A beautiful day on Melemele outside of the Pokémon school has really brought the people out of the shade and homes to really enjoy the day. But because of the rough day between Mallow and Saki, they remained inside too closed to even shed some light into their own rooms. Everyone else had their own thing going on, Sophocles no different than anyone else. Inviting Ash to a trip in town, the young boy eagerly awaits for his arrival over at a bakery, a place that sells a fried treat called Malasadas.

"Alola Sophocles! Hope I'm not late or anything!"

Ash runs towards the boy who already reserved a table for himself and his friend, as Ash joins him, taking the free seat across him, and huffed.

"Glad you could make it Ash! I in fact wanted to show you around this part of Hau'Oli city for a while now, but apparently... You've been a busy boy Ash..."

Sophocles gave Ash a downing look at him, but Ash lightly giggle to lift the scene, but it was no use.

"Heh... Sorry Sophocles... But you know how training days go... You gotta train hard to be the best!..."

"He'zz right Sophoclez! I take my scheduling and my data very zeriously! I make sure Ash is on top of the game with his team by his side!"

Rotom zooms around Ash, while Pikachu on his shoulder, nuzzling its owner showing that trainer love. Rockruff too was enjoying the nice weather, but something rustling in the bushes kept its attention from going anywhere. Besides that, Sophocles went on as he pulled out a paper bag from the side of his seat, Togedemaru leaped onto a table, also eager to open the bag to reveal the goods within, were unstable.

"No worries my good man! Because it is now time to feast! On this!"

Pulling out the first malasada, the scent and texture kicked Ash in the face, who was lured into the sugary fried treat.

"Mmm! I can even smell it from right here! Thanks Sophocles! I'm sure gonna enjoy this!"

Ash took the malasada that Sophocles offered him as he took out a second one from the bag, and held it high.

"I present a toast! To our hard work in class! Cheers!"

Just as they clump their snack together like sparkling cider on a glorious wedding afterparty, something darted out from the same direction Ash's Rockruff focused on. The Pokémon barks in attempt to keep it from attacking its trainer and friend, which leaps into the air to stop, but the Pokémon was clever. Using Rockruff's early timing on the jump, it leaps off of it to cover higher ground. It's amazing agility even bounced off of Togademaru, giving it the chance to swipe both Malasadas from the boys as it wagged its tail in victory.

"Huff huff huff!"

The Pokémon snickers while chewing on Ash's malasada, which raises Ash from his seat.

"Hey! What's the big idea stealing our food like that-?!"

Turning around to the Pokémon, Ash didn't even realize that it was another Rockruff, but this one had an eyepatch over its right eye. Right after finishing Ash's treat, it chomped down Sophocles own malasada, which really did effect him and his appetite.

"You! You can't do that! I-I-I skipped breakfast just to be really really satisfied with that treat! Why would you do this to me??"

The boy staggers in hungry as the Rockruff smirks in bonus of draining a kid's energy out just like that, but Ash wasn't gonna take this very lightly. But before even Ash could do anything about the stolen treats, Rockruff dashed away from the scene, a hot pursuit between it and the boy stretched out for a half a kilometer. In the making, Rockruff skillfully swirled a 180 degree turn and fired away. Snarl, to slow down the chasing children.

"Pikachu! Use Electro Ball!"

Luckily, Ash's Pokémon was just as fast as the thieving Pokémon, but the collision clouding black smoke in front of Ash and his partner. Having little urgency of cautiousness, Ash hurls himself forward, free to fresh air. Which ends quickly halting him from a newly formed Stone Edge that threw him off of his feet.

"Huff huff huff! Rockruff!"

The Pokémon taunts and dashes into the forest unharmed in any way. Sophocles and Togademaru catches up with Ash, looking like the chubby boy was gonna pass out of hunger and light headedness.

"My... My malasada..."

"It took my only food... Now I'm gonna staaaaarrve..."

Breath after breath, Sophocles speaks his mind, but Ash was different. He, Pikachu and Rotomdex were intrigued by the Rockruff's skill and reflexes, this was no ordinary wild Pokémon.

"I never seen an ordinary stray Rockruff perform unusual actions such as in a way a trained one can. Luckily I caught plenty of pictures of its outstanding movement!"

Scrolling picture after picture of its highlights, Ash was raring to go after it once more and teach it a lesson. Pikachu and his own Rockruff were just behind him. Rotomdex too was ready to catch anything else that the enemy could display to show the Professor.

"One second Ash... Just need to catch my breath... I'm falling apart, know what I mean?..."

Still trying to collect himself, Ash sweatdrops as he awkwardly waits himself for Sophocles to pick the pace back to his level. He waits there, and he waits there. For 20 minutes. All that came out of Ash was,

"Uhh... You okay buddy?"

