Meowth looked toward the side of the restaurant in confusion, only then realizing that Misty had somehow slipped away to a corner without him noticing.
Right in front of her stood a Starmie, its body upright as a powerful stream of water burst out from its central core, shooting forward with precision and landing squarely on the main support of their hot air balloon’s basket.
The cold water poured continuously into the basket, soaking everything in its path.
Looking down at his feet, then at the balloon above now completely drenched, a strong sense of unease rose in Meowth’s heart.
On the other side, after finishing what she had done, Misty turned her head and saw Ash still standing there blankly, staring at the three people hugging each other and crying as if they were in the middle of some emotional reunion.
Immediately annoyed, she shouted, “What are you standing there for? Hurry up and have your Pikachu attack!”
Ash snapped out of it at her shout and finally came to his senses.
“Oh right!” He glanced at the soaked hot air balloon, and suddenly an idea flashed through his mind.
“That means water can conduct electricity!”
He immediately turned around and gave an order to Pikachu, who was sitting on the seat.
“Pikachu, go! Use Thunderbolt!”
“Pika!”
Pikachu had long since run out of patience.
The moment it received Ash’s command, it leapt lightly into the air, the electric sacs on its cheeks bursting with dazzling golden sparks.
“Pika—chuuuu!!!”
Accompanied by Pikachu’s cry, a thick bolt of golden lightning tore through the air and struck the Meowth hot air balloon precisely where the water had gathered.
The electricity surged through the water instantly, spreading across the entire basket.
“Waaaahhh!!!”
The three members of Team Rocket had been in the middle of their touching reunion just a second ago, only to be struck by the sudden Thunderbolt the next moment, their bodies convulsing violently from the shock.
Then, with a deafening explosion, the hot air balloon detonated directly above the Pokémon Center.
Three dark silhouettes were flung high into the night sky by the blast, eventually turning into twinkling stars on the horizon.
“What a tingly feeling!!!”
The miserable screams of Team Rocket echoed from the distant sky, lingering over Viridian City for a long time.
…
On the ceiling of the Pokémon Center, the massive hole still silently told the story of the chaos that had just unfolded, with broken stones and dust scattered everywhere. You are reading on novelping . com, the official source.
Ash looked up at the night sky where those three had disappeared, his face filled with confusion that he could not quite resolve.
He lowered his gaze and turned to Misty beside him, asking in puzzlement, “Those three really are some kind of comedy troupe from somewhere, right?”
“Maybe.” Misty pressed a hand against her forehead and let out a long sigh.
She could already feel a faint headache starting again.
Whether it was before or after everything restarted, those three always showed up at the worst possible moments, throwing everything into complete chaos.
In a weak voice, Misty reminded Ash, “Anyway, you should be more careful about those annoying people in the future. I have a feeling they won’t just give up like this.”
“Oh.” Ash nodded, half understanding.
At that moment, a sharp police siren sounded in the distance, growing louder as it approached, breaking the peaceful night of Viridian City.
Inside the Pokémon Center, the crowd that had already been thrown into confusion by the explosion had not yet fully calmed down, and now the sirens made everyone even more tense.
Ash and Misty exchanged a glance, both reading the same meaning in each other’s expressions.
It looked like they would not be getting any rest tonight.
…
After spending quite some time explaining the situation to Officer Jenny, and then going to the police station to give a statement, by the time Ash returned to the Pokémon Center, the clock on the wall had quietly reached eleven o’clock at night.
In a corner of the Pokémon Center lobby, near the public telephone area, Ash sat inside a phone booth and skillfully dialed his home number.
The call was quickly connected, and on the screen appeared the gentle face of his mother, Delia.
“Ash, have you reached Viridian City? Did everything go smoothly? Did you run into any danger? Have you had dinner yet?”
The moment the call connected, a string of concerned questions came pouring out.
Ash scratched his cheek and briefly reported that he had arrived safely in Viridian City and had already eaten dinner, glossing over the thrilling events of the day as if they were nothing worth mentioning.
Naturally, he did not bring up how he and Pikachu had destroyed Misty’s bicycle.
After Delia gave him a few reminders to stay safe and get along well with Pikachu, Ash finally hung up the call.
Leaning back in his chair, he let out a small sigh of relief, then dialed another number.
After a moment of connecting, the video call displayed the interior of Professor Oak’s laboratory.
As soon as the call went through, Ash saw Professor Oak on the other end holding a pair of chopsticks, lifting a large clump of steaming instant noodles, clearly about to put them into his mouth. This story is hosted at novelping(.)com.
But the moment he noticed the screen lighting up, Professor Oak froze.
He hurriedly dropped the noodles back into the bowl with a slap, splashing broth everywhere.
Fumbling in a panic, he grabbed a handkerchief from the side and wiped his mouth, then cleared his throat and forced himself into a serious demeanor.
“Ahem, Ash, calling so late, is there something you need?”
Ash did not answer immediately.
He narrowed his eyes and stared at the bowl of still steaming noodles behind Professor Oak, as well as the packaging that clearly read “Tentacruel Ramen King.”
“Professor Oak…” Ash’s voice sounded low and drawn out.
“That limited edition instant noodles… I remember the last time I asked you for some, you said you had already finished them.”
“… ”
A thin layer of cold sweat instantly formed on Professor Oak’s forehead.
He wiped it frantically with his handkerchief while stammering, “I, is that so? Ahaha… maybe I misheard you back then, or remembered it wrong, yes, I must have remembered it wrong…”
Looking at Professor Oak, who did not even dare meet his eyes, Ash’s expression grew more and more suspicious.
Seeing Ash stare at him in silence, Professor Oak felt the pressure mounting, his back nearly soaked with cold sweat.
Just as he was about to awkwardly change the subject, Ash suddenly let out a sigh.
“Forget it.” Ash waved his hand.
“I actually called for something else.”
Hearing this, Professor Oak could not help but let out a sigh of relief.
Good, it was just a question.
As long as it was not about him secretly hoarding instant noodles.
While he was patting his chest to calm himself down, Ash reached into his backpack as he spoke and took something out, holding it up in front of the camera.
“Professor Oak, take a look at this.”
Ash held up the feather he had obtained that afternoon in front of the camera and asked, “Do you know which Pokémon this feather belongs to? It does not seem to be in the Pokédex.”
(End of Chapter)