Apollo's expression changed drastically in an instant.
An automatic identity-recognition device?!
Damn it—what level of machine was that? His identity was hidden with extreme secrecy, yet it had been exposed in a single sentence?!
So that's it.
This kid is already a serious threat!
What now—do I make a move by force?!
At his current level, Apollo could only barely contend with an average Elite Four–class Trainer. Was he really capable of dealing with a monster like this?
In the blink of an eye, Apollo's expression shifted dozens—no, hundreds—of times before finally hardening as he forced himself to calm down.
He squeezed out a smile once more.
But his composure was already in shambles.
"Hehe… was someone talking to me just now? I didn't quite catch that."
He deliberately played dumb.
Ash waved his hand casually—still slick with grease from the chicken leg he'd been holding—and said,
"It's nothing, Mr. Apollo. My Pokédex likes to spout nonsense. No need to take it seriously."
"!!!"
Apollo's face stiffened again, a trace of fear creeping in.
That sentence sounded simple—but that casual hand wave…
It was clearly signaling that Apollo was no match for him, and that initiating conflict would only end in Apollo's complete defeat?!
Winning without fighting… what a terrifying method.
Then what should he do about this Team Rocket operation?
Should he report this directly to Boss Giovanni in advance?
Apollo shook his head, his expression turning cold.
No. Only by successfully completing this mission could he silence all doubts within the corporation and become a true successor of Team Rocket!
After a storm of calculations, Apollo finally gave Ash a long, cautious look, then slowly turned and walked away.
No matter what, he was Team Rocket's greatest strategist.
He would find a solution.
Hmph.
Ash: "?"
Naturally, Ash had no idea what kind of mental earthquake the other man had just gone through. He was only mildly puzzled.
Boros or Apollo—it didn't really matter. Just a name, right?
Though he did vaguely hear the words "Team Rocket" earlier.
Could he be a coworker of Jessie and James?
Come to think of it, he hadn't seen those three in a while… why did he kind of miss them?
Ash suddenly broke into a cold sweat, then picked up another massive chicken leg and started gnawing on it.
"Pikachu, keep eating. Don't think about dieting."
After all, you need to eat first before you can lose weight!
But Pikachu never even lifted its head. While the two had been talking, it had already devoured several more chicken legs.
When it came to eating, Pikachu needed no reminders.
Ash: "…"
Before long, Apollo retreated behind the curtain, still secretly observing Ash as he ate with abandon.
"Simplicity at its peak… walking among the mortal world?"
He had heard that many powerful Trainers, after reaching the limits of their strength and finding no further path upward, would deliberately relax their mindset and return to the role of a novice for further tempering.
To think that this boy named Ash had already reached such a realm at such a young age.
"Boss… what's our next move?" the tuxedo-clad subordinate asked hesitantly.
He had never seen Apollo look like this before.
The layers of consideration were far beyond his comprehension.
"Hold position. Proceed according to the original plan."
After a long pause, Apollo finally spoke.
Their plan had always been to act on the final day of the voyage. There was no rush.
But this boy… he couldn't be ignored.
Of course, all of this could still just be his own overthinking. Maybe Ash really was just an ordinary Trainer.
But that possibility was infinitesimal—almost impossible.
Even so, cautious as he was, Apollo needed confirmation.
Turning his back, he pondered for a long time before finally giving the order:
"Go. Bring me Team Rocket's secret Pokémon combat power analyzer."
The subordinate's eyes sharpened. He gave a formal salute and hurried off.
That device was cutting-edge technology developed at enormous cost by Team Rocket's research division. Supposedly, a single glance was enough to see through a Pokémon's combat strength—
Even through a Poké Ball.
Am I finally going to witness this divine artifact today?!
At the banquet, Gary was still on stage, passionately talking about his grand vision for the future.
Ash, meanwhile, continued eating without restraint. The more you ate, the greater the benefit for physical-training–focused Trainers, or so he believed.
Boom!
