"W–what the hell?" Ethan muttered, eyes widening as he saw the figure leap straight off the cliff.
"No Flying-type to catch her? She just… jumped?"
Yet instead of plummeting, the woman drifted downward slowly, her fall unnaturally controlled.
Ethan frowned. Not normal at all.
"Charmeleon, Munchlax—come on."
Curiosity overcoming training, he hurried down the slope, weaving through brush until he reached the forest below.
There she was. A tall woman with flowing blue hair, clad in a crimson bodysuit, standing quietly beneath a tree. Behind her, an Alakazam waited, eyes gleaming, spoons raised.
Ethan narrowed his gaze. So that's how she floated down. Alakazam carried her with Telekinesis. No wonder.
But what unsettled him more was the sheer presence radiating from the Pokémon. Pulling up its data through his bond, he nearly whistled.
Pokémon: Alakazam
Level: 52
Rank: Elite (Quasi-Elite Four)
Ability: Inner Focus
Gender: Female
Known Moves: Psychic, Teleport, Barrier, Future Sight, Miracle Eye, Recover, Light Screen, Psycho Cut, Trick…
"Level fifty-two?!" Ethan sucked in a breath. "That's stronger than anything I've seen yet… even Cynthia's Garchomp would struggle."
Before he could linger, more noise echoed from the mountain path. The bald Rocket officer Tem staggered into view, followed by nearly a hundred grunts in black.
Ethan's eyes narrowed further. So she's not just some passing trainer… she's Rocket.
The woman raised a hand, commanding the troops with quiet authority. "Block all exits. Seal Lavender Town. The rest of you—follow me."
The Rockets obeyed instantly. Even Tem bowed low, his usual bluster gone. Whoever she was, her rank dwarfed his.
Ethan's mind raced. Blue hair, Saffron Gym… Psychic powers matching her Alakazam… The answer struck him like lightning.
Sabrina!
Gym Leader of Saffron City. One of the most feared psychics alive. And now a Rocket executive.
So it's true. She's both Gym Leader and Team Rocket member.
Her voice cut across the field, commanding, sharp. "Move out."
Ethan cursed under his breath. If she's leading this invasion, Lavender Town's in real danger. She must be after Mr. Fuji and the secrets from Cinnabar's old lab.
As the grunts fell into formation, Ethan caught sight of one slipping away from the group. Seizing the chance, he ambushed the straggler, dragging him into the woods with Charmeleon and Munchlax's help. Minutes later, Ethan stepped back onto the road in a stolen Rocket uniform.
"It fits well enough," he muttered, tucking away his Pokémon. Blending in with the line, he fell in close—dangerously close—to Sabrina herself.
By sheer luck, when she chose three Rockets to attend her personally, Ethan was among them.
The group entered Lavender Town openly. Sabrina veiled her face, wary of revealing her Gym Leader identity. Inside a small restaurant, she sat with her attendants. Soon after, Tem arrived, in fresh trousers this time, bowing deeply before speaking.
"Director Sabrina," he said carefully, "once we've secured Lavender Town, what shall we do with the Pokémon here? Professor Silano in Johto has requested subjects for his research at the Lake of Rage. Perhaps we should send some of the captured ones."
Ethan froze. Lake of Rage?
Sabrina raised a brow. "The forced evolution experiments? Has he made progress?"
"Yes," Tem replied. "He succeeded in evolving a Magikarp into a Gyarados… but it was red."
A murmur rippled through the room. Ethan's heart hammered. The Red Gyarados… the very one Lance subdues in Johto. It's happening now.
His blood ran hot at the thought. A Gyarados unlike any other—towering, crimson, furious at mankind, able to unleash Hyper Beams as casually as a breath. Savage, unyielding.
That's exactly the kind of monster I want.
As his mind raced, Sabrina's eyes flicked toward him. "Why are you shaking?"
Ethan lowered his head instantly. "N–no reason, Director."
But inside, one thought burned:
I'm going to claim that Red Gyarados before anyone else does.