I caught a Pokémon

After paying, Xia You said goodbye to Li Jia and left the perfume shop. She wanted to contact the handsome guy, but she couldn't get through to him on the phone.

Strange, didn't he say he would meet me after I arrived in Yuhong City?

However, considering his mysterious identity, Xia You didn't take it to heart.

Perhaps they are carrying out some kind of mission.

As the gym leader, since Rika is currently at the perfume shop, going to the Rainbow Gym would be futile; he simply cannot challenge her.

After a moment's thought, Xia You turned and headed towards Yuhong Game City.

Since I have nothing better to do, I might as well go there and kill some time.

Yuhong Game City is located in the southeast of the city. When Xia You actually saw it in person, she found that it was much larger than in the game. It not only had hotels and restaurants, but also a movie theater and a series of dance halls!

Inside the arcade, people were coming and going, including groups of young people and even many middle-aged people. Inside, there were claw machines, arcade games, slot machines, dance machines, balloon guns, pachinko machines, and many other types of games, making it a very lively place.

At the bar, he bought more than a dozen game tokens, but just as he was about to walk to the claw machine, his eyes were suddenly drawn to a stall next to him.

The owner of this stall was just an ordinary middle-aged man, but the goods he sold were rows and rows of Pokémon masks of different styles.

"Boss, how much is that mask?"

Xia You reached out and pointed to one of the Gengar masks, which was half-finished.

The upper half of this mask is identical to Gengar's deep purple face, covering most of the wearer's face, while the lower half is missing a piece, which exposes the wearer's mouth.

"You have a good eye, customer," the shop owner said. "This mask is my prized possession. It's very sturdy, and the eyes are made of glass, so your vision won't be obstructed at all. It usually sells for 300 yuan, but today it's on special for only 250 yuan."

“This number…” Xia You frowned and bargained, “Would you sell it for 100 yuan?”

"You're joking, customer. 250 yuan is already a very cheap price." The shop owner said sincerely, seemingly determined not to budge.

Xia You shook his head slightly, and used the same trick again, walking away without looking back. Seeing this, the shop owner hurriedly pulled him back.

"Alright, alright! I think we're destined to meet. How about you add a little more and I'll sell it to you for 150 yuan?"

Xia You chuckled inwardly; this trick really did work every time.

However, he remained unmoved, only taking out a hundred-yuan bill. Upon seeing this, the shop owner sighed, but still quickly took the bill and stuffed the mask into Xia You's hand.

His speed was so fast that Xia You couldn't help but wonder if even one hundred yuan was too high a price...

After leaving the stall, Xia You put the Gengar mask into her backpack and kept it safe.

Since revealing Zapdos at Silver Corporation, Xia You has clearly felt that showing his true face could easily cause unnecessary trouble. Although this mask is simple, it can effectively conceal his identity and greatly reduce the chances of him being exposed.

He took out his game tokens and put them into the claw machine. Just as he was concentrating on it, several pairs of eyes outside the arcade were fixed on him.

"Hey, are we really going to attack him?" Kojiro asked in a low voice, hiding in a phone booth. Naturally, Musashi and Meowth were always by his side.

“Of course, this is the boss’s order.” Musashi nodded. “Besides, we abandoned that brat and his Pikachu and rushed back to Celadon City, precisely for this person!”

“But…” Kojiro hesitated, “He’s such a good person. Didn’t he help us escape from the bottom of the sea last time? Wouldn’t it be considered ungrateful if we did this?”

"Idiot, we're bad guys! How could you say something like that!" Meow Meow jumped up and scratched Kojiro's face hard.

"Ouch! My face!" Kojiro collapsed in pain, but quickly got back up. "But where he is right now is the entrance to our secret base. Are we really going to operate here?"

"Of course we can't act here!" As the true leader of the trio, Musashi made a decision. "Let's wait until he leaves the arcade and then find an opportunity to strike!"

……

After enjoying herself at the arcade, Xia You, carrying her two plush toys as spoils, was about to leave when she suddenly received a message.

The message was sent by a handsome guy, but apart from a location, there wasn't a single other word.

What does this mean? Are we going to meet there?

With a sense of vigilance, Xia You followed the location and walked towards the edge of the city until she stopped in front of several warehouses next to the freight train station.

It was quiet here, not a soul in sight, and apart from the occasional freight train passing by, there was no other sound.

"Ghost, go check the area. Kirlia, stay alert."

Xia You gave a soft instruction and then put on the mask she had just bought.

I never expected that this mask, which I bought not long ago, would come in handy so soon!

