"Monferno, use Flame Wheel!"
"Shelgon, use Headbutt!"
That afternoon, after finishing his usual work at Rex Farm, Rex began another training session with Monferno and Shelgon.
Though he'd been away from the farm for quite some time, both Pokémon had continued their daily training diligently. Their growing strength made that much clear.
Because Shelgon needed to accumulate a huge amount of energy to evolve into Salamence, Rex was careful not to push it too hard—today's session was just to get its blood flowing. Monferno, however, had no such limitation, so Rex pushed it to its limits regularly.
And Monferno didn't mind one bit. It knew that once Shelgon evolved into a pseudo-legendary Salamence, it would be hard to keep up unless it trained harder. It was determined not to fall behind.
"Taillow, use Peck!"
Nearby, a young voice rang out.
It was Akiko, commanding a tiny Taillow against Yuli's Marill in a friendly battle.
This Taillow was from the same flock as Rex's Totem Swellow and had only hatched recently. It had quickly bonded with Akiko, and just yesterday—on her birthday—Rex gifted it to her as her first Pokémon.
She'd been overjoyed, beaming non-stop all day. Today, she wanted revenge: Marill had been teasing her for weeks, and now she had her own Pokémon to challenge it.
Marill, seeing the baby Taillow, readily accepted the challenge.
The result was inevitable. The untrained little bird was promptly slapped unconscious by Marill's Double Slap combo.
Akiko burst into tears and rushed to find Yuli to help heal her poor Taillow.
Marill, proud of its decisive win, skipped off happily to play with Jumpluff.
"Boss, after several days of observation, we've confirmed that the nosy guy's name is Rex. He lives on a farm just outside Springvale Town and is a skilled Trainer."
Inside an office somewhere in Slateport City, a man in a Team Rocket uniform stood respectfully before a cold-eyed young woman with long, dark hair.
"Good. Then it's time we pay him a little visit. These Hoenn trainers need a reminder of what Team Rocket is capable of."
The girl spoke with disdain.
She wasn't worried about Rex's strength—she had complete confidence in her own.
"Understood, ma'am!"
The man bowed and left to make preparations.
The girl's name was Sabrina—the former Gym Leader of Saffron City in Kanto.
She had awakened her psychic powers at a young age and quickly became one of the most powerful Psychic-type Trainers in the world. Born into a family of psychics, she had far surpassed even her father before she was out of childhood.
Isolated due to fear from those around her, Sabrina had spent years alone, her only companions being her dolls—some of which she had transformed real people into with her abilities. Even her own mother hadn't been spared.
It wasn't until Ash, the "main character" of the Pokémon world, defeated her with the help of a Haunter—and humor—that she opened up, if only slightly.
But change was slow. Eventually, Sabrina tired of her role as a Gym Leader and was recruited by Giovanni, becoming a high-ranking officer in Team Rocket.
She had come to Hoenn to take advantage of the power vacuum left by the collapse of Team Magma and Team Aqua, expanding Team Rocket's influence rapidly. Sabrina defeated and absorbed local criminal groups with ease.
Slateport, with its strategic harbor, had been chosen as Team Rocket's Hoenn base of operations.
Though she hadn't cared about the troublemaker Mead being arrested, Sabrina had noticed Rex's dismissive attitude. That alone made her decide he needed to be taught a lesson.
Unfortunately, Team Rocket's intelligence network in Hoenn wasn't yet mature. Most of Rex's records were sealed by the League. As far as her team knew, he was just some upstart with modest accomplishments.
So, confident as ever, Sabrina handpicked a few grunts to accompany her—mostly to clean up afterward. She didn't want the League snooping.
Then, not far from Rex Farm, Sabrina teleported directly onto the property.
She didn't bother to conceal her presence. As far as she was concerned, Rex was already a lamb to the slaughter.
This attitude wasn't new—Sabrina's overwhelming power had cowed even top-tier Trainers. She could paralyze a Trainer in seconds, rendering their Pokémon useless. Most wouldn't even dare fight back, fearing for their trainer's safety.
Inside the farmhouse, Rex, Yuli, and Akiko were watching a comedy show, the room filled with laughter and warm light.
"Someone just teleported into the farm!" Diancie suddenly warned through telepathy.
Rex stood at once. "Let's go see who it is."
Rex Farm had a built-in defense network based on the Totem Swellow flock. If an intruder was detected, the strongest Pokémon would be alerted and intercept immediately.
By the time Rex reached the source, his Totem Swellow and Machamp were already facing off against Sabrina.
Sabrina's face had darkened considerably. She was already planning to reassign the intelligence team to toilet-cleaning duty.
(End of Chapter)