Pokemon: With Title System

Chapter 106 – "So Scary"

(T/N: Sird's Japanese version name is Saki)

Fifteenth Floor

Aside from those assigned to guard hostages, every remaining Team Rocket member in Silph Co. had gathered here.

Sird stood at the front, flanked by her Persian on the left and her Banette, which had a sly, sinister grin, on the right.

As the elevator display slowly ticked upward, a hint of excitement flickered in Sird's eyes.

She still didn't know why Asahi had come here instead of Viridian City, but since Giovanni himself had tested this guy, she was definitely interested.

The floor was silent, except for the hum of the elevator moving up.

Seconds passed.

The numbers stopped at 15.

All the Rocket grunts tightened their grips on their Poké Balls.

Ding!

As the elevator doors slid open, every single Rocket member immediately unleashed their strongest attacks.

"Golbat, Air Cutter!"

"Haunter, Shadow Ball!"

"Weezing, use **Exp—uh, I mean, Sludge Bomb!"

(One guy had nearly blown up the entire floor before quickly correcting himself.)

A massive barrage of attacks engulfed the elevator the moment the doors opened.

Poison, explosions, and ghostly energy saturated the entire space.

"Got him?"

Everyone was confident—there was no way anyone could survive that.

However…

As the smoke cleared, the elevator contained only a tattered mannequin with a note attached:

"Idiots. You fell for it."

"Shit—!"

Before anyone could react, a mocking voice rang out behind them.

"Wow. So scary. I almost died."

At the same time, an immense, oppressive aura filled the room, freezing every Rocket grunt in place.

An overwhelming psychic force surged through the air.

If left unchecked, it would have wiped out every Rocket member in the room instantly.

But before it could land, Banette leaped forward, its malicious energy clashing against the psychic wave—just barely neutralizing it.

Sird turned around and saw Asahi, standing beside his shiny Gardevoir, looking slightly disappointed.

"'Phantom Forest Ranger' Asahi, I presume?" Sird asked.

"You know me?"

Feigning surprise, Asahi glanced at the Rocket Grunts, who were now cautiously hiding behind their Pokémon.

[Just a little more… What a pity.]

He had planned to use the elevator as a distraction to draw Rocket Grunts' attention, then have Gardevoir teleport him behind them for a sneak attack.

If not for Sird's interference, he could have taken down most of the Rocket Grunts just now.

But now...

[Only a direct assault will do!]

Without hesitation, under Asahi's command, the Psychic Slate floated beside Gardevoir.

With the boost from the Psychic Slate, Gardevoir's mental power surged rapidly.

As the trainer of a Starmie, she wasn't entirely unfamiliar with Psychic-type abilities.

This level of psychic energy…

There was no time to dwell on it—Gardevoir's attack had already begun.

"Psychic Beam!"

A dazzling, rainbow-colored beam of energy filled the confined space of the 15th floor, targeting all the Rocket Grunts!

"Dark Pulse!"

Sird once again attempted to have Banette block the attack. But clearly, with Gardevoir's psychic energy now greatly enhanced by the Psychic Slate, Banette stood no chance.

Banette only managed to absorb part of the attack, while the remaining Psychic Beam struck the remaining Rocket Grunts and their Pokémon.

Almost instantly, they were thrown into confusion.

What was once their numerical advantage had now become a burden. Many confused Rocket Grunts and their Pokémon started attacking indiscriminately—enemies, allies, even themselves...

The battlefield descended into utter chaos. The ambush against Asahi crumbled, and the 15th floor turned into a bloodbath as dozens of Rocket Grunts fought each other.

These confused grunts weren't holding back at all.

Sird's expression darkened as she signaled Banette to restrain her subordinates, but it was barely effective.

Still, she didn't give up, desperately trying to regain control—a model superior in Team Rocket.

Did she really care that much about her subordinates?

Of course not.

Slash!

A sharp, gleaming claw suddenly swiped toward Asahi's neck from behind!

Caring for her subordinates was just a façade—Sird's real aim was to cover for Persian's sneak attack on Asahi.

But Asahi remained unfazed. "How ruthless... I almost feel sorry for your subordinates."

As he spoke, the Eevee in his arms suddenly leaped out, extending its tiny paw to clash with Persian's attack.

Bang!

Persian's strike was blocked.

Despite being only a third of Persian's size, Eevee held its ground, showing no signs of weakness.

"Eevee...?"

Sird was visibly shocked. She had noticed the Eevee in Asahi's arms earlier but assumed it was just a pet.

But now, seeing it withstand her Persian's attack, she realized—this Eevee might actually be Elite-level.

She couldn't really be blamed for overlooking it.

After all, who in their right mind would train an Eevee to the Elite level without evolving it?

The battle raged on.

Banette, using its type advantage, held Gardevoir at bay, while Persian and Eevee clashed relentlessly.

Sird turned her attention to Dragonair, Shelgon, and Swampert, who were standing guard around Asahi.

"Only two Elite-level Pokémon? In that case… Heh." Sird smirked, then waved her hand. "Let's end this fight!"

As she did, the ceiling above Asahi began to glow with a faint red light.

A purple Starmie slowly emerged, its central red gemstone core facing Asahi, radiating terrifying energy waves.

Asahi's expression changed immediately.

"This is bad—Starmie! When did it—"

At this moment, both Gardevoir and Eevee were occupied and unable to assist.

With only Dragonair and Shelgon left to defend, Asahi might be able to hold out for a short while, but he wouldn't survive the next attack.

This was Sird's checkmate move against him!

But before Sird could celebrate, she suddenly noticed a shift in Asahi's expression—from panic to amusement.

"You really thought I'd say that?"

While others might not know much about Sird, Asahi was well aware of her three ace Pokémon. He had been guarding against this Starmie from the very start.

And as he spoke, he tossed a Poké Ball into the air.

Bang!

A flash of white light.

"Whooo—!"

—