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With Kai around, there was no way he'd let Jimmy fight alone.
In fact, Kai and Team Rocket had been at odds for ages, natural enemies locked in a vicious feud. Unless they suddenly sprouted halos and decided to dedicate their lives to charity, he'd never let them off.
Even if they showed up at Giovanni's birthday party, he'd crash it just to ruin their cake.
That said…
Kai glanced around. Aside from the Gengar hidden in his shadow, the only Pokémon currently at his side were his ever-present Eevee and the recently summoned Dragonair, sent out to face off against the Typhlosion earlier.
But both Eevee and Dragonair were at a disadvantage against Steel-types. Naturally, he wouldn't send them in.
After a brief thought, he released Gardevoir to assist Typhlosion against Steelix and Skarmory.
A soft flash of blue light appeared. Gardevoir emerged beside Typhlosion, its presence graceful and unwavering.
Seeing the Psychic-type join the fray, the silver-haired man and Attila finally shifted their attention toward Kai.
"Well, well… Look who it is! I never expected to run into you, of all people!"
The way he said "infamous" dripped with sarcasm. They had clearly recognized Kai.
After all, his face and deeds had become well-known throughout the inner circles of Team Rocket. Stories about him were practically folklore among the grunts, so the moment they laid eyes on him, they knew exactly who he was.
Kai's gaze drifted toward the crystalline device and paused on the captured Raikou.
"So, Team Rocket's here to catch Raikou, huh?"
"He's just one of our targets," the silver-haired man replied coolly. "Next, we're moving on to Entei and Suicune. Eventually, we're aiming for Ho-Oh itself."
Perhaps out of some twisted sense of respect, the man didn't bother hiding their plans.
"Oh, right—introductions," he added. "Name's Hun. He's Attila. Like that guy you beat earlier—Iron Mask—we're part of Team Rocket's Legendary Hunter Division."
"Legendary Hunter Division?" Kai echoed.
"That's right," Hun continued. "A unit made up of Team Rocket's absolute elite. Each member is a top-tier specialist dedicated to capturing Legendary Pokémon. You can call us Pokémon Hunters if that's easier to understand."
Hearing that name brought back the memory of the Iron Mask. Kai wasn't sure if Lance's team had caught him or not no word from Lance. Likely, they were still in the dark.
"Well, that's convenient," Kai said with a smirk. "I only bother fighting elites. Small fry just waste my time."
The arrogance in his words instantly raised tensions. Every member of Team Rocket here now wanted his head.
Hun's eyes narrowed. "So that's how it is. No wonder the top brass, our Executives included, have named you Rocket's Public Enemy #1. Let's see if you've earned that title."
The verbal jabs stopped. Everyone knew what came next: a battle was inevitable.
Nearby, Jimmy had long since reached his limit. Every second they wasted meant Raikou suffered more damage inside the containment field. Now that the "grown-ups" were done talking, he raised his arm.
"Typhlosion—use Flamethrower!"
A massive stream of fire erupted from Typhlosion's mouth.
Hun remained composed. "Sandstorm."
Steelix spun its lower body rapidly, churning up debris and rubble. A violent whirlwind of sand shot forward, clashing with the Flamethrower mid-air.
The sandstorm didn't just smother the flames; it surged forward and blinded Typhlosion, obscuring its vision.
Attila didn't miss the opportunity.
"Skarmory—Wing Attack!"
The armored bird soared down in a flash, wings glowing white as it dove and slammed into Typhlosion, knocking it to the ground.
"Typhlosion!" Jimmy cried, rushing over to cradle his fallen partner.
Seeing his Pokémon so easily overpowered, Attila sneered.
"Kid… you're too green. Sure, Fire-types are strong against Steel—but what about Rock-type moves? What'll you do against those?"
He didn't wait for a reply, turning his focus back to Kai.
They knew the real threat wasn't the kid. It was him.
Both Steelix and Skarmory now turned their attention to Gardevoir and lunged forward together.
The coordinated assault was brutal, true proof of their elite status. Ordinary Rocket grunts couldn't hope to compare.
Even so, Gardevoir stood its ground. Outnumbered, yes, but not outmatched.
Jimmy, regaining his composure, threw out another Poké Ball. This time, he sent in his Beedrill.
He'd learned from earlier that he wasn't going after the trainers now. His target: the mechanical containment device.
"Beedrill—use Pin Missile!"
The twin stingers on Beedrill's arms gleamed before unleashing a flurry of metallic spikes. Hundreds of them pelted the mechanical shark holding Raikou captive.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted as the containment unit cracked under the relentless barrage. With armor plates buckling and smoke engulfing the battlefield, the machine began to break down.
"What?!"
Hun and Attila tensed.
They'd underestimated the kid. Turns out, he wasn't just a hotheaded sidekick—he was clever too.
Without that device, even defeating Kai wouldn't matter. There'd be no way to contain Raikou!
Just then, the distraction gave Gardevoir an opening.
It struck Skarmory with a direct [Psychic], sending it tumbling back into Steelix. Both crashed hard.
Hun weighed their odds.
"…No choice. Attila, we're pulling out."
The more aggressive of the two gritted his teeth, but nodded. "Tch. Fine."
Attila launched several smoke bombs into the air. Thick clouds of white vapor erupted instantly, engulfing the entire area.
"Cough—cough!"
Jimmy gagged, too close to avoid the brunt of the smoke.
By the time it cleared, Team Rocket and the crystal device were gone.
Kai narrowed his eyes. "Gengar."
From the shadows at his feet, Gengar materialized.
"You called?"
"Track them," Kai ordered. "They can't have gotten far. If possible, follow them to their base."
"Got it. Leave it to me."
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