"So what are you planning to do now?"
After returning to the Gym, Xiaowen still avoided looking directly at Red , but in the end, she couldn't hold back and asked.
After hearing Meng Hua's plan, Red had indeed been somewhat surprised.
But overall, it was still within his expectations.
The only thing he hadn't anticipated—
Was that they would act so quickly.
Almost the moment his unreliable father left, someone immediately set their sights on the Songzao Gym.
It was obvious that someone was closely monitoring the transfer of Gym Leaders.
This kind of intelligence wasn't something a mere local family could obtain so quickly…
Several possibilities flashed through Red 's mind, but none could be confirmed.
Looking at Xiaowen, who now seemed like a sulking little victim, Red smiled.
"What should we do? Simple—things will work themselves out when we get there."
Seeing his carefree attitude, Xiaowen gritted her teeth in frustration.
But in the end, she only turned her head away.
"Whatever. You're the Gym Leader. If something really happens, I'll just transfer to another Gym for my internship."
While the two were bickering—
Gary walked over with freshly made instant coffee.
Hearing Xiaowen's words, he said matter-of-factly:
"With Master's ability, dealing with them will be easy, right?"
"Besides, we still have Tyranitar."
Hearing Gary's confident tone, Red couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahaha—exactly. At times like this, the only thing we can do is trust ourselves."
Just as Gary finished speaking, a long-awaited system notification rang out in Red 's mind.
[Ding~ Disciple Gary's exclusive quest progress +5%. Reward obtained: Evolution Potion ×2]
[Ding! Gary's exclusive quest updated]
[Reforging the Original Aspiration — Completion: 40%]
[Next reward: Limit-Breaking Potion ×1]
Looking at the two Evolution Potions in his system space, Red 's lips curled upward uncontrollably.
"My dual-ability Tyranitar is getting closer and closer…"
"? What are you talking about, Master?"
Red waved his hand.
"Why drink instant coffee? Come on—today I'll treat you to hotpot!"
"Thank you, Master!"
Watching the two of them, Xiaowen shook her head helplessly.
———
After leaving the Gym, on a remote road outside Songzao City—
Three "primitive-looking" figures, leaning on sticks, staggered into the city.
Passersby frowned at the sight.
One of them had a yellow Pokémon lying on his shoulder—
And from its cry, its identity was obvious.
Which meant the identities of the three were also obvious.
"Ash! We finally made it to the next town!"
"Curry rice, omelet rice, soft comfy beds—I'm coming!"
These three "cavemen" were none other than Ash and his group, who had been lost in the nearby forest for quite some time.
They had finally arrived in Songzao City.
Meanwhile—
Unlike the disheveled Ash trio—
Red was bringing Gary and Xiaowen to a newly opened hotpot restaurant.
"Meow Meow Hotpot?"
Red looked at the name and felt a strange sense of familiarity.
Especially since there was a small letter "P" beside it—
Or rather, it looked more like an "R" with the leg shortened.
"Master, is something wrong with this place?" Gary asked curiously.
Red smiled.
"Nothing."
Pushing the door open—
A man, a woman, and a Meowth dressed as a waiter stood at the entrance.
"Welcome to Meow Meow Hotpot, meow~!"
These three—
Were the most frequently appearing villains in the entire Pokémon anime.
Jessie, James, and Meowth.
Clearly, unable to find Ash, Team Rocket had opened a shop nearby to earn funds—
Only to run into Red .
Red curiously checked Meowth's data panel.
After all, aside from Legendary Pokémon, there were very few Pokémon capable of human speech.
[Pokémon: Meowth ♂]
[Talent: Low (Potential drained due to learning human speech; originally Top-tier)]
[Level: 10 (Cannot increase)]
[Moves: Fury Swipes, Scratch, Tackle]
[Evaluation: A Meowth that invested its skill points incorrectly. Though its strength cannot grow, it possesses a highly flexible mind and has learned human language.]
Red couldn't help but think:
If I caught this Meowth and sent it to Professor Oak… I could probably exchange it for a Pseudo-Legendary.
A talking Pokémon had immense research value.
For some reason, the moment Meowth saw Red , it felt a chill down its spine—
As if it might get captured at any moment.
Meowth instinctively became alert, claws slowly extending.
But before it could react—
Red reached out first.
With practiced ease, he scratched under Meowth's chin, then ran his hand from its head all the way down its back.
This perfect combo—
Instantly melted Meowth's hostility.
"W-what is this feeling, meow~ It's so comfortable, meow~!"
"Meowth! What's wrong with you?!" Jessie snapped.
Just as she was about to get angry, James quickly pulled her aside and whispered :
"That's the Gym Leader of Songzao Gym!"
"Gym Leaders are strong—if we provoke him, we're done for!"
"Then what about Meowth?!"
James looked at the already "defeated" Meowth.
"…We'll just have to let Meowth endure it for now!"
"Whatever we do, don't offend him!"
———
An hour later—
After eating their fill, Red and the others prepared to leave.
However—
Just as Red casually tried to take Meowth with him—
Jessie and James panicked, their expressions desperate, as if their partner was being kidnapped.
Seeing this, Red finally tossed Meowth back to them.
"Relax. I'm not taking it. Here."
Jessie and James immediately sighed in relief.
But the next moment—
Red suddenly appeared behind them.
Placing a hand on each of their shoulders, he said calmly:
"That's enough. Time for you to leave."
"Since you didn't cause trouble in Songzao City, I'll let you off this time instead of handing you over to Officer Jenny."
"But if you dare stir up trouble here…"
"I don't mind digging three extra graves behind the Songzao Gym."
"Understood?"
"Team Rocket."
The moment their identities were exposed—
Jessie, James, and Meowth froze.
It felt as if an invisible force had bound them in place.
They were terrified.
"W-we were wrong! We know we were wrong! We'll leave Songzao City immediately—we'll never come back!"
By the time they finished begging—
Red had already disappeared .
Only then did they realize—
They had been immobilized by countless tiny grains of sand.
After narrowly escaping disaster, the Team Rocket trio exchanged a glance—
Then packed up at lightning speed and fled Songzao City.
At that moment, they made a solemn vow:
They would never return to Songzao City again.
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