This face, Natsuhiko knew it all too well.
Even more so than Lance.
Because he could see this face almost every day, and not just once a day.
Anai!
The front desk of Silver Pokémon Battle Club!
He never would have thought he'd see Anai's face here.
Then he understood.
Why in the photo Lance gave to Tom Rokicki, their figure was slimmer than Lotto, and their hair was noticeably longer. (Did anyone notice this?)
Originally, Natsuhiko didn't think much of it, after all, Tom Rokicki had left the league for quite some time, and changing one's appearance should be simple enough.
Yet he never imagined that Tom Rokicki was actually a woman!
All this time, they had presented themselves with masculine attire in the public view, and gradually, others subconsciously considered them a man.
In the photo, Tom Rokicki had concealed the physical traits that could reveal their gender.
At least no Adam's apple was visible.
Seeing Natsuhiko, Anai wasn't surprised, instead, she flashed a sweet smile and said softly, "Natsuhiko, why aren't you training properly today?"
Natsuhiko: "..."
Like a normal conversation, it made Natsuhiko feel a chill down his spine.
The Reserve Elite Four member who betrayed the league had been by his side all along, helping him with many things every day under his command.
That realization, flitting on the edge of peril without knowing, made him uneasy.
Was he dancing on the brink of disaster the whole time?
Anai concealed it so well.
But it was precisely because of experiences like this, where he couldn't have imagined that someone scheming against him was by his side all along, that suddenly made Natsuhiko's trust in those around him drop significantly.
Under Lance's curious gaze, Natsuhiko pursed his lips, "So, should I call you Anai now, or Tom Rokicki?"
Truthfully, Natsuhiko still had a rather good impression of Anai.
Anai waved her hand lightly, "It's just a name, doesn't matter. Let's have a proper chat after I deal with Zapdos, you're quite good."
As she spoke, she even raised an eyebrow.
Anai truly thought Natsuhiko was remarkable, although not very powerful, smart, meticulous, and hardworking in training.
If as a subordinate, he'd be quite decent, right?
After all, with her help, boosting his power through shortcuts wouldn't be difficult.
Seeing the two talking so casually, Azir couldn't stand it anymore.
Immersed in the shock of seeing so many Electric-type Pokémon corpses, he finally reacted!
Can't let Tom Rokicki capture Zapdos!
Or it would surely be a huge disaster for the entire league.
"Nidoking! Golem!"
With Azir's low shout, the two Pokémon, with heavy steps, charged directly towards Tom Rokicki, intending to win using the tactics against a Trainer.
Noticing the disturbance from the two Pokémon, Tom Rokicki chuckled softly.
She raised her right hand gently.
A completely transparent wall constructed of psychic power appeared out of thin air, blocking the two Pokémon's path.
"Psychic power?" Azir was a little surprised.
But soon, he noticed that as Tom Rokicki used her psychic power, her appearance began to change gradually.
Her body slowly transformed, and her lively, cunning eyes became dull.
She actually turned from a human into a Pokémon!
Looked a bit like a human, with large hands, each of its five fingers having a suction cup, and two red suction cups on either side of its cheeks, appearing somewhat comical, somewhat amusing.
Mr. Mime (Suction Cup Puppet)!
Imitation Techniques!
So that means...
Bang!
Suddenly, a gunshot accompanied by a burst of firelight flared up in an obscure corner.
With an expression of disbelief, Azir slowly lowered his head, only to see a splash of crimson appearing on his abdomen, rapidly spreading.
A gun!
Natsuhiko and Lance were both taken aback, Lance immediately sprinted toward Azir, with Dratini guarding his body, while Natsuhiko chose the exact opposite and pounced towards the trash heap on the other side.
As they reacted, a figure blew the smoke from the gun's muzzle and slowly walked out from the other side of the corner, with a mocking smile on their face.
"Sorry, missed my shot."
Fortunately, Azir, as a seasoned Trainer, had the basic skills, he immediately recalled his two Pokémon and threw out a Pokeball again, summoning a Bellossom.
Bellossom directly created a Grass Arena beneath Azir's feet.
Shimmering green light points gathered toward his abdomen, staunching the freely flowing blood.
However, it couldn't help but leave him a bit pale.
After ensuring protection, Natsuhiko returned to Azir's side.
In the current situation, there was no doubt that staying beside Azir was the safest option.
As for Tom Rokicki, there wasn't a word from them that Natsuhiko would believe again.
Azir clutched his abdomen, his face dripping with sweat.
He spoke solemnly to Lance and Natsuhiko: "I'll try to hold her off, you two go destroy that Pure Gold Feather, the magnetic field created by the Conversion Device and the Pure Gold Feather traps Zapdos, while amplifying its Electric-type aura, continuously attracting Electric-type Pokémon over. If this drags on, it could endanger the entire Goldenrod City!"
Now he couldn't afford to doubt whether Natsuhiko was connected to Tom Rokicki's plan.
If he was involved, he would've defected long ago, besides, there were many opportunities to ambush him.
"Okay!" Before Natsuhiko could speak, Lance nodded directly.
He turned to Natsuhiko, eyes full of trust.
Natsuhiko couldn't help but feel a bit demoralized.
It seemed the success rate wasn't very high.
But he still nodded his head.
At this point, rather than sitting and waiting for death, it was better to take a risk.
Supported by Lance, Azir stood up, his face solemn, letting go of Lance's support.
"Bellossom, Sweet Fragrance!"
As Bellossom constantly swayed its body, wisps of fragrance highly tempting to Pokémon began to spread.
Under such fragrance, Tom Rokicki's Pokémon couldn't help but be affected.
"Nidoking, Golem, Dual Earthquake!"
Crack, crack, crack!!
The two Pokémon's eyes gleamed with fierce light, their robust paws stomping fiercely onto the ground almost simultaneously, causing the entire ground to tremble, two ripples rapidly spread with the two Pokémon as the center, overlapping and accumulating layer by layer, unleashing a terrifying destructive force.
Feeling the power of the Earthquake, Tom Rokicki couldn't help but frown, floating up under Mr. Mime's psychic power, dodging the potential damage from the Earthquake.
Had to command the other six Pokémon to dodge and evade.
These six Pokémon, with Mr. Mime's assistance, had already reached a balance with Zapdos, unable to detach and stop.
Seeing this situation, Tom Rokicki could only touch her waist, casually throwing out two more Pokeballs.
Even with Mr. Mime's telepathy and her Reserve Elite Four capabilities, commanding nine Pokémon simultaneously was impossible.
She softly said, "These two Pokémon are yours."
"Understood."
In the corner, another person walked out, wearing luxurious clothes, face filled with excitement.
Seemed very pleased with the two Pokémon they were about to acquire.
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Really now, a hundred plus monthly votes in just three days? Have a heart!
...Today, still four updates, hopefully.....no more accidents!