"Matori, why do you think Grey always knows what Team Rocket is planning? It happened in Hoenn, and now it's happening again in Alola. It's strange. We've kept Team Rocket's activities extremely secret, yet we still can't prevent Grey from following us."
Giovanni was genuinely confused.
He could dismiss what happened in Hoenn as a coincidence, but how could Alola also be a coincidence?
Once or twice could be blamed on luck. By the third time, something else had to be going on.
"I don't know either, Boss."
Even Matori, who normally managed everything with absolute confidence, could not make sense of the situation.
She handled nearly all of Team Rocket's affairs, large and small. When it came to secrecy, she had never made a mistake.
She had personally organized Team Rocket's infiltration of Alola.
She had even deliberately chosen a time when Grey was away.
Yet the moment they arrived, Grey announced that he was coming after them!
"What should we do now, Boss? Should we withdraw, or..."
Matori trailed off before finishing the question.
"We fight. This time, we'll settle everything with Grey."
Giovanni's eyes turned cold.
He was the leader of Team Rocket, yet Grey had frustrated his plans again and again.
Giovanni released a slow breath, his emotions in turmoil.
More than anything, Grey's actions made him uneasy.
Instead of continuing to hide and flee, perhaps it would be better to go all-in against Grey and settle the matter once and for all.
However, Giovanni still needed to prepare for the worst.
"Matori, leave me alone for a moment."
Giovanni rubbed between his eyebrows and dismissed her with a wave.
"Understood."
Matori left the room.
Giovanni took out a pen and a sheet of paper, then began writing something.
"Mewtwo."
After some time, Giovanni suddenly called into the empty air beside him.
"What is it?"
Mewtwo Teleported into the room and stared at Giovanni, who was seated on a leather couch. Its long purple tail swept gently behind it.
"Take this letter. If I lose when Grey and I finally fight, give it to Silver."
At that moment, Giovanni looked like a man arranging his final affairs.
"Is that really necessary?"
Mewtwo frowned. It wanted to tell Giovanni not to be so pessimistic.
However, Grey's current strength was undeniably terrifying.
He had also formed connections with numerous Legendary Pokémon.
Mewtwo considered the situation honestly.
Had it been in Giovanni's position, Grey probably would have crushed it long ago.
The fact that Giovanni had managed to hold out this long was honestly impressive.
What Giovanni did not know was that Team Rocket's arrival in Alola had already been exposed.
Mewtwo had even helped push events in this direction, which was part of the reason Grey had decided to visit Alola.
Did Mewtwo feel guilty toward Giovanni?
A little.
However, the conflict between Giovanni and Grey needed to reach a conclusion.
Allowing Giovanni to face Grey in Alola and decide everything in a final battle was already a way of preserving some of his dignity.
"It's necessary," Giovanni said simply.
Mewtwo sighed.
"Fine. I'll hold on to it. If you really lose, I'll make sure Silver receives this letter."
Mewtwo shrugged and added that it would leave if Giovanni had nothing else to discuss.
"All right."
Giovanni waved dismissively.
He watched Mewtwo depart, then slowly exhaled.
"Grey, Grey... In less than six months, you've already grown this powerful. You're even more absurd than Red and Blue."
Giovanni had no choice but to admit that Grey was considerably stronger than him.
Grey's personal connections were equally frightening. Nearly every powerful figure he knew was more formidable than Giovanni's own allies.
Facing someone like that filled Giovanni with regret.
Perhaps he should have built a good relationship with Grey.
Perhaps he should have stopped before things reached this point.
But now?
Expecting Giovanni to abandon everything was nothing more than a fantasy.
He lit a cigarette, released a cloud of white smoke, crossed one leg over the other, and then abruptly crushed the cigarette out.
Meanwhile, in Saffron City, Grey had chosen Heracross to face Gladion's Lycanroc.
Heracross had also reached Elite Four-tier strength, making it a perfect opponent for Gladion's Lycanroc.
As for Mega Evolution, Grey did not think it was necessary.
Heracross was holding a Flame Orb instead of Heracronite.
Besides, the Guts Ability was incredibly powerful.
Once Guts activated, Heracross's physical strength would become even more frightening than Mega Heracross's.
It was the ultimate easy-mode pick.
