A storm targeting Team Rocket

The vacation beach a short distance from Porta Vista's harbor was the newest resort developed after the new harbor was completed.

In the glow of the setting sun, the ferries in the harbor prepared to depart.

The captains repeatedly warned everyone not to approach the beach after dusk.

Watching the dark figures prowling near the Sea Cottage in the distance, the captain of the S.S. Anne took a hard drag on his cigarette and exhaled several smoke rings, unable to bear the sight.

Those were Team Rocket members!

Make no mistake, they weren't the bumbling idiots who got sent flying every time. These were bloodthirsty outlaws who would slaughter an entire family without a second thought.

Ever since the new harbor was completed, the place had become a death trap. Veteran sailors who regularly sailed this route inevitably saw the waiters carrying sacks out after dark and dumping them straight into the sea.

A few sailors with strong senses of justice had once tried reporting this to the Police Station. The next day, none of them showed up for work again.

Only afterward did the captains learn that fires had broken out in those sailors' homes. Their entire families had been reduced to ashes together.

From then on, the veteran sailors tacitly agreed to stay away from the Sea Cottage, keep their heads down, and say nothing.

This was a bustling vacation destination, and the gang exercised considerable restraint. Every day, they hit just one group before sunset, then opened for business as usual the next morning.

That was how they had operated here for months without giving themselves away.

"Captain, that young Trainer and the girl still haven't come back." Aboard the Shelly, the ferry Gary had taken, the second mate delivered his report with some concern.

The captain rubbed the bridge of his nose, unable to bring himself to abandon them. "Wait a little longer. If they aren't back by nightfall, we'll set sail."

"But..." The second mate anxiously tried to argue. Quite a few sailors aboard were Trainers too. A dozen Machoke and Graveler standing together made for an intimidating sight. If they rushed the place together, they might stand a chance.

The captain shook his head. "Think of your family, and the sailors' families. We have no right to put them at risk!"

"Damn it! What the hell is this?!" The second mate pounded the cabin wall in frustration.

"All we can do is hope heaven has eyes, and that one day those damned Team Rocket bastards cross someone like the Elite Four and get wiped out in one fell swoop!" the captain sighed.

Inside the Sea Cottage's restaurant, four or five waiters and Jūbei, the chef from the kitchen, emerged carrying sacks and daggers, accompanied by two Arbok and three Tentacruel.

They certainly had the nerve to match their abilities. With just this handful of people, they dared to murder a restaurant full of customers and dispose of their bodies.

"Boss, where do we start?" A sleazy waiter who looked like a Rattata rubbed his hands together, his gaze repeatedly drifting toward Caitlin's seat.

Jūbei grinned. "You bastard, looking to get your dick wet again? Go on, then. Start with that table. Don't cause me any trouble. Slit their throats and drain their blood first, then take all their Poké Balls. After that, have your fun..."

The shifty-eyed waiter shook his head regretfully. "Boss, won't she be cold once we drain her blood?"

Jūbei shot Rat Eyes a sidelong glance. "With the dozen seconds you last? Don't worry, she won't have time to get cold."

The other Team Rocket lackeys joined in the mockery.

"Hey, just you watch! I'll show you what I can do today!" Rat Eyes grabbed his crotch lewdly and walked toward Gary's table.

Seeing the other members also eyeing the blond Caitlin greedily, Jūbei curled his lip. "A bunch of horny bastards. Fine, fine, go line up. Don't drain her blood yet. Kill her when you're all finished."

The lackeys whistled and eagerly followed.

Gary, who had been pretending to sleep on the table, was already sneering. You passed up the road to heaven and forced your way into hell.

It looked like Officer Jenny would only have to handle the cleanup later.

Earlier, his natural fondness for the Team Rocket Trio had kept Gary from wanting to make a big deal of this.

Now, though, he felt no guilt whatsoever.

Just as Rat Eyes's filthy hand was about to slip inside Caitlin's collar, Gary finally dropped the act.

Smack! Gary slapped the table and sprang to his feet. Then... there was no "then."

