Kubfu lightly tapped the ground. With Flying-type energy enhancing it, it suddenly pushed off with force, leaping high toward the side of a nearby building and using the terrain advantage to dodge at high speed.
Whoosh!
The Shadow Ball brushed past Grey's cheek.
Haunter's expression changed, and it hurriedly apologized.
"It's fine. Even if it hit me, it wouldn't do much damage."
Grey waved it off.
It was only a Shadow Ball from a level 30 Haunter.
Even if a level 50 Gengar came over, it would not do much damage to him.
"Kekekeke." (As long as you're all right.)
Haunter also breathed a sigh of relief.
Then it focused on Kubfu again.
By then, Kubfu had already arrived above Haunter's head.
Flying-type air currents gathered around its foot as it came cleaving down hard toward Haunter's head.
"Kek!"
Haunter raised both hands to protect its head. The instant it made contact with Kubfu's fierce chop, it felt a tremendous force slam into it.
Bang!
Haunter was embedded into the ground like a cannonball.
Kubfu looked smug.
But then it suddenly sensed something was wrong.
"You're too confident."
Grey folded his arms. This battle was between Kubfu and Haunter, so he would not step in to help.
Kubfu really did need to be disciplined properly.
Otherwise, it would never let anyone relax.
Although Grey did not really want to use this phrase, he still had to say it, a loss was a blessing.
Kubfu needed to suffer a little.
Otherwise, once it evolved into Urshifu, what would happen then?
"Kek!"
Haunter freely shuttled through the dark night, reaching Kubfu in an instant. Its eyes turned blue, rippling outward in wave-like patterns.
The Psychic-type move, Hypnosis!
"Bea..."
Kubfu's head grew dizzy.
It looked like it was about to fall asleep.
But when it thought of Grey standing behind it, and how it had dragged him over here to watch its successful revenge, it absolutely could not fall here.
Kubfu bit its tongue, forcing itself awake and breaking through the deadlock of being about to fall asleep.
"Kek?"
Haunter was greatly shocked and forgot to counterattack for a moment.
Kubfu's forehead suddenly flashed with a metallic gleam, giving off a hardness that made it almost impossible to look at directly. Then it slammed its head down with full force.
Clang!
Haunter was smashed into the ground once again.
"Bea!"
Kubfu had just been about to press its advantage. One of its hands was already covered in powerful electricity, but Grey lifted it up with one hand.
"That's enough."
Grey rubbed Kubfu's head and raised his hand, releasing a wave of power.
Whoosh.
The smoke dispersed.
Haunter struggled to stand.
"Bea?"
"Kek?"
Both Kubfu and Haunter failed to understand.
"The outcome of this battle has already been decided. The matter between you two isn't anything major either. Haunter, I'll give you ten Berries as compensation."
Grey took out the Berry pouch he carried with him and handed Haunter some Oran Berries and other similar Berries.
"Kek!" (This many?! Boss, these Berries are too much. Your Kubfu didn't eat that many. I can just take two or three and leave.)
Haunter hurriedly refused.
It knew its limits and only took what it deserved.
Two or three Berries were enough compensation.
"It's fine. Treat the extra ones as payment for helping me with something."
Grey thought for a moment, then said to Haunter, "If it comes back later, train with it for a bit. These Berries will count as your payment. How does that sound?"
Training day after day, year after year, would indeed bring improvement.
But if one only did that, the progress definitely would not be too great.
Grey was thinking of having Haunter help as a sparring partner.
If it had friends or anything like that, even better. He could find Kubfu a few different opponents and increase its real combat experience.
"Kek!" (Of course, no problem!)
Haunter agreed at once.
"Big Bear, you'll stay here, then."
Big Bear was the name Grey had just given Kubfu Number One.
"Bea?" (Huh?)
Before Kubfu could react, Grey had already left.
...
...
"Let me see... Scraggy should be with Hitmontop."
Scraggy was a Pokémon Grey had casually caught back when he was traveling through the desert in Unova.
Grey had not met it many times.
Today was a good time to go see how it was doing.
Scraggy was fairly easy to find.
It was beside a pond, staring at its reflection on the water's surface.
"Yo, Scraggy. What are you doing?"
"Scraggy..." (I... don't know what I should be doing.)
Scraggy was a little lost.
Of course, it was not lost because it had been caught.
It had always been in a rather lost state.
Back then, it had been lost in the desert too, and that was why Grey caught it.
