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"Why would they be on a lower floor? Normally, hostages shouldn't be kept down there. Could they be on the upper floors instead?"
After Ash had his Aerodactyl carry him to the second floor of the Silph Building, he began searching each floor systematically.
He had expected to find the hostages quickly, but after checking nearly three or four floors, he still hadn't discovered anything. This made him increasingly anxious.
"Pika!!"
At that moment, the Pikachu perched on Ash's shoulder suddenly leaped into the air and fired a Thunderbolt directly at a specific location.
"Bang!!"
"Hahaha, interesting! Last time on the S.S. Anne, it was protecting you, and now it's doing the same thing again. This Pikachu is truly exceptional."
Following the explosion, Ash heard a familiar voice echoing through the corridor.
Turning around quickly, he spotted Lt. Surge standing not far away, dressed in full military uniform. The imposing man was carrying an enormous cannon barrel on his shoulder.
The massive weapon appeared incredibly heavy, and an Electabuzz stood behind him, helping to support the barrel's weight on its shoulders.
Lt. Surge also had a row of Voltorb hanging from his waist, and behind him hovered a Zapdos, its talons gripping his shoulders firmly.
"Lt. Surge! I knew you'd show up eventually!!"
Recognizing Lt. Surge's distinctive appearance immediately, Ash prepared himself for battle.
However, his preparation meant nothing—Lt. Surge was much faster.
The Team Rocket executive simply raised his cannon barrel and fired several shells directly at his target.
His goal wasn't Ash's Pokémon—it was Ash himself!
Who said that trainers must exclusively use Pokémon during battle? Wouldn't it be far more efficient to simply eliminate the trainer directly using other methods?
Of course, normal people would never resort to such tactics, but Team Rocket was an evil organization. Lt. Surge, as one of their three executives, was known for his unconventional strategies. He enjoyed employing unusual and ruthless methods during combat.
"Pika!!"
Seeing several shells hurtling toward them, Pikachu didn't hesitate. It unleashed another Thunderbolt to intercept the attack.
However, the reason Pikachu had successfully blocked the previous assault was simply because Lt. Surge had been "saying hello" with only a single shell. Now, facing multiple projectiles simultaneously, Pikachu couldn't completely shoot them all down.
"Hahahaha!! It's useless! The speed of an electric attack is certainly fast, but my weapon is a Super Railgun Cannon! It possesses tremendous power, and its speed isn't much slower than electricity itself!"
"And!! Do you think my attack strategy is that simple!? Voltorb! Any shells that 'miss the target,' use Self-Destruct!"
Lt. Surge issued this brutal command, and Ash felt a chill run down his spine after hearing those words.
"Bang, bang, bang!!!"
The shells that Pikachu failed to intercept struck Ash directly. The ones that initially missed him executed Self-Destruct maneuvers as they passed by, detonating simultaneously and engulfing Ash in multiple explosions.
"Aaaaaaah!!!"
Even though humans in this world possessed remarkable durability, facing such a direct assault was unbearable. Ash couldn't help but scream in agony as wounds appeared across his body.
Fortunately, Pikachu saw Ash getting bombarded from behind and quickly rushed back to shield him, blocking the remaining shells with its own body.
Lt. Surge showed no sense of urgency upon witnessing this. He leisurely began reloading shells into his cannon, generously giving Ash a brief moment to recover.
In truth, if he had wanted to end things immediately, he could have simply commanded his Zapdos to overwhelm Ash instantly from the very beginning. But he chose not to take that approach.
The principle behind the Super Railgun Cannon that Lt. Surge wielded was actually quite straightforward. It utilized the electrical energy provided by his Zapdos and the electromagnetic interaction between the rails to launch Voltorb as explosive projectiles!
In the modern world, railgun technology was typically mounted on warships as large-scale weapons. The equipment required to supply sufficient electrical current was extraordinarily complex. Yet Lt. Surge relied solely on a single Zapdos to provide adequate power for his personal weapon.
