Reversal

Moreover, he guessed that the digging vehicle had most likely burrowed up to the surface and been blocked by the Pokémon League.

The cabin became extremely chaotic. Some people tried to smash through the metal walls beside them and escape, some packed their luggage, while others seemed to have gone insane and started fighting among themselves!

No, this wasn't infighting! That person was a spy!

Heiduo jolted. The Pokémon League's infiltration of Team Rocket ran incredibly deep. He hadn't expected there to be spies even among the veterans.

At the same time, sounds of fighting and explosions came from outside, mixed with the shouts of the man named Tero from earlier and Squadron Leader Lan's laughter.

They had been blocked too!

Heiduo hadn't expected the path he had ultimately chosen to be a dead end. Were all Pokémon League Trainers monsters?

What kind of efficiency was this? It was way too efficient!

They were far faster than certain authorities who only showed up after everything was over!

The two slipped into a pitch-black cargo hold, only for a cold gleam to flash before their eyes!

"Fuck!"

Heiduo hurriedly dodged aside as an ear-piercing metallic tearing sound erupted.

[Pokémon: Scyther / Gender: Male / Level: 34]

[Ability: Swarm / Type: Bug + Flying / Trainer: A Bing]

[Moves: Wing Attack lv3 / Slash lv3]

[Fury Cutter lv3 / Agility lv3 / Air Slash lv2]

"Get out! This place is mine!"

A savage male voice rang out beside Heiduo's ear.

Mine, yours, whatever! What was the point of hiding here instead of running?

Heiduo couldn't be bothered arguing with him and directly opened a Poké Ball.

With a flash of white light, Ekans appeared on the spot.

"Rock Slide!"

Several enormous rocks flew toward the Scyther hiding in the darkness. They moved so fast that they smashed directly into Scyther's head.

Bug and Flying was four times weak to Rock type, and a frail Pokémon like Scyther simply could not withstand an Ekans whose stats, with its added Attribute Points, were equivalent to those of a level-thirty Pokémon.

"Scyther!"

Scyther let out a miserable cry and collapsed unconscious on the spot.

"Scyther! How is that possible?!"

The male voice was filled with terror. He seemed unable to believe that Heiduo, dressed as a rookie, could one-shot his Scyther.

Heiduo ignored him and looked around for a way out.

"Shuangye! Help me look for something like a door!" Heiduo told Shuangye to search with him.

But he received no reply.

Had this girl been scared stupid?

Heiduo had no time to turn around and see what had happened to her. Here and now, staying alive was all that mattered.

Emergency exits were generally installed toward the front half of a cargo hold...

Sure enough! In one corner, Heiduo found a handle and an emergency hatch.

Heiduo recalled Ekans, pulled Shuangye over to the emergency hatch, yanked the handle, and kicked the hatch open.

Blinding light poured into the dim cargo hold.

"Run!" Heiduo shouted softly.

The Pokémon League personnel should all be occupied above, fighting Team Rocket's main force. They probably wouldn't have time to deal with them for now.

If they took advantage of the chaos, they should be able to escape... right?

"Don't move! Hands up!"

Several long-handled electric batons suddenly pointed at Heiduo's head.

Heiduo stood frozen in place.

Before him stood a group of fully armed police officers carrying riot shields and electric riot batons, accompanied by several snarling Growlithe.

"I..."

Before Heiduo could say anything, a tremendous force suddenly came from behind and slammed his entire body to the ground.

And the source of that force was Shuangye's hand, which Heiduo had been gripping tightly.

Intense pain shot through Heiduo's chin and the hand pinned behind his back.

"You are under arrest! Stop resisting! Stop resisting!"

Shuangye's voice came from behind him, cold and stern in a way completely unlike her usual self.

Heiduo felt his Poké Balls being removed and his backpack forcibly taken off.

Holy shit! Holy shit!

After all his calculations, he had never expected this! Shuangye was actually an actress!

Had Serea lied to him? Hadn't she said Shuangye joined Team Rocket because she wanted to learn her father's whereabouts?

Women couldn't be trusted!

The sudden pain left Heiduo's mind in chaos. He considered whether he might be able to escape if he put all his remaining Attribute Points into himself.

But someone locked cold metal handcuffs around his wrists and hauled him up. His body was held between two police officers, one on each side, as they led him away from the digging vehicle.

Those pitch-black electric batons made Heiduo temporarily abandon that idea.

Heiduo shook his head. At last, he could properly examine his surroundings.

This was a dense forest. The enormous digging vehicle had churned up countless trees, its huge metal drill raised high in the air.

Seven or eight large birds with round heads, green feathers, and bodies resembling totems surrounded the digging vehicle. Blue light shone all over them—they were clearly using Psychic moves to control it.

Could they have guided the digging vehicle to the surface?

That was possible?

Heiduo shifted his gaze toward the main hatch.

At that moment, the rear hatch of the digging vehicle was covered in dense dark-brown vines. The living-looking vines twisted ceaselessly, while countless white tufts drifted through the air.

A large number of subdued Team Rocket members were being escorted out.

