In the forest, Ash stood with Pikachu in front of a young boy, gazing unfavorably at the giant robot ahead.
It seemed like Team Rocket's usual antics; though Ash found them somewhat annoying, he had never truly been angry.
Initially, he might have minded the actions of those three people, but eventually, he got used to it. Those three guys, although constantly targeting his Pikachu, had never done anything that truly endangered their lives.
That is why Ash could maintain a calm attitude toward those three and had never been harsh with them.
But this guy was different.
The burly man in front of him, not only exuded an unpleasant aura from his body, but he also targeted the young boy behind Ash with lethal intent, aiming to kill him completely!
If Ash had been any slower, the boy might have already been dead.
"Who are you?" The burly man looked at Ash, clearly displeased even through the mask he wore.
He had almost managed to get rid of the meddlesome kid and capture Celebi.
Then another meddlesome little punk showed up... no, calling this person a little punk was a bit off, given that he had smashed the robot with his bare hands!
One must know, this robot was built with Team Rocket's top technology. A single kick from it was over ten tons of force, enough to make even Gym Level Pokémon consider stepping back, yet it was sent flying effortlessly by a human?
Is this guy human, or a Pokemon disguised in human skin?
"Who are you?" Usually, when meeting someone, Ash would first introduce himself, but for this guy in front of him, Ash couldn't bring himself to be polite and didn't want to give his name.
"Hmph, don't wet your pants when I say this. I am the Iron-Masked Marauder, the current leader of Team Rocket! That's right, the largest crime organization in Kanto, an international criminal syndicate, Team Rocket!" The Iron-Masked Marauder reported his name with arms folded and a face full of arrogance.
However, the anticipated scene of fear didn't appear. Instead, the expression on Ash's face was oddly strange: "Are you saying... you are now the leader of Team Rocket?"
"Indeed, and now that you know, move aside and let me capture Celebi; I might credit you and let you become a high-ranking member of Team Rocket!" The Iron-Masked Marauder didn't overthink Ash's odd tone, assuming he was familiar with Team Rocket.
Knowing was good!
The saying goes, a dying camel is still bigger than a horse, and though Team Rocket may be crumbling, it still matches some top-tier organizations, as the original Team Rocket overshadowed all other crime organizations, even superior to Team Galactic.
There's only one crime syndicate as vast as Team Rocket in the world, and if not for the former leader suddenly deciding to disband the organization, Team Rocket would still be thriving, potentially replacing the League someday!
"Where's Giovanni?"
Ash's question visibly startled the Iron-Masked Marauder: "How do you know Giovanni!"
"I am Ash from Pallet Town, have you heard of this name?" Ash adjusted his cap and loudly announced his name.
Pikachu chimed in in agreement.
And upon hearing this name, the Iron-Masked Marauder displayed a spectrum of expressions—shock, realization, disbelief...
These various expressions blended on his face, making him look rather comical.
He still wore a mask, revealing only half of his face's expressions, making it even more amusing.
"With a Pikachu... incredible strength... yes, it's Ash. So it was you who caused Team Rocket to disband!" Clearly, the Iron-Masked Marauder had heard of Ash's name but hadn't seen his appearance.
This was rare; typically, those familiar with Ash's name also recognized his appearance.
Ash's look had spread with his fame far and wide, so usually, knowing one meant knowing the other.
The reason the Iron-Masked Marauder knew the name but not the appearance was because he never had time for news.
"I don't know what method you used to make that guy Giovanni disband half of Team Rocket's members, but it's precisely because of that that I've had the chance to rise to the top!" Vicious said with a hint of arrogance.
"I am the leader of Team Rocket now; that old geezer Giovanni is history!"
Disbanding half of Team Rocket's membership not only undermined Giovanni's authority but also—by reducing the scope of his control—fueled ambitions of rebellion among many, threatening to cause the organization to collapse from within.
