Chapter 162: Spiritual Victory
On the battle ring designated for Tent Group 1, Rio stood on one side of the battlefield. Across from him stood a young man in sunglasses, who sent out a Level 40 Quasi-Elite Four Tentacruel.
"Come out, Greninja." Rio tossed out his Poké Ball.
Lance would recognize his Charizard, and Munchlax, Annihilape, and the Red Gyarados were likely all recorded in Team Rocket’s files. His safest choice was Greninja, now at Level 46—it had only recently made a name for itself in Celadon City, and much of its data probably hadn’t been circulated within Team Rocket yet.
"Carmen—take that Greninja down!" the blonde-haired, smelly-footed Azang shouted angrily from the crowd.
"Tentacruel—Acid!" The sunglasses-wearing trainer, apparently named Carmen, gave the first command.
"Wooo~" Tentacruel’s front tentacles lashed out, flinging black, bubbling liquid at Greninja.
"Greninja—Quick Attack!"
"Gren~" Greninja blurred, easily dodging the acid and closing in on Tentacruel.
"Tentacruel—Wrap!"
"Wooo~" Tentacruel’s eighty tentacles shot toward Greninja. Greninja weaved through them with agile precision, eventually reaching Tentacruel and slicing across its ruby-red head with a Water Shuriken. Tentacruel let out a pained cry.
"Greninja—Shadow Sneak!"
"Tentacruel—Water Pulse!"
Both trainers gave commands simultaneously. Greninja formed hand seals in place as Tentacruel spat a Water Pulse. Just as the attack was about to hit, Greninja vanished, reappearing behind Tentacruel and driving a Water Shuriken deep into its head—a critical hit that knocked Tentacruel out instantly.
The crowd fell silent. Azang was stunned—he hadn’t expected the battle to end so quickly. In just three exchanges, Greninja hadn’t even been touched.
"Tentacruel!" Carmen couldn’t accept the result.
"Next! That squad leader position is mine!" Rio waved dismissively, urging his opponent off the stage.
"Gren~" Greninja, in sync with Rio, mimicked the gesture.
Carmen glared at them, recalled Tentacruel, and stepped down. The second opponent was a short-haired female executive who sent out a Level 40 Quasi-Elite Four Slowbro. This one lasted longer thanks to its Psychic typing and solid defense—it took Greninja ten rounds to finish.
"Your turn, Blondie!" Rio called out to Azang the moment it was over. "Ready to prepare my foot bath?"
Azang’s eyes turned cold. "Don’t get too cocky—I’m not like those two."
Not far from the battle rings, Lance—one of Team Rocket’s Four Generals—was speaking with Lt. Surge, the Vermilion Gym Leader.
"Is it true that the Mt. Ember operation failed because of Lugia’s appearance?" Lt. Surge asked.
"It’s true. Worse, we lost control of Zapdos—it was freed as well," Lance said, his hands clasped behind his back as he watched the ongoing battle. "So, Lt. Surge, I hope you’ll give your full support to capturing Articuno. This is a critical moment—Team Rocket’s morale is at an all-time low. We need a victory to turn things around."
"Don’t worry—with everyone working together, Articuno will be ours!" Lt. Surge pounded his chest with conviction.
Lance nodded in satisfaction. First, the Celadon base had been destroyed and Apollo thrown back in prison. Then the Mt. Ember mission had failed, with Giovanni injured and Zapdos freed. If he led the successful capture of Articuno, the rewards were unimaginable. Maybe Giovanni would even promote him to head of the Four Generals—second only to the boss himself.
But the thought of "second only to the boss" brought a sour taste to his mouth as a certain person came to mind. Rio.
He’d learned that the failed Moltres capture was largely due to Rio’s interference. And yet—Giovanni had still extended him an invitation, offering leadership of the Four Generals and control of the three legendary birds. Why? What makes him so special? Because he beat Apollo? Because he beat Giovanni once? Because he has a Charizard that can use Sacred Fire?
...Well, when you put it that way, it did make sense. If Lance were in Giovanni’s shoes, he’d want a subordinate like that too. Someone who could handle major missions while he focused on training his Pokémon. Just thinking about it was satisfying.
"Good thing that guy had the guts to refuse," Lance muttered with relief.
"Wait—" His eyes widened as he spotted a familiar-looking figure on the battle ring. "That guy... he looks a lot like that bastard."
On the ring, Greninja had just defeated a Level 48 Scizor.
"You lose. The squad leader position is mine. Get ready to prepare my foot bath when we get back," Rio said, smirking at Azang’s dazed expression.
Then he scanned the crowd—and locked eyes with a familiar face staring intently at him, moving closer without blinking.
No way—he recognized me? Rio tensed as Lance approached.
"What’s your name? Which region are you from?" Lance asked when he reached the ring.
"Kojiro—Johto, Ecruteak City," Rio replied.
"Kojiro..." Lance murmured, then asked, "Do you know who I am?"
"Yes, General Lance," Rio said seriously.
"Ooh~" To Rio’s bewilderment, Lance let out an almost ecstatic sound. "Say that again."
"General Lance."
"Ooh~"
"Say it a few more times."
"General Lance."
"General Lance."
"General Lance."
"Ooh~~" Lance’s voice grew more suggestive, and his body began to soften.
"..."
Rio was dumbfounded. Am I going crazy, or is the world going crazy? Does my voice have some kind of charm effect now?
The crowd around them looked equally bewildered, staring at Lance as if he’d lost his mind.
Lance, basking in the pleasure of being addressed by this man who bore a striking resemblance to Rio, felt an immense satisfaction. It was as if Rio himself were calling him "General Lance." And knowing that this same Rio had defeated Giovanni made it even sweeter. The rush of dopamine surged from his toes to his scalp.
"Starting now—you’re assigned to me personally."