Chapter 221

It's time for the Black Light Screen to light up.

In that lush, vibrant forest, Ash and his friends found a clearing near the shore to rest.

Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting dappled light and shadow on the ground. A gentle breeze brushed by, bringing the rustle of leaves and the soft murmur of a distant stream, making it wonderfully pleasant.

Brock spread out the table, skillfully preparing the ingredients, ready to make a hearty and delicious lunch.

Not far away, Xiaoxia brought her Poké Balls to the edge of a clear stream in the forest. She gently washed them, and the Poké Balls seemed to enjoy the process, playing together and occasionally splashing water.

Ash, meanwhile, chose a relatively open area to conduct a novel practical training session with his Poké Balls.

This time he personally entered the fray, and his Poké Balls sparred with him.

First up was the World-Abandoned Monkey, swinging its powerful fists as it charged at Ash. Ash easily dodged, as if he had anticipated the World-Abandoned Monkey's attacks; each time he dodged, he would use his psychic power to control the World-Abandoned Monkey.

Although he could only control the World-Abandoned Monkey for a second or two, that was enough for Ash, because he had already readied a Wave-Guided Missile and hurled it at the World-Abandoned Monkey.

The World-Abandoned Monkey blocked with its hands, shaken by a powerful force that sent it rolling backward once before landing steadily on the ground. It shook its slightly numb hands, its eyes flashing with surprise and admiration.

It gained a new understanding of its trainer.

"World-Abandoned Monkey, are you okay?"

Seeing the World-Abandoned Monkey suddenly stare blankly for a moment, Ash asked.

The World-Abandoned Monkey quickly shook its head, saying it was fine, even more excited; it had never encountered such a capable trainer before, and the trainers it usually saw were not as capable as its own trainer, who also possessed psychic power.

Clenching its fists together, the World-Abandoned Monkey, seeing how formidable its trainer was, decided to go all out.

Ash looked forward to seeing his true combat strength.

Click!

Pikachu lounged on a large rock, holding a packet of tomato-flavored chips.

Strong Croc didn't eat them piece by piece like Pikachu; instead, it opened a packet and shoved large mouthfuls into its mouth.

"Nom nom~"

Celebi saw Strong Croc's hearty eating style and wanted to try; excitedly, it opened a packet of chips even larger than itself, about to take a big bite like Strong Croc, but unexpectedly the packet, being too heavy, tipped over with a clatter, burying its whole body.

"Chomp~"

Ivysaur gently whipped out its vine to pull Celebi from the chip pile.

Celebi still clung tightly to two chip slices, happily handing one to Ivysaur before diving headfirst into the chip pile.

Cooking smoke curled upward; lunch was ready. Xiaoxia served fragrant food from the steaming pot and thoughtfully blew on it to cool it for Ash.

Ash looked up at Xiaoxia and noticed a dab of bright tomato sauce inadvertently on the corner of her mouth; that red stood out strikingly against her fair complexion.

"Xiaoxia, your mouth corner…" Ash said with a hint of a smile, gently reaching out; his fingertip tenderly touched the sauce and then slowly wiped it away.

Xiaoxia was startled by Ash's gesture, and a faint blush rose to her cheeks. She shyly lowered her gaze to the soup before her, which reflected her slightly flushed face and those eyes full of affection. The soup rippled gently, mirroring her excited mood.

Meanwhile, Brock, sitting nearby, felt a bit uneasy, having just eaten yet already feeling a little full.

Somehow, seeing Black Satoshi and his group's daily travels gave him a weird, fluttering feeling.

"Tsk tsk, Black Xiaoxia is shy, and Black Satoshi is just too good at this."

Yinghua smiled and said to Xiaoxia, "Your brother-in-law is also watching; next time he sees you, won't he do the same as Black Satoshi?"

Xiaoxia sat up straight, her heart full of anticipation, yet she kept her face composed, not showing it.

Mudan had already seen through her thoughts.

Changpu beside her let out a puff of laughter.

Xiaoxia's cheeks flushed slightly; could it be that her thoughts had been noticed?

The three sisters' gazes all fell on her face, wondering what she was smiling about so happily.

"Look at Brock, he's so lonely, like a light bulb."

Indeed... just a glance, Brock being nearby feels a bit redundant.

