Pokemon: Gym Leader

"Evil organization gathering illegally?"

Lance, who was deep in the wilderness, frowned upon hearing this. What does this mean?

"Sir, I've received reliable intel. Team Rocket and Unova's Team Plasma, these two snake-in-the-grass organizations, are conducting a dirty deal!"

"As far as we know, three Rocket executives and the Rocket leader himself will show up, and from Team Plasma, their 'king' and a scientist will also be present."

"Sir, they need your righteous judgment now!"

Dylan spoke rapidly, leaving the girl behind him, Lillie, utterly confused.

Lance's usually calm face also changed swiftly. The cold, shadowy look in his eyes was terrifying.

Team Rocket's leader!!!

'Your dragon is nothing special.'

That person's words seemed to echo once again in Lance's mind. His face twisted uncontrollably, his mouth twitching up and down, as if trying to smile but failing, creating an eerie, unsettling look.

Are you finally going to show yourself again, you filthy rat!?

Being mocked by the despised leader of Team Rocket like that was something Lance could not endure! After all, it was only Team Rocket!

Team Rocket, who could only hide in the dark sewers, feeding on dirty water like filthy rats! A bunch of reptiles afraid of sunlight!

"Location."

Lance's voice had grown rougher.

"Saffron City."

"Half an hour, wait for me."

With that, the call abruptly ended. Dylan's lips curled into a slow grin. Well, well~ things are getting interesting now, aren't they?

Leah had already reemerged and sat in Dylan's car.

Dylan immediately reversed the car and drove to a higher vantage point overlooking the area ahead. It was an industrial park near the outskirts of the city, with plenty of factories around.

"Hello? Officer Jenny? I'm a Gym Trainer from the Rota Gym, and I'm here with Champion Lance for a secret operation. We need your assistance, but this is a classified mission, and we cannot disclose the details to others."

Dylan paused for a moment, but eventually called Saffron City's police department. The industrial park was likely going to turn into a battlefield soon, and they needed to evacuate the workers beforehand.

Though this might alert the enemy, it wasn't a big issue. They had enough time.

Meanwhile, in the underground factory, there was a small Team Rocket base.

"Please wait a moment; our boss will arrive shortly."

Archer smiled with his hands behind his back. Team Plasma sending their 'king' over was undoubtedly a sign of respect for Team Rocket.

Since it was a collaboration, Team Rocket had to show sincerity in return. N, the leader of Team Plasma, personally came to Kanto, so naturally, Team Rocket's boss would also make an appearance.

This wasn't someone Archer, one of Team Rocket's four commanders, could receive alone.

"No problem, we're not in a hurry."

N remained silent, while Colress, who was reading a book on genetics, casually replied.

The reason Colress accompanied N to Kanto was clear.

N was highly intelligent, but he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about working with Team Rocket. However, after much persuasion from Ghetsis, N reluctantly agreed.

Under these circumstances, expecting N to negotiate well with Team Rocket was impossible. Hence, Colress was sent by Ghetsis.

Moreover, since both sides were exchanging technological expertise, Colress was the ideal candidate for the discussion. Ghetsis specifically instructed N to follow Colress' lead during this mission.

Trusting Ghetsis completely, N agreed.

Archer smiled as he left the room, where Proton stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall.

"How's it going?"

"Not great. N doesn't seem too enthusiastic, and it feels like Colress is the one in charge here."

Archer shook his head. He had a keen sense of these things.

"I don't know why, but I've got a bad feeling about all this."

Archer furrowed his brows, feeling uneasy, as if something bad was about to happen, but he couldn't pinpoint why.

"Relax~ you're just paranoid lately. Is it because of that beatdown you got from Dylan and Red last time?"

Proton grinned, teasing his colleague.

"Don't worry, Archer, Dylan's not here this time. Just avoid him in the future."

Proton, although shaken by the incident at Celadon City's base, considered himself an optimist. If you lose, you lose; it's no big deal.

"Shut your mouth." Archer's face twitched as he glared at Proton. The events at the Celadon City base had become a mental scar for him!

