James immediately Locked-On to Fuyuki by the window.
His expression instantly collapsed as the memory of the other party not only stealing their lines but also blasting them off surfaced in his mind.
"What should we do?" James looked at his two companions.
Jessie put down the newspaper, adjusted her fake glasses, and glared sinisterly at Ash's Pikachu and the Raikou beside Fuyuki.
"Hmph, not just the brat's Pikachu, but the Pokémon next to that guy doesn't look simple either. It's definitely a rare Pokémon! If we can catch it and hand it over to Boss Giovanni, we'll surely be rewarded!"
"Exactly, exactly, Meowth!" Meowth immediately chimed in, gesturing with his claws on the table. "We can wait for them to finish eating and come out, then ambush them in the alleyway. Using a specially made Capture Net, we'll surely get both Pikachu and that Pokémon together, Meowth!"
Hearing this, James also perked up, temporarily forgetting the previous trauma.
The trio simultaneously imagined presenting Pikachu and Raikou to Boss Giovanni, who would then praise them and give them promotions and riches.
"It's decided then, Meowth!"
—
In the restaurant, Misty and Ash were both a bit stiff.
Ash silently felt the few League Coins in his pocket, calculating if they were enough.
Meanwhile, Misty nervously watched the waiters in their crisp uniforms.
Since it was a city where humans and Pokémon lived together, the restaurant provided seating for the guests' Pokémon.
They released their Pokémon. Fuyuki noticed that Ash had successfully caught a Caterpie and evolved it into a Butterfree.
Coming out of their Poké Balls, Butterfree and Gastly, like Squirtle, looked around the restaurant with curiosity.
Raikou remained calmly crouched by Fuyuki's side. The faint aura of electricity around it made passing waiters instinctively slow down, but no one dared to ask—after all, such a majestic Pokémon clearly didn't belong to an ordinary Trainer.
The waiter brought them menus.
Ash's eyes lit up at the variety of dishes on the menu. He ordered several Pokémon sets at once. Pikachu lay on his lap, occasionally rubbing against his hand in anticipation of the food.
Brock skillfully ordered several signature dishes, not forgetting to remind the waiter to prepare extra snacks suitable for Pokémon, as Squirtle and Gastly were also watching expectantly.
Misty was a bit stiff at first, but with Fuyuki's warm hospitality, she gradually relaxed and ordered a seafood salad she liked. She occasionally met the eyes of Fuyuki's Squirtle, and the sense of unfamiliarity in her gaze slowly faded.
"By the way, Fuyuki, you've already gotten the Cerulean Gym Badge, right?" Ash suddenly asked.
Fuyuki nodded: "I had just finished challenging the Cerulean Gym when I met you today."
"So, what are your plans next?" Ash asked.
Hearing this, Misty and Brock also looked over.
"I plan to head to the nearby Vermilion City," Fuyuki answered truthfully.
"Vermilion City? Is there a Gym there too?" Ash asked, a bit dazed.
"That's right, there is a Gym in Vermilion City. It's said to be an electric-type Gym," Brock spoke up before Fuyuki could answer.
"Vermilion Gym—in that case, let's head to the Vermilion Gym next too!" Ash looked at Fuyuki again and couldn't help but invite him: "Fuyuki, do you want to come with us?"
Having more companions makes the journey more lively, and everyone can look out for each other. This was a realization Ash had gained after traveling with Misty and Brock.
"Together?" Fuyuki thought about it carefully and shook his head: "Maybe not. My partner and I are used to traveling alone."
"Alright then." Ash felt a bit disappointed but didn't say anything else.
The group finished dinner and left the restaurant to rest. However, as they passed through a deserted alley, a large net suddenly fell from the sky, accurately trapping Pikachu and Raikou inside.
"Who's there?!" Ash and the others were shocked.
They looked up and saw three backlit figures suddenly appear at the end of the alley.
"Since you asked sincerely,"
"We shall answer you with mercy!"
"To prevent the world from being destroyed,"
"To protect the peace of the world!"
"To carry out the evil of love and truth,"
"A lovely and Attract villainous character!"
Jessie!
James!
"We are the Team Rockets, traveling across the galaxy!"
"A white hole, a white tomorrow awaits us!"
"That's it, Meowth!"
However, as soon as the trio finished, they saw Raikou easily tear through the Insulated Net developed by Team Rockets with its claws.
And it looked at them with a very dangerous gaze.
The trio felt inexplicably panicked, as if they were being stared down by some large predatory beast.
"Hey! You guys, don't go too far!" Jessie said with a trembling voice.
"Team Rockets, it's you guys again!" Misty said with her hands on her hips. "Curse you, trying to catch Pikachu again!"
"You won't get away with it this time!" Ash clenched his fists, immediately wanting to release Butterfree to stop these three.
But Raikou had already reacted before him.
It slowly walked in front of everyone, staring intently at the trio with its golden pupils.
"Boom!"
Above the high heavens, it felt as if a terrifying thunder was wildly brewing.
The Team Rocket Trio huddled together, shivering in fear.
In the next second, a blinding flash of electricity erupted from Raikou. The massive energy blasted the trio away, leaving only one voice behind.
"What a bad feeling!"
Fuyuki: "..."
These guys really are something...
But, looking at the trio, it seemed they had set their sights on him and Raikou too?
Fuyuki shook his head, not particularly worried about it.
After all, Raikou's level had reached level 100.
Even if they were ambushed by Team Rockets, they could use the Teleportation Bracelet to teleport back to Mt. Tensei together.
But if Team Rockets really did that, he would immediately gather Entei, Suicune, Ho-Oh, and Marshadow to storm Viridian City and settle the score with Giovanni.
"Alright, it's getting late. Everyone should go back and rest!" Fuyuki snapped back to reality and said to the group.
"Yeah!"
Ash and the others were staying at the Pokémon Center, which provided free food and overnight rooms for Trainers, which was very convenient.
The group bid farewell to Fuyuki and then left.
Fuyuki also carried Squirtle and returned to the inn with Gastly and Raikou.
Tomorrow, they would set off for Vermilion City to begin a new journey.