Seeing Nozomi's expression, the female Team Rocket executive let out a cold sneer.
"Playing dumb? Doesn't matter. I'll make you spill everything you know!"
With that, she pulled a Poké Ball from her pocket.
"Remember my name: Team Rocket Executive, Sham!"
She pressed her finger lightly against the miniature Poké Ball in her hand. In an instant, it expanded rapidly, and she flicked her wrist to throw it.
"Go, Slowking!"
A red light flashed, and a pink Pokémon with a massive shell on its head appeared in the alley.
Slowking—an evolution of Slowpoke achieved with the King's Rock—was different from the ordinary Slowpoke or its other forms. It possessed remarkable intelligence and insight.
Nozomi's mind automatically retrieved Slowking's data.
"Impressive. A Team Rocket executive actually managed to get such a rare Slowking."
At this point, humans still hadn't fully uncovered the secret behind Slowpoke's evolution into Slowking, and wild Slowking were notoriously difficult to capture. It was truly a prized Pokémon.
Sham, however, remained silent and let out a cold hum. "Hmph. If you think you can stall for time, you're mistaken. This entire area is already surrounded by Team Rocket."
As she spoke, numerous Team Rocket grunts emerged from the alley behind Nozomi, each accompanied by a Pokémon. Sham's men flanked him, encircling him in the center.
Beedrill, Ekans, Koffing, and Zubat.
Every Pokémon in this group was highly aggressive!
"One, two, three… nine. With you, that makes ten."
Nozomi counted the numbers, matching the ten-person task given by the system.
"Ten people—enough to deal with you! Hand over Metagross and tell me where you come from, and I might let you go!" Sham purred, caressing the earring on her ear.
With Slowking in front and so many underlings ready, she was confident of victory.
"So you think you've already won?"
"Do you really believe you can resist us?" Sham retorted.
As she spoke, Slowking's eyes glowed blue, and an invisible binding force surged toward Nozomi, attempting to capture him instantly!
Sensing the psychic attack, Nozomi immediately threw the Poké Ball containing Metagross.
"Metagross!"
A low hum resonated through the air. A Metagross, larger than a car, materialized in the alley.
Slowking's psychic power struck Metagross and was immediately dissipated, leaving Metagross completely unaffected.
Nozomi flipped and landed on Metagross's back, which quickly ascended into the air.
Sham's heart leapt. "No! He's trying to escape! Everyone, attack! Slowking, use Psychic!"
At Sham's command, the Team Rocket grunts ordered their Pokémon forward.
"Beedrill, use Poison Sting!""Zubat, use Supersonic!""Ekans, use Iron Tail!"
One grunt even pulled out a rocket-shaped device from his backpack—a specialized Poké Ball net for capturing large wild Pokémon—and aimed it at Nozomi.
But before he could fire, Metagross, ascending rapidly, suddenly reversed course. Instead of escaping, it charged back toward the pursuing Team Rocket members below.
"No, dodge!"
Seeing Metagross evade Slowking's attack and turn against her own Pokémon, Sham's mind raced. She had been deceived—Nozomi never intended to run.
"Too late!" Nozomi chuckled.
Below, the Team Rocket Pokémon panicked at Metagross's sudden counterattack.
Under Nozomi's direction, Metagross unleashed a Meteor Mash that slammed a Beedrill to the ground, leaving a massive crater and rendering it battle-incapable.
The remaining Pokémon froze in fear, unable to continue the attack, and began fleeing in chaos.
"Damn it! Slowking, use Water Pulse!"
Trying to regain control, Sham ordered Slowking into the fight, hoping to restrain Metagross and give her subordinates a breather.
Slowking nodded, raising its stubby hands. The pink crystal on its head glowed as a Water Pulse shot from between its hands toward the spot where Metagross was about to land.
Perched atop Metagross, Nozomi remained calm. Unhurried, he pulled another Poké Ball from his waist.
"Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!"
There was no reason he should be limited to using only one Pokémon. Razor Leaf was one of Bulbasaur's three Grass-type moves, but it would be enough.
A white flash, and a Bulbasaur appeared in his arms.
"Saur!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Over ten razor leaves shot forward, intercepting the incoming Water Pulse.
The Water Pulse collided with the Razor Leaves and shattered.
Bulbasaur was still too low-level to fully contend with Slowking, but it was enough to buy time.
Thanks to Bulbasaur's intervention, Metagross had time not only to deal with the fleeing Ekans but also…
"Metagross, use Light Screen!"
A shimmering wall of energy blocked the Water Pulse, colliding with it and scattering the attack into a spray of water.
Taking advantage of the moment, Nozomi pulled out four earplugs, inserting them into his ears and Bulbasaur's, then commanded:
"Metagross, use Metal Sound!"
Szzzz—!
A sharp, grating metallic sound echoed through the alley, grating on the ears and sending headaches shooting through anyone nearby.