much is 'not cheap'?"
The master quoted a price that made Misty's face fall even further. For a trainer on the road, that was a massive expense.
Ash saw his opening. He patted Misty on the shoulder and said, "Misty, how about this? On the road to Pewter City, I'll cover all your food and lodging expenses as partial compensation for the bike.
Once we get to Pewter City or Cerulean City, we can see if it's better to fix it or buy a new one. If you're short on cash then, I promise I'll help you make up the difference."
He paused, offering a sincere smile. "Plus, we can look out for each other on the road and train our Pokémon together. Maybe my Pidgey and your Goldeen could be great practice partners?"
Misty looked at Ash's sincere gaze and then at her pitiful bicycle. She hesitated. She needed to get to Pewter City anyway it was the only way back to Cerulean City and traveling alone was boring and potentially dangerous. This Ash seemed like a rookie, but his strength and intelligence were solid, and he seemed reliable...
"Fine, since you put it that way..." Misty turned her head away, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I'll travel with you for now! But remember, you're paying for the food! And don't think you can ditch me until my bike situation is sorted out!"
"Of course, it's a deal!" Ash smiled and held out his hand.
Misty finally turned back and gave him a high-five. "Then I'm in your care, Mr. Temporary Meal Ticket!"
"So, where are we heading next?" Misty asked.
"I'm planning to head straight to Pewter City." Ash wasn't an idiot; as a die-hard fan, he knew exactly how terrifying the Viridian Gym was. He was skipping it for now.
"Pewter City... that's on my way."
And so, because of a broken bicycle, Ash and Misty's traveling party was officially and "rightfully" formed.
The two of them rested at the Pokémon Center for the night. The next morning, they bid farewell to Nurse Joy and set off toward their first destination: Pewter City.
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