The Team Rocket members finally retreated.
They departed in a very dignified manner, each one with a grim face, gritting their teeth.
It could truly be said that they came with high hopes and left in bitter defeat!
Looking at the scene, after a brief but intense battle, only the badly damaged bridge remained. Although the bridge deck was full of potholes and parts of the structure exposed steel rebar and concrete, thankfully, it hadn't broken or collapsed.
However, it seemed the completion date for the bridge was destined to be postponed!
Recalling all his Pokémon except for Haunter and Gardevoir, Natsui took out his phone and dialed Looker's number.
When the call connected, he briefly explained the situation.
"They were right, this was indeed a retaliatory strike," Looker sighed on the other end of the line. "Actually, it's not just you. Several of our International Police facilities have been attacked, and even Lance and Agatha were assaulted yesterday!"
Natsui quickly asked, "What about Sabrina and Erika?"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Looker grumbled in dissatisfaction. "We've known each other for a while now. You call me and don't even ask how I'm doing?"
"Ah? Sorry, sorry!" Natsui said hastily. "So, were you attacked?"
"Of course not!"
"I..." Natsui felt a lump in his throat. He rolled his eyes and said in annoyance, "Then why are you spouting nonsense? Can't you be serious at a critical time like this?"
The reason the two could joke like this was, naturally, because as they interacted more, their relationship had grown from mere acquaintances to good friends.
"Haha!" Looker laughed. "Don't worry. Because the League Gyms are in the cities, there are too many people and prying eyes, making assassination operations inconvenient. Plus, they're close to the police stations, so they weren't attacked by Team Rocket."
Hearing this news, Natsui felt a bit relieved, though it would be best to give them a call later just to be sure.
Then Looker added, "You, my friend, are quite concerned about those two. And you've gotten to know them so well without a word. Are you harboring some improper intentions?"
"None of your business!" Natsui snorted. "Wasn't it you who dragged them into this conflict with Team Rocket in the first place? If they got hurt because of this, anyone would feel guilty, wouldn't they?"
The two bantered back and forth, chatting casually about many things. Just as Natsui was about to hang up, he suddenly remembered something.
"Ah, right, this bridge was damaged a bit during the battle just now. Is it okay for me to just leave like this?"
"Huh? Is the damage serious?" Looker immediately became tense, his tone turning bitter. "Sigh, although we're an international organization, the funding allocated to the Kanto region is really limited. Looks like we'll have to tighten our belts again."
After complaining for a bit, Looker finally got back to the point and said with a hint of resignation, "You don't need to worry about it. Just leave. I'll send someone over to handle the cleanup in a bit."
Hanging up the phone, Natsui heard footsteps behind him. When he turned around, he saw the biker gang members cautiously approaching.
Masa rubbed his hands together, his expression both fawning and sycophantic.
"You're just too amazing!!"
You're!?
These guys who change with the wind were just trying to get as far away as possible a moment ago, and now even their form of address has changed!
After a thought, since they had already seen his true face, there was nothing left to hide.
Taking off his mask, Natsui hesitated for a moment and said, "About my identity..."
Masa nodded. "You can rest assured, we will be absolutely tight-lipped about your identity. Not a single word about today's events will leak out!"
"That's right, that's right!" The other bikers behind him nodded repeatedly, thumping their chests. "We'll definitely keep your secret for you!"
Getting their promise was, of course, a good thing, but could these guys really be trusted?
Natsui waved his hand. "Stop with the formal 'you,' it makes me a little uncomfortable. As for the bicycle, it was destroyed by Team Rocket just now, so I don't think I can return it to you."
"Boss, don't you worry about it at all! A bicycle is nothing, even if it's destroyed! If you just say the word, we can give you all the rest of them!"
"B-Boss!?"
"Yeah, please let us be your followers!" Masa's eyes gleamed. "To be honest with you, after watching the video of your battle with the giant Tentacruel some time ago, we thought you were just the coolest! And seeing the beautiful and heroic figures of Zapdos and Articuno in today's battle has touched us even deeper!"
It wasn't just Masa; even the usually cool Misa had completely lost her composure and turned into a total fangirl. Fangirls and fanboys.
"Masa is right!" Misa nodded emphatically. "To have two such Legendary Pokémon at the same time, you are without a doubt a true powerhouse! And our admiration for you, Boss, is like this bridge, spanning our entire lives! Right now, my mind is filled with nothing but deep reverence for you!"
The rest of the bikers shouted in unison, "Please take us in! Boss!!"
I can't take it! This is just too cringey!
This attitude, so completely different from before, made Natsui suspect for a moment that they had been possessed by something.
Natsui refused, "While I appreciate you lending me the bicycle, I have no intention of taking on any followers."
With that, he turned to leave, but then he heard a series of thuds from behind him as they knelt down.
He quickly looked back to see the bikers all kneeling behind him, hands clasped together, with pitiful looks on their faces.
"Boss!"
Sighing, Natsui said, "I'm really sorry, but I'm not running a gang. Besides, didn't you already accept Jessie and James as your big bosses?"
Misa said, "When we were younger, those two were already big shots around here, always doing exaggerated and attention-grabbing things, so we just called them boss out of habit. But that's all in the past."
"That's right," Masa agreed. "We're not their followers, and now that they've joined Team Rocket, we want nothing to do with them!"
Natsui still shook his head. "I'm just a Trainer. What would I do with a bunch of followers like you?"
"What does that matter!" Misa said quickly. "If you participate in the Pokémon League, we'll be your loyal fan club! If you fight against Team Rocket, we're willing to fight alongside you!"
Sigh...
These guys are just too clingy!
And they seem to have a relentless spirit of not giving up until they achieve their goal!
But it made sense. These bikers were, to put it bluntly, just a bunch of idle punks, so naturally, they would idolize someone stronger than them.
Seeing that Natsui was wavering slightly, Masa asked directly, "So, Boss, could you please tell us your name?
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