When raw stats mattered, Guts Heracross was hard to beat.
Grey gestured for Gladion to attack first.
"Uncle, I'll make the first move, then."
Gladion still hesitated slightly whenever he called Grey his uncle because of their bizarre new family relationship.
However, once he became immersed in battle, all that hesitation disappeared.
"Lycanroc, use Stealth Rock!"
"Awooo!"
Lycanroc howled. An eerie gleam flashed through its crimson eyes as grayish energy surrounded its body.
It raised one arm, causing countless stones to rise from the ground and blend into the surrounding battlefield.
Gladion then curled both hands like claws and shouted, "Use Roar!"
Stealth Rock followed by Roar.
That was a good strategy.
However, Grey was hardly an amateur.
The instant he heard Gladion's command, he countered it.
"Throat Chop!"
Whoosh!
Heracross spread its wings and kicked off the ground with tremendous force. Its wings beat so quickly that they left overlapping afterimages as it closed the distance in an instant.
Lycanroc had not even finished gathering enough energy to use Roar when Heracross appeared directly before it.
Burning heat rolled from Heracross's body as it thrust an arm filled with malicious Dark-type energy toward Lycanroc's throat.
Boom!
Lycanroc was sent flying.
With Guts already activated, Heracross's physical power was approaching that of a Champion-tier Pokémon. The strike knocked Lycanroc across the battlefield, sending it tumbling over the ground again and again.
"Cough... Cough..."
After taking Throat Chop, Lycanroc could not produce a proper sound. It could only cough hoarsely.
Heracross had no intention of giving it time to recover.
"Earthquake!"
"Hera!"
Heracross stomped heavily on the ground.
A powerful seismic wave spread across the arena. Lycanroc struggled to keep its balance, its crimson eyes widening as Heracross charged again.
"Lycanroc, use Double Team!"
Gladion dramatically raised one hand to cover an eye.
"Cough..."
Lycanroc coughed to acknowledge the order. Normal-type energy wrapped around its body, and numerous afterimages split away from it, making it impossible for Heracross to identify the real one.
Bang!
Heracross swung down at the Lycanroc directly in front of it.
Unfortunately, it was only an afterimage.
Heracross's attack struck the floor instead, blasting a deep crater into the Fighting Dojo's battlefield.
"Lycanroc, use Stone Edge!"
At Gladion's command, every Lycanroc image slammed its fists against the ground.
Crack!
Blades of stone erupted from below.
They surged toward Heracross from every direction, forming a cage of sharpened rock intended to trap it completely.
"Hera!"
It appeared as though Heracross was being attacked from all sides.
In reality, however, only one direction contained the genuine attack.
A stone blade struck Heracross hard in the back. It bared its teeth in pain and silently cursed Lycanroc for fighting so underhandedly.
Lycanroc stared at it in disbelief.
It was the one being bullied here!
If Throat Chop had not sealed its Roar, it would already have been forcing Grey to switch Pokémon over and over.
"Heracross, use Pin Missile!"
"Hera!"
Heracross spun around and pointed its horn toward Lycanroc.
A pale blue-green glow gathered around the horn before countless sharp projectiles shot forward.
They missed once again.
"Lycanroc, now!"
Gladion's lips curved upward.
Wrapped in black energy, the real Lycanroc suddenly appeared beside Heracross.
Its fist, covered in Dark-type power, slammed directly into Heracross's side.
Sucker Punch!
"Hera!"
Heracross immediately reached out and grabbed Lycanroc.
Lycanroc tried to break free, but Heracross's strength was monstrous. Even after using every ounce of power in its body, it could not escape Heracross's grip.
"After Guts activated, Heracross's Attack became comparable to that of some Champion-tier Pokémon," Grey calmly explained. "It'll be extremely difficult for an Elite Four-tier Lycanroc to break free through strength alone."
Grey quietly observed Lycanroc's movements.
Even if Lycanroc tried using Counter, it would accomplish nothing.
Heracross had not actually injured Lycanroc by restraining it.
Meanwhile, if Heracross used Brick Break, it could knock Lycanroc unconscious with a single chop.
Grey wanted to see whether Gladion could devise a way to escape.
If he could not, Gladion could hardly blame his uncle for showing his nephew no mercy.
