In other words, Jessie and James possessed special identities. If ordinary Team Rocket members dared to cause trouble in Viridian City, they would have already been dealt with by Giovanni's men.
When Sam arrived at the Pokémon Center in Viridian City, there was no one waiting outside.
He stepped inside and immediately saw Ash pacing back and forth in the lobby, his face filled with anxiety.
"You're the big brother who saved me earlier, right?" Ash asked excitedly when he saw Sam.
"Big brother?!"
Sam's forehead twitched.
He really couldn't accept being called big brother by a kid only a few years younger than himself.
"No, no, no—just call me Sam," he said quickly.
Although Ash didn't quite understand why Sam was so resistant to that title, he didn't dwell on it.
"Thank you so much, Sam. I really don't know what I would've done without you."
Ash was brave, but recalling the scene where he had been surrounded by Spearow still made him uneasy.
If Sam hadn't arrived in time, both he and Pikachu would have been finished.
Would they really have died?
Sam didn't think so.
In his opinion, it would probably have gone just like the original story,
Pikachu would have stopped pretending, revealed its true strength, and wiped out all the Spearow with a single Thunderbolt.
Just as Sam was about to ask about Pikachu's condition, another Trainer stormed into the Pokémon Center.
Misty appeared, pushing her broken bicycle. Her face was livid with anger, so much so that even Sam, an uninvolved bystander, felt a chill.
He patted Ash on the shoulder, gave him a knowing look full of sympathy, and then calmly found a safe place to sit down.
This time, Ash was on his own.
Seeing Misty, who looked as though flames were about to burst from her head, even Ash realized something was terribly wrong.
Just as Ash was about to explain, the lights in the operating room went out.
The surgery was over.
The emergency room doors opened, and Chansey pushed Pikachu out on a medical cart.
Saved.
The appearance of Nurse Joy instantly eased Ash's fears. He rushed forward anxiously.
"Nurse Joy! Is my Pikachu okay?"
"Don't worry. Pikachu is fine now," Nurse Joy replied gently. "Just make sure to take better care of it from now on."
Pikachu had already regained its strength. It jumped off the cart and leapt straight into Ash's arms.
After surviving such a dangerous ordeal, Pikachu truly accepted Ash as its Trainer.
Seeing Ash and Pikachu hugging each other happily, Misty let out a soft sigh. The anger in her heart slowly dissipated.
She could already guess what had happened.
As someone who loved Pokémon, she knew she would have made the same choice if she had been in Ash's position.
However, the warm moment didn't last long.
"BOOM!!!"
The lights suddenly flickered.
A violent explosion shook the Pokémon Center, blasting open one of the walls.
As Ash, Misty, and Nurse Joy fell into panic, the true troublemakers finally appeared.
"Since you asked so sincerely!"
"Then we'll answer with great mercy!"
"To protect the world from devastation—!"
"Bulbasaur, use Petal Dance."
Back when Sam used to watch the anime, he had always wondered,
Why did the protagonists wait patiently for Team Rocket to finish their speeches instead of attacking immediately?
Now that it was his turn to face Team Rocket, he certainly wasn't going to sit there and listen.
The moment Team Rocket appeared, Sam summoned Bulbasaur and launched an attack without hesitation.
Before giving the command, he also activated the Tenfold Experience Card he had obtained earlier.
Jessie, James, and Meowth never imagined Sam would be so ruthless, attacking before they could finish their introduction.
Absolutely shameless.
Facing the oncoming Petal Dance, James didn't even have time to care about the rose in his mouth. He rolled and dodged frantically, barely avoiding the attack.
James managed to escape, but Jessie and Meowth weren't so lucky.
They were battered by countless petals until every inch of their bodies ached.
Clutching her face, now swollen from the assault, Jessie exploded with rage.
"Ekans! Come out and get rid of them for me!!!"
"James! What are you waiting for?! Release your Pokémon already!!!"
"Y-Yes, yes, yes!"
Under Jessie's furious shouting, James didn't dare delay.
"Come out, Koffing!"
"I'm fighting too, Meowth!"