Chapter 110 Athena: Mr. Baiyu, have you ever thought about joining Team Rocket?!
Lt. Surge's delayed arrival to rescue him meant Athena knew he had likely lost.
Ultimately, being underground, he couldn't unleash the full power of his legendary Pokémon.
Losing to Lance wasn't shameful; after all, he was the Johto League Champion.
He had some skills, otherwise he wouldn't have destroyed Team Rocket's base in Kaji Town.
Now, the only way out lay with Baiyu.
"Mr. Baiyu, with your strength, being a mere Gym Leader is a waste of your talent. Why not join Team Rocket?"
Athena followed behind Baiyu, her tone carrying a hint of recruitment.
Baiyu was very strong, yet the League didn't appreciate his abilities.
Joining Team Rocket would be much better. He loved pseudo-legendary Pokémon; if he joined, he could get as many pseudo-legendary baby Pokémon as he wanted—after all, as a high-ranking member of Team Rocket, he had that kind of power.
Besides, Baiyu had defeated Apollo, Lance, and now she herself.
Such a person, once joining Team Rocket, would definitely be highly valued by Boss Giovanni.
"Hmm?" Bai Yu was taken aback and turned to look at Athena behind him.
Even at this point, she was still actively recruiting him.
The mental fortitude of Team Rocket executives was far stronger than that of ordinary trainers.
Xiao Lan and Sabrina also looked at Athena. Even after losing so thoroughly, she still had the mind to recruit Bai Yu. As expected of a high-ranking executive of Team Rocket, she was indeed extraordinary.
"Bai Yu, you mustn't agree. Team Rocket is a super, super evil organization, a bunch of super villains."
"If you join, you'll become a super villain too."
Xiao Lan put her hands on her hips and pointed at Athena.
She had joined a similar organization before, one that committed all sorts of evil deeds, truly villains.
Xiao Lan saw Bai Yu fall silent and felt a little panicked.
She was really afraid that Bai Yu would agree now. If Bai Yu really agreed, she wouldn't be able to leave and would be captured by Bai Yu and taken to Team Rocket.
"Gulp~" Xiao Lan swallowed hard.
She took a small step back, making it easier to escape later.
"Blue, do you think I should join Team Rocket?"
"Ah!"
Blue's face changed drastically upon hearing this. Asking her at this moment, was she going to be caught?
She had finally escaped from Team Rocket, and now she was going to be locked up again?
She didn't want to go through what had happened before.
She should have run away with Lance. Lance hated Team Rocket deeply and would never agree to any of their requests.
Blue was on the verge of tears, reaching out to grab Sabrina's clothes, looking terrified.
Bai Yu couldn't help but find it amusing. What was this quirky little girl thinking?
How could she join Team Rocket?
Team Rocket would be facing Red soon. Even if Giovanni fought Red head-on, he couldn't defeat that guy and was forced to retire to find a new 'god' who could defeat Red.
Crimson's strength had reached its peak; even the protagonist of the Johto region, Little Gold, was no match for her. According to the game's power levels, Crimson's final main force should all be at max level.
"I wonder what Mr. Bai Yu's consideration is?"
"As long as you agree, not only that Eevee, but I can also provide you with some of the Pokémon that can autonomously change forms after we research them."
Athena's words were humble; she was currently at a disadvantage, so naturally she had to promise more benefits.
Athena naturally had the right to provide those researched Pokémon.
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She only needed to give Giovanni the most perfect Pokémon.
The rest were mostly imperfect creations from research.
Bai Yu could do whatever he wanted with the imperfect ones; their low combat power and high life energy consumption meant they wouldn't live long even with careful training.
"Do you think I, Bai Yu, am the kind of trainer who would betray the League?"
"You underestimate me, Bai Yu."
Bai Yu said righteously.
Hearing this, Xiao Lan's tense heart relaxed slightly.
She patted her somewhat flat chest and stomach and stepped out from behind Sabrina.
"You scared me to death, Bai Yu. I thought… you were really going to agree to this ugly woman's request."
Xiao Lan's cheerful expression showed she had regained her previous energy.
She was genuinely afraid Bai Yu would agree to become a member of Team Rocket.
Her current strength was inferior to Red and the others; Bai Yu's displayed strength was quite astonishing. Even Sabrina, known as the Queen of Psychic Power, wouldn't be a match for him when he teamed up with Athena.
Besides… Sabrina had come with Bai Yu.
Why would she help her?
"You little brat with a sharp tongue! Once I get out of here, I'll tear your mouth apart! "
Athena stared intently at Xiao Lan, her face dark.