Proton raised his hands innocently.

Not long after, a slightly overweight middle-aged man wearing a black bowler hat and a black trench coat walked over slowly, followed by a young woman with black hair wearing a white Team Rocket uniform.

"Boss."

Archer and Proton greeted the disguised Giovanni with respect, and Archer opened the door for him. Giovanni and the woman entered the room to discuss the collaboration.

Outside, Proton leaned back against the wall again while the black-haired woman closed her eyes, resting.

"So boring. By the way, Sabrina, the Three Legendary Birds project is about to start. Which one were you assigned?"

Sabrina didn't seem to notice his question, as if she hadn't heard him at all.

"Come on, don't be so cold, Sabrina. We're colleagues after all."

"Oh yeah, do you know Dylan? I heard all the Gym Leaders are in a group chat, right?"

"That guy is insane! Last time, he really wiped the floor with me. It felt like he was treating me like some Bug Catcher on the side of the road! No idea how he trains his Pokémon."

Sabrina, irritated by Proton's constant chatter, finally opened her eyes and gave him a sideways glance.

(You're just too weak.)

"What's with that look, Sabrina? It's not my fault! That guy's way too strong!" Proton, sharp as ever, picked up on the meaning behind Sabrina's look and helplessly defended himself.

(Yeah, right.)

Sabrina nodded and closed her eyes again, hoping Giovanni would finish the meeting soon.

"Hey, Sabrina, do you think I should ask Lambda to help me disguise myself and challenge Dylan's gym? I haven't had many missions lately."

Proton stroked his chin, seeming to seriously consider the idea.

(What are you talking about!?)

Sabrina instantly opened her eyes and stared at Proton with a baffled expression.

"Don't look at me like that! It's just that I don't get it. Archer's been acting weird since Dylan and Red wrecked him. I heard Rota Gym accepts double battles."

"So, I'm thinking, why not team up with Archer for a gym challenge? The Gym Leader's gotta go easy on challengers, right? If we beat Dylan just once, I think both Archer and I would feel a lot better. It could work!"

The more Proton spoke, the brighter his eyes became. He really thought he was onto something.

"Are you insane? I think you need to get your head checked." Sabrina finally snapped, coldly mocking him.

Seriously? A gym challenge? You're a high-ranking Rocket executive, not a legitimate Trainer. Have you lost your mind?

"Huh? I'm not crazy." Proton's handsome face was full of innocence.

"If you're not crazy, then go patrol outside." Sabrina said flatly.

"Come on, Sabrina, just because I can't beat you doesn't mean you can order me around! We're equals, you know." Proton complained.

"Besides, only a handful of people know about this base. We got here through a secret passage, so there's no way we're—"

Boom!

Proton hadn't finished speaking when the entire base suddenly shook violently. He almost lost his balance and fell, but a surge of blue light steadied him—it was Sabrina's psychic power.

Sabrina's beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly as she looked upward.

"What's going on?" Proton's face was grim. He knew full well this wasn't an earthquake.

Moreover, the tremors were growing stronger, and bits of debris were already falling from the ceiling of the underground base.

"Someone is attacking from outside," Sabrina's eyes flickered with blue light.

...

Outside the factory.

Brilliant dragon meteors streaked across the sky, falling towards the factory.

It was Draco Meteor, a Dragon-type move!

And the ones using Draco Meteor were two Dragonair, with Lance standing tall on the back of an Aerodactyl behind them.

Lance's blood-red hair was whipped up by the fierce winds, his stern face cold and merciless, his sharp eyes gazing down at the rising flames below.

Boom! Boom, boom!

The continuous bombardment of Draco Meteor shook the earth, and soon the factory, once intact, was reduced to ruins.

"Is this okay?"

Not far away, Dylan, Lillie, and an Officer Jenny stood watching the scene unfold.

Lillie bit her lip, her eyes reflecting the flames shooting into the sky, her voice soft and uncertain.

After a quick briefing, the Kanto Champion had immediately launched an attack.

With the intensity of this Draco Meteor assault, the underground base would likely collapse. Could Team Rocket's people really survive?

