After returning, Roy's face was cold as he prepared to head straight to the police station to find Officer Jenny.
He had just reached the entrance of the Pokémon Center.
"Roy!"
"Roy!"
Two urgent calls came out.
Roy turned his head and saw Misty and Delia running back quickly.
Misty's pretty face was flushed with anger, her chest heaving violently, and her small fists were clenched so tightly that her nails were almost digging into her palms.
Delia was beside her, her expression also very grim, her gentle eyes now filled with worry and rage.
"Roy! Roy! Let me tell you! I'm so furious! I'm so furious, ahhh!"
As soon as Misty saw Roy, it was as if she had found an outlet; she rushed to him in a few steps, her voice urgent and angry, even trembling slightly.
"That Lt. Surge from the Vermilion Gym! He... he's simply not human!"
"Not only does he strike ruthlessly during battles, beating other people's Pokemon to death!"
"He... he also... he even bullies girls! He... he..."
When Misty reached the crucial point, she was both ashamed and indignant; as a girl, those specific, filthy words were truly hard for her to say.
But her flushed face and eyes that were practically spitting fire already explained everything.
Roy's heart sank.
It seemed Misty and Delia had also found out the truth.
He reached out, gently pulling the emotional Misty into his embrace, while his other hand took Delia's slightly cool hand.
"Don't worry, take your time," Roy's voice was steady. "What did you find out?"
Delia took a deep breath and added for the incoherently angry Misty, "Following Nurse Joy's suggestion, we went to contact those girls who were acting strangely."
"At first, they wouldn't say anything, they just cried."
"Later... Misty was very persistent and sincere, so one of the younger girls finally told us bit by bit..."
Delia's voice also carried a chill.
"After battles, Lt. Surge would use 'guidance' or 'consolation' as excuses to get handsy with female challengers. Putting his arm around their shoulders, touching their waists... and even... worse."
"He would also use their injured Pokemon as a threat, forbidding them from speaking out. He claimed that as a Gym Leader, no one in Vermilion City could touch him."
"Those girls were all intimidated like that, both ashamed and afraid, which is why they ended up in that state."
Misty nodded vigorously in Roy's arms, lifting her face, her eyes red with anger. "Exactly! He's just scum! Dregs! A disgrace to Trainers! I must..."
"I already know about this issue," Roy interrupted her, gently rubbing her arm.
"What? You know too?" Misty and Delia were both stunned.
Roy nodded, his eyes sharp. "I went to the Gym and saw it with my own eyes."
He briefly described the scene he saw while infiltrating, including Lt. Surge's molestation and threats toward that young girl.
"Animal!" Misty gritted her teeth.
"He actually..." Delia covered her mouth, both shocked and terrified. Luckily, Roy didn't have any Pokémon with him at the time; otherwise, given his personality, he might have charged right in.
"I'm on my way to the police station to find Officer Jenny." Roy raised the pokédex in his hand. "I've already recorded the evidence."
"Go! Let's go together!" Misty shouted immediately, breaking free from Roy's embrace and pulling him and Delia along. "A bastard like that shouldn't be allowed to stay free for another second!"
Delia also nodded forcefully.
The three of them immediately turned and walked quickly toward the Vermilion City Police Station... Inside the police station, Officer Jenny was flipping through some documents.
Upon hearing the report from the three and seeing the video in the pokédex—which, despite the awkward angle, clearly showed Lt. Surge's misdeeds—she snapped the folder shut with a "clap."
Her heroic face, full of a sense of justice, was instantly covered in frost.
"As expected... him again!" Jenny's voice was suppressed with anger.
"Officer Jenny, you knew about this before?" Roy keenly caught her choice of words.
Jenny sighed and rubbed her brow.
"Over the recent period, we have indeed received some vague complaints and rumors about the Vermilion Gym Leader's misconduct. But... first, we lacked direct evidence, and second, Lt. Surge's status is special."
She explained, "He is the official Gym Leader of Vermilion City, one of the city's representatives, and is registered with the League. Without solid evidence and certain procedures, it's difficult for us to take direct enforcement measures against him."
"We've also tried requesting surveillance footage from the Gym's battle arena before, but Lt. Surge always made excuses like equipment failure, overwritten footage, or Trainer privacy to dodge the request."
