Gladion refined his plan to break Team Rocket and Team Aqua's partnership.
Ultron's intel, extracted from the now-deceased Rocket grunt, was a golden opportunity to do so but the operation demanded deception.
'Can't let Rocket or Aqua trace this back to me,'Gladion thought, his smirk sharp.
'I would need Pokémon that don't scream 'Gym Leader Vortex.'
He needed allies, and his first call was to Sabrina.
The call connected, and Sabrina's voice, dripping with mock indignation came, "Gladion Vortex, you absolute jerk! Why didn't you call yesterday? Ignoring my texts, huh? I sent you, like, ten PokéGram memes of Psyduck, and you left me on read!"
Gladion pinched his nose, his psychic senses wincing. "Sabrina, I'm busy running a gym and a business empire. I don't have time for Psyduck memes."
She gasped, dramatic as ever. "No time for Psyduck? That's a crime! What's next, you hate Jigglypuff's karaoke? Spill it, what do you want?" Gladion sighed, cutting to the chase. "Can I borrow your Hypno and Jynx for a bit?"
Sabrina didn't hesitate, her tone flipping to breezy. "Sure, no prob! Gimme a sec." Before Gladion could respond, a flash of psychic energy erupted beside him. Sabrina materialized via Teleport, clad in pink Psyduck-patterned pajamas, her hair a messy bun, clutching two Poké Balls.
"Here ya go!" she chirped, tossing them over, nearly hitting Gladion's head. She waved, already half-distracted. "Gotta jet—my morning show's on! 'Psyduck's Psychic Baking Bonanza' is live, and they're making Poké Puffs!"
Gladion stared, incredulous. "You Teleported in pajamas for this?" Sabrina grinned, unapologetic. "Duh! Poké Puffs wait for no one!"
With another flash, she vanished, leaving Gladion muttering, "She's unhinged."
Gladion pocketed the Poké Balls—Hypno and Jynx.
'That's two Pokémon Rocket won't tie to me.' He assessed his own roster that he could take on this mission
'Zeus, Arsenal, Lee? No way. I'm the only trainer in Indigo with an Electivire, Magmortar, and Annihilape.'
'Colossus is out too—only I could tame an alpha Tyranitar like him.'
Nyx, however, was viable.
'Umbreons are common with Rocket grunts—Nyx blends in.'
Guy, his Machamp, could work too. 'Just need to ditch his 'YOUTH!' spandex and gag his motivational rants about Youth. He would do the job of being the heavyhitter of the team.'
'Four Pokémon—Hypno, Jynx, Nyx, Guy. Not enough.' The operation demanded a larger team to overwhelm Aqua's guards.
Gladion sighed, his smirk wry. 'Time to call Gwen.'
His twin sister, younger by five seconds, was training with Agatha, the Ghost-type Elite Four member as her future elite four successor.
Many Rockets kept Ghost type Pokemon which was perfect for anonymity. He dialed her. Gwen's voice answered, laced with suspicion. "Glady, what's up? You never call unless you're scheming."
"Can I borrow some of your Pokémon, Gwenny?" Gladion asked, keeping his tone light.
Gwen's pause was heavy. "What are you planning, Glady?" Before he could answer, she cut in, "Wait, I'm coming there. Send one of your assistant Kirlia to pick me up." Gladion groanedwith exasperation.
'She's gonna be a hassle.' He signaled Kai, his assistant, who dispatched his Kirlia. Moments later, a flash of light brought Gwen next to him. She crossed her arms, glaring. "So, brother, what's the deal?"
Gladion tried deflection. "I want my gym Pokémon to face Ghost-types, prep for future challenges."
Gwen's eyes narrowed, unconvinced. "Liar. Last time you borrowed my Gengar, it was to sneek into a Rocket hideout, steal their data, and you torched the place afterwards. Spill it."
Gladion sighed, caught. "Fine. My mine was attacked and I...." He explained her what happened, what he found out from the grunt and what he was planning to do.
Gwen's glare softened, replaced by a fierce grin. "I'm coming with you." Gladion blinked.
"You will?" She nodded, stepping closer. "No one messes with a Vortex and gets away. Besides, I'm the only one allowed to mess with my little brother."
Gladion bristled,"Hey, I'm older than you!" Gwen smirked, poking his chest. "By five seconds!" she shouted.
Gladion rubbed his temples. "Look, Gwen, the plan needs one person—me. More of your Pokémon would point to you, and we can't risk Rocket or Aqua sniffing out a Vortex tag-team."
Gwen huffed, relenting. "Fine. Take my second Gengar, Sableye, and Banette. But don't get yourself killed."
Gladion grinned, nudging her. "Survived you, didn't I?" Gwen swatted his arm, tossing him three Poké Balls. "Jerk. Be careful, Glady."
Gladion nodded, pocketing the balls.
'Seven Pokémon—Hypno, Jynx, Nyx, Guy, Gengar, Sableye, Banette. Enough to hit hard and vanish.'
He turned to Kai, his assistant, a lanky 20-year-old with a knack for logistics. "Kai, you're Gym Leader tomorrow. And here is what you are going to do..."
Kai's eyes widened, his voice trembling. "Boss, this plan's nuts! If it goes wrong, two international terrorist groups—Rocket and Aqua—will hunt you! What if—" Gladion cut him off, his smirk unwavering.
"You won't mess up, Kai. Follow the playbook. If things go south…" He tapped his necklace, the three Poké Balls gleaming. "I've got these to wreck anything in my way."
Kai gulped, nodding. He has seen what the Pokemon were in those three pokeballs. While everyone had seen Collosus, the Alpha Tyranitar, the other two pokeballs carried Pokemon that could together decimate Team Rocket if it came to a full out war between Gym Leader Gladion and Team Rocket.
"Okay, boss. Just… don't die." Gladion chuckled, clapping his shoulder. "No promises."
---Author Notes------
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