"At the very beginning, we were always chasing after Pikachu."
"And now, here we are in the Kalos region, still tagging along after the twerp and that Pikachu."
"And then, ow—after Boss Giovanni gave us our orders, we still ca here to keep following the twerp and Pikachu, ow!"
"Sore na si!"
Of course, this trio was none other than the so-called "true protagonists" in the eyes of many readers—the Rocket Trio.
Jessie, Jas, and owth.
They hadn't just arrived in Kalos today.
They'd actually been here for a while—coming to Lumiose City now was simply a matter of catching a connecting flight.
Jas had even recently caught himself a new Pokémon in Kalos—a majestic Inkay.
The trio slipped into a temporary rented room.
"Jessie, Jas, since we're in Lumiose City now, I, owth, have a brilliant idea, ow. Look at this!"
owth's three stubby claws tapped rapidly on the laptop keyboard.
The screen lit up with footage taken by a Lumiose City local—footage of a ga Blaziken in action.
"Kalos is pretty advanced as regions go. And Lumiose City, as one of its major tropolises, has its own Pokémon research institute—the Professor Sycamore Institute. He's a specialist in ga Evolution research. I'll bet his lab is loaded with Key Stones, ga Stones, and Pokémon capable of ga Evolving."
Jas instantly caught on.
ga Evolution was now a thing—and the orders they had from Boss Giovanni were crystal clear: capture as many as possible.
Key Stones and ga Stones were tightly controlled by the League. Without the proper paperwork and trainer registration, there was no way to legally obtain them.
If Team Rocket didn't find a way to "acquire" them, a lot of their future plans would be dead in the water.
In truth, Giovanni's only mandatory order for this special trio was to never lose sight of Ash.
"Let's take advantage of the ti the twerp's still in Lumiose City and raid Professor Sycamore's lab for every Key Stone and ga Stone we can get, ow!"
The three exchanged glances—and nodded in unison. It was a great plan.
anwhile…
That day, Ash was strolling through Lumiose City's biggest shopping mall with Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie, stocking up on supplies.
Ash had also been reorganizing his system's storage space.
By now, the storage wasn't just a place to keep items—it could even temporarily house trainers inside.
It couldn't sustain soone for long periods yet, but functionally, it was like a real mini-world.
And because of its special nature, anything stored there stayed fresh for much longer.
The "world" was still small, but its potential was enormous.
After days of observation, Ash was certain that Clemont and Bonnie were trustworthy and wouldn't blab his secrets.
As for Serena… well, she was already a "protective girlfriend" type through and through.
Of course, Ash intended to co up with a reasonable excuse before revealing too much.
That night, in the Pokémon Center in Lumiose City…
Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie were fast asleep.
But one person was tiptoeing through the hallways, heading for Nurse Joy.
Nurse Joy was still up late, finishing her Pokémon care tasks. When she saw who it was, her eyebrows rose in curiosity.
"Serena? It's late—what brings you here instead of getting so rest?"
It was Serena.
"Well, Nurse Joy, the thing is… tomorrow I want to surprise my traveling companions. They spent the whole day with shopping, so I wanted to ask if I could borrow the Center's kitchen to make a little snack for them."
Earlier that day, Ash had willingly spent nearly the whole day with Serena, browsing shops.
By dinner ti, Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie had all skipped eating—thanks to snacking too much during the day.
But Serena worried that Ash would wake up hungry in the morning.
And thinking about their ti together… she just couldn't resist. She had to make him sothing.
After all, she'd learned plenty from her mother, Grace—Serena could charm in public and cook in the kitchen.
"Your companion is lucky to have you. Sure, go ahead and use it."
Nurse Joy smiled and nodded.
"Fennekin, you co help too."
Serena's eyes shone with anticipation—she could already picture Ash's surprised expression tomorrow morning.
"Fen-nekin~~!"
And so… Serena quietly slipped into full "wifey mode."
The next morning…
The sun rose over Lumiose City.
Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie were already washed up and ready for the day.
Serena, however, had been up even earlier—preparing breakfast for everyone.
Each plate was tailored to the person's needs.
Bonnie's portion was designed for healthy growth.
Clemont's and Ash's were similar… except Ash's had a key difference: everything was shaped like little hearts.
Ash sat down, opened his portion, and blinked in surprise.
Serena, who had been watching him, quickly looked away, pretending not to notice.
This girl… still so shy.
The warmth in Ash's chest spread—he didn't let Clemont or Bonnie notice, and instead enjoyed this "special" breakfast all to himself.
When Serena saw him polish off every bite, she smiled with deep satisfaction.
"Ash, Clemont, Bonnie—before we head to Cyllage City, let's stop by Professor Sycamore's lab. I haven't had the chance to properly thank him for giving Fennekin."
Always thoughtful, Serena had even prepared snacks for the lab staff.
Nobody had any objections, and they made their way toward the research institute.
At the sa ti, near the institute…
Up in a tall tree, the Rocket Trio lay prone, each with a pair of binoculars, observing the lab.
They could see plenty of Pokémon inside capable of ga Evolution.
There were also several Kalos starter Pokémon—valuable catches compared to ordinary species.
"Just as I thought. Loads of ga-capable Pokémon in there. While we're keeping tabs on the twerp and Pikachu, let's grab these ones too, ow!"
As the Rocket Trio prepared their move… Ash and his friends stepped into the institute's courtyard.
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