The two poachers listened to the dramatic entrance lines, a little bewildered. Looking at Jessie and James who appeared before them, their eyes narrowed. They recognized the emblem on their uniforms; the notorious Team Rocket. They might not be well-known in other regions, but they were quite famous in Kanto and Johto.
"Who are these two guys?" Brock had never seen Jessie and James before and didn't recognize them at all.
"They're Team Rocket, also villains who specialize in stealing other people's Pokémon. We've clashed with them before in Viridian City." Misty cautiously replied. Although they were all villains, the sudden appearance of these two guys helped them by attracting attention.
"What do we do now?" Rick didn't dare to act rashly at this moment. Neither side was easy to deal with, and he didn't know if they were working together.
"Let's observe first!" Ash signaled to the others to stay quiet.
...
The two poachers exchanged glances. They recognized Team Rocket's emblem but showed no fear. Instead, they seemed very familiar with them. The flat-haired man frowned, on guard, and said, "Huh?? Weren't we supposed to meet in Viridian City for the trade? How did you find us here?"
"Doesn't matter. It's fine; a trade here saves us time," the bald man said indifferently.
Hearing this, it became clear that these two poachers not only had a deal, but their trading partners were Team Rocket. So, seeing Jessie and James, they weren't worried; instead, they brought up the trade.
Team Rocket was different from ordinary poachers; they aimed to collect powerful and rare Pokémon. Their goal was simple: to research and utilize powerful Pokémon to take over the world. Poachers often captured rare Pokémon, which was precisely what they needed. And being rich, they didn't care about the money.
"What are these two guys talking about??" Jessie whispered to James, confused, as she listened to the two poachers. To be honest, they didn't know these two guys at all. They just reacted instinctively after hearing what these two said.
"They seem to be talking about some trade. They look like poachers. They must have mistaken us for someone else. Maybe they have some rare Pokémon with them!"
"How about we..." James was more perceptive and immediately recognized their identities. He instantly had a different idea. These poachers usually carried very rare Pokémon. Since they had mistaken them for someone else, they might as well play along.
The two had worked together for so many years that they exchanged glances and immediately understood each other, a mischievous grin spreading across their faces.
"Ahem... Where's what we want?" After cautiously discussing, James cleared his throat and put on a calm voice.
"It's here!" The bald man lifted the bag from his back, holding it with one hand in front of them. Jessie and James exchanged glances, as if communicating internally, and secretly thought that there must be good stuff inside.
"Hand it over!" Seeing the good stuff about to be in their hands, James continued to speak.
"Wait!" Just then, the flat-haired man spoke, making Jessie and James secretly think something was wrong. Had they been exposed?
"Ahem... Is there a problem?" Seeing the flat-haired man frown, James could only grit his teeth and maintain his composure.
"Where's the money?" The flat-haired man rubbed his fingers.
"Uh... Ahem, for something so valuable, how could we carry that much money with us? Once we get the item, we'll naturally contact headquarters to transfer the money to you." Hearing this, Jessie and James's expressions changed. However, things had already come to this, there was no reason to give up this easily obtainable good.
The flat-haired man and the bald man exchanged glances, their eyes narrowing. They immediately jumped back, watching Jessie and James warily. "Hmph! As expected, there's a problem. This isn't our first time dealing with you.
Are you planning a double-cross this time?" After they backed away, the flat-haired man squinted and spoke coldly. They clearly weren't dealing with Team Rocket for the first time. It seemed their previous collaborations were pleasant, and this time, they clearly misunderstood.
Ash, observing in secret, almost laughed. He was 100% sure that Jessie and James weren't planning a double-cross; they just wanted to take advantage of the situation, probably thinking it was a lucrative opportunity this time.
They had pulled off similar stunts many times in the anime, sometimes even inadvertently disrupting Team Rocket's higher-ups' plans.
Honestly, if he were Sakaki, he would have thrown them into the sea to feed the fish long ago. It was truly a testament to Sakaki's tolerance that he could put up with them, even entrusting them with important tasks later on.
But it couldn't be denied that while they often messed things up more than they succeeded, they were the most loyal to Sakaki and Team Rocket. Sakaki's judgment in this regard was quite good.
"Damn it, just a little bit short. If that's the case, we'll just snatch it directly!" Jessie and James didn't care if these two were supposed to be trading with them or other Team Rocket members.
As long as they could snatch it and make a meritorious contribution, that's all that mattered. Moreover, in an organization like Team Rocket, if you could manage a double-cross, you just did it. They might even be thanked for saving the organization money!
"Go, Arbok!"
"Weezing, use Smokescreen!!" Having been discovered, the two didn't dilly-dally. They immediately prepared to fight hard, simultaneously throwing out their Poké Balls. Two Pokémon appeared.
Weezing immediately used Smokescreen. Instantly, black smoke filled the air, and the entire passage was engulfed in a thick black smoke. Ash and his friends' location was not spared.
"Damn it, Venomoth, use Gust!!" Seeing Jessie and James not only deceive them but also launch the first attack, the flat-haired man immediately threw out his Poké Ball and issued a command. The Poké Ball flashed, and in the air, a light purple Pokémon spread its wings.
It had three antennae on its head, the middle one being the longest. It had round eyes and a mouth with two pointed fangs, resembling a moth. It flapped its wings, instantly generating a powerful airflow that directly dispersed the thick black mist in front of it.
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