Chapter 48: Secrets Make Women More Womanly

"It... it exploded?"

Apollo didn't even care about the explosion right in front of him; he just stood there in a daze.

In his mind, the numbers that had flashed on the power detector right before its demise replayed.

Even though it was only a fleeting flash in the final moment, he had captured it with acute precision.

A six-digit number?!

While a power reading didn't necessarily equate entirely to a Pokémon's actual combat prowess, a six-digit figure was something he had truly never heard of in his entire life.

Even that artificial Pokémon—created by Team Rocket through countless top-tier talents, immeasurable human and material resources, and vast stretches of time...

According to Boss Giovanni, before shedding that power-restricting armor, its combat power was still merely in the five-digit range.

Even so, that god-like Pokémon was already practically invincible!

It was said that only by stripping away the mechanical armor and truly awakening would it be possible to break through into the peerless combat power of six digits.

And yet, at this very moment, he had just witnessed the existence of a six-digit power level?

Apollo's heart churned up and down like a roller coaster, a chill running down his spine.

If he had previously considered himself evenly matched with Ash or perhaps only slightly inferior, then at this moment, the opponent towered before him like a cloud-piercing mountain peak, or a bottomless abyss.

Terrifying beyond measure!!

What should he do? Should he cancel this team-building excursion...?

"No, he hasn't made his stance explicitly clear yet. Perhaps I can still recruit him into Team Rocket?"

"No way, with his strength joining Team Rocket, the next heir to the Team Rocket conglomerate would undoubtedly be him!"

He engaged in a dialectical negation of negation.

That left only one course of action...

His gaze turned unprecedentedly cold and dark, carrying a faint, captivating menace.

That's right, no matter how strong a Pokémon was, the physical limits of a human body were right there.

Once the trainer's head hits the ground, no matter how powerful the Pokémon is, it's completely useless!

The confident, mastermind expression returned to his handsome face as he snapped his fingers.

"Pass the word down: hold our ground for now, and try our absolute best to avoid any conflict with these three trainers from Pallet Town. Oh, and make sure every single Pokémon they release over the next few days is meticulously recorded. I want all the data!"

"Understood!" the man in the tailcoat replied gravely.

...

Just then, three figures who had been lingering nearby, pretending to push a room-service cart, sneaked closer.

To be precise, it was two humans and a cat.

Apollo frowned slightly and gave a low bark: "Who goes there?"

Unexpectedly, these words seemed to trigger some sort of mechanism; the three figures suddenly began to tremble and struck a dramatic, striking pose.

"Since you eagerly ask from the heart!"

"We shall answer with great mercy..."

"You idiots, meow!"

Musashi and Kojiro were halfway through their opening motto when Meowth cut them off with a flurry of furious swipes.

Hearing this, the two hastily pulled their half-undressed work uniforms back on and explained with dry smiles:

"Sorry, our fingers were just too fast..."

"It's an old occupational hazard..."

However, Apollo quickly clasped his hands behind his back and completely ignored the pair.

Judging by their appearance, they were just ordinary low-ranking grunts, and he had no desire to deal with them.

Seeing this, Kojiro had no choice but to bite the bullet and step closer again, probing cautiously:

"Ahem, we just heard that you're planning to make a move against that trainer from Pallet Town, sir?"

Hearing this, Apollo's interest was piqued, and he cast a sidelong glance.

"What, is he an old acquaintance of yours?"

"No, no, that boy named Ash is our prey."

"We've been tracking him for ten years."

Naturally, the trio was unwilling to let this freakish Pikachu be snatched away for no reason by this flashy superior.

They were still counting on capturing that Pikachu to rise rapidly through the ranks and become Boss Giovanni's right-hand men.

"Oh, so you actually have some vision..."

Apollo's gaze instantly lit up.

Whenever you discover a little secret that no one else knows about, you always feel an itch to share it with someone.

And if someone else happens to voice that very same secret at that moment, your excitement peaks.

So, Apollo asked slowly:

"Tell me, what unit are you from?"

The three hastily and earnestly bowed in unison.

"Hai! We are direct operatives under Boss Giovanni from the Kanto Headquarters of the Team Rocket conglomerate. Our current rank isn't quite Diamond yet; we belong to the stubborn Iron tier. Musashi, Kojiro, and Meowth!"

"Direct operatives...?"

For the first time, Apollo looked at the three of them with serious eyes.

Generally speaking, Team Rocket was divided into numerous factions, each commanded by core executives.

And the ones with the greatest authority were undoubtedly the direct subordinates of Boss Giovanni.

Yet, as far as he knew, even the lowest-ranking direct subordinates of Boss Giovanni were at least Glory Gold. How could there be bottom-dwelling stubborn Iron?

Connections?

These three didn't seem simple after all...

As Team Rocket's premier tactician, Apollo suddenly hatched a scheme. He turned his head and instructed the man in the tailcoat behind him:

"Give the three of them a raise, and bump their treatment up to the Fearless Bronze tier."

"Understood!"

