"No need. Let's just talk business."
Grey waved away Proton's good intentions, while carefully studying him, brows furrowing.
Noticing Grey's expression, Proton seemed to have expected it. Calmly, he pulled out a chair and sat down.
He opened a desk drawer, took out a neatly folded map, and slowly spread it across the table between them.
It was a map of the Kanto region.
A highly detailed topographical map, covered in all kinds of colored markings.
The Power Plant was circled in red, with dates and times carefully annotated beside it.
Now, a black X had been scrawled across it.
Around the Seafoam Islands, blue wave-like lines had been drawn, with several key points marked by stars.
They, too, were crossed out.
Another location was Victory Road, which was guarded by the League and marked with a bright red exclamation point.
You didn't need to think hard to know this was all tied to the three Legendary birds.
But the most eye-catching part was the southern sea.
Dozens of small islands were marked with thick black X's, connected together like an invisible net.
At the center island where those X's converged, four bird symbols occupied the east, west, south and north.
"Gym Leader Grey, this is the sincerity of Team Rocket."
Proton folded the map back up and placed it in Grey's hands. "I believe you understand how important this intel is."
"Yeah. Team Rocket is being very sincere."
Grey casually slipped the map into his bag and met Proton's gaze. "So, what is it you want from me? Zapdos and Articuno?"
"Or… are you after my Fighting Dojo?"
"Gym Leader Grey, if you're still going to play dumb at a time like this, I don't think that's a wise idea."
Proton narrowed his eyes, fingertips tapping on the tabletop with a dull thunk, thunk, thunk.
His voice carried the same hidden menace as an Arbok lying in wait, and the sense of danger thickened in the air.
"I know, I know. Just trying to keep the mood from getting too stiff."
Grey wore a harmless little smile as he leaned slightly forward. "So, my answer is…"
"Cha-o!"
Before he could finish, Blaziken exploded into motion at his side!
Its talons clenched into a fist, and flames roared to life without warning. The blast of heat from its Fire Punch blew Proton's naval cap clean off.
That blazing fist stopped just millimeters from the tip of Proton's nose, the heat scorching a few strands of his teal bangs.
Proton's pupils shrank. The chair behind him shrieked against the floor as he kicked off, sliding back hard.
"Nido!"
The Luxury Ball at Proton's waist burst open on its own. A blue blur flashed forward.
Nidoqueen's massive bulk loomed like a living wall in front of him, a whirlpool of water spiraling between her claws as it crashed into the Fire Punch head-on.
Water Pulse!
Boom!!!
The blast filled the room with white smoke in an instant.
When it began to clear, water was still spinning between Nidoqueen's claws, dripping down to form a spreading puddle on the floor.
Her thick forearms were charred black, but she hadn't taken a single step back.
Blaziken staggered two steps in retreat, feathers on its chest soaked through by the water. The flames around its ankles had dwindled to a few wisps of smoke.
It shook its head, droplets falling from its beak—yet the fighting spirit in its eyes hadn't dimmed in the slightest.
Then, its right claw twitched involuntarily.
Just from that one exchange, Grey could judge Nidoqueen's level.
Elite Four-class.
And the Ability… was Sheer Force.
"Grey, why make things so difficult? Wouldn't it be better to just work with Team Rocket?"
"Why cling to being a League trainer? Is that path really so easy to walk? In the end, it's profit that speaks."
Proton still wanted to recruit Grey; he just couldn't make sense of the guy's attitude and choices.
He smoothed out the collar that had been ruffled by the punch, his tone growing heavier by the second.
"Whatever the League can give you, we can double. What the League can't give you, we can still provide. Why chain yourself to those laughable little rules? Or did you actually believe all that high-sounding rhetoric the League feeds you?"
"Sure. If I joined Team Rocket, I'd probably rake in a lot of benefits in a short time. But that's not the way I want to do things."
Grey shrugged, flicking imaginary dust from his sleeve with a chuckle. "If a man loves money, he should take it the right way. I don't even look at shady profits like yours."
"Money made through illegal schemes? Just the smell of it is enough to make me sick."
He didn't bother masking his disgust.
Faced with Proton's genuine tone, Grey simply responded with his own honest thoughts.
Every word came from the heart, without a shred of falsehood.
"People who walk different paths can't work together. I think our little chat can end here. Let's settle the rest with our Pokémon."
As soon as Grey finished speaking, Proton snapped, "Don't think your Blaziken is invincible. Running into my Nidoqueen is just your bad luck!"
"Nido!"
Nidoqueen's powerful hind legs slammed into the floor, shattering it beneath her.
Brown, earthen energy wrapped around her body like armor as she barreled forward like an out-of-control dump truck, leaving deep footprints with every step.
"Flamethrower!"
"Cha-o!"
Blaziken didn't back down. Its chest heaved, and a gold-white column of flame erupted from its beak, crashing headlong into Nidoqueen just as she unleashed High Horsepower.
Rumble!!!
The explosion was deafening. Two massive forces clashed, locked in a dead stalemate, neither yielding in the slightest.
Nidoqueen's charge stalled, her thick arms trembling violently in the blaze.
The Ground-type energy armoring her body flickered like a candle in the wind, flaring and dimming under the scorching heat.
Blaziken, beak stretched as wide as it could go, poured everything it had into the stream of fire, pushing its output to the absolute limit—yet all it could manage was to hold Nidoqueen in place.
"Are all this guy's Pokémon like this? Even High Horsepower won't push through…"
"This Nidoqueen's got something going for her too—she can actually stand up to Flamethrower and not get forced back."
Proton and Grey were thinking very different things.
Proton genuinely believed Grey's talent was monstrous—raising a Blaziken this strong was absurd.
And from what Petrel had said, this guy had a whole bunch of top-tier Pokémon, all of them hard to pin down and arrest.
Grey's thoughts were much simpler.
If Nidoqueen could resist Blaziken's attack, that meant Proton had put real work into training her.
If he'd slacked off, she'd have been one-shotted already.
"Heh, I told you Grey couldn't be trusted. And here you are, handing out intel."
Petrel's grating voice echoed from the doorway.
He'd shown up right after Grey entered the room.
Just to see Proton's face when things blew up.
"Taking a beating once in a while does you good."
Petrel clapped Proton on the shoulder and flashed him a big thumbs-up.
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