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Cynthia lay in the corridor, shielding her eyes with her arm and basking in the afternoon sun.
The Pokémon beside her wisely refrained from disturbing her.
Kukui Tetsu had left without making a decision, merely murmuring, "My apologies for the intrusion."
His words instantly relieved her. She had feared that, after agonizing over the matter, he would choose the recipe. Such a choice would have made the conflict between Mai and Kukui Tetsu irreconcilable and caused immense trouble for Luther.
If their conflict were resolved through battle, it would be the worst possible outcome.
Luther had no reason to lose, so Kukui Tetsu would be the only one to suffer defeat.
While Luther's strength would undoubtedly humiliate Kukui Tetsu, it would also destroy any chance of Mai reconciling with him and her family.
Cynthia couldn't be sure if Kukui Tetsu's claim that he was holding onto the formula to secure a better future for Mai was genuine, but she chose to believe that there was at least some paternal affection behind his actions.
Moreover, after his humiliating defeat, Kukui Tetsu was unlikely to back down. Who knew what he might do next?
For now, doing nothing was the best course of action.
After all, Kukui Tetsu was a seasoned businessman. Having built the Kukui Family into such a vast empire, he should be able to avoid rash decisions after cooling down from the pressure Cynthia put on him.
She had made the full extent of Luther's resources and connections clear to him. Regardless of his next move, Kukui Tetsu would treat Luther with caution from now on.
Cynthia sighed and muttered to herself, "I've gone to such lengths to help you avoid the worst outcome. That's loyalty, right?"
…
Luther remained unaware of the developments on Cynthia's end. At that moment, he was engaged in another battle with Ash using Darkrai.
The battle unfolded much like their first encounter, yet Ash still struggled to cope.
Darkrai's overwhelming speed and 'Hypnosis' proved to be too much for Ash's team. The 'Black Hole–Dream Eater' combo allowed Darkrai to dominate the battlefield.
"Have your Pokémon learn 'Sleep Talk,'" Brock advised after observing the battle. "You can't attack while you're asleep, which is why Darkrai can dominate you so effortlessly."
"To compensate for your speed disadvantage, you could use Pokémon with relatively good speed."
Luther agreed with Brock's assessment, finding his advice sound.
Watching the trio practice relentlessly, Dawn sighed. "They're such battle fanatics."
Meanwhile, Pikachu wasn't participating in the battle. He was busy playing with Milcery and Chikorita.
With his Ditto-like ability to mimic, Pikachu quickly won Milcery's affection. Espurr, who was watching over the child, couldn't replicate Pikachu's antics. To keep Milcery happy, Espurr reluctantly entrusted her to Pikachu's care for the time being.
As he watched Pikachu pull silly faces to amuse Milcery, Espurr rubbed her fluffy cheeks and nudged Kirlia, signaling for her to keep an eye on them.
Kirlia, sipping her juice, stared blankly as Espurr strained to make a funny face, even using her paws. In the end, she only managed to pull out a tuft of fur, which brought tears to her eyes from the pain, causing Kirlia to sigh in resignation.
"It's a racial talent," Kirlia said, lowering her head to finish her juice. "You can't learn it. Stop torturing yourself."
Espurr looked at the tuft of fur in her paw and reluctantly accepted the truth.
A sudden boom startled everyone, causing them to jerk and quickly turn toward the source of the noise.
As the dust settled, Luther and the others saw that a transparent jar had descended from above and encased Pikachu.
"What's happening?" Brock stared in shock at Pikachu, Miltank, and Chikorita, who were trapped inside the jar.
"Prepare for trouble!" A female voice called down from above.
'This familiar opening...' Luther couldn't help but press a hand to his forehead.
"And make it double!" Another male voice chimed in right on cue.
Above the jar, the classic Meowth-head hot air balloon made its grand entrance.
How could Luther have forgotten about this?
Team Rocket's trio had always followed Ash like an unshakeable curse. Perhaps they were the true protagonists all along.
Their brief encounter with Ash in Hearthome City meant that Team Rocket hadn't had a chance to cause trouble, and Luther had almost forgotten about them.
How to put it... seeing Team Rocket again was like reliving his childhood?
Still, with Milcery and Chikorita captured, Luther was in no mood to listen to their classic spiel.
"Mismagius, charge forward and burst the hot air balloon!" Luther interrupted the incantation.
The moment the words left his lips, Mismagius shot forward.
"Houndoom, be ready in case Mismagius's first wave fails to burst the balloon. Predict the landing spot and catch the falling canisters."
"Darkrai, stay hidden. You're too rare and would easily attract Team Rocket's attention. I don't want a team of captors on our tail. Just help from the shadows."
"Espurr..."
Luther quickly gave instructions to the first few Pokémon. When he turned back, he realized Espurr was gone.
Jessie was about to deliver her next line when a purplish-black shadow darted in front of her.
"It's Mismagius! Perfect timing... we'll catch you, too!" Meowth exclaimed as he manipulated the hot air balloon's mechanical arm to grab Mismagius.
Mismagius let out a sinister chuckle, and a deafening shriek enveloped the balloon.
Suddenly, James clutched his head in agony. "Meowth, what kind of move is that?!"
The mechanical arm that he had extended was violently repelled by Mismagius's psychic force, and Meowth was now covering his ears in pain.
"It's not a move," Meowth explained. "It's Mismagius's innate talent. They can naturally inflict pain and hallucinations on other creatures with their voice."
Just as he finished speaking, he felt the ground beneath his feet give way. Looking up, he saw that Mismagius had punched a hole in the hot air balloon.
"Aren't you worried about Pikachu and the others? If they fall, they'll get hurt!"
Mismagius giggled mischievously. James suddenly felt a sense of dread. He leaned over the edge and looked down. The electricity-proof container had vanished, and the mechanical arm connecting it to the balloon was melting.
Houndoom shielded the canister with his body, though something strange seemed to be floating beneath his feet. Too preoccupied to notice, James gripped the hot air balloon tightly, bracing for the crash landing and planning how to retrieve the container afterward.
Luther arrived at the crash site and peered into the canister. Seeing that the three Pokémon inside were only slightly dizzy, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Ash gritted his teeth. "Team Rocket again! They're such a pain."
The Team Rocket trio crawled out of the wreckage of their hot air balloon. Hearing Ash insult them, they retorted, "Shut up, brat! We're getting that Pikachu today, no matter what!"
Luther sighed. 'What kind of determination is this?'
Ever since their first clash with Ash in Pallet Town, Team Rocket had relentlessly pursued Pikachu, resorting to every conceivable tactic.
If they weren't villains, they could achieve anything with this kind of tenacity.
(End of Chapter)