On the thirteenth floor of the Silph Co. building.
"Blastoise, Hydro Cannon!"
After disguising herself, Green gave her order sharply. The roaring torrent burst out from Blastoise's cannons, crashing into the opposing Arcanine with a deafening blast. The elite League trainer on the other end staggered back, her usually confident and pretty face darkened.
"Damn it… they're too strong…"
This so-called elite trainer was none other than Officer Jenny herself. But right now, all her main Pokémon had been defeated one after another by this mysterious Rocket girl!
"Hmph! Of course we're strong!"
Green proudly tilted her chin, her face glowing with smug satisfaction. Without wasting another second, she grabbed Marnie's hand and the two girls ran toward the stairs.
They had to escape the building.
At this moment, the entire Silph Co. headquarters had turned into a battlefield, a place more dangerous than anywhere else in Saffron City.
The number of League elites that had invaded the building was staggering.
In fact, just earlier on the twenty-fifth floor, the two had hidden in a corner and personally witnessed one of the Rocket executives, the handsome Proton being frozen solid by the icy blizzard of Lorelei, before being carried away by Officer Jenny's team.
It was sheer luck that their ability to hide their presence kept them from being discovered…
"Whew~ I didn't expect even Officer Jenny to be this strong. Marnie, we've got to hurry out of here. If we accidentally run into one of the Champions, then we're really done for!"
As they descended the stairwell, Green patted her chest nervously and whispered to Marnie.
Even though Lucas had provided them with powerful Pokémon for protection and had insisted they participate in this Saffron City operation as training—the two girls had absolutely no intention of facing any Champion head-on!
If they wanted experience, the streets outside this building were more than enough!
"Yeah… let's be careful. There are too many powerful trainers from the League here, but they should all be upstairs by now."
Marnie nodded seriously, though her pale cheeks were slightly flushed. The truth was, she was actually feeling a rush of excitement.
After all, this was a full-scale war between Team Rocket and the Pokémon League!
That kind of chaos and tension was… thrilling.
"Of course! I, Green, am a genius! I predicted the Champions would head straight to the top floors. Once we get out of this building, those League weaklings won't be able to touch us—"
Green grinned triumphantly, clearly in a good mood. They were already nearing the twelfth floor.
But then—
As they rounded the corner of the staircase, a tanned young man holding up his phone for a selfie turned and locked eyes with them.
Green: "…"
Raihan: "…"
Raihan blinked, staring blankly at the two Team Rocket girls. Then, realizing who they were, he calmly slid his phone back into his pocket.
"Uh—hi there, Raihan! Fancy seeing you here! Nice weather today, huh~?"
Green reacted instantly, flashing a bright, innocent smile and waving. Then, without missing a beat, she grabbed Marnie and bolted down toward the eleventh floor.
Unlucky, unlucky, unlucky!
Why did they have to run into him?!
Raihan was one of the strongest Gym Leaders in Galar someone who could even fight evenly against the likes of Flint!
How were they supposed to fight that?
And behind him was his ace, Duraludon.
"Duraludon, Dragon Pulse."
Raihan tilted his head slightly as the two girls turned tail and ran.
The metallic dragon opened its mouth, gathering dragon energy before unleashing a beam of radiant light straight ahead.
Though Raihan was part of the League's assault on Team Rocket, he wasn't the kind of man who would recklessly harm people like Lorelei or Lance might.
BOOM!
The Dragon Pulse struck right in front of the fleeing girls, forcing them to stop in their tracks.
"I'm really not great at dealing with girls…" Raihan muttered with a sigh, scratching his cheek. "…but still."
His amber eyes shifted to Marnie. There was something oddly familiar about her.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're Piers' little sister, aren't you? The Gym Leader from Spikemuth?"
In Galar, Piers' name was quite well-known partly due to his strength, but also because his gym lacked Dynamax energy, making it impossible for challengers to Dynamax there. Ironically, that uniqueness had made the town famous in a rather infamous way.
And Piers himself was notorious for bragging about his younger sister's talent, calling her a prodigy every chance he got.
So Raihan remembered Marnie's face quite clearly.
"…" Marnie said nothing.
"So, you joined Team Rocket, huh…? If you surrender now, I won't hurt you."
Confirming his suspicion, Raihan sighed softly and tried to reason with them.
"Who wants to surrender?!" Green snapped back, puffing her cheeks in annoyance. "Don't underestimate us! You think we're that easy to beat?"
"Oh?" Raihan raised an eyebrow, genuinely intrigued.
The two girls didn't radiate much pressure—the one speaking was probably stronger, but compared to his standards, their power felt modest at best.
"If you keep underestimating us, you'll regret it!"
"Then I'd love to see what you've got."
Raihan smirked slightly and, almost casually, took out his phone again—he had a habit of recording every battle he fought.
It was also the reason he'd been moving so slowly and separated from Leon earlier, he'd been taking pictures the entire time.
"Tch."
Green clicked her tongue, glancing at Marnie. They exchanged a look of silent understanding.
Originally, they hadn't planned to use that, only as a last-resort safety measure.
But now they had no choice.
