Red and the secretary arrived at the entrance of an alley, hiding in the shadows to observe the Team Rocket members guarding the main gate of Silph Co. To avoid drawing attention, the grunts were disguised as company personnel, and some even pretended to be pedestrians, casually greeting the guards at the gate.

“What a clever trick,” Red said leisurely. If he hadn’t known the truth from the secretary, he might have actually believed these people were just Silph Co. security.

“Once I get inside and create a diversion, you need to rush to the Saffron Gym and get help!”

“That’s too dangerous! You might not know this, but Sabrina, the Gym Leader, is not an easy person to talk to. Otherwise, I would have gone to her for help long ago!” the secretary said in a panic. It was clear Sabrina had left a very bad impression on her; the mere mention of her name brought a wave of fear.

“…” Red paused for a moment, then confidently assured her, “Don’t worry, Sabrina has returned to normal now. You can go to her for help without any fear.”

He showed the secretary the golden Marsh Badge pinned near his collar, a silent message not to dwell on Sabrina’s past. Seeking her help now was for the sake of everyone in Silph Co.

Upon hearing this, the secretary’s expression hardened with determination. Going to the Saffron Gym felt like a dangerous mission, but for the safety of Silph Co., she decided to brave it. Red saw this and didn’t explain further; after all, Sabrina’s behavior over the years had left a deep impression on the residents of Saffron City.

Without the guards noticing, Red used Teleport to enter Silph Co.

“Onix, use Sandstorm!”

Red’s sudden appearance startled the patrolling grunts. Before they could react, he had already thrown a Poké Ball, and the massive Onix that emerged immediately kicked up a raging sandstorm.

“Iron Tail!”

The great rock snake’s tail erupted with white light. A single sweep of its Iron Tail defeated all the Pokémon released by the grunts, leaving them no room to defend.

“It seems the small fries are mostly dealt with,” Red said indifferently. Noticing more guards running over, he threw another Poké Ball, releasing Scyther.

“Air Slash!”

As soon as it appeared, Scyther turned and unleashed two sharp blades of wind that pierced through the wall, blocking the path of the reinforcements. It then followed up with Razor Wind, defeating the enemies who tried to approach.

“I can’t believe I ran into you again, you arrogant brat!”

A rude, boorish voice cut through the chaos. Butch and Cassidy appeared before Red, holding Poké Balls, ready to battle.

“I didn’t expect you two to be out of your cage so soon,” Red teased, slightly surprised to see them here.

“What do you mean, ‘so soon’?! You have no idea what we’ve been through!” Cassidy roared furiously. To repay Giovanni for bailing them out, Butch and Cassidy had been working day and night on missions. They had just paid off their debt today and were about to receive their bonus when they ran into Red again.

“Come on out, Houndour!”

“Come on out, Drowzee!”

The duo sent out their Pokémon simultaneously, but in terms of sheer presence, their Pokémon were already defeated. After all, they had lost to this same Scyther before it was even fully grown.

“Houndour, use Flamethrower!”

“Drowzee, use Psychic!”

Butch and Cassidy launched the first attacks. Red, seeing this, gave no commands, letting his Pokémon battle on their own.

Onix forcefully broke free from Drowzee’s Psychic with its immense power, then followed up with an Iron Tail that struck Drowzee hard on the forehead. Meanwhile, using the dust left by the Sandstorm for cover, Scyther spun and used Swords Dance, the small vortex disintegrating Houndour’s Flamethrower before it swiftly moved in to use X-Scissor.

“How is this possible?!” they both yelled.

Butch and Cassidy watched in despair as their Pokémon couldn’t withstand a single move, their eyes spinning as they fainted on the ground. Seeing the unfavorable situation, the two recalled their Pokémon and turned to flee, but Red had no intention of letting them go. Just as he was about to use his psychic power to stop them, a blade of wind shot from the shadows, striking toward his position. Fortunately, Red dodged the attack in time.

Clap, clap, clap…

Crisp applause came from above. A young man with black hair and blood-red eyes, wearing a dark windbreaker with an ‘R’ logo on the left chest, appeared before them.

The man’s first impression was that of a kind, older-brother type from next door. It was worth noting that the glasses he wore seemed to have no prescription and looked very cheap.

“Team Leader… Lord Dan!” Cassidy exclaimed in terror, almost collapsing to his knees. He never expected this important figure to appear here.

“Allow me to introduce myself, young man,” Dan bowed to Red like a gentleman. “I am Dan, the Team Leader of Team Rocket’s First Division. I’ve heard of your deeds, repeatedly disrupting our operational plans all by yourself. You are the genius young man recognized by Lord Giovanni!”

Dan’s amiable disguise made Red frown. He knew the fatal wind blade from moments ago was released by the Crobat hidden above.

“Oh? It seems you’ve detected Crobat’s position. I thought I could sneak an attack in again,” Dan said with a look of disappointment, ordering his Crobat to appear. The Bat Pokémon swiftly descended from the sky and came to his side.

“You two pieces of trash, get out of here quickly so I don’t get distracted,” Dan said calmly, but his tone was unexpectedly cold. His words made Butch and Cassidy’s faces turn pale. They quickly fled the scene with looks of relief, fearing Dan might do something dangerous.

“It seems you are a cruel superior in the eyes of your subordinates,” Red said indifferently, not fearing the subtle chill emanating from Dan.

“Hmph! I only pledge loyalty to Lord Giovanni. These people’s lives are worthless in my eyes,” Dan said coldly, adjusting his glasses. The Crobat beside him swiftly used Air Cutter.

‘Seeking death!’ Scyther thought coldly, using X-Scissor to block the attack, but its scythes trembled from the force of the powerful wind blade.

(It seems this person’s strength is not simple…)

Red glanced at the slight cracks on Scyther’s arms. Although the wounds were minor, they had clearly hindered its attack speed.

“It seems you’ve noticed,” Dan smiled, stroking Crobat’s head. “This one is my first Pokémon, and not an opponent your Shiny Scyther can easily defeat.”

Scyther wanted to step forward to prove its strength, but Red extended his hand to stop it. He knew the Crobat before them was not a simple opponent. Instead of wasting energy in a fruitless battle, Red hoped Scyther could conserve its strength for later.

(Damn it! If only I could evolve!)

Scyther thought irritably. Its current strength had fallen far behind its companions from the same period. Coupled with its inability to fight for Red at this moment, the desire to evolve had begun to sprout in its heart.

(End of Chapter)

***

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