Chapter 25: Is Ash Acting Sneaky?

"Damn it! Is that really Ash? How did he change so much? And why is May listening to him so obediently? What's going on?" Harley thought, feeling incredibly frustrated. Inside, a whirlwind of anger and jealousy swept through him, as if a herd of raging bulls was running wild. Now that Ash had seen through his true nature, Harley felt his cover might be blown. Yet he needed to keep up his innocent act in front of Nurse Joy, so he forced himself to hide his frustration, said goodbye, and quickly left the Pokémon Center. He swore that in the upcoming competition, he'd make May regret it! Nurse Joy, noticing Harley's sudden exit, tried to defend him. "Um, I think you may have misunderstood Harley. He's not really that kind of person..." But it was too late; May's view of Harley had completely changed, and she wasn't willing to trust him again. At that moment, the door to the Pokémon Center burst open. A woman with long red hair, tangled in the grip of a Cacturne, stumbled in. "Help! Someone, please help me!" she cried out, falling to the ground. Following closely behind her were two familiar figures. Ash recognized them immediately—it was Team Rocket! Jessie had indeed come to participate in the Saffron City Pokémon Contest. Ash knew that, despite their usual antics, Jessie occasionally put on impressive performances. But he also suspected that, once she fixed her hair, Team Rocket would go back to disrupting other trainers and stealing their Pokémon. When Nurse Joy moved forward to help Jessie, Ash stepped in and exposed Team Rocket's disguise! Realizing their cover was blown, Team Rocket quickly made a run for it, dragging Jessie along and ignoring her tangled hair. "What a bunch of troublemakers," Ash said, shaking his head. "Alright, let's go, May. You still need to get a Kanto Contest Pass, right? You can get it at the Saffron Contest Hall, and registration closes tomorrow at 10 a.m. Let's get everything done today, because... well, I have something to do this afternoon." Ash almost let slip his plans but caught himself just in time. May's contest was set for tomorrow afternoon, and he planned to visit Sabrina at the Saffron Gym later today. Misty and May shared a glance, both a bit suspicious. Something seemed off about Ash's behavior... Fortunately, there weren't too many people at the Contest Hall now. May quickly completed the process to obtain her Kanto Contest Pass and successfully registered for the Saffron City contest. After they finished lunch, Ash found an excuse to separate himself from Misty and May, then confirmed his direction and set off towards the Saffron Gym. "I wonder how Sabrina's doing. She should be doing much better now, especially since we helped her with her personality change," Ash thought as he walked, completely unaware that two people were quietly following him. "Hey, May, where do you think Ash is going? I have a feeling he's hiding something from us," Misty whispered. "I think so too. Let's follow him quietly and see where he goes. But we have to be careful not to get caught!" May replied. It turned out that the two people tailing him were none other than Misty and May, who had been "sent away" by Ash earlier. Sensing that something was amiss, they decided to follow him and see what he was up to. To their surprise, they discovered he was heading to the Saffron Gym! "Huh? Didn't Ash already earn the Saffron Gym badge?" May asked, puzzled. But Misty suddenly realized the truth—Ash was here to see Sabrina! Determined to improve herself, Misty resolved to work harder so she wouldn't be outdone by other girls. May had her contest goals, and Misty decided she needed to dedicate herself fully to becoming a Water-type master. She'd even stop sleeping in and start training early every morning, just like Ash! On their way back, both Misty and May were lost in thought about their personal goals. At the Saffron Gym, Ash learned that the Gym Leader had changed. Sabrina's father, a man with psychic abilities, had taken over. Ash felt a little disappointed, as Sabrina was no longer at the gym. According to her father, she had fully recovered and decided to go on a journey, while he took on the responsibilities of the Gym Leader, feeling regretful and wanting her to have a fresh start. "A journey, huh? That's probably for the best. Maybe we'll meet again someday—that would be fate!" Ash thought. When Ash returned to where they were staying, he was surprised to find Misty and May acting like completely different people. Misty was training with Brock, while May was prepping her Pokémon for the contest! "What's gotten into them?" he wondered, a bit bewildered by their sudden change. -------------- T/N: Access 30 Chapters in Advance on my P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals (Replace '@' with 'a')