The sky seemed to darken. A strangely colored Mega Gengar silently floated up from underground.
A pure white body, golden back spikes, and glowing golden eyes… it seemed that one look into them would trap you forever.
In the air, the visible Spatial Barrier rippled and began compressing forcefully toward Beedrill.
Beedrill instantly sensed the change in its surroundings and, without hesitation, jabbed its twin needles toward the Spatial Barrier.
Splat!
Even the compressed Spatial Barrier offered no resistance to Beedrill's jabs.
But piercing it… didn't mean escaping!
Beedrill's twin needles were far too small; the hole it created wasn't nearly large enough to escape through.
This time, Gengar had learned from experience. It deliberately "softened and thickened" the Spatial Barrier, precisely countering Beedrill's needle-point piercing move!
Splat! Splat splat!
"Beeee!"
After stabbing a few more times, Beedrill clearly realized the transparent "wall" was different. It no longer attacked recklessly, instead hovering calmly in place.
It was an insect that could think!
At that moment, Richie and Abe had already begun retreating. In the distance, Ariana and Kaiser exchanged glances, as if waiting for something.
But when no orders came for a while, they could only remain silently in place, ignoring the two fleeing Trainers.
"Go!" Sato turned and frowned at Lance.
Lance immediately glared back at him. Q(`⌒Q)
"…If anyone's leaving, it's you. It's just a bug! Why would I, Lance the Dragon Master, be afraid?"
As he spoke, Lance enlarged the Ancient Poké Ball¹[1] in his hand, fully ready to go all out.
"Oh! A bug…?"
Just then, a deep voice with a hint of mockery rang out from afar, instantly putting Sato and Lance on high alert.
"Ariana, Kaiser!"
"AT YOUR COMMAND!"
"Go fetch those two Magikarp back."
"YES!"
Not far away, Ariana and Kaiser bowed and immediately rushed off after Richie and Abe.
This time, Sato and Lance could only watch them leave without daring to act rashly.
The Trainer of this Champion level Beedrill had arrived?
The legendary final boss of Team Rocket was about to appear?
Yet even when Sato fully activated [Dark Energy: Energy Detection], he still couldn't sense any abnormal energy fluctuations nearby.
CRACK…!
Right at that moment, the Spatial Barrier shattered again!
Mega Gengar could only let out a muffled grunt before quietly submerging back beside Sato.
Beedrill had already transformed into a massive spinning top, slowly coming to a halt.
The twin needles weren't wide enough, so it had turned its entire body into a "giant drill" to forcibly break out!
A Champion Beedrill was no mindless brute.
"Heh, have fun playing with my Beedrill.
…It's just a bug after all."
The deep voice rang out again. Sato and Lance, however, felt like they were facing a mortal threat. As Beedrill charged toward them, both of their hearts sank.
"Hohoho~ Well said. Just a bug!"
Suddenly, another voice rang out from behind them, and a black shadow shot forward, colliding head-on with the incoming Beedrill.
A red crest, white clawed arms, and a gray-black body so fast it left overlapping afterimages.
Weavile!
More importantly, it had successfully suppressed the previously unstoppable Beedrill.
'The old man's here!'
Sato's heart, which had plummeted to rock bottom, suddenly surged back up. He even couldn't help but show a slightly smug smile.
'Your mom got hit, and the son comes to save her… makes sense.
But if you want to hit me, you'd better ask my old man first!
Everyone's got backup, kay?' o(^｀)o
"Fujin-san is here?!"
Lance was also shocked and delighted. While recalling the Ancient Poké Ball in his hand, he kept glancing around.
Unfortunately, Giovanni never truly showed up, and Fujin, not to be outdone, didn't expose himself either.
On the already devastated battlefield, only two streaks of black and yellow shadows were madly clashing like daggers.
Both were close-combat assassin types; one wielded the sharpest twin needles, the other had honed the sharpest bone claws. In battle, neither side had the upper hand!
For a moment, the battlefield fell into an eerie deadlock, and Sato and Lance ended up becoming spectators.
Seeing this, Lance could only pat Sato's shoulder and purse his lips helplessly.
"Sigh… as much as I'd like to keep watching, I'm still worried about Richie and the others. I'll come find you afterward. Hn. You better tell me every single detail!"
With that, Lance turned and chased in the direction Richie and Abe had left.
As for why Sato wasn't the one going after them while Lance stayed?
If the one who had come was a Champion from the Dragon Tamer clan, Lance wouldn't have hesitated to let Sato go assist.
But Champion Fujin… he only acknowledged Sato now. Even President Goodshow could only call him "aniki~"
CLANG!
Another clash of needles and claws. The ear-piercing screech made everyone instinctively cringe.
But Sato could see it too, there was no way these two Pokémon would determine a winner in a short time.
As expected, after this clash, the two Pokémon seemed to receive orders from their Trainers. They retreated simultaneously, keeping a cautious eye on each other.
"Hoo… the League sure is something… sending out powerhouses just to protect someone."
Giovanni's voice was no longer mocking, but the attempt to sow discord was painfully obvious.
To that, Fujin simply responded with a cold snort.
"You know jack!"
"..."
Giovanni went silent. This old man didn't play by the rules!
But before he could talk back, Fujin shot off again.
"Being a Champion is so great now, huh? When you were twenty, were you half as good as this kid Sato?
Did you have his money?
Did you have his looks, perhaps?
Oh right~ He's even got a girlfriend, richer than him, prettier than him, and… almost as strong. Becoming a Champion herself someday won't be hard.
When you were twenty… what did you even have?
Mmm~ Nothing, probably-"
Sato blinked and looked around, still unwilling to give up, trying to spot this fast-talking ol' Fujin!
…So he could ask him to say it a billion more times.
"Heh… What a waste to let someone this outstanding stay in the League. How about joining us in Team Rocket instead? I'll reserve the Team Rocket Leader's seat just for you."
Giovanni finally couldn't hold back and interrupted Fujin's non-stop barrage, doubling down on the sowing of discord.
The next moment, Fujin stopped insulting.
"Ohhh… the position of Team Rocket Leader…? Sounds good. Then step down. I agree. Sato should join you."
Giovanni: …
Sato twitched his lips, wanting to argue back, but then he suddenly understood.
"…If I get to be the Leader, then I agree!"
Giovanni: … … …???
"Aren't you a 'Champion'? You already said it! Don't tell me you're going to backtrack now~?" Fujin added fuel to the fire.
"Mhm-mhm! Exactly, exactly!" Sato piled on gleefully.
Giovanni remained silent…
A few seconds later, Beedrill slowly retreated and burrowed into the forest.
"Sato, once Team Rocket rules the world… I'll definitely make you my successor!"
From deep within the forest came Giovanni's final "desperate plea".
•
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¹.We all know what's inside that pokeball...… A FLYING TYPE!
[1] We all know what’s inside that pokeball……… A FLYING TYPE!