"You stinky old hag~ hehehe."
Xiao Lan hid behind Sabrina, making faces at Athena.
She knew Athena's thoughts better than anyone. Now that Bai Yu was backing her up, Athena couldn't do anything too outrageous.
"Ahem~ I meant I need more money."
"I also want pseudo-legendary Pokémon and legendary Pokémon from other regions."
Bai Yu raised an eyebrow at Athena. He also wanted to know if there were any good things in this Team Rocket base. After all, it was Team Rocket's official base in the Kanto region.
Besides that Eevee, there shouldn't be only a Beldum.
There must be other good things, but Bai Yu didn't know where they were.
"Mr. Baiyu, you know that pseudo-legendary Pokémon are rare and hard to come by. The ones we got earlier have already been sold at high prices, except for that Beldum, which we haven't had a chance to give away yet."
"As for legendary Pokémon… Mr. Baiyu, you're joking. How could Team Rocket possibly possess legendary Pokémon?"
Athena said with a dry laugh.
Damn it, if I had a legendary Pokémon, you wouldn't be able to beat me.
Want a legendary Pokémon? Why don't you just get me a Ho-Oh to play with? Is this gym leader out of his mind, asking such an outrageous question?
No way, this time when I go back, I absolutely have to carry a few more Voltorb.
Those Chakra guys were able to escape from the League thanks to those Voltorb and Weezing Pokémon. Athena hadn't paid much attention to them before, but now it seems she has to have those Pokémon on hand.
Otherwise, if she can't win, she won't even know how to escape.
"What a trash organization, they don't even have a single legendary Pokémon."
"I thought Team Rocket was invincible, able to get any Pokémon, but now it seems they're nothing special."
Baiyu still wanted to extort more from Team Rocket.
It seems there aren't as many things inside Team Rocket's base as imagined.
The research facility has clearly been moved; there are only some common Pokémon left.
Xiao Lan even caught a Ditto, and the rest are mostly Pidgeotto, Caterpie, and the like. Bai Yu released those Pokémon, and they all escaped the research facility.
"Bai Yu~ Did you bring your Vulpix?"
Xiao Lan was itching to get her hands on it; she'd been looking forward to that Ice Vulpix for a long time.
Its snow-white appearance was unlike anything she'd ever seen before; it was much cuter than her Torterra.
If she hadn't mistaken Sabrina for a Team Rocket executive and left Martha City that day, avoiding that blunder, she would have sneaked into the Martha City Gym that night and stolen the Ice Vulpix.
"No, I know what you're thinking."
Bai Yu raised an eyebrow; this little girl was actually eyeing his Pokémon.
That Ice Vulpix was one he'd finally managed to catch.
"It can't be stolen! I've already cleared the Alola region. To catch it again, I'll need to clear the Galar map and do a second playthrough.
" "Do you think I'm that kind of person?" Xiao Lan scoffed, sounding a little unsure.
She just wanted to pet that Ice Vulpix; it was just too cute. Even
her regular Vulpix wasn't that adorable.
Of course… Xiao Lan also had a tiny bit of possessiveness in her heart.
Bai Yu led Athena out of Rainbow Game City.
Seeing Team Rocket members emerge, Li Jia became more interested and moved closer to Bai Yu. She had seen Bai Yu on the resort island before; after all, his match with Xiao Mao had caused quite a stir.
"I remember you. You're the trainer who battled Professor Oak's grandson."
Li Jia was somewhat surprised. She had been stationed at the entrance of Rainbow Game City and hadn't seen Bai Yu enter. Could it be that he, like Lance, had entered Team Rocket's base beforehand?
"I didn't expect Gym Leader Rika to know me."
"I'm Bai Yu, the Gym Leader of Martha City. Nice to meet
you." Bai Yu was a little surprised; this should be their first meeting.
Rika's eyes sparkled with curiosity about Bai Yu.
Bai Yu's strength displayed on the resort island was outstanding, but not at the Elite Four level. Being able to catch a high-ranking member of Team Rocket was already beyond the Elite Four level.
Such strength, yet only a Gym Leader, was a pity in Rika's heart. After all, an Elite Four-level trainer could be an Elite Four member in any region.
Bai Yu was just the Gym Leader of a small gym. Lance, also an Elite Four-level trainer, had become one of the Elite Four members of the league. It was a pity...
"I saw you at the Gym Tournament held on the resort island back then."
"I was standing next to you when you were competing against Professor Oak's grandson, next to Elite Four member Akiko."
