"Houndoom, Fire Blast!"
"Crobat, Hurricane!"
Archer's face was clouded with darkness, his expression ice-cold as he barked out commands to his two Pokémon.
Houndoom's mouth brimmed with terrifying flames. In the next instant, a massive crimson "大"-shaped column of fire blasted forward with tremendous force.
At the same time, the Crobat hovering midair flapped all four of its wings rapidly.
Fierce gales surged outward with each beat of its wings.
While Crobat excelled at physical attacks and wasn't particularly known for special attack, the intent here wasn't to use Hurricane as a primary form of damage—but rather... to fuel the flames!
Under the support of Hurricane, Fire Blast's flames surged even more violently and fiercely!
A look of solemnity appeared on Caitlin's delicate face. The scorching heat rushing toward her was already unbearably intense.
"Gallade, Psychic Cut!"
Caitlin's long golden hair floated upward slightly, as her immense and invisible psychic energy radiated outward. Her eyes shimmered with a piercing blue light.
Gallade raised its arm-blades, its eyes glowing with the same blue light as Caitlin's.
Psychic Empowerment!
As a true psychic, Caitlin could infuse her psychic powers directly into her Psychic-type Pokémon, boosting their strength to incredible levels.
That's why there's always been a saying: the most compatible Pokémon for a psychic is a Psychic-type Pokémon.
The blades on Gallade's arms shone with radiant prismatic energy, and in the next moment, it slashed downward fiercely.
Psychic Cut!
A crescent-shaped slash of pure mental energy tore through the air, crashing hard into the Fire Blast.
Boom!
The two powerful attacks collided and exploded violently, the resulting shockwave even spreading to many surrounding Rocket grunts and trainers engaged in battle.
As the energy slowly dissipated, Archer furrowed his brows while gazing at Caitlin.
"So that's how it is... still such a powerful psychic, huh?"
The blue glow in Caitlin's eyes gradually faded, but Archer had already seen clearly enough—he instantly realized her special ability:
Psychic.
After all, one of the three Rocket Executives, Sabrina, was herself an extremely powerful psychic. Under her psychic enhancement, she could even force Psychic Pokémon to temporarily boost themselves in battle!
While it's true that psychics can augment the power of Psychic-type Pokémon, that level of control is something only the most elite psychics can achieve.
And across the entire world, there were very few trainers capable of that.
"Those useless idiots... They actually brought someone this strong onto the ship."
Archer's expression darkened. Caitlin had already been a formidable opponent. Even with a type advantage, he could barely fight her evenly.
But to find out that she was a powerful psychic on top of that? She was now even harder to deal with.
He couldn't help cursing those incompetent Rocket grunts—pulling someone of Elite Four level into this mission? Might as well dig their own graves.
Still, it wasn't a serious problem.
"You think a bunch of amateurs like them can break through Team Rocket's blockade? Dream on."
Archer cast a glance at Ash and the others who were still entangled by Rocket grunts, his lips curling into a cold sneer.
Besides—even if they did resolve the Voltorb and Electrode threat, so what? Mr. Lucas is still on board.
-------------------------------------
In another corner, Rose and his two henchmen were slacking off shamelessly. Out of the corner of their eyes, they were observing Archer's fight with Caitlin.
"Sir, are we just going to keep hiding like this?" one of the subordinates asked in a low voice.
"Mm, no need to rush. Just watch and wait."
Rose, casually engaged in a half-hearted battle with a Rocket grunt, wore a perfectly calm expression.
The battlefield was still too chaotic. While he was looking to capture a Team Rocket executive, he wasn't about to expose his identity to the public just yet.
Slacking off is bliss. Slacking off makes me happy.
Rose tidied his collar solemnly, then gave a commanding order to the Pokémon in front of him.
"Gloom, use Stun Spore!"
His voice boomed with confidence as the Gloom—randomly caught before boarding the ship—released a cloud of mysterious powder from the bloom on its head.
The spores hit a charging Machoke directly.
"Despicable! Using underhanded tactics like that!" the Rocket grunt shouted angrily, stepping back with wide eyes as his Machoke became paralyzed. "You're clearly no pushover!"
"You're too naive. In Pokémon battles, there's no such thing as honorable or dishonorable tactics," Rose said, gently brushing back the fringe of hair over his forehead, his expression calm and suave. His aura of 'coolness' was almost off the charts.
Meanwhile, his subordinate's eyelid twitched uncontrollably as he turned his head away in embarrassment.
What the hell kind of 'cool guy' act is this?!
The chairman of the Galar League—the most powerful man in the entire region—was here pretending to be cool while fighting a low-level Rocket grunt?
Have you no shame, sir?!
--------------------------------------
The battle on the main deck raged on.
"Charizard, Dragon Rush!" Red's eyes were sharp as he called out.
Charizard let out a fierce roar, flapping its wings powerfully as it dove toward Rhyperior with great speed.
At the same time, a thick teal aura surrounded its body, transforming into a terrifying dragon-shaped energy blast.
"Hmph. You've got the spirit, but an attack like that won't work on my Rhyperior," Lucas smirked.
His Rhyperior had superior defense and stamina—surpassing even his Tyranitar.
Not to mention, Rhyperior now contained one of Arceus's Earth Plates within its body.
The Earth Plate was constantly nourishing and reinforcing Rhyperior's form—its benefits were beyond measure.
"Stone Edge."
Even so, Lucas wasn't careless enough to let Rhyperior take a full Dragon Rush head-on.