He had essentially transformed himself into a humanoid super railgun cannon. With the power reserves and recovery capabilities of his Legendary Pokémon, he could theoretically fire continuously without limit. If the current Lt. Surge were placed in modern society, he would represent an entire army all by himself!
So after acquiring such an entertaining toy, why would Lt. Surge want to end the battle quickly? Wouldn't it be much more enjoyable to have some fun first?
He was fighting with precisely this mindset. In his mind, how could someone wielding such overwhelming power possibly lose?
Meanwhile, Gary encountered Koga on a different floor.
Koga proved to be far more sinister than Lt. Surge in his approach. While Lt. Surge had at least given Ash a chance to recover and even draw his Poké Balls to send out his Pokémon, Koga offered no such courtesy. He didn't even grant Gary the opportunity to react.
He initiated the confrontation by using his ninjutsu techniques to appear directly behind Gary, intending to attack the trainer himself without warning.
However, Gary's reflexes were sharp enough. The instant Koga materialized behind him, Gary threw out a Poké Ball in direct response without wasting time on words.
"Scyther! Use Slash!"
As soon as Scyther emerged from its Poké Ball, it immediately struck toward Koga's shoulder... only to hit a Muk instead!
The Muk then grabbed Scyther's blade-like arm and wrapped its toxic body around the Mantis Pokémon, completely immobilizing it.
"What!? You placed a Muk on your shoulders to protect yourself!?"
Indeed, Koga currently had a Golbat clinging to his right hand and an Ekans coiled around his left arm. What Gary had initially mistaken for decorative shoulder pads and headgear were actually disguised transformations of his Muk.
Compared to Lt. Surge's setup, Koga appeared even more heavily armed with Pokémon integrated into his combat gear. This made people wonder if he was planning to fight personally without giving his opponent any chance to mount a proper defense.
"Your alertness is commendable, but that's all it amounts to! Attack, Muk!"
Seeing Gary instantly reaching for more Poké Balls at his waist, Koga commanded his Muk to move even faster than Gary could react.
Just like before, the Muk extended its amorphous body directly toward Gary.
First, it grabbed Gary's hand, forcefully interrupting his attempt to retrieve another Poké Ball. Then it swiftly wrapped around his entire body, trapping him completely.
"Hahahaha! It must feel so painful and helpless! If a Pokémon Trainer can't release their Pokémon, they're completely powerless!"
Koga couldn't help but laugh triumphantly upon seeing that he had completely restrained Gary.
Although he had actually intended to use this method as revenge against Eddie, Eddie wasn't present at the moment. Therefore, eliminating his companion first could still be considered a form of vengeance.
However, like Lt. Surge, Koga was in no hurry to finish things quickly. He wanted to savor the moment.
He was currently admiring the expression of helpless fury on Gary's face. Very "kindly," he raised his right hand to let Gary see the mirror held in his Golbat's mouth.
That was the specially modified mirror that Agatha had previously used during the Pokémon Tower incident. Apparently, there was also a Golbat on Lt. Surge's floor, allowing them to watch each other's battles through these connected mirrors.
"Don't worry—you won't be alone when you die. Look at your companion in this mirror. Lt. Surge seems to be having even more fun than I am. If I had known it would be this entertaining, I would have chosen someone else to torment."
Gary looked at the mirror's reflection, where Ash was being bombarded by Lt. Surge's attacks until he coughed up blood. His rage intensified dramatically.
Even though he had always competed against Ash, that rivalry was simply a sign of acknowledging Ash as a worthy opponent. Now, seeing him being tortured by their enemy like this, it would be strange if Gary wasn't furious.
However, this was exactly the reaction Koga had been hoping to provoke.
"That's right! That's the expression I wanted to see! I've been longing to witness this look of helpless rage on your face for so long!"
"Hahahahahaha!!"
At this moment, the scene resembled something from a dramatic villain's monologue, except Koga was actually crouching down while delivering these words to Gary.
"Damn it!! Eddie! Where are you right now!!"
Gary knew that he might have a way to escape from his own predicament eventually, but Ash's situation appeared far more dire. At this point, all he could do was pray that Eddie would rescue Ash quickly before it was too late.