I caught a Pokémon

Now that they're in such a favorable balance, how could the three of them possibly go against Xia You?

Hmph, only a fool would do that!

Are you sending us to our deaths?

Then if we cheat you, there's no room for negotiation!

Chapter 854 What kind of trouble are they up to now?

Harry took out a Poké Ball and handed his Dreamy Cactus and Cursed Doll to Jessie.

At the same time, Musashi and Kojiro also handed Meow Meow over to Harry.

However, saying it was handed over isn't entirely accurate, since Meow Meow herself walked up to Harry with a smile on her face.

Although the plan was going so smoothly, Harry was not careless. He knew that these guys had a criminal record and had deceived him before. So, to prevent Meow Meow from escaping, Harry found a rope somewhere and tied Meow Meow up tightly, holding one end of the rope in his hand.

After doing all this, both parties nodded in satisfaction.

"Well then, I'll be looking forward to your performance tomorrow morning."

"Don't worry, leave it to us! I guarantee we'll beat that little girl!"

Seeing Jessie pat her chest and give her assurance, Harry was clearly confident in his own Pokémon. He waved to Jessie, then, without further hesitation, took Meowth and turned to leave.

Watching his retreating figure, holding two Poké Balls, Jessie and Kojiro exchanged glances again and couldn't help but chuckle.

Musashi chuckled, "We didn't do anything, yet we got two Pokémon. Today is truly our lucky day!"

"That's right," Kojiro laughed. "And these two Pokémon are this idiot's main Pokémon, you know. I can't believe we got them so easily, it's such a steal! By the way, what about Meowth?"

"Don't worry, I've already told it, it will find a chance to escape on its own!"

"So, are we still going to participate in the competition?"

"Of course I'm participating!" Musashi flashed his signature smile, grinning widely. "With such a great opportunity, I must first use these two Pokémon to win the tournament! Then I'll escape with them and hand them over to the boss!"

Leaving aside the deal between Team Rocket and Harry, Xia You and Xiao Yao left the main entrance of the Woodcraft Conference and arrived at a wide open space to the side.

Now that we've registered and confirmed the stage, the next step is naturally to start targeted practice.

Although it was supposed to be an open space, it was packed with trainers practicing with their Pokémon, leaving them no room to stand. With no other option, Xia You and Xiao Yao walked a long way before finally finding a secluded spot.

Perhaps feeling immense pressure from so many competitors, May didn't use a new lineup like Eevee and Squirtle this time, but instead cautiously brought out her Powerpuff.

It seems that this is the starter Pokémon she trusts the most.

Xia You found a chair, sat down, and leisurely watched Xiao Yao's practice. However, after watching for a while, he shook his head helplessly.

It turns out that his mental fortitude wasn't up to par.

With more players and the recent sighting of Harry, Haruka made a series of mistakes, especially in her coordination with Power Chicken!

This is just private practice; who knows how it will turn out in the official competition tomorrow.

"Let's stop for a moment..."

Xia You waved and stopped Xiao Yao's practice, calling her over to him.

Xiaoyao naturally realized that there was something wrong with her mindset, and couldn't help but smile sheepishly.

"Relax, don't let these people affect you." Xia You had no other choice but to try to ease Xiao Yao's tension with words. "Actually, if you think about it carefully, if they really had the ability, like Harry, these people would have collected all five ribbon medals long ago. The fact that they can still participate in this conference now just means that they are not strong enough. Moreover, as long as you can pass the first round of review smoothly, I believe that with your strength, no one will be your match."

It must be said that Xia You is indeed good at comforting people.

If it were Ash and his friends, they would at most cheer for May, but Xia You didn't do that. Instead, she looked at the problem from a different perspective, which touched May's heart.

Indeed, just as Xia You said, apart from a few individuals who missed other competitions due to their own reasons, most of the participants were people who had been eliminated in other competitions.

Since I've already been eliminated once, what do I have to be afraid of?

After figuring this out, Xiaoyao found herself much calmer, and even her hands and legs weren't shaking as much anymore.

