Now then a few weeks have gone by with Ritchie and Ash still hard at work in getting their new Johto base up. So far they have not been collecting any new Pokémon as building the base is their primary goal. The construction is going very smoothly with so far no outside interaction which is what they want. Also both young men took the liberty of adding Pokémon to the building site. Kangaskhan, Machoke, Machamp, along with Scizor are helping in the construction. They are all doing exceedingly well and so far the floor of the building has been finished and the walls are under construction as well. A Team Rocket grunt who has come from the main HQ wishes to know how it is all coming along. Ash tells him construction has been hazard free as of late. Also he says how so far the Johto authorities have been oblivious to what is going on.
So then the grunt relays the message to Giovanni and he is indeed delighted to hear such good news. Plus Ash can confirm that they have succeeded in recruiting young trainers to their cause. Their numbers arestill small however Ash and Ritchie both know that in time their organization will grow. In fact Ash gets a transmission from one of the new recruits right now and it's recruit Jimmy. He's a young man and native to the Johto Region and is from New Bark Town. Ash personally recruited Jimmy himself as Jimmy had the same spark Ash did and knew he'd be beneficial to Team Rocket. He went through a similar though less strenuous training course and eventually became a full fledged member. Jimmy as of yet does not have a uniform as his first mission was an under cover one. He wanted Jimmy to bring in more young recruits that can benefit Team Rocket.
He tells Ash, "Sir I've succeeded in getting at least three more kids to join our cause. I know it's not that many but I felt you needed to know personally." Ash does commend him for getting that many in the short time Jimmy has been with the group. In fact he intends to reward Jimmy by having him get fitted for his Team Rocket uniform. Something Jimmy is excited about and he screams in excitement as he runs down a crowded city street. In the alley way there are three shadowed figures who got a glance at Jimmy. They eventually reveal themselves as those disgraced former Team Rocket thugs Jessie, James, and Meowth. It seems they want revenge because Ash and Ritchie are the ones responsible for having them kicked out. The pair proved their worth to Team Rocket and showed they are indeed superior in every way. However the former Team Rocket trio just see them as useless twerpy children.
So then the three of them attempt to follow Jimmy to Ash and Ritchie and plan on getting rid of the pair. Then they plan to get back in Giovanni's favor and rejoin Team Rocket by any cost. With a sinister laugh they plan to put their plan into action and get rid of both Ash and Ritchie now. However fortune hasn't really fallen on the former Team Rocket trio's lap the past few weeks. They've tried many different jobs that have failed miserably and they just can't catch a break. The trio have even tried to make it as poachers at one time but even they bumble at that job as well. Although they believe they have a key plan that will get rid of Ash and Ritchie and sneak away right now.
Now back at Ash and Ritchie's view point Jimmy has returned and has the three new recruits with them. One is a girl in a baseball cap and yellow and black striped jacket named Casey who seems to have an obsession with yellow and baseball. One is a younger looking little boy by the name of Zackie. He seems to have an obsession with Ash's Raichu who feels a bit nervous around Zackie. However Ash has to put his foot down and say, "Listen kid it's great you're wanting to be a part of Team Rocket. However lay off of my Raichu or you'll regret it you understand?" The other is a boy by the name of Egan who has a fiery temper and a love of fire type Pokémon. They all want what Ash and Ritchie want and that is to have only the most powerful of all powerful Pokémon under their control. Now these new recruits might have the moxy, but Ash wants the recruits to prove themselves just as Ash, Ritchie, and Jimmy had to as well.
Which the new recruits might get the chance as voices are heard from the east of their position. One is, "Ha twerps, you won't get the chance to get into Team Rocket! Not when we're through with you!" That voice was from a woman while another comes from a man which says, "Putting you out to pasture and stealing your Pokémon will get us back on the bosses good side for sure." The six young people look to see and both Ash and Ritchie know where those voices came from. The young duo see it's those washouts Jessie, James, and their talking freak Meowth. Both don't like the sound of being called washouts and proclaim the were the top Team Rocket troup before Ash and Ritchie came along and spoiled it. Ash has to state that before he came along Jessie and James were just the incompetant imbeciles they always were. They could never catch a single Pokémon and Ash jokes their stupidity makes Slowbro look like geniuses.
The group of six all laugh at the funny yet mean spirited joke about Jessie and James, which make them extra angry. So much so that Jessie calls forth her Ekans and James summons forth his Koffing. Meowth taking it the hardest most of all decides to get in on the battle and all three are ordered to attack at once. There's no real battle strategy involved so then Casey, Zackie, and Egan call forth their Pokémon. There's a Bellsprout, Flareon, and finally a Chikorita who are all called forth to do battle. Bellsprout and Chikorita are ordered to do a double razor leaf attack. While Flareon is commanded to do a very intense and hot flamethrower attack which sends all three back to Jessie and James. Finally then Ash commands his Raichu to get rid of them by using its thunderbolt attack. As Jessie, James, and the Pokémon scream in pain, Ash looks on with a very crooked smirk.
Finally he commands Raichu to use hyper beam attack which sends them soaring into the air. The three of them together say, "We may not be Team Rocket anymore, but looks like we're blasting off again!" That little distraction has been dealt with and Ash officially claims these three young trainers are Team Rocket material after all. So he orders for them to report to the main HQ where they and their Pokémon will be properly trained. Jimmy is also ordered to go with them as he will finally get his uniform something Jimmy is incredibly glad to hear. With their victory over the Team Rocket has beens, Ash and Ritchie feel they ought to report this to Giovanni. Which they do indeed and Giovanni only says, "So it seems those fools still have some fight left after all then? Very well, you two keep on your guard and keep up the good work. I just got word about the recruits coming and I am very proud of the both of you."
This makes the both of them very happy but will keep on the alert should Jessie, James, and Meowth poke their heads out again. Also they intend to keep recruiting more young trainers to their cause and soon Ritchie will begin to act out a treacherous plan of his own. A plan that he intends to get Ash on board and that is to depose Giovanni and take over Team Rocket himself.