"Champion Lance has always been like this," Officer Jenny of Saffron City said with resignation.

Although this was her first time witnessing Lance personally annihilate Team Rocket, his "violent methods" were something she'd heard of for a long time.

"Officer Jenny, has the area been fully surrounded?"

"Rest assured, we've secured the entire industrial park," Officer Jenny replied seriously.

"Good," Dylan nodded, his face lighting up with a smile as he looked back toward the ruins.

"Well, well, look what we have here, another old friend."

A Beedrill burst out from the rubble, and seeing the imposing Beedrill, Lance's lips twisted into a savage grin, showing his sharp white teeth—a chilling sight.

That's right! That filthy rat was here!

A pile of rubble was blown apart by a fierce jet of flames, and a Houndoom leaped out, followed by Giovanni and the others, but there was no sign of Sabrina.

Sabrina couldn't reveal herself just yet, so she remained hidden, waiting for the right moment to escape from another direction.

She could have used Teleport to leave, but with the interference devices Officer Jenny and her team had set up, it wasn't safe to use Teleport haphazardly.

"Boss, it's Lance, the Dragon Master," Archer's expression changed as he looked up at Lance, speaking to Giovanni in a low voice.

Giovanni narrowed his eyes slightly. How had they been exposed? No, now wasn't the time to think about that.

"It seems we have some unexpected guests. Mr. N, Mr. Colress, my apologies."

"This certainly isn't a good time, sir. We'll take our leave for now," Colress replied, pushing up his glasses and frowning. He had no intention of getting involved with the Kanto League.

"Of course. Archer and Proton will escort you," Giovanni said calmly.

"No need, we can leave on our own, sir. We'll contact you again once we've safely withdrawn," Colress declined. He wasn't foolish—going with Archer and Proton would only bring trouble when it was clear the Kanto League was here to wipe out Team Rocket.

"I'll hold off Lance for you," Giovanni nodded. He wasn't pleased with the situation either. They had been so close to securing a partnership with Team Plasma.

Yet here they were, thanks to Lance, a maddeningly persistent "hound," Giovanni thought darkly as he raised his head slightly to gaze at Lance in the sky.

"Much appreciated, sir," Colress replied bluntly before retreating with N.

"You two should leave as well," Giovanni ordered.

"Yes, boss," Archer and Proton turned and left without hesitation.

"Have you said all your last words?" Lance stood with his arms crossed, looking down at Giovanni, his blood-red hair billowing, his black cape flapping violently in the wind.

"You won't escape this time, filthy rat."

Lance's eyes were cold and filled with murderous intent.

"Heh heh~"

Giovanni chuckled softly, elegantly adjusting his collar with a calm and composed demeanor.

Meanwhile, Archer's face was as dark as ever. This meeting had been his arrangement—how had it been discovered?

"Something's wrong."

Proton suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking at the narrow alley ahead.

"Why isn't there a single League officer around here?"

Hearing Proton's words, Archer's expression changed as well. He was right—this wasn't normal. If Lance was here, there should be League officers as well.

Click-clack~ Click-clack~

Footsteps echoed from the alley ahead, and three figures slowly emerged, their forms entering Archer and Proton's sight. Their faces paled instantly.

"Ah~ Fate is such a marvelous thing, don't you agree?"

Dylan, with an impossibly warm smile, looked at Archer and Proton.

"My dear Mr. Archer and Mr. Proton~ Every encounter in this world is a reunion after a long parting."

"Don't you think? After all this time, I've missed you both so much~"

Ah, how touching! Dylan had been wondering how he'd get a Dragapult, and now here they were, delivered right to his doorstep.

Although it was a second chance, it wasn't his fault that Archer and Proton had escaped the last time. Capturing them again and asking the Kanto League for a Dragapult wasn't too much, right? Not too much at all!

Dylan's eyes grew increasingly gentle as he looked at Archer and Proton. He was truly moved. These two were like walking treasure chests!

But unlike Dylan, Archer and Proton's faces were growing increasingly grim.

Damn! Not this guy again!

(End of Chapter)