Pokémon, Ash is going to become a perfect man from now on.

He not only obtained a useful piece of black sludge, but also met Homiga, a very unique future Poison-type Gym Leader. The two exchanged contact information so that they could have the opportunity to communicate about the 'common language' of Poison-type Poison.

Of course, Ash dismissed Blue's claim of returning to Black Cloud City to help Homiga capture Poison-type Pokémon as mere nonsense.

In addition, As and Kars gave the Dark Crest to Ash.

Although he hadn't officially battled them, Ash helped them reclaim the gym and even defeated the white-haired girl who had beaten them up. This performance was definitely worth a badge.

In this way, once he passes the Crimson Lotus Gym, he will be guaranteed a spot in the League Tournament.

After leaving Dark City, Ash and his friends continued their journey south, but they had to turn back to a place called Matsumo Town.

"The Chinese medicine store...isn't that a place that specializes in selling herbs? Why are the people you're supposed to meet up with there?"

Sabrina didn't know much about the other person who had accompanied Ash before, and naturally she didn't know about the other person's character... but she never cared about these things.

"Maybe he's learning how to prepare some herbs," Xiao Zhi said with a smile. "After all, Xiao Gang is going to become the world's number one breeder, so learning these things will help him."

Xiao Zhi's connection is quite logical; Uncle Gang might later develop the idea of ​​wanting to become a doctor, so learning some pharmaceutical knowledge now would definitely be beneficial.

"I don't think so," Xiao Lan shook her head noncommittally. "He'll stay there either because of the older sister or the younger sister~"

"Anyway... let's get there first." Ash hesitated for a moment, then remembered that there was indeed a young lady in Matsumo Town.

Ash still remembers that episode quite well, like the 10-volt electric current and the water gun that looked like peeing.

There's also that young lady; she not only captivated Uncle Gang, but also another one of a different species.

Aside from Giovanni, that was probably the first time that guy had ever wanted to be tamed by a human...

Matsumo Town in southern Kanto is a town even smaller than Dark City. The people here mainly make a living by farming, and square fields can be seen everywhere outside the town.

The traditional Chinese medicine shop that Ash is going to is located on the edge of town, near the forest. Since there is no Pokémon Center in town, this pharmacy has always been very popular.

When they arrived, they saw Brock commanding a Zubat to battle a Bug-type Pokémon with two mushrooms on its back.

"Is it Paras?" Little Blue looked curious, seemingly eager to know how this cordyceps, which was four times weaker, managed to resist the flying poison...

"Pai!" The giant beetle had barely flapped its wings when Paras was so frightened that it trembled all over and immediately fled into the house.

"What was I even expecting just now..." Xiao Lan covered her face with a self-deprecating laugh.

"Sigh, another failure... Is it because Zubat is too scary?" Brock muttered to himself helplessly. "Maybe next time I'll try Clefairy... Hey, Ash, you guys are here!"

Upon seeing Ash and his friends appear, Brock immediately rushed over with delight.

He already knew about Ash's situation when he received the giant Steelix, so he wasn't curious why Sabrina was accompanying him.

"Long time no see, Brock, and Zubat too. Congratulations on your evolution!" Ash greeted them with a smile. "Were you battling just now?"

"Yes, I'm helping Miss Kiyomi's Paras gain battle experience so that it can evolve, but there's been no progress."

When someone's name was mentioned, Xiao Gang clearly showed a lovestruck expression, but when talking about his recent experiences, he seemed somewhat worried.

"Excuse me, are you all Xiaogang's friends?"

Hearing the commotion outside, a young woman dressed naturally and freshly, with a distinctly Chinese style, came out of the house, still holding the terrified Paras in her arms.

"Someone's here, meow? Who could it be... a little brat, meow?!"

After her, another demon cat came, but as soon as it saw Ash, it was so frightened that its fur stood on end.

"Meow, you're here too?" Ash was taken aback. What kind of luck did he have today?

Not only did they find Xiao Gang, they also found the true protagonist who was separated from his group!

“Ash…” But at this moment, Brock subtly shook his head at Ash.

It seems he didn't want Ash to cause trouble for Meowth here, and Ash, of course, didn't intend to do anything to the cat either.

Without Team Rocket, Meowth is just a wild Pokémon that can talk. Does Ash think he can bully it?

So, amidst Miao Miao's various anxieties, after exchanging pleasantries for a while, Qingmei brought up the problem facing her Paras again.

She needs to evolve Paras and then use Parasect's mushrooms to make herbs, but because Paras is too timid, it can't accumulate experience through battles, so she can only keep delaying it.

When Xiao Gang passed by and learned about this, he decided to help without hesitation.

As for Meow Meow, she was acting alone for some reason, but accidentally caught a fever. Fortunately, Kiyomi cured her, so she wanted to stay and repay her kindness.

"Paras is just timid, not completely averse to battle. As long as we help it build confidence, it should be fine after a few more tries," Ash casually offered a few words of advice, but he had no intention of actually helping.

Training Paras to evolve is Kiyomi's job as a trainer, and has nothing to do with Ash.

Every trainer has their own training methods. As long as they are compliant and legal, no one has the right to interfere, and it's best not to meddle.

Of course, this standard only applies to decent people, excluding disgusting things.

