Team Rocket

The forest on a midsummer night should have been a stage for Bug-type Pokémon to sing, but the battle earlier had left it utterly silent.

The only sound was the squeaking of a unicycle rolling along the forest path.

Su Bai and Cynthia followed the poacher to a natural cave.

Dense woods concealed it, and the mountain paths were rugged. They would never have found it without deliberately following him.

They saw other people inside the cave, apparently a man and a woman. Both were speaking the Kanto language.

Su Bai and Cynthia exchanged a look, both stunned.

The poacher pocketed the money and handed Growlithe over, cage and all, to the people inside the cave before leaving in high spirits.

Apparently, this wasn't the poacher's base for capturing Pokémon. But who would set up camp somewhere so secluded?

Could it be Team Rocket on the run?

Once the poacher had gone some distance, Su Bai signaled to Cynthia. She would apprehend the poacher while he stayed here to keep watch and call the police.

It wasn't that Su Bai was afraid of dying or anything. This was simply the best approach under the circumstances.

The poacher's Rhyperior was at least above level forty, and he also had a hunting rifle.

If Su Bai went after the poacher, he couldn't be certain of taking him down immediately. Alerting Team Rocket here would be trouble.

With Cynthia's strength, however, dealing with that poacher would be effortless.

Neither of them was the fussy type. Though they'd only known each other for two days, they already shared an unspoken understanding.

"Cynthia, be careful."

"Don't worry, Bai. You be careful too."

After Cynthia left, Su Bai lay on the dirt slope, watching the cave while calling the police.

Rather than calling Yaoyaodong directly, Su Bai contacted Qi Shijun.

Hearing that a foreign organization suspected to be Team Rocket was involved, Qi Shijun immediately sat up in bed. After reminding Su Bai to stay safe, he got dressed and prepared to head out.

Meanwhile, Qi Shijun personally called the J City police station to report the incident and instructed them to send support immediately.

Su Bai had only just hung up when he suddenly felt a gust behind his head. He immediately threw himself into a roll to the side.

Dozens of poison needles struck the spot where Su Bai had been hiding. The flowers and grass there rapidly withered.

"Pika!"

Pikachu jumped down, arcs of electricity crackling from both cheek pouches as Pikachu stared into the darkness, ready to fight.

"Who's attacking me from behind?"

As Su Bai spoke, a man and a woman slowly emerged from the woods.

"Since you've asked so sincerely..."

"We'll be merciful and tell you."

"To protect the World Cup from devastation."

"To safeguard world peace."

"To carry out the evils of truth and love."

"The adorable and charming villains."

"Jessie!" "James!"

"We're the Team Rocket duo, soaring through the galaxy."

"A white hole, a white tomorrow awaits us."

"That's right!"

Su Bai froze at the sight of the two people and the cat before him.

"T-Team Rocket?"

If it was these three, it wasn't surprising that they'd made it past all those checkpoints to J City and established such a large Secret Base here.

After all, their disguises were practically a conceptual power.

"Team Rocket, go back to Kanto! The Dragon Nation doesn't welcome you!"

"Before we came, our intelligence said the Dragon Nation's younger generation of Trainers was exceptionally capable. Looks like it was true."

Jessie tossed her hair.

"You're not scared of us, you can converse with us fluently, and you're so handsome too. Not bad at all."

"Little guy, peeking into someone else's Secret Base is an unforgivable offense."

James flicked the rose out of his mouth, driving it straight into the ground in front of Su Bai.

Faced with these three, Su Bai didn't dare let his guard down. He took two small steps back and adopted a stance that made it easier to dodge.

Before meeting Ash, Jessie, James, and Meowth really had been Team Rocket elites who committed all kinds of crimes and stole plenty of Pokémon.

Then they met Ash and Pikachu. One glimpse of the almighty Pikachu derailed their entire lives, setting them on the path to becoming the ultimate wingmen.

If I'd known it was them, I'd have asked Cynthia to leave me a Pokémon.

Fortunately, Team Rocket hadn't unlocked the insulation tech tree yet. Pikachu could handle them.

"Enough dawdling! Ekans, use Bind!"

"Koffing, use Tackle!"

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

As the two Pokémon charged, Pikachu used Thunderbolt, shocking them into immobility.

"Pikachu, finish them with Iron Tail!"

At Su Bai's command, Pikachu sent them flying with a single Iron Tail.

Jessie and James stared dumbfounded at Ekans and Koffing lying on the ground.

Su Bai also felt... these two seemed a little too weak.

The people were elites, but the quality of their Pokémon left a lot to be desired.

All three people felt awkward.

"Then I'll fight you myself! Everything is for Giovanni! Fury Swipes, meow!"

Meowth brandished his claws and charged, only for Pikachu to blast him back with a Thunderbolt.

Meowth slammed into Jessie and James, triggering a massive explosion. The three became shooting stars streaking into the distance.

"We're blasting off again!" ×3

Watching the three fly away, Pikachu gave Su Bai a puzzled look.

"Pika?"

My Thunderbolt can cause explosions too?

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it, Pikachu. That wasn't your doing. It's their passive skill. Let's take a look inside."

Su Bai headed into the cave with Pikachu just as Cynthia returned.

Behind her, Lucario carried the unconscious poacher, who was tightly bound, with a look of utter disgust.

Even the hunting rifle had been bent out of shape.

Cynthia smiled faintly and asked, looking as though she wanted a little praise.

"How was that?"

"Impressive. Just what I'd expect from my Valkyrie."

"Who said I was yours?"

Cynthia flushed slightly, but didn't dispute it further.

"Where's Team Rocket?"

"Just a few small fry. I sent them packing. How was that?"

"Very impressive."

The two entered the cave and saw a shocking sight.

Empty cages covered an entire wall, and every one was spotless...

Clearly, those three had prepared to capture large numbers of wild Pokémon, but hadn't gotten started yet.

Today, they'd bought their first Growlithe from the poacher, only to run into Su Bai and Cynthia.

Inside a cage on the ground, Growlithe lay covered in wounds. When Su Bai entered, Growlithe stood and bared sharp teeth viciously, but had no strength left.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu shattered the cage with an Iron Tail, and Growlithe immediately leaped out, charging at Su Bai.

Su Bai reacted swiftly, stepping aside and grabbing Growlithe by the scruff of the neck.

Growlithe tried to use Ember, but only puffed out a mouthful of black smoke.

Cynthia looked worried.

"Bai!"

"It's fine. Growlithe from the Dragon Nation only warm up to Trainers from the Dragon Nation, so I have to do this. This little one is badly hurt. We need to treat those injuries right away."

Su Bai gently set Growlithe on the ground and took out an Oran Berry.

"Good pup. Don't be scared. The person who hurt you has already been caught. You're safe now."