Rika said softly. The Gym Tournament was just a small episode.
Apart from last year's somewhat interesting match, the rest of the Gym Tournaments ended hastily.
Ordinary gym leaders are no match for the eight gyms.
Very few can actually defeat them. When it comes to gym honor, every gym leader will fight with all their might, and the eight gym leaders are no exception; they show no mercy.
"Saria~ Long time no see, you're here too."
Rika noticed Sabrina behind Bai Yu and walked up to her briskly.
The two had known each other for a long time. Every time Sabrina came to Celadon City, Rika would give her some of her homemade perfumes. The perfumes were of very high quality, and this exchange had kept them in touch.
Rika sometimes joked about Sabrina becoming one of the Kanto Elite Four, since rumors of Agatha Christie's retirement had been circulating among the eight gyms, and they just needed a suitable successor.
This made it understandable if Sabrina entered Team Rocket's base with Bai Yu, since Bai Yu's previous display of strength hadn't reached Elite Four level.
Sabrina, on the other hand, was a genuine Elite Four level fighter; with her strength, defeating high-ranking Team Rocket officers wouldn't be difficult.
"Gym Leader Rika, I'm leaving that Team Rocket executive in your care."
"Keep a close eye on them. Last time, Team Rocket escaped from prison; they can't escape again. If they do, Lance will be furious."
Bai Yu pointed to Athena beside him. Team Rocket's escape skills were definitely top-notch.
Before, when he saw the trio escape, he thought it was just their natural talent.
Now it seems that escaping was probably their first lesson, after all, preserving themselves is crucial for their future plans.
Damn it… that guy even had someone else keep a close watch on them.
I took Apollo and Lance out with me before; I wonder if Apollo will sneak into the prison to rescue me this time.
Athena's face darkened further. She knew the layout of Rainbow Prison well, but to escape, she still needed a Team Rocket executive to help her.
As for Rika, Athena didn't take her seriously. To have managed to stay in Celadon City for so long and operate such a well-hidden Team Rocket base, she really thought Athena was doing all this for nothing. Athena knew Rika inside and out. Rika's
strength was only slightly stronger than an average gym leader, still a short distance from Elite Four level. Trying to stop Team Rocket executives was nothing but wishful thinking.
"You don't need to worry about that, Gym Leader Baiyu. This is Celadon City's responsibility,"
Rika nodded, looking at Athena.
She had sparred with Athena a few times in Celadon City before; Athena's strength was considerable, or rather, the strength of Team Rocket executives was considerable.
They were indeed a menace. Faced with such a menace, Rika could only ask the League President for his opinion. She only had authority over Celadon City; other matters needed the League President's attention.
"Gym Leader Rika, did it rain just now? The ground looks a bit damp, and there are more thunderclouds in the sky,"
Baiyu noticed, also seeing the damp roads and the dark clouds moving in another direction.
When they first arrived in Yuhong City, the sky was perfectly clear, and they hadn't seen a single thundercloud.
Moreover, those thunderclouds looked somewhat familiar, as if they'd seen them somewhere before.
"I'd also like to know," Lijia said, "the sky suddenly filled with dark thunderclouds, and those thunderclouds were particularly concentrated, appearing only above Yuhong Game City, and only recently dissipating."
She wasn't quite sure either; the thunderclouds' appearance was too abrupt.
She had even assumed Zapdos had appeared within Yuhong City's borders, fearing some unnecessary damage might occur.
Unexpectedly, the thunderclouds arrived and dissipated quickly, with only a little rain falling in between, though there was a lot of lightning within them.
"Is that so?"
Bai Yu looked in the direction where the thunderclouds had dissipated.
Scenes from the resort island from before flashed through his mind. If Bai Yu wasn't mistaken, Zapdos should have appeared in Yuhong City just now.
In the entire Kanto region, only Zapdos's appearance was accompanied by those thunderclouds, but those thunderclouds had been hanging over Yuhong Game City without Zapdos being seen.
Zapdos wouldn't appear underground, would it?
Bai Yu paused, as if he had thought of something.
Athena had mentioned 'god' earlier, and Bai Yu had always assumed that 'god' referred to Mewtwo, since Mewtwo was the only legendary Pokémon in the Kanto region, while Anemo and Lugia strictly belonged to the Johto region.
Ho-Oh, this legendary Pokémon, strictly speaking, didn't belong to any region; Ho-Oh could be seen in any region.
After all, the title of photographer wasn't given lightly.
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(End of Chapter)