Chapter 1: First Encounter with Trouble

The last few days of school did not turn out too well for Sakura. Machop was causing a lot of trouble for her. No matter how many times she tried to abandon him, he always managed to find her. Sakura tried to tie the little Pokémon with a dog collar and leash, but he broke free. Everything was worse at school. At one time, Machop was following Sakura without her detecting him. That frightened a lot of her schoolmates when they see the little Pokémon. Sakura tried to lock Machop into her locker, but he broke out. She then remembered the Pokéball she had and how Ash had showed her how to contain the Pokémon in it. She had no idea how, but when she pointed it Machop, he instantly disappeared into a ray of light and went into the Pokéball. No more trouble for Sakura. Over the next few days, Machop was never released from his Pokéball.

Back at home, Sakura was relieved that school was now over. She already said her good-byes to Hinata before her flight in the next few days. As she cleaned up her room, she looked at the Pokéball on her desk. She thought about getting rid of it as well as the Pokémon inside it. Just as she was about to throw the Pokéball along with the trash, a strange creature appeared on her windowsill. It looked like a giant yellow hamster with a strange tail. Sakura noticed that there was a note in its mouth.

"This message must be for me," said Sakura to herself, "I wonder who would've sent it."

Sakura took the note from the hamster's mouth and opened it up. It read:

Sakura,

There is someone that I want you to meet. Follow Pikachu because this is the way you can find me. Don't forget to take Machop with you.

Ash

Sakura looked back at the yellow hamster. "You must be Pikachu, aren't you?" she asked.

"Pikachu..." said the yellow hamster.

Sakura looked back at the Pokéball in her hand. If she followed Pikachu, she can get rid of Machop once and for all. Pikachu jumped into Sakura's room and told her to follow him. Sakura took a backpack and the Pokéball with her. She told her parents that she will be gone for a while. On the streets, Pikachu was leading the way. A few blocks later, Sakura saw a young man waving at her. It was Ash. Pikachu immediately ran up to him and hugged him.

"I'm glad you can make it, Sakura," said Ash.

"What do you want with me?" asked Sakura.

"Follow us. There is someone that you should meet."

Sakura followed Ash to a building. Inside, there were a lot of weird devices and many computers. Sakura had a feeling that the place was a lab. She looked around and saw a device with a bunch of Pokéballs under a glass dome. It looked very astounding to her.

"Oh hi, Ash," said a voice, "Did you say you have someone with you?"

Sakura turned around and saw a man in a white lab coat talking with Ash. Ash introduced Sakura to him.

"You must be Sakura," said the man, "Ash had told me about you. I'm Professor Oak, leading expert of Pokémon. Are you here to choose your first Pokémon?"

Sakura showed the Pokéball. She told about how where she found it and wanted to get rid of it as well as the Machop inside it. The Professor shook his head, telling her that he cannot do that.

"Why not?" whined Sakura.

"It's because Machop has bonded to you now," replied the Professor, "Even if you found a Pokémon, it cannot let go. Not even an expert like me knows why it happened."

Sakura was enraged. She did not want to have Machop. She did not want to be a Pokémon trainer. Sakura looked back at Ash and his Pikachu. Ash had a sober look on his face, but Sakura paid more attention to his Pokémon. Inside, she started changing her mind. After looking at Pikachu, she cannot resist his cute looks. She wanted him.

"Do you have another Pikachu?" asked Sakura, "He looked so cute."

Professor Oak shook his head. "No, you cannot have a Pokémon just because it looked cute. You must have a Pokémon because it is useful to you."

"You know the old saying," said Ash, "Don't judge a book by its cover."

The Professor knew Sakura did not know what to do with her Machop and decided to give her a lecture about Pokémon training. He told her to release her Machop when he led her and Ash to a room. Inside, a computer projector and a white screen were there. A few tables were lined in rows of two. Sakura released Machop from the Pokéball and put him on top of the table. The Professor took out a remote control to shut the lights out and turn the projector on. Ash took a seat beside Sakura and watched.

