"Kid, what do you think you're doing!"
"Damn it! We're Team Rocket—we're the ones who steal other people's Pokémon! No one takes Pokémon from us!"
"Who is your Pokémon? We're teammates, teammates!"
Meowth, held high in the air, didn't forget to correct Jessie and James.
"Doesn't matter. First, we'll teach this brat a lesson."
James said, and together with Jessie, they jumped down from the hot air balloon, chasing after Natsume.
They had already checked with the top; the organization hadn't sent any supervising officers.
As for how he knew there was a Koffing in the Pokéball… James assumed the kid was just guessing.
"Stop! We won't just stand by!"
Ash grabbed Misty, blocking them.
"You block them, I'm going to save Meowth!"
Jessie gestured for James to chase Natsume.
Team Rocket had their Pokémon *stolen* by someone else—or rather, by a *teammate*. It was a humiliation compounded by old grudges.
James quickly caught up to Natsume.
"Meowth! There's a pervert! Help me!"
As soon as James tried to stop Natsume, he heard Meowth's cries.
Ahead, Natsume was examining Meowth's hind legs, muttering to himself.
"Judging by the residue near the Steel Gym entrance, this Meowth's diet isn't great."
"And by size, strength, and fur glossiness, all seem below the average for Meowth of the same age."
"This probably isn't due to diet alone."
He murmured to himself, then pulled out his Rotom Phone, opened the evaluation app, and scanned Meowth.
The results were grim.
"You're a worthless Meowth!"
Natsume noted it carefully in his notebook.
"Meowth, what are you saying, meow!"
Meowth exploded in anger. This maniac was not only poking around but checking its hind legs, now trying to *attack* Meowth's body.
"Whatever you're doing, let Meowth go!"
James arrived just in time, stopping Natsume from drawing a syringe to test Meowth's blood.
"Huh?"
Natsume looked back, puzzled, at James.
"Go, Koffing!"
Without hesitation, James threw the Pokéball.
Battle time?
Seeing the floating Koffing, Natsume's eyes lit up. He had almost forgotten—he hadn't yet used the so-called battle arena. This was the perfect chance to test it.
"Activate Battle Arena!"
At Natsume's shout, a sharp, powerful BGM filled the air.
"What? What's that sound?"
James looked around, confused, but saw no speakers.
"Go, Midchu!"
Natsume threw his Pokéball.
A red light flashed, and a Pikachu with a center-part hairstyle and slicked-up hair appeared in the battle arena.
**Lv.20**
A string of numbers appeared above his head—his level.
"What's that?"
It was James's first time seeing something like this, and he couldn't help but be curious.
He noticed that his Koffing also had a string of numbers above its head.
**Lv.32**
In an instant, James realized that the number probably represented the Pokémon's level.
To actually visualize a Pokémon's level—what kind of technology is this?
He was stunned. In this timeline, such technology didn't exist yet.
Trainers could only estimate a Pokémon's level based on its condition and behavior. To know the exact level, one had to go to a research lab for a series of evaluations.
"No matter what, I'll capture it and give it to Giovanni!"
James was full of determination. His Koffing was a full ten levels higher than the opposing Pikachu.
"Koffing, use Tackle!"
"Koffing!"
At James's command, Koffing slammed into Midchu. Though the attack was ordinary, the huge level gap left Pikachu's HP nearly depleted.
Outside the arena, Meowth watched the red bar above Pikachu rapidly drop, pondering.
"Meow? Is that like a health bar in an electric game, meow?"
"This tech is incredible, meow! Giovanni will love it, meow!"
"James, this kid seems to be a researcher! He must know what this technology is—capture him and take him to Giovanni!"
Meowth, freed from Natsume's bag, found a Pokémon Researcher ID. Ecstatic, he immediately used a loud encouragement on James.
"Don't worry! Capturing this kid will be no problem!"
James glanced at the nearly empty red bar above Midchu. Seeing the visualized HP gave him confidence.
"Go, Koffing! Use Tackle again!"
*Koffing!*
Just as James expected Pikachu to fall, he strangely stayed in place, unmoving.
"What's wrong, Koffing?"
James looked at his Pokémon, confused.
*Koffing, Koffing!*
Koffing seemed anxious, turning back to call at James.
"There's a strange force restraining it, preventing it from moving, meow!"
Meowth acted as translator from outside the field.
A strange force? Could this really be turn-based?
Natsume raised an eyebrow at Meowth's words. Since that was the case—
> **Trainer Natsume used a Potion!**
> *Midchu's* HP has been restored!
As the system announced in his mind, a glowing orb appeared on Natsume, entering Pikachu.
Pikachu visibly recovered, and the HP bar above his head instantly refilled.
"What is going on!?"
James noticed the change in Pikachu's HP bar. Pokémon battles—are items allowed?
No, the effect of that potion was way too fast!
Seeing Pikachu lively again, James realized the key problem.
In real-world Pokémon battles, no one administers items mid-battle. In reality, a potion takes time to work. His opponent wouldn't give him that time.
But Natsume didn't care. Reality is reality—what does it have to do with the game?
"Midchu, Quick Attack!"
Having understood the rules of the game battle arena, Natsume didn't hesitate and immediately issued the command.
*Pikachu!*
Midchu transformed into a flash of white light, crashing violently into Koffing.
*Koffing!*
Koffing let out a pained cry, but only a tiny fraction of its HP above its head dropped—about one-fifth.
Seeing this, James didn't feel relief at all; instead, an ominous sense of foreboding grew stronger in his mind.