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Inside a small cave nestled within the Sundawn Plateau Wilderness Area, Roger had just finished carefully applying medicinal ointment to his wounded Charizard. Both the man and his loyal Pokémon were resting quietly in the protective shelter of the cave, taking refuge from the fierce snowstorm that continued to rage outside.
Roger sat cross-legged on the cold stone ground, gazing out at the violent blizzard beyond the cave entrance. His weathered mind was deeply pondering the serious implications of encountering Chien-Pao in this remote wilderness.
His first instinct was clear: he absolutely must immediately report the matter of Chien-Pao's presence to the Pokémon Association headquarters. If it were someone else with even a bit of personal selfishness, they would definitely choose to conceal this discovery and secretly look for an opportunity to capture this legendary Pokémon for themselves.
However, Roger's character had always been completely upright and honest. He had never even considered doing such a thing, not even for a moment. Firstly, his moral principles wouldn't allow him to act so selfishly, and secondly, his personal strength simply didn't permit such an ambitious undertaking either.
Rather than worrying about how to deal with this powerful Chien-Pao, he was far more concerned about the immediate safety of his Patrol Team members. The sudden appearance of a Legendary Pokémon in their Wilderness Area was definitely not a good development for the Patrol Team. On the contrary, it represented a potential disaster that could threaten all their lives.
However, what made Roger feel somewhat fortunate was that it had been he, the experienced Captain, who was conducting patrol duties today. Otherwise, if it had been any other team member on duty, they would probably have died at the hands of either the dangerous poachers or the legendary Chien-Pao long ago.
This was especially true considering how incredibly powerful this particular Chien-Pao appeared to be - at least Champion-level in strength, or perhaps even approaching Master-level capabilities.
Thinking of these sobering facts, Roger reached for his metal flask and took a long, satisfying gulp of the strong liquor inside.
He wasn't entirely sure if his luck today should be considered good or bad. Good luck meant he had encountered the legendary Pokémon Chien-Pao, something most trainers could only dream of witnessing. Bad luck meant he had suffered tremendous losses in the process - all his Pokémon had been severely injured during the battles, and now only his faithful Charizard still retained any fighting ability.
Just as Roger was lost deep in these troubled thoughts, a massive shadow suddenly appeared at the cave entrance, blocking out much of the dim light.
Salamence's enormous body completely blocked the narrow cave opening. Huxley and his Slurpuff jumped down gracefully from the Dragon-type Pokémon's broad back. Looking at the injured Charizard and the weary Roger, a cruel, playful expression appeared on the face that was hidden beneath the distinctive mask.
"So this is where you've been hiding. You really made me search extensively for you," Huxley's voice carried an unmistakable hint of dangerous coldness. "Salamence, use Thunder Fang immediately!"
Huxley didn't waste any time with unnecessary conversation and chose to launch his attack immediately. Salamence's powerful jaws began glowing with crackling electrical energy, and it lunged forward to bite directly at Roger's injured Charizard.
"Roooaar!"
Even while severely wounded, Roger's battle-scarred, one-eyed Charizard showed absolutely no signs of backing down from this fight. Brilliant Dragon-type energy began enveloping its sharp claws as it prepared a Dragon Claw attack, courageously choosing to clash head-on with the much larger Salamence!
"BOOM!"
In the violent collision that followed, Roger's loyal Charizard suffered a significant disadvantage. The substantial difference in power and condition caused its battered body to be sent flying backward, further aggravating its existing injuries from the previous battle.
The overwhelming strength displayed by the Salamence standing before him filled Roger's experienced heart with a deep sense of ominous premonition about how this encounter would end.
Roger's keen gaze fell upon the short, stocky man wearing the mysterious mask. He frowned deeply, absolutely certain that he didn't know this individual and had never seen the distinctive mask the stranger was wearing before. However, the masked attacker had launched his assault without any warning or explanation, clearly indicating that he knew Roger's identity and genuinely wanted to kill him.
"I didn't expect your Charizard to still possess the ability to fight back effectively. In that case, let's end this quickly. Go, Rhyperior, use Stone Edge!" Seeing that Charizard still retained enough strength to battle, Huxley immediately pulled out another Poké Ball and released a massive Rhyperior to ensure his victory.
Two King-level Pokémon against one severely injured Charizard - there was naturally no suspense about how this battle would conclude.
"Salamence, continue your attack with Thunder Fang!" Huxley commanded ruthlessly.
Facing the overwhelming encirclement of two powerful Pokémon, Roger's one-eyed Charizard turned its scarred head to look back at its beloved trainer one final time. Then its entire body suddenly erupted with the most astonishing Fire-type energy Roger had ever witnessed. At this critical moment, practically all the Fire-type energy within Charizard's body was about to be released in one desperate final attack.
"Use Burn Up!" Roger shouted, recognizing his partner's intention.