"A lecture about Pokémon training," Professor Oak began.

In the white screen, various pictures of strange creatures appeared, including Pikachu and Machop. The film was taken place on land, in the sea, and sky. The Professor took out a laser pointer to show Sakura.

"Those, my friend, are Pokémon," he said, "They are strange creatures that can be captured and trained. They can be found everywhere, even in cities." Another part of the film showed a young boy fighting with a Pokémon with his own. After a few moments, the Pokémon started to look exhausted and the boy threw the Pokéball at it. In an instant, the Pokémon disappeared and contained inside the Pokéball.

"When you capture a wild Pokémon," the Professor continued, "it will become loyal to its trainer. However, you must weaken a Pokémon first before you throw that Pokéball."

The next part showed a bird transforming to another form. Another Pokémon transformed after a stone was held near it. Sakura's Machop and Ash's Pikachu started to yawn in boredom.

"As you train a Pokémon through fighting, its power level will increase. As a result, it will evolve into a more powerful form as demonstrated with Pigey. Some Pokémon will only evolve when they are exposed to special stones, such as Vulpux. In some cases, there are some who have no other evolved form, such as Scyther and Ditto."

After a while, Sakura started to become fascinated with Pokémon. While watching, a snoring sound was heard. It was Machop, who fell asleep right beside her. Ash also noticed that his Pikachu fell asleep as well.

"As the power level increases," said the Professor, "your Pokémon earns a special ability. I have to warn you, as you train it, don't let it grow too fast. Otherwise, it can defeat wild Pokémon before you have a chance to catch it. Be careful."

Sakura nodded each time. Fifteen Pokémon appeared on the screen. Professor Oak pointed to each one as he mentioned each type.

"There are fifteen types of Pokémon," he continued, "Normal, Flying, Fighting, Water, Fire, Electric, Ice, Ground, Rock, Psychic, Ghost, Grass, Poison, Bug, and Dragon (the hardest type of Pokémon to handle.) Every year, new species of Pokémon are discovered. Sometimes there are newly discovered evolved forms of some."

Professor Oak took out his remote control again, turned the lights on, and shut the projector off. He put the laser pointer back into his lab coat pocket. Sakura stood up from her seat and said that she started to understand about Pokémon and will learn to train. She slapped her Machop to wake him up. Professor Oak then left the room.

"I'm glad you understand this lecture," said Ash, "But before you can start to train, there are a few things that you need. Professor Oak will give you six Pokéballs and a Pokédex."

"A Pokédex?" asked Sakura, "What's that?"

"It is an electronic guide to every species of Pokémon, including newly discovered ones. Be sure to use it before you go and capture a wild Pokémon. It gives you can idea what is in store for you."

Professor Oak entered with some objects in his hand. Six compatible Pokéballs and a Game Boy-like device. Ash said that the strange device is the Pokédex that he was talking about. Sakura took them into her hands, knowing that she will be ready to start some training for herself. The problem is, where can she start?

"Where can I start?" asked Sakura.

Ash thought for a minute.

"Pikachu!" said Pikachu.

"Machop!" said Machop.

"Ah! I know," said Ash, "Professor, the Pokémon tournament is starting today, right?"

Professor Oak nodded.

"I thought I would take Sakura there. That way, she can get some ideas how she can train her Pokémon."

The Professor smiled. "Ash, that is a great idea. It'll get Sakura used to the Pokémon."

Ash and Sakura started walking to the stadium where the Pokémon tournament will be taking place. Pikachu and Machop followed them. Ash talked about the tournament and what was going on in it. He also mentioned that many street fighters like Sakura have owned a Machop.

"Really?" Sakura asked, "Why?"

"Because Machop is the most intelligent of all the fighting Pokémon," said Ash, "They can train it to do the special moves they do."

