Chapter 162: Game Freak is the Best Company
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander
"Oh, Brother Red is here~~"
Ash raised an eyebrow and his expression turned serious again. After all, they had business to attend to; they weren't here to enjoy themselves. He waved his hand, signaling for the Dragonite on his back to stop its Dragon's Tap Dance.
"Fatty, old bro, you can leave now."
Although Pokémon are kind, this was still a Team Rocket Pokémon. He had to be on guard.
"Mmm-hmm~~ (I'm Technician number three, remember to leave a good review later.)"
The Dragonite landed back on the floor with a smile, holding its two small fists to its chest and bowing politely.
Everyone's just trying to make a living, and Pseudo-legendaries are no exception.
"Got it. I'll give you a 5-star review when I leave," Ash said with a nod and a smile.
"Yours was the only one with enough strength. The other two weren't any good. I'll ask for you next time I'm here."
Red's eyebrow twitched. Ash's talk with his own Pokémon was just nonsensical babble born from their Bond, but he seemed to actually understand the language of a technician's Pokémon?
On the other side, the Pokémon that had been serving Brock and Misty also left the room with a smile. They were two identical Pokémon.
They had oval bodies, light blue on the top half and white on the bottom, with the boundary looking like seafoam. They had two long ears standing upright, looking even cuter than the Dragonite.
According to the owner here, they were some kind of powerful, dragon-slaying Pokémon, but Ash was disdainful. He doubted they had the strength to even twist open a bottle cap, let alone perform spinal adjustments. All looks, no substance.
With the irrelevant people gone, Red finally understood what had happened. After the Grunt, Blue, hit the unluckiest pattern on the Slot Machine, Lambda had grit his teeth and paid out of his own pocket to treat them all to a VIP "health treatment" at the Foot Massage Parlor next door.
He was terrified that if Blue stayed here any longer, the casino would be afflicted by a powerful jinx and go bankrupt.
At that point, it wouldn't just be a matter of being reassigned to the India branch office. Giovanni might put a bounty on his head, dead or alive!
But he didn't dare use force on Blue, so he could only "invite" them out like this.
Ultimately, Ash and his two companions were just along for the ride, reaping the benefits.
And the Grunt, Blue, having a guilty conscience, had bolted the moment he was out the door.
Red: "..."
He glanced around. From a geographical perspective, this Foot Massage Parlor was, in his Digital World, actually the Prize Redemption Center attached to the Celadon Game Corner.
The Coins won in the Game Corner could be exchanged here for many Items, TMs, and even rare Pokémon.
For example, Machop, Vulpix, Eevee, and so on…
The rare Porygon.
And even Dratini, worth 99,999 Coins.
"Wait." Red's tone suddenly paused.
Connecting this to the technician Dragonite from before, he felt like he had discovered a blind spot.
Could it be that the Dratini from here, in order to make a living, had no choice but to evolve into Dragonite and enter the "business" as technicians?
Indeed, life isn't easy for anyone...
Red sighed with emotion.
"By the way, Brother Red, do you know what this is?"
Seeing the Soul, Red, suddenly start sighing for no reason, Ash pulled a certificate-like object from his clothes. It was about the size of two palms, and a line of stamped, bold characters was written on it.
"Insurance: Takes effect when hit by a Super Effective Move. -- Team Rocket reserves all rights of interpretation."
On the back was a doodle of a Squirtle.
Ash asked with some disdain:
"That Unlucky Person from earlier gave this thing to me. You think I should just throw it away? I feel like it's a bit jinxed."
Before they parted, that Unlucky Person said he was giving him a treasure. Ash was confused at the time, and only realized when he was being serviced by the Dragonite technician that a big turtle certificate had been stuck to his back.
Back at the Game Corner, that Unlucky Person did seem to pat him on the back.
"Don't throw it away, it's a good thing. You can stick it on Pikachu's back for fun," Red explained.
Although it was indeed a bit jinxed, this certificate was a pretty good Item. Used properly, it could even turn the tide of battle.
Seeing that the Master said so, Ash quickly and carefully put the insurance certificate into his Backpack.
Celadon Building.
Or rather, it should be called the Celadon Twin Towers. The two tallest buildings in Celadon City stood in the city center. The left one was the Celadon Department Store, with each floor selling all sorts of strange and curious goods.
The other was an office building for entrepreneurs.
The Rooftops of the two buildings were connected, serving as a place for the wealthy of Celadon City to socialize daily. There was even a Villa built there.
That was the destination for Ash and his group.
Taking the elevator straight to the Rooftop, Ash's trio arrived at the top floor with Officer Jenny. They entered the Villa unimpeded. At this moment, many ladies and gentlemen who looked like socialites and aristocrats were strolling about and chatting.
And surrounded by the crowd were two plump, brownish-yellow Pokémon.
One was short and stout, with a nose like a small elephant's trunk and a somewhat sleazy expression.
The other looked a bit sturdier, swinging a pendulum-like ring on a string, the kind often seen in the hands of hypnotists. Its nose was pointed, and it looked rather cunning and sinister.
"Pokedex Beep. Drowzee, the Hypnosis Pokémon."
"Pokedex Beep. Hypno, also a Hypnosis Pokémon."
The Pokedex was unusually quiet today, not saying much more after giving the names. Perhaps it couldn't think of anything else to say.
Seeing that even Officer Jenny had come in, the ladies and gentlemen didn't dare to be slow. One of them, an old gentleman who seemed to be their leader, came forward to explain, and only then did everyone understand the full story.
Having no money is a problem.
But having money is also a problem, and many people had even developed Insomnia because of it.
These two Hypnosis Pokémon were just what they needed to solve their problem, but perhaps they used too much force, as the brainwaves radiated out across the entire city, causing the children and Pokémon in the vicinity to act strangely.
After explaining all this, Officer Jenny quickly took the two Pokémon and searched the city. Sure enough, they found the group of missing children. Only after Hypno used a reverse Illusion did they all return to normal.
Even the Pokémon with Status Conditions at the Pokémon Center returned to normal.
The gentlemen were sincere in their apologies. They all promised that next time, they would only use these two Pokémon in a room that blocked brainwaves. After tossing out a large pile of money, the incident was considered closed.
"Thank you so much!"
Just as Ash's group was about to leave, a man who looked like a researcher, wearing square-framed glasses and a Lab Coat, came up to them, expressing his gratitude to Ash.
He was the one who had proposed using Drowzee and Hypno this time. Fortunately, the incident was discovered just two days after it started. If another two days had passed, the missing children who fell into the abnormal state might have been in mortal danger.
If lives were lost, it would no longer be a matter that could be settled with money.
He learned from Officer Jenny that the provider of the Information was this very Youth before him.
"It was nothing, don't worry about it. I'm Ash from Pallet Town. I never leave my name behind when I do a good deed."
Ash waved his hand and said with a smile.
"Please, you must visit our company. Allow me to fulfill my duties as a host," the tech-guy-looking man said eagerly.
Ash asked, puzzled, "Company?"
"Yes, our company's office is right here on the 7th floor of the Celadon Building."
The man pushed up his glasses, the frames flashing with a White Light, and said with a hint of pride.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Our company is called Game Freak. We're a company that specializes in producing and developing Pokémon games. In the eyes of many, our Game Freak is the best company in the World, you know. We get rave reviews."
As he spoke, he pointed to a sign nearby.
"For example, that's the brand-new, sensational masterpiece our company is about to release!"
On the billboard were ten cartoon Pokémon in a strange environment, split into two teams of five, facing off in a tense standoff, as if a great battle was about to erupt.
The name of the game was written at the very top.
Pokémon: Unite.
(end of chapter)