With his identity exposed, the "grunt" Lambda no longer bothered to hide anything.
As he removed his cap, a strange pink substance suddenly oozed across his face and uniform, writhing unnaturally as if something were about to separate from his body.
Plop.
Moments later, a soft, squishy pink Pokémon dropped onto the ground, its jelly-like body wobbling duang duang as it landed.
"Beep. Ditto, the Transform Pokémon.
Its cellular structure is extraordinarily versatile. A perfect biological specimen—capable of transforming to match both male and female Pokémon… and even humans."
The Pokédex automatically chimed in.
Ash scratched his head.
"Uh… what does that last part even mean?"
As Ditto shed its disguise, the supposed grunt Xiao Hei suddenly transformed—his appearance becoming identical to the flamboyant Lambda standing beside him.
Same flashy purple hair.
Same high-ranking, luxurious uniform.
Meanwhile, the "Lambda" who had been taking the lead earlier instantly lost all presence, bowing respectfully instead.
Under normal circumstances, this was how the script went.
The fake Lambda would die dramatically on the front line, and just when the enemy thought it was over, the real Lambda would emerge from elsewhere, dazzling everyone.
Because of this, he had earned a nickname:
"The Trickster Lambda."
As for the fake body?
It usually didn't even leave a corpse behind.
That was Lambda's greatest secret—his expendable substitute.
And now…
It had been seen through at a glance by a reckless kid.
Lambda's expression darkened.
He didn't believe for a second that Ash's Pokédex had truly identified him.
Even Team Rocket's massive database couldn't do that.
Which meant only one thing—
This boy, with a strange "Z"-shaped mark on his face, had personally seen through his near-perfect disguise.
Face tattoos?
Tacky.
And that look of "even I'm surprised by myself" on his face?
Terrible acting.
Since the secret was out, there was only one outcome today.
No one who knew this could leave Pokémon Tower alive.
Ash, completely unaware of Lambda's internal monologue, pointed at the wobbling Ditto on the floor and asked curiously:
"Hey, mister—doesn't it get hot, stuffing yourself inside that thing?"
Honestly, he kind of wanted to poke Ditto with a stick.
"…"
Lambda ignored him, calmly appraising his opponent.
He wasn't going to let nonsense disrupt his focus.
Though… yes. It was hot.
Using Ditto as a disguise required extremely high-level skill. Lambda was confident that in all of Kanto, only a handful could manage it—and he was unquestionably the best among them.
Unless some master of disguise descended from another world—which was absurd—no one should be better than him.
Cooling function?
What more do you want, a bike too?
With that thought, Lambda launched his attack.
"Golbat—use Mean Look!"
Golbat beat its wings violently. A massive, pitch-black eye seemed to open in front of its gaping mouth, and an eerie force surged outward.
Charmander and Cubone both stiffened instantly, their movements locking up.
If I don't know what's coming next—then I'll just take out these two weaklings first.
Ash didn't hesitate.
"Charmander, Flamethrower!"
A pillar of fire roared forward—but Golbat's speed was impressive. It spun midair, narrowly dodging the flames, which scorched a long black mark into the ceiling.
Lambda sneered.
"Golbat, Confuse Ray."
Golbat's expression turned sinister as a glowing white orb shot from its mouth.
Pop.
The orb burst in front of Charmander and Cubone, strange lights enveloping them.
In the next instant, little yellow Psyduck-like symbols spun over their heads as they staggered unsteadily.
From the rear, Ghost Marowak urgently hurled its bone club, trying to ambush Golbat.
The club spun rapidly—then passed straight through.
"Idiot," Lambda cackled.
"You think Ground-type attacks work on ghosts?"
Golbat lunged forward, wings glowing an ominous white as it slapped Marowak aside.
Bang!
Marowak raised its bone club defensively, but its power—already weakened by Team Rocket's detection tech—was nowhere near its former strength.
It was sent flying backward.
Using the recoil, Golbat spread its wings again and charged—this time straight at Charmander.
Ash shouted instantly,
"Charmander! Use Fire Spin to restrain it!"
"Charrr!!"