"Oh, that means it is possible to teach Machop to perform a Dragon Punch. Is that possible to train Pokémon a different skill besides the ones they possessed?"

Ash nodded.

While they continue their conversation, Machop tugged Sakura's shorts to get her attention. Ash and Sakura wondered what was Machop trying to say. As they looked around, Pikachu was missing. They started searching the streets for him. Ash shouted out Pikachu's name, hoping that he would answer him. In an alley, Ash found his Pokémon trying to court another. He can tell it was a female Pikachu. Sakura giggled as she watched Ash's Pikachu trying to give the other a bouquet of flowers that he picked up along the way. The female Pikachu refuses his offer.

"Pikachu," said Ash, "I don't think that female Pikachu likes you. Come on, we must get to the tournament."

"Wait a minute," said Sakura, "I think she belongs to someone, but who?"

"There she is," said a voice.

The female Pikachu turned around and saw her trainer walking up to her. He was wearing army gear and was accompanied by a young Chinese woman. The female Pikachu ran up to him and jumped into his arms.

"There you are, Pikachu," said the trainer, "You naughty girl, where have you been?"

"That is Guile's Pikachu," Sakura whispered to Ash.

"You know him?" Ash whispered.

Sakura nodded.

The two trainers looked at Sakura and her companions and immediately recognized the young schoolgirl. Pikachu got scared once he took a look at Guile. He reminded him of Lt. Surge and the time he battled with his Raichu. He wondered if Guile also owned a Raichu as well.

"Oh hi, Sakura," said the young woman, "I see you're also a Pokémon trainer."

"Well," said Sakura, "I'm actually a beginner, Chun-Li."

A snake-like creature appeared on Chun-Li's shoulders. Sakura freaked out when she saw it.

"Oh, Sakura," said Ash, "You don't have to be afraid of that. That's a Dratini, a Dragon Pokémon."

Chun-Li told Sakura to relax and let her touch the Dratini. As Sakura touched his head, she started to lose her fear of Pokémon. She told Chun-Li and Guile that she and Ash were heading to the Pokémon tournament.

"I have to warn both of you about this while you're on your way," said Guile, "Watch out for the notorious Team Rocket."

"Who is Team Rocket?" Sakura asked.

Chun-Li told Ash and Sakura that she was an officer and detective as she showed her badge. She then took out a wanted poster and showed them who Team Rocket was.

"That is Team Rocket?" asked Sakura.

"Yes, they are," Ash replied, "Believe me, they are bad news for Pokémon trainers."

"Yes, like what he said," said Guile, "when I noticed that my Pikachu disappeared, I was worried that they might have taken her. The police and the military team up to search for Team Rocket. We have a warrant for their arrest."

"A few weeks ago, they broke into a Pokémon lab," said Chun-Li, "They have stolen 200 Pokéballs that still have the creatures contained inside them. They might have stolen more as this is not the first time they steal Pokémon."

As Sakura heard the news, she looked at her Machop and wondered if he was one of the stolen Pokémon. She decided not to ask about it and was worried that they might take him away. What if Team Rocket showed up and tried to steal her Machop? Sakura started to worry more.

"Sakura, is something bothering you?" Ash asked, "You looked tense."

"Nothing," replied Sakura, "It's just that I worry when they told us about Team Rocket."

"You don't have to worry about it, Sakura," said Chun-Li, "You have to call us if you come across them. Stay out of trouble, OK?"

Guile and Chun-Li left with their Pokémon. Ash and Sakura continued on their way to the tournament. Sakura told Ash how worried she was when she told about the break-in by Team Rocket and was afraid that Machop could be one of the stolen Pokémon. Ash told her not to worry about it as he said about his past encounters with the troublemakers and knew what to do when they showed up.