Suddenly, the doors to the ballroom were smashed open. The loud crash drew everyone's attention.
Apollo: "?"
Don't tell me another group is trying to steal our job?!
As the doors opened, a brown-haired girl wearing a white sunhat slowly walked in. A faint, ominous aura surrounded her, instantly making hearts tremble.
That oppressive presence nearly condensed into something tangible, surging straight toward the spiky-haired boy laughing on stage.
Resting on her shoulder was a massive stone slab, over a meter tall.
With every step she took on the red carpet, the slab thudded like a war drum, shaking the soul.
Engraved on the stone were bold characters:
"Grave of the Hometown Flea."
Carrying what was essentially a tombstone, Leaf advanced forward. The upper-class guests instinctively parted, creating a clear path to the stage.
Even Ash's eyes lit up. Ignoring his greasy hands, he pulled out his Pokédex and switched to camera mode.
This scene had to be recorded.
"Gary… you've really gone too far this time, haven't you?"
In his mind, Green frowned deeply. He truly could not understand Gary's bizarre sense of humor.
"Small stuff, big bro Green. All small stuff. Next time I'll take you grave-dancing too."
Gary just smiled lightly.
If Ash had Red secretly guiding him forward—
Then Gary was the exact opposite.
He was the one dragging Green along.
Green: "…"
Gary's arrogant expression instantly turned into one of pure delight, like he'd just seen a long-lost compatriot.
Grabbing the microphone, he shouted loudly,
"Allow me to introduce her! The young lady walking toward us is my longtime hometown friend—Leaf from Pallet Town! Let's hear it!"
Applause erupted around them.
Leaf's eyes, however, were empty. She ignored everything, continuing her relentless advance.
No matter what, today she was going to give that flea a proper burial.
"Perhaps many of you don't know—this young lady has another, huge identity!"
A mischievous grin crept onto Gary's lips as he shouted,
"She is also Vermilion City's newest hero—the Tree-Chopping Queen!!"
The hall instantly descended into chaos.
"My Farfetch'd—she's the Tree-Chopping Queen?!"
"Now that you mention it… she does look like her."
"I remember seeing her chop down trees several people wide with her bare hands!"
"I was there. My soul went cold."
Recently, the most sensational figure in Vermilion City wasn't anything flashy—it was this mysterious tree-chopping maniac who had appeared out of nowhere and, in just days, cleared the entire city of weeds and trees.
Coupled with the city's media frenzy, Leaf had skyrocketed to fame.
A viral sensation.
A reverse one.
Reporters with cameras and well-dressed elites quickly swarmed her.
"May we do an interview, Miss Tree-Chopping Queen?"
"Can I get an autograph? I want to chop trees too!"
"Will you livestream chopping trees in the future? I want to know how to chop my boyfriend!"
"I've got pork floss buns—we can do product placement!"
Vermilion City didn't lack anything—except idle people with too much time on their hands.
Faced with flashing cameras and a dense crowd, Leaf's cheeks flushed red.
Her aura dispersed instantly.
She reverted back into that innocent, energetic girl.
Even the tombstone on her shoulder fell with a clang onto the red carpet.
"Ahaha… hello everyone. I'm Leaf, the Tree-Chopping Queen…"
She scratched her head. Surrounded by so many cameras and faces, her eyes slowly lost focus.
On the stage, Gary watched Leaf flounder in the crowd and couldn't help laughing quietly.
"Haha… this is way too funny."
Leaf completely lost combat effectiveness when facing cameras—he'd known that weakness for a long time.
At the dining table, Ash saw there was no more drama to enjoy and shot Gary an annoyed look.
That weakness—
He knew it too.
Behind the curtain, Apollo ignored the chaos and let his gaze drift among the three of them.
Finally, it locked onto Ash again.
"Tch… I still can't see through him."
"Boss! I've brought the combat power analyzer!"
Soon, the subordinate handed over a delicate monocular device.
The lens was made of advanced materials, glowing a translucent green. Once it locked onto a target, their combat power would be displayed directly on the lens.
