Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 316 Ranger Laden

The interior of the wooden house was small and filled with all sorts of odds and ends.

"It seems like there's nowhere for us to sleep."

Looking around, there was hardly any place to stand.

"Don't touch anything in here."

Bin Laden's deep voice rang out as he came down the stairs, a pipe dangling from his mouth.

The pipe was chipped, so when putting in the tobacco, I had to use my thumb to hold it in place.

“Uh, Grandpa Bin Laden, it seems there’s nowhere to rest here.”

Xiao Gang looked around awkwardly.

It seemed pointless for them to go inside; they might as well just pitch a tent outside.

"Second floor."

Bin Laden succinctly pointed to the stairs behind him.

"Yeah, there's a second floor too! Pikachu, let's go!"

Ash took the lead, and just as he lifted his leg, a blurry, smudged phantom shoved Pikachu off its backside.

"Middle parting?"

Ash looked at the middle-parted hair perched on his shoulder with a puzzled expression.

The man with the middle parting also looked at Xiaozhi with a puzzled expression.

How did it suddenly take off?

Unaware, the Chinese leader pulled Xiao Zhi's hat over and wiped his mouth.

"Hey Hey hey"

Xiao Zhi wanted to say something, but was pushed upstairs by the people behind him.

"Alright, alright, get some rest. We have to travel early tomorrow morning."

Upon arriving on the second floor, I was surprised to find it surprisingly clean.

The ground was paved with thick logs, making it feel incredibly solid underfoot.

After looking around, Natsume nodded slightly.

The second floor is small but fully equipped.

To the right of the entrance is a small dining room with a sturdy wooden table and a few chairs.

There was an old stove in the corner, with piles of dry firewood next to it.

Right next to it on the left is a simple kitchen, complete with a sink, small cabinets, and shelves.

Further inside, against the wall was a narrow bed covered with a thick blanket, which seemed to be where bin Laden rested.

An oil lamp hung on the wall, and some tools and supply boxes were piled up in the corner. Although it was crowded, it had all the basic necessities for daily life.

Wow, there's even a convenience store!

Xiaoxia's eyes lit up as she approached a corner display case filled with all sorts of food.

Most of them are canned goods, honey, and bottled water.

At the front desk of the container, there is a small ledger covered with a thin layer of dust.

"Wow, there's even a medical kit here! They have all the necessary medications!"

Xiao Gang's focus was completely different; he took out a small white box from the kitchen.

"Don't touch my daughter's things."

Bin Laden puffed on a cigarette, leaning against the second-floor window.

"daughter?"

Everyone turned around in confusion.

"Mr. Laden's daughter is a Nurse Joy, and this place is basically a convenient Pokémon Center."

Zaiyong spoke up to explain.

"thump!"

The box landed, and Xiao Gang also knelt down, his squinting eyes staring straight at Bin Laden.

"what are you doing?"

Bin Laden was startled, and almost dropped his pipe.

"No wonder this box looked so familiar, it's Yue—ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, Xiaogang was dragged away by Xiaoxia, who grabbed him by the ear.

"Excuse me, he's a performance artist."

Jiaozi explained.

"Yes, yes, by the way, Mr. Laden, where's Miss Joey? Hasn't she returned yet?"

Xiaoxia threw Xiaogang to sit at a table with Zhongfentou, then returned, trying to change the subject.

"This one"

Bin Laden didn't speak, he just stared straight out the window.

A moment later, a Pied Eagle swooped down from the sky, landing in front of the window and finally on bin Laden's arm.

This Pidgeot has a huge scratch mark on its left eye; the eyeball is long gone, and the remaining eye carries a fierce look.

“Gah!”

The Pidgey had a piece of clothing in its beak, and the letter "R" could be vaguely seen on it.

"Team Rocket?"

Ash blurted out, "As you've all seen, it's been very dangerous here lately, so I sent Nurse Joy to Asahi City."

As he spoke, bin Laden put the pipe in his mouth, freeing his hands to take out a calendar from the side.

"Tear~"

After peeling off the tape, the clothing fragments were stuck to today's date, with the specific time and date of discovery written on them.

"Natsume-kun, is fighting poachers also part of the Pokémon Ranger's job?"

Xiao Zhi asked quietly.

"Go ask the guy with the middle part; he knows more about this."

"what?"

Natsume turned Ash's head around, pointing it at the middle-parted haircut that was standing on the shelf, ready to steal some canned food.

"Pickup?"

"Did you find all of these?"

Natsume leaned closer and glanced at the calendar, discovering that since the beginning of the month, every date had been filled with dense records.

On some days, like today, many related items are stuck together.

"Yes, the Rockets' poachers are getting more and more rampant!"

Bin Laden's gaze was fierce, and his tone was filled with impatience.

Natsume frowned.

That can't be right. Giovanni has reformed, so where are the Team Rocket poachers?
"Grandpa Laden, didn't you tell Officer Jenny?"

Xiaoxia asked curiously.

"Of course it was reported. Officer Jenny has come several times, but every time she appears, the other party disappears."

"other side?"

Natsume raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, there was only one person on the other side."

Bin Laden put his pipe back in his mouth, and a sense of frustration was visibly evident on his face as he spoke.

"Truly, the younger generation surpasses the older," Bin Laden shook his head.

"Grandpa, isn't your description a bit off?"

Ash scratched his head in confusion.

"one person"

Natsume muttered to himself.

He recalled the poachers he had encountered near the Empty Wood Research Institute earlier.

Now that Sakaki has reformed, many of his subordinates are bound to be dissatisfied.

It is quite possible that they will continue to use the Rockets' name to carry out some large-scale actions.

"Is it really just one person?"

Natsume looked at Laden with suspicion, somewhat disbelieving.

"Why would I lie to you?" Laden rolled his eyes at Natsume.

"Grandpa Laden, what is that poacher's target?" Xiao Zhi asked curiously as he leaned closer.

"I don't know."

Bin Laden extinguished the cigarette, leaned back on the ground, and shook his head.

"Alright, let's get some rest. I'll treat everyone to something to eat!"

Zaiyong walked over with a large pile of canned food and distributed it to everyone.

The canned goods had no labels and a uniform gray appearance.

"Wow, what kind of canned food is this? It's so greasy!"

Xiao Zhi took a bite and felt a jolt all over his body, as if his chest was covered in oil.

“This is the kind of food that can quickly replenish energy,” Zai Yong said with a smile.

Natsume took the can of food and quietly slipped it to the man with the middle parting.

"Skin"

The person with the middle parting turned their head to the side, looking quite displeased.

"what happened?"

Isn't a mixture of sugar and oil your favorite thing to eat?
Natsume looked at the other person strangely.

"Pikachu pikachu." I'm tired of it.

"There are only two, what's so delicious about them?" Natsume insisted on pushing the can of food towards the other person.

"Pipikapika!" I ate it for half a month!
With his hair parted in the middle and his neck stiff, he refused to eat a single bite.

After thinking for a moment, it changed its posture and looked at Natsume pitifully.

Trainers generally respond better to gentle persuasion than harsh treatment.

Beside the man with the middle parting, the can of food that had been stolen earlier had only been opened slightly before it stopped moving.

Natsume suddenly remembered that when the guy with the middle parting had "poached" the Zapdos, he had survived in the wild for almost half a month like a special forces soldier.

During this period, the main food for the man with the parted head was the "emergency food most favored by poachers" mentioned in the forest ranger training.
Natsume turned the unnamed can of food over in his hand, his expression strange.

So this is spoils of war?

(End of this chapter)