"You're always borrowing mine—why don't you just go catch a Ditto of your own!"
Green puffed out her cheeks in anger… only for Grey to reach over and pinch them flat a second later.
Her round, chubby cheeks squashed into a pancake, and Green's voice stretched out, turning into a choked, wobbly whimper.
"Mmmph… Gwey, don't p-pinsh me anymooore! If you keep pinshing, you're gonna r-ruin my cheeks!"
A few tears squeezed out from the corners of her eyes, her lashes damp as her eyes grew shimmery.
The strength behind Grey's fingers made her more than a little uncomfortable—but as it went on, some other hard-to-describe feeling started to creep in as well.
"Uuugh, f-fine, I'll just lend you Ditto…"
Seeing that Grey still had no intention of letting go, Green quickly added that last line, and only then did Grey slowly release her.
When his hand left, Green's cheeks were bright red. Anyone who didn't know better would've thought she'd just had cupping therapy done.
"Next time, give me a warning before you go for my cheeks. Pinching when I've got my lips puckered really hurts, okay?"
Green rubbed her face and gave Grey a pointed reminder.
"Okay. Next time for sure."
Grey nodded and took Ditto's Poké Ball from Green.
"Ditto～" (Yo, you again. So what am I turning into today?)
The moment Ditto came out, it spotted Grey. It didn't need to ask to know why it was here.
It had done this job enough times to be more than familiar with the routine.
"Let me think… Today, just transform into a totally ordinary guy. The kind you'd never notice in a crowd. Completely average, no distinct features, the kind of face nobody can remember. Here—use this picture. Copy this."
Grey pulled out his phone, opened his photo album, and held up the reference image he wanted Ditto to mimic.
"Ditto～" (Ditto, Ditto, as you wish～)
Ditto bounced straight onto Grey's face. A cool, slippery sensation washed over his skin, followed by a brief squirming. In less than ten seconds, it had reshaped itself into exactly the face Grey had pictured.
With that done, preparations were complete.
Grey picked up his phone and sent Erika a message.
[Grey: I'm here. We're just outside the city, about to head into Celadon.]
[Erika: !!!]
[Erika: This little lady is waiting in the Pokémon Center at the entrance. Gym Leader Grey, what do you more or less look like today? Would you be so kind as to describe it～?]
[Grey: All in black, with two kids next to me and a Riolu. Should be pretty easy to spot. Oh, and it's Ditto on my face, not my real looks.]
[Erika: This little lady understands. Exeggutor-swaying.jpg]
After putting his phone away, Grey led the group toward Celadon City.
By the city gate, a Pokémon Center was still open for business.
Compared to the one in the city center, the traffic through this branch wasn't very heavy, and right now there were only a handful of people inside.
A woman in a grass-green kimono sat on a sofa, a cup of coffee in front of her, steam still curling up from the surface.
This was Erika, the Gym Leader of Celadon Gym.
Only… she didn't look to be in great shape at the moment.
Her eyelids kept drooping as if she might nod off right there in the Pokémon Center at any second.
Look a little closer, and you'd notice the deep shadows under her eyes—clear evidence she hadn't slept properly in days.
"Miss Erika, are you really all right? Do you want to lie down for a bit?"
Nurse Joy had been keeping an eye on her and couldn't help reminding her again.
For the sake of driving Team Rocket out of Celadon City, Erika had gone nearly three full days without closing her eyes.
And as for reaching out to Grey, that had only happened because she'd run out of other options and resorted to this "last move."
Her reasons for picking Grey were simple.
Best value for the cost.
This way she didn't have to worry about calling in the League and getting chewed out, and she wouldn't have to stress over something catastrophic happening to the city if they sent in someone from the Elite Four.
Grey just specialized in Fighting-type Pokémon—how much damage could they really do?
At worst, they'd bust up a floor or two. They could patch that up later.
If things went well, they might even be able to pay a bit extra to have Grey's Pokémon help with the reconstruction.
Compared to that, the destructive power of constantly traveling Elite Four members like Lance and Lorelei was just way too much.
If they came in and wrecked the place, they'd probably end up rebuilding all the buildings around the Celadon Game Corner from the ground up…
And during all of that, the Gym Leader—Erika herself—would absolutely be stuck on the front lines of rebuilding.
So after turning it over in her mind again and again, Erika had decided to reach out to Daisy and see if she could help contact Grey.
Thankfully, Grey had actually agreed to come.
Half the weight on Erika's mind dropped away the moment she got the confirmation.
Perfect. With Grey here, we can finally sleep easy.
As a Trainer who had successfully captured three executive-level officers, just hearing his name was enough to tell you how terrifyingly strong he was.
"I'll be fine. Once Gym Leader Grey arrives, we'll figure it out then."
Erika shook her head.
Missing a few nights of sleep was worth it if it meant getting rid of Team Rocket.
"This is…"
Nurse Joy wanted to say more, but the situation at the entrance drew her attention away.
A completely ordinary-looking Trainer had just walked into the Pokémon Center with a Riolu at his side.
He left barely any impression at all—someone you'd forget the instant you looked away.
It was such a strange feeling that even Nurse Joy found herself rubbing her temples.
By comparison, the red-haired boy and the pretty, bun-cheeked girl flanking him stood out much more than the man himself.
Yes—this was Grey and his party!
"Good evening, Gym Leader Erika."
Grey greeted her, then pulled out his phone and sent her another message to confirm his identity.
Ding-dong～
Hearing the notification, Erika glanced at her phone, then looked up to meet Grey's eyes.
She gave the slightest nod, rose from her seat, and headed toward the door.
As she brushed past Grey, Erika dropped her voice and murmured, "Follow me to Celadon Gym."
Once Erika stepped outside, Grey and the other two fell in behind her.
"I'm heading off then. If anything comes up, just call."
Green chose to leave the group for now and handed Ditto's Poké Ball back to Grey.
"Go have fun. I'll let you know when we're done here."
Grey waved her off, then turned to Silver and asked casually, "You want to go play too? You're at the age where you should be out having fun. If you feel like it, just go wander. We'll regroup after I take care of this."
"Mm…"
Silver thought for a bit, then said, "Then I'll go check out the Celadon Game Corner. Might as well have a look around. I get the feeling Team Rocket has their eye on me. Maybe this time I can use that to bait them out."
Whenever Team Rocket came up, Silver's emotions always slipped just a little out of his control.
He might've been a cold-faced pretty boy, but when it came to Team Rocket, he suddenly had a lot more to say.
————
Celadon Game Corner, underground base.
"Manager Archer, there's been a spike in foot traffic around Celadon City lately. Could the League have sent people here?"
A subordinate stood respectfully behind Archer.
"The League hasn't sent anyone yet," Archer replied calmly, "but there are people moving out from Saffron City already."
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.