Both girls threw their Poké Balls into the air.
Secret Technique—The Ultimate Power Boosting Arts!
Two massive Pokémon crashed onto the floor with thunderous force, shaking the entire twelfth floor.
"Showtime! Go, Rhyperior!
"Let's go, Tyranitar!"
"RHYYY!" "TYRAAAN!"
A terrifying pressure filled the air—their eyes glinting with savage power as both Pokémon locked onto Raihan and Duraludon.
Raihan froze for a second, eyes widening.
This… this aura… was absurdly strong!
"Oh, shit…" he muttered under his breath.
…
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the city.
From the skies above, blazing meteor-like projectiles rained down one after another, crashing toward the white dragon, Reshiram!
It was Hydreigon's Draco Meteor commanded by Iris herself!
Their battlefield had shifted to the ground. The fifty-ninth floor of the Silph Co.'s building was already in ruins, no longer suitable for combat.
"Garchomp, Dragon Rush!"
Cynthia's long black dress fluttered violently in the wind, her calm face framed by eyes filled with sharp determination.
Garchomp roared, its aura bursting forth as dragon energy formed into a massive spectral dragon. It lunged straight toward Reshiram!
"Metagross, Hyper Beam!"
Steven's eyes narrowed, his tone sharp as he commanded his partner.
Metagross gathered dark, destructive energy before firing a searing beam of annihilation.
"Hydreigon for suppression, Garchomp as the vanguard, Metagross for finishing blows… not bad coordination."
Lucas watched from a distance with his hands in his robe pockets, smiling faintly. The three champions Steven, Cynthia, and Iris had never trained to fight together, yet their coordination was almost flawless.
"But if that's all they've got… it won't be nearly enough."
"Reshiram, Flare Blitz!"
Reshiram's wings spread wide, red flames bursting around its body before turning into an intense blue blaze.
Flare Blitz, an attack so fierce that it can hurt even the caster.
With a piercing roar, Reshiram met Garchomp's Dragon Rush head-on.
BOOM!
Flare Blitz versus Dragon Rush!
A violent shockwave exploded outward, and within seconds, Reshiram's flames began to overpower Garchomp's assault.
"Even in physical combat… it's this strong?"
Steven's expression hardened. Garchomp was Cynthia's ace. Famed for her absolute dominance through sheer power.
Cynthia's popularity in Sinnoh came in large part from her Garchomp's unmatched might; against any opponent, brute strength was her answer.
Yet now, Garchomp was being overpowered by Reshiram, a Pokémon known for special attacks rather than physical power!
"Reshiram excels at special attacks; that much is certain. Physical combat is usually Zekrom's specialty…"
Iris's tone was grave. As a Dragon-type expert and as someone from Unova she knew Reshiram's nature well.
Still, this level of strength was insane. Even its physical power exceeded ordinary dragons by far.
"Metagross!" Steven commanded again.
Metagross roared, firing a brilliant Hyper Beam straight at Reshiram.
"Good timing," Lucas remarked approvingly.
Reshiram beat its wings hard, flinging Garchomp back before darting aside to avoid the beam—but just then, a blazing meteor smashed into its back.
Hydreigon's Draco Meteor had landed!
Even so, Reshiram only staggered slightly before regaining perfect balance. Its movements were elegant, weaving effortlessly through the falling meteors.
"What ridiculous endurance and defense…" Cynthia murmured.
Hydreigon's special attacks were among the strongest of all dragons, second only to Iris's ace. Yet Reshiram had tanked a direct hit like it was nothing.
"Flare Blitz again!" Lucas ordered.
Reshiram roared, diving down with blinding speed.
"Damn!" Steven and the others tensed. Its target is Metagross!
"Hydreigon, Dragon Pulse!"
The three-headed dragon fired a beam of dragon energy but Reshiram's blazing inferno collided with it and instantly overwhelmed it.
BOOM!
The flames engulfed Hydreigon entirely, slamming it into the ground in a fiery explosion.
"Hydreigon!" Iris cried out, face paling.
Even with resistance to Fire-type moves, the power behind that Flare Blitz was monstrous. Hydreigon could hardly endure it.
"Metagross, Hammer Arm!"
Steven's voice cut through the smoke. His steel titan shot forward, its arm glowing white as it swung with tremendous force.
Reshiram crossed its wings to block the blow. The impact forced it back a few meters—but it remained unfazed, its blue eyes glinting dangerously.
"Even Hammer Arm barely hurts it?" Steven muttered. His calm façade finally cracked.
The pressure from the legendary dragon was suffocating.
"Let's go all out. We can't afford to hold back anymore," Cynthia said coldly.
Steven nodded and tossed another Poké Ball. A shining silver Pokémon emerged—it was a Shiny Metagross, his newest ace.
"Oh?" Lucas raised an eyebrow, his gaze flicking between the two Champions.
Both raised their hands at the same time.
"Garchomp, Mega Evolve!"
"Metagross, Mega Evolve!"
The light of evolution shines on Garchomp and Metagross, transcending evolution!
The true battle was just about to begin.
(End of Chapter)