Ash and the others still had no idea that they had already fallen into Team Rocket’s trap. As they headed to the banquet venue, sure enough, once again failing to learn their lesson, they were tricked by Team Rocket disguised as staff members, who stole Togepi away.
Because of this, Ash and the others chased them all the way into Mirage Kingdom’s territory, arriving before the royal palace, where they confronted the Team Rocket trio in a fury.
“Team Rocket, it really is you again!!”
Seeing Colonel Hansen holding Togepi, along with the Team Rocket trio beside him, Misty’s expression turned extremely ugly, and she spoke with a face full of anger.
“Team Rocket! You’re awful,” Max shouted.
“Give Togepi back!!”
Faced with Ash and the others’ shouting, Colonel Hansen also looked very displeased, scrutinizing James and the others.
“Idiots, didn’t I tell you? I only wanted Togepi. What did you bring its Trainer here for!”
“Well… we weren’t paying attention, and they followed us here,” Jessie said awkwardly, rubbing her hands ingratiatingly. In her heart, however, she had already cursed Colonel Hansen hundreds of times. If it weren’t for the fact that you still haven’t paid, I wouldn’t bother wasting words with you.
“Never mind.” Colonel Hansen turned his head, looked at Misty, and snorted coldly. “You’re Togepi’s Trainer, aren’t you? From today onward, this Togepi is mine. Afterward, I’ll give you sufficient compensation, so for now, please leave the kingdom.”
“Are you trying to fool a child?” Misty stepped forward. Putting aside whether what the other party said was true or not, she had no intention whatsoever of giving Togepi to him.
“I don’t care who you are, but you stole my, Misty’s, Pokémon. I won’t accept it!!” After saying that, Misty took out a Poké Ball, already prepared to battle.
In the Kanto Region, although Cerulean Gym was not particularly strong, its status was among the foremost of the Kanto Gyms. Now that Misty had become the Gym Leader, Cerulean Gym was no longer what it once was. With Misty’s temperament, it was even more impossible for her to tolerate being bullied by some inexplicable independent kingdom. Colonel Hansen might have been dressed in luxurious clothes, but Misty did not take him seriously at all.
“Misty, we’ll help you.” Ash and the others also took out their Poké Balls, their eyes fixed tightly on the three Pokémon behind Colonel Hansen.
Two Ninjask and one Shedinja.
Very quickly, the atmosphere here became charged with tension.
Under the tense atmosphere, the gazes of both sides began to turn solemn. But at this moment, a laugh suddenly rang out.
Terrance walked in front, while Princess Sara, holding Togepi, followed behind him. After the two came out of Togepi Paradise, they heard the commotion over here and immediately rushed over.
“Colonel, what have you done!” Princess Sara looked at Colonel Hansen, who was holding Togepi, and the conjecture in her mind was immediately confirmed. She looked at him with some anger.
At the same time, upon seeing Princess Sara holding Togepi, Colonel Hansen’s expression instantly sank.
“You two, seize that Togepi for me as well, quickly!!” Seeing that the princess had also obtained a Togepi, Colonel Hansen was burning with anxiety and began ordering the Team Rocket trio. However, after a while, he suddenly sensed that something was wrong, because there was not the slightest movement beside him.
Ash and the others were also very astonished, not understanding why the Team Rocket trio had suddenly turned around just now and fled as if they had gone mad.
At this moment, James and the others had already run far away, drenched in sweat. As they ran, Meowth was still muttering, “That old guy is finished. He definitely doesn’t know Terrance’s identity. If we keep hanging around with him, we’ll definitely get killed.”
“Then what do we do next?” James said nervously. He did not want to face Terrance either.
“No way. Team Rocket never does business at a loss. Follow me, meow.”
The Team Rocket trio’s escape was only a small interlude. Seeing that there was no one around him he could use, Colonel Hansen cursed in a low voice, “Useless,” then looked toward Terrance and Ash’s group again with ill intent.
As he shouted, quite a few guards quickly surged out from the surroundings.
“You’re the princess, yet these guards still listen to that person even with you here. Aren’t you doing a little too poorly?” Seeing this scene, Terrance turned around his head and looked at Princess Sara strangely.
“I don’t know.” Princess Sara shook her head in panic, somewhat unsure how to face the situation before her.
At this moment, however, unlike Princess Sara, Ash and the others suddenly relaxed after seeing Terrance.
“Ninjask, Shedinja, seize that Togepi!” Since the matter had already been exposed, Colonel Hansen no longer intended to hide anything and directly launched an attack, targeting Princess Sara behind Terrance.
The instant Colonel Hansen spoke, Terrance gathered his psychic power, his gaze locked firmly on the incoming phantom. He deliberately shifted half a step to the side, allowing Ninjask to graze his shoulder.
Terrance nearly being injured caused Ash and the others, as well as Princess Sara, to turn pale with shock. At the same time, faced with the bizarre speed of Colonel Hansen’s Pokémon, Princess Sara’s Togepi was snatched away almost instantly.
“Hmph, so that’s all.” Seeing that he had obtained Togepi so easily, Colonel Hansen laughed loudly.
After this, there would be no one who could threaten him in obtaining the throne.
“Hey, I’m saying… aren’t you celebrating a little too early?”
Amid Colonel Hansen’s loud laughter, Terrance rubbed the shoulder that had just been grazed and revealed a faint smile. “I originally didn’t want to interfere in your kingdom’s domestic affairs…”
“But…”
After Terrance said this, Colonel Hansen had yet to react, but his next sentence completely stunned Colonel Hansen, as well as Princess Sara behind him.
“Even if you are a member of an autonomous nation, openly attacking an Elite Four of the League and stealing a Gym Leader’s Pokémon is truly an unforgivable crime!”
“Ninetales, use Blizzard!”
Terrance said coldly, directly throwing out a Poké Ball. As a light flashed, a surge of ice energy instantly turned into a gale and howled in all directions. Almost in an instant, the Ninjask whose speed was so fast it was difficult to see, along with Colonel Hansen and the legs of all his subordinates, were all frozen into ice, unable to move.
At this moment, the garden was exceptionally cold. Seeing Terrance make his move, Ash and the others all looked sympathetically at Colonel Hansen, who had already been scared witless.
After easily dealing with Colonel Hansen, Terrance felt somewhat pleased. Since he had been attacked, he now had a reason to intervene in Mirage Kingdom’s political affairs. Using this as a pretext, even conducting a detailed investigation of Togepi Paradise would not be difficult.
This Colonel Hansen really was his lucky star.
“League’s… Elite Four?”
At this moment, Princess Sara was still immersed in the identity Terrance had revealed, somewhat at a loss.
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