Two crescent-shaped Psycho Cuts flashed through the air. Rat Eyes's hand was instantly severed from his arm.

"Aaaah!" Rat Eyes let out a piercing scream. The others hastily backed away!

"Fuck, we've got a tough one!" Jūbei immediately ducked behind his Tentacruel.

It did him absolutely no good. Facing one of the strongest psychics known to humanity, the men had no chance to resist. Invisible psychic power pinned them where they stood.

Gallade stared coldly at the lackeys before him.

An expert at sensing emotions, Gallade had already grasped their disgusting intentions completely, so he had held nothing back when he struck.

If he hadn't been worried about exposing Caitlin to something too bloody, that attack would probably have split Rat Eyes's head in two...

Gary reluctantly withdrew the hand resting on the Poké Ball at his waist. It looked like he wouldn't get to steal any kills...

"Young Master Mao, could I trouble you to close your eyes?" Caitlin's cool voice rang out.

Looking at Caitlin floating in midair, her blond hair stirring without a breeze and blue light flashing in her eyes, Gary shrugged helplessly. "I'll go outside and call Officer Jenny."

"Alakazam, go outside and deal with those accomplices wandering around," Caitlin instructed quietly.

Alakazam's Poké Ball opened on its own. With a flicker, he vanished.

Gary nodded, turned, and walked out of the Sea Cottage.

Caitlin's psychic power surged. She gently raised her pale, delicate hand, then clenched it hard!

Bang!! Like bursting watermelons, several clouds of blood exploded inside the restaurant!

Caitlin frowned and teleported straight outside. As a member of the Elite Four, she was no sheltered little girl.

Her mind-reading left those scumbags nowhere to hide their thoughts.

If you encounter advertisements such as "Are you a real person?", simply close them. Do not scan any QR codes or send text messages!

Anyone who wanted to do that to Caitlin... would pay in blood.

And this was her showing restraint. A few years earlier, she probably would have razed the entire place...

Outside the Sea Cottage, Gary waved his phone when Caitlin appeared. "I've already notified Officer Jenny. The police will handle the cleanup."

"Sorry for the trouble..." Caitlin clutched Gary's sleeve, looking somewhat melancholy. "Can we go now? I'm tired."

Feeling a little guilty, Gary stroked the top of her head. "Of course. Let's go back to the ship. Get some proper rest."

"Will you be afraid of me...?" Caitlin looked up and asked worriedly.

Gary smiled helplessly. So that was what she was worrying about. "Don't worry, I won't. You did the right thing! Those people deserved that fate anyway. If you hadn't done it, I was ready to do it myself."

"Really?" Caitlin tightened her grip on his sleeve, still uncertain.

"Really." Gary spread his hands, deliberately keeping his tone light. "I'm Young Master Mao, a man with some backbone. If I run into bandits who murder people for their money, I'll kill them, simple as that. As if anyone in Kanto could guilt-trip me over it."

That was true enough. Once, after having too much to drink, Professor Oak had bragged to Gary that the Team Rocket members he had beaten to death back in the day could have filled two football teams...

It wasn't really fair to call Professor Oak excessively ruthless over that. The blame lay with Vicious!

He was the one who had crossed the young Samuel Oak.

Seeing Gary's clear gaze, Caitlin finally relaxed. She covered her mouth and yawned. "Let's go. I'm sleepy..."

With a flash, Gary and Caitlin vanished and reappeared on the ferry's deck.

"Thank goodness, you made it back safely!" the second mate cried in delighted surprise at their sudden appearance.

"Yeah, we're back. This place shouldn't be dangerous anymore." Gary answered casually. Seeing Caitlin yawning nonstop, he nodded to the second mate and went straight back to the lounge inside the ship.

The second mate hurried off joyfully to report to the captain.

An old hand at this sort of thing, the captain nodded in disbelief. "Good... that's good. Set sail!"

With a blast of its horn, the Shelly slowly left the harbor.

Leaning back in the swivel chair on the bridge, the captain took out a photograph of several bright, energetic sailors. "It's over... it's over. You can rest easy now."

