After leaving Rikishii Town, Ash toyed with the King's Rock he had won.
It was an item far rarer than an evolution stone, though Ash didn't particularly care for it. He could use his Purchase Points to exchange for various items, and the ones provided by the System were of much higher quality than those found in reality.
The King's Rock used by his Slowking had been exchanged from the System Mall.
When compared, the difference was clear. The System's King's Rock had a jade-like texture and looked like a true crown. The one he just won looked more like a crown from a fallen kingdom.
"I'll keep it for now," Ash muttered.
"Ash! Time for lunch!" Molly called out, running over before stopping beside Lapras.
The group was currently enjoying lunch by a clear river. Whenever the conditions were right, Ash would summon Lapras to let it enjoy the water.
Now, Lapras had a playmate: Wartortle.
After their long journey, Snorlax had finally completed its Bond Evolution. Ash had sent it back to Professor Oak's lab and, following Slowking's suggestion, swapped it for Wartortle. As one of the most senior members of the team, Wartortle had traveled with Ash's previous Lapras and could take good care of this young one.
"All done! Golbat, time to eat!"
Brock had prepared food for all the Pokémon and had even asked Molly to bring portions for Lapras and Wartortle to the riverbank.
Misty looked at the Golbat and remarked, "As expected of someone who wants to be the world's best Pokémon Breeder. Brock's Golbat is in amazing condition!"
This Golbat had been with them for a long time. Brock had caught it as a Zubat back at Mt. Moon. During that stormy night when they encountered Suicune again, Brock's Zubat had evolved.
Unlike the tiny Zubat, this Golbat stood 1.6 meters tall. A bat that large with such a massive mouth was a truly intimidating sight.
Just as it was about to eat, Golbat suddenly flew off as if it had sensed something. Ash and Misty quickly packed their bags, recalled their Pokémon, and chased after it.
When they caught up, they found Golbat had located a beautiful young woman with short red hair. Based on her outfit, she appeared to be a researcher. After introductions, they learned her name was Anna.
Brock was helping her fix a broken ultrasonic detector. It turned out Golbat had been drawn by the machine's frequency, and Brock was now using Golbat to act as a temporary replacement for the broken transmitter.
Anna was using the waves to search for a sunken temple beneath the nearby ruins.
Apparently, an ancient stone tablet had been unearthed nearby. It recorded that within these ruins lay a Golden Mask and a Scepter belonging to an ancient Queen, who could manipulate any unowned Pokémon at will.
Anna believed the temple beneath these ruins was where the Queen performed her rituals. She wanted to uncover the secret of that "free manipulation."
Ash couldn't help but speak up. "Don't you think that's a bit cruel? Besides, this kind of 'manipulation' without any bond should have vanished long ago!"
"Ash is right! That's not how a Pokémon Trainer should think!" Misty nodded in total agreement.
"Exactly!" even Molly chimed in.
However, Anna wasn't a trainer; she was a researcher. To her, discovering the truth was her primary duty.
While Ash and his friends understood the ethics, others could not resist the temptation. Team Rocket, who had been tailing them, overheard everything and immediately hatched a scheme.
"A Golden Mask and a Scepter! With those, we could control that Pikachu! And that Raikou! And any rare Pokémon we want!"
One must have dreams, for what if they come true?
But as Jessie was dreaming, the three of them were suddenly enveloped in a blue light. They were lifted into the air against their will and dropped right in front of Ash's group.
"Twerp! Is this your doing again?" Meowth yelled, his fur standing on end.
Ash chuckled. "I sensed your Aura long ago. Anna's digging machine is broken. You guys fix it, and then we're going to find that temple together."
Ash actually admired Team Rocket's mechanical genius. They had caused him plenty of trouble in the past with their inventions, even if he looked down on those "toys" now.
Under Ash's "supervision," Team Rocket quickly modified Anna's machine, turning it into the Diglett-kun Digging Robot. They then led the group underground.
As it turned out, Ash's decision to enlist Team Rocket was the right one. The ground here was very loose; the tunnels collapsed almost as soon as they were dug. Without the Diglett-kun robot, they likely would have been buried alive.
"Team Rocket, you guys are actually pretty reliable sometimes!" Misty said, holding Togepi as she stood next to Ash, watching the trio operate the machine.
"Wobbuffet!"
The Pokémon popped out, thinking it was being praised. But then it looked at Ash and scurried away. It seemed that being saved by him before had left it with a bit of a psychological shadow.
Ash ignored it. According to the ultrasonic pulses from Brock's Golbat, the temple was just ahead! Sure enough, they broke through a rock wall, and a vast chamber opened up before them! A Golden Mask and a red Scepter sat in the center.
Jessie reacted the fastest. She lunged forward, slapped the Golden Mask onto her face, and grabbed the Scepter.
"Oh no!" Misty cried out.
"Power... I can feel the power!" Jessie's voice trembled. She waved the Scepter at Ash's group. "Won't you all bow before your Queen?"
As she spoke, she pointed the Scepter at Meowth, who was standing beside her. "Meowth, do an embarrassing dance!"
A red light flashed over Meowth. His body began to move uncontrollably, spinning in circles.
Seeing that the Golden Mask actually worked, Jessie pointed the Scepter at Pikachu.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the Twerp!"
A red light flashed over Pikachu as well. He shook his head for a moment, but then... nothing happened.
Ash let out a soft laugh. "Did you really think such low-level mental manipulation could sever our bond?"
"What?" Jessie was stunned.
"Pikachu!"
Ash shook his head. "Thunderbolt!"
Surging electricity once again swept through the Team Rocket trio. Since they were deep underground, there was nowhere for them to fly off to. Ash snatched the Golden Mask and the Scepter away.
"Tools like these should have stayed dead!"
"Wait, don't!"
Anna tried to stop him, but she was too late. She watched as Ash crushed the two ancient artifacts into pieces with his bare hands!
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