Last time, my team was worn down from our trip through Mt Moon, but I still beat up some random fossil-hunter to steal half his fossils.

How do you feel about our brilliant victory, Pikachu?

Oh, right, you’re poisoned.

And I don’t have any antidote.

Pikachu jumps sideways and backwards so the guy can walk into that space.

Now, there’s one thing left before I can leave…

FINALLY.

And then I catch it at full health on my first pokeball.

While I don’t have antidotes, at least I’ve got plenty of potions.

Let’s see if I have anything else useful.

Uh-huh.

Could be useful, but, probably more valuable for the money.

Hm……………………

Nah.

Okay, let’s leave.

Yeah, for some reason you respond to angry strangers yelling by moving back toward them.

This is necessary because otherwise they couldn’t walk up to you properly.

As you see. It’d be weird for them to discuss all this with Pikachu.

So, did you just beat up the other guy?

While this is just to shoehorn in the anime pair, it actually works well. Some of the grunts we run across mention trying to get fossils, but it seems like they’re just mining them themselves, which causes the same issues as saying “poaching” is wrong but “catching” is fine. Here, it’s clear they’re actually stealing the fossils from people, which is more obviously criminal.

I wonder why it’s not “Team Rocket” as their label?

Anyway, time to see the banned pokemon.

In later games, you won’t be able to recall when you’re hit by something like wrap, and this’d be pretty bad considering Pikachu’s poisoned. Here, it’s no big deal!

Time for meowth to show off what they’re good at.

Yup. Cats.

…that would explain much about their competence.

Then, instead of running off, the screen just goes black…

And they’re gone.

So either smoke bomb or they punch you in the face and flee while you’re stunned.

I made it through Mt Moon without having to backtrack! What do you think of our amazing victory, Pikachu?

Right, still poisoned.