“This is a good chance to catch it.”
Ash took out a Poké Ball and aimed it at the walking Clefairy, ready to throw.
“Wait a moment!”
The Scientist grabbed Ash’s hand, preventing him from throwing the Poké Ball. As a result, Clefairy disappeared deeper into the cave.
Ash looked at the Scientist in confusion, as preventing someone from catching a Pokémon was quite rude.
“Please let her live peacefully. You should understand, right?”
The Scientist looked at Ash with sincere eyes, believing Ash would surely understand his intentions.
Ash looked into the Scientist’s eyes and reluctantly agreed with him.
“Clefairy!”
Just then, Clefairy’s cry came from a distance. Yu Feng and the others quickly ran towards the sound.
They saw a Meowth standing there, looking fiercely at Clefairy.
Upon seeing Yu Feng and the others, the Meowth showed a surprised expression and asked, “Why are you here, Meowth?”
“That’s what I should be asking.”
“So, the ones causing trouble in this cave are indeed you guys.”
Before seeing Meowth, Ash wasn’t sure about his guess. He had a feeling this matter was related to Team Rockets, and seeing Meowth confirmed it even more.
“It’s not manly not to fight them.”
Although Brock didn't know who the opponents were, it was clear they weren't good people.
“If it’s not manly, then so be it. Why bother working so hard?”
Jessie’s voice came from behind Meowth. She and James slowly emerged from the shadows.
“To protect the world from devastation.”
Suddenly, music started playing from an unknown source, and Jessie began her lines along with the music.
“To protect the world from peace.”
James also emerged from the shadows, carrying a shovel… “That’s right, Meowth.”
With Meowth’s serious conclusion, Team Rockets finished their routine performance.
“Don’t you guys ever get tired of saying the same lines every time? And who’s playing that music?”
Ash was speechless about Team Rockets always reciting the same lines, but he was curious about who was providing the soundtrack for them.
Yu Feng quietly put away the small speaker he had prepared. It was quite embarrassing to be found out about such things.
“Don’t ignore us, Meowth.”
“Those who don’t understand our taste.”
“Are not qualified to join our Team Rockets.”
Meowth was angry about being ignored by Ash and the others, while Jessie and James shook their heads, indicating that Ash was not a person of taste.
“Only an idiot would want to join you.”
“Your actions have already caused the Pokémon in the cave to act abnormally, do you know that?”
Brock and Ash questioned Team Rockets repeatedly. Of course, at this moment, they didn't understand what kind of organization Team Rockets was.
“What does that have to do with us?”
“We have only one goal.”
“That is to enhance the power of Pokémon with the Moon Stone, and thus rule the world, Meowth.”
Although Ash and the others didn't ask Team Rockets what they intended to do, as professional villains, Team Rockets themselves explained their plans one by one to Ash and the others.
Honestly, such honest villains are rare nowadays.
“Take this, Ekans.”
“Koffing!”
Jessie and James were not prepared to say more to Ash and the others. After jumping down from the stone platform, they threw out their Poké Balls.
Ash and Brock also threw their Poké Balls. From the white light emerged Butterfree and Zubat.
That’s right, it was Butterfree. Although Yu Feng’s interference prevented Ash’s Caterpie from evolving as quickly as in the original story, during this time, Caterpie and Weedle had successfully evolved into Butterfree and Beedrill.
After all, Bug-type Pokémon evolve the fastest.
Meanwhile, Xiao Xia and the Scientist took advantage of this time to sneak away with Clefairy, as Team Rockets had no time to deal with them.
“Zubat?”
Ash was a little confused. When did Brock get a Zubat?
“Hehe, I caught it at the entrance of the cave.”
Brock chuckled proudly. It wasn't easy to get a Zubat from a Shinny Kirlia.
“I should have caught one too.”
Hearing Brock’s words, Ash regretted not catching a Zubat at the time.
Next, with the help of Zubat’s supersonic, they easily defeated Team Rockets’ Pokémon… Xiao Xia, Yu Feng, and the Scientist followed Clefairy to an open area. Clefairy hopped and skipped down a nearby slope.
“Clefairy, wait for me!”
Xiao Xia, being a frequent angler, had excellent stamina. Despite her fair skin and slender build, she was surprisingly strong.
As a researcher, the Scientist didn't have as good stamina as Xiao Xia. He ran out of energy halfway up and pleaded with Clefairy to wait for him.
Yu Feng, meanwhile, stood on the bank, looking up at them, knowing they would soon come down.
Sure enough, just as Yu Feng expected, Meowth, somehow ahead of them, blocked Clefairy’s path. Even Yu Feng couldn't understand why Meowth had gotten there first, despite them having a head start.
To avoid being stopped by Meowth, Clefairy decisively jumped down the slope, landing right on the climbing Scientist and Xiao Xia.
Fortunately, there was a small river below, and they hadn't climbed too high, otherwise, it would have been quite painful.
“Meowth, stop! Let’s talk this over.”
Seeing Meowth’s sharp claws, the Scientist repeatedly backed away, seemingly wanting to reason with Meowth.
“No need to discuss, Meowth.”
Meowth’s only target was the Moon Stone; he wasn't interested in Pokémon like Clefairy at all.
Xiao Xia also released her Pokémon, Staryu, for the first time.
Then, a terrifying scene unfolded. Honestly, watching this scene in the anime was just funny, but in reality, Yu Feng found it horrifying.
Meowth was blasted into a round ball by Staryu’s Water Gun, and finally, after spitting out the water from its belly, it flew into the sky.
Just then, Ash and Brock also arrived. Seeing Yu Feng standing aside with his arms crossed, they breathed a sigh of relief.
If he hadn’t taken action, it meant the situation wasn’t very serious. If he had taken action, then it would mean the situation was extremely serious.
While waiting for Xiao Xia’s and the Scientist’s clothes to dry, Brock prepared some simple meals.
He also took out the Pokémon food he had made and fed it to the day’s heroes, Butterfree and Zubat.
“What is that?”
Ash looked at what Brock had taken out, curious about this unfamiliar item. Why did Zubat seem to like eating it so much?
“This is Pokémon food. I make it to suit the tastes of different Pokémon. Eating this regularly will make their fur softer.”
Brock explained what it was to Ash while feeding the Pokémon. He was a Pokémon Breeder, after all.
“Let me try. Hmm, it tastes pretty good.”
The Scientist took a piece of Pokémon food from Ash’s hand and tasted it. At least he thought it tasted good.
“Really? I’ll try it.”
Ash looked at the Scientist’s expression, curious. Was this really that delicious?
He also picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. A few seconds later, his face turned sour.
“This stuff of yours is really far inferior to Xiao Feng’s.”
Ash spat out what was in his mouth and pointed to Yu Feng, who had already set up a table nearby.
His food didn't taste as strange as Brock’s.
“Perhaps my flavor isn't very suitable for humans.”
Brock scratched his head awkwardly. Yu Feng’s food clearly looked like human food, and his was Pokémon food, so it naturally wasn't very suitable for human taste.
PS: My head is quite muddled. The quality of this chapter might not be very good, so I must apologize to you first.
Also, for today, I will write it during the day.