"Oh? A Primeape with that kind of power…"
Watching the toxic tidal wave shatter under a single punch, Petrel's brows knit as his gaze slid to the man stepping forward—Grey.
"No matter how I ran the numbers, I didn't account for you and Grey being one and the same."
Now that he saw him up close, Petrel could more or less piece together what had happened.
"But even so, a mere Primeape isn't enough to stop tonight's grand performance!"
He snorted, seizing on the instant while Primeape evolved to sic his Weezing: "Sludge Bomb!"
"Wee—zing!"
Weezing bobbed and swayed, deep violet light rolling off its body.
One after another, inky shells belched from its mouths, and a rank stench drifted across the air!
"Flamethrower—Mach Punch!"
Unhurried, Grey answered—another Poké Ball snapped to the floor.
"Bre—loom!"
The instant Breloom bounced free, a hard white glare sparked at its knuckles!
To the crowd, it vanished into a smear of afterimage as a string of air-bursts cracked in their ears.
At the same time, Blaziken spat fire; the surge coiled like a dragon and met the dozen Sludge Bombs head-on!
Splat!
The clashing moves detonated at once, fragments splashing wide.
Flamethrower did the key work—then Breloom slipped through the opening, materializing at Petrel's nose and drove a fist forward!
White filled Petrel's eyes—
BOOM!!!
Under Technician, Mach Punch hit like a truck; the blow blasted Petrel back several meters.
The room cheered.
"Alright! No wonder he's Gym Leader Grey! One punch and a Rocket down!"
Ash whooped, full marks for Grey's showing.
Grey didn't answer—no joy on his face. His eyes were on Primeape.
The light faded.
A new Pokémon stood before everyone.
Black-furred, black-limbed, its outline still echoed Primeape's. The crest on its head jutted up; the tips were pale.
Tufts on both sides of its brow sagged slightly—faintly familiar, like a ghost from before.
Compared to its previous form, its eyes burned blood-red; the raw, seething anger in its stare made people hesitate to get close.
[Pokémon: Annihilape]
[Type: Fighting/Ghost]
[Level: 55]
[Ability: Defiant]
[Moves: …]
"Whew. That's better."
With his ace complete, Grey let out a breath and turned his attention back to Petrel.
"Kh— impressive gains in a short span. Keep that pace and, before long, you'll stand with those two monsters…" Petrel coughed, bloody at the lip, unsteady on his feet—praising even while he stalled.
But Grey's hackles rose.
Too easy…
A Team Rocket Executive doesn't go down that cleanly.
The way Petrel had eaten Breloom's strike set off every internal alarm.
Was he baiting for an opening?
Very possible.
"Annihilape—prep Rage Fist."
No playing around with this one.
Even a rabbit gets the full bite from a lion.
And this was a Rocket Executive.
"Annih—!"
Annihilape bumped its fists together. Ghostly light flared between them and poured over its body.
The swell of Ghost-type power steadied the whole room.
"Hahaha! You sure you want to swing at me?" Petrel narrowed his eyes and clapped.
Clack…
A holoscreen bloomed in the air—and the image made stomachs drop.
Inside, a mess of "spherical" Pokémon lay lolling as if dead drunk.
Electrode, Weezing…
Even Golem was in the pile.
The layout looked like a storage room.
Devices lined the walls—obvious cousins to the remote in Petrel's hand.
"N—no way!" Gary's eyes went wide; Adam's apple bobbing, he forced down a mouthful of nerves. "Even with Damp, you can't blanket everything…"
The murmurs swelled; every face went sour.
"Grey, oh Grey~" Petrel waggled the remote, his voice a devil's whisper. "You counted and counted… but you didn't count on Team Rocket preparing for the worst, did you?"
"…"
Grey didn't bite.
He watched the feed, then lifted the little Riolu off his left shoulder and set it down—along with a Sabrina doll from his pack.
From the moment he chose to butt heads with Rocket, he'd expected they'd reach for this kind of lever.
So he'd prepared.
These were two of the contingencies.
"Now then—just nod, join Team Rocket, and you'll have wealth and privilege beyond your dreams. Plus, you get to enjoy this round-the-world cruise," Petrel crooned.
"Otherwise? You get to sink with this luxury liner and end up as Sharpedo's midnight snack~"
"Keep dreaming!" Ash jabbed a finger at Petrel, furious. "I'll die before I become Rocket's lapdog!"
"Oh ho~ big talk from the kid. But is everyone thinking the same?" Petrel tittered, then turned to the room's strongest—Grey.
"Mr. Grey, if you agree, then when this is done, Team Rocket will hand you the reins of Saffron City."
"Oh? So Rocket's got pull like that? Saffron's the biggest city in Kanto. That kind of say-so isn't cheap." Grey cocked a brow. He hadn't expected Petrel to throw that chip.
Saffron City—call it Kanto's economic artery and you wouldn't be wrong.
If he truly took the reins, the daily take would be no small number.
"Mr. Grey, I see you streaming almost every day. Even the cheap gifts get a thousand thank-yous." Petrel thumped his chest in mock heartbreak and pressed, "So tell me—why do you chase strength?"
"To protect everything in my gym. To guard my Saffron City," Grey said, eyes flicking to the holofeed as a smile curved his mouth.
"So—please die."
The words dropped.
Annihilape, fist-shadow condensed and howling for ages now, lunged and swung.
The ballroom lights dimmed in an instant; a titanic ghostly fist tore free and screamed straight for Petrel.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810