Chapter 26: Team Rocket!

"This is actually quite interesting. Traditional Chinese medicine and items like charcoal can be used to boost a Pokémon's strength. So, what about other items? If I used something else, could I achieve the same effect?" Zhao Fang looked at the excited Charmander and smiled, patting its head. Charmander rubbed against his hand affectionately, though Zhao Fang couldn't help but feel a bit speechless as he glanced at its tail.

The little guy was sneaking in a workout while pretending to be cute. Zhao Fang could clearly see its tail curled around a small dumbbell, lifting it repeatedly. He had no choice but to pretend he didn't see it; Charmander was simply too stubborn. Despite being scolded countless times, it maintained an unwavering passion for training. This made Zhao Fang suspect that Gyarados had told Charmander something it shouldn't have—like how it practiced Iron Head back when it was still a Magikarp.

Zhao Fang set Charmander aside and took off his backpack. After testing the charcoal, a bold idea had taken root in his mind, one so exciting that his heart began to race, his breathing quickened, and he even reached for a tissue.

Of course, Zhao Fang wasn't thinking of anything inappropriate. He was thinking of the Giratina scale he had obtained back in the Sinnoh region.

Giratina, the incredibly powerful Legendary Pokémon, the master of the Distortion World, and a Ghost-type dragon. Before the release of Pokémon Sword and Shield, Giratina was the only Ghost-type dragon in the series. Since the Galar region's Dreepy was also a Ghost-type dragon, it had earned the nickname "Little Giratina."

The moment he obtained the scale, Zhao Fang had thought of Dreepy. Among all his current Pokémon, none was more suited for this treasure. However, the ominous warning of "world-ending danger" inscribed on it made him hesitant. Even now, he dared not let Dreepy wear it; if Dreepy became a puppet of Giratina, he wouldn't even know where to begin crying.

But while crafting the charcoal, a bold idea struck him: could this Giratina scale be used in the same way? Could he use a different method to let Dreepy absorb it, thereby enhancing its strength while avoiding the risks?

Thinking of this, Zhao Fang couldn't hold back. The idea was dangerous, but he felt it had potential. Carrying the Giratina scale on his person was a heavy burden; if he couldn't put it to good use, he felt it might as well have stayed buried in Mt. Coronet.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhao Fang took the box out of his bag, set up a pot, and began to boil water. He wanted to see if the Giratina scale could be used to make Pokémon food.

Once the water boiled, he opened the box and dropped the scale, which emitted a faint black mist, into the pot. Following his intuition, he added various seasonings and vegetables. This time, he decided to make boiled meat slices, one of his personal favorites.

As he took out the scale, he noticed Charmander’s expression turn to one of fear. It seemed the pressure exerted by the scale was indeed significant for Pokémon.

During the cooking process, Zhao Fang noticed something strange. Boiled meat slices should normally have a natural color; even if the surface looked red, it would just be from the chili. Yet, this dish turned completely black.

After poking around with his chopsticks for a while, he finally fished the scale out of the pot.

"Please forgive me, Lord Giratina. I’m sure a single scale of yours is no big deal," Zhao Fang said, wiping the scale—which showed no signs of damage—and placing it back in the box.

Looking at the finished dish, Zhao Fang placed his hand over it. Now was the time to see if his theory held up.

[A mediocre dish of boiled meat slices, imbued with a trace of Giratina's essence. Consuming it will increase the user's insight and understanding of Ghost and Dragon-type attributes.]

Seeing the familiar text box, a surge of ecstasy washed over Zhao Fang. The effect was incredible. If Dreepy ate it, it would deepen its understanding of Ghost and Dragon-type moves, meaning its strength would continue to grow.

Zhao Fang released Dreepy from its Poké Ball and served the dish. Dreepy was initially sleepy, but upon smelling the food, it woke up instantly. It devoured the meal, even drinking the broth, and then lay on the bed, looking perfectly content and stuffed.

Zhao Fang smiled with satisfaction. As long as the scale was useful, he could gradually consume it, and eventually, Dreepy would absorb all the energy from the scale, further increasing its power.

"Boss Giovanni, please take a look at this." In the Team Rocket secret base, a subordinate in uniform walked hurriedly into Giovanni’s room and handed him a stone tablet, which was flickering with a faint light.

"Oh? Isn't this the tablet discovered in the ruins earlier?" Giovanni rubbed his temples. They had been pursued by Red for some time now, and it was becoming a massive headache.

Before the subordinate could speak, Giovanni noticed the anomaly. The western side of the tablet was glowing, but the light quickly faded, and the tablet returned to its previous state.

"Forget it. Take this tablet and send someone to the Hoenn region to see if there’s something good there. I recall Jessie and James are still chasing after some rare Pokémon, aren't they? Tell them to stop and head to Hoenn immediately." Giovanni shook his head, not overly concerned, and handed the tablet back. He then remembered the trio and decided to assign them a mission.

Watching his subordinate leave, Giovanni sat back in his chair and stroked his Persian, his eyes dark. He thought back to being driven away by Red again.

Red was growing too fast. At this rate, he would reach the level of a Champion soon. But there was no need to worry; as soon as the Mewtwo project succeeded, Red and the League alike would both bow before Team Rocket.

"It won't be long now, Red."