As Jessie and the others were knocked flying, the Koffing that constantly emitted poison gas was forced to stop, and the ever-increasing poison gas on the scene ceased to grow.
"Damn it, what's up with that kid, why is he so weird!"
"That Pikachu is very unusual too!"
"Exactly meow!"
Ash originally intended to pursue his victory, but suddenly Meowth from Team Rocket's trio opened its mouth to speak, leaving Ash stunned. He then suddenly realized and pointed his finger at Meowth: "A Pokemon that can... can speak human language?!"
In the previous scene introduction, Meowth actually spoke too, but Ash has Aura Power, which passively translates Pokemon's speech into human language in his mind.
So he didn't notice that Meowth was speaking genuine human words during its lines, and he thought it was just automatically translated.
But now Ash understood clearly; that Meowth really spoke the human language!
"Really, a Pokemon that speaks human language... No, that's not what we should focus on right now. Ash, quickly seize the opportunity and defeat them!" Misty was also astonished by the fact that Meowth spoke human words, but she quickly realized that they shouldn't be distracted by it at this moment.
Now that they have the upper hand, they must hurry to thoroughly defeat these three people... uh, two people and one Meowth!
"Got it, Pikachu... Thunderbolt!"
"Pika—chuu!!" Pikachu sparkled with even more dazzling golden electric lights than before, the brilliant electricity sliced through the air, traversing the space, and shot toward Team Rocket's trio.
Jessie and James still wanted to command Koffing and Ekans to counterattack, but Pikachu's attack was too fast, even faster than the previous Thunder Shock!
Moreover, they were completely entangled together now, making it impossible to counterattack.
And so...
"Ahhh! It stings! It stings!!*3"
"Boom!"
Thunderbolt hit Team Rocket's trio, the shining golden light illuminated the entire Pokemon Center, followed by a huge explosion that occurred after several seconds!
The golden thunder soared into the sky, shattering the Pokemon Center's ceiling. Although the poison gas was mostly dispersed by now, everyone present had already inhaled quite a bit of it, causing some paralysis and dizziness.
The falling debris from the ceiling was crashing down towards some nearby people; they wanted to run, but their bodies couldn't move.
Just as they closed their eyes and resigned to their fate, they found themselves seemingly okay when they opened their eyes; those falling debris had already scattered in front of them.
"What... what's happening?"
"No idea, maybe it was blown away by the wind."
"Scared me to death, I thought I was going to get injured and end up in the hospital!"
"If you're hospitalized, you can conveniently handle the admission procedures right here~"
"Stop joking, this is a Pokemon Center meant for Pokemon hospitalizations, not for people!"
"Hahaha~~"
"..."
The few unlucky ones almost hit by debris all sat on the ground, teasing each other, easing the tension they just felt.
In the distance, Misty looked at Ash with a face full of surprise, her pretty face filled with shock as if saying—Can you really do that?
Indeed, those debris that threatened those unlucky individuals didn't just happen to fall on the ground because of some wind, but they were directly blocked by Ash using Aura Power.
Misty, who had seen Ash battle with Spearow, knew Ash had a move that could form a defensive barrier, but she didn't expect Ash could protect a group using this barrier.
Once again, this incident renewed Misty's understanding of Aura Power, this capability indeed rivals superpower, possibly even surpasses superpower.
The dust settled, and the azure glow in Ash's eyes slowly faded away, Pikachu, initially full of vitality, immediately flopped onto the ground.
Ash, wearing a weary expression, walked forward and picked up Pikachu, "Thank you for your hard work, Pikachu, you did great!"
"Pika pika~~" Pikachu barely stretched out a hand and made a 'yay' gesture.
...
The Pokemon Center crisis was considered to have come to a conclusion. The good news is, apart from unleashing poison gas, the group caused no substantial damage to the Pokemon Center, at most, just a hole in the ceiling.
People who inhaled the poison gas received quick treatment at the Pokemon Center, and they all expressed gratitude towards Ash, who stood up even when everyone was affected by the gas.
Though they didn't know how Ash managed to avoid being affected by the gas, it didn't change the fact that he saved them; many expressed their thanks verbally, and there were some who took practical actions.
"...No need, protecting the Pokemon Center is a responsibility of every Trainer, right."
"Well, that may be true, but you saved me anyway, so please accept this small token of appreciation."
Ash couldn't refuse the middle-aged man in front, eventually accepting the thousand yen he offered.
For a Pokemon Trainer, a thousand yen doesn't buy much; a common Pokeball costs two hundred yen, and more advanced Pokeballs cost five hundred to a thousand yen.
But for day-to-day family grocery expenses, a thousand yen is more than enough for a week's meals; it's known that Pokemon training costs a lot!
This middle-aged man who expressed thanks and offered Ash money was not the first one; while Ash was sitting in the Pokemon Center waiting for Pikachu to recover, he had received more than ten thousand yen; today's shopping expenses were fully reimbursed, with some to spare.
"How nice, the hero who saved the Pokemon Center~~" Misty teased while resting her head on her hands, looking at Ash sarcastically.
"Hehe, it's not that impressive~~" Ash scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed while also somewhat proud.
After all, being a fifteen-year-old boy who's made a splash and been thanked by so many, it's hard not to feel smug.
"Speaking of which, don't you feel dizzy from absorbing poison gas?"
"Emmm, at first there wasn't much feeling, just absorbing too much really is uncomfortable, but as long as I use Aura Power to circulate inside my body, it can expel the poison gas."
"Is Aura Power that convenient? It's just too useful." Misty marveled with an incredulous expression.
That ability seems to be called Aura Power, but it surely reads as "Universal Power," doesn't it?
It lets you understand Pokemon speech, provides defense, enables attacks, now it can expel body toxins too, it's seriously overpowered.
"Haha, it's alright, actually Aura Power isn't limited to just these uses!"
"There are other uses???"
"Yes, that is... it's a secret~~ Hehe, I won't tell you for now, I'll reveal when we battle."
"Why not tell me now!"
"No, I'm saving it as my secret weapon for battles."
"Tch, stingy..."