This type of Pokémon assistance task is still very suitable for the trio.
Moreover, given that Luke is their direct superior, it's only logical to accept without any hesitation.
Officer Jenny, with her skirt one centimeter shorter, had slightly reddened eyes.
Teacher Luke had traveled a great distance, covering thousands of miles, just to fulfill a fan's wish.
"Teacher Luke, you truly are a dependable Trainer!"
A girl with a yellow tank top, black long sleeves, a high ponytail, and yellow hair smiled and said, "Officer Jenny, let's first check on Arcanine."
Officer Jenny nodded and replied, "Please follow me."
In the corridor leading to the courtyard, Luke spotted Chansey wearing a nurse's hat, pushing a small cart and waving a friendly paw to greet him.
"Teacher Luke, why are you sweating so much? Are you okay?" Erika asked with concern.
"I'm fine," Luke replied with a light cough. "I just recalled some unpleasant memories."
Although creatures like Chansey appear friendly, they can be quite mischievous in reality. Of course, it might be Teacher Luke's gentle heart that causes Pokémon to automatically adopt a friendlier demeanor.
The courtyard was enclosed by fences, and Arcanine, with its mane in disarray, lay quietly on the ground. A deep growl echoed from within.
Joy, wearing a mask, was busy recording data. When he turned to greet Luke, he smiled with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"Teacher Luke, you've arrived!"
"Did you recognize me?" Luke asked in astonishment.
"Your photos are all over our family chat group," Joy explained with a smile.
Luke felt somewhat self-conscious.
It seemed that not only Officer Jenny but Joy was also well aware of his reputation.
Clearing his throat, Luke looked at the distressed Pokémon in the courtyard. "Is this Arcanine?"
"Yes, it suffers from severe stress disorder," Joy replied somberly. "The most effective treatment for this condition is to help it adapt and overcome its fears."
"We decided to hold a simulation exercise largely because of Arcanine," Officer Jenny chimed in.
"I see," Luke nodded slowly, understanding the situation better.
"Its offensive capabilities are quite formidable, and even medical staff have trouble approaching it," Joy added. "In all honesty, given its current state, it might not be suitable for participating in the exercise."
"That's why we've asked for your assistance," Officer Jenny said earnestly. "With your skills, even if Arcanine becomes unruly, we believe you can manage the situation."
Luke was momentarily taken aback.
So, they invited him to be the punching bag!
"Let me handle this!" Yellow from Viridian Forest smiled and volunteered. "If I can calm Arcanine's emotions, it should be able to take part in the drill!"
Officer Jenny and Joy exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. "We appreciate your help."
Yellow walked over to the fence and approached Arcanine. As Arcanine made a threatening move, Yellow continued to draw closer until she placed her hand gently on Arcanine's head.
A soft, gentle light radiated from Yellow's hand, and Arcanine let out a soft whimper.
"Viridian Force..." Erika muttered.
"It actually calmed down Arcanine," Officer Jenny exclaimed in surprise. "What an incredible ability!"
Even Teacher Luke couldn't help but feel a tinge of envy.
If he possessed such an ability, he wouldn't need to buy Potions for Squirtle.
As the light dissipated, Arcanine lay down on the ground, its expression calm as it fell asleep.
Yellow wiped away her sweat, stepped out of the enclosure, and gave a faint smile. "I temporarily eased its pain, but further treatment will still be necessary."
While speaking, Yellow glanced down, looking slightly dejected. Suddenly, a tissue was offered to her.
Luke extended his hand casually and turned to Officer Jenny. "The exercise is scheduled for tomorrow, and I'll find someone to assist!"
Yellow took the tissue and was briefly surprised before offering a smile.
"Teacher Luke... truly is a reliable senior!"
As Erika needed to return to Celadon University for her classes, the participants for the exercise were tentatively set as Teacher Luke and Yellow from Viridian Forest.
"Huh? I want to participate too!" Yellow exclaimed in surprise.
Luke glanced at him and calmly responded, "If you don't participate, what if Arcanine ends up injuring me?"
With Yellow's Viridian Force, the likelihood of unforeseen incidents would be significantly reduced.
Squirtle had already taught Luke the importance of being prepared for anything!
"Yes, indeed..." Yellow scratched her cheek and chuckled. "I always feel like I'm being praised..."
For now, I'm not too concerned about the natural blonde. It's just a maiden thing.
Luke made his way to a corner of the Pokémon Center and dialed Team Rocket's secret line.
...
In Team Rocket's secret base, the Trio was gathered.
"Hmm? Who could be calling me this time?" Meowth scratched his head.
"It might be a special mission from the Boss!" Jessie's eyes lit up.
James was the first to answer the phone, looking surprised. "Executive?"
"Are you available to visit Celadon City in Kanto? There's a task I want to assign to you," Luke explained over the phone, and the Trio could be heard rustling with excitement.
"This is so touching!"
"Even though Meowth got bitten by that Arcanine, it's still touching, meow!"
"I think my little heart is going wu wu wu!"
Luke blushed with embarrassment and said, "I didn't mean to make you cry..."
