After his visit to the research lab, Maki returned to Cerulean City.
His main purpose for making the trip was to check on Mewtwo's research progress—how much longer until it fully awakens?
From what he had seen, that day wasn't far off.
Riding on Dragonite once more, he soared over the outskirts of Cerulean City. Mid-flight, he discarded his Team Rocket uniform, letting Dragonite incinerate it with a single blast of fire.
Keeping something like that on him would only invite trouble.
If someone spotted him wearing it, how could he even explain? Say he just liked cosplaying?
Who in their right mind would believe such an absurd excuse?
Upon landing, Dragonite returned to its Poké Ball, and as Maki walked toward Cerulean, he summoned Cottonee, cradling it in his arms. As for Charmeleon… yeah, there was no way he could carry that.
No matter how strong Mewtwo might be, there was no way it could compare to the soft, fluffy comfort of his Cottonee.
"Cotton~"
Freshly released from its Poké Ball, Cottonee shot Maki an unimpressed look. You called me out just for this?
"Charmeleon, Dragon Rage!"
Ignoring Cottonee's grumbling, Maki pointed toward a dense patch of tall grass and gave the command. He didn't know what was lurking there, but Charmeleon faithfully followed orders.
Over time, and with Dragonite's guidance, Charmeleon had mastered Dragon Rage. It was even on the verge of mastering Flamethrower.
"Shadow Ball!"
Clearly not expecting Maki to attack so decisively, the figure hidden in the grass flinched, hurriedly summoning their Pokémon to counter.
A swirling, violet Shadow Ball collided with Charmeleon's Dragon Rage. To Maki's surprise, despite the hurried execution, the opponent's move was on par with Charmeleon's—and even seemed to have a slight advantage. That meant their strength likely surpassed Charmeleon's.
"Damn it! I've been found out?"
Realizing the ambush had failed, the man who had launched the surprise attack emerged from the undergrowth.
He looked ragged, his clothes tattered, his body covered in wounds. He had clearly been through a battle not too long ago. Beside him stood a Toxicroak—its deep blue skin resembling that of a poison dart frog, yellow eyes sharp and focused. A red vocal sac stretched beneath its chin, and its muscular legs and clawed fingers hinted at its raw power. A razor-sharp spike protruded from its heel, ready to strike.
Judging from its earlier attack, this Toxicroak was stronger than Charmeleon. However, like its trainer, it bore some minor wounds—nothing serious enough to hinder battle, but evident nonetheless.
"Who are you?"
Maki frowned as he studied the man. He couldn't recall making any enemies under this identity. And what was this guy—who looked like even beggars might pity him—trying to gain by messing with him?
Then he noticed something. The man's eyes rarely left Charmeleon.
Ah… so this kind of situation finally came knocking.
During his journey from Saffron City to Celadon, he had encountered many trainers in the wild. Most ignored each other and went their separate ways.
But this guy… his appearance didn't match someone who should have a strong Toxicroak.
Even in his tattered state, Maki could make out remnants of what must have been well-crafted clothing.
A Pokémon hunter?
The thought crossed Maki's mind, though he remained unsure.
His opponent, however, didn't give him much time to think.
"Toxicroak, Poison Jab!"
Rather than target the trainer, the man chose to attack Charmeleon directly. Given Maki's quick reactions earlier, this suggested he had extensive battle experience in the wild. A direct assault on him would be pointless—better to take out his Pokémon first and minimize risks.
"Flamethrower! Cottonee, Stun Spore and Helping Hand!"
Maki's follow-up command was for Cottonee, and in an instant, a cloud of golden powder filled the air, drifting toward the incoming Toxicroak.
Flamethrower followed, fueled by Cottonee's Helping Hand. The blazing inferno roared forward, so intense that it even scorched some of the Stun Spore along the way.
"Cott!"
Cottonee let out a disgruntled cry, clearly irritated that Charmeleon had burned away so much of its carefully spread powder.
Being naturally fast, Cottonee had no trouble executing multiple moves in quick succession. Helping Hand, with its priority effect, allowed it to boost Charmeleon's attack power while simultaneously launching its own move.
Charging ahead, Toxicroak suddenly found itself engulfed in flames.
What the hell?! It had expected another Dragon Rage, but this was something else entirely.
Thinking about it, though, it made sense. A STAB Flamethrower was already stronger than Dragon Rage. Add in the boost from Cottonee's Helping Hand, and the attack's power skyrocketed. Not to mention—Charmeleon carried a Fire-type Plate fragment.
How many multipliers were stacking up here?!
And if Cottonee later learned Sunny Day, activating Charmeleon's Solar Power ability, Flamethrower's damage would become truly terrifying.
Even the man—who had been watching closely—seemed momentarily dazed by the overwhelming firepower.
What the hell?! Charmeleon had been manageable when using Dragon Rage, but now it was like a completely different Pokémon!
Couldn't you have given me a heads-up before melting my Toxicroak? I would've just run!
Judging by the earlier Shadow Ball, this Toxicroak likely had the Poison Touch ability rather than Dry Skin, which meant it didn't take additional damage from fire attacks. Even so, the Flamethrower left deep burns across its body.
Burned.
Just great.
Talk about when it rains, it pours—and then comes a G-Max flood.
For Toxicroak, physical attacks were its primary offense. But now, burned and weakened, its strength had taken a severe hit.
The battle had barely started, and already, the scales were tipping out of the hunter's favor.
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