The two finally reached the stadium where the Pokémon tournament was held. Ash held out the money to pay for seats and told Sakura to use the Pokédex while the fight was occurring. Just as they were about to pay, Sakura's Machop screamed and jumped into his trainer's arms. Sakura looked and was startled by a creature with four arms. Ash laughed.

"Oh, you two," he said, "I can't believe you're been scared of a gentle Machamp."

"A Machamp?" said Sakura.

"Yes, he's your Machop's evolved form. In fact, the officials of the tournament use Machamps and the psychic Alakazam to guard the stadium from Team Rocket. So, there's no worry about them entering."

Sakura nodded. After seeing the four-armed Machamp, Machop wondered if he wanted to evolve or not. Inside the stadium, Ash led Sakura to two people who were waiting for them.

"Hey, Ash!" yelled a boy, "We're glad you can make it!"

"Misty, Brock!" said Ash.

"And I guess that girl with you must be Sakura."

Sakura blushed and introduced herself and her Machop.

"Nice to meet you, Sakura," said Brock, "I'm Brock and this is Misty."

"Well, we better get to our seats, guys," said Misty, "The tournament's almost starting."

Outside the stadium, three unwelcome visitors were trying to get inside without detection. They were Team Rocket, the people that Chun-Li warned Sakura about. A puma-like cat watched the stadium entrance through the binoculars.

"Persian, give us the status," said James.

"Bad news!" said Persian, "I'm afraid that this place have been heavily guarded with Machamps and Alakazams!"

"What?!?" Jesse yelled, "With those Alakazams, there is no way we can get in without detection. They can sense us because of their psychic abilities. And those Machamps can kick our asses out of here."

"It seemed that we need a Jigglypuff and a Hypno to put them to sleep," said James.

"How? We don't know if any of those people have them or not."

Persian showed the two a CD and a laptop. Jesse and James realized that what he got was a type of data from the last Pokémon heist. Persian placed the CD into the laptop and started typing.

"What is that?" Jesse asked.

"It's data of every Pokémon trainer in this universe," said Persian, "Courtesy of Persian, formerly Meowth. I managed to find something like this, hoping that it'll come in handy."

"It's a good thing your brain have evolved with your body, Persian."

"What do you expect from a Meowth who have evolved?"

Persian started typing in the CD's search engine. Just then, two people walked by with Pokéballs on their belt. Persian smiled and then looked back at his laptop.

"Just our luck," he said, "Those two Pokémon trainers have a Jigglypuff and a Hypno."

Team Rocket smiled. "Perfect!"

Inside the stadium, the tournament was in progress. As another Pokémon trainer appeared, Sakura took out her Pokédex and started checking out the Pokémon they owned. Her Machop and Ash's Pikachu were sitting beside her, eating hot dogs and popcorn and drinking soda. Misty pointed out the name of the Pokémon that appeared, so Sakura can type out the name in her Pokédex. Sakura noticed that there are other Pokémon trainers sitting in a special balcony.

"Sakura, those are the top Pokémon trainers," said Ash, "They were ranked from every game world. They are undefeated in every tournament."

"Oh really?" said Sakura.

Sakura was astounded by many Pokémon she saw, especially at how the trainers command them to perform their special abilities. At this time, two trainers appeared face to face. The announcer called out their names; Ling Xiaoyu and Shingo Yabuki. The two bowed to each other before the announcer gave a signal to start the battle.

"Tauros, I choose you!!" Shingo yelled as he threw his Pokéball. A three-tailed bull appeared.

"Go get him, Raichu!!" Ling commanded as she threw another Pokéball.

A weird-looking giant hamster started hopping around Shingo's Tauros. The Tauros charged at it, but it managed to dodge its attack.

"Raichu! Agility!!" Ling yelled.

Ling's Raichu ran around Shingo's Tauros very quickly, dodging the charge every time. Shingo commanded his Tauros to perform a Tail Whip, knocking the Raichu in its face just as it fled. Ling commanded her Raichu to perform a Thundershock, which then disabled the Tauros in its tracks. Then again, the attack was also sent to Shingo himself, shocking him. The bell rang.