As night deepened, Gary leaned helplessly against the cabin window. On the lounge bed, Caitlin slept soundly, clutching the hem of his clothes.

Musharna opened its little mouth and drew purple negative energy out of Caitlin's dreams.

Looking at Gallade at the other end of the cabin, sharpening his blades and watching him warily, Gary's mouth twitched. He shook the hem trapped in Caitlin's hand. "What the fuck are you watching me for? Where the fuck could I even go?!"

Knowing he was in the wrong, Gallade turned away rather than look at Gary's aggrieved face.

Meanwhile, at the Pokémon League Headquarters on the Indigo Plateau, Pokémon League Chairman Damaranch was glaring furiously at Lance and Bruno.

Lorelei was vacationing in the Sevii Islands, and Damaranch didn't dare take on that old woman Agatha, so he could only vent on these two.

"Useless! You're both useless!" Damaranch planted his left hand on his hip and swung his right hand around, pointing at Bruno and Lance's noses as he berated them.

"How much longer is Team Rocket going to infest Kanto?! They've been a cancer for years. No matter how often we burn them out, they sprout right back up! Can't you two put in a little effort?" Still not satisfied, the old man took a couple of quick steps forward, jumped, and hammered Lance and Bruno's knees!

"Damn... the old man hits pretty hard..." Bruno rubbed his knees miserably.

"Count yourself lucky. If he were a couple of centimeters taller, guess where he could hit?" Lance rolled his eyes and muttered.

"And you're still mouthing off?!" Damaranch was so furious that his mustache bristled in every direction. "Now we've embarrassed ourselves all the way to the Unova Region! What's Unova's Champion going to think? She comes here for a visit and a look around, and something like this happens?"

Unova was the Pokémon League's rising star, showing unparalleled potential in both economic and technological development.

Over the next two years, the Pokémon League needed Unova to develop first, then help drive progress in long-established regions like Kanto and Hoenn.

If they couldn't even guarantee safety, how could anyone feel comfortable coming to Kanto to help with its development?

"I don't care what methods you use. I want Team Rocket to pay! Preferably, wipe out Giovanni's home base. He must not remain anywhere within Kanto's official system!" Having finished his tirade, Damaranch sat down and laid out his demands.

Bruno and Lance exchanged glances and sighed helplessly.

In truth, Team Rocket hardly qualified as a secret organization in Kanto, although most ordinary people considered it a mysterious, evil organization.

In reality, Team Rocket's businesses were spread throughout Kanto and Johto, making it one of the biggest taxpayers in the entire region.

That was precisely why Giovanni dared to openly occupy the position of Viridian Gym Leader.

More importantly, that old bastard Giovanni was no weakling. Neither Lance nor Bruno could confidently claim they would beat him one-on-one.

Among their top-level fighters, the only one who truly threatened Giovanni was probably Lorelei, who specialized in Water-type and Ice-type Pokémon.

But Lorelei was aloof and disliked getting involved in troublesome affairs like this, which was why things had dragged on until now.

"All right. I think Chairman Damaranch has a point. We can't keep indulging Team Rocket. This incident was particularly vile." Agatha, who had been calmly drinking tea off to the side, finally spoke.

"Agatha, you know Giovanni isn't easy to deal with..." Lance replied, looking troubled.

A staunch hawk within the Pokémon League, Lance could be called the person who hated Team Rocket most. For years, he had relentlessly pursued them, upholding the Pokémon League's dignity.

Yet merely maintaining the balance between the two sides had already left Lance overwhelmed, let alone wiping out Team Rocket entirely.

"First, destroy a few smaller bases! Some of their key businesses can be temporarily brought under public ownership.

Then I'll speak to Lorelei. Before this year's Indigo League begins, mobilize the Police Force, the Riot Police Force, and at least two members of the Elite Four to take this place in one decisive strike!

That way, every major city in Kanto will be back in our hands!" Holding her cane, Agatha pointed to Viridian City on the map.

Far away in Viridian City, Giovanni had no idea that, thanks to a few unruly underlings, a storm targeting Team Rocket was about to break...

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