T'was the standard fare.
"Go, Koffing!"
"Charmander, I choose you!"
Team Rocket faced Ash, Misty and Brock as enemies, as always.
"Koffing, sludge attack!" ordered James.
"Charmander, ember attack!" retaliated Ash.
The two Pokemon clashed.
Meowth and Jessie, Misty and Brock, watched their friends battling, with slightly bored expressions. All knew what would happen. Team Rocket would lose, as always, then go blasting off, before coming back next week.
"Koffing, show them who's boss! Tackle!"
Koffing floated in the air, but showed no acknowledgement of its master's order.
"Tackle that Charmander! Koffing!"
It still floated, not responding.
"Charmander, now's our lucky chance! Use Flamethro... huh?"
"Koffing..." (Master...)
Finally it acted, blowing out smog, which made everyone choke.
"Koffing, what are you doing? Don't suffocate US! Get..."
James trailed off, as he seemed to realise that Koffing's behaviour wasn't natural. The smog worsened, and, amidst much choking, Ash pulled out a Pokeball.
"Go... *cough* Pidgeotto, whirlwind the smoke away!"
The bird Pokemon did just that, and everyone could begin to see again. What they saw was a brightly glowing Koffing.
"It's evolving!" exclaimed James, clasping his hands together happily.
It wasn't.
Before the watchers' amazed eyes, Koffing seemed to simply dissolve in the air. Its crossbone symbol was the last to disappear, and did so in a miniture explosion.
Team Rocket had lost.
James just stared in disbelief at the slight dark crater where his Pokemon used to be.
"What... happened?"
"So suddenly," said Misty, in shock.
Ash's pocket beeped, and he pulled out his Pokedex.
"Because it stores several kinds of toxic gases in its body, Koffing is prone to exploding without warning."
Its voice was very mechanical and cold, as always. James grabbed it out of Ash's hands and hurled it at the ground.
It beeped, and James glared at it, before stomping on it. Finding an outlet.
"Hey, stop that!" protested Ash, angrily, "that Pokedex isn't replaceable!"
James stopped and stared down at the mini-computer with dark eyes.
"Neither was Koffing."