Facing Xiao Xia's question, Ash shook his head: "Those three people were so bundled up, how could I recognize them? It's just that when I passed by just now, those three people gave me a kind of... indescribable feeling, but it was only for a moment, maybe it was my imagination."
"Indescribable feeling?" Xiao Xia was also a bit confused, but she quickly dismissed this minor interlude and followed Ash to the nearby mall.
Chang Pan City isn't actually a big city, but it has the strongest Gym Leader, so the facilities in the city are quite complete. The mall basically sells everything that can be found in big cities.
Ash bought some special food for Pikachu, some wilderness survival tools, and some simple instant canned food—he couldn't cook, so he could only eat canned food.
Xiao Xia, on the other hand, bought a lot of insect repellent spray, some mosquito bite ointment, and sunscreen.
After selecting their items, the two of them also strolled around Chang Pan City and went to the Viridian Gym.
Going to the Viridian Gym was certainly not to challenge it, but Ash wanted to see the battle style of the Viridian Gym Leader.
Ash had only seen such a legendary and powerful Trainer on TV before. As for whether Ash had encountered Trainers of the same level as the Viridian Gym Leader, or even stronger, of course he had.
That person was himself.
Many of the big shots in the group, although not explicitly labeled with the Champion title, were truly Champions in terms of their Trainer level. However, Ash had never personally witnessed the battle style of a powerful Trainer in reality, which was why he was so curious about Saka Mu, the Viridian Gym Leader.
But upon arriving at the Viridian Gym, they found it was a castle-like place with only one entrance, allowing only challengers and their companions to enter. There was no way to observe, so the two could only leave hastily.
As they wandered, it became afternoon. Xiao Xia simply suggested that they get a good night's sleep at the Elf Center first and depart tomorrow. Ash hesitated for a moment and agreed to Xiao Xia's suggestion.
He wasn't staying for an extra night of rest, but for an extra meal.
The food at the Elf Center tasted good, especially compared to instant food, it was already considered gourmet level, and it was much more nutritious than instant food. This was Ash's main reason for staying.
"Ugh~! I'm full and satisfied. Let's go out and exercise. Xiao Xia, do you have a Pokémon? Come battle me. I haven't battled all day, and my hands are itching." Ash stretched, then asked Xiao Xia.
Xiao Xia raised her chin and said somewhat arrogantly, "Of course I have Pokémon! How could I travel without Pokémon? But your Pikachu is no match for my Pokémon. To avoid giving you psychological trauma, you'd better not pick me as an opponent!"
Ash's mouth twitched. Just as he was about to say something, an alarm suddenly blared in the Elf Center!
"What's going on? What happened?!" Everyone in the Elf Center nervously looked at each other. Chansey rushed out to calm everyone, and Joy seemed to be on the phone.
"Someone invaded the Pokémon Center... Who is so bold? Even some international criminal organizations wouldn't dare to invade an Elf Center!" Xiao Xia also looked at the flashing alarm in shock.
This alarm only flashes when the Elf Center is invaded. Generally, it's never needed, after all, the Elf Center is the territory of the Joy Family, which is one of the top families in the Alliance, and they possess the most advanced medical Pokémon technology. Attacking something like the Elf Center, no one would do it unless they were an idiot.
"Since you asked so sincerely!"
"We will tell you with great compassion!"
...(Skipped here, everyone should have heard these lines before.)
"I am Musashi!"
"I am Kojiro!"
"We are Team Rockets, traversing the galaxy!"
"White hole, a white tomorrow awaits us!"
"That's right, Meowth."
Three figures reciting inexplicable lines descended from the sky and landed in the center of the Elf Center.
Red alarms flashed all around, and in the center, a cloud of black mist permeated. People nearby inadvertently inhaled a bit of the Haze and instantly felt dizzy.
"This smoke is poisonous, don't inhale it!" Xiao Xia also inadvertently inhaled a little, then quickly covered her nose and mouth, but it was still a bit too late, and her brain already felt slightly dizzy.
"Poisonous? I don't feel anything... More importantly, what is Team Rockets, and why are you invading the Pokémon Center!" Ash, amidst the smoke, clenched his fist, feeling his strength still abundant, completely without the poisoned feeling Xiao Xia had.
Then, with a powerful voice, he questioned the Team Rockets trio. This shout also made the Team Rockets trio, who were about to grab Poké Balls, freeze.
Someone actually hadn't been poisoned?
"Who is that kid? He doesn't have a gas mask, yet he can withstand Koffing's poisonous mist?" Kojiro, with blue hair, said in confusion.
"No matter who he is, he's just a kid. Let's take him down and then collect the Poké Balls." Musashi, with long red hair, waved her hand and commanded the Ekans in front of her, "Go, Ekans, use Poison Sting!"
"Chapo!" The purple Ekans opened its gaping maw, and dozens of purple-glowing Poison Sting needles shot out from its mouth, aimed directly at Ash and Pikachu.
"Thunder Shock!" Ash clenched his fist, and a brilliant azure light burst from his body. The poisonous mist surrounding him was instantly shaken away by his Bo-do Power, vanishing without a trace. Pikachu also returned to normal in that instant, golden light shimmering around it!
"Pika—chu!!" The golden electric light collided with the Poison Sting, causing a huge explosion in mid-air!
The pervasive smoke, combined with the poisonous mist from the Team Rockets trio's side, obscured both sides' vision.
"Aura... is within my heart!"
Ash's eyes turned deep blue, and at the same time, Pikachu's eyes did the same. Pikachu, who couldn't see anything before, suddenly 'saw' Ekans's location.
"Pikachu, Quick Attack!"
Ash's command rang out. Pikachu, after less than a second of stunned, quickly executed Ash's order.
"Pika Chu Pi!!" Pikachu's figure, dragging a white light, rushed into the smoke. A loud collision sound echoed from within the smoke!
The next second, Ekans shot out from the smoke, crashing into Musashi and the others, sending them all flying. They rolled several times on the ground before finally coming to a stop!