"Grey, judging by your face, you don't seem surprised about who I am."
Daisuke was wearing a Team Rocket uniform, hands clasped behind his back, ringed by a crowd of Rocket members.
That lineup was what gave him the nerve to confront Grey.
"Sigh."
Grey let out a light breath. He had no interest in chatting with Daisuke.
In his eyes, Daisuke was already a dead man walking.
"Grey, you really are arrogant, huh? As your junior, I've always wanted you to at least look my way."
When Grey didn't answer, Daisuke's expression flickered hot and cold. He twisted his mouth into a mock-woeful grimace. "Looks like we'll just have to go to war with Cerulean City, then~"
As he spoke, a searing flash streaked in!
Daisuke frowned and was just about to pull out a Poké Ball when Ralts suddenly slapped it from his hand.
"Kamo!" (You're the one who talks too much!)
Combusken lunged in with a vicious kick, its sharp talons driving into Daisuke's chest. Fire flared and crawled up his clothes, licking his skin.
Gradually, the smell of roasting meat wafted out.
Then Combusken gave the slightest heave—
BOOM!!!
Daisuke shot backward like a cannonball and smashed into a boulder with a thud so heavy you could feel the pain just hearing it.
"You idiots… what are you waiting for? Get in there!"
Blood trickled from Daisuke's mouth. After snapping at his men, he glared daggers at Grey. "Grey… you're dead!"
It was his first time suffering injuries this bad—
And from a Combusken, of all things!
Unbelievable!
Eyes bloodshot, Daisuke slapped at his belt.
Bang, bang, bang…
Poké Balls clattered to the ground and several beams of light flashed.
Compared to the grunts' filler Ekans, Rattata, and Zubat, Daisuke's Pokémon were at least a cut better.
Three black little dogs with shackle-like bands around their legs padded forward, and behind them a horned black hound stared down the crowd.
[Pokémon: Houndour]
[Level: 20]
[Pokémon: Houndoom]
[Level: 35]
It was obvious Daisuke had funneled all his resources into Houndoom.
The classic "feed everything to one ace" approach.
Against Grey, though, that wasn't going to cut it.
"If your one reliance is that Houndoom, you'd better surrender now, unless you're eager for a world of hurt."
Grey narrowed his eyes and delivered a final ultimatum:
"All Team Rocket members present, surrender now and you may receive leniency. If the police have to act, you'll be adding 'assaulting officers' and 'attempted murder of a Gym Leader' to your charges."
"Under combined sentencing, it won't just be losing your right to own Pokémon for life."
The Rockets burst out laughing.
"Dude, are you out of your mind?"
"We're Team Rocket. You think Team Rocket surrenders?"
"No way someone actually thinks our great Team Rocket bows to the League! What a joke!"
They found Grey laughable for trying to make them surrender.
Hearing them, Grey nodded, satisfied.
"In that case, I won't be polite!"
"Primeape—leave no one standing!"
He put his shoulder into it and hurled Primeape's Poké Ball straight into the crowd.
"Praaaime!" (My turn!)
Veins bulging, Primeape let its presence explode—its own savage aura flaring, even tinged with a bit of Ghost-type black miasma.
Diving into the mob, Primeape descended like a god of slaughter. Everywhere its fists swept, almost no Pokémon could stand.
One punch, and swaths of Pokémon toppled!
A bunch of Rocket grunts went flying with them!
Even Daisuke's prized Houndoom got turned into a dumb mutt by a single punch from Primeape.
"What the hell—this is the strength of a dojo that got sidelined by Saffron Gym?!"
Laid out on the ground, Daisuke watched, stunned. Primeape's performance was nothing like the reports.
Weren't they supposed to be mid-to-low tier among Kanto Gyms? How did this suddenly look ace-level?!
No way he raised it to this in such a short time, right?!
"Who told you that being sidelined by Saffron Gym means the Fighting Dojo is weak?"
Grey's eyes narrowed; he chuckled. "Besides, that was three years ago. You still clinging to it just to smear us?"
"Mio-mio~"
Even the "Riolu" on his shoulder gave a mischievous giggle—it clearly found Daisuke's claim hilarious.
Sidelined ≠ weak.
Equation disproved!
"Damn it—who says I don't have a trump card?!"
Daisuke tried to force himself up—
And then saw the adorable Ralts toddling over.
"Oh ho, the little shrimp knows how to use Knock Off. I don't buy it—no way you land that again!"
He sneered at Ralts.
In his eyes, size was everything.
A tiny Ralts, and a Psychic-type at that—how strong could it possibly be?
He'd been careless earlier.
But now that he was ready, how could Ralts succeed?
Thinking that, Daisuke smirked again.
"Raalts!"
Ralts grabbed his pant leg.
"Ha! That's it—wait, what?!"
The laugh died on his lips as his vision shifted—
I'm screwed!
What kind of Ralts is this?!
Ralts, grown up—strength to pull mountains, might to overshadow the world?!
The world spun; Daisuke hit the ground.
With a crisp crack, his head lolled to the side and he passed out on the spot.
"The remaining Team Rocket members, listen up! Your junior officer is out cold. Surrender now and you can still be processed normally! Otherwise, the consequences will be very serious!"
Grey somehow produced a big bullhorn and tried to talk the diehards down:
"Be real—how much does Team Rocket even pay you a month? Is it worth dying for? Do a few years, get out, and start fresh."
Daisuke's collapse, Grey's call to surrender, and a Primeape going practically feral…
All of it together shook the Rockets' resolve.
Yeah…
How much do we even make a month?!
The big slice of mission pay gets skimmed off by the higher-ups!
Day to day we pay out of pocket to raise our Pokémon, and then still get dragged out as cannon fodder!
Seeing the wavering, Green had a flash of inspiration.
She slapped Ditto onto her face, jogged into the crowd, and vanished within it.
Then…
"Hey, if you ask me, we should just surrender! It still counts as turning ourselves in—maybe we even get a lighter sentence!"
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