"Hmph."
Apollo carefully fitted the analyzer over his right eye and activated it, first scanning Leaf amid the crowd.
He already knew she was the third Trainer from Pallet Town.
The device quickly locked onto the Poké Balls at her waist.
"Beep… 500… 700… 600…"
Watching the fluctuating numbers, Apollo let out a disdainful chuckle.
Normally, a newborn Pokémon had a combat power of around 10.
Beginner Trainers' Pokémon usually ranged from 100 to 1,000.
More elite Trainers fell between 1,000 and 10,000.
Anything above 10,000 was the realm of true powerhouses.
For example—his own ace, Houndoom, boasted a combat power of 13,000.
"Boss, why are you laughing?" the subordinate asked.
"Hmph. I'm laughing because that country girl is nothing more than a rookie Trainer. I thought she was someone special—how ridiculous."
But just as he laughed and prepared to switch targets—
Beep! Beep! Beep!!
The numbers suddenly skyrocketed without warning, leaping from ordinary three digits straight into five digits!
Apollo: "?"
A malfunction?
He immediately shifted his gaze to a nearby passerby.
Since the person had no Poké Balls, the lens displayed human combat power.
"5."
Apollo relaxed slightly. Just a temporary glitch.
He steadied his breathing and redirected the analyzer toward the spiky-haired boy still stirring things up on stage.
"Beep! 1000… 3000… 2000…"
Seeing the numbers, Apollo sneered again.
As expected—Professor Oak's grandson wasn't something an average rookie could compare to.
But at this level, he posed no threat at all!
"Ha! Ha! Ha!"
Hidden behind the curtain, Apollo laughed freely once more.
"Boss… why are you laughing again?" the subordinate asked nervously.
"I'm laughing at the professor's grandson. I thought that arrogant display meant he was someone incredible—but he's just a greenhorn."
Beep! Beep! Beep!!!
Before the words even finished leaving his mouth, the analyzer screamed again.
Apollo froze.
The numbers on the lens surged wildly, reaching five digits in the blink of an eye.
"80,000… 90,000…"
They were still rising!
Apollo's jaw nearly dropped as his body trembled.
He was genuinely frightened.
"Haah… haah…!"
He ripped the analyzer off and gasped for breath, forcing himself to calm down.
A malfunction!
Yes—this had to be a malfunction!!
He hurriedly scanned another passerby.
"5."
No malfunction?
Apollo's mind went blank.
Cold sweat soaked through his tuxedo, beads of sweat pouring down his forehead. His composure was in tatters.
Yet as Team Rocket's greatest strategist, he maintained his outward dignity.
Summoning immense courage, Apollo slowly turned the analyzer toward the boy still eating without a care in the world.
First, he looked at the Electric-type mouse beside him.
To his shock, the analyzer displayed two values at once.
"10" and "3000".
And the four-digit number was still rising.
Even more bizarre—the two-digit value was steadily decreasing.
Apollo: "?"
He had never seen readings like this before.
Taking a deep breath, Apollo finally focused the lens on the Poké Balls at Ash's waist.
"500… 700… 900… 8000…"
All perfectly normal rookie-Trainer numbers—except that final 8000, which stood out.
"So… I really was overthinking it? Hahahaha!"
At last, Apollo burst into laughter again behind the curtain.
Wild. Unrestrained.
Yes—he had simply imagined things!
But this time, even the subordinate couldn't take it anymore.
"Boss… maybe you should stop laughing?"
Apollo's gaze sharpened. He wiped the smile away, once again returning to the image of an invincible mastermind.
Confidence in hand, cruelty flickering in his eyes.
"Why shouldn't I laugh? I laugh at that country boy. I thought he had heaven-defying abilities, but he's just a simple bumpkin. My fault for being paranoid—how laughable, truly laughable! Hahahaha!"
Staring at the pitiful numbers on the lens, Apollo laughed loudly once more.
BOOM!
The very next second, the analyzer exploded.
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