"Not you guys again!"
Ash looked at the two people and the Meowth appearing before them with total exasperation. Ever since he had thwarted their plans in Viridian City, this trio had stuck to him like glue; he couldn't shake them off no matter what he did.
"You brat, what's with that attitude?" The fiery-tempered Jessie snapped first. She put her hands on her hips and yelled, "Do you think it's just the three of us this time? The main force of Team Rocket and our elite executives are all here! If you know what's good for you, hand over Pikachu and all your Pokémon. Maybe then we'll let you off the hook."
"That's right, that's right, Meowth!"
Ash was furious. "I will never give you Pikachu!"
"Us neither!" Misty and Brock shouted in unison.
"That's the fifth one!" Hisoka looked down at another Team Rocket member Weavile had knocked out.
"Hey, it's better to fight to the end than to let Team Rocket take your Pokémon."
Leaving those words behind, Hisoka ran out of the room, leaving a trembling young couple behind who hadn't yet processed the attack.
He had accepted Kurama's employment offer: for every ordinary Team Rocket member he dealt with, he would receive a 10,000-dollar bonus at the end of the mission. Defeating a squad leader was worth 100,000.
"You really are the disaster of this operation!"
Just as Hisoka took down his tenth grunt, a voice as cold as stone rang out from behind him. Turning around, he saw the bald, burly man named Mondo standing around a corner with his arms crossed, staring at him with icy eyes.
"That useless Lisa couldn't finish you off," Mondo said, cracking his neck. "But it's not too late to kill you now. Kid, blame yourself for crossing Team Rocket. In your next life, remember who you can provoke and who you can't."
Hisoka remained expressionless and gave no reply. He simply flicked his wrist. Weavile immediately understood, charging toward Mondo with its right claw raised, intending to end the fight in an instant.
Watching the attack, Mondo gave a cold laugh and stepped back into the shadows of the corner. At that moment, a humanoid creature nearly six feet tall stepped out. It had a body very similar to a human male, but its grey-blue muscles were terrifyingly built. This humanoid Pokémon possessed four incredibly thick arms, and its mere presence felt invincible.
Knowing his opponent was a former bounty hunter, Mondo wasn't about to leave himself open to a sneak attack. A kid was still just a kid!
Machamp! A Fighting type Pokémon with a skeletal and muscular structure remarkably close to a human's. It was said that the best among Machamp could use those four developed arms to throw 500 punches in a single second.
Machampmighty strength. There were wrong names, but never wrong nicknames. When researchers gave this Pokémon its scientific name, they chose "Machamp" because its strength was truly staggering.
Machamp dropped to one knee, crossing its arms over its chest in a defensive stance. It easily blocked Weavile's rapid strike, the sharp claws leaving only a faint white mark on its rock-hard muscles.
Even though Weavile hadn't used a specific move, its basic claw slash was powerful enough to easily slice through thick wood, yet it barely scratched the Machamp.
The front pair of arms didn't just block the attack; they grabbed Weavile's claws in a counter-grip. The sudden burst of strength made it impossible for Weavile to break free. Simultaneously, the two even more developed arms on Machamp's back didn't stop. They were raised high, forming a palm-blade shape, and hacked down toward Weavile's neck...
This was Machamp's Karate Chop. With Machamp's mountain-crushing strength and the Fighting type's damage bonus against Dark types, a direct hit to a vital spot like the neck would likely be fatal for Weavile.
Mondo had no intention of showing mercy. His plan was to destroy the opponent's Pokémon first and then eliminate the unstable variable that was the boy.
Weavile was in extreme danger, yet Hisoka's face showed no sign of panic. This calm attitude made Mondo suspicious. Does this kid have another card to play? He shook the thought away. He would kill this Weavile first. Losing it would be like cutting off one of the boy's arms.
"Machamp, why haven't you struck yet?" Mondo suddenly noticed that the two hands on Machamp's back remained frozen in that palm-blade position. After a long moment, the attack still hadn't landed.
"Hah!"
Machamp's brow furrowed, and it let out a strained roar. The veins on its arm muscles bulged as it exerted all its force, but its arms refused to obey, unable to swing down.
A slight smile finally appeared on Hisoka's face. He spoke clearly: "Lulu, throw it out!"
Kirlia stepped out from behind Hisoka, hands raised and extended forward. Her usually ruby-like pupils were completely shrouded in a blue glow that intensified with every step she took.
"Hei!"
With a soft shout, Lulu jerked her hands upward. The struggling Machamp was suddenly enveloped in blue telekinetic energy, physically ripped from the ground and suspended in mid-air.
The Fighting type Machamp countered the Dark type Weavile, but similarly, the Psychic type Kirlia countered the Fighting type Machamp.
Because Dark types were immune to Psychic energy, the telekinesis was neutralized wherever it touched Weavile, meaning only the Machamp was affected by the lift. Lulu pushed her hands forward, and the airborne Machamp, unable to find any leverage, was hurled away by the Psychic force.
Freed from the grip, Weavile didn't hesitate for a second. Using Quick Attack to reach its maximum speed, it chased after the flying Machamp and leaped onto its body. Taking advantage of the fact that Machamp was still reeling from the telekinetic toss, Weavile launched a violent, rapid assault.
An Ice Punch slammed directly into Machamp's face without a word, drawing a whimpering cry from the giant. Machamp's features contorted in pain, and blood began to flow from its nose, only to be instantly frozen solid by the freezing air of the move.
It wasn't over. As mentioned before, Hisoka's Weavile was left-handed, and her left hand was even stronger than her right. Raising her left claw, she slammed a Brick Break onto Machamp's most vulnerable spot: the neck.
A sickening crack echoedthe sound of breaking bone. If it weren't for Machamp's incredibly robust neck muscles, that single blow would have been fatal for any other Pokémon.
Machamp survived, but after falling to the ground, it could not get back up.
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