Gary Oak, though bold enough to follow directly, still retained a cautious heart. He stayed far behind, outside Team Rocket's line of sight, using Growlithe's sharp sense of smell to track them.
Because Team Rocket's members were concerned about the safety of the lower cargo hold equipment, they did not notice they were being followed.
He followed all the way.
Gary saw that the Team Rocket group ahead suddenly stopped.
"Are we there?"
He thought in his heart, hiding at the corner of the passage, slightly poking out his head to observe Team Rocket's movements.
A group of Team Rocket members gathered before the cargo hold door, scattering to both sides. In front of the leader stood a large Nidoking.
"Go!"
The Team Rocket captain, dressed as a merchant, waved his hand. Nidoking took great strides forward and rammed the door ahead.
Creak—
The expected sound of impact did not occur. The cargo hold door wasn't fully closed — it was merely ajar.
Nidoking had used considerable force when it charged, but instead of meeting resistance, its body plunged directly through, rolling several times and landing heavily inside.
"Idiots! Didn't anyone go check if the door was open or closed?!"
Seeing his Nidoking crash to the ground, the already irritated captain roared angrily at his subordinates. Compared to his men, he was more distressed about his Pokémon.
The subordinates, scolded so harshly, dared not show anger or speak a word.
Though they said nothing, they all muttered inwardly: "If you've got the ability, go yell at the one who attacked our warehouse! What's the point of taking it out on us?"
Discontent began to grow within Team Rocket's group. The way they looked at their captain gradually changed.
The captain noticed this subtle shift. Though his anger flared, he restrained the urge to continue scolding — the mission was more important.
At that moment, Nidoking stood back up again. The captain said coldly, "Leave two people to guard the entrance. The rest, follow me!"
A swarm of Team Rocket members rushed inside.
——
"Finally, they're here."
Nozomi stood atop a container, watching as Team Rocket members filed in through the door.
The moment he heard footsteps outside, he already knew Team Rocket had arrived. He had thought they would use some tactical method to break in, but instead, they sent a Nidoking to crash into the door and fall flat on its face.
He nearly burst into laughter.
Are these guys here to be funny?Has Team Rocket switched professions — from a villainous organization to comedy performers?
When Nozomi discovered Team Rocket, they naturally also saw him.
Looking at the man standing on top of the container, the Team Rocket squad leader felt no anger as he had imagined — only endless fear.
"Nozomi… How is he here?! Wasn't he supposed to have been dealt with by our organization's executives?"
He had thought the intruder was just some random trainer, but unexpectedly, it was the notorious Nozomi.
The news that three executives had already fallen at Nozomi's hands had spread through most of Team Rocket. He knew all too well about Nozomi's record.
As one of the operatives in this mission, he had naturally studied the briefing before departure.
When Giovanni assigned the mission, eliminating Nozomi had also been part of it. After all, Nozomi's presence in Vermilion City posed a threat to Team Rocket that could not be ignored.
Yet now, the person who should have been eliminated by the executives appeared on this ship. His mind went blank for a moment.
Soon, he pieced it together — most likely, the executives failed to deal with Nozomi but never informed him. Damn it!
If you didn't finish the job, at least give me a heads-up so I can be prepared!
He swept his gaze around the cargo hold. The guards stationed there were gone — clearly, their fate was sealed. He had an urge to run, but he couldn't.
First, they were on a ship — there was nowhere to escape. Second, the equipment was here — if they fled, Giovanni would never forgive them.
"Everyone, attack!"
The sub-leader shouted through gritted teeth.
His subordinates responded loudly.
Since they had been assigned to protect the cargo equipment, most of them were recently transferred from the Kalos region. They didn't know who Nozomi was. Ignorance breeds fearlessness; they felt no pressure.
Seeing only one opponent, they thought it would be easy.
"Go, Pangoro!"
"Malamar, Psybeam!"
"Clawitzer, Water Gun!"
It seemed they had stayed in the Kalos region for quite some time — their Pokémon all carried Kalos traits.
"Hm? Pangoro and Malamar? So they really are from Kalos."
Nozomi was not surprised. He had seen Team Rocket's Houndoom before, and among the Pokémon they had seized, many came from the Kalos region as well.
He simply waved his hand.
"Steelix, Take Down!"
"Steelix?""Take Down?"
Before the Rocket agents could even react to his command, a massive Steelix suddenly burst out from behind a container!
Its enormous body rampaged straight through, ignoring everything in its path, crushing the three Pokémon that had attacked Nozomi.
"Damn it!"
"Steelix!"
Team Rocket instantly became alert.
And when trainers become alert — what do they do?
The Rocket trainers demonstrated it perfectly.
A dozen Poké Balls flew through the air at once. [Bang, bang, bang] — the sounds of Pokémon appearing echoed nonstop. In an instant, the entire cargo hold was filled with Pokémon. Team Rocket members and their Pokémon crowded together, and with Steelix's gigantic body, the space became extremely cramped.
Humans pressed against humans, Pokémon pressed against Pokémon. Chaos filled the room.
"These idiots!"
The captain disguised as a merchant couldn't even bear to watch.
With this bunch, not only could they not deal with Nozomi, they couldn't even buy time for reinforcements to arrive.
Amid the confusion, the captain leaned back against Nidoking in a corner and took out a communicator from his pocket. He opened a channel.
"Lord Sachi, Lord Chakra — the S.S. Anne has encountered a small situation. Yes… it's Nozomi. He's here, already engaged in battle. He's alone. Understood. Awaiting your orders."
After hanging up, the sub-leader sneered coldly at Nozomi, who stood on the container as if victory was already in hand.
"Enjoy yourself while you can. Once Lord Chakra and Lord Sachi arrive… hmph."