Chapter 323: Mewtwo Strikes Back? Upgraded to Golden Legendary!

The video continued playing.

After receiving the assignment to "manufacture energy-conversion devices," the Team Rocket trio immediately entered full-blown berserk work mode.

During the day, they hauled construction materials around the site like maniacs.

At night, they holed themselves up in a temporary work shed and threw themselves into research and development.

Three days later—

Not only had the Team Rocket trio completed all ten energy-conversion devices ahead of schedule, they had even installed additional modules on every single one.

Meowth personally recorded the voice line that automatically played whenever a unit was switched on:

"Made by the Sun-Moon Group—quality you can trust, meowth~"

During the inspection, Selene pressed the power button.

The instant she heard the voice line, her eyes lit up.

"This is amazing!"

"With this voice line, our product recognition instantly shoots through the roof!"

James pointed toward another switch.

"And there’s this!"

"I personally installed an overclocking boost switch. Flip it up and the device’s output increases by twenty percent!"

Not to be outdone, Meowth proudly added:

"And there’s the fully automatic cleaning mode I designed!"

"Just press one button and all the dust and residue inside the machine gets cleaned out automatically."

"It even saves on maintenance costs, meowth!"

Selene walked around the device three full times.

Finally, she stopped in front of it and waved one little hand.

"Starting today, your hourly wages are doubled."

"And the company will provide all three meals plus accommodation."

The Team Rocket trio inhaled sharply in perfect unison.

James rubbed the corner of his eye.

"Sniff..."

"It’s been so long since I’ve experienced what it feels like to have my talents genuinely recognized..."

Meowth pulled an electronic calculator from his bag and started hammering the buttons.

"At this rate, if we work just one more week, we’ll be able to pay off all our debts, meowth!"

"Great!"

"Now move these devices into the warehouse."

Selene waved a hand.

"Be careful not to damage them."

"When bonuses are handed out at the end of the month, I’ll make sure you get something extra."

"THANK YOU, BOSS!!!"

After Selene left, the trio collapsed onto the ground, still wearing idiotic grins.

James was the first to recover from the excitement.

"Um..."

"Shouldn’t we start trying to capture Pikachu again?"

Jessie lay across a pile of cardboard boxes with one leg crossed over the other.

"What’s the rush?"

"This job pays us more in one month than we used to make in an entire year!"

"We can go back to catching Pikachu after we’ve saved enough money."

Meowth hopped onto the boxes as well.

"Exactly, meowth!"

"Once we have money, we can build an even bigger robot and buy more advanced capture equipment."

"Then catching Pikachu will be a piece of cake!"

James nodded.

"That..."

"Actually makes some sense."

"Therefore!"

Jessie slapped the table.

"What we need to do right now is save money!"

"Lots and lots of money!"

"Once we’ve saved enough, we’ll build the Super Invincible Ultimate Pikachu-Capturing Machine!"

James clenched his fist.

"Then capture Pikachu in one fell swoop!"

Meowth puffed out his chest.

"And present it to Boss Giovanni!"

"Get promoted to executives!"

"Take over as branch chiefs!"

"WHAT A GREAT FEELING, MEOWTH!!!"

[VIP Chat Group]

[Brock]: Even Team Rocket has dreams. Suddenly, I feel like we might actually have something in common.

[Volkner]: Forget getting sentimental for a second. Don’t you guys think those thirty machines Team Rocket built are kind of insane? A normal person probably couldn’t finish an energy-conversion device like that in an entire month.

[Jessie]: Of course! When Team Rocket gets serious, we’re first-rate at everything! A measly energy-conversion device is child’s play!

[Ash]: If you guys are really that talented, why are you so obsessed with chasing Pikachu? What are you even trying to accomplish?

[Meowth]: Because Pikachu ain’t just any ordinary Pikachu, meowth! If we present it to the Boss, we’ll definitely get promoted and get a raise!

[James]: Besides, pursuing Pikachu is Team Rocket’s original dream! No matter how much time passes, we’ll never abandon that dream!

[Iris]: Sigh... You guys could obviously live perfectly good lives just by working legitimate jobs. Why do you insist on making Pikachu’s life miserable?

[May]: Maybe that’s simply their life’s ambition. Kind of like how I’m determined to become a Top Coordinator.

[Max]: Sis, are you seriously comparing "capturing Pikachu" with "becoming a Top Coordinator"?

[May]: It’s an analogy! Just an analogy!

The video continued playing.

New Island, team Rocket’s secret research laboratory.

Dr. Fuji stood in a white lab coat before an enormous cultivation tank, adjusting the concentration of the nutrient solution through the control console.

"Today’s energy fluctuations are very stable."

Dr. Fuji wrote several notes on his clipboard.

"Keep monitoring it."

"Remember, record the energy fluctuations once every fifteen minutes."

"There absolutely cannot be any mistakes."

"Yes, sir."

After Dr. Fuji left the laboratory, the two assistants immediately exchanged a glance.

Assistant B’s neck suddenly made a loud crack.

His entire body collapsed like a deflated balloon.

"Finally..."

"My back was about to break from pretending to be this guy."

Steven’s voice came out of the short, stocky body, sounding completely mismatched with the fierce bearded face he was currently wearing.

He reached up and wiped a hand across his face.

The entire "face" peeled away like a mask.

"Brother Asher, this thing is seriously incredible."

"Not only can it disguise your body shape and appearance, it even changes your voice."

"Where in the world do you keep getting all these bizarre gadgets?"

"It’s..."

Asher leisurely removed his own mask, revealing his real face beneath it.

"A magician’s prop."

"You think I’d casually tell you where I get my tricks?"

The two walked over to the cultivation tank.

A purple sphere of light floated silently within the nutrient solution.

It continuously emitted a peculiar sound resembling the beating of a heart.

"So this thing is Mewtwo?"

Steven leaned closer to inspect it.

"It’s not even as big as my fist."

"It hasn’t even formed into an embryo yet."

Asher reached inside his coat and took out a small bottle.

"Once it finishes developing, though..."

"Now that’s when it’ll get impressive."

Steven stared at the bottle.

"You’re not seriously about to feed it milk, are you?"

"Brother Asher, I really have to advise against—"

"Shut up."

"This is something far more valuable than milk."

Asher unscrewed the cap.

An extraordinarily pure wave of energy immediately spilled from the mouth of the bottle.

The instant a drop of golden blood entered the nutrient solution—

The purple sphere of light suddenly flared.

The entire cultivation tank began trembling slightly.

[Warning! Warning! Unknown energy interference detected.]

[Abnormal cultivation-fluid temperature.]

[Core enzyme activity overload.]

[Immediately shut down the main power supply!]

[Immediately shut down the main power supply!]

Steven hurriedly slapped his disguise mask back over his face.

"What do we do?"

"We’re not going to get caught, are we?"

"It’s fine."

"Our objective has already been accomplished."

"But won’t they realize someone tampered with this thing?"

"Let them."

Asher calmly screwed the cap back onto the bottle and tucked the insulated container back inside his coat.

"Knowing Giovanni’s personality, I don’t believe he’d casually abandon a research project he’s already invested this much into."

"Besides..."

"What I added is some seriously good stuff."

Asher’s lips curved upward.

"Something that’ll let Mewtwo truly strike back."

...

TL: I’m tired rest of the Chapters tomorrow.