"Exeggutor!"
The cluster of stones lying in the garden grass suddenly trembled, then floated upward, hovering in midair as if pulled by invisible strings.
Gary's eyes widened in surprise.
"You've awakened Confusion."
Confusion was a Psychic-type move with a base power of only 50—modest by most standards. But it was deceptively practical. In the later stages of a Psychic Pokémon's growth, Confusion's true strength had little to do with its listed power and everything to do with the user's mental capacity.
Mewtwo, for example, could devastate opponents using nothing but Confusion. Even the defensive Confusion Shield it generated could repel attacks that should have torn through any normal barrier.
Gary patted Exeggutor on the side—the Pokémon now stood about the same height as him—and pulled up its data through the Eye of Insight.
text
[Pokémon: Exeggutor ♂]
[Type: Grass / Psychic]
[Level: 10]
[Potential: Quasi-Elite]
[Ability: Chlorophyll]
[Skills: Absorb, Hypnosis, Reflect, Leech Seed, Confusion]
[Intimacy: 201 (maximum 255)]
After evolution, Exeggutor's potential had jumped from Gym-tier to Quasi-Elite.
It seemed the premium Leaf Stone could only raise a Pokémon's potential by one rank. Still, that alone was an excellent result.
The Bronze Crown can wait.
Gary had been tempted to push Exeggutor's potential even higher, but the Champion Team mission still hung over him. Four more Pokémon needed capturing—and there was no guarantee what quality of Growlithe the police station would offer him.
If they handed over a low-potential one, the Bronze Crown would be invaluable.
Better to hold onto it.
The other Pokémon on the list—Pidgeot, Rhydon, and Arcanine—weren't particularly rare, so capturing decent specimens shouldn't be too difficult. Only Alakazam would require special effort.
"Exeggutor, take some time to adjust to your new body. Practice your Confusion as well."
"Exeggutor!"
Exeggutor nodded, rolling its shoulders experimentally before lifting another set of stones into the air, focusing intently on holding them steady.
Gary turned his gaze toward the direction of the Pokémon Center.
Night — Pokémon Center
Ash sat hunched in the waiting area, eyes locked onto the red light glowing above the operating room door. His fingers wouldn't stop fidgeting.
He hadn't expected Pikachu's injuries to be this severe. The treatment had stretched from morning all the way into the evening, and with every passing hour, his anxiety had only grown.
Fortunately, Misty was beside him.
She had slapped him earlier—still angry about her ruined bicycle—but after learning what had actually happened, her sympathy had softened her considerably.
Ting!
The light above the door went dark.
Ash and Misty shot to their feet. The doors slid open, and Nurse Joy emerged with two Chanseys, pushing a treatment trolley between them.
Pikachu lay on the cushioned surface, a charging device fitted snugly over its head. Positive and negative battery cables hung from the rack mounted beside the trolley, gently humming as they fed energy back into the small Electric-type's body.
Ash and Misty rushed over, peppering Nurse Joy with questions.
Pikachu was stable. It just needed time and rest to recover fully.
Ash exhaled, his shoulders sagging in relief.
Then—
"Emergency alert! Emergency alert!"
"Intruders detected in Viridian City. Likely a Pokémon kidnapping operation in progress."
The Pokémon Center's alarm blared to life, red lights flashing across the lobby walls.
Outside the Pokémon Center
Gary stared up at the hot air balloon drifting toward the building and almost laughed in disbelief.
He had spent the entire afternoon wondering exactly how Team Rocket would attempt to break into the Pokémon Center. He hadn't expected them to just float in on a giant red and white balloon, completely visible to anyone with eyes.
This is way too blatant.
Does Giovanni even know you idiots operate like this?
The whole reason Viridian City was currently under heightened patrols and martial alert was because of antics like this. Their carelessness had to be costing Giovanni a fortune in cleanup.
Moments later, Gary watched three figures drop from the balloon and slip into the Pokémon Center through the skylight. Almost immediately, dark plumes of smoke began pouring out of the ventilation shafts.
