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Time shifts back slightly to when Eddie had just burst through the window and confronted Lt. Surge.
At that moment, Gary was already locked in a difficult battle.
No—calling it a battle would be generous. He couldn't fight at all. Muk had wrapped around him, completely restricting his movement. Koga kept taunting Gary with cruel amusement.
That was until Koga saw through Golbat's eyes that Eddie's twelve Gym Leader level Pokémon had suddenly transformed into Champion-level Pokémon.
"What... what is this?! From Gym leader level to Champion level in an instant! What on earth is happening?!"
Koga's shock mirrored Lt. Surge's earlier reaction when he witnessed the transformation.
To be fair, anyone would be startled seeing twelve Gym Leader King level Pokémon suddenly surge in strength to Champion level all at once. It defied all logic.
"Now! Scyther, use X-Scissor!"
The moment Koga exclaimed in shock and showed a brief opening, Gary immediately commanded Scyther—who had been knocked unconscious by Muk at the start of the battle but had secretly regained consciousness—to attack.
"You little brat! You're too naive!"
However, despite his momentary carelessness in not noticing Scyther's awakening, Koga's reaction speed far exceeded Gary's expectations.
Facing Scyther's incoming attack, Koga raised his left arm to block.
Golbat, perched on his left arm, countered with Wing Attack, deflecting Scyther's X-Scissor. In the same motion, Koga's right hand struck forward.
The Ekans coiled around his right arm wasn't particularly low-leveled, but Koga had deliberately kept it from evolving to maintain his living armor configuration.
The Ekans immediately fired Sludge Bomb at the approaching Scyther, striking it at point-blank range.
Following Scyther's pained cry, its entire body was sent flying backward.
"It's not over yet! Pidgeot, Quick Attack!"
Gary kicked hard, sending a Poké Ball he'd strategically positioned on the ground rolling forward.
The instant Pidgeot emerged from the Poké Ball, it used Quick Attack on Koga, who was still dangerously close.
"Ugh! Aah!!"
This time, even Koga couldn't react in time. Pidgeot's massive body slammed into him, sending him flying.
One second he'd knocked Scyther away; the next second he was sent flying by Pidgeot. This could certainly be considered poetic justice.
"Damn it! I really can't let my guard down against this kid. The moment I'm distracted, he strikes back!"
Koga spat out blood, speaking with clear frustration.
Being hit by a Pokémon at such close range was extremely painful for Koga, especially his kidneys—which had just recovered—now ached terribly again.
"No, I can't waste any more time. I need to support Lt. Surge. There's no way one Zapdos alone can handle twelve Champion-level Pokémon."
"In that case, I'll finish you quickly! Come out, Articuno!"
Koga realized they'd run out of time to play around, so he released Team Rocket's trump card—Articuno.
"What! That's the legendary Ice-type Pokémon, Articuno! How is this possible? How can Team Rocket control it?!"
Gary wasn't as naive as Ash, who barely understood what legendary Pokémon represented.
When Ash had seen Zapdos, he'd simply thought, "Oh, a legendary Pokémon—it looks powerful."
But when Gary laid eyes on Articuno, genuine shock crossed his face—a rare expression for him.
"Hahahaha! Since you're about to die anyway, I'll be generous and explain how we control legendary Pokémon!"
Koga felt immensely satisfied seeing Gary's reaction, and proudly explained how the Badges could control legendary Pokémon.
However, even he didn't fully understand why the Badges from the Kanto Region could control the three legendary birds, so he simply stated that the Badges possessed this controlling power.
"Now that you're satisfied, you can die!"
"Articuno, use Blizzard!"
Articuno cried out and flapped its wings. A violent snowstorm instantly swept across the entire floor, freezing numerous surfaces.
"Ugh! Damn it! Is this the true power of a legendary Pokémon?!"
Gary looked at Scyther frozen and lying on the ground, and at Pidgeot beside him with its wings encased in ice. He spoke with deep frustration.
Like Ash, Gary never feared a good battle. But when his opponent brought out a legendary Pokémon, he—only at quasi-Heavenly King level—had no power to resist.
"At this point, I'll have to try using Charizard! I was saving him for last, but there's no other choice now."
Gary reached for a Poké Ball, preparing to release his strongest Pokémon.
"Oh no! My feet!"
However, before he could release the Poké Ball, his feet became frozen solid, eliminating any chance of dodging.
"That's it! I win! Articuno, freeze him completely!"
Seeing Gary immobilized by ice, Koga immediately gave Articuno the command.
Articuno fired an Ice Beam at Gary. A massive beam of freezing energy shot toward him.
If it connected, Gary wouldn't just be frozen—he'd be pierced by the beam before the ice even formed around him. The attack of a legendary Pokémon was devastatingly powerful.
Facing Articuno's attack, Gary's expression showed pure frustration.
When he thought about it, he was still young—barely a year into his journey—yet he'd already reached Gym Leader level strength.
Under normal circumstances, he could have fought Koga to a standstill, perhaps even defeated him.
Unfortunately, Koga never gave him a fair chance to battle. First, he'd been restrained by Muk, unable to even release his Pokémon. Now that he'd finally freed himself, Koga released a legendary Pokémon like Articuno to crush him.
"Is this really the end?"
Gary silently repeated these words in his mind and closed his eyes in resignation.
"Huh? Why do I feel hot?"
Gary expected death in the next moment, but after waiting several seconds, not only was he unharmed—he actually felt warm.
The room had been freezing cold when Articuno covered it in ice, but now he felt noticeably warm. He could even move his previously frozen feet.
"That kid! He split his forces!"
Hearing Koga's frustrated voice, Gary opened his eyes.
Then he saw them.
Four Pokémon radiating Champion-level auras stood protectively in front of him.
Mega Charizard Y, Mega Gardevoir, Mega Lucario, and Dragonite.
At the critical moment, four Pokémon had arrived and rescued Gary.
"Eddie's Pokémon?"
"Yes, we are Eddie's Pokémon, and we're here to support you."
The moment Gary asked his question, a strange voice echoed in his mind.
Mega Lucario turned its head toward him, its eyes indicating it was the source of the voice.
"...Lucario. I see—it's an Aura Pokémon that can communicate with humans through Aura."
As Professor Oak's grandson, Gary possessed extensive knowledge. After pulling out his Pokédex and identifying Lucario, he understood why a voice had appeared in his head.
"Eddie told us to handle Articuno while you deal with Koga. It would be best if we can win, but if not, at least keep him busy so he can't provide support elsewhere."
After Mega Lucario finished speaking, it turned to face Articuno. It had only been explaining the situation to Gary. Now it had to focus on dealing with the legendary Pokémon.
"Hmph... Wait for him to provide support elsewhere?"
"No need. I can handle that guy myself. But you four should be careful when facing a legendary Pokémon."
Gary brushed off his clothes, pulled out a Poké Ball, and spoke with renewed fighting spirit.
Seeing the four Pokémon and Gary looking so confident about defeating him, Koga felt his anger rising—an unusual emotion for the typically composed ninja.
"Little brat! Don't underestimate me!"
The battle resumed, but this time it became a fair fight.