Charmander spat flames upward, forming a massive swirling vortex—
Then the direction suddenly changed.
And the attack slammed directly into Ash.
Ash: "?"
The blast scorched his upper body, instantly turning him into a walking mixed-race meme.
"Skree!"
Golbat followed up immediately with Wing Attack, smashing Charmander and Cubone away in a single blow.
Cubone was knocked out on the spot.
Charmander fared slightly better—but it swayed weakly, barely standing, its flame flickering like a candle in the wind.
"That's enough," Lambda said dismissively.
"Bring out your real strength. Don't insult me with baby Pokémon."
Ash quietly swallowed.
Cough.
…That is my real strength.
Wait—no.
He still had his all-purpose solution.
Gengar.
Ash hurriedly scanned the surroundings, searching for it.
"Not bad, old master," he muttered.
"You're already invisible, huh? Let me draw attention while you strike from the shadows."
Ash felt instantly reassured.
Sometimes, having a Pokémon far stronger than yourself really is comfortable.
"Charmander!" he shouted.
"Char!!"
Despite its injuries, Charmander snapped awake, its tail flame burning fiercely once more.
It growled low at Golbat—not intimidating in size, but carrying a faint, unmistakable dragon's pride.
It was imitating the aura of that legendary Charizard from the lighthouse battle.
"Small body, big mouth," Lambda sneered.
But his eyes flickered with interest.
This Charmander's talent was undeniable.
Crushing a genius…
Nothing feels better.
"Golbat—Air Cutter!"
Golbat's wings whipped violently, sending razor-sharp wind blades slicing through the air.
Ash's eyes lit up.
"Charmander! Fire Spin, block them!"
This time, Charmander didn't hit an ally.
Fire Spin formed perfectly, wrapping around the incoming blades. With a flick of its head, the winds were redirected, exploding harmlessly into the surrounding floor.
Not a single blade landed within half a meter of Charmander.
It had used this technique before—back at the Power Plant.
The Fire Spin didn't stop.
It surged forward again, engulfing Golbat completely.
By the time Golbat realized what was happening, its body was fully trapped in roaring flames.
Lambda scoffed.
"Parlor tricks.
Golbat—Air Cutter."
Golbat trembled, wings slashing wildly.
Stronger blades tore outward—
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
In moments, the Fire Spin was shredded apart, sparks raining down.
And at that exact moment—
From Golbat's blind spot, an orange figure leapt skyward.
"Charrr!!"
Charmander's eyes glowed red with ferocity as it latched onto Golbat, claws and fangs sinking in.
With a powerful twist of its body, it dragged the much larger Golbat down, slamming it hard onto the floor.
"Skree!!"
"Char!!"
Dragon and bat wrestled violently on the ground, each trying to pin the other.
Lambda's expression finally changed.
Charmander was clearly weaker than Golbat—but it had found a way to close the gap.
Still…
It was meaningless.
The difference remained. At best, this only delayed the inevitable.
Seeing his plan succeed, Ash's eyes shone brilliantly.
"Now!! Gengar!!"
According to the script, Gengar should now appear behind Lambda and perform a dramatic suplex, ending the fight.
"What?!" Lambda's face twisted in shock as he scanned the area.
So that's it…
This reckless kid had actually hidden a Gengar.
Damn it!
He'd underestimated him—assuming Ash was the type to only fight head-on, one-on-one.
At this pace, there was no way Lambda would have time to bring out his true ace—Crobat!
Is this it?
Is Lambda, Team Rocket's greatest strategist, really going to fall here today?!
…
…
Charmander finally ran out of strength and collapsed unconscious.
Golbat rose shakily back into the air, wings battered but still capable of flight.
And yet—
Gengar never appeared.
Lambda: "…"
"…Was that a bluff?"
Ash: "…"
For some reason, Ash's palm suddenly itched.
He looked down.
A white piece of paper had appeared in his hand.
On it was a crude drawing—about kindergarten level.
On the left: a chubby Pokémon vaguely resembling Gengar.
In the middle: the numbers 1 and 0, crookedly written.
On the right: another Gengar.
The meaning was… self-explanatory.
Ash: "…"
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