Chapter 72
The Mythical Encounter and the Cloning Lab
"Right, right, we're lost, we're lost." Jessie followed beside him, at a loss.
Meowth, however, suddenly realized, "Wait a minute, we're Team Rocket, Meowth! Why are you afraid, Meowth?"
Jessie, upon hearing this, suddenly understood, "That's right, I almost forgot who we are. James, why are you so cowardly? We're here to catch rare Pokémon." Jessie blamed everything on James, even though she was the most timid one.
"Who cares who they are, Meowth! If they're blocking our way, we'll control them, Meowth! This unfamiliar Pokémon must be very rare. Let's catch it and give it to Giovanni, and he'll get a promotion and a raise, Meowth!" Meowth's ability to control the situation was impressive. **His** words made Jessie's eyes light up, completely forgetting her previous unease and filled with fantasies.
James, on the other hand, remained relatively calm, because he felt that the people they were facing this time were not so simple. Neither Xia Mu nor Sonia spoke. Lucario, however, was enraged, revealing its hostility. Its imposing aura, especially its sharp eyes, intimidated Meowth, causing **him** to involuntarily take two steps back.
Jessie and James, unaccustomed to such intimidation, were trembling and sweating profusely. Having dealt with the two men and Meowth without Xia Mu doing anything, he laughed.
"A talking Meowth? I've never seen one before. Can all Meowths in the Kanto region talk?" Sonia looked at Meowth with undisguised affection. Although this Meowth seemed mischievous, **he** could talk!
Xia Mu was about to shake his head to indicate otherwise when Meowth spoke first: "How could that be, Meow? Do you know how much effort I put in to learn to talk, Meow?" Despite **his** fear, **he** was still quite brave.
Moreover, Meowth's level truly exceeded Xia Mu's expectations—a full level 30. It was truly hard to imagine Meowth being so high-level. Recalling that Meowth in the original work would use 'Fury Swipes', a move that requires Meowth to reach level 29. As Meowth said, all **his** talent and time were spent learning to speak, so **his** battle talents were quite average.
Sensing the strange look in Xia Mu's eyes, Meowth felt a chill run down **his** spine. "You, what do you want to do, Meowth?"
"Your senses are quite sharp, but unfortunately, your strength is too weak. It's good that you can speak, but given your level, you shouldn't be this weak," Xia Mu casually commented. These words hit Meowth's weak spot. **He** wanted to refute, but **he** was powerless. **He** was indeed weak.
"So, you guys really just got lost?" Xia Mu asked the two and Meowth in a teasing tone. Xia Mu didn't have much of an aversion to them; they weren't entirely evil. At least on matters of principle, they could distinguish right from wrong.
"Yes, yes, we really just got lost, so can you let us go?" James said with a forced laugh. "Yes, yes, we'll leave now," Jessie said more directly.
Just then, a burst of laughter suddenly rang out. A cute figure appeared out of nowhere. "What Pokémon is that? It's so cute," Jessie said.
"I feel like I've seen it somewhere before, but I can't remember, meow," Meowth said suspiciously, pinching **his** chin with **his** paw.
"This is???" James seemed to have guessed something. Xia Mu and **Mew** exchanged a smile, then Xia Mu said in a friendly tone, "We meet again, **Mew**."
'Mew~ Mew~ Miheehee~~!' (You're here too, and Lucario is here too, heehee~~!)
"**Mew**?? Wait, this is the legendary Mythical Pokémon, **Mew**?!" Sonia's eyes widened.
Recognized, **Mew** let out a joyful cry. Playful and mischievous, **he** flew back and forth, finally returning to Xia Mu's head and perching on his hair. Xia Mu reached into his bag and purchased a special energy cube. Seeing the energy cube, **Mew** was even happier.
"Mmm~ So cute, I want to hug **him**!" Sonia's hands were already reaching out to **Mew** impatiently. Xia Mu handed the energy cube to Sonia, letting her feed **him**. **Mew** was easy to get along with, and Sonia easily achieved the feat of hugging **him**.
Xia Mu examined **Mew's** attribute panel:
[**Mew**]
[LV: 40 - LV: ? ? ?]
[Attribute: Psychic]
[Friendship: 120]
[Emotion: Happy (Met this human with delicious food again)]
Friendship 120 points! This value greatly surprised Xia Mu. [No wonder **Mew** immediately plopped on my head. It's no wonder **he** accepted Sonia's food.]
Jessie, James, and Meowth had many wicked thoughts, but Lucario's restraint kept them back. Xia Mu, seeing their pitiful state, bought a box of Meowth Energy Cubes and some bread for them. The trio were moved to tears.
After eating, they thanked Xia Mu, expressing that no one had ever been so kind to them. [Perhaps I can recruit them in the future,] Xia Mu thought.
As the Team Rocket trio observed the lab, Meowth inadvertently turned on the central control computer. A video recording played, describing the purpose of the laboratory.
During the video, a mechanical arm suddenly caught Meowth, extracting **his** fur genes to clone a new Meowth. Lucario, however, sensed the danger and avoided the arm. This situation was chilling.
"What's that?" Suddenly, Xia Mu was drawn to rows of special **Black Poké Balls**. These were Poké Balls created by **Mewtwo**, capable of capturing any Pokémon, even those already in their balls.
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(End of this chapter)