Two Pidgeot, one Fearow, one Golduck, and two Kadabra lined up in front of the Pokémon Center. A middle-aged Trainer and two Officer Jennys sat astride the backs of a Pidgeot and a Fearow.
The Pidgeot and Fearow used their sharp talons to grab the Golduck and Kadabra, flying up toward the roof, after which what happened next remained unknown.
More and more Officer Jennys arrived on motorcycles, and surprisingly, Ash arrived right along with them.
He was running at top speed, but Pikachu was nowhere to be seen.
"Ash, what brings you here?" Yellow asked.
Panting heavily, Ash bent over to catch his breath, highly agitated. "Yellow, my Pikachu was stolen by Team Rocket! Did they hide inside the Pokémon Center?"
Yellow nodded and replied, "Yes, but Officer Jenny and a kind Trainer have already gone inside to rescue it. Where are Red and Green?"
"We split up after arriving in Viridian City, and then just now, two Team Rocket men stole my Pikachu! It's the Pokémon I just got! What is even the point of stealing it, when Pikachus are as common as stray dogs out on the street!" (In the original story, Ash really did say this.)
Pikachu: *Well, I guess I'm the joke here.*
"Two men?" Yellow wondered. Wasn't it one man and one woman? And didn't they have a cat with them?
"Yeah, have you seen them, Yellow?"
"I haven't, but I saw two dark figures run inside carrying something. That must have been your Pikachu."
Worried sick, Ash stamped his feet right at the entrance.
Barely five or six minutes later, the doors of the Pokémon Center swung open. The Pokémon had already been returned to their Poké Balls, and two young people wearing Team Rocket uniforms were bound together with a thick hemp rope, knocked out cold on the ground.
"Wait, it's not Jessie and James?" Yellow muttered to herself.
Officer Jenny returned Pikachu to Ash, and Pikachu obediently leaped onto Ash's shoulder, looking as though the two had already built up a fine bond.
"Pikachu is finally back! What are you doing out here all by yourself, Yellow?"
Yellow looked around and replied, "Just taking a walk. The environment here is really nice. What are you planning to do next, Ash?"
"I'm going to find a place to rest first, and then get ready to take on my first Gym Badge. But I heard that on the road from Viridian City to Pewter City, there's Viridian Forest, which is full of Bug-type Pokémon and some really strong Trainers."
"They're called Bug-type Pokémon."
Ash let out a goofy laugh and said, "It's all the same thing! Well, I'm going to find a place to rest. You shouldn't wander around aimlessly either, Yellow."
"Got it!" Yellow waved goodbye and continued walking down the road. But as she passed the west side of the Pokémon Center, she ran into three figures in black who were whispering together in hushed tones.
"We couldn't make the rendezvous. The Boss is going to chew us out for sure when we get back!" said a female voice.
"Can't be helped. Who told them to run into a place swarming with Trainers? We'll just explain the situation to the Boss; he'll understand." said a male voice.
"You don't know what the Boss's temper is like? I'm going to end up as roasted cat meat! Just thinking about it makes me not want to go back, meow." said a high-pitched, childlike voice.
"Team Rocket?" Yellow probed tentatively.
The three figures in black spun around instantly. Before Yellow could say another word, the three of them ripped off their dark cloaks.
A sweet-looking beauty with long red hair, a handsome boy with blue hair, and a bipedal cat?
"It's a little squirt," the boy said.
"We've been spotted! But since you asked with such earnestness!"
"We shall grant you the mercy of an answer."
Yellow gave a hearty laugh and began reciting the lines: "To protect the world from devastation! To unite all peoples within our nation! To denounce the evils of truth and love! To extend our reach to the stars above! Jessie! James!"
Yellow pointed a finger at Jessie. "Jessie, James, you're Team Rocket, hurtling through space! White holes, white tomorrows await you! That's right."
Meowth couldn't help himself and let out a loud shriek, "Meow!"
Jessie and James huddled together in shock. "How does this little squirt know our motto?!"
"Are you a fellow Team Rocket operative?" James asked.
"No, I'm just a passing Trainer," Yellow said, her expression entirely unchanged.
"Darn it! Even though you stole our lines, if you know what's good for you, hand over all your Pokémon!" Even though Jessie was good-looking, right then her expression was fierce, making her look more like a common bandit.
