After a successful Pokémon Pageant on Serena's part in Violetrose Town, our heroes are now making their way to Ash's next Gym Battle in Ironriver City. That is, they were, until they had some not-so-unexpected visitors.
"Solarfly, use Solar Beam!" called out Jessie.
"Possneak, use Pursuit!" called out James.
Solarfly and Possneak stood before Team Rocket, as they geared up to fight against the "Twerp Posse", as Team Rocket would say.
Of course, the "Twerp Posse" never goes down easy. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
"Braixen, use Fire Blast!"
"Floattery, use Acid!"
Pikachu, Braixen, and Floattery geared up to use their moves, and countered Solar Beam while stopping Possneak in its tracks.
"C'mon, you guys," said Meowth, "we gotta use our heads if we wanna win here."
"Braixen, use Flamethrower!" called out Serena. Braixen leaped forth and charged up some flames with is wooden staff until Jessie got an idea.
"Dodge it, Solarfly, and use Psychic to grab that little wand of theirs!" Solarfly managed to dodge the flames and its eyes lit up blue, as it suddenly pulled Braixen's staff out of its hand.
"Grr, Floattery, you used Thundershock!" called out Vernon. Floattery charged forward, its tentacles lighting up with electricity, until James got an idea himself.
"Possneak, use Foul Play to plug those coils into the ground." Possneak grabbed Floattery's tentacles and jammed them into the ground, and Floattery began pulling, trying to yank itself free.
"Perfect!" yelled Meowth. "And that just leaves Pikachu!" Possneak and Solarfly surrounded the electric mouse Pokémon, who lit up its cheeks with electricity in determination.
"No holding back now!" said Jessie. "Pin it down with Psychic!"
Solarfly used Psychic to pin Pikachu to the ground, but Ash called out, "Use Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu's body shot out some electricity, but James called out, "Use Night Slash to cut straight through that Thunderbolt!" Possneak's claws grew black and longer, and it managed to slice through the lightning bolt.
Yes! Could it be? Pikachu is finally ours!? Jessie thought to herself. She briefly jumped up and down in excitement, until a certain PokéBall fell out of her pocket and opened.
"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet cried out getting the attention of everyone, including Solarfly and Possneak.
Noticing that Solarfly's Psychic was weaker thanks to the sudden distraction, Ash called out, "Quick, Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"
"Pika pika pikachuuu!" Pikachu's body was outlined in an electric, arrow-shaped veil, charging forward and blasting both Solarfly and Possneak back.
"Gak! Now look what you've done!" Jessie reprimanded Wobbuffet, who suddenly felt sheepish. "Solarfly, use Tackle!"
"Possneak, use Night Slash!"
As Solarfly and Possneak charged forward, Ash commanded, "Use Volt Tackle again!" Pikachu charged forward, and it was clear that its attack was much stronger.
"Grr," said Jessie, before she turned back to Wobbuffet. "Why don't you make yourself useful and give Pikachu a Counter!"
"Wob!" Wobbuffet saluted before it tried to charge in front of Pikachu. Unfortunately, it was in such a rush to get to that point that when it was time to use Counter...
it was facing the wrong way!
Solarfly and Possneak crashed into Wobbuffet, causing them to be shot back towards their trainer with enough force to knock them out.
"NO!" cried Jessie, as she grabbed Wobbuffet in rage and shook it. "Why can't you do anything right?!"
At that point, Braixen and gotten its staff back, while Floattery had puled its tentacles free, so they stood by Pikachu.
"Alright, let's wrap this up," said Ash. "Use Thunderbolt!"
"Braixen, you use Flamethrower!" said Serena.
"Floattery, use Acid!" said Vernon.
The three attacks hit Team Rocket so hard, that they were sent flying away.
"We're blasting off again!"
"Wobbuffet!"
Team Rocket crash-landed nearby, all stuck in the branches of a tree. Suddenly, the tree that Jessie and Wobbuffet were laying on broke off and sent the two plummeting to the ground below.
Suddenly, Jessie stood up mad with fury and grabbed Wobbuffet, shaking it with outrage.
"We were so close!" said Jessie. "So close to finally nabbing Pikachu! AND YOU JUST HAD TO GO LOUSE EVERYTHING UP! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!? WHY CAN'T YOU EVER JUST STAY IN YOUR POKéBALL AND LEAVE US ALONE!?"
"Um, Jessie?" said James, now on the ground with Meowth. "I think you need to calm down."
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE JAMES! THIS LOUSY WOBBUFFET IS ALWAYS MAKING THINGS WORSE! I-I-I WISH I NEVER GOT IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Jessie finally stormed off the scene, steaming, as James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet looked on stunned.