Not long after, Gastly returned and shook its head at Xia You.

"There's no ambush here, but there's a seriously injured person in that warehouse up ahead!"

A person who was seriously injured?

Xia You was taken aback, knowing that Ghost had never seen a handsome man before and did not know what he looked like, so she nodded and followed its guidance, and soon arrived at the door of a dilapidated warehouse.

The warehouse door was damaged and the iron gate was ajar. To his surprise, there was a pool of blood that stretched from the outside of the iron gate all the way in.

The bloodstain was unusually conspicuous, and the strong smell of blood seemed to be telling a story.

Chapter 51 Team Rocket's Attack

Xia You walked into the warehouse and saw the handsome man lying half-reclined on the ground behind a few boxes of goods at the very back.

His appearance at this moment was quite miserable. He was not only seriously injured, but blood was still seeping from his bandaged abdomen, staining his suit red.

Upon seeing the mask on Xia You's face, the handsome man was initially startled, but after seeing Kirlia beside him, he quickly calmed down, and a slight smile finally appeared on his weak and haggard face.

"You...you've finally arrived...cough cough..."

Xia You hurriedly took out some medicine and sprayed it on his wound.

As a qualified trainer, he already kept all kinds of medicines, including wound medicine, antidote, burn medicine, and anesthetic medicine, in his backpack so that he wouldn't be helpless in situations like this.

"How did you get so badly injured?"

Ignoring the blood on her hands, Xia You frowned and took out her own bandages to re-bandage the handsome man's abdomen.

Although it was the first time he had ever seen so much blood, he endured the pungent smell of blood and discomfort, and patiently completed the bandaging at this critical moment of life and death.

"We were ambushed and caught off guard." The handsome man's lips were already pale, but he endured the pain and released his two Pokémon as well. "They're injured too, so I'm counting on you!"

His freak and Growlithe were also in terrible condition, not only covered in wounds but also poisoned!

Xia You took out the antidote and gently fed it to them. After bandaging their wounds, she put them back into their Poké Balls.

While these medications can provide temporary relief, a full recovery requires further treatment from a professional. Compared to the outside world, the Poké Ball is not only safer, but it also allows them to rest properly and prevents their injuries from worsening.

Xia You took out a water bottle and gave the handsome guy some water. Seeing that his complexion had eased slightly, Xia You asked, "Who on earth attacked so hard? Team Rocket?"

"Who else could it be but them?" After taking the medicine, the handsome guy was much better, at least he was no longer bleeding. "However, unlike the ordinary team members, the people who attacked me this time were the elite force of Team Rocket. They called themselves the True Bird Matrix and were an extremely troublesome bunch. It took me a lot of effort to shake them off."

A real bird matrix!?

Xia You pondered for a moment, then shook her head.

He seemed to have heard the name before, but he couldn't recall the specific details.

"I'll take you to the Pokémon Center first."

"No!" the handsome guy said weakly. "Those people are still looking for me everywhere, and Team Rocket has spies all over the city. As soon as I show my face, they will definitely find me."

"Then what do you want to do?" Xia You asked.

The handsome man glanced back, as if he had already planned his escape route: "The freight train station is just behind here. I just counted, and a train passes by almost every ten minutes. I plan to take the train and leave this city first."

After a moment's thought, Xia You offered her suggestion: "I feel it would be safer to have your colleague pick you up, or to call the police."

"Forget it." The handsome guy gave a wry smile. "This city has been run by Team Rocket for many years. Who knows if there are any of their moles among the police? It's too risky. I've already contacted headquarters. Even if they send someone, it will take some time."

Although Xia You was still a little worried, since the handsome guy had already made his decision, she couldn't say anything more.

He helped the handsome man up and was about to leave the warehouse when, amidst a woman's wild laughter, two people suddenly jumped in through the window!

"Hooray..." Musashi said with a smug look on his face, "That kid over there, after following you for so long, we've finally found our chance!"

"Musashi!?" Xia You became wary. "Why are you coming to find me instead of dealing with Ash?"

"Of course, I'm here on the boss's orders to eliminate you! Don't think I won't recognize you just because you're wearing a mask! Go, Arbok!"

As Musashi spoke, she threw out her Poké Ball. After a long while, she still didn't hear Kojiro agree. She became furious, grabbed his collar, and shook him back and forth: "Idiot, stop hesitating and hurry up and do it."

Kojiro, left with no other choice, could only release his own Pokémon, saying hesitantly, "Go, Koffing..."

Looking at the big "R" on their chests, the handsome guy shook his head helplessly: "I didn't expect that even you would be targeted by them."