"Understood, Executive!" Jessie wiped her eyes, clenched her fists, and her eyes burned with determination. "You want to take this opportunity to infiltrate Officer Jenny's ranks!"
"That's right, we'll wait for Officer Jenny to lower her guard during the exercise and then capture the Growlithes!" James added.
"This is the Executive's ambition, meow!" Meowth's eyes sparkled. "What an exhilarating feeling!"
Luke sighed, feeling overwhelmed by the Trio's enthusiasm, and said, "Just to clarify... I don't have any plans to do anything during the exercise..."
"Understood, we'll cast a long line and catch a big fish!"
The three of them smiled broadly and said, "Leave it to us!"
Luke couldn't help but shake his head, feeling that they didn't quite understand the plan. "Well, forget it." He hung up and sighed. "These three are all tough on the outside but soft on the inside."
"With their help, Arcanine will be able to recover soon!"
...
Monday, September 7th.
The Team Rocket Trio arrived at the Celadon City police station fully disguised, wearing casual clothes and sunglasses.
Officer Jenny came to greet them and smiled, "Are you the assistants mentioned by Teacher Luke? Please follow me!"
The three of them couldn't help but shiver with anxiety, even though they knew this was part of the Executive's plan.
Luke glanced at the trio, his mouth twitching.
You guys could have at least changed your hair color!
You're all wanted by Team Rocket, you know? You don't want to be recognized!
As Luke looked at Officer Jenny with his usual expression, his feelings became increasingly complicated.
The trio had activated their "Disguise" ability!
[Disguise: While others can see through it at a glance, the camouflage effect on Officer Jenny and Ash is enhanced by 200%!]
Yellow tilted his head curiously. "Teacher Luke, are these three your friends?"
"They are Team Rocket members," Luke sighed.
"Huh, what?"
Even as they sat in the conference hall, the trio still seemed jittery.
"L-Lu, Lu..." James struggled to hold back the Executive and stammered, "T-Teacher, what do we do?"
Luke coughed and began to explain, "Here's the plan..."
"The five of us will role-play as Pokémon villains who hijacked a Pokémon. We'll defeat the opposing team that comes to rescue, and then intentionally lose to Arcanine."
Yellow scratched his head and laughed, "It's my first time playing a villain role, so I'm feeling a bit nervous!"
The trio exchanged glances.
Play the villains?
Well, they were good at that job!
But... being villains in Officer Jenny's territory...
The three of them shivered involuntarily.
James, wearing sunglasses, leaned forward nervously and said, "Executive... the three of us are still wanted... Is it really okay?"
"What are you afraid of? It's just a role-play villain," Luke said as he took a sip of tea. "Maybe Officer Jenny will have to thank us afterward."
The trio licked their lips, and their admiration for Teacher Luke in their eyes grew even stronger.
Clearly, he was the Team Rocket Executive, but Ms. Officer Jenny was treating him as an honored guest and entrusting him with such an important role in the exercise...
He truly was an Executive!
"Well, which Pokémon should we pretend to kidnap, meow?"
Meowth rubbed his hands in excitement, and Wobbuffet, who was at his feet, chimed in with, "Woo, buffet!"
Before Yellow could voice his doubts, Teacher Luke coughed and explained, "Don't worry, the hostages in the exercise are all fake, and we won't actually have Pokémon for you..."
At that moment, Officer Jenny pushed open the door to the conference hall.
The trio immediately took their seats, trembling slightly.
Officer Jenny held a chubby Growlithe and saluted, saying, "Teacher Luke, I'll trouble you to take care of this little one for the drill later!"
The Growlithe had yellow and black stripes, with a pale yellow mane on its chest and forehead.
Unlike the mighty image they had in their memory, this Growlithe looked a bit plump, resembling an Akita dog. Even in its sleep, it had a wide grin, and its long tongue hung out.
Luke was momentarily surprised and asked, "This... is the hostage, right? It's a dog hostage?"
Officer Jenny whispered, "This Growlithe is Arcanine's child... having it here will help Arcanine immerse itself in the scenario more quickly."
"Ms. Joy will be monitoring the entire process. According to her, this exposure therapy can help Arcanine overcome its fears more rapidly."
The trio nodded with relief, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Luke nodded in understanding. This was similar to exposing individuals with deep-sea phobias to images of the ocean from time to time. With a doctor's guidance, it could help patients better adapt to their inner fears.
"Anyway... when the time comes, we'll just return it to Arcanine, right?" Luke took the chubby Growlithe and mused, "This little thing is surprisingly heavy!"
[Growlithe,
Fire type Gender: ♂
Ability: Intimidate
Moves: Leer, Ember, Morning Sun, Howl, Thrash]
Luke instinctively looked at his Pokédex and chuckled in amazement.
Even this little fellow, who hadn't been weaned yet, had the Intimidate Ability?
At that moment, the Growlithe in Luke's arms suddenly struggled.
Opening its dark eyes, it seemed startled and attempted to roll over and jump down.
With ease, Luke grabbed Growlithe by the scruff of its neck.
As Luke gazed into the bewildered and vulnerable eyes of the struggling Growlithe, they held each other's gaze for a while, and Luke raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm, those little eyes are full of wisdom!"