Covering way more ground from the whole slowdown, the no good Rockruff was set out to sneak even more food from anyone less likely to capture with its untouched movement. Looking into the forest long enough, Rockruff stumbles upon the no good members of Team Rocket sitting at a folding table about to chow-down on some take out.

"Thank you for the food! Let's eat!"

The three who were able to speak said out loud thinking they were along began to dig into the cooking, Wobbuffet squeaks, "Wooooobuffet!" As it too chomps away its given portion of the meal.

"Yummy yummy in my tummy!"

Jessie quivers to the excellence of the rice she was shoving down her throat. Which literally everyone else made the same noises of pleasure when eating.

"I don't know about you, but I can even taste the efforts that went into this dish!"

James compliments, as Meowth nods while his own mouth was overstuffed with greens and rice, Wobbuffet nods like a thumb, giving into the pleasuring flavor of the meal. But before Meowth could sink fully into the steaming dish, he swallowed the remains in his mouth and spoke up.

"Now then! Before we get to our next of plans, what did we discuss we needed to do before we headed back out for the twipes' Pikachu?"

Jessie brightens just remembering she had indeed mentioned that they need to take care off before they resumed to their old ways of theft.

"That's right now! Let's see, James. It's been at least a week ever since we came to Alola and you haven't even gotten your first Pokémon yet. Mimikyu and I can't be doing all the work with them, you've seen the super close calls with our last plans didn't you, it's like trying to fight with one arm behind your back!"

Hearing James being called makes an excellent point as the man hasn't distributed much of his own efforts just yet.

"Oh yes, your absolute right Jessie. It is about time I find my own Pokémon here. Alright then! Let's go find us a teammate!"

The four stood up with a full belly ready to rock, Meowth had one more thing he had before they sought out for a hunt.

"But before we do, I got us a little somwthin' for dat sweet-tooth to make this meal extra special!"

Meowth takes out a bag full of the same treats Sophocles had purchased earlier, which grabs the focused Jessie and James. Watering mouths over the sugary fried scent only wished for the crooks to chomp it down before starting their day of villainy!

"To Team Rocket! A new age of our reign has only begun in Alola!"

The four crooks throw their fist with the Malasada in the air, but before they could even take their first bite, it was too late. Rockruff swoops in and skillfully swiped the entire gang of their treats, don't even ask how a small pup Pokémon managed to take 4 malasadas at once. This lead to the four to stand up and throw fits as of a child.

"Hey! What's the big idea looting our food!"

Meowth steps forward, giving the crook a piece of its mind.

"That was for my sweet tooth you little brat!"

Jessie shook her fist, which only made the Pokémon laugh in victory. No doubt James was as upset, but he had DejaVu on whatever if he met a Pokémon with a similar encounter.

"I'll teach you to steal from the stealers! Mimikyu! Front and center!"

Jessie sends out Mimikyu from its Luxury Ball, which flops its Pikachu head.

"Aim open and fire at that thief! Shadow Ball!"

The attack launched, but was immediately countered with a Snarl, the field clouded up in smog, until Mimikyu was forced back after being hit with a Stone Edge, collapsing on both Jessie and Meowth. Rockruff leaped through the black smog and landed a Bite on Wobbuffet, who didn't take the hit too well, flopping its feet and arms, it yelped in pain.

"Woooooobbaaaaa! Woooooobbuffffeeeette!"

In desperate attempt, James leaps in to grab ahold of the miscreant, but ultimately fails. Rockruff bounces right off, and lands on it's for legs, zooming back into the forest.

"Don't just stand there James! Go after that little rotten Pokémon! It won't leave our sight unpunished!"

Jessie picks herself up, Meowth also gets back on his feet, as the group goes after the Rockruff who currently has the lead deep into the Alolan forest. The sun and its light poked through the trees at the two wondering boys resumed their own journey to find the missing thief. Ash followed his own Rockruff as it had a trace of the Pokémon through its scent and tracks of paw prints in the dirt. Sophocles' own method to find the Pokémon involved him poking at a device of his to track down Pokémon easily.

"Hey Sophocles. That Rockruff... I'm stunned on how it can move so freely on its own. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that in any Pokémon before... This place is awesome..."

Ash said the last part to himself, while Sophocles nodded, looking up to give him more attention.

"I agree Ash. Nothing like that simply comes from the earth and its soil, not even Mother Nature had that kind of power! Unless we're talking about an anime or something."

A couple of beeps later out of the device, Ash scratched his head to Sophocles' little comment.

"But... Isn't this-"

"ANYWAY. I managed to pick up a rocky signal by recalibrating my Poké-Finder to the correct ordinates of our target! Science is truly the future in this day of age!"