What were Pokémon born for?
Weren't they supposed to battle often after being caught?
Then why did I do nothing but eat and sleep every day?
A life like this...
It feels kind of boring.
Scraggy really wanted to find something for itself to do.
Earlier, it had gone to Machamp, thinking it could carry bricks and help rebuild the Gym.
However, because of the loose skin on its body, it could never carry the bricks properly.
Its efficiency was terrible.
Later, it also thought about patrolling Saffron City with Poliwrath.
But once again, because of its skin, it could not keep up with the other Pokémon's pace.
Until now.
Scraggy felt that its days had nothing to look forward to. It felt like every day was nothing but eating and sleeping.
Sigh.
It could see its entire life at a glance. It felt like this would be the rest of its existence.
Grey was speechless.
So you don't even like living the easy life?
Still, everyone had their own aspirations.
Before he transmigrated, there was a saying he liked.
Everyone has their own dream, and every life shines in its own way.
Since Scraggy wanted to find some work for itself, then he, Grey, would find something for Scraggy to do.
Hmm...
What kind of work would be suitable for Scraggy?
Grey thought.
What was Saffron City still lacking right now?
Positions like bodyguard definitely would not work.
Then maybe...
He could take another path and have Scraggy walk the road of the underworld?
That was right!
Scraggy's evolved form was Scrafty.
Although judging by appearances was not very good, honestly, that path really did suit Scrafty.
Right now, there were some powerful wild Pokémon in Saffron City.
For the current Scraggy, they would be somewhat difficult to handle.
Difficulty was a good thing.
It could give Scraggy the motivation to move forward.
Yes!
Exactly!
Thinking of this, Grey gave himself a thumbs-up in his heart.
He bent down, patted Scraggy's head, and immediately asked, "Scraggy, have you ever thought about becoming a leader?"
"Scraggy?" (A leader? I can't do that! The Pokémon in the Gym are too strong. I can't even beat Kubfu!)
Scraggy hurriedly shook its head and refused.
With its level, becoming a leader?
It would already be lucky if others did not kick it aside like some random thing on the roadside.
If possible, it still wanted to live a little longer.
Grey was speechless.
"Ahem. I'm not saying you should become the leader of the Gym. I mean becoming the leader of Saffron City's wild Pokémon."
Grey explained it to Scraggy.
"Scraggy?" (You mean you want me to create an organization, then gather those Pokémon wandering outside into my own organization?)
Scraggy had strong comprehension skills.
Grey had only given a simple explanation, but Scraggy already understood what he meant.
"That's right. Exactly. But if you want to gather them under you, you have to rely on your own strength. You can't borrow the Gym's power. Of course, if some blind fool wants to bully you, and the fault lies with the other Pokémon, you can call over the Gym's Pokémon to hold the line."
Grey wanted to play a long game.
Most of the Team Rocket members in Saffron City had been arrested.
But there were still a small number of Team Rocket members scurrying around like rats in the gutter, impossible to completely catch.
The black market was rampant.
Even though the Pokémon under Grey had searched through batch after batch, the black market would pop up somewhere else the very next day.
As far as Grey knew, Team Rocket also had ties with some wild Pokémon in Saffron City.
As for which Pokémon they were, Grey did not know yet.
So, he might as well let Scraggy get involved.
Then, once the time came to close the net, he would wipe out all the remaining Team Rocket members in one go.
Hmm, not bad.
That was the way. Excellent.
Grey felt there was nothing wrong with his idea.
He just did not know what Scraggy thought of it.
Whether it was willing to become this kind of "man behind the scenes."
"Scraggy..." (So that means I can become the underground emperor later, right...?)
Scraggy swallowed.
If it could really make this work, then it would definitely get busy later, right?
It, Scraggy, loved being busy!
Living the easy life?
Absolutely not!
"Yes. It depends on whether you want to do it or not. If you don't want to become this underground emperor, I'll find another Pokémon."
"Scraggy!" (I'll do it! I'll do it! Besides me, I don't think any other Pokémon can handle this mission! Protecting Saffron City's underground security is my duty!)
Scraggy stood perfectly straight.
One hand saluted while the other held up its loose skin so it would not sag down.
"Good. I have high hopes for you. Do your best!"
Grey gave Scraggy a firm thumbs-up.
Now he could simply wait until it was time to close the net.
Speaking of which...
There should not be some kind of plot where Scraggy becomes the head of the black market and then tells him all its business is perfectly legitimate, right?