Seeing the trio instantly wear expressions of profound gratitude and joy, Apollo merely revealed an elite, amiable, and warm smile.

"Starting today, the three of you are assigned to keep a close eye on that trainer from Pallet Town. However, for these next seven days, do not make a move."

"Understood!"

The Team Rocket trio were overwhelmed with gratitude, then scurried off to the back to shed tears of joy.

Finally! Someone was able to appreciate their talent!

After the three left, Apollo slowly revealed a cold, cruel smile, gently swirling the wine glass in his hand.

So be it. Let these three cannon fodder face that primordial beast...

...

Half an hour later, the reporters, star-struck fans, and mere onlookers had all concluded their assault on Blue and retreated back to the banquet to chat and mingle.

Having eaten his fill, Ash made a hook gesture with his hand and prepared to leave the dining table.

Pikachu, also having eaten its fill, twitched its ears in understanding, kicked off the table with its hind legs, and readied itself to leap onto his shoulder.

"Pika!"

Thud!

Due to a poor grasp of geometry, Pikachu missed its footing and crashed straight to the ground.

Ash: "..."

It really does seem like it needs to go on a diet...

Ash heaved Pikachu back onto his shoulder. Needless to say, it had gotten heavier again.

Noticing that despite the crowd dispersing, Blue was still spinning in place with a dazed, crossed-eyes expression,

Ash hesitated for a long time before walking over.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm the tree-cutting king... Signatures on the left, photos on the right, loved it, not looking."

She responded automatically like a robot to the approach of any nearby living creature.

Ash reached out and shook her head back and forth to thoroughly churn the water in her brain into a uniform consistency.

"Ugh!"

After a moment, Blue blinked her eyes, finally snapped back to her senses with a jolt, and looked up toward the stage.

The sharp glint in her eyes could pluck stars from the sun and moon, and her chubby cheeks puffed out as she regained her full vigor.

"Wait a minute, where did that flea go!?" she demanded in astonishment.

At this moment, the stage had reverted to that gentlemanly old man, and the flea that had laughed to the heavens earlier had long since vanished without a trace.

"Gary's slippery like a loach; he ran off ages ago."

Ash replied speechlessly.

Judging by the latter's cautious personality, it seemed he wouldn't give Blue any chance for revenge whatsoever.

"We're heading back to sleep," Brock and Misty said as they walked over.

"The fishing tournament will be held on Deck 2 tomorrow morning, and all three of us plan to participate."

Although Ash wasn't particularly interested in fishing—it was just catching a Water-type Pokémon, after all, and he already had his Squirtle,

even though it was a bit dorky, it still held future promise—

he was quite interested in competing for first place.

As for Brock, though his interest in Water-type Pokémon was average, who knew? Maybe he could reel in a Omanyte or Kabuto?

Those were Rock-types, too.

As for Misty, she practically wanted to pack the entire ocean's worth of Pokémon into the Cerulean Gym...

"Oh, oh, well you guys go back to sleep. I'll come find you for a snooze later..."

Her stomach let out a rumble, causing Blue's cheeks to flush red as she said embarrassedly.

They had all eaten their fill, but she had been starving all day long!!

...

The three departed, and Blue began to enjoy the food all by herself.

"These people are so dumb, why aren't they eating?"

As she spoke, she tossed out a Poké Ball. With a flash of red light, a petite Clefairy appeared on the dining table.

"Eat up, Clefairy! The more you eat, the healthier you get!"

"Clefairy!"

This little Clefairy's figure was also gradually growing rounder.

At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

The voice was melodic and resonant, yet tinged with a trace of unquestionable dominance and arrogance, like a high-and-mighty queen.

"Blue, girl, this ship isn't simple. Be careful..."

Hearing this, Blue swallowed an entire chicken leg whole, her mouth stuffed with food as she mumbled indistinctly:

"Big Sis Blue, if I don't eat any more, I'm going to starve to death. That's even more dangerous..."

Blue: "..."

"Besides, as long as I can bury that flea alive, I'm willing to kick the bucket the very next day..."

Blue: "..."

The voice in her mind paused for a long time before Blue let out a sigh and finally said dismissively:

"Fine. Anyway, it's just child's play. Have fun."

"Okay~"

Blue nodded repeatedly, smiled cutely, and resumed stuffing her face with food alongside Clefairy.

...

It was only a few days ago that she had truly communicated with Blue for the first time.

Previously, Blue had always assumed this voice was actually a divine miracle sent down from the heavens.

Even now, whenever she heard Blue's voice, she had the urge to turn around on the spot and light an incense stick to offer prayers.

She was a woman with faith.

Blue: "..."

Hesitating for a long time, Blue felt she still needed to say something to strike back.

"By the way, your current strength isn't up to par. I have a Ditto inside my computer; you can take it to use as silicone inserts. Secrets make women more womanly, you know."

Blue: "???"

She instinctively looked down at her chest, her pretty face instantly染上一层 blushing red.

I'm only ten years old!

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(Seeking votes.)