1. Ash's Story (Part 9: Alola)

Chapter 57

Currently taking a rest in the manor, Sophocles rushes to us in a state of distress. "Sophocles, what's wrong?" I inquire.

"Everything is wrong! I don't know what to do..." Sophocles cries out.

My Mom addresses him, "You must be the Electric Type Trial Captain, Sophocles, right?"

Sophocles stammers, "Eeek! S-S-S-Sorrocles! I mean I'm sophorry! I mean I'm sorry! No, I mean I'm Sophocles! I'm a very sorry Sophocles!"

Trying to soothe the situation, Lillie intervenes, "Calm down, Sophocles. Just take deep breaths."

After a moment, Sophocles composes himself and says, "I...I came because I need your help, Ash and Lillie... A bunch of strange guys appeared out of nowhere and...and they took over Festival Plaza!"

"Took over?" We decide to log into the Festival Plaza, and to our horror, we witness the castle changing color, darkening with streaks of rainbows. The most alarming sight is the giant R that dominates the display.

"You've got to be kidding me... Team Rocket?" I exclaim in frustration.

"I thought they were disbanded! What the heck?" Lillie expresses her surprise and concern.

"The space here suddenly became all twisted, and then the programming of the Plaza was rewritten! That's why the castle looks so..." Sophocles explains.

"Interesting?" I try to lighten the mood with a joke. But Sophocles interrupts, saying, "You think? It looks so menacing, like where a final boss would live... I think it looks kinda cool!"

"It's a joke," Lillie sighs. Sophocles responds, "Still, they broke through my impenetrable security system, even if they did take advantage of a system malfunction. And they've taken complete control of Festival Plaza... Be careful–these guys know what they're doing! Please, Ash and Lillie! You've got to help me take back Festival Plaza!"

We make the decision to enter the castle, and inside, we're confronted by some Rocket Grunts. The striking difference is the Rainbow-colored 'R' emblazoned on their uniforms. One of the grunts demands, "Hey, who are you?! Nobody should be able to enter Team Rocket's Castle!"

"I-I have admin rights..." Sophocles stammers, trying to assert his authority.

"What?! How dare you try to confuse me with your nerdy language!" The grunt scoffs before continuing, "No matter! Team Rocket's Castle is under our control! There's nothing you can do, whoever you are!"

With a mocking laugh, the grunt exits the scene, leaving us standing there, perplexed.

Sophocles reflects, "It seems like this group calls itself Team Rocket. They definitely don't seem like nice people..."

"They're far from nice. They're annoying and dangerous," I murmur. "We've faced them over a thousand times during our journeys."

"I can't believe I've allowed Festival Plaza to be taken over by people like them... Still... He said this castle was under their control. What exactly did he mean...? Give me a sec and I'll check..." Sophocles swiftly uses his laptop to scan the area. After a moment, he announces, "I've got it, Ash and Lillie... They have some sort of program lock that prevents us from using the Pokémon in our party! We need to figure out a way to get Team Rocket out of here without relying on our own Pokémon..."

It's true, Pikachu and the others are barred from entering, leaving just the two of us without any Poke Balls. As I scan the area, I notice something that might aid us. "The Battle Agency."

"The Battle Agency...? Oh, of course! If we use the Battle Agency rules, we can use other people's Pokémon to battle! It doesn't matter if we can't use our own!" Sophocles exclaims, catching onto the idea.