"Xatu, use Teleport to dodge!"
Youmu screamed hysterically, trying to keep his Xatu from getting flattened in one hit.
Teleport takes five seconds to charge.
A lot can happen in those five seconds.
And his opponent was Grey.
Not to mention, this was a total mismatch in power!
So…
The outcome was obvious!
"Useless! Primeape, Rage Fist!"
Grey barked the order.
"Praaai—!"
The frost around Primeape's knuckles dissipated, which made Xatu feel a little better.
But in the next instant, a deeper, ghostly glow erupted along Primeape's arm!
The energy fell like night, and even those so-called "broken" Psychic powers crumbled under this move!
Primeape's heavy fist smashed straight into Xatu!
Xatu's pupils tightened. The power felt like it would swallow it whole, making it forget to even use Teleport!
Right after, an explosive shockwave rampaged through its body and blasted it backward!
Bang!!!
Xatu hurtled toward Youmu so fast that he didn't even manage to raise his Great Ball before getting slammed into the wall along with his Pokémon!
Dust billowed up; the spectators fell silent.
A second later, a tidal wave of applause erupted.
"Grey! Grey! Grey!"
"Primeape! Primeape! Primeape!"
The crowd roared.
No one expected Grey to crush the matchup so easily in under three minutes, despite the type disadvantage!
As it turns out, there are levels even among special guest trainers.
And trainers like Youmu… were just weak.
"Cough, cough…"
Youmu hacked, then a Hypno hurried over to help him up.
Stumbling out of the dust, he shot Grey a vicious glare and tried to leave the club.
"Hold it."
Grey stepped forward, stopping Youmu and held out his hand. "The money. And an apology."
"An apology for what?"
Youmu halted and stared at Grey. A flash of killing intent passed through his eyes, but he hid it quickly.
"For it. And mean it."
Grey pointed at the Ralts in his arms.
"…"
Youmu went quiet, narrowed his eyes. "You really want me to apologize to that piece of—"
Smack!
The crisp slap rang out loud.
Youmu's left cheek swelled up like a Tepig.
"Watch your mouth."
Grey's voice went cold. "Are you apologizing or not?"
"You—!"
Youmu was fuming, jabbing a finger at Grey's nose, but he didn't dare spit out any threats.
Why? That slap hurt like hell.
His left cheek was burning, and a couple teeth nearly got knocked loose.
"What, 'you' what? Can't accept the loss?"
Grey mimicked his squint and grin. "I know a bit of martial arts too. If you want to spar, we can do that as well."
"Damn it… I'm sorry!"
Youmu bowed, voice full of reluctance.
"Too quiet. Can't hear you! Louder!"
Grey pointed at his ear, doing his best not to laugh.
"I'M SORRY!!!"
Youmu roared, voice so "sincere" he almost went hoarse.
"Ralts, feel better now?"
Grey didn't answer right away; he asked the Ralts instead.
"Raalts."
Ralts nodded lightly, answering in a soft voice.
Seeing that, Grey let the matter go—for now. "And don't forget the forty thousand."
"…"
Grinding his teeth, Youmu tore a check from his book and scribbled out the details and amount. "Cash it yourself."
With the check in hand, Grey chuckled, satisfied.
"Grey, aren't you worried he'll come after you? I get the feeling the people behind him aren't easy to deal with…"
Nelly came over, worry written all over her face.
What Grey did today was a hard slap to Youmu's pride. Knowing his petty nature, he'd probably try to pay it back double when he got the chance.
"Not worried. If you can't speak up when a Pokémon's being bullied, what's the point of being a trainer?"
Grey shrugged, stroking Ralts's head.
This time, Ralts didn't resist, even seemed to enjoy it.
Clearly, Grey had won it over with that intervention.
"I see…"
Nelly thought for a moment, shaken by Grey's words.
"All right, since I got paid today, don't schedule me for sparring. If the manager asks, tell him I'm heading back to handle Gym business—no time right now."
Grey waved, asking Nelly for a small favor.
"Got it. Next time you're free, you're treating me~"
Smiling, Nelly leaned in, linked both hands around his arm, and whispered in his ear, "Word is, the people behind Youmu are tied to that organization. Be careful."
"I know. But how are you this well-informed?"
Grey was surprised, but kept his tone even.
"The front desk is where info flows, you know. Don't underestimate me."
Nelly said with pride, releasing his arm and planting her hands on her hips.
"Okay, okay—you're the best."
Grey ruffled her hair, said goodbye to a few familiar faces at the club, and got ready to head back to the Gym.
At the club's entrance—
"Grey, long time."
A stubbled young man in a black suit stopped him. He was carrying several bags and, without giving Grey a chance to refuse, shoved them into his arms. "Here."
"I can't take gifts for nothing. Why the sudden delivery?"
Grey peeked inside—Berries and Moomoo Milk—saying "no, no" while very honestly accepting them.
The young man smiled, patted Grey's shoulder, and said meaningfully, "I just saw Youmu. His face is swollen like a Tepig."
"Manager, cut to the chase."
Grey shook his head, not in the mood for small talk, motioning for him to get to the point.
"I like how straightforward you are. It's in the bag—open it when you get back. I'll wait for your good news."
He patted Grey's shoulder a few more times. The look in his eyes said plenty.
"Okay. It's getting late—I'm heading back to the Gym."
Grey headed off with the bags.
——
Fighting Dojo.
"I'm back—!"
Grey called out by force of habit. After closing the door, he started going through the bags.
Time to see what "secret message" the club's manager wanted to pass along.
"The energy on you is a bit unstable… Did you fight someone?"
Sabrina suddenly Teleported to Grey's side, nostrils flaring slightly.
"You can sense that too?"
Grey was a little surprised, then nodded. "Ran into the scum who abandoned this little one at the club. Put him down."
"Raalts!"
Ralts nodded, backing Grey up.
Sabrina said nothing, only looked at the bag.
She reached out; Psychic energy surged.
A white slip of paper floated out. On it were three words:
Saturday, Team Rocket, S.S. Anne.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810