Chapter 191: Jessie is Just for Show
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
"Did this kid grow up on hormones? How is he so strong?!"
"Damn! I can't even overpower him in a direct contest of strength!"
Soon, the third contest of affection officially began. Ash pulled on the Dratini's tail while James held its head, both trying to pull it into their own arms. Gritting their teeth, the two were surprisingly evenly matched in strength.
Although James was only two heads taller than Ash, the fact that their strength was on par momentarily stunned Brock and Misty, who were watching from the side.
"Muu."
Meanwhile, the Dratini at the center was thrown into a complete existential crisis. As it endured the physical pain, it began to wonder if it was even its mother's biological child.
Come to think of it, it seemed it had never even met its own father.
"Mine."
"It's mine."
The two were still exerting themselves, their biceps trembling. The Dratini's body was being stretched, starting to resemble a Dragonair…
It was about to split apart.
"Could it be that this is the Dragonair's true goal?"
A gleam of wisdom suddenly appeared in the eyes of the spectating Brock. He secretly wondered if this Dragonair was on the fifth layer of strategy.
It was like Ash's number 002, who had tried to bloom its flower back in its Ivysaur stage, walking a lonely path to the peak that no "Garlic Turtle" had ever walked before.
So, was this Dragonair trying to make its child grow into its own image while still in the Dratini stage?
Dragonair: "..."
It clearly hadn't thought that far ahead. In its mind, one side should have given in first, unable to bear the Dratini's pain.
It had miscalculated. It hadn't considered the possibility that neither side possessed any compassion, or that both sides' obsession was far too strong.
But to step in and stop them now would seem a bit undignified. After hesitating for half a second, the Dragonair decisively chose to sit back and watch the tigers fight, taking the opportunity to have her child's height artificially extended.
The pain of youth was something every dragon had to experience. Without going through this, how could it transform?
It was nothing to be surprised about.
Besides, it had never experienced such a thing itself...
"Muu!!"
Amidst the pulling, the Dratini let out a high-pitched cry, and its body audibly stretched, seemingly growing a few centimeters longer.
Dragon-type Pokémon shed their skin periodically before their final evolution, and with each shedding, their bodies would grow a little.
This cry also brought Ash back to his senses. He thought to himself that no matter how much he wanted a stronger Technician, he shouldn't do something so reckless to a Pokémon. The strength in his hands subconsciously lessened.
"Hm? Going soft?"
Sensing the grip weaken, James, at the other end, gave a disdainful smile. He was secretly delighted and began pulling the Dratini toward his own chest muscles.
"Indeed," Ash suddenly said.
Halfway through relaxing his grip, he abruptly exerted his strength again. This sudden push-and-pull motion caused James to lose his balance and lurch forward, falling face-first and eating dirt. The Dratini's slippery head slipped from his grasp.
Ash quickly retreated several steps, holding the Dratini firmly in his arms and keeping his distance from Team Rocket.
Better a short, sharp pain than a long, dull one. His plan was to feign weakness and then suddenly exert his strength, using a cunning tactic to catch James off guard!
"You idiot, James!"
"Useless! Absolutely useless, meowth!"
Jessie and Meowth immediately started berating him from behind.
This series of events thoroughly enraged James. He shot up, his face covered in dust, looking utterly wretched. With a ferocious expression, he reached for his crotch.
Kaiser's eyes narrowed, and he quickly warned the others:
"Be careful, this kid is up to no good! He's got a cannon in his crotch!"
He had seen James pull an RPG rocket launcher from his crotch before.
Everyone: "?"
Everyone's gazes toward Kaiser suddenly turned bizarre.
However, to everyone's surprise, no cannon appeared. Instead, there was a small, round object and a small, jagged object.
A small, round makeup mirror and a comb.
James began to tidy up his appearance…
Women must be elegant, but men must be even more so.
To be honest, Jessie was just for fun. When it came to real looks, you had to go with James!
Soon, James was handsome once more, his hair slicked back and his face powdered, a gorgeous, thorny rose held between his lips. His expression was one of utter high-class sophistication.
"What are you doing?! What's the use of being handsome? The Dratini is gone!"
"Don't think I won't smack you just 'cause you're a pretty boy, meowth!"
James gave his partners a look that said, "calm down." Since when did Team Rocket ever engage in a fair fight?
If they won, it was all good. They were righteous people, reasonably accepting their prize.
But if they lost, that was another story entirely. They'd turn hostile on the spot!
James reached into his pants again. This time, he pulled out his RPG rocket launcher. The dark muzzle of the cannon was aimed directly at the crowd before him, his expression cold and sinister.
That's right, he really did have a cannon in his crotch.
"Playtime's over. Now, hand over the Dratini."
"And that bizarre Electric Mouse, meowth!"
Meowth and Jessie stood beside James with their hands on their hips. They were a team.
"Hree!"
The Dragonair floated in front of Ash and his group, a layer of fury swirling in its noble eyes.
"Don't get in my way. I have no interest in married women."
"You have no meaning until you evolve into a Dragonite, meowth."
"Though looking at your length, you could serve as my fitness jump rope."
Dragonair: "?"
"Leave this to me, Mom."
Ash suddenly stepped forward, immediately trying to get on its good side by establishing a family connection.
In one arm, he held the Dratini, which was still suffering the after-effects of its shoddy height-enhancement surgery. With his other hand, he took out a Poké Ball from his pocket.
"You little brat, you probably don't know the power of my rocket launcher."
"One shot from this, and we'll be mourning you in a week, meowth~"
Ash ignored their taunts. He turned and threw the Poké Ball. It wasn't thrown with much strength or speed, and it landed softly in Jessie's hand.
"That's it?"
Jessie pursed her lips, looking at the Poké Ball in her hand with disdain.
The ball is awfully green. Is it trying to imply I've been cheated on?
"Hmm, perhaps this is all just fate..."
After throwing the Safari Ball, Ash lowered his head and slowly uttered a sentence, his tone filled with emotion, leaving the three members of Team Rocket across from him utterly baffled.
*RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE!!*
The next second, the entire valley began to shake and tremble violently, like rolling thunder…
Then, a huge herd of sharp-horned bulls burst through the bushes at the valley entrance. They charged directly at Team Rocket, instantly scattering the trio's formation.
Team Rocket Trio: "?"
With a thunder of hooves, they were mercilessly trampled by the Scalper Gang, the sound of their bones cracking in the air…
*RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE!!*
Before they could even get up, the Scalper Gang had turned back around and trampled the three of them viciously once more. After all, the valley was a dead end; the only way out was through the bush-covered entrance.
Another chorus of cracking bones…
In a matter of seconds, the bulls had come and gone, vanishing without a trace. All that remained were messy footprints all over the ground and the three members of Team Rocket lying there, their faces a picture of utter despair.
On the ground lay an expanded Safari Ball. Needless to say, this was Ash's thirtieth Tauros, completing the set.
He was beginning to vaguely sense this world's malice towards him. Whenever he threw a Safari Ball in the Safari Zone, a herd of Tauros would be drawn to it before the ball even hit the ground.
"Nice move!"
Kaiser seized the opportunity to snatch James's cannon, tossing his own small handgun into the water on the spot.
He had now traded a birdshot for a cannon. He hoisted it onto his shoulder, aiming the dark barrel at the disheveled Team Rocket Trio.
"Now, let me show you *my* cannon!"
(end of chapter)