Some plots Grey had seen online in his previous life suddenly popped into his mind.
Surely it would not be that ridiculous, right?
No, he still needed to pay attention.
Thinking of this, Grey looked at Hitmontop beside him, who was swaying around like it had drunk something suspicious.
"Topo?" (Boss, what's wrong?)
Hitmontop was slightly confused.
Grey had been chatting normally with Scraggy, so why did he suddenly look at it?
"Hitmontop, come over here for a second. I have a mission for you."
Grey smiled.
Hitmontop scratched its head and followed him over.
"Hitmontop. Here's the situation. Do you understand?"
Grey told Hitmontop his idea.
"Topo." (You want me to keep a close eye on Scraggy and also act as something like its guardian?)
Hitmontop's comprehension was pretty good.
It knew why Grey was saying this.
He was afraid Scraggy might forget where it came from.
Grey nodded. "More or less. I'll have to trouble you to look after this kid."
"Topo." (No problem. If that kid forgets itself, I'll definitely beat it awake.)
Hitmontop patted its chest and agreed at once.
"Okay. Thanks."
Grey still trusted Hitmontop.
At the same time, this guy's strength was already among the top in Saffron City.
Aside from the group in the Gym, with the rest of the wild Pokémon being at Gym Leader level at most, Hitmontop could crush those wild Pokémon several times over.
"Topo." (Got it. Boss, when are you coming next time?)
Hitmontop felt like it had not seen Grey for quite a while, and it did not know when they would meet again.
"Hmm..."
Grey pondered.
Only then did he answer, "The next time I come back."
Hitmontop was confused.
Wasn't that just saying the same thing?
"All right, I'm going to check on the other partners and see how they're doing. You two have fun."
Grey waved.
There were still a few Pokémon he needed to see.
Next, he was heading east, near Lavender Town.
...
...
Kanto region, Viridian City.
"Grey has already returned to Saffron City?"
Standing in front of Giovanni was a woman with a rounded bob.
This person was Matori.
She was also one of the few high-ranking executives who had not been arrested.
"That's right. Also, the Aether Foundation is about to head to Saffron City. Boss, do you think we should make contact with them?"
Matori gently pushed up her glasses.
The plan to go to the Alola region had been formulated by her.
At first, Giovanni had treated this plan as ordinary.
But now that Team Rocket could barely move an inch in the two major regions of Kanto and Johto, the development of the Alola region had become urgent.
As a result, that plan's importance had risen accordingly.
And now, they just so happened to be able to take advantage of the Aether Foundation's visit to the Kanto region by using the Rainbow Group, a legitimate identity, to establish contact.
Then, once they found the right opportunity, they could have Team Rocket quietly infiltrate the Alola region.
After that, they could slowly build up.
Until they had enough power to clash head-on with the Kanto region.
"Hmm. Do as you think best. Go ahead and handle it."
Giovanni's tone sounded somewhat tired.
Grey's Reshiram had made him understand the gap between them.
The only thing that could deal with a top-tier Legendary was another top-tier Legendary.
Then what he needed to do now was develop Mewtwo's strength.
The resources required for that were astronomical.
Now, under the Kanto League's watch, it was already impossible to gather resources on a large scale in Kanto.
Only the not-yet-fully-developed Alola region could satisfy the needs of raising Mewtwo.
Matori's face lit up, and she hurriedly said, "Boss, then I'll spend the next few days drafting a new plan and a personnel list."
"Mm."
Giovanni waved his hand, signaling for Matori to withdraw.
Only he remained in the enormous office.
Giovanni made a slight disguise, making himself look potbellied, then opened the screen in front of him and dialed a number.
"Yo, Uncle. What made you think of calling me? Perfect timing. In a few days, Team Magma and Team Aqua are going to do something big. If you're free, come over. I believe you definitely won't come away empty-handed from this trip."
On the screen, a girl wearing a black short-sleeved top, brown tight pants, and a tattered cloak teased him.
If Matori had still been there, she definitely would have told the girl not to be rude.
But Giovanni had no objection.
On the contrary, he greeted her with a smile.
"Since it's your invitation, Zinnia, then even if I don't have time, I'll make time."
The girl was none other than Zinnia of the Draconid people.
"Hahaha, you really are nice, Uncle. Once you arrive in the Hoenn region, call me again. I'll come find you then, and we can talk in detail in person."
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.