"The victory goes to Ling Xiaoyu!!" the announcer said.

Sakura and the others clapped to congratulate the victor. Suddenly, two trainers panicked as they ran into the balcony where the top Pokémon trainers were sitting. Some of them told them to calm down and they explained what happened.

"Athena, Sie, what happened?" one of the top trainers asked.

"Someone jumped us," said Athena, "and stole our Pokémon!"

Suddenly, a huge shadow appeared in the sky. It was a helium balloon. Two figures appeared and introduced themselves as Team Rocket. Persian appeared with two Pokémon tied up. The Pokémon trainers showed their anger towards them.

"That's my Jigglypuff!" yelled Athena.

"That's my Hypno!!" Yelled Sie.

"How?" asked one of the trainers, "Even if they are in the air, Alakazam can still detect them!"

Two security guards appeared, carrying a sleeping Machamp and a sleeping Alakazam. The trainers realized that Team Rocket used Hypno to hypnotize them while Jigglypuff was singing a lullaby to put the guarding Pokémon to sleep. Some of the trainers released their flying Pokémon to attack.

"Moltres! Go!!" one of them yelled.

"Dragonite!! Attack!!" yelled another.

As more and more flying Pokémon were released. James took out the Hypno, which then sends its hypnotic waves towards them. Jesse forces the Jigglypuff to sing a lullaby while it happens. As a result, the flying Pokémon fell asleep instantly and then fell into the bleachers, where panicked people ran off. Ash and his friends ran off with their own Pokémon. Persian threw a giant smoke bomb into the stadium, blinding everyone in its path. Ash and his friends looked helplessly while they hide.

"Ash, we better help them," said Sakura.

Ash nodded and took out one of his Pokéballs.

"Pigeott!! Clear the view!!" he yelled.

A giant bird appeared from Ash's Pokéball. It flew in all directions to clear up the smoke that Persian threw. In a moment, everything was visible again. However, Team Rocket have disappeared, along with the Pokémon. The trainers got upset when they noticed that their Pokémon were missing.

"ACK!! My Evees!!" yelled one of the trainers, "They got my Evees!!"

"Oh no, they got my Electric Pokémon!" yelled another.

"My Aerodactyl's missing!!"

Shingo checked his belt and noticed that the Pokéballs are missing.

"Guys, Team Rocket also stole our Pokéballs!" he said.

Ash, Sakura, Misty, and Brock appeared, trying to find a way to help them.

"Guys, we'll help you find Team Rocket and get your Pokémon back!" said Ash.

Ash commanded his Pigeott to fly up into the sky to look for the troublemakers. He then told Brock to take out a cellphone to call Chun-Li and Guile. The Pigeott came back to report the news to his trainer that he found out where Team Rocket was hiding.

"Ash, the police and the military are on their way and told us to meet them outside the stadium," said Brock, "Your Pigeott can lead us right to them."

Meanwhile, not far from the stadium, Team Rocket admired the catch. Persian counted the Pokéballs and wondered what Pokémon was in each one. He knew that the boss will be pleased when they showed him the captured Pokémon, especially the rare ones. Jesse and James started poking their catch to make them stop struggling. Suddenly, they heard a loud siren nearby. The three looked up and saw a bunch of police and military vehicles. Officers have the tiger-like Growlithes on leashes, ready to attack. A bunch of Blastoise aimed their water cannons directly at Team Rocket. The Blastiose in the front had Chun-Li and Guile on it.

Chun-Li took out a megaphone. "Team Rocket, come out with your hands up! We have a warrant for your arrest!"

"Darn it! How did they know we're here?" asked Jesse.

"Don't blame me," said Persian, "I have nothing to do with it!"

Guile took out another megaphone. "Team Rocket, you have ten minutes to surrender or we'll send in our Pokémon after you!"