"Thank you, Brother Xia You. I'm much better now."

Taking a deep breath, May returned to the lawn with her Powerpuff. This time, with the help of Powerpuff, she made no mistakes, and everything went smoothly again, as if she had returned to the state she had in the previous Grand Festivals.

……

The practice time was so intense and fleeting, it passed in the blink of an eye. By the time Xiaoyao came to her senses, it was already completely dark.

After a good night's rest at the Pokémon Center, the Pygmy Wood Conference was held as scheduled the next morning.

Audiences poured into the venue from all directions.

Xia You followed the flow of people and sat down in the audience.

The host of this conference was still Lillian, and the judges were still the same three familiar faces.

If nothing unexpected happens, the same team might still be used for the grand celebration.

However, no one said anything. After all, both the host and the referee were indeed professional and authoritative, and very popular. If they were replaced one day, it would make people feel uncomfortable.

After Lillian finished her energetic opening remarks, the competition officially began.

It was at this moment that people realized just how many participants there were in this conference. Just as Xia You had thought, apart from the smaller venue, the number of participants was no less than that of the grand conferences held in large cities.

Conversely, the skill levels of these people vary greatly.

Not everyone has the ability to win. In fact, most contestants may not be able to win a single ribbon medal even after a year of participating in various grand events. But for that dream that seems so close yet so far away, countless people still flock to various venues one after another.

In addition, this was the last event before the grand celebration, which resulted in a wide range of skill levels among the contestants. Those with high skill levels naturally received very high scores and demonstrated a high level of expertise, while those with low skill levels made frequent mistakes, which was both funny and absurd to watch.

The contestants went on and off the stage one by one, and regardless of their performance, they certainly heated up the atmosphere.

It was under these circumstances that Haruka entered the game.

Just like during practice, Haruka's performance partner was naturally her strong chicken.

And perhaps because she had adjusted her mindset, Xiaoyao performed exceptionally well in this performance, and her stage presence clearly reached a new level.

Not only did it perfectly catch all the frisbees during the frisbee catching segment, showcasing its skill, but it also created a huge firestorm on the stage with a flame vortex, demonstrating the beauty of its moves to the audience. Finally, Combustion's entire body rose into the air from the flames, giving a magnificent finale.

The hall erupted in applause.

People were amazed by the Mighty Chicken's cool performance and gave it their loudest cheers and applause.

Unlike the audience's excitement, Harry in the stands had a terribly gloomy expression.

He really didn't expect Xiaoyao to be in such good spirits today!

Such a performance would earn a high score even in a grand celebration, and it would elevate the contestants by half a level compared to other participants!

hateful!

He was furious and instinctively clenched his fists.

How could this be?

Shouldn't she be nervous in such a situation?

How come they performed even better?

There's nothing else Harry can do now but pin his hopes on Jessie, hoping she can use her Pokémon to deliver an even better performance and outshine May!

What Harry found equally puzzling was that when he was communicating with the Rockets trio, he had discussed countermeasures with those two, and the man named Kojiro had even patted his chest and guaranteed that he would do something to sabotage Haruka's match. So why hadn't he made a move yet?

They haven't forgotten that they still have hostages in their hands, have they?

Just as Harry was frowning, completely baffled...

In a warehouse not far from the venue, something similar was happening.

At this moment, Meowth was bound hand and foot to a pillar, while in front of it, Harry's Ariadne hung quietly on a spider web, silently watching over it.

Since yesterday, after being tied up with ropes by Ha and brought to this warehouse, Meow Meow has been thinking about when to escape.

The timing of their escape is crucial; too early or too late can significantly impact their plans.

If they do it too early, Harry will become aware of it and naturally go looking for Musashi and Kojiro. At that point, their attempt to take away the Dream Song Cactus and the Cursed Doll will undoubtedly fail.

If it gets too late, Harry will realize that Musashi isn't going after Xiaoyao and Xia You as he expected, and will eventually come looking for trouble for them.

Therefore, the timing is extremely important.

As for whether he can escape?

