Grey rubbed his chin and asked, "How about this? I count down from three, and then we rush them together."
"Rush them?"
Caitlin's eyes blinked faster, clearly captivated by what Grey had just said.
As the pampered daughter of a wealthy Sinnoh family, the sort of upbringing she had always received was all about noble etiquette.
And something like the way Grey put it—"rush them"—was the kind of phrase that would never come up in her world.
Because that sort of wording was considered crude and unrefined, completely out of character for a proper young lady.
But now that Grey had said it first, Caitlin's rebellious streak was instantly set ablaze.
"I'm fine with it."
Sabrina gave a slight nod. She had done plenty of this sort of thing in Kanto already—taking down villainous groups was hardly new to her.
Especially after working with Grey to capture Team Rocket before. That experience had been oddly unforgettable, and now that they had a chance to deal with another region's criminal organization together, it definitely had its own appeal.
That said...
Why did it always happen in alleys like this whenever they were arresting members of an evil organization?
Couldn't it happen somewhere with more people around for once...?
Sabrina had started wanting a bit of public attention herself now. She wanted the world to know that psychic powers, in the hands of a psychic, could absolutely be used for good.
"Then I'm starting the countdown."
Grey reached toward his waist, and a red-and-white Poké Ball dropped into his palm.
"Three..."
Caitlin considered which Pokémon she should send out.
"Two..."
Sabrina made her choice as well.
"One..."
The three of them threw their Poké Balls at once, and three bursts of red light exploded in the narrow alley.
"Lucario, Aura Sphere!"
"Gothitelle, Psyshock!"
"Alakazam, Dazzling Gleam!"
Three Pokémon with Elite Four-level strength appeared at once, and three completely different moves were unleashed simultaneously, blasting Team Plasma's members into complete disarray.
In the blink of an eye, the Team Plasma grunts were all down. Their ability to act had been completely stripped away, and none of them could continue fighting.
"Enemy attack! All units, pay att—?"
A Team Plasma lookout hidden above tried to warn the others, but apparently...
there was no real fighting force left to warn.
He even pulled out his phone, trying to contact headquarters.
But—
"Luca!"
Lucario leaped up, chopped him viciously across the back of the neck, and knocked him out on the spot.
Grey and the two girls stepped out from behind the cardboard boxes, walked past the Team Plasma members sprawled all over the ground, and fixed their eyes on the path ahead.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
At that moment, three figures flashed into view and surrounded Grey, Sabrina, and Caitlin in a triangular formation.
In an instant, Grey felt his aura power being weakened.
"What do you two think?"
Grey made no attempt to lower his voice.
"It looks like the psychic powers I can use have been weakened somewhat, but... it's nothing serious."
Caitlin looked perfectly fine, her golden hair swaying slightly with the movement of her psychic power.
"Same here. It's annoying, but nothing important. What about you?"
Sabrina's black hair billowed with psychic force as she asked Grey about his condition.
"Me? I'm fine too. It's barely worth mentioning."
Grey waved a hand, then suddenly released a burst of aura power that forced the three figures staggering backward several steps.
Only then did their appearance become fully clear.
Grey took a closer look and realized they were three assassin-like men dressed almost identically in ninja garb.
Their outfits matched perfectly. Black masks covered most of their faces, and cold expressions showed in the parts left exposed. Pale white hair spilled down from the tops of their heads. Their upper bodies were wrapped in tight-fitting clothing, while their lower halves wore loose trousers and tabi-like footwear.
Grey recognized them immediately.
The Shadow Triad of Team Plasma—members specifically trained under Ghetsis for assassination work.
Their strength was roughly around the Elite Four tier. Like Team Rocket's four commanders, they were not especially good at fighting head-on.
What they did have were special abilities.
When the three of them surrounded someone in a triangular formation, they could create a special force field that would lock down whoever was trapped inside it.
If it had been anyone else, they might really have been pinned in place.
But unfortunately for them, the people they had surrounded this time were three human monsters.
They had run straight into their worst possible matchup.
"Tch..."
The Shadow Triad member standing in front frowned deeply. Their three-man formation had always worked flawlessly before, yet now it couldn't restrain this one man and two women at all.
They were certain that even Alder—that guy in Unova who could jump off a cliff every day and walk it off like nothing had happened—would still be held in place by this move.
This was the formation they had always been proud of.
And yet now?
Just maintaining the stance was already taking effort.
Had the outside world changed that much?
"This is getting boring. Do you have any other tricks?"
Grey waved a hand impatiently. If the Shadow Triad had nothing else to offer, then it was about time he dealt with them himself.
"Second. Third. Go."
The moment the words fell, three Poké Balls hit the ground at the same time.
Three humanoid Pokémon appeared, standing firmly in place.
Their bodies were covered in blade-like structures, and they wore deep crimson armor, resembling samurai from ancient Sinnoh—or rather, Hisui.
[Pokémon: Bisharp]
[Type: Dark / Steel]
[Level: 61 / 62 / 63]
[Ability: Pressure]
[Moves: Omitted]
Three Bisharp, all with Pressure.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The moment they came out, Lucario—who had already been waiting at the side—dropped all three of them instantly.
They didn't even stay cool for three seconds.
The Shadow Triad: "..."
An awkward silence fell.
Their Pokémon couldn't win, and their control technique couldn't hold anyone either.
This was bad. They had run into people way out of their league.
That was the thought that appeared in all three Shadow Triad members' minds.
"Well, since you're out of options, don't blame me for not holding back."
Grey's lips curled upward.
Lucario, Gothitelle, and Alakazam moved together and wiped out the Shadow Triad as well.
With that, every Team Plasma member in Castelia City's alley had been rendered unable to fight.
"Wow, you're amazing!"
A girl with fair skin and brown hair tied into two bun-like loops poked her head out from inside a café.
Blinking her eyes, she looked at the young man in front of her and let out an admiring exclamation.
Grey turned toward the voice.
He saw her clearly now.
The girl stepped out of the café. In addition to the hairstyle already mentioned, she wore a long-sleeved top, along with a yellow pleated skirt, black tights, pink socks, and blue sneakers.
"Hi, everyone! My name is Rosa! I'm from Aspertia City! I'm a Trainer who just started traveling this year!"
The girl's name was Rosa. Warm and cheerful, she eagerly introduced herself to everyone.
Then she stepped over the "bodies" of the Team Plasma members, walked right up to Grey, grabbed his hand, and said excitedly,
"You're Gym Leader Grey, right? I've heard so much about you! Could I please get your autograph?"
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