"Er, don't worry about, pal," said Meowth, giving Wobbuffet a reassuring pat on the back. "She's just a little mad, that's all. Just let her blow off some steam. I'm sure she didn't mean any of that."
"Jessie? Jessie?" called out James, as he wandered after her, eventually followed by a concerned Meowth. Wobbuffet stood there stunned, Jessie's harsh words echoing in its head.
Who was Wobbuffet kidding? Jessie didn't really care about it. From the day she obtained it, she thought it was useless, irritating, a curse on her life. Frankly, all these years of being kicked, punched, and insulted around by her...
Wobbuffet looked up with anger. Enough was enough. Wobbuffet turned around and walked off, never looking back.
Ash, Serena, Vernon, RotomDex, and all their Pokémon were having some lunch by a small lake to rest after their fight with Team Rocket.
"You'd think Team Rocket would have learned by now," said Serena.
"I kinda want to thank Wobbuffet for helping us back there," said Vernon.
"Yeah," said Ash, taking a bite of his sandwich. "I wonder what Team Rocket usually does after we blast them of anyway?"
Suddenly, they heard some water splashing nearby. Looking over, they saw Wobbuffet cupping its hand to grab some water from the lake and drink it.
"Huh?" said Serena. "Is that Team Rocket's Wobbuffet?"
"It must be," said RotomDex. "According to my data, Wobbuffets are not native to Ralia."
"Why's it out here all by itself?" wondered Ash. Curious, he stood up and walked over to it.
"Ash! Hang on, it could be a trap!" called out Serena.
At that, Wobbuffet looked their way, but turned back to drink more water.
"I don't think it's here to start a fight," said Ash. He walked up to Wobbuffet and said, "Hey, Wobbuffet? What are you doing out here all by yourself?"
However, Wobbuffet ignored him and began hobbling away. Then, it's stomach began to growl, and it held its stomach in embarrassment.
"Oh, are you hungry?" said Serena, standing up. She walked over to pick up a plate of PokéPuffs. "Here, I made a whole bunch of these. Do you want one?"
Wobbuffet refused to look at her, but as its stomach growled again, it sighed and hobbled over to Serena. Tentatively, it took a pink PokéPuff off the plate and took a dainty bite out of it.
"What do you think? It's tasty, isn't it?" Serena smiled. Wobbuffet said nothing as it slowly chewed its bite, before finally swallowing it. It stood still for a second, before it gained a half-smile and took another, bigger bite.
"See? We're all good here," said Vernon. "Regardless of what Team Rocket wants you to think, we're nice people."
Wobbuffet eventually finished off the PokéPuff, before Serena offered it another one. Tentatively, it took a chocolate PokéPuff and began to eat that as well.
"I wonder what it's doing all the way out here, though," said Ash, walking back over.
"I wonder if Team Rocket even knows it's here," said Vernon.
All the Pokémon looked at Wobbuffet oddly, before they decided to just eat their own PokéPuffs. However, as Charmor looked back to its bowl, it saw that its puffs were suddenly missing. Looking around suspiciously, it suddenly saw a small Pokémon a few feet away. It looked like a sandy-colored dog, but it had a metal coating covering its back, and its tail looked long and pointy like the tip of a needle. And it was holding one of Charmor's PokéPuffs in its mouth. Angry, Charmor began to cry out, "Charmor! Char!" getting everyone's attention as it took off after the Pokémon.
"Hey! Charmor! Where are you going?" said Ash as he ran after it, with RotomDex deciding to follow as well.
Finally, Ash and RotomDex caught up to Charmor and saw it confronting the Pokémon, flames spewing from under its scales.
"Who's that Pokémon, RotomDex?" said Ash.
RotomDex quickly scanned it and said, "Dingrowl, the Metal Detection Pokémon. A Steel Type. Dingrowls have a remarkable ability to detect the metal that is buried underground thanks to their magnet-like organs. In packs, they lick each other to keep each other's metal coats shiny and clean. Does not evolve."
Ash saw the PokéPuff in the Dingrowl's mouth, but still told Charmor, "C'mon, Charmor, let's not make any trouble. Serena can make you some more."
However, Charmor ignored its trainer and charged forward with a Flame Wheel attack. It knocked the Dingrowl over, causing it to drop the PokéPuff and cry out in pain. Charmor stood in front of the Dingrowl victoriously, but then it heard a lot of noise from behind it. It turned its head in horror to see a whole pack of Dingrowls, all bigger than the one it had just attacked, who were looking at Charmor with outrage.
