Lt. Surge waved his right hand, and the two attendants beside him immediately began arranging the match.
The next second, the brilliant floodlights high above the arena came on, illuminating the entire battlefield. A flat, metallic stage slowly rose from the floor—typical of the Vermilion Gym, which didn't care much for fancy terrain. Electric-type battles were all about raw power anyway.
"My rules are simple!" Lt. Surge declared with a confident smirk. "A one-on-one match—winner takes all! Come out, Raichu!"
Hayato hesitated for a moment. A one-on-one battle meant no room for mistakes. His Larvitar had the type advantage, but his Umbreon had more battle experience. He could only choose one.
"Alright then," Hayato said, taking a deep breath. "Come out, Larvitar! This is our first real battle—lose is not an option!"
If Larvitar wanted to evolve into Tyranitar, it had to grow through real combat experience. A Gym challenge was the perfect chance for that.
When Lt. Surge saw the small, dark-skinned Larvitar appear, he burst into raucous laughter. "What did you just say? Its first battle? Don't make me laugh! That ugly little thing looks like it just hatched! Hahaha!"
The two Gym assistants snickered along with him, which made Hayato's expression darken.
"Ugly? What kind of taste do you people have?" he shot back.
"That black little runt—doesn't it look just like a lump of coal? I can't stop laughing!" one of them jeered.
Hayato smirked. "Oh? So the coal in your house has muscles like that? You must've grown up breathing mold if that's how you see things!"
Lt. Surge's grin faltered. "You little brat! I'll show you what cruelty really means!"
Shiny Larvitar raised one stubby arm and curled its clawed finger, gesturing for Raichu to "bring it on." The cheeky gesture made everyone freeze for a second.
"Raichu, use Thunderbolt!"
Lt. Surge didn't recognize the species—certainly not in its rare shiny form—so he had no idea it was a Rock and Ground type.
"Tch, Electric-type attack?" Hayato folded his arms. "That'll just tickle."
Raichu unleashed a brilliant burst of yellow lightning that flooded the field. The electricity crackled wildly, the light reflecting off every surface. But when the smoke cleared, Larvitar stood there completely unscathed, blinking in mild confusion.
Lt. Surge's eyes widened. "A Ground type Pokémon? No wonder! But don't think you'll win just because of that type advantage, you little runt!"
Before Hayato could give a command, Larvitar stomped its foot—and a powerful Earthquake ripped across the field.
Hayato sighed. "Hey, I didn't even tell you to attack yet! Guess I caught myself a stronger version of Psyduck."
Ground-type moves were double-effective against Electric types, and with Earthquake's sheer power, even a less-trained Larvitar could devastate a veteran Raichu.
The tremors rocked the arena. Raichu staggered, barely managing to stay upright.
"Raichu! You okay? Don't hold back—use Headbutt!" Lt. Surge barked.
"Larvitar, counter with Rock Slide!"
Raichu dashed forward, but before it could close the distance, massive boulders crashed down from above, slamming into it with thunderous force. The Electric mouse collapsed, eyes spinning in defeat.
Lt. Surge stood frozen. His jaw dropped."That's it…? I lost?! You kids from Pallet Town—are you all monsters?!"
Hayato exhaled in relief. Larvitar obediently trotted back to him and began affectionately rubbing its head against his leg—clinging like a child to its parent.
A loss was a loss. Lt. Surge just wanted to end the embarrassment as quickly as possible. He tossed an orange Thunder Badge at Hayato and waved irritably.
"Here, take it! Now get outta here, kid. The Vermilion Gym's closing for the day!"
"Closing? What do you mean?" Hayato asked, eyebrow raised.
"It's lunchtime," Lt. Surge replied curtly. "You don't eat, huh? Guess with a body like that, you don't need it."
Hayato grinned slyly. "Oh, I see. Then I won't keep you big guys from stuffing yourselves. Bon appétit, fatties!"
The three men nearly fainted from anger but couldn't think of a comeback.
