Chapter 105 Lance: A Bunch of Filthy, Disgusting Rats!
When Bai Yu mentioned the Alola region, several Pokémon quickly came to mind for Kukui: Rattata, Raichu, King Prism, Ninetales, and other Pokémon unique to Alola.
"You mean..."
Kukui seemed to realize something, his breathing quickening. He had already guessed what Pokémon to use in the battle.
"Just what you think." Bai Yu nodded.
He wanted Kukui to cause Lance some trouble first, to make him boast about how strong his dragon army was.
As long as it wasn't a Steel-type or Water-type Pokémon, other Dragon-type Pokémon could be perfectly suppressed by Ice-type and Fairy-type Pokémon,
not to mention Alola also had Ice Ninetales. An Ice-Fairy type Ice Ninetales was a Snow Team starter; defeating Lance would be a piece of cake. He wondered if Kukui could train an entire Snow Team in such a short time.
Kukui's mind conjured up another Pokémon: King Prism from the Alola region. As for Vulpix, Kukui hadn't seen it and didn't know such a Pokémon existed in Alola.
Clearly, Kukui had misunderstood. However, an Ice/Steel King Prism was enough to deal with Lance, as long as Lance didn't use Fire-type moves or send out his Charizard. Probably… well… he could win.
"Little Whitey, are you sure he knows the Pokémon you mentioned?"
Sabrina watched Kukui leave the gym with a smile, feeling something was off.
She had previously checked Vulpix's information in the National Pokédex, but only a picture was displayed.
There was no specific information about Vulpix's type, meaning this Pokémon was quite rare in Alola. Could Kukui really know such a rare Pokémon?
"He probably does,"
Bai Yu replied, feeling a little uncertain himself after hearing Sabrina's words.
It seemed this guy was the one who completed the Alola Pokédex.
In the anime, it was hatched by Lillie, and wild Vulpix has rarely been seen since. Very few trainers have managed to capture this Pokémon.
That guy probably thought of the Alolan form of King Prism.
Ice/Steel type…
Forget about Lance using Charizard, any Dragon-type Pokémon he has can use basic Flamethrower. One hit would be enough to severely injure King Prism, if not kill it.
Since Generation IX, after the effect of Snowy Weather was changed, it no longer damages Pokémon but instead increases their Defense by half.
However, not many Pokémon can benefit from the boost and unleash such incredible power.
It's only good against Dragon-type Pokémon; otherwise, it would be a different way to torment Lance.
"Little white-haired brat, what you're doing isn't very kind,"
Sabrina teased Litten. Litten looked very docile, just like the Vulpix from before.
Since Sabrina first saw Vulpix, she's been feeding it all the time.
There's no way around it, Vulpix is just too cute. Even Sabrina's cold and aloof personality has been melted by Vulpix's charm. She now ignores Alakazam, casually tossing it into the backyard and always playing with Vulpix.
Today, another Litten has joined the party. Litten looks quite cute too, and Sabrina likes this little kitten, just like Vulpix's little fox.
"It's alright. Even if he gets the Alola Ninetales, it won't be easy for him to beat Lance."
"Beating Lance will require some skill."
Bai Yu shook his head, not taking it to heart.
Lance is very strong. Team Snow needs to train him to at least Elite Four level and use some techniques to defeat him. Given Kukui's previous performance, the difficulty of defeating Lance is unimaginable.
Moreover, cultivating a top-tier snow team takes a long time, and Kukui can't create a complete lineup in a short period.
Not everyone is like Lorelei, able to suppress Lance's Dragon-type prowess with Ice-type moves.
"Chirp~"
A Poké Ball flashed from Bai Yu's waist, and Dratini appeared in his arms.
This Dratini was incredibly clingy, even more so than Ash's Rex.
Bai Yu was reluctant to let it evolve because of its clingy nature.
Maybe he should get an Everstone and feed it to Dratini later.
Before evolving into Dragonair, Dratini couldn't fly and couldn't learn many moves, which meant it lacked many offensive options.
This is similar to Ash's Bulbasaur and Squirtle; before evolving, they are small and agile, but after evolving, their combat power increases, and they can learn more moves, with a slight increase in the power of their moves.
