Pokémon: I Am a Dragon Tamer!

"Look out!" 

The moment Ryuuske shouted, he swiftly hurled a Poké Ball. With a pop, the elegant form of Dragonair materialized midair, its body coiling as an invisible barrier rose before it, blocking the spiraling vortex of flames. 

The Light Screen intercepted Fire Spin, but the surrounding temperature still skyrocketed. As he defended, Ryuuske glanced at Sabrina beside him. True to her reputation as Saffron City's Gym Leader and one of Team Rocket's top executives, her combat experience surpassed his own. The shuriken that had been aimed at her passed harmlessly through an afterimage—her real form had already flickered away. 

Sabrina and Alakazam's figures distorted before reappearing to Ryuuske's left. Then, unexpectedly, she turned her head and warned, "...Be careful with that shuriken. There might be a Poké Ball inside." 

"—!!" 

Her words sent a jolt of alarm through Ryuuske. He lunged forward, pressing close to Dragonair just as it unleashed Safeguard, intercepting a sudden stream of venom that had materialized behind him. 

Embedded in the staircase railing where Ryuuske had stood moments ago was the shuriken—just as Sabrina had predicted, it was a modified Poké Ball. 

Using shuriken to attack trainers while concealing Pokémon within them—this was the hallmark of Fuchsia City's Gym Leader, Koga, renowned for his mastery of ninjutsu. But beyond training his Pokémon, he had honed himself to an extraordinary degree. The precision of that throw made Ryuuske wonder if the man had some Uchiha blood in him. 

The Acid splashed against the shimmering barrier of Safeguard, then dripped to the floor. A sickening hiss followed as the liquid ate through the wood, dissolving a gaping hole straight through the fourth floor and continuing its corrosive descent to the levels below. 

Ryuuske shuddered. That Acid was practically xenomorph blood—terrifyingly potent. If not for Sabrina's warning, he might have fallen victim to it. Even with the protection of a trainer's aura, he wouldn't have been reduced to a puddle like the floor, but the affected areas would likely have been stripped to the bone. 

From within the pale purple mist conjured by Gastly, the silhouette of an Arbok emerged. 

"That's Koga's ace Arbok. Don't engage it in close combat—its vitality is absurd. Even if severed into pieces, it won't die and can regenerate. And its blood is even more corrosive than that Acid. Get too close, and you'll be lucky to escape with your life." 

Sabrina was treating Ryuuske as a genuine ally now, speaking rapidly and at length—uncharacteristic for her. She laid out Koga's battle tactics and Pokémon without reservation. If Koga had any awareness left, he'd be furious at how thoroughly he'd been betrayed. 

"Thanks for the heads-up. Gabite, Sand Tomb!" 

Ryuuske abandoned his initial plan to use Stomping Tantrum and opted for the terrain-control move instead. Against a Poison-type, Ground-type moves were the obvious choice—but Earthquake and Dig were impractical indoors, and Stomping Tantrum risked the exact scenario Sabrina had warned about: crippling himself while attacking. 

The floor beneath them instantly turned to shifting sand, but before the Sand Tomb could ensnare Arbok, the serpentine Pokémon coiled and sprang away, slithering through the mist until it reached the shadowy outline of a human figure. 

"Arbok is taking orders?!" 

Sabrina's eyes widened. Unlike the mindless trainers and Pokémon downstairs, Koga's Arbok was clearly evading attacks and striking strategically—meaning it had to be under a trainer's command. But Koga himself should've been under control. 

As the mist thinned, the figures became clearer: a man clad in ninja garb stood beside a boy in a fur-lined vest. An Arbok and a Charmeleon flanked them, fangs bared at Ryuuske and Sabrina. 

"So Gary and Koga are both under Gastly's control. But what's up with that Arbok? Charmeleon's eyes are dull—it's definitely being manipulated. But Arbok's gaze is sharp. It shouldn't be affected!" 

Ryuuske studied the duo, baffled. 

Sabrina, hovering inches above the ground with her arms crossed, frowned. "...It's common knowledge that Pokémon only obey their own trainers. Which means someone is issuing commands to Koga—who then relays them to Arbok. Indirect control." 

She didn't name names, but Ryuuske knew she meant Agatha. 

As a Gym Leader, Koga's Pokémon were far stronger than Gary's current team. Controlling such powerful Pokémon through Gastly alone would've been nearly impossible—but by puppeteering the trainer first, Agatha had found a workaround. 

"Incredible. She's exploiting the cognitive limitations of Pokémon. I remember reading a paper on that at Professor Oak's lab—but it was purely theoretical. Someone actually implemented it?!" 

Ryuuske muttered, then abruptly fell silent. The author of that paper… had been Agatha. 

Rumor had it she'd once worked alongside Professor Oak, though their research diverged sharply. Now it made sense—studying how to manipulate Pokémon by exploiting their mental blind spots was the antithesis of Oak's focus on ecology and coexistence. 

This was the fundamental difference between human and Pokémon cognition. To a Pokémon, a trainer's command was absolute—regardless of whether the trainer was acting of their own volition. They obeyed with unwavering loyalty, never questioning intent. 

But theory was one thing; execution was another. Most trainers shared deep bonds with their Pokémon. Skilled ones could even issue commands through sheer intent, no words needed—Dragon's Power was the pinnacle of this. 

Hijacking that connection should've been nearly impossible. Yet Agatha had succeeded. She'd turned a Gym Leader into a puppet. 

And unless a Pokémon's intellect rivaled Mewtwo's—capable of breaking free from cognitive constraints—there was no escape. 

"They're fighting together. And defeating a Gym Leader while holding back—without harming Gary—won't be easy..." 

Sabrina's voice was icy. Her meaning was clear: unless Ryuuske was willing to sacrifice Gary, their options were retreat or defeating the mastermind. 

"But there's a catch. For Agatha to issue commands this smoothly, she must be observing us in real-time. Which means—" 

Ryuuske met Sabrina's gaze. She gave a slight nod. 

If they could find how Agatha was watching, severing her control over Koga would reduce his Pokémon to little more than wild beasts!

To be continued…

Advance 50 Chapters are up on my Patreon!

pat reon.com/AlphaSenatus