Xiao Zhi has never minded double standards in this regard.

Moreover, rather than spending time with Paras doing those grueling battle drills, what Ash really needs to do is deal with another one…

"Meow, why are you hiding so far away? Come over and catch up!" Ash beckoned to a certain cat that was trying to take a detour. The cat stiffened for a moment, but eventually moved step by step to Ash's side.

"Little brat... what do you have to reminisce about, meow?" Meow lowered its head, its voice more hoarse than usual, as if it had been through a lot of hardship lately.

"What do you mean, 'gone'? I'm really curious about what happened to you guys afterward," Ash asked casually. "Why are you the only one here? Where are the other two?"

The Rockets' trio has always been inseparable, and apart from a few crises that threatened to break up the team, they have remained devoted to each other.

Ash hasn't been paying much attention to the league lately, so he really doesn't know what happened to those three.

"Musashi, Kojiro... Damn it! You wretched brat, it's all your fault, meow!!"

Suddenly, Meowth seemed to have been triggered by something, and it immediately bristled in front of Ash!

Amidst its incoherent screams and roars, Ash finally learned the whole story.

These three guys are really in big trouble right now...

Chapter 142 Meow Meow's Lifelong Enemy

The Rockets' trio has had a really bad run of luck this time.

They committed the crime in the Wild Area just as the League was setting up a major plan, and since Ash personally caught them, they were naturally punished severely.

Meowth is relatively lucky. As a Pokémon, it was originally sent to a special area in the League along with Arbok and Weezing, with the intention of letting it roam freely for a while before releasing it into the wild.

Incidentally, this is a special procedure the League uses to deal with Pokémon that have been poached or originally belonged to criminals.

The former is purely for the sake of Pokémon, to prevent those Pokémon that have been poached from suffering secondary trauma from being immediately captured.

As for the latter, that's for personal safety reasons.

No matter how a criminal's Pokémon was captured, it has become familiar with its owner, and even if separated from them, it will continue to carry out its owner's will for a short period of time.

Such Pokémon are like time bombs; rashly handing them over to others could easily cause trouble and backfire on the trainers.

However, Meowth didn't complete the process. It instigated Arbok and Weezing to escape from the park, and even incited all the criminals' Pokémon to cause trouble.

While the park's management was busy quelling the riot, it seized the opportunity to escape.

Arbok and Weezing couldn't escape, but Meowth couldn't care less about them...

After escaping, Meowth couldn't wait to return to Team Rocket, but while passing through a small town, it unexpectedly encountered James.

The other party seemed to have been bailed out by his parents and is now being held captive at home... It was only at this point that Meow Meow realized that Kojiro was actually the son of a very wealthy family, and his doghouse alone was more luxurious than an ordinary villa!

Even so, Kojiro was still powerless to control his own destiny. Not only was he unable to rescue Musashi, who was still in prison, but he was also in dire straits himself…

"In order to rescue Musashi, Kojiro had to agree to his parents' demands and marry a super scary woman, meow! You brat, it's all your fault, meow!!"

In the end, Meowth stretched out its paws, tears streaming down its face, and hysterically accused Ash...

But Ash scoffed at this.

What? He's cracking down on crime, and he's actually messing things up?

Ash showed absolutely no pity for the three members of Team Rocket's plight.

"Isn't all of this your own fault?" Ash glared coldly at Meowth. "Maliciously stealing other people's Pokémon, illegally using firearms... You've blatantly violated the League's laws, so what's wrong with me arresting you?!"

"Damn it! You brat, you..."

"As for Kojiro's parents, I won't judge their right or wrong, but expecting them to save Musashi is simply impossible!" Before Meowth could criticize, Ash continued, "Even this so-called exchange condition is fake... Even if Kojiro marries that woman, his parents will not bail Musashi out!"

What kind of international joke are you kidding?

Even if Ash hadn't paid much attention to this matter, he could guess that the Sasaki family must have paid a considerable price to bail out their wayward son, Kojiro.

If, at this critical juncture, the couple still dares to risk public condemnation by bailing out another confirmed Rockets member, then the question isn't whether they want to continue in Kanto, but whether they will be purged by the Kanto League!

Being incredibly wealthy and owning mansions all over the world... what's the point?

What happens to families and businesses without a strong leader to steer them? The Silver Company serves as a cautionary tale.

"Meowth, let me show you a way." Ash looked at Meowth with a leisurely expression. "If you really want to save James and get Jessie out of prison while you're at it, there are ways..."

"What's the solution, meow?" Meowth immediately asked anxiously, no longer caring about continuing to scold Ash.

"As long as you're willing to leave Team Rocket!" Ash's tone even carried a hint of threat. "As long as the three of you formally promise to completely sever ties with Team Rocket and serve me from now on, all the problems will be solved!"

"From now on, you will be officially employed. I guarantee that neither the league nor the Rockets will cause you any trouble! Also, Arbok and Weezing can be returned to them."

"This kind of thing...this kind of thing is absolutely impossible, meow!" Meowth seemed to have completely gone all out. "We have our pride, we would never side with our arch-enemy, meowth! Besides, even if I can't go back to Team Rocket, I will..."

"You'll stay here too, right?" Ash sneered. "We'll see. I'll see how you manage to stay here~"