Chapter 256: Guardian of the Water Metropolis (2)
After strolling around for a while, the group was just about to head toward the Pokémon Center.
They saw an Espeon and an Ariados chasing after a short-haired girl.
When Pikachu saw the girl, his tail stood up and twitched twice; he felt that something was off about her.
Ash took a glance and whispered, "Pikachu, you sensed it too, right? Go help her out."
"Pika!"
Pikachu nodded heavily, then unleashed two Thunderbolts toward the Espeon and the Ariados.
Upon seeing Ash, the girl ran over quickly and hid behind him.
This strange behavior not only made Misty feel displeased, but even Eevee acted as if a jar of vinegar had been spilled.
The reason was simple: Eevee had smelled the scent of a female Pokémon on that girl.
Ash shook his head helplessly, "Eevee, now is not the time to be jealous! Quickly, use Swift on those two over there."
"Eevee~"
Hearing Ash's command, Eevee temporarily put aside her intentions regarding Latias, jumped up, and launched an attack at Leanne and the other one.
"Espeon, use Swift to block it."
The red dot on Espeon's forehead lit up, and it also unleashed the same move, neutralizing Eevee's attack.
"Eevee!"
Seeing that Espeon was her own evolution, Eevee's competitive spirit was ignited.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt."
Knowing the opponents were thieves, Ash had no intention of holding back.
Pikachu unleashed a bolt of lightning at the two of them plus the Espeon. Leanne and Sanna were left numb all over, and the Espeon was knocked unconscious instantly.
Ariados still wanted to launch a sneak attack, but Eevee didn't give it the chance. Before Pikachu's attack had even finished, Eevee used Double-Edge to knock it into the water.
"This isn't the place to talk, let's go first."
Ash took Misty and Latias and found a secluded spot.
Latias leaned in close, staring at Ash's face, examining it carefully. Seemingly not satisfied, she circled around Ash.
[Pokémon: Latias]
[Type: Dragon + Psychic]
[Gender: Female]
[Level: Quasi-Legendary]
[Ability: Levitate (Floats above the ground, thus unaffected by Ground-type moves)]
[Potential: Secondary God]
[Moves: Power Split, Recover, Telekinesis, Dragon Breath, Wish, Dragon Pulse, Heal Pulse, Zen Headbutt...]
"Latias, are you done looking?" Ash asked softly.
"Latias?!" Misty looked at Ash in Telekinesis.
The expression on the face of the girl Latias had transformed into stiffened.
"You know me?"
After switching back to her own skin for three seconds, Latias put on Canon's skin again.
Misty rubbed her eyes, disbelievingly, "Ah? It... it really is Latias?!"
"Yes, I've heard the legends about you, and I was fortunate enough to have met one of your kin before. During the water race just now, you must have been watching with your brother Latios, right?" Ash said.
"Hmm... You have the aura of many legendary Pokémon on you, as well as the blessings of the sea and nature. You really are a strange human."
Latias felt as if Ash were a big pot, with the auras of various legendary Pokémon mixed inside.
"Woo~"
Suddenly, a low sound rang out.
After switching back to her own skin, Latias turned invisible and left right in front of Ash and Misty.
"Dis... disappeared?" Misty was even more confused.
"Latias just refracted light to hide her figure; she went to find her brother Latios," Ash explained.
"She left? What a pity, I forgot to take a picture just now," Misty said with some regret.
It was hard enough to see the legendary Guardian of the Water Metropolis.
"Don't worry, we'll definitely meet again later. We should go find Brock," Ash reminded her.
Misty nodded, "That's true. I hope that guy hasn't lost his mind and gotten tricked away by some young lady."
Soon, the two found Brock in a plaza, losing his mind over a group of scantily clad beauties.
Misty dragged Brock away expressionlessly, "I really can't deal with this guy."
Ash smiled and suggested, "Misty, let's go visit the Alto Mare Grand Shrine next."
"Grand Shrine?" Upon hearing this, Brock seemed to think of something and shouted excitedly, "That's the most popular tourist spot in Alto Mare! Let me lead the way!"
"Uh..."
Under Brock's guidance, the group soon arrived at the Alto Mare Grand Shrine.
As soon as they entered the Grand Shrine, Ash and the others saw fossils everywhere on the ground.
"This is... an Aerodactyl fossil."
"And Kabutops..."
Brock looked at those fossils, his eyes filled with intense passion.
"That's right. Here we have fossils of ancient Pokémon like Aerodactyl, Kabutops, and Omastar."
An elderly man with a plump appearance and a staff badge walked up from behind them.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Lorenzo, and I'm a staff member at the Grand Shrine. How about I show you around?" the old man said.
"That would be great, thank you!"
With someone willing to guide them, Ash and the others were naturally happy to accept.
"Then please, this way..."
Just as Ash and his group were visiting Alto Mare.
Giovanni also returned to the Johto region with Mewtwo No. 2.
He didn't even return to headquarters; he directly had his subordinates fly a plane straight to Alto Mare.
He made a call and said, "Arianna, have the Team Rocket Trio deliver a challenge letter to that Ash."
Arianna, who was at the Team Rocket headquarters preparing to welcome Giovanni, was stunned and asked uncertainly, "Boss, right now?"
"I will arrive in Alto Mare in an hour. That Ash will surely know. Just have the Team Rocket Trio carry out the mission. Once I arrive in Alto Mare, have those three idiots come see me," Giovanni said.
"Yes!"
Arianna immediately set about making arrangements.
Meanwhile.
The Team Rocket Trio was currently monitoring Sanna and Leanne.
A sharp ringtone sounded.
It nearly exposed the trio's location.
After answering the phone, Jessie demanded, "Hello? Who is this? Don't you know we're busy with important business?"
"Jessie, your team has a new mission. The Boss has ordered you to deliver a challenge letter to the Ash you are monitoring. Also, the Boss will personally arrive in the Water Metropolis in one hour. Be prepared to receive him at any time."
Arianna's cold voice came from the other end of the line.
Hearing that Giovanni was coming to the Water Metropolis, Meowth and James were excited.
"A challenge letter? What kind of challenge letter?" Jessie asked in Telekinesis.
"It's better if you don't know what you shouldn't know. After delivering the challenge letter, continue your surveillance work. Stop doing meaningless, foolish things! The organization doesn't have that much budget for you to waste!"
After giving the warning, Arianna hung up the phone.
Jessie was furious, "That hateful woman! What's she so arrogant about? What does she mean by 'meaningless, foolish things'?"
Seeing that Jessie had the urge to throw the phone, James and Meowth quickly stopped her, "Jessie, calm down! This phone is the key to us receiving our operational funds in the future. Without it, we might not even be able to afford instant noodles!"
Hearing this, Jessie gave up the urge to throw the phone, but James and Meowth were miserable. With nowhere to vent, Jessie used them as punching bags and gave them a harsh beating.
Afterward, the trio arrived at the Alto Mare Grand Shrine, preparing to intercept Ash and the others there.
At this moment, Ash and his group, who were visiting the Grand Shrine, also saw Canon, who was actually Latias in disguise.
"Ash, look at that girl!" Misty reminded him.
"I see her. She is the girl Latias transformed into. She has a very close relationship with Latias," Ash said.
Brock looked confused; he didn't know what Ash and Misty were talking about, but Canon was indeed quite beautiful.
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