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Bruno glanced at Arbok standing protectively in front of him, a lingering sense of fear in his eyes. Then, he turned to look at Liam with gratitude.
Liam wore his signature black vortex mask, which meant that even with the dust cloud obscuring the surroundings, his vision remained unaffected. He could clearly see three figures slowly emerging from the haze ahead.
"Be careful, it's not just one opponent," Liam warned Bruno and Lance.
"I remember you! You're that masked guy I ran into in Lavender Town last time! I let you off back then, but you had to come back looking for death, huh? This time, I won't be so merciful!"
As the three figures stepped out from the dust, the man in the center, dressed in a black suit, spoke angrily.
"Heh, Kuro, so this is the so-called intruder from Lavender Town that you mentioned earlier? Judging by their outfits, they must be from that small organization that popped up recently—Team Rocket, right?"
The woman standing to Kuro's left, dressed in a black leather outfit, was the one who spoke.
"Hmph! That's right! Team Rocket has been getting in our way ever since its formation! Back then, I didn't have much intel on them and thought they were some powerful organization, so I gave them a little leeway and let this guy go. It was only later that I found out Team Rocket is nothing more than a fledgling group." Kuro glared at Liam with an icy expression.
The leather-clad woman chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh my, if our regional executive Kuro got played by this little guy, then maybe he's got some skills. How about you let me handle him? I'll help you vent your frustrations. How about it, boss?"
"No!" Kuro roared, his voice firm. "I must deal with this guy myself! Only his blood can wash away my humiliation! The other two are yours—stay out of my way!" His eyes flashed dangerously as he shot a glare at the woman before advancing toward Liam, his Gengar following closely behind.
"Tch, what's with the attitude? Just because you're one rank higher than me, you think you're all that?" The woman—Kyra—pouted in dissatisfaction before turning her attention to Lance.
Her eyes gleamed with interest as she smirked. "Well then, I'll take the masked pretty boy with the Charizard. Even with the mask on, he seems quite handsome. Nishiyama, you're not gonna fight me for him, are you?"
The burly man named Nishiyama glanced at Kyra, completely unfazed. "I don't really care, but Kyra, that kid looks strong. Don't underestimate him."
Nishiyama then turned his attention toward Bruno and began walking toward him.
"Hmph, worry about yourself. I just want to have a little fun with this handsome guy." Kyra grinned excitedly and ran toward Lance.
Liam sighed. "...Why do I feel like we're meat on display in a supermarket, just being picked and chosen?"
Bruno chuckled. "Doesn't matter to me, but why didn't that beautiful woman choose me? What's so special about that twig of a Dragon user? Now this is what a real man looks like!" He flexed his muscular arms and struck a few poses.
Lance: "..."
Liam: "Alright, enough messing around. Since they want one-on-one battles, let's give them exactly what they asked for. Let's show them what we've got!"
Bruno smirked. "No objections here. How about a little bet? Whoever finishes last treats everyone to dinner."
Lance: "Enough already! Just battle! Charizard, Flamethrower!"
"Rooaaar!"
With Lance's outburst, Charizard unleashed a raging Flamethrower from its mouth, the fiery torrent surging toward Kyra.
"Heehee, so eager, aren't you, pretty boy? Well then, I won't hold back either! Go, Zangoose! Quick Attack!"
Kyra swiftly dodged Charizard's flames and tossed a PokéBall. A fierce Zangoose, red and white in color with sharp eyes, appeared in front of her.
The moment it emerged, it let out a low growl before transforming into a blur, dashing straight toward Lance.
At times like this, nobody cared about whether attacking a Trainer was against the rules. As long as it secured victory, anything was fair game.
Taking out the Trainer meant taking away the Pokémon's commands—often the quickest path to victory.
"Charizard! Wing Attack!"
Despite the incoming attack, Lance remained unfazed. Though he didn't recognize Zangoose, he remained calm and issued his command.
"Roar!"
Standing protectively in front of Lance, Charizard let out a powerful roar. Its massive wings glowed white as it swiftly wrapped Lance in its arms, pivoting on the spot.
Then, with the force of an enormous battle axe, Charizard swung its right wing down toward Zangoose.
Zangoose, mid-charge, noticed the attack and sneered. It deftly leaped aside, evading Charizard's strike, before raising a sharp claw and slashing at Charizard's back.
"Graah!"
Charizard let out a pained growl, but its eyes only grew fiercer. Its thick tail lashed out, striking Zangoose mid-air and sending it crashing into a nearby rock, kicking up dust and rubble that quickly buried it.
"Oh my, what a strong Charizard! Looks like my handsome boy has been training it well. But don't underestimate my Zangoose either! Zangoose, Crush Claw!"
Despite Zangoose being buried in debris, Kyra showed no concern. The moment she gave the command, the sound of rocks shattering echoed through the air. A red-and-white blur shot out of the rubble, claws glowing dangerously.
"Charizard! Dragon Claw!"
Lance, still held in Charizard's embrace, wasted no time in giving his next command.
"Roar!!"
Charizard raised an arm, three sharp, purple-blue claws forming at its fingertips as it braced itself against Zangoose's charge.
Meanwhile, Liam frowned slightly as he observed the battle. A Zangoose? That Pokémon was native to Hoenn, not normally found in this region. This meant Kyra had likely come from another region, which raised further questions.
"You dare take your eyes off me?!"
Kuro's furious roar snapped Liam back to reality. Enraged that Liam was still paying attention to another battle, Kuro ordered, "Gengar! Night Shade!"
Gengar leapt into the air, its large crimson eyes glowing ominously. Twin beams of dark energy shot forward, aimed directly at Liam.
"Arbok! Protect!"
Liam instantly commanded Arbok, who swiftly slithered in front of him. A faint blue barrier shimmered around Arbok's body, blocking the incoming attack. The dark energy clashed against the shield before dissipating completely.
"Don't be so hasty," Liam said casually, stepping out from behind Arbok with a smirk. "I was just curious why that woman has a Zangoose. Oh, and did I hear her call you 'regional executive'? So after all that talk, you're just a upper mid-tier officer, huh?"
"You—!" Kuro's face twisted with rage. "You have no idea how vast our organization's reach is! A single Zangoose is nothing. I have much more that will surprise you! Shiftry, Fake Out!"
With a low growl, a brown blur shot out from behind Kuro, its shadow stretching forward as it lunged toward Arbok.