Unless they could provide them with more funding to develop an upgraded version of their machine.
"Sorry, Meowth, we're closing up shop," Meowth quickly turned its head, as Jessie and James also turned swiftly, ready to slip away at once.
Fang Yuan and Eevee looked at them as if they were idiots.
"I remember you're called Team Rocket, right?" Fang Yuan began, "Thieves, or wanted criminals... should I contact Miss Jucha and have you sent to the police station...?"
The next second, the trio dropped their drinks and sprinted like mad.
But...
They hadn't made it two steps before they were frozen in place by Eevee's telekinetic powers.
Confusion??
Tears streamed down the faces of Jessie, James, and Meowth. What was happening? Wasn't there just an Eevee by his side?
Why could Eevee use telekinesis?!
"I told you that Eevee was worth capturing... its rarity definitely isn't inferior to Pikachu," Jessie said.
"We can't move..." James whimpered.
"It's all your fault, couldn't you have checked who the mark was carefully before picking a target...!" Jessie was extremely annoyed.
"I don't want to go to jail anymore, meow," Meowth cried, knowing that even if it was imprisoned, Giovanni Boss could bail them out, but such incidents would lower their standing in his eyes.
The psyche of the Team Rocket Trio gradually crumbled.
"Forget it! I won't call the cops. Is there a good restaurant nearby you'd recommend? Take me there."
Fang Yuan walked over to the trio and said with a smile.
They were "old friends" after all. Wasn't it more harmonious to eat a meal together rather than fighting upon meeting?
At the same time, Eevee dispelled its telekinetic hold, and due to inertia, the trio fell flat on their faces.
"Uh, a restaurant?" On the ground, the trio looked utterly clueless.
Eevee: ╰（‵□′）╯Bwoo!!!
Hurry up and lead the way! To a place with lots of desserts!
"Yes, sir!!!" The trio looked at Fang Yuan and the menacing Eevee with trepidation.
......
Half an hour later.
After a voracious meal, Fang Yuan and Eevee decided to pay the bill.
"Thank you for dining, the total is..." The restaurant waiter approached with a smile, holding a stack of bills.
"They're treating," Fang Yuan wiped his mouth, pointing to the silent Jessie, James, and Meowth sitting opposite him.
"What!!! You ate so much and you want us to treat you?"
The sullen Team Rocket Trio, with Jessie being the most quick-tempered, exploded with anger.
Did he have any idea how much money he had just eaten?
Wasn't it hard enough for them to earn their money...!
"Jessie... Jessie..." James held back Jessie and, with a friendly smile, said, "We'll pay, we'll pay..."
Better to lose money than face a disaster, James understood this concept.
It was better than being thrown in jail and having all their possessions confiscated.
"Meow..." Meowth sadly calculated the expenses.
In the end, Fang Yuan caused the Rocket Team to pay dearly, spending the money they had earned and saved for their criminal endeavors.
The trio: ༼༎ຶ෴༎ຶ༽
After settling the bill, Fang Yuan stood up, grinning at them, "Thanks for the treat. If we meet again next time..."
The trio: ٩(//̀Д/́/)۶ (Get lost, who's the real villain here!!!)
"If we meet again next time, I'll treat you," Fang Yuan waved and left with Eevee.
The trio: Eh??!
At that moment, Fang Yuan was in a good mood. The presence of the Team Rocket Trio on the island suggested that Xiaozhi and his companions were likely there too, something Fang Yuan was very much looking forward to.
He was eager to find out how far the story had progressed and how much time was left until the "Birth of Lugia" event.
If time permitted, he was quite interested in getting involved in the plot.
After all, the four Giant Spirits of the Orange Archipelago sounded rather enticing.
Leaving the world-saving to Xiaozhi, something Fang Yuan wasn't good at but Xiaozhi excelled in, however, scooping up the benefits of Legendary Pokémon was something Xiaozhi really wasn't adept at. If he was, Xiaozhi would have assembled a team of Legendary Pokémon within a few years of traveling. In any case, since Xiaozhi was ill-suited for it, it was up to Fang Yuan.
After Fang Yuan's departure, the restaurant was left with the Team Rocket Trio holding the bill and feeling heartache.
"He said he'd treat us next time we meet..." James said.
"As if we'd believe that," Jessie said with hatred.
"Damn it, using our money meant for creating machines, we need to get revenge, meow!" Meowth said, sharpening its claws.
"Contact Boss Sakaki—"
......
Kanto region.
Team Rocket headquarters.
Inside a dim room, a middle-aged man looked impatiently at the three figures on the large screen.
"Is this what you want to report?"
"Yes, Giovanni Boss. If we could capture that rare Eevee with telekinetic powers and that powerful Dragonite, we Team Rocket would be one step closer to dominating the world, meow."
"Yes, yes, Giovanni Boss... we already have a detailed capture plan. All we lack now is funding. Could you advance us three months' salaries, just three months," Jessie and James said, grinning and rubbing their hands together.
"Idiots!!!"
Team Rocket Boss Sakaki angrily looked at these incompetent three.
Giving you direct access to me was a show of great expectations, and look at the foolish things you've done!
They'd ruined Team Rocket's main profit-making Pokemon Amusement Park, caused Pewter Gym to have their gym qualifications revoked by the Alliance for their destruction, spent all their time running around the world unable to catch a single Pikachu, and now they had the audacity to try and capture some trash Eevee??