The three sisters thought.

Black World—

Ash and his group happened to pass by Guoye Village, curious about the village where most houses are built in the trees.

While wandering around, they coincidentally encountered the Team Rocket Trio.

The Team Rocket Trio made a quick move and then fled, even turning back to shout for Ash to follow.

This obvious trap is something no one would fall for.

Ma Zhishi, watching the Black Light Screen, thought, "When I joined Team Rocket, how did I not notice the Team Rocket Trio? Aside from their perseverance, they're basically useless."

But Ash and his group's thoughts were completely different; they actually chased straight after Team Rocket.

The Team Rocket Trio's trap was to use Team Rocket officer Bi Xia Si's hand to snatch Pikachu.

Ash and his group met Xue Cheng and Celebi here.

Ash instantly recognized the Celebi in Xue Cheng's arms, immediately understanding somewhat. Team Rocket aims to seize Poké Balls again; after leaving Clear Cliff last time, they shifted their target to Celebi!

"Pikachu, 100,000 Volts."

"The Flying Mantis rushed towards Xue Cheng and Celebi."

"Pikachu instantly gathered all its electricity, and a dazzling electric light burst from its body, directly blasting towards the Flying Mantis."

"Only hearing a loud 'bang', the Flying Mantis was struck by the powerful current; its body, like a leaf swept up in a storm, was violently blown away, finally slamming into a large tree behind it and falling heavily to the ground, losing its Battle capability."

"Are you okay?"

"Ash glanced at Xue Cheng and asked."

"I'm fine, it's just that Celebi isn't doing well."

"Xue Cheng saw the power of Pikachu's 100,000 Volts, and his eyes lit up."

"Sure, kid, since that's the case, I'll take your Pikachu too!"

"Bi Xia Si snorted coldly, immediately took out a Dark Ball, and released Bengal Ras from it."

Ya ho~

Bengal Ras let out a roar as soon as it appeared, stamping its foot hard, causing the ground to shake.

"Pikachu, use Flash."

Pikachu turned into a yellow flash, rushed over, and directly knocked Bengal Ras back a distance.

"What great speed!"

Xue Cheng saw that Pikachu's Flash was different from the Flash he had seen from a Poké Ball, much faster!

Bengal Ras was caught off guard, but thanks to its large size it easily steadied itself and immediately used Stone Edge on Pikachu.

Spikes surrounded its body, and a series of them stabbed toward Pikachu.

Pikachu ran on its short legs, dodging each incoming spike.

"Brick Break."

Pikachu rushed up to Bengal Ras, its hand turning into a blade coated with a dazzling white aura.

The Fighting-type move directly had four times the effectiveness against Bengal Ras.

The Bengal Ras controlled by Team Rocket had no thought of dodging; it just charged straight ahead, so Pikachu's attack landed smoothly.

"Pika~chu!"

Pikachu dealt a powerful hand blade strike to Bengal Ras's head.

Bang!

After a loud bang, Bengal Ras's huge body, as if struck by a giant hammer, instantly collapsed to the ground. Dust and debris scattered, forming a small cloud of smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Bengal Ras lay still on the ground, having lost its ability to battle.

"What a strong trainer!"

Xue Cheng was greatly surprised, looking again at that yellow-skinned rat, seeing such a formidable Pikachu for the first time: "What a powerful Pikachu!"

Bi Xia Si's face showed a cold smile as he lightly rubbed the dark ball in his hand that emitted a dim glow, greed flashing in his eyes.

"Impressive, then come in!"

He suddenly exerted force, fiercely throwing the dark ball toward Pikachu.

He wanted to capture Pikachu.

It didn't matter that Bengal Ras was defeated; the main point was being able to capture Pikachu. With such a capable Pikachu, Shi La Bi would also be in hand.

But he saw the dark ball blocked by an invisible force, suspended in midair a meter away from Pikachu, not captured as he had hoped.

"Pikachu, Thunder!"

Ash used Psychic to block the dark ball; a flash of light passed through his eyes, and the dark ball instantly exploded into fragments, scattering across the ground.

Pikachu's eyes flashed with dazzling electricity; the sky instantly filled with dark clouds and thunder roared. A thick bolt of lightning struck down from the horizon, pointing straight at Bi Xia Si.