As the most cunning and intelligent member of Team Rocket, all I can say is that Harry underestimated himself!

In front of Ariados, Meowth remained outwardly calm, but the sharp claws of its paws, which were tied behind its back, had already extended!

Just then, enthusiastic shouts came from the venue in the distance, making Miaomiao realize that her chance had come.

It whistled towards the outside of the warehouse, and soon after, there was a sound coming from the warehouse door.

Almost simultaneously, Ariadne also climbed down from the spider web and nervously looked toward the door.

But the next second, as the warehouse door was opened, a blue, seemingly harmless Wobbuffet poked half its body inside.

“so nan su~”

Sure enough, Weng gave Ariados an apologetic smile, still with that憨憨 (simple and honest) look, and just rubbed his smooth head without making any other movements.

This puzzled Ariados greatly.

It instinctively sensed that something was wrong.

Just as Ariados was about to drive away this uninvited guest who had inexplicably intruded, he suddenly heard a whooshing sound coming from behind him!

It hurriedly turned around and saw that the talking cat had somehow broken free of its rope and was already standing in front of it with its paws raised!

Perhaps it was because the footsteps were too light and the movements too cautious.

Alethos only realized this now, but it was too late.

Without any chance to react, it was caught by Meowth's sharp claws and knocked down. However, Meowth did not press its advantage. Instead, the moment Ariados fell, it and the Wobbuffet made a quick escape!

When Ariados got up and chased after them out of the warehouse, they had vanished without a trace!

Harry was completely unaware of what had happened in the warehouse; at that moment, he was waiting for Jessie and his Pokémon to put on a spectacular performance.

After Haruka left the stage, more than a dozen contestants came on stage, and finally it was Musashi's turn to perform.

Harry instinctively sat up straight and stared intently at the scene.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! Welcome to the magnificent stage of the world's super idol, Fairy Musashi Bian!"

Upon her entrance, Musashi waved to the audience with an air of elegance. With her butterfly mask, shawl, red dress, and white gloves, her fairy-like Musashi Bian look exuded queenly aura.

Judging from her appearance alone, she is far superior to those Coordinators who come to the competition in their everyday clothes, and she is a sight to behold for the audience.

Although people had never heard of the fairy Musashi Bian before, now that they have met her, they are willing to believe that she is indeed a world-class idol.

Just like when Harry first met Musashi, didn't he immediately believe in her identity when he saw her deceptively charming outfit and her confident demeanor?

Throughout the entire event, only Xia You clapped her hands lightly with a blank expression, a stark contrast to the cheering audience around her.

Of course, it wasn't that he was trying to be special or putting on airs; he simply knew Musashi's identity all along, and was both helpless and speechless at Musashi's presence here.

How did she suddenly appear when Ash wasn't even around?

Is this stage even more alluring to her than Pikachu? So much so that she temporarily gave up on pursuing Ash?

Moreover, with Musashi participating, regardless of the process, he's bound to cause some trouble in the end, adding even more uncertainty to this already spectacular tournament.

Even so, Xia You still clapped, which can be considered as acknowledging Musashi's stage talent.

What Xia You didn't expect was that when Jessie released her Pokémon, it wasn't her own lineup, but Harry's Dream Song Cactus!

It's no wonder Xia You was able to recognize the Dream Song Cactus at a glance.

Because of his understanding of Musashi and Harry, and the fact that the two of them were here at the same time, it was hard for him not to connect the two and know that they must be up to something.

It's not hard to guess that Musashi's goal is definitely to win this tournament and take the last ribbon medal.

As for Harry, he could only have one goal—Wakana!

Chapter 855 The Show Begins

Musashi and the giant cactus's performance began.

Right from the start, the Dream Song Cactus used its spiky arms and Iaijutsu to demonstrate its superb skills to the audience, cutting a long white radish into the shape of a tower.

Well, this move is similar to the one Xiaoyao and Lizhuangji used to catch the frisbee, showcasing Dream Song Cactus's superb individual skills. This performance earned Dream Song Cactus rounds of applause.