Chapter 293: Poachers (Part 1)
"Sigh, I still lost. Do I really not have the aptitude to be a Pokemon Trainer?"
Defeated by a type disadvantage, May immediately doubted her own abilities.
"May, winning and losing are common. No one can always win."
"You've only had Torchic for a few days and experienced few battles. That Beedrill has experienced several times more battles than Torchic, so it's normal to lose."
That Beedrill was a whole level stronger than Torchic. Ash knew the outcome when the battle started. He was already surprised that Torchic could hold on until Beedrill used X-Scissor.
"Ash is right, Pokemon battles naturally have wins and losses. Ash has lost many battles since he debuted, so May, you don't need to take it to heart," Brock also said, comforting her.
Hearing that Ash had also lost, May immediately felt much better.
In the latter half of Petalburg Woods, Ash's group encountered a peculiar shorts-wearing boy dressed in a Zigzagoon costume.
Upon learning that May was Norman's daughter, he challenged May without much thought.
In this battle, May seemed to have grown, fully utilizing Torchic's speed advantage and using kiting tactics to defeat Mudkip despite the type disadvantage.
It was precisely because of this battle that May not only regained her confidence but also found the Nurse Joy of battling.
However, she was still somewhat hesitant and had not yet made up her mind about which path to take.
Everyone has their own ideals. Ash knew May was conflicted, but he didn't say much. It was better for her to figure such things out herself.
After continuing their journey, after two and a half days of wandering in the forest, Ash's group finally reached the edge of Petalburg Woods.
"Phew, I'm so tired!"
May trudged Aaron at the very end of the group.
"May, didn't we just rest?" Ash said, speechless.
The reason they had been in the forest for so long was not only getting lost from time to time, but also May complaining about being tired after less than two hours of walking.
"Where was it 'just now'! It was three hours ago that we rested…" May retorted.
"But the Pokémon Center is not far ahead!"
Brock said, holding the pokémon navigator.
The so-called pokémon navigator was actually a low-end navigation tool with a Pokemon detection function.
Upon hearing this, May instantly perked up.
How could resting outdoors compare to resting comfortably on the sofa at a Pokémon Center!
Suddenly, May seemed to discover something. "Huh? Ash, Brock, look at how strange the trees are over there!"
They saw that many tree trunks either had remnants of some kind of capture net or had layers of bark torn off by some Pokemon's claws.
"These don't look like traces left by Pokemon battles," Brock said thoughtfully.
"These are indeed not traces left by battles. They look more like poachers capturing wild Pokemon," Ash speculated.
"Poachers?" May looked at Ash in confusion.
"Poachers are guys who specialize in hunting wild Pokemon and selling them everywhere. They usually capture them in groups. If the sold Pokemon are lucky, they become collectors' items for some people, while others fall into the hands of evil organizations…" Ash explained.
"So they're basically like Team Rockets then!"
The only image May could associate with that description, for now, was the three idiots from Team Rockets.
"Pretty much. Anyway, let's go to the Pokémon Center first and ask Nurse Joy about the situation," Ash said.
Soon, Ash's group arrived at the Pokémon Center located in the plains.
"Good afternoon!" May exclaimed loudly.
"Welcome to the Pokémon Center!"
Nurse Joy stood up and responded.
"Wow! Jo…"
Brock opened his arms, intending to embrace her.
But May was clearly more excited. She pushed Brock aside. "Nurse Joy, did you move here from Petalburg City?"
Ash quickly pulled May away and explained, "May, you've mistaken her. The Nurse Joys…"
"Ah?" After hearing the explanation, May awkwardly stuck out her tongue and apologized, "Nurse Joy, I'm really sorry!"
"It's alright. Actually, I'm the sister of the Nurse Joy from Petalburg City."
...
At the same time.
The Team Rocket Trio, who had been tailing Ash's group, encountered their biggest trouble since their debut.
It all started with Meowth's misstep.
While Meowth was using his 'drawing a pie' ability, he accidentally slipped and rolled down a slope, discovering a cage full of imprisoned Arbok.
After a brief understanding, Meowth learned that the Arbok had been captured by poachers and severely beaten. A sense of justice surged within him, and then he was punished by an electrified cage.
After Jessie and James arrived and learned the details, Jessie decided to take these Arbok under her wing out of her bond with Arbok.
Just as the two were struggling to rescue the Arbok, a Fearow swooped down and ambushed Weezing.
The next moment, a jeep pulling a cage of Koffing stopped in front of them. A green-haired middle-aged man got out of the car and coldly questioned, "What are you guys planning to do with my prey?"
Jessie and James, upon hearing the question, immediately triggered their passive lines and even boasted that they would take over the other party's prey.
"Weezing~"
Weezing, seeing its kin in the back of the jeep, also burst into tears.
"So many Koffing have been captured too, Meow!"
The Team Rocket Trio was greatly shocked.
"Hmph, I am Rico, a Pokemon Hunter! A Meowth that can speak human language is quite a good Pokemon."
The Team Rocket Trio had their eyes on the Arbok and Koffing, while Aaron immediately recognized Meowth as a rare commodity.
"Fearow, Agility."
"Arbok, use Poison Sting."
"Weezing, use Sludge Attack!"
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