The nearby Cassidy also noticed this, her gaze occasionally darting toward Ash. In her eyes, this mysterious man was equally attractive, though she wasn't as overtly starstruck as Jessie...
"Boo-hoo... He's such a good person! I can't believe we were saved by the great Silver Dragon Hero!"
"Yeah, Meowth will never forget this great kindness!"
James and Meowth were moved as usual. If they knew that Sabrina had intentionally left them to starve, who knows what they would think.
Soon, the food Ash brought was devoured by the four of them. With an almost master-level cooking boost, each of them ate enough for three people! They were all extremely satisfied.
"Well, I'll send you out now."
"Because of the material of this cave, I can only send one person at a time. Who wants to go first?"
This was a condition Ash had specifically added to leave a deep impression on each of them.
"Me first!"
As expected, Jessie and Cassidy started to argue over who would go first. They were both curious about this powerful and handsome mysterious man and yearned to be alone with him.
"You can go first~"
Ash said, taking Jessie's hand. He gently pulled her into his arms. Instantly, a pair of D-cup breasts pressed against his firm chest. A faint, surprisingly pleasant scent wafted over—her perfume. Jessie was a little dazed, and her face quickly flushed red. She could feel his warm hand on her waist. Because she was wearing a crop top, her slender, "water snake" waist was completely exposed to Ash's touch...
"Hold on tight~" A mischievous smile appeared on Ash's lips. He tightened his grip, and the next moment, the two of them vanished.
"Ugh... What a show-off! My body is obviously better!" Cassidy thought, kicking a stone in frustration. It made it seem like she was not as good as Jessie... Little did she know, this was exactly what Ash wanted. This slightly arrogant woman needed to be knocked down a peg before she would listen.
"Whoosh!"
Ash reappeared in the forest outside with Jessie. Looking at the "big sister" who was still clinging to his arms, Ash felt a little amused. Jessie was so easy to read... He was only ten years old, though in this world, he was considered an adult. But Jessie was a woman in her early twenties. Of course, because people in this world mature early, and with the boost from his dual cultivation, Ash was a head taller than her. The contrast of her clinging to him like a "little bird" was new to Ash, both because of the age difference and Jessie's explosive personality. For a moment, they just held each other without letting go.
Finally, Jessie realized something was wrong. She pushed Ash away in a panic and took two steps back. "I... I'm so sorry..."
Seeing her flushed face, Ash smiled. "It's okay. You're quite nice to hold."
"Ah... why would you say that..." Jessie covered her face with her hands.
"Actually, I know you're with Team Rocket."
"!" Jessie's heart jumped.
"But I really like your straightforward personality and your kind heart."
Jessie frowned. "I'm a villain! Calling me kind is an insult!"
Ash shook his head. "You're lying... If you were really a villain, you wouldn't feel grateful to me, you wouldn't want to repay my kindness, and you wouldn't be... so cute?"
He wasn't lying; she was genuinely cute when she blushed. Jessie fell silent. Indeed, Ash was right. She couldn't lie to herself.
Seeing her quiet, Ash continued his persuasion. "Why did you join Team Rocket? Was it out of necessity, or do you have a goal?"
"I don't know if you still remember... what was your original dream?"
"Why don't you go and achieve it instead of living this kind of life?"
With every word, Jessie's expression became more complicated. Her eyes grew dim as she seemed to recall her past.
"My... dream..."
In an instant, different scenes flashed through Jessie's mind like a movie. Breaking up with her high school boyfriend to audition for a talent show, only to fail. Later, after leaving her hometown, she wanted to become a nurse, but her grades weren't good enough, so she went to a Chansey school. She never graduated because she couldn't learn the skills. She always had a dream of being an actress, but she lacked a stage for it...
Seeing her like this, Ash knew he had struck a chord. All he needed to do was keep working on her, and she would be his for sure.
"No matter what, keep going strong~ I believe in you."
Ash couldn't help but gently ruffle her shiny long hair. Then, under Jessie's stunned gaze, he teleported away.
"He... touched my hair?" Jessie was taken aback. Her hair was her most proud and precious possession. She never let anyone or any Pokémon touch it, and she would get very irritable if it got dirty. But the man's touch just now hadn't disgusted her; instead, it gave her a strange feeling.
"A dream..." Jessie pursed her red lips, her gaze becoming surprisingly firm.
Ash reappeared in the underground cave. This time, he took Meowth and James with him, leaving only Cassidy behind, making her stomp her foot again.
After a similar round of persuasive words, Meowth was reminded of his dream cat, Meowzie, in Hollywood; James was reminded of his years-long collection of bottle caps and coins and his terrifying fiancé... One was a determined Meowth who worked hard to walk and talk for a female cat, and the other was a rich young master who ran away from home to escape high society and a scary fiancé...
"If you need help, you can find me."
Ash left his contact information and then departed. The Team Rocket trio was left looking at each other. They realized that they seemed to be drifting farther and farther away from their original dreams.
By the time Ash appeared in front of Cassidy again, she was starting to get impatient.
"Hey, why didn't you take me out first?"
She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, pressing her full breasts into an alluring shape.
"Shouldn't the best be saved for last?"
Ash smiled slightly, saying something ambiguous that made Cassidy freeze. Ash then wrapped an arm around her slender waist and teleported outside.
Enveloped by his strong masculine scent, Cassidy blinked and looked at Ash's profile. Although a mask covered his face, she could still vaguely make out his handsome features. She subtly pulled away from his embrace and smoothed her hair. "I don't know why... but you must know that we're with Team Rocket, right?"
"You're wondering why I would rescue you?" Ash realized she was quite clever. And she waited until he had rescued her to ask this question.
"Team Rocket and I don't have any conflicts, do we? You're just investigating me... The whole world is doing that... Besides, Giovanni is actually a pretty decent person," Ash said, carefully choosing his words.
Cassidy was Giovanni's messenger now. By giving Giovanni an ambiguous attitude, he would make him think there was a chance for cooperation, which would prevent Giovanni from targeting him.
"I see..." Cassidy nodded. This explanation fit her understanding.
But Ash's next words made her freeze.
"Actually, instead of leaving a good impression on Giovanni, I just don't like to see a beautiful woman suffer..."
"And you just happen to be very beautiful..."
With that, Ash lifted Cassidy's delicate chin. His mask-less lips slowly approached. Cassidy's eyes widened. Is he... going to kiss me? Is he interested in my beauty? Or is he into my curvy body? A myriad of thoughts flashed through her beautiful eyes, and a blush appeared on her face. She forgot to dodge and even closed her eyes slightly...