"Charmor?" Charmor said sheepishly.
"Charmor, look out!" cried out Ash's voice, loud enough for everyone back at the lunch spot to hear. "Someone help!"
"Ash?" said Serena. "Sounds like he's in trouble, let's go!"
"Right!" said Vernon, as he and all the other Pokémon stood up to go follow her. However, Pikachu stopped when it noticed Wobbuffet was not following. It just stood there eating the PokéPuffs.
"Pika! Pika pi!" it angrily cried out to Wobbuffet. Wobbuffet looked at it, but then went right back to eating.
"Pika! Pikachu pika!" Pikachu cried out, walking in front of Wobbuffet. This time, it's voice sounded more desparate. "Pikachu pika pikachu!"
Wobbuffet listened to Pikachu's cries, as it spoke out in concern for its trainer. Wobbuffet looked off to where everyone had run, before looking back to Pikachu's pleading eyes.
"Ash? What's going on?" said Vernon, as he and the other joined Ash, Charmor, and RotomDex. However that's when they saw the many, many Dingrowls that had them all surrounded.
"What happened?" said Serena.
"I don't know," said Ash. "C'mon, we gotta stop them!"
"Right!" said Vernon. "Floattery, use Thundershock!"
"Braixen, use Flamethrower," said Serena.
"Charmor, use Ember!" said Ash.
The three Pokémon unleashed their attacks, but the Dingrowls easily took the moves, and it seemed to only make them angrier. They all opened their mouths to use Flash Cannon.
"Look out!" said Ash, as everyone ducked underneath the attacks. But as they did, the Dingrowls closed in and prepared to use Magnet Bomb.
"Gah, what are we gonna do?" said Serena.
"Wob!" cried out a sudden voice. Everyone looked up to see Wobbuffet, Pikachu sitting on its head, jumping into the fray. As the Dingrowls launched their Magnet Bomb attacks, Wobbuffet prepared its Mirror Coat, and all the attacks stuck to it before launching them back to where they came from.
The Dingrowls tried to dodge, but their metal bodies pulled the Magnet Bombs in, and they blasted them all back. Shaking, the Dingrowls quickly turned around and ran for it.
"Whoa," said Ash, standing up. "Wobbuffet, that was amazing!"
"Yeah, you really saved us back there!" said Vernon.
Wobbuffet turned to face them, before looking at Pikachu, who had hopped off of Wobbuffet's head and was looking at it as if to say, "See? What did I tell you?"
Suddenly, RotomDex flew right up to Wobbuffet. "Say, Wobbuffet, if you don't mind me asking, how come you're not with Team Rocket right now?"
Wobbuffet looked down, but then it saw Pikachu giving it an encouraging look, and it spoke up. "Wob wob Wobbu, Wobbuffet."
"What?" said RotomDex. "That's horrible!"
"Do you actually understand him, RotomDex?" said Ash.
"In a way," said RotomDex. "See, I actually took a little online course that's supposed to train you to understand Pokémon. But Wobbuffet tells me that Jessie lashed out at it earlier and said she wishes she never got Wobbuffet." RotomDex looked back at Wobbuffet. "Is that about right?" Wobbuffet nodded.
"What? How could she say such a thing?" said Serena. "I never thought she could be that cold."
"Say, Wobbuffet," said Vernon, "if Jessie really doesn't want you anymore, you're more than welcome to come with us."
Wobbuffet looked at him weird, before Ash spoke up, "Yeah, we can all be friends if you like."
"I got plenty more PokéPuffs if you like," said Serena.
Wobbuffet felt a little conflicted, but that was when it decided to walk off.
"Hey, where are you going?" said Serena.
Wobbuffet had walked back to the lake, and it was now looking at its reflection in the water. As it did, many of Jessie hurtful words began to echo in its head.
"Why can't you ever just stay in your PokéBall!? Be quiet, you! I didn't mean you, you big balloon! I wish I never caught you at all!"
Wobbuffet touched its face, and that's when it felt a bruise. A bruise on its face where Jessie had once slapped it, and it never quite healed.
"Pika?" said a familiar voice. Wobbuffet turned to see Pikachu and Charmor walking up to it.
"Wob?"
"Pika pika, Pikachu, pika!" said Pikachu, smiling and trying to cheer Wobbuffet up.
"Wob, wobbuffet," Wobbuffet said, explaining why Jessie didn't want anything to do with it anymore.
"Char, charmo, char," said Charmor, explaining how it used to be considered weak, but thanks to its good friends, it was able to see itself as something better.
"Wob?" Wobbuffet qeustioned.
"Pika, pikachu!" Pikachu encouraged, saying that Wobbuffet could overcome that same kind of thing too.
Wobbuffet looked back at its reflection, before gaining a determined expression.
"Wob, Wobbuffet!" said Wobbuffet, as it, Pikachu, and Charmor walked back up to the group.
"It says it wants to come with us!" said RotomDex.
"Awesome!" said Ash, walking up to Wobbuffet. "Welcome to the team, Wobbuffet."
"You're one of our buds now," said Vernon, also walking up.
"I can't wait!" said Serena.
For the first time that day, Wobbuffet had a smile. Everything would be just alright.
Who's that Pokémon?
Its six eggs communicate using telepathy. They can quickly gather if they become separated.
Jessie was leaning up against a tree, her face scrunched in anger. "Stupid blue balloon," she muttered to herself. "From the day I caught you, you've been nothing but trouble."
"Um, Jessie?" called out a voice. Jessie turned to see James and Meowth walking up to her. "I think we have a problem."
"What?" said Jessie.
"Wobbuffet has gone missing!" said Meowth.
"What?" said Jessie. "No way, it wouldn't just walk away. Why would it leave?"
"Maybe because you told it that you wished you had never caught it?" said James.
Jessie paused at that. It couldn't be true, could it?
The "Twerp Posse" made its way through the woods, Wobbuffet right behind them.
"Say, guys, do you mind if we take a break real quick?" said Serena. "The thing is, I wanted to practice some of my Pokémon Pageant Acts after lunch, but I didn't get around to it."
"Sure," said Ash. "I was meaning to practice some moves with my Pokémon too."
"Alright, we can stop," said Vernon.
Serena had both Braixen and Lunoth out, and she was asking them to show off their best moves to her. Braixen was showing off its Flamethrower while Lunoth was using Dark Pulse.
"Hmm, I need a new combination that'll blow everyone's socks off the next time we perform," she muttered to herself. "Just what is it, though?"
Wobbuffet was actually watching in the background, invested. Braixen tried shooting its flames up towards Lunoth, who blew them away with its wings.
"No, not enough," Serena muttered to herself. "Just what am I missing?"
"Wob!" Wobbuffet suddenly spoke up, surprising everyone.
"Huh? What is it, Wobbuffet?" said Serena.
"Wob, wobbu," Wobbuffet pointed at Braixen before pointing to Lunoth. Everyone looked at it confused, until it held Braixen's staff, then it mimicking the fire that flowed out of it, and the went over to Lunoth and mimicked using Protect.
"Wait, are you saying a Flamethrower on Luonth's Protect?" said Serena. "Hmm, okay, let's try it," she said. Briaxen used a Flamethrower and shot it at Lunoth, who used Protect and nullified it.
"Um, I still don't get it," said Serena. "How will that impress anyone?"
"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet scolded before walking in front of Braixen. "Wob wobbu, fet!" It then prepared a Mirror Coat.
"You want us to use a Flamethrower on you?" said Serena. Wobbuffet nodded. "Okay, then." Braixen fired a Flamethrower at Wobbuffet, who blew it all away with a Mirror Coat, scattering it all around the woods.
"What, I see what were saying before!" Serena smiled before running up to Lunoth and whispering something into its ear. Lunoth nodded, and Serena asked Braixen to fire another Flamethrower at Lunoth. This time, Lunoth began flapping its wings underneath the Protect, and it caused the Flamethower to spread out, bouncing off the Protect shield in a spectacular fashion.
"Awesome! I worked! Thanks, Wobbuffet!" Suddenly, she had another thought and asked, "Say, after facing Violet the other day, I figured maybe I should practice trying to be more 'creepy cute' like her. Do you have any ideas?"
"Wob!"
"Alright, Charmor, use Flame Wheel one more time!" Ash said. Charmor span forward in a swirl of flames, but the faster it went, the more it got winded. Quickly, it fell forward and collapsed as the flames snuffed out.
"Aw, man. Well, we seem to be getting closer," Ash said. "We just need some practice is all. Let's try it again, use Flame Wheel!"
Puffing out some smoke, Charmor rolled forward in flames again, but again, it quickly got winded and fell forward.
"Man, what are we missing?" said Ash, looking over his Pokémon.
"Wobbuffet!" cried out a familiar voice. Ash turned to see Wobbuffet waddling over and helping Charmor stand back up. "Wobbu, wobbuffet!"
"Huh?" said Ash. "What are you saying?"
"Buffet, wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet pointed at Charmor, who was panting from all that tumbling. "Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet walked forward slowly, but then as it cried out "Wobbuffet!" again, it tried to speed up but then fell forward.
"Wait a second," said Ash. "Are you saying Charmor just has difficulty controlling himself at that speed?"
"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet confirmed.
"Hmm," said Ash. "Well, Flame Wheel is Charmor's best move. How are we supposed to fight then?"
Wobbuffet looked at Charmor and then got an idea. It stood before Charmor and cried out, "Wobbuffet!" as if saying, "Come at me!"
"Huh? You want us to attack you? Are you sure?"
"Wobbuffet!"
"I think I understand," said RotomDex, flying over. "I think Wobbuffet wants Charmor to try to learn a new move."
"Wobbu, wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet agreed. It glowed as it prepared Mirror Coat and Counter.
"Well, if you say so," said Ash. "But what kind of move should Charmor try to use?"
"Charmor can learn a variety of different moves," said RotomDex. "What you guys should do is find a move that'll help balance out Charmor's difficulty with speed."
"Hmm," said Ash, before he looked at Charmor, who was gearing up to attack Wobbuffet. "Okay, Charmor, I want you try to attack Wobbuffet with whatever you've got."
"Char!" Charmor charged forward with a Flame Wheel, but Wobbuffet bounced it away with Counter. Quickly getting up, Charmor spat an Ember attack at Wobbuffet, who used Mirror Coat to bounce it back.
"Grr, this isn't working," said Ash. "Maybe if-"
"Wob! Wobbu!" Wobbuffet called out.
"Huh?" said Ash.
"I think Wobbuffet is trying to tell you that you need to try to work directly with Charmor if you want it to improve," RotomDex explained. "Trainers and Pokémon must become one to accomplish anything. Just try to think about what Charmor is trying to do now, then help it through it."
Ash looked over at Charmor, who was emitting flames from under its scales. Seeing the determined look on its face, Ash nodded and said, "You're right. Okay, Charmor, I want you to try Ember one more time."
Charmor spat an Ember at Wobbuffet, who bounced it back, and as it went for Charmor, Ash called out, "Charmor, if you can't move fast enough, then I want you try to stop it. I know! Try using your scales!"
Charmor turned its back to the Ember attack, but as it made contact, Charmor felt it pushing back against its scales. Charmor struggled, until it suddenly curled itself into a ball, and its entire body turn gray. As a result, the Ember attack dissipated, and Charmor came out of its ball no worse for the wear.
"Awesome! You did it, Charmor!" said Ash.
"That was Iron Defense!" said RotomDex.
"I think I see it now," said Ash. "Charmor's a stationary kind of fighter. So, we just need to find a way to work with that!"
"Wob!" Wobbuffet walked closer to Charmor, and asked for some physical attacks.
"Okay, use Flame Wheel!" said Ash. Charmor charged forward, but was bounced off by Counter. Grunting, it tried again, but was met with the same results.
"Don't give up, Charmor!" said Ash. "Just picture yourself knocking him down! We'll use strength to pull this off!"
Charmor looked at Wobbuffet, and it tried spinning again. However, this time, the flames did not emit, and Charmor instead span in place until it smacked into Wobbuffet. Wobbuffet pushed it back with a Counter, but Charmor suddenly bounced off a tree and back into it, knocking it down.
"Awesome!" said Ash. "Charmor, you just learned Rapid Spin!" Charmor ran up to its trainer excitedly, and Ash petted its head. "Look, I think we're getting it down, now. With this new strategy, we'll barrel through anything that comes our way." He then looked at Wobbuffet. "Thanks, Wobbuffet. We never could have pulled it off with out you."
"I cannot believe you!" said Vernon. "I'm so angry that I could tear you apart!"
"Wob?" came Wobbuffet's voice. Vernon turned around to see Wobuffet waddling up to him.
"Oh, sorry, I was just practicing my emotions," said Vernon. "I want to be able to give more convincing performances, you know? But I feel like I just keep coming up flat."
Wobbuffet thought for a second, and then waddling in front of Vernon, saying, "Wobbu, Wobbuffet!"
"You want to help me?" said Vernon."Oh, you want to coach me?"
"Wob."
"Okay then, can you help me show anger?" said Vernon.
Wobbuffet, upon hearing that word, remembered Jessie. How much she screamed when James, Meowth or Wobbuffet would do something stupid, and how she would express her disdain pretty thoroughly. Closing its eyes and taking a deep breath, it began mimicking Jessie in a rage, scrunching up its face, stomping ts foot, and screaming, "Wob! Wobbu! Wobbuffet!"
"Okay," said Vernon. He took a deep breath and mimicked Wobbuffet. "Gah!" he screamed as he scrunched up his face and stamped his foot. "I cannot believe this! Could this get any worse! I am surrounded by morons!"
"Wob!" Wobbuffet saluted, nodding its head in approval.
"Thank you," said Vernon. "I kinda improvised the dialogue a bit there, but that was just the vibe I got from your performance. Say, care to help me a bit more?"
"Wob!"
"Okay, guys, time to get moving, again!" said RotomDex, as it led everyone through the woods.
Wobbuffet walked behind everyone, and it heard a small "Pika?" It looked down to see Pikachu looking up at it. "Pika, pi, pika, pikachu."
"Wob, wobbuffet," said Wobbuffet. Th two were actually discussing how Wobbuffet was doing.
"Pika, pika!" Pikachu smiled as it hopped onto Wobbuffet's head affectionately. "Pika pi, pikachu," Pikachu seemed to say, "You're fitting right in! Don't worry, you're one of our pals now." It hopped off of Wobbuffet's head to run up to Ash.
Wobbuffet thought about that, and felt a small smile growing on its face. It felt nice. These "twerps" were actually great company. No, great friends. However, Wobbuffet looked up at the sky, and, as if daydreaming, it saw some clouds that resembled Jessie, James, and Meowth. It sighed. Would this be its farewell to its old friends.
But still, Jessie's words echoed in its head. "You're such a buffoon! I wish I had never caught you at all!"
Suddenly, the group heard a noise. They looked around and saw some Dingrowls suddenly emerging from the bushes.
"Uh, oh," said RotomDex. "More Dingrowls!"
In fact, more and more seemed to be pouring in. Soon enough, the group was surrounded on all sides.
"I don't believe it," said Jessie. "How could Wobbuffet just up and leave us?"
"Well, Jessie, it may be hard for you to believe, but Wobbuffet has feelings, too you know," said Meowth. "In fact, since the day you caught, it's been confining in me, and every day it said the same old thing. 'Jessie doesn't really like me.'"
"Th-that's not true!" said Jessie. "Yes, I wasn't thrilled about catching it, and I know it can be annoying sometimes, but it's still part of Team Rocket!"
"Maybe it just isn't about Team Rocket, Jessie," said James. "Maybe it's about you."
Jessie looked down, as she thought about Wobbuffet. She didn't really mistreat it that much, did she? Sure, she screamed at it a lot, and sometimes forcibly stuffed it back into its PokéBall, and even kicked it and called it useless...
Oh my word, Jessie thought. It's true. I drove Wobbuffet off.
It's Exeggcute!
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash said.
"Floattery," Vernon said, throwing his PokéBall, "use Thundershock!"
"Braixen," Serena said, throwing her PokéBall, "use Flamethrower!"
As Floattery and Braixen emerged from their PokéBalls, they and Pikachu unleashed their attacks. They beat some of them back, but more Dingrowls poured in and used Flash Cannon. The attacks closed in the Pokémon, until Wobbuffet jumped in front of them and reflected it all away with Mirror Coat.
The Dingrowls looked at Wobbuffet in confusion, but then looking at each other, they had an idea. Some Dingrowls shot more Flash Cannons at Wobbuffet, who prepared a Mirror Coat. However, that was when some other Dingrowls sneaked up on it and used Bite. Wobbuffet shouted in pain, losing its focus and dropping its Mirror Coat, thus causing the Flash Cannons to pummel it.
"Wobbuffet!" cried out Ash, Serena, and Vernon.
The Dingrowls ganged up on Wobbuffet and used Bite and Flash Cannon in it without relenting. It was all too fast for Wobbuffet to fight back, until it fell down, exhausted.
The Dingrowls prepared one final onslaught of Flash Cannons to finish Wobbuffet off, but as Wobbuffet saw them coming, something got in their way.
"Pikachu!"
"Braixen!"
"Floattery!"
When the dust settled, Wobbuffet could see Pikachu, Braixen, and Floattery standing before the Dingrowls, emitting electricity and fire from their bodies after blocking the attacks with all their might. And behind them was something that shocked Wobbuffet. Ash, Serena, and Vernon were all before it, clutching themselves in pain.
"Wob?" it said in shock.
"They couldn't stop all the Flash Cannons," said Ash, groaning as he clutched his arm. "We-we had to help you somehow."
Wobbuffet continued to stare in amazement as Vernon said, "It's okay, you just take a time-out. We'll protect you."
The three stood with their Pokémon, staring down the many Dingrowls. "You want Wobbuffet, you gotta get through us!" Serena insisted.
Wobbuffet sat in shock. It was incredible. To have friends like this who'd take a bullet for it. It was an incredible feeling.
"Flamethrower!"
"Thoundershock!"
"Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu, Floattery, and Braixen unleashed their attacks, blasting many Dingrowls away. The Dingrowls would not give up though, and kept coming forward. Pikachu looked back at Wobbuffet, still on the ground in pain. Seeing the look on its face, Pikachu could remember how it felt when it was on the ground on that day it and Ash were attacked by those Spearows. Feeling weak and helpless...
Suddenly, Pikachu got a determined look on its face. No, Wobbuffet would not suffer that. Not if Pikachu could help it. Suddenly, Pikachu charged forward, lighting its body up with energy, and jumping in the air to release a Thunderbolt in a very familiar move.
"Pi-ka-CHUUUUUUUUU!"
In a blinding flash of light, the electricity was released. When the dust settled, the group could see most of the Dingrowls on the ground. Slowly, they tried to stand up, but then they saw an angry Pikachu emitting electricity from its cheeks. At that, every last one of the Dingrowls ran away, their tails between their legs.
"Whoa!" said Ash. "Awesome, Pikachu!" He ran over to pick up his weakly-smiling partner. "That was amazing!"
"Pika!" Pika weakly cheered, but then it saw Wobbuffet on the ground. "Pika, pi!" it pointed.
Ash turned to see Wobbuffet, and said, "Oh, right!" before running over. He, Serena, Vernon, and RotomDex looked it over as it felt so much pain coursing through its body.
"Don't worry Wobbuffet, we'll help you through this," said Serena.
"There don't seem to be any Pokémon Centers close enough," said RotomDex, scrolling through its map, "but I think I can find a store that sells some good Pokémon-specific medicine."
"Good, we should go get some them then," said Serena, standing up to face RotomDex. "Ash, Vernon, you stay here and look after Wobbuffet."
"Certainly," said Vernon. As Serena and RotomDex walked away, Vernon pulled out some different types of Berries out of his pockets. "Here, try these. They'll help you keep your strength up."
Wobbuffet slowly ate the berries as Ash petted its head. "You're gonna be alright, Wobbuffet," he said. "Count on it."
Over the course of the night, Wobbuffet was cared for by the group. Serena and RotomDex brought back the medicine, and everyone stayed up with Wobbuffet all night to see it get better. They even helped it stand up again and make sure it was feeling better before doing anything else.
Eventually, Wobbuffet was all better, and the group was happy to see it. Once Wobbuffet convinced the group that it was ready, they began continuing to Ironriver City.
However, as they all walked, three familiar faces quickly showed up again.
"You! How dare you steal my precious Wobbuffet from me!" The group turned to see an angry Jessie running up to them, a tired James and Meowth close behind.
"I can't believe you!" said Jessie, steaming with her fists clenched. "So you always give us a hard time for trying to steal your Pokémon, but when you steal one of ours, it's okay?"
"Hey, Wobbuffet came to us by choice!" Vernon defended. "And we've been taking good care of it, mind you."
Wobbuffet cowered behind the "twerps". The truth was it was a little afraid right now seeing Jessie so angry. She'd always get this angry before giving Wobbuffet a piece of her mind.
"Oh," said Jessie, suddenly calming down. "Well, that's nice of you to do for us, but it's time for Wobbuffet to come back with us."
Wobbuffet peeked out to see its old friends, who quickly spied it. "Ah, there you are," said Jessie. "Oh, Wobbuffet, I'm so sorry for what I said. Please come back to us."
Wobbuffet looked at her apprehensively, but then up to its newest friends. The "twerps" looked at the look on Wobbuffet's face before Ash spoke up. "Now, what makes you think it wants to go back with you?"
"Oh, come now," said Jessie. "Wobbuffet is my Pokémon. It's part of the team."
"Yeah, and it's one of our most important teammates at that!" said Meowth. "And it's my best friend."
"Truly, Team Rocket isn't complete without it," said James.
Wobbuffet looked at them nervously, before Serena said, "If you all care so much, then why'd you drive it off, huh? Why did Jessie say that she wishes that she never caught Wobbuffet in the first place?"
"What?" said Jessie. "Oh, Wobbuffet, you have to believe me, I didn't mean that. I was just angry, that's all. I didn't want you to go away. You have to trust me."
The "twerps" looked over to Wobbuffet, who was looking back and forth at the two groups in apprehension. "Alright, look," said Vernon. "I think we should hear from Wobbuffet. See what it wants to do."
Looking at the two groups, Wobbuffet was feeling conflicted. It would be lying if it said that it didn't miss Team Rocket. They had been through so much together. But right now, it just didn't feel quite... right.
Then it looked back to the "twerps". It had been traveling with them for a day, but they had been so nice to it. They took a bullet for it, and spent all night helping it recover from a nasty fight. If it left them now, would it be betraying them? After all they had done for it?
Eventually, Wobbuffet wobbled forward and said, "Wob, wobbu, wob, wobbuffet, wobbu."
Meowth gasped in horror. "I don't believe it!" he said. "Wobbuffet... doesn't want to abandon the twerp posse!"
"What?" said Jessie. "How could you, Wobbuffet! Betraying us for our worst enemies!"
"Wob! Wobbu! Wob! Wobbu! Wobbuffet! Wobbuffet! Wobbu!" Wobbuffet suddenly ranted. As it spoke, Meowth' eyes grew wider.
"Jessie, it says that the twerps were taking care of it all night. And it says they showed it more respect and care then it's ever known. Even from us. And it's says it doesn't want to deal with your anger anymore. It doesn't want you to fall back on your apology and tear into it again."
"I-I-I," Jessie began to cry, tears forming in her eyes. "Wobbuffet! I'm sorry, okay! I never should have said those things to you! No, I never should have said any of the cruel things I've ever said to you! You're right, okay? I tear into you a lot, but please! You can't abandon us! You can't betray Team Rocket like this! We're supposed to be in this together!"
Wobbuffet seemed moved by Jessie's words, at least until it brought up Team Rocket. It glared. So what? Was that it? Did Jessie only want it back for Team Rocket's sake? Wobbuffet looked back at the "twerps" who gave it some comforting and sympathetic looks. Looking over at Team Rocket again, Wobbuffet made its decision.
It wobbled back over to the "twerps" and said a firm "Wobbuffet!"
"What?" said Meowth. "You-you can't be serious, pal!"
"Argh, you know what, that's it!" said Jessie, pulling out a PokéBall. "If those lousy twerps have you brainwashed, I guess we'll just have to take you back ourselves." James pulled out a PokéBall as well as Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder to prepare for a fight. However, to the shock of everyone, Wobbuffet stood in front of the "twerps", arms outstretched.
"Wob." it said firmly.
"It-it's says it won't let us hurt its friends," said Meowth. "And if we're going to attack them, then it won't trust us."
Jessie felt the tears welling up in her eyes, but she blinked them back before anyone could see. "I can't believe this. After all we've been through?" She stared at Wobbuffet, but its firm expression did not change. "Grr, fine! Go on! Have a big fun adventure with the twerp posse! See if I care!" She pulled out another PokéBall and threw it over to Ash. "There! There's Wobbuffet's PokéBall! It's all yours!" At that, she stormed away, a concerned James right behind her.
Meowth looked over to Wobbuffet, whose expression finally softened upon seeing the sincere look of it's old friend. "Are-are you serious?" Meowth said. "Are you really going to leave us? Leave Jessie? Leave James? Leave me?"
Wobbuffet sighed and said, "Wob, wobbu, wobbu, wobbuffet."
As Meowth understood Wobbuffet's words, he felt the waterworks begin. "I see." Looking up at the "twerps" he said seriously, "Look here, twerps. Wobbuffet is a Pokémon who means the world to us. So you lugs better take good care of it, or you answer to me, capisce?" At that, he turned to go find his friends.
Ash, Serena, and Vernon looked at Wobbuffet, who let its shoulders sag and let out a sigh. Ash patted its head. "That was the hardest thing you've ever had to do, huh?" Wobbuffet nodded.
"Well, it's gonna be alright, Wobbuffet," said Serena. "No matter what happens, we're your friends now, and we'll be here for you."
"Wob," Wobbuffet said gratefully.
Incredible. All this time, and Wobbuffet has chosen to leave its old friends for our heroes. I cannot say where Wobbuffet's life will lead now. Maybe it will go back to Jessie, or maybe it won't. But I can tell that today, it's experiencing heartbreak for the first time. Stay tuned...
Further away, Jessie led James and Meowth away, but paused to wipe a tear from her eye.
...as the journey continues.
Everyone, I have an opinion of Team Rocket that I know most people don't share. And I need you all to realize that as far as Team Rocket is concerned, I have ideas that the actual anime would probably never do. I need to do something different with them. Now, will Wobbuffet go back to Jessie? Maybe it will, maybe it won't. But just know, that this is only the beginning. So don't get mad at me for this chapter, okay? I'm doing this for a good reason. Please just stay with me, and you'll see where all this goes okay? Don't flame me, just trust me for the time being.