You Have Earned the Title: Rival

"He really was holding back when he battled Ash..."

"Yeah, an Aura Sphere with that kind of power..."

Bigger did not always mean stronger, but anyone who could form an Aura Sphere that large could not possibly be weak.

"Anyway, what's this about five hundred thousand? Did Team Rocket just steal your money, Mr. Xin Mu?"

"It's nothing. It's just a policy we have here.

Donghuang is different from where you're from. Organizations like Team Rocket can't operate here. If you actually catch their members, there's a pretty substantial reward."

"Oh, I see. Then you don't need to worry, Mr. Xin Mu. Those guys couldn't possibly be big shots. They've gone this long without catching Pikachu. If I were their boss, I'd have fired them ages ago."

In a sense, Misty and the others did understand Team Rocket, but their understanding was not quite complete.

Although Team Rocket had already been sent flying, their robot remained where it was. Judging by the fragments, it seemed to have been made from things out of a junk heap.

Assuming they had arrived in Donghuang at the same time as Ash, these people had not only earned their starting capital through efficient odd jobs within a single day, but also cobbled together a "Gundam" by hand out of scrap.

If only that talent were put to use somewhere other than the front lines, it could have achieved things beyond imagination.

"Meow... (Did I do something wrong? Should I not have sent them flying?)"

"It's fine. When I called the police just now, Officer Jenny said they'd already received several calls.

Even if there is a reward, we probably wouldn't get much of it, so it doesn't really matter.

But next time you deal with people like that, remember to wait for my instructions. If they aren't that tough, we could be in trouble."

Xin Mu was not quite sure how Pokémon ages translated into human years, but Meownei was definitely young. Meownei often got emotional, though always recovered quickly.

The police led by Officer Jenny seemed no different from the police in Hong Kong movies, arriving late after everything was already over.

The fire department also began searching for any hidden fires after the thick smoke had dispersed.

As the person who had called the police from the scene, Xin Mu began answering Officer Jenny's questions about Team Rocket.

Ash and Pikachu also arrived late.

When the thick smoke had risen earlier, Ash and Nurse Joy had been moving the injured Pokémon out of the Pokémon Center together, which was why he had not come outside.

Viewed that way, Team Rocket had probably suffered their greatest setback yet. They had been sent flying without even catching a glimpse of Pikachu.

Many things were vastly different in a world with Pokémon. Officer Jenny merely checked Xin Mu's newly registered Trainer license before leading her officers away to track down Team Rocket.

Somewhere else, he would at least have had to go back to the station to give a statement.

Videos of the robot attacking the Pokémon Center had already begun circulating online. They needed to find out how long this foreign organization had been lying low here and what its actual objective was.

Yes, Donghuang's Officer Jenny did not believe that these people had chased someone all the way from Kanto to Donghuang in such a brazen fashion just for a single Pikachu.

Nor did she believe that two people and one Pokémon could cobble together something like that from scrap.

In the end, she treated it as a major case and launched an investigation, intending to uncover everything Team Rocket had planted in Donghuang.

To that end, she had already begun calling on her contacts to learn about Team Rocket from the Officer Jennys in the Kanto Region.

Xin Mu and the others had no idea how things would develop afterward. Ash and his friends, meanwhile, had run into a bit of trouble.

Team Rocket's surprise attack had caused some problems at the Pokémon Center. The dormitories for visiting Trainers were temporarily closed, so they would have to find somewhere else to stay.

Ash and his friends did not plan to find a hotel. Instead, they intended to find a suitable place to camp, and even invited Xin Mu along.

Xin Mu, however, firmly declined. It was June. No matter where they camped, they would just be feeding the mosquitoes.

He would have to be out of his mind to go camping when he could stay in a comfortable, air-conditioned room.

"Mr. Xin Mu, I'll definitely win our next battle!"

"Next battle?"

"Yeah! I've only brought Pikachu with me this time. If we get the chance later, let's have a proper six-on-six battle!"

Defeat had not discouraged Ash. Instead, he was already looking forward to another battle. If this were still a game, Xin Mu would probably have earned the "Rival" tag by now.

Ash would keep working hard and improving, trying to defeat his opponent and claim victory.

"Six-on-six... You only brought Pikachu, but Meownei is the only Pokémon I have. Let's talk about it when we get the chance. I'm looking forward to it too."

"Yeah."

The two shook hands, sealing their promise. Afterward, Xin Mu began putting his Pokéblock plan into action.

Of course, he could have simply taken them out, walked over to Brock, and said:

"I've got some top-quality Pokéblocks here. Want some?"

But that would not have been appropriate. After running the numbers, Xin Mu had realized that getting rich off Pokéblocks was unrealistic with his production capacity.

In theory, that approach would only earn him some money for his labor. After subtracting costs and accounting for unforeseen factors, it would not be much different from selling Berries directly.

Thus, Xin Mu's goal had shifted from simply finding customers to expanding his network. Being too direct would not help.

Xin Mu had originally adjusted the recipe to give the Pokéblocks a stronger aroma, intending to attract their Pokémon while Meownei was eating.

But before the plan could begin, a Poké Ball at Misty's waist suddenly burst open, and a Psyduck jumped straight out.

The yellow duck, with three tufts of hair on its head, held its head in its hands and stared blankly, as though it could not figure out why it was here.

Compared with ordinary Psyduck, Misty's was a little more unusual.

It was about as vacant as a Slowpoke, and it could not even swim.

However, this Psyduck had formidable psychic abilities. Once it entered that state, it could unleash extremely powerful psychic powers.

"Psyduck! Who said you could come out? Get back in right now!"

A red beam shot out of the Poké Ball, but Psyduck happened to slip and fall, perfectly dodging the beam. Then it flailed on the ground a couple of times before scrambling over to Xin Mu.

Psyduck had smelled something delicious in Xin Mu's backpack, which seemed to have triggered its instinct to forage.

Unfortunately, this Psyduck was not very coordinated. No matter how it jumped, it could not reach Xin Mu's backpack and could only fret helplessly on the spot.

"Psyduck, you're bothering someone again! Get back here right now!"

This time, Psyduck did not dodge the beam from the Poké Ball. But it was especially determined: the moment Misty recalled it, Psyduck came back out on its own again.

"Um... Mr. Xin Mu, what do you have in your bag? Could you sell us a little more?"

"No need to pay. It's just something I made. Want to try some?"

Xin Mu opened his backpack and took out a glass jar, along with a few loose Pokéblocks...