Chapter Six: One Weird Twist.

As soon as Ash and Misty entered the door, they were ambushed. Ash's Muk had toppled him over and was engulfing him in his gooey body. Then Professor Oak appeared.

"Oh Muk, stop it! Ash is glad to see you, but he's here for something else." He said sternly, and Muk got off of Ash. Ash patted Muk on the head and walked over to where Professor Oak was standing, with Tracey at his side. Tracey is a black haired guy who looks slightly similar to Ash, but they have totally different personalities. Unlike Ash, Tracey is a calm and collected researcher who is an assistant to Professor Oak. At one point Ash, Misty, and Tracey all traveled together. Tracey handed Professor Oak something.

"Here you go Ash, a newly updated pokedex with all the info on Sinnoh region pokemon. That is where you're going, right?" Professor Oak said, unsure due to Ash's peculiar expression. Ash nodded slowly and looked away. Professor Oak looked skeptically at Ash and Misty. Then he managed to put two and two together.

"Ah hah! I figured it out!" Professor Oak exclaimed. Ash, Misty, and Tracey looked puzzled as to what the professor had discovered.

"Well by looking at body language and using this mathematic formula...it looks like Ash and Misty are in love." He said with a quick nod. Then Ash and Misty blushed and entwined their hands together. Tracey then laughed and looked embarrassed. He should have guessed.

"Well, I shouldn't be surprised. After all, you got jealous whenever Misty even touched a strange guy!" Tracey said and patted Ash on the back. Ash just laughed, slightly embarrassed, and agreed. Misty cracked up at this, remembering every time Ash got jealous.

"Oh gosh, I remember now. Tracey, you remember when Rudy came and asked me to stay with him? I don't think Ash would have won that gym badge if he wasn't fighting so hard...for me!" Misty said and laughed even more. Ash was getting very red. Well, this day is extremely embarrassing. At least I have Misty. Ash thought and playfully punched Misty's shoulder, like old times. She punched back, but harder. Ash cringed. She still punches like a man though. Ash thought and laughed out loud himself now. Professor Oak gave a loud cough to quiet everyone down.

"Ok well love aside, when do you plan on leaving, Ash?" he said with all seriousness. Then the roof broke, and a large rubber hand tore Pikachu from Ash's shoulder. Team Rocket was back.

Ash and the gang ran outside to see the familiar trio was back to their old habits. Their old Meowth balloon was hovering outside and Pikachu was trapped in the clutches of the rubber hand that extended from it. But Pikachu didn't look worried. It has been through this thousands of times, so it just sat there patiently for Ash to save it.

"Mwahaha! Prepare for trouble!" Jessie began to sing, and Ash and the rest sat there impatiently.

"And make it double!" James responded to Jessie. This was going to be awhile.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!" Meowth echoed in at the end of the motto. Waiting to be commanded to let Pikachu go, Team Rocket stood there. But Ash just looked at his watch and Pikachu sighed. Flabbergasted, Team Rocket realized they were no longer a threat.

"Hey! Don't you want your Pikachu, twerp?" Jessie called out indignantly. Ash yawned.

"Well of course. But you two never manage to actually get it anyway, so I figured I'd just wait until you mess up." Ash said with indifference. Team Rocket were taken aback and began to sob violently.

"Y-you...D-don't...think were good enough? WAHHHH!" They all sobbed together and Ash sighed.

"Well, yeah. It's been six years and you still haven't got Pikachu. How come you're not fired yet?" Ash said sternly. Team Rocket stopped for a second, then sobbed harder.

"WE ARE FIRED! WE JUST WANT PIKACHU!" They cried. Ash actually felt sorry for them. All these years living as failures must have brought their spirits down.

"Oh boy. Listen, I've actually come to love you guys. For six years, you've been making my daily life a little more interesting. And you know what?" Ash said with sympathy. Team Rocket stopped sobbing and looked up.

"What?" They said in unison. Ash smirked.

"Maybe you could travel with me when I leave for Sinnoh. That way, you wouldn't have to work and you could get out of those uniforms and see the world. I know you guys are good at heart, and I know you've all been hurt in the past. I want to offer you company and a nice journey." Everyone was shocked when Ash made that offer, especially Team Rocket. Astonished, they looked at Ash like he was crazy.

"...You really mean it? We could be free?" Jessie whispered. Ash nodded. They then huddled together for a group meeting. About four seconds later, they turned around and shouted, "Yes!" Ash smiled.

"That's great guys! Now can you put Pikachu down?" Ash said with enthusiasm. Team Rocket happily obliged. The rubber hand released Pikachu and it scurried over to Ash. Then they waved and began to take off.

"See you in a little while, Ash!" James shouted. Surprised that Team Rocket even knew his name, Ash waved back.

"See you then, James!" He shouted back.