Sophocles brightens up, being accompanied by Ash, who had sparkling eyes of amazement toward machinery. Following a blinking light on the Finder's radar, Ash and Sophocles darted full speed ahead, until the eyepatch Rockruff zoomed right out of the bushes, locking itself in brake.

"Rrrrrruff! Ruff!"

It demands the kids to move out of the way, but Rotomdex attempts to reason with the upset Pokémon.

"Pleazzze calm down Rockruff! We don't mean any harm here! We juzzzt like to have a word with you!"

Failing to soothe the thief, Rockruff charges forward and leaps, preparing to land a bite on the floating device.

"Pikachu, protect Rotomdex with your Iron Tail!"

At the last second, to make sure it wouldn't have the time to dodge the attack, Pikachu swings in and nails a Super Effective attack that knocked it off into a rough landing.

"Atta boy Ash-!"

Sophocles cheered on for Ash, until they were interrupted by Jessie, James, and Meowth popping right out of the bushes two minutes later.

"What the-?! It's the twerps! How'd they find us down here??"

James backs his foot away from the two, as Ash tightened his fist in a way he always did with these crooks.

"I've should've of known! Team Rocket! Stealing Pokémon is wrong! But stealing someone's breakfast and lunch... That's truly bad."

Jessie gives him a rare look as if she had no idea what he was talking about, so she shoves that statement out of the way.

"We didn't steal your lunch! This thing took OUR malasadas from us!"

Jessie claims, which Sophocles from the back of Ash wasn't buying any of this. From where he was, he spoke,

"Heard that one before on a TV show before, all we want is a little talk with it, that's all."

Before anyone could move, James, after a long considering though, he steps in front of the injured Pokémon, and folds his arms.

"You will not be talking Rockruff anywhere you see. I'm maybe not as cool of the lost of my sweet treat from this Pokémon just like Jessie and Meowth, but there's no way in hell that you'll be taking it away from us. We thieves have to stick together."

Everyone in the area, being Ash, Sophocles, Jessie, Meowth, and even Wobbuffet blinked as James kneels down to the Pokémon and takes out an energy bar from his pocket. Rockruff snacks right from James hand and immediately gets back up ready for battle.

"Now it is time to face the newest member of Team Rocket! Rockruff!"

The small Pokémon howls to intimidate its opponent, which actually breaks a sweat to both Ash and Sophocles. Jessie, while not on board leaving Rockruff unpunished, she was on the whole idea of something as skilled as the Pokémon to join the team.

"We'll punish it later James! It's time to take Pikachu! Shadow Ball Mimikyu!"

A close collision between Mimikyu and Pikachus attack clouds up the forest in black smoke, which it and Ash's Rockruff were bombarded with Stone Edge, slamming into the ground.

"Wow James! Rockruff and Mimikyu already make a ground shaking team! Maybe your idea isn't totally nuts after all!"

Meowth too on board with the idea of recruiting the thief, Pikachu and Rockruff on Ash's side regain their balance. But before another move could be called, Bewear ambushed them right from the back, picking up the bad guys in one swoop.

"So much for that... Team Rocket's going off with a new bang..."

Just like any of the last times Team Rocket were carried away by the Pokémon Bewear, everyone gets a breath in relief that the current conflict has been afflicted for the day.

"What a day... I'm beat... And I didn't even get to eat..."

Sophocles held onto his rumbling stomach as Ash pats his back to lighten up his current state.

"I understand Sophocles.... It's tough to run on an empty tummy... So let's go fill it. Maybe Professor Kukui can make us a snack."

Hearing that instantly smiled, and nods, as he and their Pokémon began to head back for a long waited and satisfying snack.

(Epilogue)

Under the Alolan moonlight, Bewear mushed up berries and honey to make a delicious nectar, the Rockruff's ear twitched as its eye were focused on the sky, while the other rested under the patch.

"Come here Rockruff! It's time to eat!"

James pulls out a pile of berries that belonged to the large bear Pokémon, which was willing to share, as Rockruff began to chow down.

"Despite its unwelcoming impression, I wouldn't say that I'm not impressed by its raw skill. It may just as be powerful as Mimikyu."

Jessie chews on a sandwich as James nod. Meowth had some rice that was leftover from lunch and agrees with Jessie.

"Now with two loaded weapons onto the scene, we'll be able to rob those twipes blind this time!"

James nods as he looks down upon Rockruff as he nodded.

"Agreed! Once a thief! Always a thief!"

James begins to chuckle an evil laugh, being followed up by Jessie and Meowth. Even Wobbuffet pitched in, but the one who felt truly welcomed was Rockruff. The evil group laughed mischievously, scaring some nearby Pokémon away from their obnoxiousness, Bewear watches them in great interest.

"Boow?"