It's been eight years since Ash Ketchum became a Pokemon Master. Now he's working on opening his own gym in Pallet Town, with his fiance Misty and his best friend, Brock. Everything is right with the world, but one day Ash receives a disturbing phone-call...
"Ash, sweetie? There's a Mister Wonton Sugoi on the vidfone for you." Said Misty, who was helping the movers with the laying down of the battle-ring. Then she heard the sound of the toilet flushing and out came Ash, scratching his chin-tee beard, he'd grown one a few years ago because the guy at the agency said he needed to have a slightly more intimidating look, and a big puffy patch of hair on your chin would do that. He'd also ditched the forwards baseball cap look for the much more awesome backwards baseball cap look. "What, Misty?" He asked, putting down his copy of 'Asian Trains.' Without any sort of further acknowledgment, Ash walked to the vidfone.
"Yeah, this is Ketchum." He said.
"Mister Ketchum," said a deep voice, connected only to a scary silhouette of a hooded figure,
"I'm sorry we have to speak under these circumstances, but I think you should know, there's a bounty on your head, at five-hundred million gold.
A long, uncomfortable pause, then Ash finally soaked it in, that hot/cold feeling happening in his stomach. "Who is this?" Ash asked, quietly. "A friend," replied the silhouette, "I don't think it's safe for you and your loved ones to be in Pallet Town right now. There are several bounty hunters after you as we speak." Ash's throat grew tight, "But, why?"
"I can't give you the exact details right now, but the head of Team Rocket, a man you know very well, Giovanni, has put the hit out on you." Said the silhouette. Ash, growing angry, began to raise his voice. "Now listen, damn you, why would Team Rocket want to put a hit on me? I... oh my God."
Then the realization swept over Ash, and he understood it all, right then and there. "This has something to do with those two idiots who followed me for like, five years, doesn't it?" Asked Ash, coldly.
"Yes, apparently they sued Giovanni for hundreds of millions of gold in damages and won, and Giovanni has used his Yakuza ties to take out the only person who can now be held legally responsible."
Thinking back on it, he'd caused those two morons a lot of damage, yet somehow they always seemed to have funding for new equipment, every Saturday morning, Jesse and James and Meowth would show up with some new submarine or robot or hot air balloon that Ash and company would always destroy quickly, sending the three blasting off again. All the money spent on those new machines and tricks and traps must have caused Team Rocket to go bankrupt, and then, on top of that, Jesse and James must have sustained so many injuries that they could build up a significant legal case against Giovanni.
It all made sense now, all of it. "I understand," said Ash, "But what should I do?" Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "Don't answer that." Said the silhouette, "You have to find a way out of there, I, can say no more." Then the vidfone went dead and Ash was alone.
Enough of this crap, thought Ash. If they want to deal with me, they're going to have to do it to my face, with that, he manned up and walked to the front door and opened it. A man in a cheap, blue suit stood there, smoking a cigarette, he had puffy green hair. "Who are you?" Asked Ash.
"My name's Spike Spiegel, and I'm going to kick your ass."