Chapter 167: A Wise Man Knows When to Yield
The video continued playing.
Zeraora stood atop the truck, looking down upon everyone from above.
Electrical arcs flashed through its fur, while electricity crackled around the tips of its claws.
The bespectacled member immediately retreated behind the others.
"W-what kind of Pokémon is that?!"
The thin member pulled out another Poké Ball.
"Who cares what it is? Everyone, prepare for battle!"
"Wait."
Miori extended one arm and stopped them all.
The thin member froze.
"Deputy Captain?!"
"I never expected even a Mythical Pokémon to appear."
Miori raised her head toward the sky.
"It seems the odds are heavily against us this time. All of you retreat. I’ll stay behind and hold it off."
The bald member’s eyes immediately reddened.
"Deputy Captain! We can’t abandon you!"
"That’s an order!"
Miori’s voice was hoarse yet resolute.
"You’re all still young. The organization needs you! Now go!"
"Deputy Captain!!"
"Go!!"
Tears burst from the bald member’s eyes.
He waved toward the others.
"Follow the deputy captain’s orders! Retreat!"
Every member immediately stood at attention and gave Miori a textbook Team Plasma salute.
"Deputy Captain, we’ll find someone to rescue you!"
"Deputy Captain! You have to come back alive!"
"Deputy Captain! We still haven’t received this month’s bonus!"
With tears in their eyes, the members ran away while repeatedly looking back and shouting.
Miori didn’t turn around.
She waited until every last one of them had disappeared at the far end of the road.
Then she released a long breath and removed her sunglasses.
"Whew. I finally managed to fool them into leaving."
Zeraora stared at her in silence.
So that tragic and heroic performance just now had all been an act?
Miori looked up at Zeraora atop the truck and revealed an exceptionally brilliant smile.
"All right. Now we can have a proper conversation."
Zeraora jumped down from the truck and landed in front of her.
"I know you understand what I’m saying."
Miori went directly to the point.
"You want to take these Pokémon somewhere safe, don’t you?"
Zeraora nodded.
"There’s a Zweilous inside the truck. It’s severely injured."
Miori’s expression became serious.
"Before you take them away, could you give me some time to treat its wound?"
Zeraora looked into Miori’s eyes.
They were blue, just like its own.
Clear.
Pure.
Without the slightest hesitation.
Zeraora remained silent for a moment before finally nodding.
[VIP Chat Group]
[Professor Birch]: It really is Zeraora? This species almost never appears before humans.
[Professor Kukui]: Indeed. Zeraora is kind by nature and will voluntarily rescue those weaker than itself, but it rarely allows humans to approach it.
[Dawn]: But it nodded to Miori! Doesn’t that mean it has acknowledged her too?
[Bianca]: I think so!
[Meowth]: She encountered a Mythical Pokémon that easily! Why don’t we ever have that kind of luck, meow?!
[James]: That’s right! If we presented Zeraora to the Boss, wouldn’t we get promoted and receive a raise?
[Jessie]: Who cares about a mere promotion and raise? Once we capture it, we’ll show the entire world the might of Team Rocket!
[Wobbuffet]: Wobbuffet!
[Max]: ...Team Rocket, everyone can see what you’re saying.
[Meowth]: Oh no! I accidentally sent it to the group chat, meow!
[Gary]: ...Are these people supposed to be comic relief?
[Brock]: Don’t worry about them. They’ve always been like this.
The video continued playing.
Miori entered the truck again.
Zweilous was still curled up in the corner of its cage.
The medicine and bandages remained untouched beside the cage door.
Miori crouched, picked up the medicine, and shook the bottle.
"Well? Have you made up your mind? If you don’t treat that injury soon, it’s only going to get worse."
Every muscle in Zweilous’s body immediately tensed as it assumed an attacking posture.
"Fine. So reasoning with you politely doesn’t work."
Miori rose and brushed the dust from her knees.
"Then don’t blame me for using force."
Before Zweilous could react, Miori grabbed the cage’s iron bars with both hands.
She exerted her strength—
And ripped the entire cage door from its hinges.
The instant the door came free, Zweilous froze.
It had been trapped in that cage for several days, so it naturally knew how sturdy the door was.
Biting or pulling it apart through brute force would have been impossible. Even Pokémon moves could barely damage it.
Yet this human, who didn’t appear to weigh as much as one of its legs, had casually torn it off?
Or perhaps this black-haired, blue-eyed creature wasn’t actually human?
However, as a proud Dragon-type Pokémon, Zweilous still attempted to resist.
It opened its mouth as the energy of Dragon Rage began gathering deep within its throat. A purple sphere of light rapidly formed between its teeth.
Miori extended her right hand and precisely clamped its upper and lower jaws shut.
The energy of Dragon Rage exploded directly inside Zweilous’s mouth.
Zweilous began coughing violently from its own attack, two streams of black smoke pouring from its nostrils.
Before it could recover, Miori had already climbed onto its back.
She pressed both hands against Zweilous’s two heads and forced them downward, pinning the nearly 220-pound Pokémon directly against the floor.
All four of Zweilous’s legs thrashed wildly.
Its tail repeatedly slammed against the metal floor, leaving several large dents behind.
It didn’t help.
Miori remained completely motionless.
"Stop struggling!"
Miori held Zweilous down with one hand while swiftly unscrewing the medicine bottle with the other.
"What do you think you are, a Magikarp?! Do you think flopping around enough will make you evolve into Gyarados?!"
Zweilous’s left head released an extremely defiant roar.
"Oh, you’re still refusing to cooperate?"
Miori brought the edge of her hand down on the top of its left head.
Thunk!
The left head’s eyes rolled backward, and it immediately lost consciousness.
The right head stared at the scene in horror.
Zweilous’s entire body became rigid.
"All right."
Miori clapped her hands before giving the right head a gentle smile.
"Are you willing to cooperate?"
The right head looked at its unconscious counterpart.
Then it looked back at Miori.
After hesitating for approximately 0.3 seconds, it stretched its neck forward with an exceptionally ingratiating expression and voluntarily moved closer to the medicine bottle.
"Rrrr~"
Miori nodded in satisfaction.
"That’s more like it. My dad always says that a wise man knows when to yield."
"You’re much smarter than that head on the left!"
Miori applied the medicine to Zweilous and carefully wrapped its wound in bandages.
Once she had finished, she left the truck.
Zeraora was still standing where she had left it.
The ground around its feet had already been scorched black by electricity.
Miori looked down at the charred ground before raising her head toward Zeraora’s expressionless face.
"Um... Were you nervous, or were you getting impatient?"
Zeraora said nothing, but the electrical arcs beneath its feet crackled twice more.
"All right. Forget I asked."
Miori pointed toward the truck behind her.
"Zweilous’s wound has been treated. You can take these Pokémon with you now."
Zeraora nodded.
It then raised one claw and pointed toward Miori.
Miori froze for a second.
"Why... are you pointing at me?"
Zeraora continued pointing.
"Are you saying you want me to come with you too?"
Zeraora nodded.
Miori’s smile instantly froze.
"Wait! I agreed to let you take these Pokémon away. I never said I was throwing myself into the deal too!"
...
TL: What is the author cooking? Zweilous is 50 kg, or 110 lbs in freedom units, so where did he get 220 from? Also sorry I couldn’t really find alternative for this saying.