Blastoise desperately fended off the bird Pokémon's attacks, doing its best to shield Green from harm.
But the trembling Green was completely unable to help Blastoise, becoming a liability instead.
"Stand up."
Just as the Team Rocket members believed victory was assured and they could easily capture Green, a calm voice rang out, instantly putting them on alert.
Following the sound, they saw a Pterodactyl hovering in the sky, holding a man. The wind whipped his trench coat, but the man's gaze wasn't on them; it was fixed on Green, who was surrounded by birds.
"Stand up, Green."
The man in the sky spoke again, "Didn't you say you wanted to conquer your fear? To conquer it, you must first face it head-on."
"A… Ace..."
Hearing the familiar voice, Green looked up. Her fear gradually subsided, and she couldn't help but reach out to Ace, "Save me..."
"..."
Ace remained silent, simply watching her.
Seeing Ace stand motionless, Green's heart sank, a wave of despair washing over her.
Ace's attitude was clear. This was a fear she had to face herself. If she wanted to break through, she had to rely on herself.
Even if Ace could save Green this one time, what about the second time? The third?
No one knew whether tomorrow or an accident would come first. He could save her for a moment, but not for a lifetime.
If Green couldn't overcome this hurdle on her own, her future potential would be limited.
"Look at your Blastoise," Ace's voice said.
Green instinctively looked at her Blastoise, which was still defending against the attacks. She saw that it was covered in injuries from various skills and attacks, all in an effort to protect her.
The wobbly Blastoise showed no signs of retreating, standing in front of Green and doing its utmost to shield her.
"Little Turtle..."
A hint of confusion flashed in Green's eyes, but it quickly cleared.
The next moment, Green stood up, her eyes no longer hazy but filled with determination.
Even as a Fearow dived down toward her, Green showed no sign of fear. Instead, she stared directly at the Fearow and murmured, "Thank you, Ace, for helping me truly overcome this."
"Compared to them—my partners who have grown with me—if they were to fall here, I would be letting them down!"
With that, Green took out three Poké Balls and instantly released them.
A flash of light appeared, and the Fearow flying towards Green was instantly blasted away by a fiery attack!
"Moltres, Zapdos, Articuno, let's go!"
As the light faded, the three Legendary birds appeared by Green's side. Green jumped onto Moltres's back, and the three Legendary birds soared into the sky, charging towards the flock of bird Pokémon.
"The Legendary birds?! How is that possible?!"
"Oh no!"
"Everyone, be careful!"
Upon the sudden appearance of the three Legendary birds, the Team Rocket grunts instantly panicked. Facing three Legendary Pokémon, they knew they were no match!
Under Green's command, the Legendary birds charged into the flock. The other bird Pokémon were mere fodder in the face of the three Legends.
After just one assault from the Legendary birds, the flock's formation was instantly torn apart.
"Flamethrower! Thunderbolt! Ice Beam!"
The three Legendary birds opened their mouths in unison, unleashing attacks of three different types. In an instant, a large number of bird Pokémon fell to the ground, losing their ability to battle.
Ace watched this scene from high above, nodding to himself. "Being able to capture the Legendary birds, once she overcomes her ornithophobia, Green's strength is formidable."
Watching the bird Pokémon's formation gradually fall apart, many of the Team Rocket grunts started to retreat.
"Trying to run?" Ace sneered. Although the main mission couldn't be completed just yet, reducing Team Rocket's numbers would certainly be beneficial for completing the main mission later on.
Ace flicked a Poké Ball, and a steel disk spun and fell toward the ground below. In mid-air, its form expanded, and Genesect instantly appeared behind the group of Team Rocket grunts.
"Clang."
The sound of a blade being unsheathed rang out as sharp claws extended from Genesect's forelimbs. The razor-sharp blades, accompanied by Genesect's charge, instantly slashed toward the Team Rocket grunts.
"Whoosh!"
One grunt didn't react in time, and as the blade flashed past, a slash wound appeared on his back, running from his shoulder to his waist.
Blood instantly gushed out, and a hint of crimson appeared in Genesect's normally gray eyes.
This cold hunter from an ancient era was being stimulated by the smell of blood, and its hunting instincts were gradually awakening.
When the other Team Rocket grunts reacted, they immediately sent out their remaining Pokémon to gang up on Genesect.
The large cannon on Genesect's back lowered, and high-intensity energy began to gather. Then, a blast was fired, and a massive energy ball slammed into the Pokémon sent out by the Team Rocket grunts.
And... that was it.
The seemingly powerful blast, when it hit a rather dazed Raticate, only caused a slight pain, like its trainer had casually tapped it. Then, nothing else happened.
"Damn! This guy is a paper tiger!"
The grunts who had come to their senses glared at Genesect. It was hard to believe they had been intimidated by this thing!
Ace watched this scene, completely calm. After all, Genesect's level wasn't high. Ace's purpose in releasing it wasn't to kill the enemy but to stall them.
Clearly, Genesect had succeeded.
With Genesect's interference, the Team Rocket grunts were indeed a step too slow. By the time they focused on dealing with Genesect, the three Legendary birds had already dealt with the other bird Pokémon.
Just as the grunts were about to rush toward Genesect, the three Legendary birds descended and stood behind it.
As the three Legendary birds unleashed their powerful aura, the Team Rocket grunts all took a step back.
Pterodactyl also slowly landed with Ace, blocking the grunts' escape route.
Genesect, seeing this, immediately pounced on the Team Rocket grunts. But it was met with a Tackle attack from a Raticate, which sent it flying. It landed on the ground and had trouble getting up for a while.
Green jumped off Moltres and looked at the downed Genesect, her expression full of confusion as she looked at Ace.
This Pokémon... it seemed a bit too weak, didn't it? It didn't match the actual combat power of Ace's other Pokémon at all.
Ace watched Genesect's performance and couldn't help but cover his face.
This blockhead was absolutely fearless, but being only level 5, a good thirty or forty levels below its opponents, Genesect still couldn't recognize reality. It was incredibly stubborn.
I only share the most exquisite and beautiful novels. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon DaoistWujinzi