Pokémon : An Unexpected Odyssey

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The Team Rocket base in Cerulean City was a seemingly impenetrable fortress disguised as a gated religious community. The high, white stone walls were adorned with intricate carvings of Articuno, and banners bearing the legendary bird's icy crest hung from towering iron gates. To the locals, it appeared to be a sanctuary for devout worshipers, with its tranquil gardens, cascading fountains, and occasional soft chanting that drifted over the walls. In reality, it was one of three hidden Team Rocket bases in the city—the others were similarly cloaked as sanctuaries for Zapdos and Moltres.

Inside the Articuno base, Jessie, James, and Meowth wandered through the maze-like courtyard, their heads swiveling as they took in the imposing architecture and the eerie stillness of the place.

"This is creepy," Jessie muttered, glancing at a statue of Articuno that seemed to be watching them.

"I think it's majestic," James replied. "It's so regal, so elegant..."

"Would ya quit gawkin'?" Meowth snapped. "We ain't tourists, we're on a mission!"

Suddenly, the sound of sharp, deliberate footsteps echoed through the courtyard. The trio froze, their hearts sinking as a tall woman in a sleek black Team Rocket uniform stepped into view. Sabrina, an executive whose piercing gaze alone was enough to make most people tremble, stopped in front of them, her psychic presence practically radiating off her.

"Did you three bring me my latte?"

The trio exchanged nervous glances before Meowth stepped forward, laughing nervously and rubbing the back of his head. "Uh, ya see, boss, we're kinda... uh... broke," he said. "And by kinda, I mean we're so broke, we could use a coupon just to afford tap water!"

Jessie and James nodded furiously in agreement, both looking anywhere but directly at Sabrina.

Sabrina's eyes narrowed, and she took a deliberate step closer. "Fine," she said icily. "Did you at least scout the underground tunnel?"

The silence that followed was deafening.

Sabrina's expression darkened as her psychic aura flared. In an instant, the trio was lifted off the ground by invisible energy.

"Hey, hey, let's talk this out!" Meowth yelped, flailing helplessly.

"Yeah, no need to get dramatic!" James added, though his voice was an octave higher than usual.

"Wait! My hair—!" Jessie began, but before she could finish, the trio was unceremoniously hurled out of the base and into the nearby river with a splash.

From the gates, Sabrina's voice rang out coldly. "Since you three idiots can't handle something as simple as scouting, your punishment is to stay out of my sight until the real mission is complete!"

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Jessie and James emerged from the water, drenched and shivering. Meowth floated lazily on a piece of driftwood nearby.

"I told you, James," Jessie said, wringing out her hair angrily. "If you hadn't insisted on looking for your stupid bottle cap, we'd have done the mission by now!"

"My stupid bottle cap?" James shot back. "I told you to go ahead without me! And need I remind you, you were planning to sell my precious bottle cap to buy yourself another dress?"

"I was doing you a favor!" Jessie snapped. "You have too many bottle caps as it is!"

"Too many bottle caps?" James gasped, clutching his chest like she'd insulted his family.

"Hey, hey, knock it off!" Meowth interrupted. "What're we gonna do now, huh? Let's not forget we got bigger problems—Team Rocket's in the middle of bustin' Executive Arianna outta some big League trap, and now we're sittin' psyducks 'cause Sabrina kicked us to the curb!"

Jessie huffed, crossing her arms. "So what? Let's rob someone! That's what we're good at!"

"Ya can't!" Meowth shot back, waving a paw. "All Team Rocket operatives've been ordered to lay low. No schemes, no robberies, no nothin'! We're supposed to keep a low profile."

"Fine," Jessie grumbled. "But how are we supposed to find a job? It's not like opportunities are falling out of the sky!"

As if on cue, a gust of wind swept through the riverbank, smacking Jessie in the face with a piece of paper. She grabbed it irritably, ready to tear it to shreds, but froze when she saw what it was.

"Hey, guys..." she said slowly, holding it up for the others to see.

It was a help-wanted poster, advertising a temporary job fair.

Meowth blinked. "Well, whaddaya know. Guess fate's got a weird sense'a humor."

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"It's perfect," Austin declared, holding up his sketchbook.

Misty and the Cerulean Sisters leaned over to look at the drawing. Pikachu stood proudly on the table beside Austin, flexing his tiny arms and puffing out his chest.

The sketch in question? Pikachu's head on the ridiculously muscular body of a bodybuilder.

