Team Skull Executive: Gladion!

Seeing that distinctive skull pendant, Xingye could not make out the other person's face, but he recognized them at a glance. They were from Team Skull!

During the Delphox incident before, Gladion, one of the main participants, had been trying to get it so he could pass Team Skull's entry test.

Later, Xingye had looked into this world's Team Skull and found that they were just a gang of thugs made up of truants, dropouts, or unemployed people who had chosen to slack off after graduation.

They were so weak that nobody even paid attention to them. They could not stir up any trouble at all and had long since been labeled harmless.

In the several years since their founding, the biggest thing they had done was spray graffiti all over Hau'oli City and tear down other people's advertisements to get attention. Before the police even arrived, other Trainers had already chased them down and beaten them up...

"So why did a spoiled rich kid like Gladion want to join such a harmless gang of thugs? And why was he at the scene of the warehouse explosion? And..."

Xingye watched as Mousy once again assumed that intimidating posture and knew it had definitely recognized them. Team Skull had captured them and brought them here... No, more likely, Team Skull had been assigned to guard them after they were captured.

After all, these guys were not on Team Rocket's level. They had no ability to commit crimes across regions, so they were most likely the guards.

As for why they had come here, they were probably checking whether the police had found any clues. Usually, suspects returned to the scene after a crime.

"Then this will be simple..."

He marked the other party's location on the map, then quietly crept up from behind.

Completely unaware of the approaching danger, the Team Skull grunt was still hiding and carefully watching the police officers while muttering to himself...

"Why aren't these pigs leaving yet? I haven't even eaten. I'm starving."

"Then clock out and go eat."

"I want to, but even though everything should've been moved away after the explosion, I'm still worried those pigs might find some clues."

"What clues?"

"Just... huh?"

After talking for so long, the Team Skull grunt finally realized something was wrong. He spun around sharply, but Xingye was faster and slammed him against the wall.

"Who are you?! Let me go!"

"You don't want to make so much noise that you attract those pigs over there, do you? Talk. What is Team Skull secretly up to?"

Xingye spoke calmly. Mousy on his shoulder was glaring fiercely, looking adorably vicious and ready to bite the guy, while Gengar floated beside them, prepared to throw two punches at any moment!

Seeing this, Xingye had expected the Team Skull grunt to put up a little resistance and refuse to talk until he got punched twice. Unexpectedly, the guy immediately caved and hurriedly replied, "I'll talk, I'll talk! Don't hit me!"

"..."

"I don't know who hired us. We were told to temporarily guard and take care of those Pokémon locked in cages for a few days. The pay was generous, but nobody else could find out, and we couldn't leave any clues."

The speed of the Team Skull grunt's confession genuinely left Xingye stunned. He did not even need an interrogation process. I haven't even asked anything specific yet. Could you be any more pathetic?

"..."

He paused, collected himself, and continued, "So where are the Pokémon that were taken away?"

"They were moved near the Berry Orchard in the outskirts."

"Take us there."

"Yes, yes, right away!"

"..."

Seeing how absurdly obedient the guy was, Xingye frowned slightly before relaxing and curling his lips into a smile as he left with him...

The Berry Orchard was located in the northern outskirts of Hau'oli City, closer to the town near Big Wave Beach. It was the largest berry plantation on Melemele Island.

The place belonged to an elderly man known as the Delibird Old Man. The Berry Orchard was open to the public, and many wild Pokémon lived there while also protecting the area.

After quite a while, the Team Skull grunt led him near the Berry Orchard, to an abandoned warehouse that had once been used to store berries. The Pokémon had been hidden there.

"You people sure know how to hide."

Xingye looked at the warehouse. It was indeed remote, sitting at the very edge of the Berry Orchard. But Mousy on his shoulder grew extremely excited because it would soon see its captured companions.

The Team Skull grunt continued leading them inside and pulled open the warehouse door. It was pitch-black within, though Pokémon cries could faintly be heard.

Xingye followed him expressionlessly into the darkness. Then, with a sudden bang, the iron door behind them shut, plunging the entire warehouse into complete darkness.

"Gengar?!"

Gengar jumped at the noise, and Mousy covered its ears, but Xingye remained unmoved.

The trick was so obvious that even an idiot could have guessed it. They had lured him here, which was why the guy had been so eager to tell him everything.

They had no brains, but he had a little bit, so he had come anyway and gotten ambushed.

After calming the two Pokémon down and making a few arrangements, he slowly asked, "Could you turn on a light first? It's pitch-black. Even if you're ambushing me, I can't see you."

"Hehe, since you've figured it out, there's no need to keep acting. This is what happens when you go against Team Skull!"

A burst of powerful music rang out. It seemed to be a very old song. The warehouse lights instantly came on, and over a dozen Team Skull grunts jumped down from above, dancing to the beat.

"Team Skull! Skull-skull-skull-Skull! Guess what? Do it, do it, take them down!"

Team Skull sang, danced, and rapped as they approached Xingye, surrounding him like they were performing some sort of ritual, endlessly circling around him.

Hearing the music, Gengar clapped along to the beat, seemingly finding Team Skull's exclusive anthem rather catchy. Then it gradually sank into the ground and disappeared, while Mousy remained in its intimidating stance.

"..."

Xingye glanced at them, walked over, and turned off the speaker in one person's hand. The warehouse fell silent in an instant.

"You're so noisy. If you don't start fighting me soon, then I'll start fighting you!"

With that, he ignored them and sent out Cyclizar, which had long grown sick of staying inside its Poké Ball. Cyclizar immediately swung its tail at them.

But at that moment, a helmeted Pokémon suddenly dropped from above. A Crush Claw struck Cyclizar's head, and with a boom, dust flew everywhere as Cyclizar was pinned to the ground.

"Hm?"

Xingye focused his gaze, then froze.

"Type: Null?! Where did that come from?"

The helmeted Type: Null pinning Cyclizar beneath it was the very same one Xingye had failed to notice fighting Ceruledge while he had been having Trainer battles with others on the beach.

"You again. Are you trying to do this again..."

"Hm?"

Xingye froze once more. As the voice drew closer, Gladion appeared as well, his clothes bearing Team Skull's symbol!

His face remained stiff as ever. He coldly continued, "Since you delivered yourself to us, then as a Team Skull executive, naturally I won't let you leave again!"

"An executive?!"

Xingye was stunned. Hadn't Gladion been taking the test to join Team Skull before? How had he already been promoted to executive? Did they promote people that quickly?

But now was not the time to think about that. Gladion had unexpectedly shown up last time, and now it was this guy again. Xingye was numb. Did he come out specifically to target me?

"I don't think I've offended you..."

Xingye could not understand it, but he could not be bothered to try. The moment Gladion appeared, the other Team Skull members took out their Poké Balls as well, smug smiles spreading across their faces.

Cyclizar was still pinned down by Type: Null. He was outnumbered, and it felt like he might have gotten a little too carried away this time.

After a moment of silence, he looked at them with a solemn expression and said in a deep voice, "We're Trainers, aren't we? Why not settle this fairly in a battle?"

Gladion frowned slightly, turned sideways, struck that extremely melodramatic pose again, and loudly replied, "Victory is not determined by a Pokémon's abilities, nor is it determined by a Trainer's tactics. The result itself is the only truth!"

But upon hearing that, Xingye returned to a calm expression and nodded lightly. "Mm, you're right. So I'm choosing to attack you directly!"

"Hm?"

Gladion was slightly stunned. Then a tiny pink fist came flying straight at his face!

He had no time to react before it smashed heavily into his face, sending him flying more than ten meters away. With a boom, he crashed into something and finally stopped.