Chapter 155: "One of Us"
Chapter 155: "One of Us"
A dilapidated house.
Jing He hired a construction team from Ink City to carry out the repairs.
This construction team looked very professional, equipped with all sorts of specialized machinery, and even had Pokemon like Machoke and Steelix assisting them.
Upon inquiry, it turned out they were Devon Corporation's construction team!
Jing He couldn't help but marvel at this.
The infrastructure masters of Devon Corporation had, after all, extended their reach into Silver Company's territory.
After all, Silver Company didn't deal with infrastructure.
However, this saved Jing He quite a bit of money. Flashing his "Devon Special Advisor" ID, the team leader promptly gave him the lowest price.
As for the Dragon Clan members who came to inquire about the commotion, Jing He simply brushed them off with an excuse about a Pokemon training mishap.
This explanation, however, made the Dragon Clan member look at him with a strange expression.
It wasn't until the person muttered, "No wonder you're a friend of Du's," that Jing He finally understood.
No wonder the construction team looked so skilled; it seemed Wataru was the one keeping this whole team of people employed.
After entrusting the house repairs to the team, Jing He took the four little ones out onto the streets.
They were already quite familiar with the streets of Ink City.
Once they hit the streets, they headed straight for the food district.
Minidragon seemed very curious about everything, looking left and right as it followed Jing He.
It must have spent a lot of time in the "Dragon's Sanctuary" and rarely ventured out.
But it also made Jing He realize what true "luck conservation" meant.
Just the short distance from the Dragon Clan to the street, Minidragon had already stepped into two potholes and almost fell into a sewer grate.
Fortunately,
The little one seemed to have long grown accustomed to its "bad luck" and didn't feel anything was out of the ordinary. It didn't complain or bemoan its "inherent bad luck body."
Instead, every time something unlucky happened, it would mutter to itself, as if to give itself a pep talk—
"Strong ones never rely on luck!"
This made Jing He feel a bit emotional.
It wasn't easy for the little one to grow this big.
It was hard to imagine how many bad things it must have experienced. All those seemingly minor "misfortunes" would have made anyone feel quite down.
Yet it remained incredibly optimistic.
This spirit was more precious than its status as a near-legendary Pokemon.
"New store opening, big sale! Don't miss out!"
As they approached the food district, they heard a voice calling out from a distance.
"Gastly~~"
There's a new store!
Gastly pointed to a bustling spot not far away.
Out of curiosity, they moved closer.
It seemed to be an ice cream stand.
A woman with long red hair, dressed in a server's uniform, was enthusiastically greeting the passing customers.
By her side, a Meowth held up a sign, also looking very enthusiastic.
Thanks to the woman's warm reception, many people were drawn to the stand.
Behind the stand, a hardworking young man with short blue hair was busy.
Some customers who had bought ice cream and taken a bite seemed to enjoy the taste.
"This is..."
Jing He paused, feeling that these three seemed familiar.
Before he could think further, Gastly was the first to rush over.
"Gastly~~"
It held up five fingers with its claws.
"Five? A big customer! A big customer!"
The red-haired woman's eyes lit up, and she quickly patted the stand, shouting.
At that moment, the Meowth noticed Minidragon following Jing He and hurriedly ran to the back of the stand.
Then the red-haired woman was pulled over as well.
The three of them huddled behind the stand, whispering.
After a moment, the red-haired woman walked over with a smile.
"You're all together, right? Would you like to try the newest ice cream flavors? You can taste them over there~~"
She pointed to a small forest not far away.
Even a three-year-old wouldn't be that easy to fool, right?
Jing He: "..."
He had a feeling they seemed familiar.
"You..."
Before he could finish his sentence, it was as if he had triggered a keyword.
The three of them exchanged a glance.
In the next second—
Jing He covered his face.
Where did that background music come from?
"Since you've asked with all your sincerity!"
"Then I shall show you my great kindness!"
"To prevent the universe from being destroyed!"
"To protect the peace of the world!"
"To spread the love and true evil!"
"The cute and charming villainous characters!"
"Misaki!" The woman shed her waiter uniform.
"Koga!" The man produced a rose from who knows where.
"We are the Rockets, traversing the galaxy, a white hole, a white tomorrow awaits us!"
"That's right, meow!" The Meowth actually spoke in human language.
Jing He felt his toes curl, as if they could dig a hole in the ground.
He never expected to run into the famous Team Rocket trio in Smoke City! The three of them trembled slightly, seemingly just as excited.
"Hey, Misaki, do I look cool?" Koga asked, nibbling on the rose.
"How would I know?" Misaki rolled her eyes but maintained her pose. "But I think our opening lines are really..."
"Amazing!!" x3
Everyone around them stared in shock.
"Do you... still sell ice cream?" Jing He asked, covering his forehead.
"Sell! Sell, sell, sell!" Koga quickly responded.
Misaki kicked Koga, who had disrupted their formation, and glared at him.
"Sell what? Don't you see that Dratini over there? It's an extremely rare Pokemon. If we can capture it and give it to the boss..."
Stars appeared in their eyes simultaneously.
"Promotion! Raise! Leadership roles!" x3
No Gengar? It's just not the same without it.
This was the first thought that crossed Jing He's mind.
As everyone knew, the Pokemon world had "The Four True Gods": Pikachu, Quack, Gengar, and Ursaring. The Team Rocket trio dominated two of these gods, with Gengar in the original story even having the legendary achievement of reflecting Kyurem's glow.
