Chapter 145: I Surrender
"Wait—Rio, how did you come out from there?!"
Erika stared with wide eyes as Rio emerged from the opposite direction. The trainers around her also looked like they’d seen a ghost, glancing back at the entrance Archer had just fled through, then back at Rio, as if double-checking they weren’t seeing things.
"Where’s Archer?" Rio asked, scanning the room. Archer was nowhere to be seen—only some low-level Rocket grunts remained, still fighting Erika’s group.
"He just broke through that way," a trainer answered.
"Too slow, huh?" Rio raised an eyebrow and turned to Greninja, still in its Battle Bond form.
"Gren~" Greninja understood. The next second, a streak of flowing water shot past Erika, moving so fast she could barely register it.
Her pupils dilated. A new thought surfaced: Fast. So fast!
Before she could even react, Greninja had vanished like a blue gust of wind.
At the Celadon Game Corner, the trainers guarding the elevator entrance suddenly found themselves face-to-face with Archer and his fleeing Rockets. They were caught completely off guard. Oh no—Gym Leader Erika must have fallen!
"You wastes—Erika has already been defeated. If you don’t want to share her fate, step aside and surrender to Team Rocket!" Archer, seeing that Erika hadn’t followed, quickly bluffed.
The trainers exchanged panicked looks—then stepped back.
Fools, Archer thought, barely containing his glee as he led his men toward the Game Corner exit.
WHOOSH—
A stream of water shot past them. Greninja blocked their path.
Archer froze, staring at the Greninja that had appeared out of nowhere. He glanced back—Rio was nowhere in sight.
"Crobat—Wing Attack!"
"Crobat~" Crobat spread its wings and charged at Greninja. "The rest of you—help me take it down!" Archer ordered.
The other Rockets commanded their Pokémon to attack. Greninja stood its ground, hands clasped together. It split into eight copies, each holding a Water Shuriken, surrounding the incoming Crobat.
Crobat struck one of the clones—it dissipated. The remaining seven swung their Water Shurikens at Crobat.
"Crobat—Screech!" Archer shouted.
Crobat let out a piercing screech that made everyone in the vicinity cover their ears—but the clones were unaffected. They struck Crobat with their Water Shurikens—but Crobat took no damage.
Crobat looked confused. Wait—that didn’t hurt at all.
Meanwhile, the other Rockets’ attacks hit the clones, dispelling them. Archer was equally confused. If all the clones are gone, where’s the real one?
Then he heard his subordinates’ Pokémon cry out in pain. He spun around—a blur was cutting through them, taking them down two at a time with Water Shurikens and Water Pulses, faster and faster.
"Crobat—Air Cutter!" Archer shouted desperately.
"Crobat~" Crobat swung its wings, sending two razor-sharp wind blades toward the blur’s path.
The blades hit Greninja—it blocked one with its Water Shuriken, but the other struck its thigh. Greninja cried out in pain.
At the same time, Rio—who had just stepped out of the hidden passage—felt the shared damage. His mind seized up, his body shuddered, and he let out a sharp hiss, gripping his thigh as his face flushed red.
"What’s wrong, Rio?!" Erika jumped, startled.
What’s wrong? It hurts, that’s what! Rio cursed inwardly. That bastard Archer—just you wait.
He noticed the trainers who had been intimidated by Archer were now preparing to join the fight. "All of you—stay back! I’ve got this," he called out.
This battle was the perfect whetstone for Greninja. He couldn’t let anyone interfere. Archer’s Crobat was Level 60. Greninja, after fighting its way through the base, had reached Level 46—boosted to 50 by Battle Bond—and with Xerneas’s Geomancy active, it had a fighting chance despite the level gap. Especially since Crobat had already been worn down by Erika’s group.
But then Archer saw Rio approaching. All hope drained from his face. He called off Crobat’s assault.
"What’s this, Archer—chickening out?" Rio frowned.
"You win, Rio. Meeting you is my bad luck." Archer turned to his men. "Everyone—surrender. No point in fighting anymore."
The moment he saw Rio, he knew the prison cell was calling him back. He remembered Rio’s powerful Charizard and that Munchlax whose Metronome could roll legendary moves. Neither had even been sent out yet. If they appeared, the battle would be hopeless—unless Boss Giovanni were standing beside him.
The trainers around him stared in disbelief. Erika looked at Rio in amazement. "You weren’t bluffing!"
Earlier, Rio had told her he’d jumped down the elevator shaft and fought his way up from the fourth floor, and that Archer had been terrified. She hadn’t believed him—until now.
Rio ignored Erika and turned to Archer with a deadpan expression. I was about to let Greninja shine, and this guy surrenders?
"Spineless coward," Rio muttered, walking over to Archer. He gave his right foot a hard kick, then grabbed him and pulled him aside. "Tell me—how far along is Team Rocket’s Three Birds Plan?"
Archer’s pupils contracted, then he feigned ignorance: "What Three Birds Plan?"
Playing dumb, huh? Rio narrowed his eyes. Two seconds later, Gengar emerged from the ancient Poké Ball. Archer’s face twisted in fear as his eyes slowly closed.