Chapter 28: Team Rocket Enters the Scene

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Misty shot Ash a withering glance. “Even though he won the battle just now, he traded his Butterfree for the other trainer’s Rattata.”

“Traded it?” Xia You was taken aback at first. Once he recalled this part of the story, however, he could not help shaking his head. “But Butterfree is your partner, isn’t it? Why would you trade it away? Besides, you’re not trying to complete the Pokédex, and Rattata isn’t exactly a rare Pokémon. There was no need to trade with him.”

“But…” Ash was clearly torn, and his voice could not conceal his disappointment. “Brock agreed to the trade too.”

“He only agreed because he saw the other trainer’s female companion. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. How could he possibly have listened to anything you said?” Misty was completely helpless when it came to Brock’s habit of falling head over heels for every pretty woman he saw.

What was done was done. Xia You did not urge Ash to immediately trade back for Butterfree. Everyone had to grow at their own pace, and this was a stage Ash needed to experience. Besides, he had agreed to the trade himself. The person who tied the knot had to untie it; even if Ash regretted his decision, he would have to realize it on his own.

“Oh, right.” Misty took another bite of cake and asked Xia You, “Where did you go just now?”

“I was just wandering around nearby.” Xia You glanced at the several pieces of cake in Misty’s hand and smiled. “You’re still growing, but you shouldn’t eat too many sweets. You’ll put on weight very easily.”

At that, Misty looked at Xia You. Perhaps she remembered something, because although she seemed reluctant, she slowly lowered the cake in her hand.

The ship’s whistle sounded once more. By now, the S.S. Anne had been sailing for a long time, and there was no longer any land or other ships visible outside the windows—only endless blue seawater.

Xia You sat down beside Misty and had just eaten a few bites when, with a loud bang, all the doors to the hall slammed shut. A group of ill-intentioned figures emerged from who knew where and surrounded the passengers.

They wore black caps and blindfolds over their faces, along with black uniforms bearing a large letter R. Each carried a machine fitted with several suction tubes.

Just as everyone stood there bewildered and at a loss, the lights in the hall suddenly went dark. Two figures—a man and a woman dressed in white uniforms—leaped onto several tables stacked together to form a raised platform. Then, amid their brazen laughter, a spotlight shone down upon them.

“To prevent the destruction of the world!”

“To protect the peace of the world!”

“To denounce the evils of truth and love!”

“To play the charming villains!”

“I’m Jessie!”

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“I’m James!”

“We’re Team Rocket, blasting off through the galaxy!”

“A white hole! A white tomorrow awaits us!”

“That’s right, meow~”

At last, a standing Meowth leaped between the two of them.

The trio from Team Rocket, whose antics ran throughout the entire Pokémon anime, had finally made their dazzling debut!

Jessie, whose thick purplish-red hair fell down her back, planted her hands on her hips and shouted at the passengers, “Every Pokémon aboard this ship belongs to Team Rocket today. We’re taking them all!”

“That’s right!” James folded his arms and shouted as well. “Anyone who dares to interfere had better be prepared to face the consequences!”

Before the passengers could react, the Team Rocket members in black uniforms activated their switches. Air immediately began to churn, and with the machines’ powerful suction, more than half of the Poké Balls carried by the people in front—whether in their hands or hanging from their belts—were sucked inside.

The crowd erupted into chaos. Since Xia You, Ash, Misty, and the others were farther away, they had yet to be affected by the rushing air.

So Team Rocket really was attacking the passengers, just as in the anime…

After the initial panic, the passengers naturally refused to surrender without a fight. One Pokémon after another was released, and under its trainer’s command, they fought back against Team Rocket’s Pokémon.

The Pokémon carried by Team Rocket’s members were almost all Poison types. The most common among them were Ekans, Koffing, and Zubat.

The passengers’ Pokémon, meanwhile, were far more varied. Though their species differed widely, most were unevolved Pokémon such as Rattata, Pidgey, and Bellsprout.

Ash, Misty, and Brock joined the battle as well.

A fierce fight broke out across the hall. Explosions and flashes of fire soon left the entire place in ruins.

All things considered, however, if Team Rocket had no other tricks up its sleeve, its defeat would only be a matter of time—even without Ash and the others joining the fight.

Could a plan that had been prepared for so long really be this simple?

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Xia You watched everything calmly. Suddenly, he spotted the man known by the codename Looker battling in the second-floor corridor. Looker was accompanied by two Pokémon and was fighting a delicate-looking man in a Team Rocket uniform with a purple mohawk.

Xia You’s heart stirred. Without even having time to notify Misty and the others, he ran to the stairs and made his way to the corridor overlooking the hall.

Looker’s two Pokémon were a standing frog with an utterly punchable expression—a Croagunk—and a Growlithe with tiger-like stripes and the mane of a lion.

The delicate-looking man’s Pokémon were a Zubat with no eyes but a cavernous, blood-red mouth, and a Weezing that constantly emitted poisonous gas.

The four Pokémon were locked in a fierce battle. When Looker saw Xia You arrive, his face instantly lit up with delight, while the delicate man’s expression grew even more unpleasant.

“Xia You!” Looker called. Then he pointed at the man and shouted, “That man is Lambda, one of Team Rocket’s four executives and the field commander of this robbery. If we capture him, we’ll have truly stopped this whole disturbance!”

“Damn you! Stop interfering!” Lambda snarled. “Whether you’re from Interpol or simply another Pokémon Trainer, anyone who dares obstruct Team Rocket’s plans will pay the price!”

So he was the field commander after all. No wonder the Team Rocket members below had been thrown into such complete disarray while he was tied up here.

“Give it up,” Xia You said. “Take a look below. Your plan has been utterly crushed, and your men have been beaten into scattered retreat. Defeat is inevitable! Kirlia, use Psychic!”

The next instant, Lambda’s Zubat was slammed to the ground as though an invisible hand had seized it by the throat and hurled it down.

With Xia You joining the battle, the evenly matched contest was decided in an instant.

Seeing this, Lambda could do nothing but swallow the bitter taste of defeat, no matter how unwilling he was to accept it.

“Don’t celebrate too soon. We’ll be back!” After glaring fiercely at Looker and Xia You, Lambda gave another order. “Weezing, use Smokescreen!”

A vast cloud of black smoke burst from Weezing’s body and enveloped Lambda.

“This is bad!” Looker cried in alarm. Covering his nose, he plunged into the smoke, only to discover that Lambda and his Pokémon had already vanished without a trace.

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