Chapter 48: Desperate Team Rocket!

Below the hot‑air balloon,

Pikachu tried a 100,000‑volt shock, aiming to destroy the net,

But instead of breaking the net, it electrocuted the other Pokémon outright.

"Pika Pi~"

He really didn't mean it, awkwardly scratching his head, trying to pull the tail that was squeezed in the middle out,

but the net was tightened too tightly, making it impossible to pull out.

"Hahaha, give up, Pikachu!"

"This net is not only made of anti‑electric material, it also uses heat‑insulating, high‑temperature‑resistant material, meow! If you don't want your companions to get hurt, be honest, meow!"

Hearing that, Pikachu, worried about hurting the other Pokémon again, had to give up.

"Anyway, this time it really succeeded, right?"

"Then... credit?"

The three of them gave an evil grin,

"The capture device was made by me, Xiao Cilang."

"The battle plan was still thought up by Miao Miao, meow."

"Wu Zang, I sent the signal; I'm telling you it's now! That's the key!"

"Hey hey, Wu Zang, your job is way too easy, right? It's not your credit at all!"

"What? Xiao Cilang, you have a problem? Calculating the perfect timing is really hard."

"Then let's battle!"

"Battle it out, who's afraid of whom!"

"Hey hey, you two, is it necessary to be so over‑the‑top, meow?"

Amid the clash of the two, Miao Miao suddenly got an ominous premonition and tried to intervene.

But the two, already dreaming of a wonderful future,

could never possibly listen to Miao Miao.

"Hao La You, Illusion Light!"

"Guo Ran Weng, please!"

Hao La You commanded Illusion Light to beam straight at Guo Ran Weng's body, which was reflected back by a mirror surface,

and Hao La You, possessing a super‑energy attribute, naturally would not willingly concede,

immediately activated telekinesis to deflect the attack upward, the strike landed on the hot‑air balloon and blew it up outright!

Boom!

…

Below,

La Di Ya Si was just dispatched, ready to lend a hand.

But they were met with a huge roar from the sky, black dense smoke exploding outward,

several meteors fell from the heavens.

"Catch them!"

As Ash's words fell, the heavy telekinetic force on La Di Ya Si instantly erupted, forming a complete telekinetic field.

It caught all the little ones.

"Are you okay, Pikachu?!"

"Pikachu!"

Pikachu excitedly lifted his head and chest, shook his ears, indicating he was fine.

Serena and Clemont, also concerned and stepping forward, realized the situation wasn't simple,

"Eh? Gua Tou Wa, Rocket Bird, Fire Fox, Ha Li Li, why are you dizzy?"

"Pika…"

The electric mouse with yellow fuzz cast a guilty, drifting gaze and silently turned his back on everyone.

Such a display naturally couldn't fool Ash.

He smiled, didn't expose Pikachu's embarrassment, and shifted his gaze to La Di Ya Si.

"Please, La Di Ya Si, heal them."

"Alright~"

La Di Ya Si's gentle voice entered Ash's mind, and a flood of green healing energy poured over them.

The injuries on the Pokémon quickly vanished,

each one regaining consciousness from the daze.

The crisis was averted,

Ash's party continued in an orderly fashion, beginning to prepare lunch.

…

On the Team Rocket side,

mid‑descent from high altitude,

Miao Miao, Guo Ran Weng, Hao La You, Wu Zang and Xiao Cilang fell straight toward two different directions.

Miao Miao's body landed directly on the defenseless, resting Domineering Panda's belly.

"Eh? Doesn't hurt, meow! The ground here is so soft!"

Soon, Miao Miao realized they were wrong,

The enraged Domineering Panda began chasing Meow for revenge,

Meow sought help from Surely Old Man and Alright Squid, but was refused by two elves who claimed Meow was merely an elf, not their own trainer.

The result was being chased away together by the grudge-bearing Domineering Panda.

In the end, they fell into a trap set by a black-market poacher?

"Yo, look what I've found—a Surely Old Man and a Psychic-type Alright Squid? And…… a talking Meow!!!"

The black-market merchant was a fat man, his skin looked like someone who lived outdoors year-round, tanned, with a scraggly beard, heavy eye sockets, as if he hadn't groomed himself properly for a long time.

