Ron looked at the two in silence.
While Jessie and James were awkwardly exchanging glances, he asked again.
However, setting aside the Pokémon-snatching aspect, Ron didn't actually dislike the Team Rocket trio. Otherwise, he wouldn't have invited them to eat together.
They could be considered good people who had gone astray—their natures weren't actually too bad, and at certain moments they even showed some shining moments of humanity.
Just like their slogan: cute and charming villains.
"You're inviting us to eat together, meow?" Meowth looked at Ron with tearful eyes: "Such a good person, meow—is it really okay, meow? That thing smells so good, meow."
Ron nodded, pointing to the table not far away. "It's already served. It's on the table. Go eat."
Jessie and James exchanged another glance, then hurriedly followed Meowth to the dining table.
"He's just treating us to dinner like this. Could there be poison in the food?"
"Who cares, I brought a Pecha Berry." Saying this, Jessie began chewing in large mouthfuls.
"That thing only cures poison from moves, right?" James said helplessly. He then suddenly reacted, "You still had a Pecha Berry hidden?! And you still tricked me for my rice ball!"
"Oh, what's the big deal? Aren't we already eating something delicious now?" Saying this, Jessie pressed down on James's head, ate several more mouthfuls in succession, then looked up at Haley, who was secretly glancing at her.
Caught by Jessie, Haley awkwardly averted her gaze. After a while, she brought her gaze back, met Jessie's eyes, and said: "Your hair is so beautiful, so fashionable."
It's just that her clothes were a bit strange, with an R on her chest, looking slightly tacky.
But Haley wouldn't say this out loud anymore, so she only focused on Jessie's strengths.
"I'm Haley. You are?"
"Such good taste! I'm Jessie!" Jessie said, flipping her hair: "I also really like this hairstyle! I spend a lot of time on it every day!"
Saying this, she cleared her throat lightly: "You're not bad either. Very pretty."
"Jessie."
She repeated it twice before getting it right: "Nice to meet you all!"
Meanwhile, Meowth sat beside Froakie. It ate the food in its plate in large mouthfuls while choking back sobs: "Waaah, Meowth hasn't eaten something this delicious in so long—is it really okay to be this happy?"
Froakie crouched silently beside Meowth.
Its impression of this Meowth was still stuck from when it tried to trap Froakie and Ron in a cage earlier.
So it was still somewhat wary of Meowth.
But because of Meowth's current state, which unexpectedly resembled its own dark times when it first arrived at the farm, it still patted Meowth's shoulder with its paw.
"Froakie."
"Are you comforting Meowth? You're really a good Pokémon too, waaah." Meowth took another bite, chewing while speaking unclearly: "Do you eat this delicious food every day? Meow?"
"Froakie."
"Every day, meow?!" Upon hearing this, envious tears flowed from the corners of Meowth's eyes: "You live on a farm, meow? There's endless delicious food every day?"
Hearing this, Froakie couldn't help but start counting off Ron's recipes on its paws.
Because the farm had abundant ingredients and Gus had updated many new recipes, the food every day—as long as everyone requested it, Ron would prepare it in various ways.
After listing off a string of dish names, by the time Froakie came back to its senses, Meowth's saliva had already flowed onto the ground beside it.
"It's paradise!" Meowth said, pouring the last of the food from its plate into its mouth, then patting its bulging stomach, letting out a burp, and once again shedding tears of happiness.
"Froakie." Froakie couldn't help but pat Meowth's shoulder again, just as it had comforted Nacli back then, extending an invitation to Meowth.
"You're asking if Meowth wants to come live on the farm with you, meow?" Meowth burped, reacting after a moment: "That won't work, meow. Meowth and the others still need to get promoted and rich and feel great—"
Before the words finished, Jessie hurriedly covered Meowth's mouth beside them.
"The farm you mentioned, is it in Pelican Town?" Jessie asked.
"Froakie!" Froakie nodded, but it belatedly realized it couldn't make decisions about this matter, and couldn't help but look at Ron.
"—" Ron paused, his gaze falling on the two of them.
"You want to go to Pelican Town?" Ron asked.
Jessie immediately nodded her head. James, reacting belatedly, also nodded along.
"If you're willing to work on the farm," Ron said.
Bringing them back to Pelican Town wasn't really a problem. After all, to get from Pelican Town to Kalos, Ron was essential.
That is, even if they snatched something and tried to take it away from Pelican Town, they would ultimately have to return to Pelican Town with their tails between their legs.
Coincidentally, the animals in the barn had been a bit too much to take care of recently.
"Really?!" Jessie and James immediately cheered.
"But Meowth still has to—"
Before the words finished, Meowth was covered with a hand and dragged to a corner by Jessie to speak in whispers.
Ron couldn't even be bothered to guess what Jessie was saying. Based on their behavior, it was most likely targeting Ron's Pokémon.
This was fine too—better than harassing Abigail and Haley later.
Furthermore, Ron really didn't dislike the three of them.
If they could settle down in Pelican Town, it wouldn't be a bad ending for them.
Better than snatching Pokémon everywhere and getting blasted off again.
At least in Pelican Town, they could eat their fill and slow down to think about what they truly wanted.
Just like when they were in Alola.
Thinking this, Ron then explained the following plans to them. Upon learning that after escorting Haley to the Contest, Ron would return to Pelican Town, strange smiles appeared on the faces of Jessie, James, and Meowth.
"Are you really going to bring them back?" Haley asked in a lowered voice: "Their smiles look so strange."
"It's fine." Ron waved his hand. "Keeping them under watch is actually safer."
Haley didn't understand what Ron meant, but looking at the three figures who had voluntarily started washing dishes and tidying up the tables, she didn't say anything more.
After all, normally speaking, people who would voluntarily clean up after receiving kindness from others couldn't be too bad.
Thinking this, Haley held Minccino in her arms, put on the Glow Ring Ron had given her, and went to an open area nearby to begin preparing for the Contest.
"What's that? Why is she glowing?" Jessie asked in a lowered voice upon seeing this: "Is it some kind of treasure?"
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