Daisy and the others tried to stifle their laughter as Austin turned the sketchbook toward Pikachu, who was now poking his biceps with an air of self-importance.

"Pika, pi!" Pikachu squeaked, giving a confident nod as if approving of his exaggerated new form.

"What is this, Austin?" Misty asked.

Austin grinned. "Merch. I'm designing the merchandise for the tournament."

"You're going to sell this?" Daisy asked, pointing at the absurd sketch of Buff Pikachu.

"Yep. People love joke designs," Austin said confidently. "Trust me, this'll sell like hotcakes."

Pikachu thumped his puffed-out chest with pride, as if declaring that the world deserved to see his true form.

"Your drawing is great, don't get me wrong. But... why this?"

"Because," Austin said, smirking, "people love stuff that's weird, funny, and unexpected. A shirt with Buff Pikachu? It's so ridiculous, it's genius. And in 1997? Joke shirts are totally the kind of thing people will eat up. It's new, it's quirky, and it'll stand out. Nobody's going to forget a shirt like this."

He closed his sketchbook with a flourish. "Here's the plan: from day one to day five of the tournament, I'll have multiple shirt designs. Whichever one gets the most sales? We lean into it hard."

"What else are you planning to put on these shirts?" Misty asked.

Austin smirked, flipping open a blank page in his sketchbook. "I've got a couple ideas. I can make designs for the Cerulean Sisters—like stylized versions of you three. Maybe something bold and dynamic, like a concert poster vibe…"

Before he could finish, Lily leaned over, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and whispering in his ear, "Oh, Austin, why don't you draw me like one of your buff Pokémon?"

Austin snorted, seeing through her attempt to fluster him. Without missing a beat, he countered, "Lily, I would love to draw you as a buff woman. Might even add a cape. You'd look great."

Lily pouted and let go, while Daisy burst out laughing.

"Draw me first," Misty said, almost jealous.

"Of course, you're the star of the show, Misty."

Misty turned away quickly, her cheeks tinting pink.

"So," Daisy said, steering the conversation back on track, "you're just going to sell weird shirts?"

"Oh, no," Austin replied. "I'm going full capitalist. I'll squeeze every last penny out of the audience. I'm talking overpriced food, exclusive merch, and—oh, banning outside food so everyone has to buy from the vendors."

The Cerulean Sisters sweatdropped as Austin rubbed his hands together like a greedy villain, even mimicking Pikachu's mischievous grin.

"How are you going to manage all this on your own?" Violet asked. "The tournament starts tomorrow, remember?"

"Already handled," Austin said confidently. "I've talked to a shop that can make the shirts. I've got a dozen ready for trial runs. I've put up posters to recruit food vendors. The deal's simple—they sell food I provide, and I get a 40% cut of their sales."

Just as he finished, there was a knock at the door.

"That must be the people here for the job," Austin said, hopping up and hurrying to answer.

He opened the door, only to freeze in place. Standing before him, in painfully obvious disguises, were Jessie, James, and Meowth.

The trio froze as well, their fake mustaches and ill-fitting clothes doing little to hide their identities. Jessie wore a gaudy floral dress and a wide-brimmed hat, James had on a suit that was two sizes too big, and Meowth... well, Meowth was wearing a trench coat and a fedora, clearly pretending to be human.

The silence stretched awkwardly.

"You must be here for the job," Austin said at last, forcing a smile and pretending not to recognize them.

Jessie and James exchanged nervous glances before James straightened his tie and stepped forward, attempting a posh accent. "Why, yes! We saw your poster and thought we'd offer our... uh, unique talents."

"Yeah, yeah!" Meowth added. "We're hard workahs, see? Honest folk lookin' ta make an honest livin'!"

Jessie elbowed Meowth sharply. "Don't oversell it, furball."

Austin raised an eyebrow but kept his composure. "Well, come inside. I'd love to discuss this job opportunity with you."

Jessie and James visibly relaxed, while Meowth wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead.

"Thanks, kid!" Meowth said, waddling in with his trench coat dragging behind him. "Yer not gonna regret this!"

Austin stood back, watching them file inside, his mind already working. Normally, he'd steer clear of Team Rocket, but their presence here in Cerulean was suspicious. Something big had to be going down. He decided to play along for now—they might be the key to figuring out what was happening behind the scenes.

Besides, he thought, remembering their antics from the anime, Jessie, James, and Meowth were surprisingly good at running food stalls for some reason.

Win-win.