Pokemon: I am Gary

Not far from the Porta Vista, there is a resort beach, the latest developed destination since the new port was established.

In the glow of the setting sun, the ferries at the port are preparing to set sail.

The captains have repeatedly warned that no one should approach the beach after dark.

From a distance, they observe black figures wandering near Sea House. The captain of the Saint Anne takes a deep drag from his cigarette, reluctantly exhaling a few rings.

That's Team Rocket!

Don't get it twisted; these aren't the foolish ones who get blasted off every time. These are ruthless outlaws, capable of killing whole families in an instant.

Since the new port opened, this place has become a den of vice. Veteran sailors often witness waitstaff at the establishment tossing bags directly into the sea after nightfall.

There were a few righteous sailors who wanted to report this to the police, but they never returned to work the next day.

Later, the captains learned that these sailors all had fires break out at home, leaving their families completely wiped out.

From then on, veteran sailors tacitly agreed to avoid Sea House and kept their mouths shut.

This is a resort area with heavy foot traffic. The gang operates with restraint, conducting their business only before sunset and resuming normal operations the next day.

Thus, they have been entrenched here for months without revealing their true nature.

"Captain, that young trainer and girl haven't returned yet," reported the second mate on Shirley's ferry with concern.

The captain rubbed his temples with reluctance. "Let's wait a bit longer. If they're not back before dark, we'll set sail."

"But—" The second mate was eager to argue. There were several trainers among the crew, and a dozen Machoke standing together could be quite intimidating. If they charged at once, there might be a chance.

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

"Ugh! What kind of situation is this?!" The second mate pounded on the cabin wall in frustration.

"We can only hope that one day these murderous Team Rocket members cross paths with someone like an Elite Four member and get wiped out!" sighed the captain.

Inside Sea House, four or five waitstaff, along with Chef Jinbei, emerged carrying bags and daggers, flanked by two Arbok and three Tentacruel.

It must be said that these individuals are quite audacious; just a handful of them dared to annihilate all patrons in a restaurant.

"Boss, where do we start?" asked a sleazy waiter who looked like a small Rattata, rubbing his hands while eyeing Caitlin.

Jinbei grinned widely. "You filthy dog; you want to rob her too? Go ahead and start with that table. Don't cause me trouble—first slit their throats to bleed them out, then continue."

The rat-faced waiter shook his head regretfully. "Boss, if they bleed out they'll be cold!"

Jinbei shot him a sideways glance. "In just those few seconds? Don't worry; they won't be cold."

The other Team Rocket lackeys laughed along.

"Hey, just wait! I'll show you all something today!" The rat-faced waiter lewdly adjusted his pants as he approached Gary table.

Seeing that other members also greedily eyed blonde Caitlin, Jinbei sneered. "A bunch of filthy dogs; fine, fine, go line up first. Don't bleed them yet; we'll kill her last."

The small lackeys whistled as they eagerly followed suit.

Leaning on the table feigning sleep, Gary revealed a cold smile. Heaven has a path you don't take; hell has no door you barge through!

It seems Officer Jenny will only be responsible for mopping up later.

Previously viewing Team Rocket through rose-colored glasses, Gary hadn't intended to escalate matters.

Now—he felt no psychological burden whatsoever.

As he watched rat-faced's dirty hand about to reach into Caitlin's collar, Gary finally dropped his act.

Smack! He slammed his hand on the table and stood up. Then… nothing followed…

Two crescent-shaped psychic blades shot out. Rat-faced's hand and arm were instantly severed.

"Ah!!" Rat-faced screamed in agony as everyone else recoiled!

"Damn it, that hurts!" Jinbei immediately hid behind his Tentacruel for cover.

However, it was of no use; facing one of humanity's strongest psychics, they had no room to resist and were directly immobilized by invisible psychic force.

Gallade coldly regarded the few lackeys before him.

Being an expert in emotional perception, Gallade had fully grasped their vile intentions and thus showed no mercy when he struck.

Had it not been for fearing Caitlin witnessing too bloody a scene, rat-faced's head would likely have been split in two just now…

Gary reluctantly withdrew his hand from his Poké Ball at his waist; it seemed capturing heads was hopeless…

"Gary, could you please close your eyes?" Caitlin's calm voice echoed softly.

Watching Caitlin floating in mid-air with her golden hair billowing without wind and her eyes glowing blue, Gary helplessly shrugged. "I'll step outside to call Officer Jenny."

"Alakazam" she whispered softly to her partner. "Go handle those accomplices wandering outside."

Alakazam's Poké Ball opened automatically; his figure flashed and vanished from sight.

Gary nodded and turned to exit Sea House.

Caitlin's psychic energy surged as her delicate white hand lifted gently before clenching tightly!

Boom!! Like an exploding watermelon, several bursts of blood mist erupted throughout the restaurant!

Caitlin frowned as she teleported outside. As an Elite Four member, she wasn't just some sheltered girl in an ivory tower.

What scum they were thinking about couldn't escape Caitlin's mind-reading abilities.

To think they wanted to lay hands on someone like Caitlin… would cost them dearly!

This was still her restraint; had it been years ago, this place would have likely been reduced to rubble…

Outside Sea House, Gary saw Caitlin emerge and waved his phone. "I've already notified Officer Jenny; police will handle cleaning up afterward."