Heiduo sniffed a small tuft that floated before his nose, and a faint numbing sensation immediately spread through it.

Stun Spore was clinging to the fluff!

No, this wasn't fluff! It was the dandelion-like cotton on Jumpluff!

He looked around and discovered that the Pokémon League had dispatched at least two hundred police officers. Every one of them was fully armed, constantly watching their surroundings, and maintaining strict discipline.

About a hundred meters away, a group of Team Rocket members were surrounded by many Pokémon and police officers led by several Officer Jennys. They struggled frantically with different Pokémon.

Among them were Squadron Leader Lan and the personal guard under his command.

Squadron Leader Lan was using a humanoid Pokémon with red boxing gloves wrapped around both hands.

[Pokémon: Hitmonchan / Gender: Male / Level: 59]

[Ability: Iron Fist / Type: Fighting type / Trainer: Lan]

[Moves: Thunder Punch lv5 / Fire Punch lv5]

[Focus Punch lv5 / Sky Uppercut lv5 / Foresight lv5 / Bulk Up lv6]

Fighting this Hitmonchan was an Arcanine covered from head to toe in flames, its expression fierce.

[Pokémon: Arcanine / Gender: Female / Level: 65]

[Ability: Intimidate / Type: Fire / Trainer: Jenny Jue]

[Moves: Thunder Fang lv6 / Extreme Speed lv6 / Sunny Day lv6]

[Odor Sleuth lv6 / Heat Wave lv6 / Flare Blitz lv6 / Morning Sun lv6]

The battle between them was so intense that nobody nearby dared let their Pokémon approach.

"What are you looking at?! Move!"

A rebuke rang out beside Heiduo, followed by a forceful shove.

He had nothing to say. He could only hope the Pokémon League would investigate thoroughly. He clearly hadn't done anything... probably.

Heiduo recalled memories he had not possessed before and was uncertain whether he had actually done anything bad.

The two officers escorted Heiduo deeper into the forest, all the way to an area several hundred meters away. Tents had been set up in neat rows there, with countless police officers moving back and forth.

"How is this possible?!"

Heiduo was dumbfounded. Had Johto deployed every police officer it had?

Why did a Special Training Camp for training rookies require so much police manpower?

Was that really necessary?!

"Shut your mouth!"

Heiduo was warned again.

He was escorted by the two police officers into one of the tents.

Once inside, the sight made Heiduo gasp in shock.

Countless Team Rocket rookies were being held here, wearing handcuffs. Some looked utterly dejected, while others were unconscious.

Some were even covered in blood, with bandages around their foreheads or arms.

Without exception, their Poké Balls had been confiscated.

The two officers placed Heiduo among those people, warning him once more before they left.

"Behave yourself, unless you want to suffer!"

What, were they planning to torture a confession out of him?

Heiduo glanced at them, then once again calculated whether he had any chance of escaping if he invested all his remaining Attribute Points in himself.

Of course, fighting Pokémon with his bare body was unrealistic. At the very least, he had to first find out where Ekans and the others had been placed.

He looked around and found, surprisingly, that there was no guard. He boldly stood up and quietly edged toward the side of the tent.

Several conscious people nearby looked at him mockingly, clearly waiting for a show.

Heiduo lay on his side and gently lifted the tent's heavy green canvas—

"Heh!"

A humanoid Pokémon with bluish-gray skin and lumps of muscle all over its body lay on the ground, face-to-face with Heiduo, wearing a mocking expression.

Heiduo's body stiffened.

Then a burst of agonizing pain struck the back of his head, and he passed out.

Completely unconscious.

Squadron Leader Lan's arms were restrained by a pair of specially made metal handcuffs. He sprawled on the ground, with the charred and delirious Hitmonchan beside him.

Several of his personal guards, including Tero, were likewise sprawled back-to-back with him on the ground, all having lost the ability to resist.

Most of these Team Rocket members were in miserable condition. Many were missing arms or legs, and several had even died.

"Hehehe, who would've thought? Small fry like us actually managed to attract someone like you!" Squadron Leader Lan sneered, having lost none of his fighting spirit despite his defeat.

Before him, several Officer Jennys surrounded a red-haired woman with a ponytail and glasses. Upon hearing Squadron Leader Lan's words, they glared angrily at him.

Beside the red-haired woman stood a pink creature resembling a hippopotamus and an otter, with a massive conch shell growing from its tail.

The creature wore a vacant expression, yet somehow gave off the illusion of hidden wisdom.

"Me? I'm just here to hold the line and see whether those four cowards above you dare come rescue you." The red-haired woman looked unconcerned as she said softly, "And just as I said, they're nothing but a bunch of cowards.

"With this little ability, you dared extend your hands into Johto? That's downright laughable."

Squadron Leader Lan's face instantly turned livid. The truth was exactly that: when he abandoned those selected rookies, he and his men had likewise been abandoned by those higher up.

Because they were not valuable enough.

"Don't get cocky—"

The red-haired woman turned and left. She had no intention of listening to Lan's threats. The Officer Jennys who had been waiting for a long time immediately rushed forward, subdued Squadron Leader Lan and the others, and escorted them toward the temporary command center.