Xia You couldn't help but sigh. Although he had made preparations to oppose the Rockets, he didn't expect things to happen so quickly.

Although the two Rockets players had interacted with Xia You before, they had never fought against him, so they were naturally unaware of Xia You's strength.

However, Xia You didn't have time to deal with them right now, so she threw two Poké Balls from her waist.

"Charmander, Squirtle! I'm leaving this place to you two, we're off!"

"Trying to leave?" Meow Meow suddenly appeared out of nowhere, blocking Xia You's path. "Behold my chaotic claw attack!"

As she spoke, Meow Meow leaped forward, her two claws gleaming coldly, and scratched at Xia You's face!

"Well done! Meow!" Musashi exclaimed in delight. However, as soon as she finished speaking, Meow's body seemed to hit an invisible wall, paused briefly in mid-air, and then flew backward like a cannonball, smashing several wooden crates in succession!

Kirullian slowly lowered her arm, her eyes fixed on Meowth.

"Damn it!" Musashi clenched his fists and shouted, "Arbok! Gas bomb! Don't just stand there, attack now!"

Upon hearing the command, the two Pokémon unleashed their moves, but the next second, Charmander and Squirtle blocked them with Water Gun and Ember!

Taking this opportunity, Xia You led the handsome man out of the warehouse through the back door and onto the railway tracks.

Just as he was about to put the handsome guy aside, a rocket suddenly flew over at an extremely high speed!

In the blink of an eye, Xia You, being an ordinary human, didn't even have time to react. At this critical moment, he and the handsome man were suddenly enveloped by a strange wind and flew to the side, dodging the attack.

The explosion resounded throughout the entire freight train station, and shrapnel and debris flew in all directions, only to be blocked by the strange wind.

"Oh? You actually dodged it? How did you manage that?"

A deep voice came from the rooftop next to them. Xia You looked up and saw five men and women wearing berets and black Team Rocket uniforms standing there, staring at them coldly.

Looking at the Rocket team members whose demeanor was unusual, Xia You asked in a deep voice, "Who are you!?"

"That's right, you should introduce yourselves, so you won't be wondering who killed you on your way to the underworld!" The leader was a burly man with an eyepatch over his right eye. He grinned menacingly, "My name is Goz, and we are the elite force under Miss True Bird of Team Rocket—the True Bird Matrix!"

Chapter 52 True Bird Matrix

"You guys are the Real Bird Matrix!?"

As Xia You spoke, she glanced back at the handsome man and saw him nod slightly, knowing that things had become even more complicated.

"Using rockets, you really have no martial ethics."

“We’re bad guys, completing the mission is our primary objective.” Goz crossed his arms and smiled at the handsome man. “But I really didn’t expect you to be hiding here. We originally just wanted to follow those two idiots and see what they were up to sneakily. We didn’t expect such an unexpected surprise!”

"Hey! You idiot! Who are you calling a moron!?" Behind them, Kojiro and Jessie, along with Meowth and their Pokémon, fled hastily from the warehouse and overheard this.

However, the two of them were in a terrible state at the moment. Not only were they soaking wet, but much of their hair was also singed.

Following them were Kirlia, Charmander, and Squirtle, who hurriedly chased after them from the warehouse.

Musashi then pointed at Goz and shouted, "Ah! I remember you! Aren't you the henchmen of that guy with the watermelon-shaped glasses? Damn it, how dare you follow us!"

"Watermelon rind glasses!?" Goz's face darkened. "You've got some nerve to call Miss True Bird that."

"Enough with the nonsense!" Musashi shouted. "This man is our target; you can't interfere!"

"Oh? Your target?" Goz's gaze lingered on Xia You's mask for a long time before he suddenly realized, "So that's it, he's Xia You! That's great, now that the two of them are together, it saves us the time of searching, and we can catch them all in one fell swoop!"

"What did you say?" Kojiro asked incredulously. "You dare disobey the boss's orders and steal our prey!?"

"Idiot." Goz pulled out a Poké Ball and threw it on the ground. "As long as this is resolved, the leader won't care who did the mission! Go, Aggron!"

With a flash of blue light, a large Pokémon appeared in the arena, with three sharp horns on its head, a tail as thick as steel, and its entire body covered in hard armor.

As soon as Aggron appeared, it roared to the sky, letting out a deafening roar!

The remaining four members of the True Bird Matrix also released their Pokémon one by one.

"Come out, Poison Skull Frog!"

"Dong Shi Meow! Show yourself!"

"It's up to you now, Tank Skunk!"

"Crush them, Super Armored Rhinoceros!"