"Yo, things are moving a bit slowly this time. What about those people?"
When I entered the cabin, I saw the ten Team Rocket members that Lance had captured earlier, the ones from Group B.
"They're already dead. Keeping them alive is useless," Ash replied calmly.
After speaking, Ash shifted his gaze toward the remaining captives, who were being held in place under Dragonite's watchful presence. When they heard that the stronger Group A had already been wiped out, the Team Rocket members completely lost their composure.
In their minds, they had expected interrogation at most. Even if they were arrested, as long as there was no solid proof of them killing Pokémon, they wouldn't face the death penalty. That was why they had remained relatively calm after being captured.
But now, everything was different.
"Useless? I captured Group B, and Group A just happened to run into you. What if you hadn't killed them?" Lance asked, somewhat speechless. After years of dealing with Team Rocket, he understood their operations quite well.
"It doesn't matter. I already got the intelligence I needed," Ash said. "Back at the Whirl Islands, my ability underwent a breakthrough. Now, I can extract a person's soul, devour it, and obtain all their memories."
The moment those words fell, everyone except Sabrina froze in shock.
Lance stared at Ash in disbelief, and the captured Team Rocket members were trembling, fear clearly visible in their eyes.
If what Ash said was true, then interrogation methods were meaningless. No torture, no questioning, just direct extraction. Perfect accuracy, complete information. It was the ultimate counter to people like them.
"…You're unbelievable," Lance said with a bitter smile. "Every time I see you, you're stronger than before. Now you've even mastered something humanity hasn't touched, the soul itself."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Ash replied with a faint smile.
He then glanced toward Sabrina, who was sitting quietly nearby. Their eyes met, and she immediately understood his intent.
"Since I already know Team Rocket's base, what's the point of keeping these guys?" Lance said, raising his hand and drawing it across his neck in a killing gesture.
The Team Rocket members broke into cold sweats.
For people born into powerful families, killing wasn't anything unusual. Even Sabrina had seen more than enough of it.
"No, I've got a better idea," Ash said, shaking his head slightly.
He pointed toward Sabrina.
At that moment, the red Gyarados she had subdued earlier slowly awakened. Its eyes locked onto the Team Rocket uniforms, hatred surging violently within them.
"ROOOAR!!!"
The roar echoed through the cabin, shaking the captives to their core. Some of them nearly collapsed on the spot.
"They're yours," Ash said coldly, gently patting Gyarados' scales to steady it. "Enjoy."
Lance let out a low chuckle. "Retribution, huh."
Understanding Ash's intent, he stood up and left the cabin alongside Ash and Sabrina. Moments after they stepped outside, piercing screams erupted from within.
The sound carried into the night, disturbing countless wild Pokémon in the surrounding area.
In the wilderness, danger was constant. Pokémon didn't just attack humans, some even preyed on them. That was why being a Pokémon Trainer was never truly safe. Taming Pokémon required both strength and risk.
Walking along the path, Lance spoke again.
"I've realized something. Becoming your enemy leads to a pretty miserable end."
Ash let out a cold snort.
"When dealing with enemies, hesitation only gets you killed. So-called compassion and kindness often come from fear, fear of retaliation. But if you don't eliminate the threat completely, that retaliation will come sooner or later."
He paused briefly, his expression turning sharp.
"To cut the grass, you remove the roots. That's how you deal with enemies."
Beside him, Sabrina watched quietly, a faint smile on her face.
This was the Ash she admired, decisive, ruthless, and utterly dominant.
"Fortunately, the relationship between the Draconis family and him eased before Ash fully matured. Otherwise, the Draconis family might not even exist anymore. When I get back, I should speak with Grandpa and make sure Uncle Lance stays away from Ash as much as possible."
Ash's earlier words left Lance deep in thought.
Although the relationship between the Draconis family and Ash had improved on the surface, Lance knew very well that the number of people Ash truly accepted was extremely small. Aside from Lance himself, only Skye Draconis and Yuko Draconis could barely be counted.
As for his uncle, Lance, it might look like Ash had already let things go, but Lance understood the truth.
If his uncle ever appeared in front of Ash or Delia again, the fragile balance they had now would shatter instantly.
"There's a temporary Team Rocket base not far from here," Ash suddenly said, pulling Lance out of his thoughts.
"…It's well hidden," Lance replied after a moment. "If what you're saying is true, and it really is that guy, Lambda, then we need to be careful."
He paused, then continued seriously.
"Among Team Rocket's four executives, Lambda might be the weakest in terms of raw strength, but his real danger doesn't come from that."
Lance glanced at Ash.
"It's his methods."
Lance decided to share what he knew about Team Rocket, just in case.
Of course, deep down, he couldn't help but think…
Did Ash really need that kind of caution?