"Chirp~"
Dratini rubbed against Bai Yu's body, looking very obedient.
The Litten, a little unhappy, jumped out of Sabrina's arms, perched on Bai Yu's shoulder, climbed down, and curled up into a ball, quietly staying there.
Luckily, Vulpix was resting in the backyard. If Vulpix were there, it would have made the same choice as Litten, both carrying Pokémon. It's a bit frustrating to think about…
but that's the most basic thought of Pokémon, and it's fine.
Bai Yu tidied up the backyard a bit, prepared some food for the referee
, and then headed to Celadon City with Sabrina. Lance was currently in Celadon City, but he hadn't taken any action, waiting for Bai Yu's arrival.
This wasn't a trip; Bai Yu had left Pokémon like Litten in the backyard. The Pokémon he carried were naturally his main force; Pokémon couldn't stay in the system space for too long.
They needed to get out and about. Litten was quite cute as a kitten, but after evolving, it went awry, becoming more domineering and ferocious! Celadon City.
Trainers were bustling about, laughing and joking, giving the city a slightly different feel. Many young female trainers were strolling around, carrying large bags and small packages.
Department stores were more common in Celadon City, but even more common were the expensive perfumes, all made from Gloom powder.
The stinkier the Gloom smelled, the stronger the extracted scent, attracting many nobles to buy them in a frenzy. The most attractive perfume was undoubtedly that made by Celadon Gym Leader Erika.
Erika only needed to make perfume once a week to sustain her entire gym. Her status as one of the eight gyms was largely due to her Gloom.
Erika also held another identity in the Kanto region: the head of the eight gyms, ostensibly the strongest force among the Kanto League gyms. In the special episode's friendly match between the Johto and Kanto Leagues, Erika faced off against the trainer Lympian.
Unfortunately… that match was one-sided. Liu Bo's little boar was simply too strong; any tactics were useless against him.
This seemingly glamorous city concealed unprecedented darkness. Darkness always accompanies light; the more powerful a city, the more likely it is to harbor a powerful organization.
Below Celadon City.
A group of trainers in black uniforms, each holding a Poké Ball and sporting a savage expression, stood on the street, waiting… waiting for orders from above.
Beneath Celadon City was a passage that could lead undetected to the area beneath Saffron City, explaining Team Rocket members' frequent appearances there.
Fourth basement level.
A slightly plump, elegantly dressed red-haired woman sat in the monitoring room. She slowly raised her head to look at the monitor, yawning with utter boredom.
Various materials were laid out on the table, including a plan for a machine that would force Pokémon to evolve—a plan she herself had drafted.
Athena, one of the four generals of Team Rocket.
"That Apollo guy, after so many failures, he still stays by Giovanni's side."
Athena thought of the intelligence she had received earlier.
Apollo, hailed as Team Rocket's strongest fighter, had made two consecutive operational errors, yet he remained by Giovanni's side, which filled Athena with disgust.
She had joined Team Rocket much earlier than Apollo, and was relegated to the dark and dreary Team Rocket base, researching Evolution Machines and deploying Team Rocket members.
"Stop complaining. I heard from Lance that the Kanto Elite Four are all Champion-level in strength. That's not good news."
Not far away, a man with a casual posture, wearing a black uniform with a prominent 'R' on his chest and a purple spiky hairstyle, spoke with an air of authority that left no room for argument.
"Darram, if you keep imitating Giovanni, I'll kill you."
A cold glint flashed in Athena's eyes. Darram could imitate anyone, but not Giovanni… In Athena's heart, Giovanni was a god! The god who saved her from dire straits—Athena wouldn't allow any trainer to defile such a figure, not even the League Champion, a legendary god!
"I understand, Athena."
Darram's voice changed slightly, revealing a hint of a rogue.
He shook the Poké Ball in his hand, glancing occasionally at the monitor. Of
the four generals of Team Rocket, only his name hadn't appeared on the team's roster.
Only Team Rocket executives had seen his true form; he often disguised himself as others, his most notorious disguise being Giovanni, stationed at the Viridian Gym.
