The three of them tightened the net around Clefairy while smiling and said, "Of course, we followed you here! You were really hard to find. Originally, our target was your Pikachu, but since you revealed the rarity of this Pokemon, we definitely have to catch it and offer it to the boss!"
"Yeah, and we'll take that Pikachu too!" Meowth said, as a mechanical claw appeared in his hand, then shot towards Pikachu like a claw machine!
Ash instinctively swung a backhand punch, directly breaking the mechanical claw and sending it flying, leaving only a lonely stick connected to it.
Meowth's once-smiling face immediately turned stiff.
What the heck?? He broke my machine with one punch? Impossible, that connection wasn't plastic, it was solid steel!!
Is this guy Superman?!
Even Team Rocket's Jessie and James were shocked, just like Brock, who had never seen Ash make a move before—his eyes widened, though it was still hard to see his pupils, but it clearly showed Brock's shock.
Breaking a piece of steel bare-handed with one punch, how much strength does that require!
Ash slowly retracted his fist, not concerned about his punch, since it was infused with Aura Power, so this result was expected. What he cared about was being targeted by Team Rocket.
Now he suddenly understood what the big shots in the group meant by karmic ties.
These three were blasted away by him back in Viridian City, yet after so many days apart, they still managed to find him. The world is big, even just Kanto is big, and they still managed to track him down; it's ridiculous!
And these guys really have their eyes on his Pikachu. Ash, having learned about Pokemon, knew Pikachu was quite common in Kanto. It's just that his Pikachu was a bit unusual...
But that shouldn't be why they're after his Pikachu, right?! But now isn't the time to worry about that.
"You guys, let Clefairy go!"
"Hey, who would obediently listen to you, then would we still be the villains?" Jessie made a funny face at Ash.
"Exactly, exactly, if we asked you to hand over Pikachu, would you be willing?" James said sarcastically.
Hearing this, Ash slightly lowered his body, flatting his palm. Understanding the cue, Pikachu jumped into his hand, and then Ash fiercely threw Pikachu like an arrow at them!
"Weren't you after Pikachu? Then here you go!!"
The Team Rocket trio was stunned. Is this kid crazy? He actually threw Pikachu over?
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!!"
But before Team Rocket could try to catch Pikachu, Ash's voice followed Pikachu's charge.
Their faces suddenly changed. Jessie and James hurriedly were about to release their Pokemon, but it was too late.
Ash's arm strength had sent Pikachu swiftly to the trio's front, unleashing Thunderbolt at almost point-blank range, giving them no time to react.
"Zap!!" Golden sparks struck the trio, causing them to scream in pain, followed by an explosion that blasted them out of Moon Mountain's cave!
"Darn you, brat! We'll come back for revenge!"
"Damn, I didn't even get to release my Pokemon!"
"My machine was broken barehanded, this isn't right, Meow..."
"Such an annoying feeling!! *3"
As their voices faded away, Ash confirmed they were blasted off to some unknown place, and quickly ran to Clefairy, ripping open the net surrounding it.
"Are you okay, Clefairy?"
"Clefairy~~" It came out of the net, smiling and nodding to Ash, indicating it wasn't harmed.
The net from Team Rocket only had a binding effect, and indeed wouldn't harm Clefairy.
"As long as you're okay. Be careful next time not to get caught by bad people." Ash patted Clefairy's small head, and its eyes squinted into a bundle, seemingly enjoying Ash's big hands stroking it.
"Wow, Ash, you seem quite welcomed by Clefairy. It didn't run away when you touched it earlier, and now it's letting you pat its head." Misty came up, saying somewhat jealously.
"Probably because this Clefairy is pretty approachable. Misty, you should try." Ash suggested, stepping aside for her and letting Pikachu return to his shoulder.
"Really?" Misty approached Clefairy with some doubt, then tentatively reached out to touch Clefairy's head. Clefairy didn't show any rejection or intent to run away.
Once confirmed that Clefairy wasn't against it, Misty confidently put her palm on Clefairy's head, enjoying the smooth texture, feeling quite satisfied.
"Clefairy~~" After a while of interaction, Clefairy raised its Moon Stone and pointed towards the cave's depths, gesturing.
Misty looked at Ash, puzzled. She couldn't understand what Clefairy was saying, but Ash should be able to.
"It says there's a ritual praying to the gods that its group is conducting inside." Ash translated Clefairy's message to Misty and Brock, though he was also puzzled, wondering what the ritual was about.
"A ritual praying to the gods?"
"Ash, you understand what Pokemon are saying?"
Misty and Brock both spoke, but their focus was different.
Brock didn't know that Ash could understand what Pokemon said.
"Yeah, I forgot to tell you, Brock, because of my Aura Power, I can understand Pokemon speech. Also, because of Aura Power, my body is a bit stronger than average, but this isn't the time to focus on that now. Let's follow Clefairy and see what's happening." Ash explained.
While Ash spoke, Clefairy had already headed deeper into the cave, but this time it turned back to ensure Ash and the others were following.
Hearing this, Brock temporarily suppressed his curiosity, then followed Ash and Misty along Clefairy's path deeper into the cave.
...
About ten minutes later, they finally navigated through the winding cave paths, then saw an astonishing sight!
Dozens of Clefairies each holding a Moon Stone, circling around a gigantic Moon Stone, seemingly dancing an unknown dance.
"What's happening? Is this the ritual of praying to the gods that Clefairy mentioned?" Ash swallowed, speaking with some difficulty.
Outside, they're considered quite rare, but here, Clefairy seemed as common as dirt, in such large numbers. Moreover, the Moon Stones, considered valuable and expensive outside, were everywhere here.
What is this place exactly? Is it Clefairy's secret base?