The young man wore a crimson jacket and black trousers, with a soft cap that looked almost like a head of white hair.
According to the announcer, his name was Brendan...
From his appearance and name, Lucius couldn't help but suspect that this was yet another game protagonist. After all, Gold had already made his appearance earlier.
During the match, Lucius flipped through the competitors' profiles and found that Brendan hailed from Littleroot Town in Hoenn.
It seemed that in this reality, aside from Ash Ketchum—the eternal protagonist—the other game heroes were also making waves under their own identities.
Brendan used a Wailmer native to Hoenn. His opponent looked unfamiliar with the Pokémon and was easily defeated.
Over the course of two days, the competition halved its 64 contestants. Now, the round of 32 would be a 2-on-2 battle format.
Originally, according to the source material, the second match of the top 32 was supposed to pit Ash against Misty. But perhaps due to Lucius's involvement, the timeline had shifted. Instead, both Ash and Misty were now up against random challengers.
Well, maybe that's for the best—Ash might climb even further this time.
Just as preparations for the top 32 were underway, the local Officer Jenny received a warning call. The caller claimed they would attempt to steal the "Spirit Sea" gem embedded in the staff that Maya holds during the tournament.
Officer Jenny immediately informed Maya and dispatched guards to protect the staff.
Lucius, however, already had a good idea of what was going on. This had to be the work of the true protagonists—the Team Rocket trio. Unlike the flustered Officer Jenny in the anime, this time she seemed unbothered.
After all, Volkner and Juan were nearby. The public only knew of their fame, but as someone within the system, Officer Jenny knew the terrifying strength behind their reputations. To steal something under their watch was nothing short of a fantasy.
The Top 32 round kicked off quickly. Ash faced off against a lesser-known trainer, using his Totodile.
Unlike the 1-on-1 matches from earlier, those who had made it this far weren't here by luck—they had real skill.
After a chaotic bout, Ash claimed victory and moved on to the Top 16.
Strangely enough, it was Kingler, long benched in Ash's team, who outshone Totodile—pulling off a Crabhammer that stirred up whirlpools. The technique packed a surprising punch.
Looks like Professor Oak's training methods still paid off.
After Ash advanced, it was Misty's turn. She stuck with her usual team of Politoed and Corsola.
Her opponent, another unknown trainer, sent out two Water-types from Sinnoh: Finneon and Floatzel.
To Lucius, their strength wasn't impressive. But in prior rounds, many trainers had never seen these Pokémon before—especially Finneon's charm ability, which caught opponents off guard and led to their defeat.
Still, while these Pokémon were rare in Johto, Misty was raised in a Water-type Gym. She might not know every species, but she had more than enough experience to deal with them.
Using Corsola's gender advantage, she resisted Finneon's alluring tactics and pulled through. Misty advanced to the Top 16 as well.
And with that, history had been rewritten…
In the original storyline, Ash was supposed to face Misty in the Top 32, where her Psyduck would surprisingly use Psychic to defeat Kingler and move on.
But now? Both protagonists had advanced.
Judging by the match-ups listed for the next round, Misty's upcoming opponent would be the same trainer who originally defeated her: a girl named Leny. Lucius remembered her from the guest box—despite being a Water-type trainer, her battle style was anything but graceful. It was downright brutal.
Even with Ash and Misty's victories, the tournament marched on.
Brendan returned to the field for his 2-on-2 match. Alongside Wailmer, he now revealed his second Pokémon—Marshtomp, another of Hoenn's starters.
The battle had barely begun when Lucius noticed something drifting down from the sky—a Meowth-shaped hot air balloon.
He smirked. So they've finally arrived…
Despite being villains, their entrance filled him with a strange sense of nostalgic satisfaction.
Just then, a fishing line hooked by a Lickilicky-shaped lure dropped from the balloon, catching onto the Spirit Sea gem atop Maya's staff.
"Got it!" Jessie shouted gleefully.
Most of the crowd had their eyes fixed on the intense match below. Hardly anyone noticed the comical balloon drifting above the stadium—allowing it to float right above the VIP stand unnoticed.
But not everyone was fooled.
After so many run-ins with Team Rocket, Ash and his crew immediately recognized the iconic balloon.
With practiced speed, Ash boosted Pikachu into the air. The yellow Pokémon fired off a Thunderbolt, snapping the line and saving the staff.
"What just happened?! A balloon came out of nowhere—and there seems to be a disturbance near Ms. Maya!" The announcer's voice echoed throughout the arena, finally drawing everyone's attention.
Heads turned upward, and gasps followed.
There they were—the infamous Team Rocket trio, floating proudly in the sky.
"It's you! You're the ones who sent that warning letter, aren't you?" Officer Jenny called out immediately, recognizing the culprits.
Her question triggered what could only be described as one of the most iconic catchphrases in the entire Pokémon anime.
Jessie: "Since you're asking with such sincerity..."
James: "We'll be merciful and answer with clarity."
Jessie: "To protect the world from devastation."
James: "To unite all peoples within our nation."
Jessie: "To denounce the evils of truth and love."
James: "To extend our reach to the stars above!"
Jessie: "Jessie!"
James: "James!"
Jessie: "Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
James: "Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
Meowth: "Meowth! That's right!"
Wobbuffet: "Wobbuffet~!"
Even without a loudspeaker on the balloon, Lucius could clearly hear the dramatic Team Rocket entrance lines echoing through the skies.
"So yeah, we're taking the Spirit Sea. No point hiding it now." James declared bluntly, shrugging as if this was all in a day's work.
"Team Rocket..." Juan muttered beside Lucius, stroking his immaculately groomed mustache. He shot Lucius a meaningful glance.
By all current intel, Team Rocket had been completely dismantled and absorbed—ironically, by the man standing right next to him: Volkner.
What he didn't know was that this particular trio—Jessie, James, and Meowth—had long been cut off from Team Rocket headquarters due to their endless failures and excessive debt. That's why they hadn't shown up during Hive's internal purge of Rocket remnants.
In the original timeline, they were supposed to reunite with Rocket later through a Delibird messenger. But that wouldn't happen anymore—because Lucius had rewritten Team Rocket's fate. With Hive now in control, the events that would've brought the trio back into the fold had vanished.
Technically speaking, Jessie, James, and Meowth were no longer affiliated with the real Team Rocket. They were simply criminals clinging to the brand.
Lucius paid Juan no attention. His focus was locked on the trio floating above.
After all this time—finally. He was seeing them in person. The real Team Rocket trio.
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