“Hey, Xiao Gang, it’s almost time to go back. There’s no mainland hotel here, we need to stay at the Pokémon Center!” After Xiao Zhi, Xiao Ju Er, and the others came back from their fun, they realized that Xiao Gang had been staring at the Maiden Rock the whole time.
“It’s okay, I’m an adult, so you don’t have to worry about me.” Xiao Gang didn’t even turn his head, his gaze fixed on the Maiden Rock. Xiao Zhi, accustomed to this behavior, could only say helplessly, “You talk as if you’ve shed your childhood innocence.”
Duang!
Xiao Gang was so disheartened by Xiao Zhi’s words that he couldn’t recover. Xiao Ju Er, blushing, pinched Xiao Zhi’s ear and walked back.
“Really, you’re so shameless!”
Xia covered Pikachu’s ears and shouted, “Don’t talk about these things in front of Pikachu!”
Then, the group went to the Pokémon Center, bickering all the way.
After delivering dinner to Xiao Gang, Xiao Zhi reminded him, “Don’t stay up too late. I have a feeling something’s not right about this place.” He then handed Xiao Gang a blanket. “Here, it gets chilly at night, don’t catch a cold. Go to bed early. Something really feels off about this place.”
For some reason, Xiao Zhi felt like he was being watched. Xiao Gang continued to eat, replying, “Don’t worry, I’m fine. I’ll just watch for a little while longer.”
Seeing Xiao Gang like this, Xiao Zhi and Meowth exchanged helpless glances, then went back to their room.
“Meowth, I feel like someone is watching me, and it definitely isn’t a Pokémon.”
Meowth, upon hearing Xiao Zhi’s words, jumped onto his shoulder and began to observe the surroundings. He then took out a device and began to scan, finally shaking his head and saying, “No reaction, Boss. No one’s around meow.”
“Really? Maybe I’m mistaken. Let’s go back. Xiao Ju Er and I have some business to attend to tonight.” Xiao Zhi’s smile couldn’t be hidden, and Meowth just looked at his Boss in disbelief.
Finally, at 11 p.m., the Pokémon Center curfew, Xiao Gang still hadn’t returned. Thinking that Xiao Gang would be fine by himself, Xiao Zhi made the decision to prioritize his love life over friendship.
“Pikachu, I condemn your prioritizing love over friendship, but considering it concerns your future happiness, I won’t say anything more. I allow you to go find Pikachu’s Chu-chu, but Meowth has to watch you.”
“Pika…” (If you weren’t holding Xiao Ju Er like a princess, I would believe you.)
Pikachu looked at Xiao Zhi, who was holding Xiao Ju Er in a princess carry, sighed about his prioritization of love, and happily went to find Chu-chu. After locking the door, Xiao Zhi immediately began his night activities.
The next morning, considering Xiao Ju Er had been tired yesterday, Xiao Zhi brought her breakfast. Nurse Joy, smiling, said that youth is great, and prepared some energy-boosting food.
After Xiao Ju Er woke up, Xiao Zhi remembered something.
“By the way, where’s Xiao Gang?”
“I don’t know. I just woke up. You kept me up all night, I’m still a bit tired.” Xiao Ju Er spoke frankly since there was no one around, making Xia quickly cover Pikachu’s ears. Xiao Zhi quietly rubbed her shoulders and said, “You worked hard last night.”
“Xiao Zhi, please, stop saying these things in front of Pikachu!”
Duang!
“Good thing I put a tracker on Xiao Gang, now all I need to do is find him.” With a bump on his head, Xiao Zhi held the tracker and Pikachu’s hand, leading everyone to find Xiao Gang. Xia and Xiao Ju Er followed behind, trying to stifle their laughter.
“Xiao Zhi, brother, could it really be a ghost?”
Xiao Huang was still young, so she was a bit scared of ghosts. Seeing her fear, Xiao Zhi squeezed her hand and said, “If there are Ghost Pokémon, then it’s normal for human ghosts to exist too. But don’t worry, it’s daytime, ghosts usually don’t come out during the day.”
Xiao Huang was reassured by Xiao Zhi’s comfort and the warmth of his hand.
With the help of Meowth’s detection tools, Xiao Zhi and the others arrived in front of the Maiden Rock temple.
“Is he inside?”
“That’s right meow.”
“Xiao Gang! Wake up! Oh my! I apologize for disturbing you!”
When Xiao Zhi pushed open the door, the sight that greeted him was horrifying. Xiao Gang was hugging Jessie, ‘kissing’ each other, with great relish. Xiao Zhi immediately closed the door.
“My god, that’s intense! Is Xiao Gang finally giving up on older women and going for men?”
Xiao Ju Er, Xia, and Xiao Huang found Xiao Zhi’s reaction strange. Xiao Ju Er asked, “What happened? Is Xiao Gang not here?”
“Not only is he here, he’s with Jessie! Let’s not disturb them. They’re doing great. It’s too much for my eyes to handle. Quick, Xiao Ju Er, Xia, Xiao Huang, let me look for a bit! I need to cleanse my eyes.”
Upon hearing Xiao Zhi’s words, Meowth, who was looking for Jessie, jumped out and rushed towards the temple.
“Jessie, we’re here to save you! Wow!!!!!!”
As Jessie opened the temple door, the shocking scene inside made her scream. Xiao Zhi quickly protected Xiao Ju Er, Xia, and Xiao Huang, fearing that Xiao Gang and Jessie might explode in embarrassment if their secret was exposed.
But Xiao Zhi’s worry was unnecessary. Xiao Gang and Jessie were like hypnotized zombies, still hugging each other. Seeing this, Xiao Zhi turned to Chansey and said, “Chansey, a barrage of slaps!”
“Lucky!”
Chansey grabbed Xiao Gang and Jessie and gave them a fierce slapping. The sound of “slap, slap, slap” reverberated through the air. Finally, after slapping their faces red, they finally regained their senses.
“Ah? I’m Xiao Gang!”
“I’m Jessie, of Team Rocket!”
Seeing that the two had regained their senses despite their swollen faces, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, the old woman from before walked out and said, “As I feared, it happened.”
Looking at Gastly approaching, Xiao Zhi thought for a moment, and an idea began to form.