Pokémon: Join Team Rocket at the Beginning

Chapter 844 Skunk Pfft

The once-cold blue mandarin oranges gradually softened and became sweet under the heat of the charcoal fire. The blue peel curled slightly, splitting open to reveal the warm, soft flesh inside. The flesh, initially hardened by the cold, was softened and delicious by the high temperature, like a sudden ray of sunshine on a winter's day. The juice hidden within the flesh was now moistened by the grilling; a gentle touch melted on the tongue, and the warmth of the charcoal fire and the freshness of the fruit slid down the throat, completely erasing any previous coldness or hardness.

Although it still didn't have much flavor, with "hunger" as the ultimate seasoning, Yang Ming and his Pokémon were very satisfied with their meal.

"One Blue Orange Berry is enough to provide energy for the whole morning. Even if we add the food intake of Clefairy and Gengar, we only need to consume nine Blue Orange Berry berries a day," Yang Ming thought to himself.

As for the red Gyarados, since it has such a huge appetite, Yang Ming decided to keep it in a Poké Ball most of the time to reduce unnecessary food consumption.

The Poké Ball has a perfect life support system; once a Pokémon enters the Poké Ball, its energy consumption is reduced to a minimum.

Legend has it that a trainer lost a Pokémon, and only found it in a Poké Ball in his basement six months later. The Pokémon was still alive and well.

Therefore, Yang Ming plans to keep Pokémon that cannot adapt to the Greenland climate in their Poké Balls until he returns to the modern world.

After eating and drinking his fill, Yang Ming was about to rest when he suddenly noticed dozens of pairs of eyes staring intently at him from a distance.

Enemy attack!

Yang Ming felt a chill run down his spine. At the same time, Clefairy and Gengar beside him also assumed battle stances.

The flickering embers of the firelight still lingered in the air, while eyes in the distant shadows, like cold stars, remained motionless around the camp. Yang Ming's palms were slightly sweaty, not from fear, but because the danger lurking in this unfamiliar land had finally bared its fangs.

Dozens of eyes moved slowly in the darkness, accompanied by low, rumbling sounds from deep throats. They drew closer, finally revealing themselves in the firelight—a pack of skunks, led by a massive tank skunk, surrounding them. Their round bodies cast swaying shadows in the firelight, their eyes reflecting a greedy yet wary light. The tank skunk stood at the forefront, its glands slightly bulging, clearly ready to release its poisonous mist.

Like Bibarel, Skunk is a very common Pokémon in the Sinnoh region. Unlike the gentle Bibarel, Skunk is quite territorial and aggressive, and always appears in groups led by its leader, Tank Skunk.

“The wounds on that big-toothed raccoon were probably caused by the skunk Pu,” Yang Ming thought to himself. “However, it must have been attacked by a lone skunk Pu, otherwise it would have had no chance of surviving.”

"Ow—"

The lead tank skunk let out a low growl, as if issuing some kind of command. A dozen or so skunks immediately arched their backs, and glands in their tails began to secrete a pungent odor—this was their poison gas attack.

"Clefairy, use the power of the moon! Gengar, use Thunderbolt!"

Before the skunks could even get ready, Yang Ming decisively launched an attack, intending to preemptively eliminate the group.

A silvery-white halo instantly gathered between Clefairy's palms, spreading out like moonlight ripples and enveloping the camp in a cool, luminous curtain. Almost simultaneously, Gengar opened its jaws wide, golden electricity crackling like a spiderweb as it swept towards the nearest skunks. *Poof!*

"Pfft—!" The skunk, struck by the electric current, screamed and rolled to the ground, the smell of burning flesh mixing with the already pungent poisonous gas.

With Gengar and Clefairy's strength, a dozen or so skunks were no match for them and were all wiped out in a matter of moments.

However, the ordeal didn't end there. Instead, the bodies of the defeated skunks began to swell rapidly, transforming in moments into nauseating purple balloons. The venom glands beneath their skin bulged dramatically, stretching their bodies to almost transparency, like strings of rotting fruit filled with poison hanging in the night.

Skunk Poo's special ability, Detonation: When a Skunk Poo is incapacitated or dies, its body rapidly expands, transforming into a bomb to damage its opponent.

"Picosie, use Protect!" Yang Ming shouted sharply.

boom! boom! boom!

A series of muffled explosions shattered the silence of the night. The skunks, swollen to their limit, burst open one after another, unleashing a thick, purple poisonous mist that surged towards Picoshi like a living tide. Wherever the mist passed, vegetation withered and charred instantly, even the campfire crackled and hissed, its flames rapidly dimming.

Fortunately, Picoxis used Protect in time, creating an energy shield that blocked the self-destruction.

Although the explosive power of the skunks was not great, there were many of them. When the explosions subsided, the scene that came into view was unbelievable to Yang Ming.

The remaining skunks, including the leader, Tank Skunk, suddenly rushed towards them amidst the smoke and dust from the explosion!

"This, this is impossible!"

Yang Ming was shocked. Logically speaking, wild Pokémon prioritize their own survival and the reproduction of their species. After his Pokémon displayed their strength, Tank Skunk and the Skunk Poo should have retreated and taken advantage of their companions' explosion to escape. Why did they charge forward at all costs? This almost suicidal behavior completely violated the survival logic of wild Pokémon!

In a flash, Yang Ming caught a glimpse of the Tank Skunk's eyes—not the usual wild light of greed or wariness, but a... chaotic crimson, with bloodshot whites and seemingly imperceptible black energy flowing deep within its pupils.

"Awooo—!!!"

Tank Skunk let out an even more ferocious roar, completely ignoring Clefairy's renewed Moonbeam and Gengar's Shadow Ball poised to strike from the flank. Its massive body, imbued with a resolute madness, charged straight at Yang Ming! The other Skunks followed fearlessly, their target exceptionally clear, as if driven by something.

"Gengar, use Focus Blast! Clefairy, use Dazzling Gleam!"

A pang of reluctance flashed through Yang Ming's heart, but in the end he still decided to be ruthless and eliminate the entire group of skunks.

Although the Tank Skunk and Skunk Poo attacked one after another, the difference in strength between them and Yang Ming's Pokémon was too great, and they were all defeated in just a short time.