"I will definitely make Psyduck very cute—cuter than Pikachu—and surprise you," Misty declared confidently.
"Psyduck, come here!" Misty called, and Psyduck obediently followed her out.
"Do both the external and internal need to change? Ever since that shop became a trend, I've completely lost confidence in my own methods," Xiaoxue sighed.
"This attitude of yours is wrong," Brock suddenly stood up and said sternly. "Let's move forward on the path we believe in!"
"Exactly! Xiaoxue, we'll help you too! Right, Alex?" Ash said, clenching his fist.
"Mm." Alex nodded in agreement.
"Thank you so much, but what should we do?" Xiaoxue asked, looking confused.
"It's simple! If they win with a gorgeous appearance, we'll win with inner beauty," Brock said confidently.
"The Pokémon care lecture is here! Everyone, please line up—no pushing!" Brock introduced, holding a microphone.
"Pokémon are our very important companions. If they get injured in an intense battle, you can try giving them a massage like this," Xiaoxue demonstrated with Pikachu, who looked utterly blissful.
Brock helped Xiaoxue organize a lecture on how to care for Pokémon, and everyone who attended seemed to benefit greatly.
Slowly, the shop where Misty had been waiting became empty.
"Ah, it's the young lady I met at Xiaoxue's place! Aren't you going over? This is Xiaoxue's first lecture! The explanation on how to care for Pokémon is truly wonderful!" a Chansey Trainer said to Misty.
"Just talking about this Pikachu, he is currently on a leisure trip with this Trainer," the trainer continued.
"Pikachu's most important part during battle is the electric sacs on his cheeks, so his cheeks are the stiffest part. Ash, please massage Pikachu according to the method I just showed you."
Ash listened and began to massage Pikachu.
"This kind of skin-to-skin communication builds trust with Pokémon. This way, the Pokémon's charm can naturally be stimulated," Xiaoxue explained, looking at everyone.
"Of course, each Pokémon has different charms, and how much charm can be brought out depends on the Breeders' abilities," Alex added from the side.
At that moment, many attendees looked down at their elaborately dressed Pokémon and sighed.
"This is called Squirtle Shell New Wave Art. Please promote it well for us; we beg you," Jessie said, drawing roses on Squirtle's shell.
"It turns out we also have artistic talent; an inexhaustible source of inspiration. I'm so afraid of myself!" James said narcissistically.
"Next!"
"Only one person?" Meowth asked, looking at the door in confusion.
"It's okay, it's okay; only those who truly understand our aesthetic need to stay."
"Yes, true beauty is only understood by those who appreciate it."
"Please excuse me~" Misty said, pushing open the door.
As soon as they saw Misty, Team Rocket pushed her into the dressing room and began to apply makeup.
"Wow, I knew I was the cutest!" Misty said happily, admiring her outfit.
"Stop messing around! Hurry up and ask about the whereabouts of Haunter and Pikachu," Meowth urged anxiously.
"You're Team Rocket's Meowth!" Misty exclaimed in surprise.
At that moment, Jessie and James tied Misty up, but Psyduck managed to escape.
Psyduck ran all the way to Xiaoxue's shop and began to call out anxiously to Alex and the others.
"What's wrong, Psyduck? Is Misty in some danger?" Alex asked, frowning.
Psyduck nodded and led Alex and the others outside.
The group rushed to Team Rocket's shop entrance. After pushing the door open, they saw Misty tied to a chair.
"Alex! Ash! Brock!" Misty exclaimed in surprise.
"That face is…" The three of them struggled to suppress their laughter after seeing Misty's makeup.
"Untie Misty quickly!" they urged fiercely after composing themselves.
"Why the fierce expressions? We are simply pursuing beauty," Jessie said with a sly smile.
"Pursuing beauty? This is just your arrogance."
"Pokémon have their own unique charm, don't you understand?" Xiaoxue said angrily, holding Vulpix.
"You two, stop talking nonsense, meow. The first step of our plan is to extort money from Trainers by any means necessary, meow."
"In the second step, those foolish Trainers will naturally bring many Pokémon, and if we encounter rare ones, we can steal them on the spot."
"What?" Many Trainers watching the commotion outside began to murmur among themselves.
"We'll use this little girl, who will make Pikachu and Haunter sparkle with charm, to exchange for the two of them. What do you say?" Jessie said, pressing down on Misty after speaking.
"In that case, let's have a Pokémon battle," Alex said, twisting his neck.
"Oh ho ho! You're too strong; we naturally can't beat you, so you just stay put!" Suddenly, a cage descended, trapping Alex inside.
"Despicable!" Alex spat.
"Pikachu, Geodude, go!" Ash and Brock stepped forward.
"Thunder Shock!"
"Seismic Toss!"
Ekans was picked up by Seismic Toss, and as it fell, it curled into a ball and rolled, using Rollout to repel Pikachu.
Pikachu's Thunder Shock was deflected by Koffing and Ekans, who spun around, using their insulating outfits to block it.
"Koffing, Sludge Attack!" Koffing spat sludge, which landed directly on Pikachu and Geodude's faces. Just as they were about to press their advantage, Xiaoxue stepped forward.
"Leave this to me," Xiaoxue declared heroically. "I will no longer run away. I want you to know that if you blindly pursue outward appearance, you will miss the true charm of Pokémon."
"Whether it's a Pokémon or an actress, the most important thing is the face," Jessie laughed.
"Vulpix, surround them with Fire Spin!"
Vulpix's eyes suddenly changed from blue to red, and then it unleashed an intense flame from its mouth, forming a vortex that spun around and rushed toward Team Rocket's storefront.
At this moment, Alex had Haunter break the cage and sent Team Rocket flying with a dozen powerful Energy Balls.
"Hmph, they dared to ambush me," Alex said, shaking his head.
"Everyone saw that, right? This is the hidden charm behind a Pokémon's strength," Brock said to the surrounding Trainers.
After hearing this, everyone began removing the decorations from their Pokémon.
Back at Xiaoxue's shop, she said, "Thank you all! Because of you, I now have confidence again."
"As soon as I saw you, I felt inspired to work hard!" Xiaoxue said to Brock.
"To be shaken by such a small matter means that my learning ability is insufficient. I still need to work harder to improve my skills, so I'm not qualified to teach you at all!" Xiaoxue said with a smile.
"Are you also going on a journey, Xiaoxue?" Alex inquired.
"Staying here, you won't see many things. I hope you and Brock can travel well. From now on, we are rivals!" Xiaoxue said, shaking Brock's hand.
At that moment, Vulpix walked over and rubbed against Brock's legs.
"I'll leave Vulpix to you. Do you know? This is the first time Vulpix has been so close to a stranger," Xiaoxue said gently, looking at Vulpix.
"I think you can definitely raise Vulpix even better than it is now."
"Good luck, Brock!" Alex said to Brock, who was saying goodbye to Xiaoxue.
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