Chapter 23: Emergency
The two Pokémon that had fallen into the Pokémon Center were Koffing and Ekans—standard recruits for Team Rocket.
Whenever new members joined, they were typically assigned one of these Pokémon.
"What just happened?!" shouted a trainer, bewildered by the sudden appearance of the Pokémon in the hall.
Without waiting for orders, Koffing sprang into action, expertly launching its Smokescreen move.
Thick clouds of smoke quickly engulfed the room, obscuring visibility and sending trainers into a coughing fit.
"Cough, cough!" People gasped for breath as the smoke spread, their confusion mounting. Only a few staff members quickly grasped the situation.
"Assault! We're under attack!" one staff member yelled, frantically using a walkie-talkie to alert others and call for police assistance.
Sirens blared throughout the Pokémon Center, escalating the panic.
Although only a handful of trainers remained in the hall, many began to panic, running in all directions in search of safety.
However, some trainers quickly adjusted to the chaos.
When they attempted to call upon their Pokémon for help, they discovered that their Pokémon had already been handed over for treatment, leaving them defenseless.
Taking advantage of the confusion, Ekans slithered through the smoke, seemingly unbothered by the chaos.
It zeroed in on the power supply room and unleashed a powerful bite, destroying the equipment.
With a sudden crash, the entire Pokémon Center plunged into darkness. All essential facilities, including the emergency room, ceased to function.
"Hahaha…" The trio of Team Rocket laughed heartily from their hot air balloon hovering above the mayhem.
As they descended to ground level, they donned masks to protect themselves from the smoke.
"I remember where the Pokémon are kept! It's over there…" Meowth pointed toward the north passage, clearly aware of the Pokémon Center's layout from prior reconnaissance.
"Let's move, Jessie! No time to waste!"
James urged, his instincts still alert despite the apparent success of their plan. He couldn't shake off a sense of foreboding.
"Yeah, yeah! I'm on it!" Jessie snapped back, her impatience evident as they hurried toward the Pokémon storage area.
...
"What's going on?!"
In their dormitory, Ash was jolted awake by the blaring sirens, sleep vanishing from his face.
He quickly got out of bed, caught Pikachu as it leaped from the pillow, and rushed to the balcony to see what was happening.
But just then, the entire Pokémon Center went dark due to the power outage.
"What happened?" Misty, still groggy, emerged from her room, concern etching her features.
"I don't know…" Ash began, but a sudden realization hit him. He remembered the feeling of forgetting something important—Team Rocket's attack!
In the anime, the notorious trio—James, Jessie, and Meowth—had launched a similar attack on the Pokémon Center, aiming to steal the Pokémon stored inside.
Ash thought to himself, Giovanni wouldn't be foolish enough to send them on a mission here in Viridian City, as it would only expose his operations.
"What do we do now?" Misty asked, her uncertainty clear as she turned to Ash for direction.
"Let's go find out!" Ash replied with determination.
He needed to assess the situation firsthand. While the anime depicted Team Rocket's eventual failures, this was reality, and he had no idea what their true capabilities were.
"Okay!" Misty agreed without hesitation, trusting Ash's judgment. She grabbed the two Poké Balls beside her bed and followed him as they left the dormitory for the lobby.
As they stepped into the dark corridor, they encountered a mix of panicked trainers and staff, all confused about what was happening.
The darkness added to the chaos.
"If this continues, there's going to be danger here," Ash noted, frowning as he assessed the chaotic scene.
With so many people running around, it was only a matter of time before someone was trampled.
"What should we do?" Misty asked, looking to Ash for guidance, her trust in him apparent.
"Stand back," Ash instructed, stepping slightly away from Misty. He turned to Pikachu perched on his shoulder.
"Pikachu, please use Thunder Shock to calm everyone down!"
"Pi, Pika, Pika—!" Pikachu blinked in surprise but quickly nodded.
It leapt from Ash's shoulder, channeling Electric-type energy. A bright spark illuminated the corridor, allowing the trainers to see each other clearly.
But Ash's plan didn't stop there. Pikachu unleashed its Thunder Shock, and the dense crowd acted as an excellent conductor for the electricity.
In an instant, trainers were jolted with the mild electric shock.
"What are you doing?!" Misty exclaimed in alarm, grabbing Ash's arm.
She hadn't expected him to order Pikachu to shock so many people.
"I have no choice!" Ash replied, his voice steady.
"The Thunder Shock is mild; it'll just leave them feeling numb. But if we don't act, the situation could get worse."
Misty hesitated but then glanced around the corridor.
She could see that Ash was right. Most trainers were now lying on the ground, the crackling of electricity gently passing through them, calming the chaos.
"Everyone, I apologize! Please stay calm and head to the hall to check the situation once you recover,"
Ash shouted, attempting to maintain control over the crowd.
With Misty by his side, he led the way through the now quiet corridor, heading toward the hall to confront the escalating crisis.
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Adios