"If you nod right now, I'll transfer the money on the spot! Say what you will, but Team Rocket trainers don't lack cash!"
It was the most confident Petrel had ever sounded.
"Mm~ your offer really is tempting~"
Grey nodded slowly—and he wasn't lying.
Fifteen million was nearly a third of what he needed for the expansion.
If he agreed, it'd be a sweet deal for Grey.
"Although I'd love to say yes, Mr. Petrel, the way you're acting makes it hard to accept with a smile."
Grey exhaled lightly and slid a step to the side.
The instant he moved, a cross-shaped blade of poison, glowing a dark violet, tore through the air. It hissed across the ground, etching a deep, corroded furrow and sending up whorls of acrid smoke.
Cross Poison.
Clap, clap, clap—
Applause rolled out, but with a mocking rhythm.
"As expected of a trainer awakened to Aura—you even anticipated an ambush from that angle."
A low chuckle floated down from above.
Archer hung neatly from Crobat's talons, the tails of his Rocket uniform fluttering as he descended and touched down behind Grey.
"Perfect."
He tapped the ground with the tip of his shoe, straightened, and unhurriedly smoothed his collar.
Then the corner of his mouth tilted.
"Dojo Master Grey, I've heard much about you. I'm Archer, one of Team Rocket's four Executives—nothing special, merely mid-tier Elite level."
He said "nothing special," but his voice brimmed with confidence.
Mid-tier Elite was plenty strong.
Among Grey's own team, only Annihilape and Articuno were just breaking into Elite-tier.
"Archer… bounty, ten million! One-fifth of the expansion! That's nice."
Grey's first move was to pull up the bounty board on his phone.
In Kanto, Archer's price was second only to the Rocket Boss.
A full ten million.
Catch him, and one-fifth of the expansion fund would be covered in a snap.
Thump, thump, thump…
At that moment, the Rocket squad trailing Archer arrived, dropping down and steadying themselves.
"Hoo—"
Grey drew in a breath and pinched his own cheek.
Not a dream. He grinned.
All those walking sacks of money.
If he bagged them all, he could really bump that payout.
"Grey, you're surrounded by Team Rocket. Be smart—let Petrel go, join us, and step into the light!"
Archer strode forward, hands clasped behind his back, staring as if puzzled. "We're all elites over here. Do you plan to keep hiding in a dojo? Men like us were born to conquer the world!"
No more pie-in-the-sky; this was toxic pep talk, sprinkled with poetry about the "far horizon."
"And if I don't?"
Grey toyed with his phone, casually pinging Sabrina to see what was taking her so long.
[Grey: Sabrina, status? How long till you're here? I've got a crowd of Rockets—if you hurry, you can start your 'arrest practice' on a few.]
[Sabrina: Tied up. Give me a minute.]
——
Outskirts of Lavender Town, near Rock Tunnel.
"Hehehe… texting during a battle? Gym Leader Sabrina, how amusing—"
Not far opposite Sabrina stood a poised red-haired woman.
Team Rocket Executive—Ariana.
To bag Zapdos, Team Rocket had deployed three core officers in one go. That was how badly they wanted it.
"…"
Sabrina said nothing. She simply poured psychic power into her Pokémon and issued clipped commands.
"Huu—"
The yellow, fox-faced humanoid Pokémon in front of her crossed the spoons in its hands, sighting down at the waiting Arbok.
For now, the two sides were evenly matched.
Close in strength.
The main issue was typing.
"Miss Sabrina, won't you consider joining Team Rocket?"
During the standoff, Ariana's face showed genuine regret. "It's not just me—the Boss admires your strength. With a trainer like you, Team Rocket would truly flourish."
"Or is it that those rabble in Saffron are worth protecting?"
Ariana specialized in mind games.
She lifted a hand to her lips, parting them slightly as her tongue traced up and down her finger.
"Not just Saffron. I'd say the entire Kanto region doesn't deserve a trainer as powerful as you."
"The rabble's jeers. The League brass turning a blind eye. Honestly, if I were you, I wouldn't stay with the League. It's beneath you. It's them bullying you."
"So, what is it you're trying to say?"
Sabrina's palm leveled at Ariana. Waves of psychic force stirred in her eyes, power surging there—like she was simply waiting for Ariana to finish so she could pass sentence.
"I'm saying: join Team Rocket! Make those rabble tremble for you!"
Ariana opened her arms, as if to sweep Sabrina into an embrace. "Why make it hard on another woman? We're both independent women—I want you on the right path, walking farther than ever!"
"You're finished, are you?"
Sabrina cut her off.
"…"
Ariana's eyes thinned, her voice cooling. "I'm finished. What's your answer?"
Silence—
Sabrina didn't speak, but Alakazam moved!
Shing, shing!
Silver flashed!
Alakazam's spoons whirled, carving two cold arcs through the air.
Psychic energy surged around it, space itself warping under the build-up until the air seemed to grow viscous.
"Arbok—Crunch! Watch for its psychic attacks."
Seeing Alakazam move, Ariana snapped her order.
"Chaa-bah!" (Leave it to me!)
Arbok let out a thunderous hiss, body tensing as it slid forward!
Skkkrrr—
Scales rasped the ground with a tooth-aching scrape; the serpent shot out like an arrow from the string, fangs glinting with a chilling light, dust exploding in its wake!
"Ala—kazam!"
Alakazam's eyes burst into searing blue. The two spoons crossed before its chest, and its psychic wave spiked to a peak.
In the air, countless razor-edged psychic fragments condensed like panes of shattered mirror, glinting with dangerous light.
Whsst—!
A fan of psychic shards screamed forth through the sky!
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