Guile and Chun-Li signaled her thanks to Ash and his friends, who were sitting on top on Ash's Blastoise. Sakura watched the entire thing and hoped that they get Team Rocket arrested soon. She then watched Team Rocket walk out. When they noticed Ash, they pointed their fingers at him.

"Ash, we should've known," said James, "He and his friends helped them!!"

Chun-Li and Guile jumped off their Blastoise with their Pokéballs in their hands. Jesse and James immediately threw theirs at them, freeing Arbok and Weezing. Chun-Li's Dratini and Guile's Pikachu watched from a safe distance on the Blastoise.

"Chun, Fire Pokémon!!" yelled Guile.

Chun-Li nodded and threw her Pokéball. "Rapidash!! Go!!"

Guile threw another. "Vulpux!! Go!!"

From Guile's Pokéball came a six-tailed fox and a horse with a fiery mane from Chun-Li's. The two Fire Pokémon were released and immediately started to attack Arbok and Weezing. Guile commanded his Vulpux to perform a Firespin and Chun-Li commanded her Rapidash to perform a the same thing. Team Rocket's Arbok and Weezing counterattacked, but the Rapidash and Vulpux did something else.

"Vulpux, Agility!!" Guile yelled.

"Rapidash, Agility!!" Chun-Li yelled.

Vulpux and Rapidash quickly dodged Arbok and Weezing's attacks. No matter where Arbok and Weezing tried to launch their attacks, they missed them. Rapidash and Vulpux launched their attacks while dodging. Jesse then have a very sneaky idea. While Vulpux and Rapidash were kept busy, she released Lickitung and launched a sneak attack. Her Lickitung performed a Supersonic attack, confusing Chun-Li's Rapidash and Guile's Vulpux. The two Fire Pokémon were stunned. Weezing threw himself to tackle and knock Vulpux out. Arbok whipped her tail many times, bruising Rapidash and then launched her Poison Sting. James told his Weezing to spit out a Poisonous Sludge, covering the two Fire Pokémon. Guile and Chun-Li immediately tend to them.

"Vulpux!!" Guile yelled, "Oh no. She can't fight in this condition!"

"Rapidash!" yelled Chun-Li, "Wake up!! He's not responding."

James' Weezing tried to perform another Sludge attack to cover the two, but Guile's Blastoise spat water out of his mouth to prevent the substance from touching his trainer. Ash and his friends jumped off Ash's Blastoise, offering some help to the officials. Ash and Misty went out in front and took out their Pokéballs. Sakura came in to help, but Brock grabbed her.

"Sakura, don't," said Brock, "You don't have a chance to fight Team Rocket."

"I want to help them!!" whined Sakura.

"Don't you understand? You only got Machop and I don't think he have a good chance against those Poison Pokémon!"

Sakura's Machop was furious when he heard Brock saying that he very incompetent. He was not incompetent. He wanted to fight. Ash's Pikachu knew this feeling and wanted to help his new friend, so he and Machop jumped off Ash's Blastoise and tugged on Brock's pants.

Meanwhile, Ash had already released his Venusaur while Misty released her Starmie. Team Rocket's Pokémon launched their attacks immediately. While the fight was going on, Pikachu tried to explain to Brock that he wanted to help Sakura as well as her Machop.

"Pikachu, I know you want to help your new friend, but I don't know if Ash approves of this," said Brock.

"I'm sure Ash will approve," said Guile as he wiped the sludge off his Vulpux, "I know Sakura's a beginner, but she must have a chance, even if she have only one Pokémon."

"Pika! Pika!!" yelled Guile's Pikachu.

Everyone looked up and noticed that Ash's Venusaur and Misty's Starmie have been sludged by James' Weezing. Pikachu went up to Ash and told him that he wanted to help Sakura in the fight. Ash nodded, so Sakura walked forward with him and her Machop. Team Rocket laughed when they saw the Sakura's Pokémon.

