Chapter 149: The Wholesome Casino
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
The next morning, an excited Ash woke up bright and early, once again releasing all his Pokémon in the Backyard, ready to begin his morning Training.
A day's plan begins in the morning.
"Come on out, my powerhouses!"
He threw out several Poké Balls in a row, even letting Eevee out with them. Although the latter was still shy, at least it no longer bolted out of sight, instead choosing to hide to one side and quietly observe them.
"Poof!" "Poof!" "Poof!"
Flashes of red light burst forth, and several Pokémon appeared on the Training Ground.
But this time, the situation was drastically different. While Pidgeotto and Butterfree seemed normal enough, the three starter Pokémon—Charmeleon, Bulbasaur, and Wartortle—were collapsed limply on the ground. They looked exhausted, their faces were breaking out in a cold sweat, and they lay there, completely drained of energy.
"Pika..."
Pikachu, on his shoulder, seemed to have run out of steam as well. It face-planted onto the ground with a vertical "thud," its tongue lolling out, unconscious.
Ash stared dumbfoundedly at the four collapsed Pokémon, wondering if they had been hit by some kind of curse.
But do curses discriminate? Why were the bird, the bug, and even Eevee completely fine?
Having never encountered this before, he didn't know what to do. He hastily cut the Training short, recalled the Pokémon to their Poké Balls, and scooped up Pikachu. He then rushed toward the Pokémon Center lobby, intending to ask Nurse Joy if he needed to admit Pikachu to the ICU.
"Make way, my Oddish has withered!"
"My Magikarp has turned into a salted fish, it can't even turn over!"
"Let me through, let me through! The flame on my Charmander's tail has gone out!"
Upon reaching the lobby, Ash discovered that the place was already in an uproar. Countless Trainers were blocking the entrance, and many Pokémon were collapsed on the floor, listless like his Pikachu, as if they had been squeezed dry.
Even Nurse Joy and Chansey were rushed off their feet, running everywhere to examine Pokémon and handle the crisis.
After some investigation, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the Pokémon had only suffered from mental exhaustion; there was nothing physically wrong with them.
The problem wasn't serious, and they were treatable.
"Ash, was your Pikachu affected too?"
Brock and Misty came over. The former was fine, but all of Misty's Pokémon had been afflicted, falling into a strange state of total exhaustion.
"I heard Nurse Joy say earlier that it seems to be a special phenomenon affecting only Pokémon of certain specific types. It's probably due to interference from something in the area, like electric waves or a magnetic field," Brock explained. He had just gone to have a very close chat with Nurse Joy.
Celadon City was a big city, and big cities meant advanced technology. It wasn't uncommon for a high-tech city to have a few mad scientists conducting strange research.
Ash glanced around. Pokémon like Rattata, Sandshrew, and Chansey seemed perfectly fine. The ones that were affected were Oddish, Bellsprout, Magikarp, Goldeen, and Charmander.
It seemed they all had something in common...
Misty clapped her hands and said, "Ah, I get it! Only Water-, Fire-, and Grass-type Pokémon were affected."
Ash quickly held up the drowsy Pikachu in front of her, refuting, "That doesn't make sense. My Pikachu is knocked out too."
The Electric-type was also a victim!
"Bzzzt..."
Just then, a passerby's Magnemite floated past him, and a Voltorb rolled by his feet, both looking full of energy.
"..."
The three of them immediately turned their gazes to the slumbering Electric Mouse Pokémon.
There's a mole!
Pikachu: "..."
As long as the mole doesn't admit it, there is no mole!
"Excuse me, is there a child here named Wang Lanhua?"
A crisp, professional voice came from the entrance of the Pokémon Center. Ash and the others turned to see this city's Officer Jenny.
Her uniform was neat, but she looked flustered and weary, as if she had been busy all night.
"Yes, Officer Jenny!" Brock immediately rushed forward and took her hand.
"Your name is Wang Lanhua?"
Jenny was startled by this dark-skinned man who had suddenly popped up and quickly pulled her hand away from Brock's unwelcome advance.
"My name is Brock, but the folks back home used to call me Wang Lanhua."
Jenny: "..."
Ash quickly pushed Brock aside and took the initiative to get information from the NPC.
After a brief conversation, they learned that it wasn't just that some Pokémon were in poor condition; a number of local children, aged four to seven, had also gone missing. Moreover, this situation had been going on for two days.
"It seems there's a big secret hidden in this city..."
When one spoke of the power behind Celadon City, one had to mention Team Rocket. They might as well have put up a notice board at the city entrance saying, "This city is Team Rocket territory. Remember to pay taxes upon entry and exit."
"Team Rocket again..."
Ash felt a headache coming on. In the previous city, Saffron City, he had just driven out Team Rocket's subsidiary, the Rainbow Group. Now, this city had practically become their main base.
The worst part was that Team Rocket was now firmly embedded in Celadon City. Driving out Team Rocket would be like ripping out the city's roots.
Although there was no concrete evidence yet, everyone had already placed the blame for this strange incident on Team Rocket.
"Is this the Celadon Game Corner Dungeon? This is rather interesting..."
Just as everyone was fumbling in the dark, this sentence suddenly appeared in Ash's mind. His confidence surged, and he now had a clear goal.
Finishing a Gym battle, then taking on a Dungeon—that was the typical routine for a Trainer.
Last time, in the Silph Co. Building Dungeon, Blue and Gary had stolen all the limelight while he just drank a cup of coffee. He still felt a bit frustrated about that.
Besides, as a passionate and righteous Trainer, Ash would not stand by and watch such evil acts that affected others' Pokémon and even involved kidnapping children.
"So, are you two partners in justice going to join me in punishing the wicked?"
Ash looked at Brock and Misty.
They asked in return, "Did Senior Red give the nod?"
Ash replied, "He did."
"Then let's go!"
The two of them were also instantly filled with confidence, pushing Ash in the direction of the Celadon Game Corner.
With a top player taking the lead, their job was to stand on the sidelines, cheer "Awesome!", and spam verbal buffs.
The Celadon Game Corner was a facility run by Team Rocket, arguably the largest entertainment venue in Celadon City.
But to put it bluntly, it was a casino.
The minimum age for entry was ten. It was fully equipped with entertainment facilities, and the restaurants and hotels were all part of a matching set. As for its main attraction, the casino, it had slot machines suitable for youth entertainment, as well as specialized gambling facilities deeper inside for adults.
This was Team Rocket's main source of profit in Celadon City.
Soon, the three of them arrived in front of the Celadon Game Corner. The entrance was surrounded by magnificent, brightly lit signs, and the building itself was high-end and grand, giving off an extravagant vibe.
It was just that the promotional slogans on a few signs by the door seemed somewhat out of place.
"One minute of fun inside, ten years of hard labor outside."
"A small wager is amusing, a large one is harmful, and a compulsive one leads to ruin."
"In short, gambling dogs must die."
The three of them: "?"
This casino... is surprisingly wholesome.
(end of chapter)