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Liam noticed Rapidash acting strangely and slightly lifted his head, looking toward the direction the voice had come from.
Not far off, a tall, lean man was approaching at a leisurely pace. He was clad entirely in black—black shirt, black pants, and shiny black dress shoes that echoed crisply as he walked. Draped over his shoulders was a black coat, and on his weathered face sat a pair of deep red sunglasses. A sleazy smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he slowly approached Liam.
"Well, here you are. As expected of a Rapidash—even injured, it managed to run this far. I had to chase it forever. Once I catch you, I'll be sure to train you thoroughly."
The sleazy man burst into a creepy laugh when he saw Rapidash lying on the ground.
As soon as Rapidash heard his voice, its whole body trembled violently. Then, with a sudden lift of its head, it jabbed its long spiraling horn precisely at the button on the PokeBall in Liam's hand. The PokeBall popped open immediately, releasing a red beam that pulled Rapidash inside. Once sealed, the ball didn't even twitch—it went still at once.
Liam: "..."
Creepy Guy: "..."
Liam looked at the PokeBall in his hand, completely speechless.
Seeing his target caught right in front of him, the creepy man gave Liam a doubtful look, then seemed to recognize him. A brief flicker of surprise passed across his face—he seemed to remember something—but he quickly concealed it and spoke in that same sleazy tone.
"Kid, that's not very cool of you. I saw that Rapidash first. I went through a lot of trouble trying to catch it. Isn't it kind of rude to just swoop in and steal it like that? For an ordinary passerby like me, finding a good Pokémon is hard. So how about cutting me some slack and handing it over? I'd really appreciate it."
Liam chuckled at his words and slowly stood up. First, he minimized the PokeBall and tucked it into his pocket. Then he smiled back at the creepy man and said:
"Uncle… you looked pretty surprised just now. Did you see something strange?"
Though Liam was smiling, there wasn't the slightest emotion in his voice. Clearly, he wasn't nearly as cheerful as he appeared.
"Wea…"
Weavile stepped forward into a battle stance, cautiously placing itself between Liam and the creepy man. Its gaze was sharp and alert—its instincts were telling it that this guy was going to be a real problem.
"Heh. And here I thought I was doing a good job hiding. Didn't expect you to see through it. Well… in that case, guess there's no helping it. Why don't we start over? What should I call you? Trainer Liam? Or should I say… Team Rocket's Vortex Leader? Hehehe… What an honor, to run into one of Team Rocket's most mysterious leaders out here."
Seeing that his attempt to play the clueless passerby had failed, the creepy man dropped the act entirely and laughed, eyes gleaming behind his red sunglasses.
Liam wasn't shocked that his identity had been exposed. His disguise wasn't flawless, after all—he'd slipped up a few too many times. It was only a matter of time before someone figured it out, and Liam didn't seem too bothered.
"Heh, you seem to know quite a bit. But what about you, 'uncle'? What's your deal? I remember your voice very clearly—that shout to retreat last time had real force behind it. Sounds like you've done it plenty."
Liam had never lost a battle of words. If he wanted to, he could piss someone off in thirty seconds flat without using a single curse word.
"Hmph! A strategic retreat is still a tactic. Kids like you wouldn't understand. I went easy on you all last time out of kindness—you don't even appreciate it."
"And yet you still don't know who I am? With how famous I am? You didn't even bother to look me up? With that kind of intel, you really think your team can take on us? What a joke."
"But lucky for you, uncle here is a kind and generous man. I'll be merciful enough to answer your question—so you at least know who beat you today."
"My codename is Black Ape. One of the top three commanders in the Organization's regional forces. I'm here under orders to retake Kanto. Your Team Rocket? You're just a roadblock for us Hunters. And you, Rocket's Vortex Leader? You're the first tiny stone in my path—and I'll kick you aside with fury!"
"Today! You'll witness the true terror! Of me—one of the highest combat powers in the organization! Come out, Ampharos! Use Electro Ball! "
Riled up by Liam's taunts, Black Ape knew full well he was being baited, but still couldn't help himself. Liam's rank within Team Rocket was too important—capturing him here would be a massive accomplishment. There was no way he'd let this golden opportunity pass.
"Laaah!"
With a roar, Ampharos appeared. Its body was golden, with a white underbelly, and black stripes spiraled around its neck, tail, and ears. Two red gems were embedded on its forehead and tail.
Without further command, Ampharos opened its mouth and quickly condensed a bright golden sphere crackling with electricity. It launched it straight toward Liam.
"Weavile! Icy Wind! Then use Shadow Sneak!"
Liam didn't flinch. He raised a finger and issued his command calmly.
"Wea!!"
Weavile slashed its claws and released a burst of freezing wind, which instantly froze the Electro Ball mid-air. The frozen orb dropped to the ground and exploded into thick black smoke.
In the next instant, Weavile's form vanished into the smoke like a ghost, darting straight toward Ampharos.
"Ha! Naive! So naive! Ampharos, Cotton Guard! Electivire, Thunder Punch! "
Black Ape burst into laughter as he saw Weavile emerge from the smoke. He quickly gave orders. Ampharos's sleek fur puffed up rapidly, turning it into a fluffy yellow-orange ball. Weavile's claws sank into the thick fluff, but couldn't land a proper hit. Worse, when it tried to pull back, its claws were tangled—completely stuck.
From beneath Ampharos, a PokeBall suddenly rolled out—hidden by Ampharos's body the entire time. At Black Ape's shout, it popped open, and an Electivire—yellow and black with a fierce glare—charged out. Without hesitation, it launched a Thunder Punch, electricity crackling violently.
Boom!
The punch landed squarely on Weavile, sending it flying. It tumbled across the ground several times before going still, completely knocked out.
"Weavile!"
Liam hadn't even had time to react—everything happened in the blink of an eye. He rushed to Weavile's side, checking its injuries. Seeing that nothing was seriously wrong, he breathed a sigh of relief and returned it to its PokeBall. Then, with a dark expression, he stood and glared at Black Ape, eyes cold as ice.
"Heh… Now you see my strength, don't you? I'm a kind man. I'll give you one chance. If you surrender and come with me quietly, I promise I won't hurt you or your Pokémon again. Sound good?"
Black Ape smirked like he was doing Liam a big favor, still grinning sleazily.
"Heh… Uncle, did you really think that was all I had? You're really underestimating me!!"
"How dare you use such dirty tricks to hurt my partner?! Are you ready to pay the price for that?! But it's too late now! Even if you begged for forgiveness, I won't let you off!! Prepare to be judged!!"
Fury burned in Liam's eyes as he pointed at Black Ape and shouted.
Without another word, all the PokeBalls on Liam's belt opened simultaneously—seven white flashes lit up around him. Seven furious Pokémon appeared at his side, all of them glaring furiously at Black Ape.
"Roaaarrr!!"
"Charbok!!"
"Nido!!"
"Grrrowl!!"
"Chomp!!"
...
…
"All units! Hyper Beam!!"