"Dr. Namba's tracking device could only lead us this far. Damn it, who could it be?"
The green-haired man glared at the now-useless tracker in his hand, visibly frustrated.
"That signal's completely gone now," the orange-haired woman sighed, inspecting her own device. "But judging by the signs, someone was definitely camping here. Let's hurry, Botch!"
"How many times do I have to tell you? It's Butch! Not Botch! Butch!!" he erupted in frustration. "Honestly, Cassidy, after all this time, even you can't get my name right?"
"Alright, alright, Butch," Cassidy awkwardly brushed past his anger. "We need to focus on catching up."
Butch and Cassidy adjusted their jetpacks and followed the faint traces of footprints.
Meanwhile, deep in a different section of the forest, the familiar Team Rocket trio was... lost. Again. Content originally comes from n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
"Where did those brats go this time? I'm sure the path ahead leads to Mount Silver. But why would they head there?" James groaned, his back aching from their repeated failures.
Jessie, somehow still energized, smirked. "Pull yourself together, James! If we run into Cassidy and Butch, do you really want to look like a failure?"
As usual, she had no idea what she was talking about.
"Enough meowing around, you two!" Meowth interrupted. "Don't ya remember? Mount Silver is home to a Tyranitar and its kid! If we can snatch both of them and give 'em to the Boss, we'll be back on top!"
Jessie and James's eyes lit up.
"Promotions! Recognition! Finally, climbing the corporate ladder!" they chanted in unison.
However, their dreams were interrupted by the sudden arrival of Cassidy and Butch.
"Damn it!" Cassidy spat, landing nearby. "It's just Jessie and James! We've been following the wrong trail. And with that wind earlier, we've lost the original tracks!"
Butch scowled. "You morons! What are you two skulking around here for?!"
Jessie quickly masked her surprise with a glare. "What's it to you?"
Meowth, however, let the cat out of the bag. "It's none of yer business we're plannin' to catch that Tyranitar and its kid... Oh no! I said too much!"
On the other side of the forest, Ash and his friends arrived at Mount Silver.
["Ding! Congratulations, Host. You've successfully reached Mount Silver. Beginning sign-in process..."]
Ash blinked as the system's notification echoed in his mind.
["Ding! Sign-in successful! Rewards are being distributed..."]
The rewards began appearing in his mind: 500,000 Poke Coins, an advanced Aura upgrade, and a collection of rare items.
"Not bad," Ash mused, remembering a lottery ticket he'd yet to redeem.
Suddenly, a loud explosion shook the ground.
Pikachu's ears perked up, its body on high alert.
"Pikachu, what is it?" Ash asked.
"Pika pika!" Pikachu gestured toward the deeper forest.
"Got it! Misty, May, let's go! That explosion sounded like a bomb—poachers might be targeting Mount Silver!"
At the mention of poachers, Misty's expression darkened. Memories of the terrified Larvitar they'd saved earlier resurfaced. "We can't let them get away with this!"
In the depths of Mount Silver, three familiar figures were hard at work.
Their leader, Gull, stood tall, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to the chaos around him.
"Boss, we almost got that Tyranitar just now!" Chico, the group's inventor, exclaimed.
"Calm down, Chico. As the old saying goes: Patience is a virtue," Gull replied, adjusting his glasses.
His calm authority was a signature trait, often accompanied by obscure proverbs.
"You're right, boss!" Chico and the muscle-bound Pampo chorused in agreement.
With their previous robot destroyed, the trio had pooled their resources to build a new weapon: The Ultimate Capture Bot.
"Let's not rush. If we can't catch the Tyranitar directly, we'll target its cub instead. That'll lure it out," Gull strategized.
The trio's eyes gleamed with malicious intent as an image of a small Pupitar appeared on their monitor.
Access 40 Chapters in Advance on my
P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals