The main area of the lab was cloaked in a restless silence, broken only by the faint murmurs of machinery and the occasional hum of a light overhead. It didn't feel like a place of study anymore—more like a waiting room before something worse.

Jessie sat on one of the cushioned benches near the wall, her long pink hair tied up loosely in a bun now, green earrings still dangling as she restlessly fidgeted with her sleeves. Meowth sat beside her, legs dangling off the edge, nervously tapping his claws together. Neither had spoken since James was taken into the emergency room.

May, Iris, and Max sat quietly across from them, still shaken.

Trip leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, casting frequent glances toward the closed door that led into the lab's back room. Red stood nearby, stiff and silent.

Paul, seated with one leg over the other and his chin resting against his knuckles, finally broke the silence.

"You two," he said, sharply, eyes fixed on Jessie and Meowth. "You used to be with them. With Team Rocket."

Jessie looked up, startled, her lips slightly parted.

Paul didn't blink. "You know them. So talk."

Jessie hesitated. "We're not with them anymore. We haven't been for a long time."

Paul scoffed, cold and unamused. "Doesn't matter. You've seen things. Heard things."

Meowth looked between them nervously. "L-look, it's not that simple, alright? We were told not to say nothin'. Giovanni—he made it real clear."

Jessie swallowed hard, her eyes darting toward the lab door where James lay behind it. "If we ever spoke about what we knew… Giovanni said he'd come for us. Personally."

Paul's expression didn't change. "Then I guess it's a good thing you've got protection now."

Jessie blinked. "Protection?"

Paul leaned forward slightly. "You're in our house now. If you want your friend to make it out alive, the least you can do is give us something in return. You owe us that much."

Meowth's ears twitched. "Kid's got a scary way of puttin' things."

Jessie sighed. "He's not wrong."

She stood up slowly, folding her arms across her chest, and for a moment, there was a flicker of her old self—the dramatic flair, the edge of theatrical confidence—but it faded just as quickly as it came.

"Team Rocket used to be a joke," she said flatly. "At least, that's what everyone thought. You know, netting Pikachu, blasting off again… all that nonsense. But things changed. Quietly. While we were still running around with our delusions of grandeur, Giovanni was building something bigger."

Meowth nodded solemnly. "Somethin' ugly."

Jessie continued. "They stopped caring about petty thefts or rare Pokémon. They started going after politicians. Police. Media. Bought out people in power. Bribed others. Blackmailed the ones they couldn't buy."

Trip's brow furrowed. "How far does it go?"

Jessie looked at him. "All of us under their thumb. Johto too, from what we've heard. And now… they're spreading. We heard rumors before we left… about Sinnoh. Unova. Even Hoenn."

"They ain't just crooks anymore," Meowth said, ears flat. "They're a freakin' empire now."

Max whispered, "This is way worse than I thought…"

Red stepped forward slightly, eyes burning. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

Jessie met his gaze. "Because we were trying to stay alive. Giovanni let us go with a warning. No more stunts. No more loyalty. Just disappear and keep your mouths shut."

Paul stood now, facing them both. "Well, guess what—secrets don't save lives anymore. They get people killed."

Jessie's eyes dropped to the floor.

"Then I guess we're already in too deep."

Just then, the emergency room door creaked open.

Clemont appeared in the doorway, adjusting his glasses, face pale and anxious.

"He's stable," he said quietly. "But barely. Brock's doing all he can."

Jessie was on her feet before Clemont even finished. Meowth followed instantly.

Paul watched them go, then exchanged a tense glance with Red.

"Stable's a good start," Red muttered.

"Barely," Paul replied. "And that was Ash."

Next morning inside the lab…

The morning sun crept gently through the blinds of Professor Oak's lab, casting soft golden stripes across the sterile white of the emergency room. The quiet was still, broken only by the gentle beeping of a monitor beside James' bed. His battered face was bandaged now—his busted lip had been carefully treated, and the swelling around his eye was finally starting to subside. His broken nose had been stabilized overnight, though it still looked tender and painful.

Clemont stood at the doorway, adjusting his glasses as he checked over James' vitals. He blinked in surprise when James' fingers twitched slightly. Then, with a slow and quiet groan, James stirred.

"Wha… where…?" he muttered, his voice weak, disoriented.

Clemont's eyes widened. "He's awake!" he called out as he turned and sprinted out of the room. "He's waking up!"

Within seconds, footsteps echoed from the hall as Professor Oak, Jessie, Meowth, Paul, Trip, and Gary filed into the room. Jessie rushed to James' side, kneeling by the bed, eyes wide with worry.

"James…" she whispered, her voice trembling.

James blinked, groaning again as his gaze darted between them. "Jess… Meowth… Where am I? What happened?"

Professor Oak gave him a reassuring nod. "You're safe now, son. You're at my lab in Pallet Town. You've been out since last night. We've been treating your injuries."

James furrowed his brows as the fragmented memories slowly started piecing themselves together. "Injuries…? Wait…" His eyes slowly scanned the room—until they froze.

Ash stepped into the doorway.

His usual determined scowl was gone. He looked tired. Quiet. His hat was clutched in his hands, and his eyes lowered slightly when James' gaze locked with his.

The silence was suffocating for a moment.

James' entire expression shifted. His pupils widened. His breathing quickened. He instinctively shrunk back into the pillow as if he'd just seen a ghost.

"Y-You…!" he stammered. "Ash… I-I didn't mean to… we didn't know… I swear, we're not with them anymore!"

Jessie placed a hand on his arm, trying to calm him down.

"Ash…" James said again, his voice trembling, "I'm sorry. For everything we did all those years. All the times we tried to steal Pikachu… all the stupid traps… all the times we got in your way. I never thought… you'd…" His voice cracked.

Ash stepped forward quietly, gaze locked on James. The others didn't move—they watched in silence.

"I know," Ash finally said, voice low. "I know you guys aren't part of Team Rocket anymore. I didn't then… but I do now."

James stared, unsure of what was coming next.

Ash sighed, eyes softening. "What I did last night… that wasn't okay. I lost it. I let everything get to me. My mom… Red…" His hand clenched slightly. "You were the final straw. And I snapped."

James glanced down, still wincing in pain, but listening.

"I'm sorry," Ash continued. "For the busted lip… the nose. I shouldn't have done that. I know you're not the enemy anymore."

For a moment, the room was still.

Meowth, standing beside Jessie, let out a breath of relief. "Took ya long enough, kiddo."

James offered a faint smile through his swollen face. "Apology accepted… just remind me to never get on your bad side again."

Jessie chuckled softly, brushing a lock of his lilac hair out of his face. "You'll be okay, James."

Professor Oak gave Ash a firm, approving nod from behind. Paul and Trip exchanged glances, both silently relieved the situation hadn't escalated again. Gary folded his arms, watching his friend closely.

Professor Oak stood before a large monitor, hands resting on the edge of a cluttered desk. His usually warm eyes were now narrowed with concern.

"I've been going over what you told us," Oak began, casting a glance back at Jessie and Meowth. "This technology… this mind control serum they're developing—it's not science fiction. If Team Rocket perfects it, they could bend the will of even the strongest Pokémon to serve them."

Meowth rubbed the back of his head, ears low. "Yeah… we saw 'em testin' it. Not just on wild Pokémon, but trainers' too. One second they're battlin' normal, the next they're blank-eyed and doing whatever some grunt tells 'em."

Jessie nodded solemnly, her tone uncharacteristically grave. "We only saw fragments, but the goal is simple: no more convincing Pokémon to follow orders—they're just forced to."

Gary's expression darkened. "If that gets out of hand, we're not looking at a crime syndicate anymore… We're looking at total domination."

Oak sighed, rubbing his temple. "If they gain full control over Pokémon across Kanto… and if what you said about expansion is true…" he turned, eyes scanning the room. "Then no region will be safe."

Trip's gaze sharpened. "Then we need a countermeasure. Something to block the control. Or reverse it."

Paul glanced at Oak. "Can you do that?"

"I can try," Oak replied, stepping toward a secondary terminal. "But I'll need time. And resources."

Jessie hesitated, then stepped forward, pulling a small flash drive from her coat pocket. "We managed to sneak this out… before we left for good. It's encrypted, but maybe there's something useful."

Oak accepted it gently, a flicker of hope behind his serious expression. "This could help. Thank you… both of you."

Meowth looked away, awkwardly muttering, "Just makin' things right…"

The room fell into a heavy silence again. Outside, the wind rustled the trees.

Gary finally broke the quiet. "If we don't act soon… they won't need grunts or agents. They'll have armies."

Oak nodded. "Then we'll act. Starting today."