Team Rocket had effectively splintered into various factions; some still acknowledged Giovanni as their leader, while others followed high-ranking executives—Vicious being one of them.
He had long harbored rebellious thoughts, but Giovanni's influence had been overwhelming. Between his control over the organization's core technology and his own formidable strength, Vicious had never dared to openly defy him.
However, he eventually received word about the Mythical Pokémon Celebi. While Celebi might look cute, it was a Pokémon that truly commanded the laws of time and space!
Even if its raw power didn't quite match that of Dialga or Palkia, if its abilities could be amplified, it could unleash a force far greater than that of the twin deities of time and space!
After all, Celebi embodied both powers simultaneously!
Capturing Celebi would allow him to topple Giovanni's reign and seize control of Team Rocket himself.
But as the saying goes, plans often go awry; before he could even set his scheme in motion, the turmoil regarding the organization's dissolution broke out.
Consequently, he had to put the plan to capture Celebi on hold while he frantically rallied the scattered members of Team Rocket. Through his efforts, he successfully forged a "New Team Rocket" that rivaled any top-tier villainous organization.
Only after establishing this new faction did Vicious resume his capture plan. He had finally tracked down Celebi and was on the verge of success—only to be thwarted by a meddlesome brat.
However, this was merely a trivial interlude. Although that brat possessed a Charmeleon of decent strength, that was the extent of it; any one of his own Pokémon could easily crush that Charmeleon. He didn't even need a Pokémon—the massive robot he was piloting alone could stomp that Charmeleon into a pulp!
In the end, the Charmeleon held out for less than a minute, barely buying the brat a few extra steps of movement—and that was all.
But just as he was about to capture Celebi, yet another unexpected complication arose!
A brat who had appeared out of nowhere stood in his path, accompanied by that dime-a-dozen yellow electric mouse.
If it had just been some ordinary kid, it wouldn't have mattered—he could have simply crushed him underfoot. But this guy not only used human strength to blast his robot back, he also revealed an identity that left him stunned: he was the very culprit responsible for the dissolution of Team Rocket—Ash Ketchum!
He didn't know what kind of spell this brat had cast on Giovanni to make him disband half of Team Rocket's membership, but in a way, the kid was actually a "benefactor" of sorts; were it not for Ash, he wouldn't have become the leader of Team Rocket so quickly.
However, the current Team Rocket still fell short of its peak glory days, so he needed Celebi's power to expand the organization's scale.
Strength was the ultimate draw for recruiting members; if he possessed Celebi's power, revitalizing Team Rocket and dominating the League would be only a matter of time!
"What kind of nonsense is this? The Aura you radiate is truly repulsive... Leave now and I might spare you; otherwise, you can stay here and sleep forever in this forest!" Ash shouted sternly, standing his ground before the young man.
He didn't care who the current leader of Team Rocket was; he simply detested the way this person treated both humans and Pokémon.
If this guy insisted on making a move, he wouldn't mind having Pikachu tear that machine apart and leaving the man lying flat in the forest!
"The arrogance! Do you really think you single-handedly destroyed Team Rocket? It's time I showed a brat like you what a real adult is capable of!"
Furious, Vicious laughed darkly before pulling out a pitch-black Poké Ball and hurling it forward.
With a flash of black light, a Tyranitar with a strangely dark-hued hide appeared on the battlefield!
Normally, a Tyranitar's armor is pale green, but this one's was a deep, dark green.
While that coloration is typical of a Shiny Tyranitar, this one hadn't always looked that way.
Its surface color looked as though it had been stained gray by some unknown force; there was not a shred of reason in its eyes—it looked utterly berserk!
"Such chaotic Aura... You—what did you do to this Tyranitar?" Ash could clearly sense the turbulent Aura raging inside the Pokémon.
It was a sign that the Tyranitar had completely lost its sanity, transformed into a monster that knew only destruction.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that the black Poké Ball was the cause.