He also held a hunting rifle in his hand,

On the vehicle behind him were even more heavy weapons, including even a man-portable rocket launcher.

There were also cages containing pink butterfly larvae and pupae.

At this moment, the fat man's gaze toward Meow was filled with fervor,

It was as if he were looking at a rare treasure.

Indeed, that was exactly the case,

There is only one talking Meow in the whole world—could it not be a rare treasure?

Looking at the Meow caught in the net,

The elf merchant seemed to already see mountains of gold engulfing himself, his body trembling,

"Unbelievable, truly unbelievable."

However, just as the black-market poacher was about to take the Domineering Panda as well,

The Domineering Panda had already realized that the black-market merchant was not to be provoked,

Especially after being hit by the rocket launcher, paying the painful price of torn skin and flesh at the shoulder, bleeding nonstop.

The Domineering Panda turned and ran.

The black-market merchant originally intended to just give up, taking Meow and leaving,

But after thinking it over,

Selling a single Domineering Panda elsewhere could also fetch a high price,

And this one, which appeared to have little strength, the Domineering Panda ultimately could not bear to leave.

Gritting his teeth, he greedily drove after it.

……

On Xiaocilang's side,

Falling from the sky, Xiaocilang's head was like an arrowhead, plunging straight into the ground.

Had it been an ordinary person, they would have already typed 'gg' in despair, facing death.

However, with his head stuck in the ground, it did not affect Xiaocilang's lively jumping about at all,

His arms bent, palms pressed to the ground exerting force, Xiaocilang pulled his head out.

"Phew~ I'm alive! Wuzang, where are you?"

"Wuuu~"

Not far away, Wuzang's head was similarly lodged sideways in the soil, his buttocks sticking up.

Xiaocilang hurried over, grabbed Wuzang's waist, and pulled outward like pulling a radish.

"Phew~"

Regaining freedom,

Taking a deep breath,

Wuzang saw that there was no Meow, Surely Old Man, or Alright Squid around, and couldn't help but look doubtful.

"Where's Meow?"

"He seems not to be on our side." Xiaocilang explained.

"Let's go look for him."

"Good!"

The two quickly spread outward from where they landed to search,

In the process, Wuzang accidentally got his body buried in the ground, only a little bit of his head exposed, and the Pumpkin Sprite tripped.

With the elves on his person all gone, he simply decided to throw a ball on a whim, and Wuzang threw out a red-and-white ball,

The throw hit on the first try, successfully capturing it.

This surprised Xiaocilang greatly,

"Great!"

Wuzang eagerly picked up the Poké Ball and released the Pumpkin Sprite again.

"It's you then, Pumpkin Sprite! Help us find Meow and the others!"

At the same time,

"Roar!"

A roar sounded from afar, instantly drawing the attention of Wuzang and Xiaocilang,

"Come on, let's go check it out."

When the two arrived at the scene, they happened to see the black-market merchant shoot the Domineering Panda that was guarding two mischievous pandas, seriously wounding it.

In his peripheral vision, he spotted Meow tied up and trapped in the vehicle,

He immediately fell silent, sneaking up toward the rear of the vehicle.

However, the two had merely rushed over hastily, and with the battle already over, they were easily discovered.

A gunshot shattered their stealth.

What do you two want to do?

Damn it! Acting all high and mighty, you captured our comrade and still dare to be arrogant?!

Pumpkin spirit, let him see how formidable you are!

As a result, Musashi and Kojirou were chased away by rapid-fire firearms, and even the pumpkin spirit was captured.

Watching Pangzi load the bountiful hunt onto the vehicle and drive off proudly.

Musashi and Kojirou, hiding in the grass, felt a surge of shame well up in their hearts.

Bastard!

Kojirou angrily swung his fist at the ground.

Musashi, our spirits have all been captured; what should we do now?

Musashi took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and the anger in his eyes was almost uncontrollable.

Unforgivable! This bastard!!! I will definitely send him to prison, let's go!

Where to? Kojirou asked, puzzled.

Of course we're going to find someone who can subdue this guy! Let's go find the little brat right now!