Chapter 32: Darkrai

At this moment, the S.S. Anne was in complete chaos. Various Pokémon were engaged in an all-out battle in the main hall, with Team Rocket clashing fiercely against the trainers.

"Evil Team Rocket! I'll defeat you right now!"

"Pikachu! Use Thunder Shock!"

"Charmander, Ember!"

Ash, full of energy, commanded his two Pokémon.

Electricity sparked from Pikachu as it shot out a stream of lightning, while Charmander puffed up its belly and spat out small fireballs.

"Heh, kid, do you think such weak attacks can make a difference?"

A Team Rocket member smirked disdainfully, his shadowy face filled with scorn.

The Thunder Shock and Ember hit the floating Weezing, but it only wobbled slightly, barely affected.

This Weezing was quite strong; this Team Rocket member was one of the top in the hall.

"Damn it!!" Ash gritted his teeth, feeling the pressure.

"Let me show you what real power is…"

The Team Rocket member sneered, about to boast, when a sudden, fierce flame surged at Weezing, engulfing it completely.

After an explosion, Weezing, charred black and emitting smoke, crashed to the ground with spinning eyes.

It… it was taken down in one hit?

The Team Rocket member was stunned!

"Red!" Ash looked overjoyed at Red, who wasn't far away. It was his Charizard's Flamethrower that had just taken down Weezing.

Red adjusted his cap, glancing at the still-dazed Team Rocket member.

Who does this guy think he is, trying to bully my little brother?

"D-Damn it!"

The Team Rocket member finally snapped back to reality, taking two steps back, gritting his teeth.

Damn, there's a big shot here!

On the other side:

"If this Charizard were in the game, it'd be at least level 45, maybe even Elite Four-level… And it's not even May yet. This guy's a total monster~" Dylan mused, glancing at Red and Ash while battling a Team Rocket member. Watching the powerful Charizard dominate the battlefield, knocking out opponents like they were nothing, he couldn't help but sigh.

The gap between people is even bigger than the gap between humans and dogs!

There were still six months until the Indigo League, yet Red was already at the level of an Elite Four trainer.

No doubt, by the end of the year, Red would reach Champion level.

But luckily, Dylan had his own advantages, including a trump card he carried with him.

Dylan shifted his gaze to the three Team Rocket members in front of him.

Noticing his look, the three Team Rocket members instinctively took a step back, their bodies tense and sweating.

"Aren't you going to attack?" Dylan asked curiously, puzzled by their ghostly expressions.

The three Team Rocket members, already pale, turned even whiter when they saw the two Pokémon in front of Dylan.

A terrifying Arbok, over four meters long, was hissing menacingly at them.

They knew this Arbok well.

The other was a sinister black, humanoid lizard with a long, wicked grin that seemed to stretch to its eyes—a truly terrifying sight!

It was a Salazzle, the evolved form of Salandit. After some time of training, Dylan's Pokémon had grown significantly stronger, with several evolving.

"W-We're out of Pokémon… They've all been defeated. Maybe you could go deal with someone else?" the tall Rocket member in the middle suggested nervously, trying to smile through his fear.

Whose idea was it to bring such a terrifying trainer onto the ship?!

All of their Pokémon had been taken out by Arbok and Salazzle. How could they possibly attack? Should they just throw themselves at him?

Ilene watched the three Rocket members with a strange look. So these were the notorious Team Rocket members...

"But if I'm not mistaken, each of you has only used three Pokémon," Dylan said, raising an eyebrow.

"Bro, we really don't have any left! We're not exactly proper trainers, so we didn't fill our teams," the chubby Rocket member on the left said with a pained expression.

"Is Team Rocket's treatment that bad? They don't even give you a full roster," Dylan remarked, genuinely feeling sorry for their lousy treatment.

"Yeah, yeah! Team Rocket sucks; it's not worth staying!"

The skinny Rocket member on the right nodded vigorously.

The other two Rocket members: "…"

"Alright then," Dylan said, amused, not pressing them any further.

"Remember to study hard, be a good citizen, and stay away from Team Rocket. They have no future; look to the League instead."

"Y-Yes, you're absolutely right!"

"We'll definitely be good people from now on!"

"If anyone dares bully a kid, I'll smack them myself!"

The tall, chubby, and skinny Rocket members all swore fervently.

"These guys are pretty funny," Dylan chuckled, watching them flee.

"Dylan, you're amazing~" Ilene said happily, feeling completely at ease with Dylan around.

"These were just grunts; we can't let our guard down yet," Dylan cautioned, recalling Arbok while keeping Salazzle out for protection in the chaotic situation.

Compared to the regular Rocket members, Archer was the real threat on this ship.

Dylan pondered for a moment. Although he had a powerful ace up his sleeve, it wasn't easy to get it to act.

In that case…

"Red, Ash," Dylan called, walking toward them. Red's Charizard was simply too strong, having defeated almost all of the Rocket members in the area.

"…"

Red turned his head, his red eyes glimmering as he gazed at Dylan.

It wasn't just Dylan who had been observing Red; Red had also been watching Dylan during the battle. Dylan was strong!

Brock and Misty also approached.

"Wow, Dylan, you're incredible! I saw you easily take down three Rocket members just now," Misty said in awe, especially eyeing Dylan's Arbok. It was incredibly well-developed, with a deep, chilling aura that was anything but ordinary.

"Not bad," Dylan replied humbly.

"Dylan is a Gym Leader at the Rota Gym, so of course, he's strong," Ilene added with a proud smile, her voice as gentle as ever but laced with undeniable pride.

"What? Dylan, you're a Gym Leader?" Ash was shocked, while Brock seemed to have recognized the name "Rota Gym."

"Is it the Rota Gym in Rota?" Brock asked with a strange look.

"Yes, Ash, Red, you should challenge it sometime," Dylan said with a smile.

"Sure! I'll definitely challenge it!" Ash said excitedly. Who would've thought his friend was a Gym Leader? He had to take on the challenge!

Red nodded as well, sensing Dylan's strength. A Gym like that was definitely worth challenging.

"You're always welcome, but for now, let's focus on the task at hand," Dylan said, glancing at the ongoing battle between passengers and Rocket members.

"The situation in the hall is under control, but Archer hasn't shown up yet, so we can't be careless. He's an Executive of Team Rocket and a very dangerous man."

"We need to find Archer. Red and I will search for him, while Ash, you stay here and continue helping the passengers. How does that sound?"

Dylan laid out his plan. Archer, one of the four Executives of Team Rocket, was likely not at Champion level but was probably on par with the Elite Four.

He and Red should be able to take him down. If they could defeat Archer, they could reclaim the S.S. Anne from Team Rocket.

"Okay," Red agreed. Beating all the regular Rocket members here wouldn't matter if Archer wasn't dealt with. He was the real target.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the S.S. Anne:

Boom!

Dark Pulse and Thunderbolt clashed violently, but the next moment, a ghostly purple figure with two pairs of wings glowing white dived swiftly, slamming into the nightmare-like Pokémon.

Darkrai grunted as it was knocked back.

Tobias' face darkened as he looked at the two figures before him.

A fierce-looking Raichu and a Crobat with flashing wings.

"An Executive like Proton, and an unknown Elite Four-level trainer… I'm honored," Tobias said solemnly.

"Given that you're Darkrai's trainer, we had to be careful. We're not really bad people," Proton said with a playful grin, twirling a Poké Ball and looking at Tobias and his Darkrai. His grin widened.

"If you hand over Darkrai, we won't harm you. How does that sound?"

Darkrai! The mythical Pokémon!

Team Rocket wanted it badly.

(End of Chapter)