The next second...
Misty felt as if she had been hit by a powerful electric current. She recoiled a large step, almost crashing into the edge of the front desk.
"Jo... Miss Joy! No, it's not! It's not like that at all!"
Her hands flailed wildly in the air, as if trying to disperse those embarrassing words. Her face was so red it looked like it might bleed, and faint steam could almost be seen rising from the top of her head.
"I... Roy and I are just... just ordinary traveling companions!"
"We've only just met, I'm definitely not his girlfriend!"
"That kind of deep... deep intimacy or whatever... Waaaaah!"
Halfway through her incoherent explanation, she was scorched by the forbidden vocabulary herself. Letting out a short cry of distress, she slammed her hands over her cheeks, an alarming shade of red peeking through the gaps in her fingers.
"Huff... huff..."
She gasped for air, her chest heaving violently. She felt like her brain was about to burn out from overheating.
A steam engine girl, in the truest sense of the word.
Delia stood to the side, taking in the whole scene.
The corners of her lips couldn't help but curl upward into a gentle, slightly playful smile.
Hearing others naturally group her and Roy as a pair, she didn't feel the slightest resistance in her heart; instead, a trace of secret sweetness welled up.
Therefore, instead of avoiding it like Misty, she stood even more naturally, almost leaning against Roy's arm. Her mature, curvaceous body brushed against him subtly, conveying a silent intimacy.
However, seeing that Misty was about to explode from shame on the spot, Delia, as the older and more mature sister, spoke up at the right time to resolve the situation.
Her voice was gentle and possessed a calming power:
"Miss Joy, you've misunderstood. Misty and Roy are indeed just friends who have just started traveling together. They don't have... well, that kind of deep relationship you mentioned yet."
"Just arrange three single rooms for us, please."
Miss Joy was also momentarily stunned by Misty's overly intense reaction.
She blinked her large, gentle eyes, and her professional smile quickly returned to her face as she said apologetically:
"Ah, I'm very sorry, I was being presumptuous. I was just explaining the regulations as a matter of routine, I didn't mean anything else by it. Please don't take it to heart..."
BOOM!!!
Before Miss Joy could finish her explanation...
A deafening, violent explosion roared without warning from the direction of the Pokémon Center's main entrance.
Following that was the ear-piercing sound of shattering glass and the dull echo of the building's structure being impacted.
Billowing thick smoke mixed with dust, like a roaring gray dragon, instantly surged into the lobby from the entrance. It spread rapidly, obscuring vision and carrying a pungent smell of gunpowder.
"Cough! Cough cough cough...!"
Misty was so startled by the sudden turn of events that she temporarily forgot her shame. She covered her nose and mouth, her other hand waving frantically in front of her to drive away the thick smoke.
"What happened? What's going on?"
Delia also immediately pulled back her smile and subconsciously moved closer to Roy, looking warily at the entrance where the smoke was churning.
Miss Joy's expression changed. Her professional quality as the person in charge of the Pokémon Center made her act immediately.
While quickly saying to Roy's group, "I heard that a very rampant gang of Pokemon thieves has appeared in the Kanto region recently, could it be..."
She leaned down without hesitation and pressed a hidden red alarm button under the front desk with her fair fingers.
At almost the same moment.
In Roy's ear, a crisp system notification sounded once more.
[Ding!]
[Triggered Emergency Mission — Protect the Pokémon Center: Defeat the attacking Team Rockets trio and protect the Pokémon Center's facilities, Pokemon, and personnel from further harm.]
[Mission Reward: Silver Powder *1 — A Pokemon holding this item will have the power of its Bug-type moves increased by 20%.
Joy Family Favorability +10 — Universal for all Joy Family members. As favorability accumulates, there is a higher chance to trigger special interactions and hidden rewards.]
Officer Jenny Family Favorability +10 — Universal for all Officer Jenny Family members. As favorability accumulates, there is a higher chance to trigger special interactions and hidden rewards.]
At the same time, Roy's Aura also vaguely captured three familiar life signatures from deep within the thick smoke, carrying a comical and reckless Aura.
As expected, it was those three buffoons.
Roy's gaze sharpened, and he instantly entered a focused state.
"Everyone, be careful. They didn't come with good intentions," he reminded them in a low voice, leaning forward slightly to shield Delia and Misty behind him, his eyes sharply Lock-On to the smoke.
After Miss Joy pressed the alarm, although there was a hint of fear in her eyes, her steps were exceptionally steady.
She quickly rounded the front desk, her long legs tightly wrapped in pure white over-the-knee stockings moving as she came directly in front of Roy and the others. She spread her arms, using her slender body to stand between the Trainers and the danger.
"Quick, leave! Go through the back door passage!" Her voice trembled slightly from tension, but her tone was incredibly resolute.
"I am the person in charge here, I will hold them back! Please go find Officer Jenny immediately to report this and ask for help!"
Amidst the billowing smoke, three figures made a grand entrance, accompanied by clumsy yet highly recognizable lines and messy footsteps.
"To prevent the world's destruction!"
"To protect the world's peace!"
..."That's right, Meow~!"
The smoke cleared slightly.
Leading them was Jessie, who had a provocatively exaggerated figure. She wore the standard white Team Rockets uniform skirt and stepped out proudly in high heels. Her gaze swept greedily across the lobby, finally landing on Miss Joy and the others.
"Cut the crap!" Jessie waved her hand, not bothering to act anymore. "Hand over all the precious Pokemon here right now! Otherwise, don't blame us for being rude!"
"Team Rockets!"
Miss Joy cried out in surprise, her face turning even paler.
As a staff member of a legal institution in the Kanto region, she knew full well the notoriety and danger of this organization.
But her body, shielding them in front, did not retreat a single inch.
"Heh heh heh..."
At this moment, a burst of deliberately lowered laughter, carrying a strong sense of chuunibyou, suddenly rang out from the side.
Misty, who had just been so ashamed she was about to evaporate, had straightened her back at some point.
The blush on her face hadn't completely faded, but in those large amber eyes, a raging fire and some kind of... eager, excited light had ignited?
The smoke and explosion seemed to have instantly switched her channel.
"Theft? Robbery? And you want to destroy the Pokémon Center?"
Misty suddenly tossed her short orange hair, her right hand held high, and whipped out a red-and-white poké ball like a flash of lightning.
She took a step forward to stand side-by-side with Miss Joy, striking what she considered a magnificent and cool pose. She pointed into the depths of the smoke and spoke in a clear, loud voice:
"Unforgivable!"
"Today, let me, the Mermaid Warrior of Love and Justice, Miss Misty!"
"Give you villains who don't walk the right path a good lesson!"
The lines were slightly embarrassing, but her momentum was full.
Misty had completely entered "Ally of Justice" mode, her previous shyness long since cast to the winds.
"I knew it was you villains! Want to steal Pokemon? You'll have to get past me first!"
Her thumb pressed on the poké ball's button, and she made a move as if to throw it.
۞۞۞۞
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