Natsui and the others walked over to Dr. Quackenpoker's side and also looked into the lake. Even without the aid of binoculars, under the bright moonlight, they could see a spot on the surface of the Lake of Birth and Evolution bubbling as if it were boiling.
And the annoying roaring sound was coming from beneath those bubbles.
Misty tightened her clothes and asked, "Mr. Quackenpoker, is this a sign that the Magikarp are starting to evolve?"
Dr. Quackenpoker hesitated for a moment, seemingly unsure himself.
"Normally, the Magikarp should start evolving at this time, but that spot on the water is very unusual. It doesn't look like a precursor to evolution."
Hearing the slight hoarseness in Dr. Quackenpoker's voice, Natsui couldn't help but glance at him.
Just as Dr. Quackenpoker lowered his binoculars, Natsui saw that although his spirits seemed fine, his eyes were already bloodshot from staying up all night, which was a bit frightening.
Just then, as the roaring sound intensified, the water in that spot began to churn with increasing violence.
As everyone was wondering what was happening, a giant Magikarp with dazzling beams of light shooting from its eyes suddenly burst out from under the water.
SPLASH!
The giant Magikarp floated on the surface, water streaming down its body in rivulets, sliding past its menacingly large mouth, making it look terrifying.
At first, the group was startled by the Magikarp's size, thinking it was some rare, giant Pokémon. But after calming down and taking a closer look, they realized it wasn't a Magikarp at all, but a giant Magikarp submarine.
Not only were the steel plates of the submarine clearly visible, but even the screws on its scales were conspicuous. And the two beams of light were searchlights shooting from its eye sockets.
"A submarine!?" Dr. Quackenpoker said in disbelief. "Why would one appear here!?"
Natsui's gaze swept over the Magikarp submarine, finally stopping at its front.
Between the two searchlights was a red 'R' symbol, which completely exposed its identity.
So it's them.
But it was no wonder. After all, wherever Ash was, how could this ever-present trio be far behind?
In fact, this Magikarp submarine, as Team Rocket's iconic vehicle, had already appeared many times. It was so familiar that it was almost instantly recognizable.
"Darn it, it's Team Rocket again!" Ash said, gritting his teeth.
"Team Rocket?" Dr. Quackenpoker was taken aback, clearly hearing the name for the first time. "They don't sound like good people. What do they do?"
"Don't ask!"
Natsui was about to stop him, but it was too late.
As the lights in the Magikarp submarine's eyes brightened, several voices came through a loudspeaker.
"Hehehe, to protect the world from devastation, we will tell you with great compassion!"
Hearing this voice, Natsui's heart sank. Not because he was afraid of Team Rocket causing trouble, but because whenever someone engaged them in conversation, it triggered their passive ability, and the next second, they would shamelessly recite their motto at the top of their lungs.
Sure enough, they had already begun…
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!"
Even though Natsui couldn't see the Team Rocket trio, he could imagine from their voices just how arrogant and smug they were at that moment.
"We've heard that a million times, just stop it already!" Ash shouted. "Team Rocket, what are you doing here?"
"Building our Gyarados army, of course!" Jessie's voice came through. "The day our great work is complete will be the day Team Rocket rules the world! At that time, the entire world will tremble at our feet! Ahahahaha!~"
"A Gyarados army!?" Tracey questioned. "So that was your plan all along! Does that mean the reason the Magikarp haven't evolved yet is because of you guys!?"
"Don't make it sound so ugly!" James pushed Jessie aside and grabbed the microphone, laughing. "This is neither a protected area nor anyone's private property. It's first come, first served! We didn't steal or rob; we caught these Magikarp fair and square with our own skills!"
Although Magikarp were still occasionally swimming into the lake, hearing them say this, Natsui now noticed that the number of Magikarp in the lake had become even smaller than before.
"Caught them? So this really is your doing!" Dr. Quackenpoker was furious. "Release those Magikarp at once!"
"You old geezer!" Meowth shot him a scornful look. "Mind your own business. If you know what's good for you, hand over your Pokémon and that Pikachu. Otherwise, don't blame us for being rude!"
Natsui didn't know why, after so many failures, Team Rocket still had the guts to provoke them like this.
He also didn't understand why, after every failure, they only seemed to become more determined, never showing any signs of discouragement. Often, after just a short rest, they would be back with renewed vigor.
Regardless of their goal, such an indomitable spirit was truly admirable.
Dr. Quackenpoker was not one to be intimidated by such threats. He said angrily, "In your dreams! If you don't release those Magikarp, I'm calling the police!"
"The police!?" The Team Rocket trio burst out laughing as if they had heard the funniest joke in the world. Jessie was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. "Hey, old man, have you forgotten? We're the bad guys! What good will calling the police do? This place is far from any city. By the time they get here, we'll be long gone!"
As an experienced Pokémon Watcher, Dr. Quackenpoker was a top expert in his field, but in other aspects, he was too naive, even more so than a child like Ash.
To encounter such a situation in the wild and naively think that calling the police would solve the problem.
Natsui had learned on his very first day in this world that relying on others to solve problems was useless. Only by being stronger and having more powerful Pokémon could one truly resolve matters.
With this thought, he patted Dr. Quackenpoker on the shoulder and shook his head. "Mr. Quackenpoker, there's no point in wasting any more words on them. At this point, we have to, and can only, rely on ourselves!"
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