Jessie and James were about to lose their minds.
Meowth had tricked them into fighting the brat, while it had slipped away to secretly drink Moomoo Milk.
"Pika pika chu!"
(We let our guard down! That Meowth actually drank all our Moomoo Milk!)
Pikachu glared at the "milk thief."
That rascal had finished an entire day's supply of milk.
"Pikachu, wake it up with electricity."
Pikachu fired a full-power Thunderbolt, giving Meowth a shock treatment.
"Meeeow—!"
Meowth's face twisted in a rather dramatic expression from the electricity. When it finally regained its senses, it realized it was surrounded, and its body was still badly paralyzed.
"W-What are you going to do?" Meowth stammered, backing away in fear.
Why weren't Jessie and James helping it?
"Meowth, do you really like drinking Moomoo Milk?" Ash asked.
The scorched Meowth pressed itself tightly against the crate, looking as if the group was about to do something unspeakable to it.
"Well… um…"
Meowth stuttered. It had been caught red-handed.
After glancing at Ash and thinking for a moment, it analyzed the situation carefully, hesitated… and finally muttered softly:
"I kinda like it…"
Right after speaking, it let out another milky hiccup.
"Drank a bit too much… I'm stuffed."
Jessie and James covered their faces.
This was too embarrassing.
Misty stepped aside to watch the show.
She decided to leave the matter to Ash.
Brock, meanwhile, was quite interested in this talking Meowth with almost no battle strength.
"What are you planning to do?" Meowth asked nervously.
When it saw Ash pull out a Poké Ball, it thought Ash intended to capture it and hurriedly looked to its teammates for help.
"Meowth, battle a few of my Pokémon," Ash said.
"If you win, I'll let you go."
"Otherwise…"
Pikachu stepped forward threateningly, sparks crackling on its cheeks.
With no help from its teammates, Meowth finally yielded under Pikachu's intimidation and reluctantly agreed.
That yellow mouse is way too strong.
Only an idiot would pick that.
Gyarados is strong, ugly, and enormous—no thanks.
Pidgeotto fights too fiercely. My little body can't handle that.
Then… Butterfree.
After careful consideration, Meowth chose Butterfree.
Compared to the first three, Butterfree's battle style wasn't as aggressive. That meant fewer injuries.
Jessie and James originally wanted to sneak away, but Misty and Brock kept a close eye on them.
"Hey brat, are you trying to reach one hundred consecutive wins, meow?" Meowth asked.
With its sharp eyes, it noticed the 99-win streak sign behind Ash.
So it was meant to be the final stepping stone.
This brat is really sneaky.
Ash simply nodded.
"Butterfree, Air Slash."
Butterfree flapped its wings, sending silver blades of wind slashing toward Meowth.
Meowth immediately ran around in panic, clutching its head.
"Hey! That hurts!"
It howled while dodging.
"Stop aiming for my butt!"
Butterfree's Air Slash kept striking Meowth squarely on the rear.
Ash laughed uncontrollably.
After all, Meowth had thick skin—it could even endure Pikachu's electric attacks. A few Air Slashes shouldn't seriously hurt it.
But after a barrage of attacks, Meowth's backside turned bright red.
"Meowth, are you okay?" Jessie asked, wincing.
Each hit produced a crisp smack.
"Pffft—!"
Misty burst into laughter at the ridiculous scene.
"So you're going to treat me like this, brat?!" Meowth growled through gritted teeth.
The repeated strikes on its rear drove it into a rage.
"Take this—Fury Swipes!"
"Stun Spore," Ash calmly ordered.
Just as Meowth rushed forward to counterattack, it ran straight into Butterfree's Stun Spore.
Its body immediately went stiff, unable to move.
"I surrender!"
Meowth surrendered without hesitation, collapsing limply onto the ground.
Its bright red rear throbbed with pain.
[ Mission complete.]
[Reward obtained: Energy Cube Crafting Technique
(Use Berries and beverages to create Energy Cubes with different flavors.)]
As Meowth admitted defeat, the system notification sounded.
Finally…
Ash had spent a day and a half completing this mission.
"Jessie! James! Help me!" Meowth wailed miserably.
"I think my butt has gone numb!"
Jessie and James poked its rear lightly.
The result was Meowth screaming in agony.
"Sorry about that, Meowth," Ash said.
He took out three bottles of Moomoo Milk and handed them to Team Rocket as compensation.
Meowth wanted to complain a bit more, but its teammates had already taken the milk and carried it away.
"James, be careful! My butt still hurts!"
"Jessie, give me a bottle of Moomoo Milk!"
"Hey! Not on my butt!"
…
Ash watched Team Rocket leave while bickering.
It was probably the most dignified retreat they'd ever had.
"Let's take a break and eat lunch," Ash said. "We'll continue our journey this afternoon."
It was time for the Pokémon's favorite moment of the day—mealtime.
Ash decided to show off his cooking skills and use the newly obtained Energy Cube crafting technique to prepare a feast.
Among the group, only Misty opposed the idea.
Brock didn't mind.
He had never tried Ash's cooking before.
Hopefully it's not dark cuisine…
After tinkering for over an hour, Ash randomly mixed different Berries and successfully produced a huge plate of Energy Cubes.
Visually, though… they looked questionable.
But hey—it was his first time making them.
Minor flaws were normal.
"Hahaha! Energy Cubes are ready!"
Ash proudly placed the plate on the table.
Misty, Brock, and their Pokémon sat around, staring at the colorful cubes with hesitation.
"You're sure these are Energy Cubes?" Misty asked suspiciously.
"Of course! Why aren't you eating?" Ash said as he distributed portions.
Brock frowned deeply.
For some reason, he felt a faint sense of danger coming from that plate.
"Let's try it…"
Under Ash's hopeful gaze, Misty picked one up and ate it.
She chewed slowly.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Then she nodded.
"Open your mouth."
Before Ash could react, she shoved an Energy Cube into his mouth.
What the—?!
Ash instantly felt a chaotic explosion of flavors in his mouth—sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy all at once.
He tried to spit it out, but Misty quickly covered his mouth.
"You made it. You finish it."
"Woman… why is your heart so cruel?" Ash said tearfully.
Energy Cubes were clearly meant for Pokémon.
Aside from Pikachu and Pidgeotto, the other Pokémon ate them happily.
"Pika pika!"
(What did you even make? It tastes worse than garbage!)
Pikachu hugged its bottle of Moomoo Milk and stayed far away, refusing to touch the brightly colored cubes.
Apparently, though…
Gyarados loved the flavor.
Ash watched as Gyarados devoured the cubes enthusiastically.
He finally let out a long sigh of relief.
So it wasn't his cooking after all.
It was simply that Pokémon had different tastes.
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