"A baby dinosaur. You sure have a wimpy Pokémon," said Jesse, "He would look cuter if he have diapers and a bottle."

Sakura's Machop gets angry. He hates being called a baby dinosaur, even though he looked like one. Sakura took out her Pokédex to find out the special moves for her Machop. Ash's Pikachu told her that he was going to help and will listen to her commands.

"So, Pikachu, you're going to fight them as well. OK, let's kick some Pokébutt!" said Sakura, "Machop, Karate Chop!!"

"Arbok, bite that little dinosaur!" yelled Jesse.

Arbok jumped to sink her fangs into Machop, but she missed and landed on the ground. Machop managed to dodge her and gave a flurry of Karate Chops. James commanded his Weezing to tackle the little Fighting Pokémon, but Pikachu launched his Thundershock to prevent him from hitting Machop from behind. After draining some energy from Arbok, Sakura commanded Machop to perform a Seismic Toss. Machop grabbed Arbok's tail and twirled her around. Using her as a baseball bat, the little Fighting Pokémon hit Weezing like a baseball. Machop let go of Arbok and let her fly into her trainer. Persian gets angry and tries to attack him with a Fury Swipe, but Machop punches him. Pikachu sends waves of electricity to shock Persian when his friend jumped out of the way.

"Machop! Focus Energy!" yelled Sakura.

Glowing aura surrounds Sakura's Machop. It then went into his arms. Machop put his hands to one side as if he was about to throw a Hadoken. Team Rocket was injured very badly they did not know what will happen next. A ball of energy formed in Machop's hands.

"Look! Sakura's Machop is about to throw a Hadoken!!" said Chun-Li.

"That's weird," said Ash, "I thought the Focus Energy is supposed to increase power."

"I forgot something," said Guile, "Sakura's a street fighter. I think Machop somehow had taken the same qualities when he was with her."

Ash realized that Machop can be taught the same moves from their street fighting trainers. Sakura did not tell him that she was also a street fighter, but he was not sure if she had taught him her moves or not.

"MMMMAAAAACCCCHHHHOOOOPPPPP!!!"

Machop immediately threw the ball of energy directly at Team Rocket. Ash's Pikachu sent some volts of electricity into Machop's fireball to make it more powerful. Machop's fireball pushed Team Rocket away as well as shocking them. They were sent flying up in the air, never to be seen again.

"Looked like Team Rocket's blasting off again!!" they yelled.

Machop raised his fist in victory and gave Ash's Pikachu a high-five. Ash and his friends congratulated Sakura for her first victory. Ash's Pikachu jumped into her hands and hugged her, while Machop hugged her leg. Sakura then realized that Machop was useful to her after all and decided to keep him. She then walked into Team Rocket's now abandoned hideout and freed the Pokémon they had captured. The trainers were finally reunited with them and thanked Sakura for her work.

At the Pokémon Care Center, a nurse checked the health of Vulpux and Rapidash after their heated battle with Team Rocket's Pokémon. Guile and Chun-Li were glad Weezing's Poison Sludge did not take its full effect on their Pokémon.

"Nurse Joy, how are they?" Chun-Li asked.

"Don't worry," said the nurse, "Vulpux and Rapidash are okay, but it takes time to recover fully before they are ready for their next battle. You can come in and see them."

Guile and Chun-Li walked into the room and stood by the beds where their Pokémon were lying in. They petted them. Vulpux licked her trainer's face. Sakura watched the event through a window from the next room, where another nurse was trying to fix up Machop's bruises. From an adjacent room, was Ash and Misty tending to their injured Pokémon. Beyond seeing that, Sakura thought about the time Ash helped Machop after he was injured. She regretted trying to leave him behind when she first found him. She was supposed to stay until he was recovered. That was how trainers were supposed to treat their Pokémon. Sakura knew what Professor Oak had told her; she was supposed to have Pokémon because it had to be useful to her.