Red and the secretary quietly arrived at the entrance of the alley, hiding in the shadows as they observed Team Rocket guarding the main entrance of Silph Co. To avoid drawing attention, these Team Rocket members stationed at the entrance were all disguised as company staff. Some were even arranged to pose as pedestrians on the street, greeting the guards at the door as if they were colleagues.
"Not a bad trick!" Red remarked leisurely. If not for the intelligence from the secretary, he might really have believed these people were Silph Co. security guards.
"When I sneak into Silph Co. and cause chaos to distract Team Rocket, you must hurry to Saffron City Gym and ask for help!"
"That's too dangerous. You might not realize this, but the Gym Leader Sabrina isn't someone easy to talk to. Otherwise, I would have sought the Gym Leader's help long ago!" the secretary said in a panic. Clearly, Sabrina had left a terrible impression on her; even mentioning her name made her inexplicably uneasy.
Red froze for a moment, then confidently assured her, "Don't worry. Sabrina has already returned to normal. You can safely ask her for help!"
After saying that, Red showed the golden badge pinned near his collar, signaling the secretary not to dwell on Sabrina's past. Seeking her assistance now was also for the sake of Silph Co.
Hearing this, the secretary's expression turned resolute. Although going to Saffron City Gym felt like walking into danger, for the safety of Silph Co., she still resolved to 'face death' and make the trip.
Seeing this, Red said nothing further. After all, Sabrina's behavior over the years had indeed left a "deep" impression on the citizens of Saffron City.
Without alerting the guards, Red used Teleport to enter Silph Co.
"Onix, use Sandstorm!"
Red's sudden appearance startled the Team Rocket members who were patrolling. Before they could react, Red threw the Poké Ball in his hand, releasing Onix, whose massive body immediately stirred up a raging Sandstorm.
"Iron Tail!"
Onix's enormous tail glowed white. With a single Iron Tail, it instantly defeated the Pokémon released by Team Rocket in front of him, leaving them no chance to resist.
"Looks like the grunts are pretty much dealt with!" Red said calmly. Sensing movement from guards rushing over, he threw another Poké Ball and released his green Scyther.
"Air Slash!"
The moment Scyther appeared, it turned and unleashed Air Slash. Two wind blades pierced through the wall, sealing off the path behind and cutting down the enemies attempting to approach with a swift Razor Wind.
"Didn't expect to run into you again, you cocky little brat!"
A crude and overbearing voice rang out. Cassidy and Butch appeared before Red, each holding a Poké Ball, prepared to battle him.
"Didn't expect you two to get out of your cages so quickly?" Red teased, slightly surprised by their appearance.
"What do you mean quickly? You have no idea what we've been through during this time?!" Butch roared in fury. To repay the money Giovanni had spent to bail them out, Cassidy and Butch had been carrying out missions day and night. Just when they had finally cleared their debt and were about to receive a bonus reward today, they ran into Red again.
"Come out, Houndour!"
"Come out, Drowzee!"
Cassidy and Butch simultaneously sent out their Pokémon. However, just in terms of presence, their Pokémon had already lost miserably—after all, even before, their Pokémon had been defeated by Scyther when it had yet to fully grow.
"Houndour, use Flamethrower!"
"Drowzee, use Psychic!"
Cassidy and Butch launched the attack first. Red gave no command, letting his Pokémon fight freely. Onix and Scyther swiftly responded with their own moves.
Relying on sheer brute force, Onix forcibly broke free from Drowzee's Psychic and followed up with a crushing Iron Tail that slammed into Drowzee's forehead.
Using the dust left behind by the Sandstorm, Scyther spun its body and used Swords Dance, forming a miniature sand vortex that dispersed Houndour's Flamethrower. Then it swiftly advanced and struck with X-Scissor.
"How is that possible?!" ×2
Cassidy and Butch watched in despair as their Pokémon collapsed with spiraled eyes, unable to endure even a single move.
Realizing the situation was dire, the Team Rocket duo recalled their Pokémon and turned to flee. But Red had no intention of letting them go. Just as he was about to use his psychic power to restrain them, a wind blade shot toward him at lightning speed from the shadows. Fortunately, Red dodged in time.
"Clap, clap, clap…"
Crisp applause came from above. A young man with black hair and blood-red eyes appeared before them, wearing a dark coat with an R emblem on the left chest and black trousers.
At first glance, he looked like a gentle older neighbor one could trust. Notably, the glasses on his face seemed to have no prescription and looked rather cheap.
"S-Supreme Commander… Lord Damon!" Butch said in terror, nearly collapsing to his knees. He hadn't expected such a high-ranking figure to appear here.
"Allow me to introduce myself, young man~" Damon gave Red a gentlemanly bow. "I am Damon, Supreme Commander of Team Rocket's First Division. I've heard of your deeds—single-handedly sabotaging our operations time and again. A genius youth acknowledged even by Giovanni-sama!"
Damon's outwardly warm disguise made Red frown slightly. After all, that lethal wind blade earlier had been released by the Crobat hiding above him.
"Oh? It seems you noticed Crobat's position. I thought I could sneak in another attack~" Damon said in mock disappointment as he instructed Crobat to reveal itself. The Crobat swiftly descended from above and landed beside him.
"You two pieces of trash, get lost already. Don't distract me!" Damon said calmly, yet his tone was unexpectedly icy. His words drained the color from Cassidy and Butch's faces, and they hurriedly fled the scene, fearing Damon might do something dangerous.
"Seems you're a cruel superior in your subordinates' eyes," Red said lightly, unafraid of the chill emanating from Damon.
"Hmph! I serve only Giovanni-sama. The lives of these people mean nothing to me!" Damon replied coldly, adjusting his glasses. Crobat at his side immediately unleashed Air Cutter.
"Seeking death!" Scyther said coldly, using X-Scissor to block the Air Cutter. However, the force of the wind blades made its scythe-like arms tremble slightly.
(Looks like this guy isn't simple…)
Red glanced at the wound on Scyther's arms. Though the cut was only minor, it had clearly affected Scyther's attack speed.
"It seems you've realized it!" Damon smiled, stroking Crobat's head. "This child is my starter Pokémon. It's not an opponent your shiny Scyther can defeat so easily!"
Scyther wanted to step forward to prove its strength, but Red raised his hand to stop it. He knew this Crobat was no ordinary foe. Rather than waste stamina in a futile clash, Red preferred that Scyther conserve its energy for the opponents ahead.
(Damn it! If only I could evolve too!)
Scyther thought irritably. Its current strength had already fallen far behind its companions of the same period, and now it couldn't even fight for Red at this moment. The desire to evolve had begun to sprout deep within its heart.