"The big fish is about to take the bait," Baijie murmured, standing with his hands behind his back in the dark, silent meeting room. He gazed out the window at the starlit sky.
Hiss... hiss...
A serpentine sound drifted from the shadows of the room, as if long snakes were slithering across the floor. Moments later, two Arbok, each over four meters long with fierce, menacing countenances, appeared behind Baijie. They slowly reared up, spreading their neck hoods wide. They stood like two massive serpent statues, guarding their master.
Although Grandma Agatha was a Ghost-type Elite Four member, the Ghost and Poison types were often intertwined. As Agatha's favorite grandson, Baijie was naturally a specialist in both.
S.S. Anne, Deck 1.
"Alright, everyone, the patrol is over." Mondo checked his watch and turned to look at the four sailors behind him, a strange smile creeping onto his face.
The middle-aged sailor in the lead looked confused. "Mr. Mondo, there's still over an hour left on the scheduled patrol. How can it be over?"
"I said it's over, so it's over!" Mondo laughed. He suddenly lunged forward, burying a fist deep into the sailor's stomach.
The sheer force of the blow made the sailor's eyes nearly pop out of his head. He clutched his midsection, his face turning beet-red, before collapsing and foaming at the mouth.
"Mr. Mondo, what are you doing?"
Seeing their colleague attacked, the remaining three young sailors shouted in unison. They glared at the traitorous Mondo and quickly raised their stun batons.
Mondo merely picked at his ear, not deigning to answer.
Aah! Argh!
With a few more screams, the three sailors met the same fate as their senior. Mondo made short work of the three muscular men with his bare hands; they weren't even in the same league.
After tying the four men up in a lower-level storage room and stuffing rags into their mouths, Mondo pulled a shoulder bag from a hidden corner. He opened it to reveal several silver, metallic timed explosives.
Mondo placed the bombs in key areas of the hold as planned. These were dual-control devices, both timed and remote-operated. If anything went wrong, a single button press would destroy all evidence.
Once the bombs were set, Mondo hurried to the top deck. He pulled a signal flare from his pocket and pressed the trigger. With a whoosh, the red flare streaked into the sky and exploded, forming a brilliant red R-Logo against the night.
The mission was going smoothly. Watching the signal burst in the sky, a look of triumph flickered across Mondo's face. Once this job was done, he would be promoted from Squad Leader to Captain.
Clap! Clap!
A sudden burst of applause caused Mondo's expression to stiffen. The sound of approaching footsteps followed, and he knew without looking that he was surrounded.
"Excellent work, Mr. Mondo." Baijie stepped out from the shadows, clapping with a thin smile on his face. "Did it feel like everything was going a bit too smoothly? You didn't meet a single staff member on your way up here. Didn't that strike you as suspicious?"
Mondo's face darkened. "It's you... the sponsor for that Pokémon tournament."
"How rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself properly. My name is Baijie. As for my real identity, I am the Chief Investigator for the Eastern Region of the Kanto League."
"You think you've won?" Mondo burst into laughter. "Idiot! If you had stopped my signal flare, you might have had a chance. But now, my support has already arrived at your gates. You think these useless wastes can stand against Team Rocket?"
At those words, the surrounding sailors bristled with rage, shouting demands to teach this arrogant Team Rocket thug a lesson.
A faint breeze ruffled Baijie's hair, and a sudden sense of danger surged in his heart. Without a moment's hesitation, he roared, "Everyone, get down!"
As he yelled, Baijie threw himself to the left.
Most of the sailors stood frozen in confusion, not understanding the urgency of the command. However, a few of the quicker ones followed his lead, covering their heads and hitting the deck.
The instant Baijie hit the floor, a whirlwind tore through the air. A giant, brown-feathered avian appeared exactly where Baijie had been standing a second ago. Its sharp beak slammed into the deck with a vicious Pluck, leaving a jagged hole in the wood.
If Baijie hadn't reacted so quickly, that hole would have been in his chest.
Failing the first strike, the Fearow made no attempt to pursue. It immediately beat its wings and ascended back into the sky. Those sailors who hadn't listened to Baijie paid the price. A second Fearow swooped in from the opposite side, relentlessly attacking the men who were still standing. Its razor-sharp beak acted like a lethal sword, leaving bloody punctures with every strike.
The screams of the sailors echoed across the top deck!
Seeing this, Baijie's expression turned cold.
"Haha! It's Sakon and Ukon, Boss Tyson's aces!" Mondo laughed wildly at the sight of the two Fearow circling above. "Chief Investigator? My ass!"
"Boss, I'm here!" Kurama came running up the stairs, panting for breath. Without waiting for an explanation, he pointed upward and shouted, "Gengar, Shadow Ball!"
Jie-jie-jie!
With a sinister, cackling laugh, the pale Shiny Gengar materialized in front of Baijie. It raised its hands, and two orbs of pitch-black energy condensed instantly. With a flick of its wrists, it hurled the Shadow Balls at the two Fearow causing chaos above.
The projectiles were incredibly fast, and as a Ghost-type move, they were launched in absolute silence. By the time the Fearow noticed the anomaly, the Shadow Balls were less than a meter away.
Gah! Gak!
The two Fearow were extremely alert. As the aces of Team Rocket Senior Executive Tyson, they were veterans of countless battles. Even without their trainer's direct command, they were capable of reacting to immediate threats. They tucked their wings tight against their bodies and plummeted toward the deck, using gravity to dodge the sneak attack.
The Shadow Balls whistled past them, clipping only a few loose feathers, failing to deal any significant damage.
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