"Heh, you don't need to know the details—you're going straight to hell. Tyranitar, use Hyper Beam!" True to his villainous nature, Vicious offered no explanation; he simply ordered the Tyranitar to unleash a Hyper Beam at Ash.
A golden beam of destruction roared violently through the air, surging straight toward Ash!
A terrifying shockwave and crushing pressure bore down on them; the boy standing behind Ash couldn't help but shout, "Watch out! Get out of the way!"
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash didn't dodge or retreat; he ordered Pikachu to use Thunderbolt, meeting the Tyranitar's attack head-on.
The other boy squeezed his eyes shut, unable to bear watching what was coming.
He knew what a Pikachu was, of course—they were common as dirt, weak, and had very limited potential.
How could a Pokémon like that possibly stand a chance against a Tyranitar that looked so terrifyingly powerful?
Ash—the boy standing in front of him—would likely be reduced to ashes by that blast.
Damn it... Why... Why was he so weak? Not only had he failed to protect Celebi, but an innocent bystander had also been sacrificed!
"BOOM!!!!"
Just as a flash of his life's memories raced through the young man's mind, the Thunderbolt and Hyper Beam collided, the two attacks exploding in mid-air with a deafening roar!
Then, before the stunned eyes of Vicious, a golden bolt of electricity tore right through the destructive golden beam!
Having shattered the Hyper Beam, the Thunderbolt surged forward without losing any momentum, heading straight for Tyranitar!
"Crack-le!!"
"ROAR!!"
The Thunderbolt struck Tyranitar with pinpoint accuracy, eliciting a pained roar from the Pokémon.
Moments later, black smoke was billowing from Tyranitar's body; Electric-type moves deal standard damage to Tyranitar, and by Ash's calculations, this hit should have been enough to leave the Pokémon nearly incapacitated.
"That Pikachu has some tricks up its sleeve... Tyranitar, use Earthquake!" Vicious quickly regained his composure. It was only natural that someone capable of disbanding Team Rocket—as Giovanni had—would possess some skill, but thinking they could defeat Tyranitar with just that? Dream on!
"Tyranitar can't move anymore; you're next." Ash paid no heed to Vicious's command; he could sense that Tyranitar's injuries had rendered it immobile, making Vicious's order futile.
However, something unexpected happened. Tyranitar, which had let its head droop, suddenly snapped it up and let out a furious roar. It then stomped its feet hard against the ground; the earth began to shake violently as a massive surge of Ground-type energy erupted from beneath the surface!
"How is it still moving? Pikachu, jump!!" Ash's pupils contracted as he hurriedly ordered Pikachu to dodge.
"Pika!" Pikachu leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the energy surging from the ground.
Yet, the force didn't stop there; it raced rapidly toward Ash!
Vicious's target from the very beginning hadn't been Pikachu—it was Ash, the Trainer!
"Hmph, if the Trainer goes down, that Pikachu—no matter how powerful—is nothing more than a headless fly."
A smirk played on Vicious's lips; no matter how capable a human might be, they are ultimately made of mere flesh and blood.
Even if Ash had just displayed superhuman strength, that was just raw physical power. A direct hit from an energy-based attack—surely that would kill him?
"Hmph, coming for me? You picked the wrong target!!" Ash snorted coldly. He kicked his leg high into the air and then stomped it down with tremendous force!
BOOM!!
A sound rang out, even more deafening than the Earthquake attack Tyranitar had used moments ago. The Ground-type energy surging toward Ash was instantly neutralized by the shockwave generated by his own physical strike, dissipating into nothingness.
The tremors didn't stop there; they surged straight toward Tyranitar.
Tyranitar had neither the energy nor the reaction time to dodge, and its massive body was instantly sent flying by the shockwave!
Vicious was left completely dumbfounded. What the hell was this? Was that guy even human?!
He had neutralized an Earthquake—amplified by the power of a Dark Ball—using nothing but his own physical strength? If that guy is human, I'll eat my hat!
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