Endless, brilliant flames filled the entire cave interior with searing heat, but the attack was expertly blocked by Salamence's perfectly timed Protect technique.
Meanwhile, the sturdy Rhyperior endured the full force of Charizard's devastating Burn Up attack, charged directly in front of the exhausted Fire-type Pokémon, activated its Stone Edge technique, and slammed the razor-sharp rocks into Charizard's battered body with tremendous force.
"Roooaar!"
Accompanied by a heartbreaking, painful wail that echoed throughout the cave, Charizard finally lost its ability to battle and collapsed heavily onto the stone ground, falling into unconsciousness from its injuries.
"Come back, my faithful friend," Roger whispered softly as his heart grew cold with the realization of his fate. He knew with grim certainty that he would most likely die here in this remote cave. Now, he could only hope desperately that his beloved Charizard would not be harmed any further.
Huxley looked down at the defeated Roger, his voice carrying a distinctly cat-and-mouse-like sense of cruel playfulness. "Do you have any last words you'd like to share, Roger?"
Roger looked directly at Huxley standing before him, initially saying nothing in response. Instead, he silently reached for the metal flask at his waist and took a long gulp of the strong liquor inside, not caring about how powerfully the alcohol burned his throat. "Cough, cough... I'm going to die anyway, so this good liquor shouldn't go to waste. And don't you dare call me by the wrong name - you should address me as Captain Roger with proper respect."
Roger's voice didn't tremble even slightly, as if he had calmly and completely accepted his inevitable fate of death. Even facing his final moments, he was still concerned about maintaining the proper dignity of his rank and position.
"Are you finished with your pathetic last requests?" Seeing Roger's remarkably calm, death-defying demeanor, a surge of intense anger rose within Huxley's twisted heart. He was extremely dissatisfied with Roger's composed reaction to the situation.
Why was Roger remaining so impossibly calm? He should be kneeling desperately and begging for mercy, pleading not to be killed. How could he maintain such dignity in the face of certain death?
Huxley stared at the unnaturally calm Roger standing before him, his eyes gradually turning manic with frustrated rage. A perverse, cruel thought suddenly surged through his disturbed mind, and his cold voice rang out with renewed malice. "Captain Roger, I'll give you one final chance to save your worthless life."
As Huxley spoke these words, he deliberately took out his phone from his belt and pointed the camera directly at Roger's face. "As long as you shout 'Long live the Dawn Society!' loud and clear, I'll let you walk away from here alive."
Huxley looked at Roger with intense, twisted interest. He was extremely curious to see if Roger would actually shout those humiliating words to save his own life. He desperately wanted to see if the proud captain could still remain so calm and dignified when offered a genuine chance to survive.
Of course, even if Roger did shout those degrading words, Huxley had absolutely no intention of letting him live. He simply enjoyed watching people facing imminent death, then seeing them grasp at a glimmer of false hope, desperately struggling and begging pathetically for help, only to finally realize they had been cruelly deceived. He loved seeing that final look of complete despair and helplessness.
However, to Huxley's genuine surprise, Roger remained remarkably calm and composed, looking at his captor with steady, unwavering eyes. "So you're working with the Dawn Society?"
"Let me think about this logically," Roger continued with analytical precision. "An Elite Four-level Salamence plus a powerful Rhyperior... you must have a very close relationship with Yousef, the Dawn Society's president, don't you? Looking at your stocky build and general appearance, you've certainly inherited your father's physical characteristics. You must be his son, aren't you?"
Roger's perceptive words instantly enraged Huxley, striking directly at his most sensitive nerves. His eyes immediately turned bloodshot with fury, his breathing became heavy and labored, and he immediately pulled out a loaded pistol from his waist, aiming it directly at Roger's chest. "Are you really that eager to die? I'm asking you one final time - are you going to shout those words or not?"
"What do you think you are? The Dawn Society is absolutely nothing!" Roger cursed with heartfelt conviction. "You're all just a pathetic bunch of lowlife criminal scum! I've been in this line of work for decades - do you honestly think I'm afraid of your empty threats?"
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
Multiple gunshots rang out in rapid succession, echoing harshly throughout the small cave. Huxley only stopped firing when his ammunition clip was completely empty, and Roger was already lying motionless on the ground.
Roger's beloved metal flask had fallen beside him, and blood mixed with the spilled liquor slowly spread across the cold stone floor.
Roger was dead. He died in that lonely cave, in the very Wilderness Area he had faithfully protected and served for over a decade. Despite everything, a peaceful smile remained on his weathered face. Both he and his loyal Pokémon had fought courageously until the very last moment, never disgracing the honor of the Patrol Team or bringing shame to the Charizard Investigation Unit.
In the final instant of his death, Roger seemed to look back across his entire life, watching memories replay like scenes from a cherished movie.
Although there would certainly be a new sunrise tomorrow, there would never be another day quite like today. His last wish was that he could have seen the beautiful sunrise over Sky Mountain just one more time.