Though, strictly speaking, that was literally what they did for a living.
"Hand them all over! Meow!" Meowth struck a smug pose.
"Alright then, let's give it a try!" Yellow drew Charmander's Poké Ball.
Jessie and James exchanged a glance, and Jessie threw her head back in laughter. "Hahaha! You actually want to battle us with Pokémon? What a stupid little squirt, we are Team Rocket!"
From somewhere, Jessie produced a gunny sack and marched toward Yellow with a wicked grin.
"J-j-j-j..." Knowing she was just a kid and definitely no match for them, Yellow simply recited the letters.
"What is she doing, meow?" Meowth scratched his head, completely baffled by what the Trainer was up to.
"Help!" Yellow shouted at the top of her lungs.
Jessie sprinted forward, preparing to abduct Yellow by force. Yellow clicked the Poké Ball, and a beam of red light released Charmander.
Acting to protect its Trainer, Charmander spat a burst of flames straight from its mouth without needing any commands.
Jessie's clothes caught fire all over, and she threw a furious tantrum. James immediately rushed over to pat out the flames with his hands. The two of them chased each other around in a comical scramble.
Yet Charmander's flames were extinguished within tens of seconds, and Jessie didn't even have any obvious burns on her body. It seemed the Trainer card's effects really were quite potent.
"Jessie, James, let's retreat for now. This little squirt's Charmander looks ridiculously strong, meow."
"Let's get out of here, out of here, out of here! What's your name?" Jessie's crew prepared to flee, but curiosity got the better of them.
"Yellow."
"Yellow, we'll remember you! We'll definitely be back! And when we do, we're going to pluck out every single strand of that yellow hair on your head and weave it into a pineapple, meow!" The two humans and the cat fled at top speed, not daring to commit crimes out on the open street.
Yellow found a Pokémon inn decorated with various Pokémon posters. Even cute Pokémon like Pikachu and Squirtle were stationed at the front desk to help provide special water and electricity services, which was quite fascinating.
The receptionist was a pretty young woman in a pink uniform.
"Hello, miss. I'd like to rent a room, a single room."
The woman checked the computer system, shook her head, and said, "Single rooms are fully booked. We only have a king-size room and a twin room left."
"I'll take the king-size room, then."
"That will be one thousand gold in total."
One thousand gold? Yellow had completely forgotten about the currency system and replied, "Could you wait a moment?"
"There's no need, little one. You can pay with your Trainer card."
Yellow pulled out her Trainer card. It indeed had the character for [Gold] on it, but the balance displayed was zero.
"Can I trade you items for it instead?"
"No, you cannot." The woman refused ruthlessly.
Yellow left in dismay. She extracted five Poké Balls from her cheat menu, searched around until she found a 24-hour convenience store, and traded the five Poké Balls for 1,500 gold.
Finally, Yellow successfully checked into a king-size room, wondering if she should let Charmander and the others out to sleep outside as well.
The moment she released Charmander, the Poké Ball sprang right back into her hand according to its programmed memory. Rumor had it that the interior of a Poké Ball contained an environment well-suited for Pokémon to live in.
Yellow popped open a Poké Ball and peered inside, seeing miniature dens scaled down to match the Pokémon's size, complete with minimalist floor lamps. The inside of the den was pitch black and nothing could be seen, save for a radiating heat.
When she released Spearow, the interior of that Poké Ball featured a similar den and floor lamp, except the temperature was somewhat chilly, accompanied by a small, unceased draft of wind from an unknown source.
Releasing Rattata, the inside of its Poké Ball felt rather dry, while the Poké Balls of Bellsprout and Oddish were slightly damp with an inexplicable scent of fresh grass.
Yellow recalled all six Pokémon one by one. Letting them sleep outside to build affection didn't mean they would necessarily be used to it; no wonder Pokémon were always so content staying inside their Poké Balls.
"Being able to buy permanent lodging for three hundred gold is just too blissful. This really is a better world—wait, what am I going to do about my mortgage after I died, boo-hoo..."
She slept soundly through the night, completely free of dreams.
Early the next morning, Yellow dressed quickly and dashed outside, setting off toward the first city: Pewter City!