Fortunately, Gladion truly had an idea.
He ordered Lycanroc to use Charm.
"Awoo..."
Lycanroc blinked sweetly and gave Heracross its most adorable look.
Heracross shuddered in disgust.
Its Attack sharply fell, and it instinctively threw Lycanroc away.
That was revolting.
It could barely stand to look at him!
At least Lycanroc had regained its freedom.
"Not bad. You used a status move at the right moment to create an opening and free Lycanroc from Heracross's hold. That was a good decision."
Grey praised his nephew.
Gladion remained serious.
The Heracross before him was a pure stat monster.
Its explosive speed was also troublesome. Whenever Lycanroc attempted to use Roar and force Grey to switch Pokémon, Heracross could rush forward with Throat Chop and silence it.
Should he use Stone Edge?
No.
Heracross would probably smash the stone blades into pieces with a single strike.
Gladion found himself struggling to formulate a plan.
"Gladion, you can do it!"
Lillie cheered for him from outside the battlefield.
Gladion's eyes widened.
Hearing his sister's encouragement filled him with renewed energy.
"Lycanroc, use Play Rough!"
"Awooo!"
Lycanroc charged.
Fairy-type energy spread across its body as it ran, wrapping it in something resembling a thin, elegant veil.
The graceful energy looked particularly strange when combined with Lycanroc's vicious expression.
Heracross did not dare underestimate it.
Grey raised one hand.
"Smart Strike!"
At Grey's command, Heracross lowered its body and aimed its horn directly at Lycanroc.
A cold metallic gleam flashed across the horn. Silver Steel-type energy gathered around it before Heracross thrust forward.
Clang!
The horn pierced straight through the veil of Fairy-type energy surrounding Lycanroc.
The attack then struck Lycanroc in the abdomen and launched it high into the air.
Lycanroc entered free fall, unable to control its movement.
Fortunately, it could still manipulate Rock-type energy.
Almost immediately after being launched upward, Lycanroc raised one hand and formed dozens of sharp stone spikes.
The spikes rotated together, screaming through the air as they shot down at Heracross.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Stone Edge struck Heracross, filling the battlefield with dust.
That would be Lycanroc's final attack.
The moment it finished using Stone Edge, Lycanroc sensed danger.
Heracross emerged from the dust with fragments of stone covering its hands. Fighting-type energy gathered around one palm as it rapidly closed the distance.
Heracross brought its hand down in a furious chop.
Lycanroc was smashed into the ground.
Its crimson, vicious-looking eyes immediately turned into spirals.
"Lycanroc is unable to battle. Challenger, please send out your next Pokémon," Bumiao announced softly.
Gladion wore a troubled expression as he recalled Lycanroc.
The livestream chat immediately erupted.
[That really is a stat monster! It took Charm and still has that much destructive power?!]
[Pure training wheels!]
[How can Heracross possibly look this cool?]
Heracross had not actively defended itself even once throughout the entire battle.
Instead, it had demonstrated the principle that the best defense was overwhelming offense.
Many viewers immediately began considering raising a Heracross of their own.
It looked incredible.
At least in their eyes, a Pokémon with a strong design and such visibly powerful attacks was an obvious choice for any main team.
There wasn't a single coward among Fighting-type Pokémon!
Gladion considered which Pokémon to use next.
Umbreon was not an option.
Its typing left it at a severe disadvantage against Heracross.
Should he use that Pokémon?
One possibility came to mind.
If Gladion used his ace together with the device created by the Aether Foundation, he might actually defeat Heracross in one decisive attack.
However, after considering it for a moment, Gladion decided not to reveal his trump card yet.
He would first wear Heracross down, then send out his ace to finish it.
"Crobat, you're up!"
Gladion's second Pokémon was Crobat.
As a Poison- and Flying-type, it possessed an enormous type advantage.
Neither of Heracross's two same-type attack categories could deal effective damage against Crobat.
Moreover, Lycanroc's Charm had already sharply lowered Heracross's Attack.
Many viewers believed Heracross was likely about to lose.
Gladion did not share their confidence.
He understood how frightening this Heracross was.
Before the battle resumed, he warned his Pokémon, "Crobat, be extremely careful around that Heracross!"
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.