"Troublesome~" Caitlin grasped Gary's sleeve with a somewhat melancholic expression. "Can we leave now? I'm tired."

Gary gently patted her head in guilt. "Alright, let's go back to the ship. Get some good rest."

"Are you afraid of me…" Caitlin looked up with concern in her eyes.

Gary chuckled helplessly; so that was what she worried about! "Don't worry; I'm not! You did well! They deserved this fate from the start. If you hadn't acted, I would have stepped in myself."

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

"Really~" Gary feigned nonchalance, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm a man of honor; when I encounter these money-hungry thugs, I'll take them down. In this corner of Kanto, who can morally bind me?"

This wasn't entirely untrue. Professor Oak once boasted to Gary while drunk that the number of Team Rocket he had taken down could fill two soccer teams...

It wouldn't be fair to say Professor Oak was too ruthless; rather, it was all because of that brat, Gary!

Looking into Gary's clear eyes, Caitlin felt reassured and stifled a yawn, covering her mouth. "Let's go; I'm tired~"

With a flash, Gary and Caitlin appeared on the deck of the Ferry.

"Thank goodness you're back safely!" The second mate exclaimed joyfully upon seeing them appear.

"Yes~ We're back. There shouldn't be any more danger here," Gary casually replied. Noticing Caitlin yawning again, he nodded to the second mate and headed straight to the lounge in the cabin.

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

The captain, being an old hand at this, nodded skeptically. "Good… good. Set sail!"

With the sound of the ferry's horn, the Ferry slowly departed from the port.

The captain leaned back in his chair in the cockpit and pulled out a photo showing several spirited sailors. "Alright~ Alright, you can rest easy now." As night deepened, Gary leaned helplessly against the glass window of the cabin. In the lounge, Caitlin clutched his shirt hem and slept soundly.

A Musharna floated nearby, extracting purple negative energy from Caitlin's dreams.

Watching his Gallade sharpen its claws at the other end of the cabin, Gary couldn't help but twitch his mouth as he shook the fabric caught in Caitlin's grip. "What do you think I'll do? Where else can I go?!"

Realizing he was in the wrong, Gallade turned away and avoided looking at Gary's distressed face.

Meanwhile, at Indigo Plateau, in the Alliance headquarters, Charles Goodshow was angrily confronting Lance and Bruno.

With Lorelei on vacation in Seven Islands and him being too shy to confront Agatha, he had to take his frustrations out on these two.

"Useless! All of you—useless!" Goodshow shouted while pointing furiously at Lance and Bruno with one hand on his hip.

"Why is Team Rocket still allowed to linger in Kanto? For years they've been like a cancer! They just won't die! Can't you put in some effort?" He wasn't satisfied yet; he jogged a couple of steps and jumped to deliver a heavy blow to Lance and Bruno's knees!

"Damn! The old man still has some strength!" Bruno groaned while rubbing his knee.

"Just enjoy it while you can; if he were just two centimeters taller, where do you think he could hit?" Lance rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath.

"You're still arguing with me!" Goodshow fumed so much that his beard nearly split in two. "Now look what you've done! You've embarrassed us all in Unova! What does their champion think? They come here for an inspection and end up facing this mess?"

Unova is a rising star in the Alliance, showcasing unparalleled potential in both economic and technological development.

In the next two years, the Alliance needs Unova to develop further to help advance Kanto and Hoenn—regions with long histories.

If we can't guarantee safety, how can they trust us to come to Kanto for support?

"I don't care what methods you use; I want Team Rocket to pay! Ideally, let's take down Giovanni's hideout so he can no longer appear within Kanto's official systems!" After venting his anger, Goodshow sat down and laid out his demands.

Bruno and Lance exchanged glances and sighed helplessly.

In fact, Team Rocket isn't exactly a secret organization in Kanto. While most civilians view them as a mysterious evil group.

The reality is that Team Rocket's operations are widespread throughout Kanto cities; they are essentially major taxpayers for the region.

Because of this, Giovanni feels bold enough to openly occupy the position of Gym Leader at Viridian Gym.

The key issue is that Giovanni is quite powerful; neither Lance or Bruno can confidently claim victory against him alone.

The only high-end force that poses a threat to Giovanni is likely Lorelei, who specializes in Water- and Ice-type Pokémon.

However, Lorelei has a cold temperament and dislikes getting involved in troublesome matters, which is why things have dragged on until now.

"Alright, I think Goodshow has a point; we can no longer coddle Team Rocket. This incident is extremely serious." Elder Agatha finally spoke up after sipping her tea calmly.

"Elder Agatha, you know how difficult it is to deal with Giovanni…" Lance responded with some frustration.

As a staunch hawk within the Alliance, Lance is arguably one of Team Rocket's most vehement opponents. Over many years, he has relentlessly pursued Team Rocket to uphold the Alliance's dignity.

However, maintaining balance between both sides has already left Lance overwhelmed; eliminating Team Rocket completely seems impossible.

"First take out a few smaller bases! Some key businesses can be temporarily nationalized."

"I'll talk with Lorelei about this; before this year's Indigo Alliance begins, we need to rally law enforcement and anti-explosion police forces along with two or more Elite Four members to take them down all at once!

This way all major towns in Kanto will return to our control!" Agatha pointed at Viridian City on the map with her cane.

Far away in Viridian City, Giovanni remains unaware that due to some unruly underlings, a storm against Team Rocket is about to unfold…