Rex, Daisy, and Gary made their way out of Vermilion City, the early sunlight casting long shadows as they stopped in front of a dark cave entrance carved into a rocky hillside.
Daisy pulled out her phone and zoomed into the map, her brows knitting together.
"To reach the abandoned Power Plant," she said, pointing at the screen, "we either have to walk through this cave… or go all the way around and cross the river."
She sighed softly, muttering under her breath, "If only my Wartortle had evolved into Blastoise already, crossing the river would've been easy."
Rex chuckled lightly, adjusting the strap of his bag.
"It's fine. We've already gone through, what, three caves by now? This is basically routine."
Gary glanced at Rex with narrowed eyes. "So," he said casually, "what exactly is the relationship between my sister and a hero like you?"
Before Rex could even open his mouth, bonk.
"Ow!" Gary yelped as Daisy smacked the top of his head.
"Don't say stupid things," she snapped, embarrassed. "Rex is my assistant."
Rex raised a finger politely.
"Technically, I'm Professor Oak's assistant—"
Daisy immediately shot him a look. "And since I'm going to take over Gramps' work someday, that still makes you my assistant."
Rex opened his mouth… then closed it again.
'There's no winning an argument against a girl,' he thought. 'Especially one with a tongue sharper than a Razor Leaf.'
He simply turned on his flashlight, and the trio stepped into the tunnel.
The cave was cool and damp, the beam of Rex's flashlight illuminating jagged walls and uneven ground. As they walked deeper, their footsteps echoed faintly.
Suddenly, Rex slowed down.
"Wait," he said.
All three of them looked down at the ground. Fresh footprints—human footprints—were scattered everywhere. Dozens of them.
Daisy frowned. "Why would this many people go through here together?"
Gary swallowed. "Don't tell me something's going on at the Power Plant…"
They continued forward cautiously—when suddenly—"Zorua!"
Zorua leapt off Rex's shoulder in a blur, dark energy gathering in front of it as it fired Dark Pulse, colliding head-on with a Barrage of Poison Sting midair.
The attack fizzled out.
The trio snapped their heads forward—and froze.
Four Team Rocket grunts stood ahead, blocking the tunnel exit that led toward the abandoned Power Plant.
"Team Rocket!" all three shouted at once.
Rex stepped forward, eyes hard.
"What are you doing here?"
The grunts ignored him completely.
Instead, one by one, they threw Poké Balls into the air.
"Arbok!"
"Raticate!"
"Graveler!"
"Onix!"
The tunnel filled with snarls and roars.
Unbeknownst to the grunts, the darkness hid Rex's face clearly. If they had realized who they were standing against—the Poketrix wielder Giovanni himself had warned everyone about—they would've run away crying without a second thought.
"Let's end this fast," Daisy said firmly.
Both Daisy and Gary sent out their Wartortle at the same time.
"Wartortle, Aqua Jet!"
Twin streams of water propelled the two turtles forward as they slammed into Onix and Graveler, forcing them back with heavy crashes.
Meanwhile, Zorua darted forward, claws flashing at Rex's command.
"Fury Swipes!"
It struck Raticate repeatedly while nimbly dodging its snapping Hyper Fang.
Daisy threw a pokeball behind her.
"Golem—Dig!"
The ground behind her erupted as Golem used dig and burst out from behind the Rocket grunts. Before they could even turn—
"Rock Throw!"
Rocks flew everywhere, smashing into Arbok and directly into the grunts themselves as they were trapped under the rocks.
"Aaaagh!"
"Hey—watch it!"
They screamed as they were pinned under rubble.
Golem rolled forward with terrifying momentum at Daisy's command.
"Rollout!"
It slammed Arbok into the wall, pinning it there before raising its arm.
"Mega Punch!"
Thud.
Arbok collapsed unconscious.
Both Wartortle finished things off cleanly—Water Pulse knocking out Graveler and Onix in quick succession.
Raticate tried to flee—But Zorua's mouth glowed with black energy.
Dark Pulse.
The blast sent Raticate flying, burying it halfway into the cave wall.
Silence returned.
Daisy recalled Golem, and the trio walked calmly toward the tunnel exit. As they moved, Rex tapped his phone and sent a distress signal—along with the tunnel's location—to the Officer Jenny group chat he'd been added to by the Pallet Town Jenny.
'The police will be here soon,' he thought.
Outside the tunnel, Daisy and Gary let their Wartortle rest while Zorua hopped back onto Rex's shoulder with a small yawn.
The trio crept forward and hid behind nearby rocks.
Ahead of them—Ten Team Rocket grunts stood guard at the gates of the abandoned Power Plant.
Daisy whispered, irritation clear in her voice,
"Seriously… what are they even doing here? And why is it always Team Rocket?"
She let out a dry laugh.
"Our luck—or yours—is honestly terrible. I wonder, since trouble always comes to you in the form of team rocket, what will happen if you wanted to search for team rocket when you wanted to do hero work yourself."
Gary tilted his head.
"What do you mean? Aren't you Rex's sidekick when he does hero stuff? So shouldn't you also be included in this?"
Daisy stiffened.
"…What?"
Gary shrugged.
"The internet's going wild. They're arguing whether you're his lover, his fangirl, or his sidekick. Most people are voting sidekick—since you fight with him."
Rex facepalmed immediately.
He could feel Daisy's glare boring into him.
"I'll deal with the internet later," Rex said quickly. "After we solve the Power Plant problem."
He knew exactly why she was angry.
'Daisy hates being labeled. She's proud, strong and doesn't want to be seen as someone standing behind anyone.'
Rex exhaled.
"Gary, what Pokémon do you have with you right now?"
Gary straightened up.
"Wartortle, Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Scyther, Abra, and Krabby."
Daisy raised an unimpressed eyebrow.
"So you used Dad's credit card to buy two Moon Stones and a Fire Stone, didn't you?"
Gary bristled.
"I already gave the card and car keys back! Why do you keep stabbing me with that over and over?!"
Daisy shot back instantly,
"If you weren't a spoiled brat, I wouldn't have to worry about you every time you do something stupid. Depending on a car and a credit card won't save you when neither is around—and then you'll starve."
"Don't curse me like that!" Gary protested.
Rex massaged his temples.
'She really turns into a different person around her brother,' he thought tiredly.
'Sweet, calm, proud… until Gary opens his mouth.'