Pokémon: The Wrong Way To Transmigrate

"Whew—" Standing at the edge of the forest, Yuu Kisaragi turned back to glance at the dense, shadowy woods and couldn't help but yell, "Finally the hell outta there—" 

Due to an embarrassing battle that left both Gastly and Weedle exhausted, Yuu decided to avoid further fights and just power through Viridian Forest. 

Luckily, someone (it was Ash, duh) had lured away the largest swarm of Beedrill—the most aggressive Pokémon in the forest. Without them, the rest were either harmless Caterpie and Metapod or weak Weedle and Kakuna. Plus, since Yuu had already caught a Weedle, running into random Bug-types didn't trigger any more quests. So, with little effort, Yuu breezed out of the forest. 

"Let's see… the map says the next town is Pewter City." Yuu pulled out the miraculous Pokédex (which had every function imaginable) while walking. "Huh? It says there's a Pewter Gym here?" 

Beep! Side Quest Triggered: Gym Challenge! Defeat the Pewter Gym Trainer and earn the Boulder Badge. Reward: Attack +2, Defense +2, Free Attribute Point +1. 

"Of course…" Yuu was getting used to the system's opportunistic task-dropping. "But five attribute points total? Worth a shot." 

BOOM— 

"What was that? Gastly, go check!" 

"Gaa… Gaa!" Gastly, sent ahead to scout, seemed to have found something. 

"Uh, what's going on?" Yuu hurried forward only to see a massive pit in the middle of the road. Peering inside, there were two people—plus a Pokémon—lying at the bottom. 

The man and woman wore matching white uniforms, clearly part of some organization. The Pokémon looked familiar, but Yuu couldn't place it right away, so the trusty Pokédex came out: 

"Meowth, the Scratch Cat Pokémon. Loves shiny objects, especially coins. If it finds one, it'll stash it away somewhere." 

"Oh, it's a Meowth." Yuu rubbed their chin. "I remember it being in the anime a lot, no wonder it's familiar." 

"Ugh…" 

Noticing the two stirring awake, Yuu leaned over the pit and called, "Hey—need some help?" 

"Ah, thank you so much!" The blue-haired young man looked genuinely moved. "There's tools and rope in the grass over there—use that to pull us—ow!" 

"Idiot!" The red-haired woman next to him punched him hard on the head. "You just told them we dug this trap ourselves!" 

"Oh right!" The man smacked his fist into his palm. "Now they know we fell into our own trap—how embarrassing!" 

"These morons, meow…" The Meowth between them facepalmed. 

"So, you two," Yuu deadpanned, watching their comedy routine. "Mind explaining why you fell into your own trap?" 

"W-well, obviously because our trap was so flawless even we couldn't spot it! Ohohohoho!" The woman laughed behind her hand, though the sweat on her forehead betrayed her. 

"Ah, got it." Yuu nodded. "But why dig a trap in the middle of the road?" 

"Uh, that's because… um…" The two humans and one Pokémon broke into a cold sweat. 

"A trap this big, on a deserted but essential route to the city…" Yuu paced by the pit, muttering. "Big enough to fit multiple people…" 

"..." Sweat poured down their faces. 

"Don't tell me you guys…" 

"..." Their faces turned pale. 

"…were trying to catch some rare, giant Pokémon?" 

"…Huh?" The trio froze in disbelief. 

"Ahaha, no need to be shy!" Yuu, thrilled to meet fellow "like-minded individuals" (…), grinned. "As long as you catch your target, the method doesn't matter! Hang on, I'll get the rope!" 

"Is that kid… an idiot?" the woman whispered. 

The man seemed more thoughtful. "No… I think this girl might actually understand the spirit of Team Rocket!" 

Soon, a rope was tossed down. "The trees here aren't sturdy, so the lightest one climbs up first to help anchor it!" 

"Whew… saved." Meowth was the first up. 

"Meowth, right? Grab the rope." 

"Got it, leave it to me, meow!" 

"Careful not to cut it with your claws." 

Meowth: "..." 

Yuu: "..." 

"Uh… aren't you surprised I can talk, meow?" Meowth finally asked. 

"Huh? Aren't Meowths supposed to talk?" Yuu blinked. 

"What?! There are other Meowths that can talk?!" Meowth recoiled. 

"Wait, you're saying you're the only Meowth that talks?!" Yuu gasped. 

CRACK— "AHH—" THUD— 

In their mutual shock, both let go of the rope. The branch snapped, the red-haired woman screamed mid-climb, and she landed right on the blue-haired man below. 

After more chaos, the trio finally escaped the pit. 

"Ahh, you've been a huge help!" The man grinned as he climbed out last. 

"Don't mention it. Fellow enthusiasts should stick together." Yuu smiled back. "I'm Yuu Kisaragi from Pallet Town. And you are?" 

*Dramatic pose—!!* 

As if hitting a switch, the two erupted with theatrical energy— 

"To protect the world from devastation!" The woman struck a pose. 

"To unite all peoples within our nation!" The man pulled out a rose and bit it. 

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!" 

"To extend our reach to the stars above!" 

"Jessie!" 

"James!" 

"Team Rocket, blasting off at the speed of light!" 

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" 

"Meowth, that's right!" Meowth jumped between them. 

"Wow… just wow…" Yuu clapped softly—not because they were cool, but because witnessing Team Rocket's cringey intro in real life was a feat of sheer audacity. 

"Oho!" Jessie and James beamed at the reaction. "See? Someone finally appreciates our style!" 

(Actually, I don't—) Yuu bit back the words. 

"Ah!" Meowth yelped. "We wasted so much time—that kid with the Pikachu might've passed us, meow!" 

"NOO!!" Jessie and James looked as if they were struck by lightning. "We forgot!" 

Without another word, they dove into the roadside grass. Moments later, a Meowth-shaped hot-air balloon rose into the sky, right where Yuu had gotten the rope. That patch only had basic tools and materials, so how the hell did they build this in 20 seconds?! 

"Young maiden! Duty calls, so we must bid you farewell!" James perched on the basket's edge, tossing down his rose. "Until fate reunites us!" 

"Phew…" Yuu exhaled as the balloon drifted away. "Finally got rid of those overgrown edgelords. Back to bothering Ash, you go…" 

Beep! Side Quest Complete: Favorable Impression of Team Rocket. All Attributes +1. Side Quest: Choice of Light and Shadow prerequisites met. 

Nice! The moment Yuu saw Meowth's Pokédex entry, the pieces clicked—they were the persistent villains from the anime. And right on cue, the system tossed a quest: avoid fighting Team Rocket and leave a good impression. The juicy rewards made playing dumb worth it. 

Ohhh—manipulating two adults and a Pokémon's emotions? What a devious little gremlin.

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