Out on the street, Hayato looked at the three badges he'd collected so far, a triumphant smile spreading across his face."Once I collect all eight, I can enter the Indigo League. Only five more to go—not too bad! Oh, right… The S.S. Anne arrived this morning, didn't it? A perfect opportunity—I've gotta check it out!"
Vermilion Harbor, S.S. Anne Dock.
Hayato stared at the enormous cruise ship anchored at the port, packed with bustling tourists. "Wow… that's massive! It might even outshine the Titanic! I heard it can sail all the way to the Johto region. But I still haven't conquered Kanto yet… going to Johto now would be premature."
A crowd had gathered near the ship's entrance, where a uniformed sailor shouted through a megaphone:"The S.S. Anne has been fully booked for a private event! Without an official invitation, no one is allowed aboard. Please cooperate—don't obstruct our work!"
"What? We came all this way just to see the ship!" a tourist complained. "Tour guide, you'd better give us an explanation!"
"Yeah! This is fraud! We want our money back!" another shouted.
The tour guide, flustered, pulled out her phone to call her boss.
Meanwhile, a line was forming on the opposite side of the dock. Two people were handing out invitations, surrounded by an eager crowd.
"Please stay in line! Only official Pokémon Trainers can receive invitations. Show your Pokédex as proof, or no deal!"
Hayato's eyes narrowed. "Wait… Jessie and James? Did they really think I wouldn't recognize them just because they changed outfits?"
Sure enough—it was Team Rocket. He immediately grew curious.
Earlier that day, their boss Giovanni had called them with new orders. Jessie and James had accepted the mission nervously.
Giovanni, dressed sharply in an orange suit, stroked his Meowth's head and spoke in a deep, cold voice:"I'm disappointed in your recent performance. However, there's a new assignment for you. Fail this one… and you'll have no place left in Team Rocket."
Terrified, Jessie and James saluted. "Yes, Boss! Please give the order—we'll do whatever it takes!"
Giovanni smirked. "Simple. You'll soon receive S.S. Anne party invitations. Distribute them to as many strong Pokémon Trainers as possible. Lure them onto the ship."
James blinked. "For free, Boss? Those tickets must cost a fortune! Are you sure?"
Giovanni's eyes glinted. "Of course. The S.S. Anne party is being hosted by me. Other Team Rocket members are already aboard, waiting in disguise. Once the Trainers and their Pokémon are gathered… every single one of their Pokémon will belong to me. Understood?"
Meowth purred, rubbing against his leg. "That's our Boss for ya! Nobody else could come up with a plan like that!"
Back at the harbor, Hayato grinned. Perfect—he'd been wondering how to get on the ship. Free ticket? Don't mind if I do!
Jessie spotted him and hissed to James, "It's that brat again! Giovanni said he doesn't have any relatives like him—he lied to us! Time to teach him a lesson!"
Because of Hayato's prank last time, they'd been scolded harshly by Giovanni—and even Meowth was still sulking about it.
The two, now heavily disguised, strutted toward Hayato with exaggerated smiles. "Congratulations, little boy! You're our lucky winner! Here's your S.S. Anne invitation—it grants access to an exclusive VIP party onboard!"
Hayato smirked. "Hey, James, that maid outfit actually suits you."
James stiffened. "Wh-who's James? You must have me confused with someone else! Ha… ha ha!"
"Yeah, right," Hayato scoffed. "You think I can't recognize you just because you're cross-dressing? Gimme that ticket! I don't know what you two are plotting, but whatever it is, I'm not afraid. If you try anything shady, I'll make sure you regret it!"
Snatching the invitation, Hayato marched confidently toward the S.S. Anne.
James's face flushed bright red. "He recognized me again? Ugh! But whatever… he took the bait. He'll be the one crying later."
Jessie tugged his arm. "Stop mumbling! We've still got tons of invitations left to hand out. Move it!"
"R-right! On it!"
(End of Chapter)