He turned to his Pokémon.
"Exeggutor, Squirtle. We're moving."
"Exeggutor!"
"Squirtle!"
Gary stepped out from behind the flowerbed where they had been waiting, his two Pokémon flanking him as they crossed the plaza toward the Pokémon Center entrance.
He arrived just in time to catch the tail end of Team Rocket's introduction speech—right as they squared off against Ash and the others.
"Our target is the sick Pokémon being treated here," Jessie declared. "If we sweep through them one by one, we're bound to find something valuable."
"Right!" James added, nodding with enthusiasm.
Their plan was simple: rummage through the Pokémon Center's recovery rooms and steal anything rare.
"You bastards!" Ash snapped, fists clenched. "How can you do something so disgusting?"
It was the first time he had ever encountered people this shameless.
But Jessie and James didn't even spare him a glance. As elite operatives of Team Rocket, they had no interest in some random rookie Trainer's outrage.
"Koffing—Poison Gas!" James commanded sharply, not bothering with banter.
"Wow—!"
But Koffing, mid-launch, suddenly froze in midair. It hung there, motionless, suspended like a marionette with its strings cut.
James blinked. "Koffing? What's wrong?"
"What's going on?" Jessie frowned. Koffing always responded instantly to James's commands. Something was clearly off.
"Behind you!" Nurse Joy practically shouted.
The Rocket trio whirled around—
—and saw a handsome boy standing at the entrance of the Pokémon Center, flanked by an Exeggutor and a Squirtle.
"Gary?!" Ash's pupils contracted in shock.
"With me here," Gary said coldly, "don't even think about taking the Pokémon in this Center."
Jessie scoffed. "Another little brat. Ekans!"
She didn't take him seriously for even a second.
"Hisss—!"
Ekans launched forward immediately, slithering across the floor with sharp, snapping movements.
"Exeggutor!"
Gary's command was sharp. Exeggutor's eyes glowed faintly—and the floating Koffing, still trapped in Confusion's grip, was suddenly hurled forward like a cannonball. It slammed directly into Ekans, knocking the Poison-type aside in a tangle of limbs.
"What?!" Jessie's mouth fell open. She couldn't believe a rookie Trainer had this kind of strength.
"Leech Seed."
Three of Exeggutor's heads opened simultaneously, spitting out a volley of green seeds. Boosted by Confusion, the seeds accelerated dramatically, streaking through the air toward their targets.
The Leech Seeds struck cleanly. Vines erupted instantly, wrapping around both Koffing and Ekans, draining their energy through the parasitic bonds.
"Ekans, Poison Sting!"
"Koffing, Smog!"
Jessie and James shouted their commands at the same time, desperate to break free.
"Hisss—!"
"Gas!"
Even bound by vines, Ekans and Koffing released their attacks—Poison Sting needles flying through the air alongside a thick cloud of toxic smoke.
Gary's response was immediate.
"Squirtle, Water Gun—knock down the Poison Sting!"
"Exeggutor, Confusion—throw Koffing!"
Squirtle puffed up its cheeks and unleashed a powerful Water Gun. The pressurized stream cleanly intercepted every Poison Sting needle midair, scattering them harmlessly across the floor.
At the same moment, Exeggutor's eyes flared again. Koffing—still bound by Leech Seed vines—was wrenched sideways through the air with incredible force, flung toward the nearest support pillar.
Bang!
Koffing slammed into the pillar with a sickening crunch. Combined with the energy already drained by Leech Seed, the impact was more than enough.
It dropped to the floor, unconscious.
"K-Koffing!" James rushed forward, eyes wide with panic.
The Rocket trio's lineup was now reduced to one Ekans—and Meowth, of course, though their talking Meowth had never been particularly strong in combat.
Without Koffing's support, Ekans was completely isolated. Bound tightly by Exeggutor's Confusion, it had no chance to dodge as Squirtle's next Water Gun struck it head-on.
Ekans collapsed beside Koffing, defeated.
The battle had ended in less than a minute.