【Xiao Zhi】—
【What, he’s just leaving? What’s the deal? Verbal attack?】
【No way, right? Maybe he’s luring us into a trap, after all, Su Yi Huan’s plot design always has a logical explanation.】
【Wait, isn’t this ghost fire actually a ghost? Remember the first episode, when Da Mu and Ju Zi fought?】
【Yeah, yeah, I remember! Isn’t Geng Gui a ‘ghost’, and the moves he uses have a very eerie, ghostly feel.】
…
The audience couldn’t understand why the eerie ghost fire had left just because of Xiao Zhi’s passionate speech.
But most of them weren’t in a hurry to start bashing.
After all, they had come to understand Su Yi Huan’s plot design by this point.
When a mind-boggling plot twist appears, don’t rush to bash it.
Otherwise, the next episode might slap you in the face.
In the show, not only did the audience not understand, but Xiao Zhi himself didn’t understand either.
But his determination wouldn’t waver.
He had to keep going!
However, the aftershocks from the "ghost fire" hadn’t faded yet.
As soon as Xiao Zhi reached the second floor, another shadow flew towards him.
A rapidly spinning oval object.
Instantly reminding the audience of the scene yesterday, when Xiao Mao’s Squirtle blocked a blow for Xiao Zhi.
“Whoa!”
Xiao Zhi stumbled back two steps.
He barely managed to dodge the attack.
Turning his head, he saw Xiao Mao and Squirtle!
“Xiao Mao!?”
Xiao Zhi was startled, then smiled and walked towards him, “What’s the matter, you’re alright, you had me worried…”
However, before Xiao Zhi could finish his sentence.
Xiao Mao suddenly curled his finger.
Squirtle immediately raised his head and unleashed a “Hydro Pump”!
“Pika——chu!”
Pikachu sensed the danger before his trainer.
He countered with Thunderbolt.
The two moves collided in mid-air, exploding.
Ignoring the rain’s impact on his face, Xiao Zhi exclaimed in fury:
“What are you doing?!”
But as soon as he shouted these words, Xiao Zhi noticed that Xiao Mao and Squirtle’s eyes were a bit strange.
Their eyes were lifeless and blank!
Controlled?
A guess sprang into Xiao Zhi’s mind.
“Then let’s try to snap you out of it first!”
Xiao Zhi suppressed the turmoil in his heart and commanded Pikachu to release another Thunderbolt.
However, Xiao Mao and Squirtle’s combined strength was clearly superior to Xiao Zhi’s.
Even with a type disadvantage, Squirtle still had the upper hand over Pikachu, relying on the “Protect” move to deflect the electric attacks.
Seeing Squirtle first block Thunderbolt with “Protect”, and then use a “Headbutt” to send Pikachu flying.
The children in the audience couldn’t help but cover their mouths in shock.
Type advantage and disadvantage, to high-level trainers, really wasn’t a big deal.
“Pikachu’s stamina is running out…”
Xiao Zhi gritted his teeth as he noticed the change in Pikachu’s speed.
Damn it, am I still no match for Xiao Mao?!
At this moment, the camera switched to the Pokémon Center.
Professor Fuji and the others were all worried about Xiao Zhi.
Suddenly, the Cubone in the corner seemed to be agitated by something.
He suddenly ran out of the door, desperately running towards the Pokémon Tower.
“What’s going on?”
In the Su Yi Huan Studio’s lounge, Ou Yang Na Na, who had been playing catch-up with the show after landing the role of “Little Yellow”, was bewildered.
While Zhao Jin Mai and Zhang Zi Feng knew the plot, they didn’t say anything.
After all, there were no special effects when they filmed the scene.
Their feelings while watching the show were actually no different from the ordinary audience.
“Do you want me to tell you what happens next?”
Wu Lei teased.
“Scram!”
Ou Yang Na Na directly gave him a kick.
The camera returned to the tower, where the controlled Xiao Mao pointed his finger again.
Squirtle charged forward.
Here it comes again! Headbutt!
“Pikachu! Thunderbolt!”
However, a translucent blue shield rose around Squirtle’s body as he charged.
That move again! Protect!
Suddenly, the ghost fire, which had appeared out of thin air on the first floor and then disappeared just as mysteriously, reappeared.
It directly pierced through the protective shield, covering Squirtle’s face.
“Kami!?”
Squirtle was startled and stumbled to the ground.
The protective shield also vanished at the same time.
Thunderbolt hit precisely.
Both Xiao Zhi and Pikachu were shocked.
This, this turn of events, they really didn’t expect.
But Xiao Zhi didn’t have time to think about it, he took advantage of Squirtle’s fall and rushed forward, delivering a friendly punch to Xiao Mao!
“Kala! Kala!”
At this time, the Cubone that had run out of the Pokémon Center had arrived at the scene.
The two small eyes beneath the white skull were filled with tears as he ran towards the ghost fire.
And at that moment, the ghost fire quickly transformed into a beast-like silhouette.
That’s…Marowak!?
“Marowak?”
Xiao Zhi, who had just punched Xiao Mao, was also shocked.
“He was trying to stop us from entering the tower...that’s why he blocked the entrance in the form of a ghost.”
At this moment, Xiao Mao, whose eye was bruised, suddenly spoke.
He was awake!
Mother and son embraced and cried.
And Xiao Mao also told Xiao Zhi and the audience the whole story.
It turned out that the missing Pokémon incident in Viridian City was all the work of Team Rocket!
They were using this tower as their temporary base, lurking in the shadows and pinning the blame on “ghosts”!
Although Marowak hated Team Rocket, he had already become a spirit, unable to fight.
Therefore, he could only block the entrance to the tower in that form, to prevent other humans and Pokémon from entering and ultimately falling victim to Team Rocket!
Seeing this, the audience fell silent.
Until the end of the episode, when the screen froze on Marowak and Cubone embracing and the ending theme song started to play, the online forum guys finally started posting their opinions.
【Nurse Joy】—
【Director Su, I won’t call you a scumbag anymore, brother, I’m kneeling down to you.】
【This Marowak is so good, even in death he’s thinking of preventing others from being hurt.】
【This episode didn’t have those flashy battles like the first episode, but I declare it’s already ascended to godhood!】
【From the start of the show, there have been many controversial, even hateful characters, but they’ve all been humans, Pokémon haven’t really had any villainous characters.】
【Right, even though Musashi and Kojiro’s Arbok and Weezing know their owners are weak, they’ve shown that they’re their trainers, so they won’t abandon them.】
【I still want to travel to the Pokémon world, even if there’s a chance of getting killed by Team Rocket scum like that, I still want to go.】
At this moment, one of the online forum guys said what the author was thinking.