Pokemon: Gym Leader

"Let go of that old man!"

As this sentence fell, the entire room went silent.

Professor Fuji, the old man, looked in astonishment at the two men and one woman who barged in. The boss of the S.S. Anne's "dungeon," Archer, was equally stunned, staring blankly at the three teenagers in front of him.

Dylan and Red exchanged strange looks, staring at Leah's back.

"She's really something~," Dylan couldn't help but whisper.

Red: (—)

Archer finally snapped out of it, his face twitching irregularly as he gave the three unexpected guests a sinister smile. His dark face now looked particularly eerie.

Alright, alright, alright!!! Not only did those useless subordinates fail to take care of the passengers, but they also let three little brats come here and show off in front of me?

Archer felt his temper rising!

"One, two, three—little ones, didn't your parents teach you not to interrupt your elders when they're discussing important matters?"

Archer slowly turned around, one hand behind his back, as a sinister smile crept across his lips.

The menacing Houndoom had already slowly walked to Archer's side, glaring fiercely at the three.

Dylan and Red exchanged glances and took two steps back.

"Sorry, but I don't have such an ugly elder like you, so don't try to act close."

"Today, the three of us are here to uphold justice! Archer, are you ready to go to jail?"

Leah, with her hands on her hips, declared righteously, causing Archer's face to twitch again.

What a sharp-tongued girl.

"Very well, disobedient children need to be properly taught."

Archer's expression darkened completely. Leah's words nearly made him laugh out of anger. Were kids today really this arrogant? He was one of Team Rocket's top executives, even arguably the leader among them, the boss's most trusted subordinate! And these little brats thought they could send him to jail?

"Dylan! Red!"

Seeing Archer's expression, Leah knew something was off, but it didn't matter. Though she admitted she definitely couldn't beat Archer, she had two strong allies! When she returned to the hall, she saw that Dylan and Red were both much stronger than her.

"You guys?"

But when she turned around, Leah was stunned.

At some point, Dylan and Red had already stepped out of the room and were standing in the hallway.

How could you do this!!

"Heh~ Houndoom."

The menacing Houndoom at Archer's side stepped forward, its mouth glowing with a fiery red light.

Leah reacted quickly, immediately turning around to run.

A Fire-type Flamethrower!

A surge of scorching flames shot out, directly aimed at Leah.

"Dylan! Your Arbok is just standing there doing nothing!"

Leah quickly shouted. She could already feel the heat waves behind her. Though her skin was protected by a Ditto, and she had a Wartortle's Poké Ball in her hand and other Poké Balls hidden in her chest, it didn't stop her from pretending to be a soft and innocent girl.

"Arbok, Throat Chop!"

Dylan couldn't help but chuckle as he ordered Arbok.

Arbok swiftly lashed out with its tail, coiled in dark energy, and fiercely struck at the incoming Flamethrower.

The Dark-type Throat Chop! Boom~!

With a loud bang, the flames were shattered by the powerful Throat Chop.

"Oh?" Archer was somewhat surprised by this.

"Phew~ That was close." Leah retreated to Dylan and Red's side, patting her chest in relief.

"You guys are so mean! I offended that guy on your behalf, and you just left me!"

Leah glared at the two. How could they do this!

"..." Red.

"The room's too small to fight in properly, and... you seemed to be having fun," Dylan said with a smirk as he looked at Leah.

"Hmph~!" Leah crossed her arms and huffed, but now wasn't the time to argue.

"I underestimated you three. You dared to show up in front of me, so you must have some skill."

Archer elegantly stepped out of the room, his gaze focusing on Dylan and the silent Red.

As for the pretty girl, he had already dismissed her as a show-off.

Where's your sharp tongue now? Why aren't you saying anything?

Dylan glanced at Leah, who pouted and turned her head away.

"Mr. Archer of Team Rocket, if we capture you and hand you over to Officer Jenny, the League's reward should be quite substantial."

With the sharp-tongued girl sulking, Dylan had to take the lead.

Saying a few words before fighting the boss is a classic ritual.

"Probably."

Archer seemed to agree, nodding slightly. His bounty with the League was indeed quite high.

"But only if you can do it. It's rare to encounter such powerful kids, so as a senior, I'll give you a chance."

Archer had found his rhythm, confidently walking to the other end of the hallway before turning around, with Houndoom facing Dylan and the others.

"Come, just defeat me."

Archer released another Poké Ball, and a Weezing floated beside Houndoom.

Dylan raised an eyebrow. Was Archer really that confident?

"Are there any other executives on this ship?" Dylan whispered to Leah.

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. I already notified Officer Jenny in Vermilion City; they should be on their way."

Leah whispered back. You can't wander the world without a few tricks up your sleeve, right? The communication interference didn't stop her from sending out a distress signal.

Dylan thought for a moment.

"Red, I'll handle Houndoom. You take care of Weezing. Can you do that?"

Red nodded, releasing his Charizard.

"As expected, today's kids really are monsters~."

Archer scrutinized Charizard, feeling the heavy, scorching pressure, his expression shifting slightly.

This Charizard was definitely stronger than that Arbok! His intuition was spot on.

Archer glanced subtly at the room, his brow furrowing slightly. Professor Fuji was of critical importance; nothing could go wrong.

But with these three teenagers, it was impossible to take Professor Fuji away quietly. He had no choice but to battle them.

However, Archer was confident. Would a top executive of Team Rocket lose to a couple of kids who didn't look older than eighteen?

Impossible! Absolutely impossible! There's no way he would lose! "Old man, come over here."

Seeing that her two strong allies were ready for battle, Leah quickly waved to the old man inside the room.

"Oh, oh..." Dr. Fuji was a bit dazed, but he understood the situation and hurried to Leah's side, hiding behind Dylan and Red with her.

In the hallway, the tension grew even heavier.

"Dylan! Red! Go, go~ Take down that ugly guy!"

Leah, the mischievous girl, pulled out two support sticks from who-knows-where, cheering on the two in front.

Archer: "?"

Red: (^O^)

Dylan's eyelid twitched. Only Leah could pull something like this.

"Today, I'll show you what a real Trainer's battle looks like!"

Archer believed he hadn't been affected by the female clown, standing tall with one hand behind his back, a sinister smile on his lips as if he had everything under control.

One vs. two, the advantage is mine!

(End of Chapter)