This was why the Kanto League hadn't suspected Giovanni for years.
On the day of the explosion in Goldenrod City, 'Gym Leader Giovanni' was competing in a gym battle at the Viridian Gym. How could such a philanthropist become a member of Team Rocket?
"Lance and Apollo are always out on missions, I want to see the League in action too."
"After all, Lance's shiny Gyarados is a product of our research."
"You tell me… shouldn't Lance thank us?"
Darram suddenly thought of something and said this half-jokingly.
They specialized in machines for forced genetic evolution, and the shiny Gyarados in Lance's hands was a product of their use of ultrasound to slaughter tens of thousands of Magikarp.
Darram was also present when Lance invaded Team Rocket's base, and he even thoughtfully let Lance go deep inside to destroy a lot of useless materials. The truly useful materials had long been moved away by Darram.
"That Gyarados was a very successful research project."
Athena didn't refute it; she only knew that the Pokémon research was very successful.
It's a pity that it didn't force that old guy from Kaji Town to take action.
The dignified Kaji Town Gym Leader, after such a big incident, still stayed in the gym; that old guy was definitely not as simple as he seemed on the surface.
Coupled with the information Apollo had sent recently, Athena was even more certain of this.
Darram was unaware of this, for no other reason than that.
As one of Team Rocket's four generals, Darram was born in Johto and was a recently transferred officer from the Johto Team Rocket base. Athena didn't trust Darram.
"Hmm?"
A message came through Athena's communicator. She frowned slightly and looked at Darram behind her.
"What happened?"
Darram, abandoning his previous flippancy, stepped forward and asked.
"Lance left the Indigo Plateau and went to Macha City. Now he's heading towards Celadon City."
"He'll be in Celadon City today."
Lance's face showed that as long as Team Rocket members were hidden among the crowd, investigating Lance's movements wouldn't be difficult. This guy coming to Celadon City wasn't a good thing.
"Let him come. We're not going to expose ourselves."
Darram didn't take it to heart. Even if Lance was strong, he couldn't possibly know the future.
If he could, he wouldn't have spent so many years investigating the Johto region before finally finding the Team Rocket base in Kagi Town.
"I'm afraid that guy already knows,"
Athena said gravely, her brow furrowed.
She pressed a red button on the table, and the entire Team Rocket base erupted in a series of explosions—a sound to divert attention.
Simultaneously, the arcade machines in Rainbow City also started making noise, causing panic among the managers who hastily chased away visitors.
"Hmm?"
Lance was now standing at Rainbow City, accompanied by a trainer who seemed carefree and kept glancing at the machines.
This news about Team Rocket was her doing.
If Bai Yu were here, he would recognize him—it was Xiao Lan, who had visited the Marshall Gym once before but hadn't participated in a gym battle.
"Mr. Lance, let's wait a bit," Xiao Lan said, regretting her earlier actions. She should have notified the other Elite Four members; who would have thought Lance would be so impatient?
Daring to challenge the entire Team Rocket base single-handedly, Xiao Lan knew the base's layout—there were at least a hundred ordinary Team Rocket members inside.
Several high-ranking officers were deep within the base. Besides, Xiao Lan had heard there was an exceptionally powerful Pokémon inside—a legendary being—and they had brazenly barged in.
"Wait?" Lance's eyes flashed red as he threw out his Poké Ball. Dragonite
appeared beside Xiao Lan, its roar filling the air. Dragonite displayed a powerful aura, causing Xiao Lan to retreat repeatedly. She truly regretted not telling the Elite Four.
Lance was far too reckless.
"Thunder Punch!"
Lance's words fell.
Dragonite's right fist crackled with electricity as it slammed into the wall with tremendous force.
Boom! The sound of Ironhide colliding with Thunder Punch echoed. A dent appeared in Ironhide, and the poster covering it shattered instantly.
The explosion within the game city quickly attracted the attention of the administrators.
They each held a Poké Ball, their faces grim.
"Yuhong Game City! I never imagined it'd be controlled by these rats."
"A bunch of filthy, disgusting rats!"
"Enjoy the last rays of light in this world!"
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(End of Chapter)