Although Silas was confident about the assessment, he was still slightly surprised that the middle-aged man had relaxed the rules for him.
After all, in Team Rocket, there were hardly any kind-hearted people. No one here could be called a saint.
'It must be because of Archer…' Silas thought to himself.
As a newly arrived Executive from the Kanto region, Archer naturally attracted attention from many within the organization. The fact that Silas and the others had become his direct subordinates was no longer a secret.
Because of that, giving them small advantages had quietly become an unspoken rule.
Silas exhaled slowly and tossed out three Poké Balls.
Sharpedo, Honchkrow, and Crawdaunt appeared one after another, each releasing a powerful aura.
From the second-floor private room, the middle-aged man observed the battlefield with interest. When he saw the quality of Silas's Pokémon, his eyebrows lifted slightly.
"With this level of training… he's invested heavily," he muttered.
His gaze toward Silas became noticeably more serious.
Vrrrmmmm—!
The iron cage slowly opened.
Flygon burst out, its wings beating violently as a sandstorm erupted across the battlefield. It rose into the air, letting out a furious roar.
"GRAAAAH!!"
Silas reacted instantly.
"Honchkrow, Taunt then Confuse Ray!"
"Sharpedo, Aqua Jet—build speed, then Ice Fang!"
"Crawdaunt, Rain Dance!"
Flygon was one of the few Pokémon capable of learning Dragon Dance naturally. If it managed to boost itself, the battle would become extremely dangerous.
Silas had no intention of allowing that.
Honchkrow flapped its wings and let out a mocking cry.
"KRRAAA!"
The Taunt instantly provoked Flygon. Its eyes turned blood-red with rage.
Before it could react properly, a distorted beam of light struck it—
ConfuseRay.
Enraged and disoriented, Flygon lashed out.
Its wings beat violently, summoning a massive sandstorm that surged across the battlefield like a raging tide. The sand twisted and spiraled, forming vortex-like currents.
Half the arena was swallowed in yellow dust But Crawdaunt stepped forward without hesitation.
"CRAA!"
It raised its claws high as the air above began to change.
Moisture gathered.
Dark clouds formed.
Within seconds, rain began to fall ,then turned into a torrential downpour.
Rain clashed against the sandstorm.
The two weather conditions collided, neither able to dominate completely.
However, Flygon couldn't focus entirely on maintaining Sandstorm while being attacked from multiple directions.
Gradually, it began to fall into a disadvantage.
"Honchkrow, Tailwind!"
"Crawdaunt, Ice Beam!"
"Sharpedo, Ice Fang!"
With Speed Boost already stacked and Tailwind amplifying it further, Sharpedo shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
"SHAAA!"
Its jaws opened wide and clamped down.
Ice surged into Flygon's body.
A devastating 4× effective hit.
But Flygon didn't fall.
Under the effects of the frenzy drug and Confuse Ray, its mind had already descended into chaos.
Only instinct remained.
Attack. Destroy. Kill.
With a sudden burst of power, it broke free and swung its claw downward.
Dragon Claw.
Sharpedo was sent flying instantly.
The overwhelming dominance of a Dragon-type attack was undeniable.
"Honchkrow, Dark Pulse–keep it pressured!"
"Crawdaunt, don't engage head-on—flank it!"
Silas remained calm.
This wasn't a duel.
It was a coordinated assault.
Even though Flygon was stronger individually, it lacked direction.
Without a trainer, its power was scattered and inefficient.
Against coordinated attacks ,it couldn't keep up.
....
In the viewing room, the middle-aged man narrowed his eyes.
"Interesting… very interesting…"
Before he could continue, the door behind him opened.
Annoyed, he turned ,then froze instantly.
"A-Archer, sir!"
He dropped to one knee immediately.
Archer ignored him.
He walked in calmly and sat on the sofa, his gaze fixed on the battlefield below.
His expression was unreadable.
.....
The battle had reached its climax.
Under constant pressure, Flygon was nearing its limit.
Crawdaunt's Ice Beam struck again, freezing parts of its body.
Then Flygon unleashed its final move.
Silas's eyes widened.
"…Draco Meteor?!"
This was not a move Flygon could learn naturally.
It required special tutoring.
The odds of encountering one that knew it were extremely low.
And yet here it was.
"Everyone, group up!"
"Use Protect ,focus it together!"
The sky lit up.
Brilliant meteors formed overhead, then began to fall.
One after another like divine judgment descending.
"CRAA!"
Crawdaunt stood at the front, raising a defensive barrier.
Behind it, Sharpedo and Honchkrow did the same.
Their Protect overlapped ,merging into a single defensive point.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Meteors begin to rained down.
Explosions echoed across the entire arena.
Even the swirling sand was completely blown away.
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(End of chapter)