Without Gengar, the trio could only achieve about ninety percent of their usual synergy.
"Oh, I thought you were really Team Rocket. So, it's just a spontaneous show, huh?"
Jing He suddenly said, adopting a look of realization.
"But I have to warn you, the Smoke City Police Station is just a minute's drive away. You might want to change your identity for this show."
"What?!" x3
The trio stiffly turned their heads and indeed saw the League Police Station's sign in the distance. Cold sweat trickled down their backs.
"Turns out it's just a show, this stall is really sincere."
"I thought so too, which Team Rocket would dare to openly reveal their identity like this?"
"This is Smoke City, with the Dragon Master family in charge."
"But the ice cream here is pretty good. Are you still selling it?"
"..."
Thanks to Jing He's words, the people around them gradually came to their senses.
"Sell!" x3
Realizing the severity of the situation, the trio spoke in unison and quickly changed back into their previous disguises.
"Phew, almost got caught," Koga wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Almost forgot our mission; we can't expose our identities," Meowth added.
"It's all because Meowth suddenly said he saw a Dratini, otherwise we wouldn't have almost blown our cover," Misaki complained.
"How can you blame me, Meowth? It's all because Misaki..."
Jing He paid, got five ice creams, and left with the little ones as if nothing had happened.
No "How annoying!" The synergy drops another five percent.
He grumbled to himself.
"Thanks to that person, meow." Meowth watched Jing He's retreating back.
"He's a good person!" Koga said with a sigh.
This statement was met with agreement from Misaki and Meowth.
From a distance, Zhen Niao covered her forehead.
You didn't recognize the real deal right in front of you. How did you even memorize your profiles?
Zhen Niao let out a light breath.
Fortunately, she didn't really expect much from the trio.
Seeing Jing He and the little ones enter a restaurant, she hurriedly followed.
The restaurant wasn't too crowded, and Zhen Niao quickly found Jing He and his Pokemon.
"Gastly, tone it down a bit. Don't keep pointing at every page."
"Hello, Teacher Jing He. I'm Koga's assistant. I'm sorry to disturb you." Janine smiled as she approached Jing He and the others.
Janine?
Jing He was momentarily taken aback but quickly regained his composure.
For some reason, after meeting Koga and the Rocket Trio in just half a day, seeing Janine didn't seem so surprising anymore.
But was Team Rocket planning to take over Cinnabar City?
"Uh, hello." Jing He looked at the standard watermelon hairstyle and round glasses and politely said, "We're on the same side, so don't be formal. Please, have a seat."
On the same side!
Janine's heart leapt with joy. She thanked him, pulled out a chair, and sat down, getting straight to the point.
"Teacher Jing He, I'm here on behalf of Mr. Giovanni to express our gratitude and to reimburse you for the treatment of the Nidorino last time."
As she spoke, Janine reached into her clothes and pulled out a check. However, whether by accident or on purpose, something else slipped out.
Ding, ding ding—
The object hit the ground with a crisp sound.
Jing He caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye.
A fiery red "R" emblem!
Jing He: !!!
"Oops, I dropped something." Janine "surprised" herself.
Could your acting be any more exaggerated?
Jing He held back Gastly, who was curious and about to turn its head, and slapped the menu in its face.
As for the three little ones sitting on the other side, the angle meant they didn't need to worry.
He already knew why Janine was here.
It was obvious.
Janine was a crafty one, sent by Giovanni to test his attitude towards Team Rocket!
When Janine picked up the object and looked up at Jing He, she saw him "delightedly" glance at the check, then put it away.
Did Teacher Jing He see it?
Or did he not?
Janine wasn't sure.
If he saw it, he should have been at least a little surprised, right?
But Jing He simply smiled.
"Miss Janine, would you like to join us for lunch?"
Janine, snapping back to reality, quickly replied, "I should be the one to treat you, Teacher Jing He."
"Is that so? Then I won't be shy."
Jing He gave Gastly a look.
Gastly instantly understood, bared its teeth with a grin, and "generously" slapped the menu on the table.
"Keh!!"
Everything on this menu, bring two of each!
Since someone else was paying, Gastly didn't hold back.
The other three little ones immediately shot grateful looks at Janine.
This person is really nice.
Janine: ??
Wait, I was just being polite. Why did you take it so seriously?
But the words were out, and Janine couldn't let down her boss, Giovanni. She tried to steer the conversation in a different direction.
"To be honest, Teacher Jing He, we've known each other for a while."
"Known each other?" Jing He was taken aback.
"Yes, I go by 'Falling Bird' online."
Jing He looked up in surprise.
This time, he was genuinely shocked.
He quickly realized that the powerful Pokemon Janine had mentioned online, which was difficult to communicate with, was likely Giovanni!
Silver's stepmother literature?!
After lunch, Janine wiped the grease from her mouth, belched, and found a secluded spot.
She took out her phone and called Giovanni.
"Um, boss, I've met Teacher Jing He. Yes, he's a good person."
Except for his appetite.
"Attitude?"
Janine recalled their conversation. They had talked about a lot, and it was quite enjoyable, especially when it came to food preparation.
As for Jing He's attitude towards Team Rocket...
Whenever Janine tried to bring up Team Rocket, Jing He would skillfully change the topic, usually to food preparation.
And...
Did Teacher Jing He see that emblem?
She thought for a moment and remembered the most striking word from their conversation.
"Teacher Jing He said, we are 'on the same side.'"
If Jing He were there, he would have asked: Are you a journalism major?
(End of Chapter)
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