With a deep growl, Rhyperior swung its arms, forming numerous stone blades that shot out rapidly toward the charging Charizard.
Yet Charizard didn't dodge or evade—instead, it accelerated, charging straight through the barrage!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The stones landed on Charizard one after another, explosions erupting continuously—but fueled by its Dragon-shaped aura, Charizard pressed forward through it all.
It was close—very close!
"Block it."
Lucas raised a brow, surprised at Charizard's recklessness.
Rhyperior raised its massive arms, eyes locked on Charizard. In the blink of an eye, the two collided.
Charizard struck Rhyperior hard, pushing it back. Even with its enormous bulk, Rhyperior skidded across the deck, carving deep gouges into the metal.
But... that was all.
Its momentum gradually faded, and Dragon Rush finally lost its power.
Rhyperior looked Charizard in the eyes—unfazed—and gave a wicked smile.
"How is that possible?" Red gasped, stunned that his full-power Dragon Rush had been completely stopped by brute force.
Yes, Dragon Rush had lost some force breaking through the Stone Edge, but even so—it shouldn't have been this ineffective!
It was as if Rhyperior had barely taken any damage.
"There's nothing impossible about it. My Rhyperior's stamina and defense far exceed your imagination," Lucas said, lips curled in a malicious grin.
Charizard, after all, was more of a special attacker. Even Red's Charizard was no exception—at least until it mega evolved into Mega Charizard X, becoming a true mixed attacker.
But right now, it still wasn't strong enough.
"Rhyperior, Rock Blast."
Rhyperior's claws glowed with an earthy light as it gripped Charizard's shoulders.
"Charizard, dodge it!" Red shouted, snapping back to reality, frustrated with himself for losing focus mid-battle.
Charizard struggled fiercely, but Rhyperior's grip was like iron, holding it in place.
Enraged, Charizard blasted a Flamethrower right in Rhyperior's face.
Rhyperior let go—but before Charizard could ascend, multiple massive stones shot out from its palms, striking Charizard hard.
"Roar!"
Charizard howled in pain as more stones slammed into its body, knocking it from the sky and crashing onto the deck.
Rock-type attacks were devastating to Charizard. Rhyperior's moves hit it especially hard.
"Charizard!" Red cried, rushing to his fallen partner.
"So naïve..." Lucas shook his head in disappointment. Though Red had grown remarkably, he still wasn't strong enough in his eyes.
"If this is all you've got, you won't be able to protect anyone on this ship. If you let Charizard take you and escape now, there's still time."
Hands in his pockets, he looked calmly at Red.
Maybe he'd expected too much. After all, Red had only been growing for just over a year. Yet he still hoped this boy would surprise him.
Red froze for a moment, then slowly stood, tilting his cap forward, eyes hidden under the brim—only the red glow of his pupils visible beneath the shadow.
He etched the silver-haired youth before him deep into memory.
"I'm not the leader of this operation," Lucas continued. "Just as you want to protect this ship, I—Team Rocket's strongest executive—won't let one of my own be taken. But I won't stop you from fleeing either. With Charizard's speed, you can escape if you choose."
He shrugged nonchalantly.
Truthfully, his mission on the S.S. Anne was already complete—he'd come for Dr. Fuji. Everything else was just amusement.
"Sorry... I can't do that. And I haven't lost yet!" Red growled, his chest rising and falling sharply.
To flee, abandoning his younger brother Ash and the innocent people on this ship like a coward?
Yes, Charizard was injured—but it wasn't defeated. If he left now, they could make it safely to land.
But what about the others?
"Heh... just as I expected. Foolish—but admirable."
Lucas chuckled, part mocking, part impressed.
So many shounen protagonists are like this. Even in the face of despair and overwhelming odds, they charge forward with unwavering conviction.
But I, Lucas thought, am not one of those low-level villains who gets overturned by hot-blooded passion.
A sinister smile twisted his lips.
"Venasaur, Leaf Storm!"
Red sensed the change in his opponent's aura, took a deep breath, and released another Poké Ball.
A massive Venasaur emerged with a low growl. The flower on its back blossomed as it unleashed a brilliant green storm of leaves toward Rhyperior.
"Rock Wrecker."
Rhyperior raised its right arm, palm glowing with earthy light. A giant rock shell fired out at blinding speed.
The two attacks collided violently.
BOOM!
The explosion shook the deck, and powerful shockwaves tore through the air.
Red quickly took the chance to pull out a healing spray and treat Charizard's injuries—this wasn't a regulated battlefield. He needed every advantage he could get.
This silver-haired youth... was unlike any opponent he had ever faced.
Not a rival. Not a friend.
A true enemy—dangerous, powerful, and ruthless.
"You've got a decent Leaf Storm. I can see you're still a worthwhile opponent." Lucas's voice echoed through the smoke.
Red froze for a moment.
"The situation inside is in Archer's hands. Out here, I can take my time with you."
Lucas spun a Poké Ball on his fingertip before tossing it.
A flash of white light—and a graceful, elegant Gardevoir twirled into view at his side.
"So, brave little hero of justice... how long can you last?"
Lucas tilted his head, smiling with malicious delight. The pressure was suffocating.
Red clenched his jaw, gazing at Gardevoir with hard eyes. He could feel its overwhelming power.
This—along with Rhyperior—were opponents that could drive one to despair.
Why must I fight enemies this powerful...?
But thinking of Ash—and the many innocent passengers on board—Red bit his lip, and his red eyes burned once more with resolve.
(End of Chapter)