"Everyone, today we welcome a new friend. Mr. Sebastian and his companion Misty. Accompanying them are Mr. Sebastian's butler Mr. Meowth, along with Pikachu, Chansey, and Ralts."
At the gentleman's words, the Pokémon Fan Club members present looked over. Their eyes lit up upon seeing Ash's Meowth and Pikachu, and they quickly crowded around.
"Oh, Meowth's fur is so glossy, isn't it?"
"Chansey takes really good care of it."
"Pikachu is cuter!"
"Ralts is just like a little princess."
"Pika-chu!"
"Ma'am, may I ask if you need me to pour water for you?"
Seeing their reactions, Ash became certain. They were indeed genuine members of the Pokémon Fan Club. So what exactly had caused the earlier trouble?
With this thought, Ash walked toward Solrock and asked, "Have you noticed anything strange happening recently?"
"Sol? Sol?"
"Spoi-ink!"
"Sol... Sol..."
Initially, Solrock shook its head, but under Spoink's reminder, Solrock seemed to recall something. Ash, noticing this, turned to Meowth and asked, "Did you figure something out?"
"Yes, my master. They said a group of bowl-cut guys had been loitering around here lately, and every time they used psychic powers, there was this strange feeling."
"Oh, bowl-cut guys? So you're saying these bowl-cut guys are the culprits making my beloved Pokémon uncomfortable?"
"That's very likely the case."
The gentleman couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Sebastian, is there something the matter?"
"To be honest, my Pokémon have been acting strange lately. Ralts also mentioned sensing something unusual. I figured other Psychic-type Pokémon might know more about the situation, but I never expected to actually hit the jackpot."
"I see. Then Solrock and Spoink, can you still remember where things started to go wrong?"
"Sol!"
"Spoink!"
Solrock and Spoink both pointed to the ground.
"The underground part of our club?"
Ash pondered for a moment, then said, "It seems someone used the Pokémon Fan Club as a cover. We should inform Officer Jenny and her team."
"Exactly. You're absolutely right - we cannot condone anyone exploiting our club like this!"
Ash walked over to Misty, who was holding Pikachu while discussing Water-type Pokémon with a group of socialites.
"Found the cause. Someone's making trouble underground. I need to inform Officer Jenny. How about we go check out the Water-type Pokémon afterward?"
"You said it yourself. Don't break your promise."
"Oh." Misty had fully immersed herself in the role, portraying the angry girlfriend so vividly that Ash couldn't help but marvel at how women were natural-born actors.
Soon, the already-prepared Officer Jenny and her team arrived promptly after receiving the report. Continental Hotel personnel had also infiltrated their ranks.
"We received a report stating that the root cause of the disappearance cases is located underground here."
"Yes, according to Solrock and Spoink, it should be underground."
After confirming there was an issue underground, Ash nodded and threw out his Poké Ball.
"Come out, Charmeleon!"
Charmeleon emerged and let out a roar, while Ash pointed to the ground and said, "Charmeleon, use Flamethrower!"
Charmeleon spewed scorching flames from its mouth, then the ground split open into a large hole, revealing a mechanical workshop filled with numerous instruments in front of everyone.
"So this place was likely manufacturing some device that accidentally resonated with the hypnosis powers of the Psychic-type Pokémon Slowking, causing all these major issues. Am I correct, madam?"
As he spoke, Ash turned to look at a purple-haired noblewoman, who looked somewhat puzzled and asked: "Me? What do I know?"
"Come on, haven't you noticed you've always been completely out of place? And that everyone's been subtly avoiding you?"
"What does that even prove?"
"Next time you try to blend in with us, do your research properly. Your wine was the only opened bottle in the entire venue. A real Pokémon fan club member would never-"
Everyone present, including Misty, loudly echoed in unison: "Absolutely no drinking alcohol is allowed while neglecting your own Pokémon!"