Chapter 2: Koffing

"Boom, boom, boom," thunder continuously roars, and streaks of lightning tear across the sky as the rain intensifies.

In a corner of the abandoned construction site, a tall, bedraggled young man faces a group of large rats surrounding him with menacing determination.

"Ekans, use Coil, then Acid Spray," Noah Ryuzaki sneers at the timid Raticate and Rattata around him, noticing that Ekans's Intimidate ability has taken effect. Since they chose not to attack all at once, he won't hesitate to strike first, commanding Ekans to enhance its abilities.

Ekans quickly coils its body, a glow indicating its boosted power. The intimidation from Ekans grows stronger, causing some of the more cowardly Rattata to retreat. Only the lead Raticate's presence keeps them from fleeing outright.

But they soon regret not running away as black liquid shoots from the purple serpent's mouth, hitting them like cannonballs. The Rattata hit by the acidic spray dissolve into puddles of goo.

"Raticate!" A massive Raticate, twice the size of an ordinary one, sees its offspring killed and charges at Ekans with Quick Attack, its eyes glinting with cold fury. The remaining three Raticate and five Rattata follow suit, using Quick Attack to rush at Ekans, with several aiming for Noah, their glowing teeth bared.

"Smart, but too late. Ekans, Glare, then finish them off," Noah commands coldly, knowing Ekans's accuracy and power have increased after coiling.

Ekans's icy snake eyes paralyze the attacking Pokémon mid-charge with Glare. Then, swiftly, Ekans bites each paralyzed Pokémon, injecting venom. Purple blotches appear on their bodies as they convulse and die.

Only one Raticate and two Rattata escape the Glare, as they had targeted Noah directly. Seeing their comrades fall, they charge at Noah with blood-red eyes of hatred.

Eknas, having finished Noah's orders, leisurely swallows a freshly killed Rattata, then turns its head to mockingly watch its master.

"Tch, I need to teach you a lesson again. How dare you turn on me. Come out, Koffing, use Rapid Spin," Noah's eyes flash coldly. He pulls out a Poké Ball and releases Koffing.

A Koffing, unlike typical ones, appears with bright eyes and a sinister grin, emitting purple smoke. It chuckles evilly and starts spinning rapidly, knocking back all the Pokémon charging at Noah.

"Good job. Now, kill them with Sludge Bomb," Noah orders with a slight smile, then coldly watches.

Koffing laughs again, spitting out several scalding, smoke-covered sludge balls. They explode on contact with the Pokémon, leaving blackened remains and small craters on the ground.

"Well done, Koffing," Noah praises, gently patting the floating Koffing.

"Koffing, koff," Koffing beams at the praise but quickly reverts to its cunning expression, coldly eyeing Ekans before chuckling again.

"Come here, Ekans," Noah commands icily, his expression stern.

Ekans hesitates, glaring at Noah, but ultimately lowers its head and slithers over. As it approaches, Koffing launches two scalding sludge balls at Ekans.

"Boom, boom," the explosions leave Ekans charred and split in two, its cold eyes filled with terror.

"Disobey again, and I'll kill you. Understand?" Noah presses a foot on Ekans's head. Ekans nods submissively.

"Return," Noah retrieves the nearly dead Ekans. He's unconcerned about its injuries; Ekans's regenerative abilities are strong enough to recover given time and energy, serving as a punishment for its defiance.

An hour later, Caesar gathers the team. Many are missing, casualties from intercepting Mew. Noah's partner, Takuya, is among the dead, though this doesn't surprise Noah, who expected the hothead's demise.

"Your bravery was commendable. Though we failed to capture Mew, we acquired some of its fur, a significant gain. I'll report to headquarters for your 1000-point reward," Caesar announces, holding a glass bottle containing pink fur, likely Mew's.

Rocket members cheer, their excitement satisfying Caesar. He continues with a speech honoring the fallen and glorifying Team Rocket.

"1000 points... just the rewards of the dead given to us survivors. More brainwashing," Noah thinks disdainfully, mingling with the fervent crowd. Unlike the brainwashed members, Noah remains unaffected, his worldview long solidified.

After the ceremony, Caesar leads the remaining members to the base in Fuchsia City.

Fuchsia City Rocket Base, Medical Ward

"You're injured again. You always end up here," a young woman in a nurse's outfit scolds Noah, who sits expressionless.

"Just give me the usual full-body treatment. Deduct the points from my account. And take care of Ekans," Noah replies calmly, eyes closed.

"Fine. Next time, don't come back," she snaps, annoyed, then places Noah in a tank filled with healing liquid. Noah quickly dons a breathing mask and falls asleep as sedative gas fills the tank.

"Why push yourself so hard? This time you nearly suffered internal bleeding. Will you be so lucky next time?" Hanako murmurs worriedly, watching the sleeping, naked Noah float in the tank.

To be continued...