Jenny looked at the footage in Roy's pokédex, her gaze becoming firm again. "Now it's fine. With this direct evidence, we have a breakthrough!"
She looked at the three of them and said solemnly, "Thank you very much for the evidence and clues you've provided. Please rest assured, we the police will handle this strictly."
"However," Jenny's tone shifted to a serious one, "please do not act rashly for the time being, and do not spread word of this."
"After all, Lt. Surge is a city representative Gym Leader with a significant network and influence. To prevent him from acting desperately or using his connections to escape after hearing rumors, I need to immediately report to the League and the city government to obtain formal search and arrest warrants."
"Only then can we ensure everything is foolproof and bring this scum to justice!"
Roy nodded understandingly. "We understand. We'll leave it to you then, Officer Jenny."
Although Misty wished she could rush to the Gym and beat him up right now, she knew Jenny had a point and could only nod while holding back her anger.
Delia said softly, "Officer Jenny, if you need us to testify, or if you need statements from other victims, we can also help contact them."
Jenny gave a grateful smile. "Alright, I'll contact you if needed. Thank you again!"
By the time they left the police station, it was completely dark... That night, the three of them still felt somewhat heavy-hearted and resentful.
"Damn it... I can't sleep just thinking that bastard might still be in the Gym!" Misty sat on the bed, sulking while hugging a pillow.
Delia poured her a glass of water and comforted her gently, "Officer Jenny is already handling it; we should trust the police. Besides, isn't Roy going to challenge the Gym tomorrow?"
At this, Misty's eyes lit up, and she suddenly looked at Roy, who was checking his Poké Balls. "That's right! Roy, you must teach that Lt. Surge a harsh lesson tomorrow! Beat him until he's looking for his teeth on the ground! Avenge those girls!"
"Don't worry, I won't let him off easily."
Roy looked at the two women. "Everyone is tired today, get some rest early. We have things to do tomorrow."
Misty and Delia nodded... The night passed in silence.
The next morning, the sun rose as usual.
The three of Roy's group got up early and met in the Pokémon Center's dining area.
"We'll split up," Roy said, taking a sip of milk as he laid out the plan. "Delia, you are meticulous and have a gentle personality that's easy to trust. Go to the Pokémon Center again and see if you can contact and comfort more potential victims, encouraging them to come forward and testify. This is very important for Officer Jenny's follow-up investigation."
Delia nodded seriously. "Okay, leave it to me."
"Then I'll go with you to the Vermilion Gym. I want to see you beat up that animal of a Gym Leader," Misty requested impatiently.
Roy agreed to Misty's request.
Then the three of them split up... At 9 AM, Vermilion Gym.
Roy and Misty walked into the somewhat dark interior of the Gym.
The doors to the battle arena were open, and the lights inside were dimmed, with only a few spotlights hitting the center of the field, leaving the surroundings in heavy shadow.
This environment was clearly not for match lighting, but more like creating an atmosphere convenient for concealing filth.
"Yo! Someone's here looking for a beating this early?"
A frivolous male voice rang out.
The first ones to step out of the shadows weren't Lt. Surge, but the male and female Gym members Roy had seen yesterday.
They wore uniform Gym outfits, with the same uncomfortable, thuggish grins as Lt. Surge on their faces.
"Who is it? Coming to be a 'victim' so early in the morning!" Lt. Surge's impatient, gruff voice came from the back, accompanied by heavy footsteps.
He pulled back the curtain and stepped out, still in that camouflage tank top, muscles bulging, with a face full of irritability from not being fully awake.
"Let me see who's so blind... Huh?"
His gaze fell on Roy, then he noticed the energetic Pikachu on his shoulder. He froze for a moment, then burst into exaggerated laughter.
"Hahaha! I wondered who it was! Turns out it's a 'baby Trainer' with a 'baby Pokemon'!"
He pointed at Pikachu, laughing so hard he was doubling over.
"What's wrong, kid? Lost? This isn't a place for playing house~"
His two subordinates, the man and the woman, also joined in the laughter, their eyes full of mockery.
After Lt. Surge had laughed his fill, his gaze fell on Misty, who was standing beside Roy and glaring at him.
Lt. Surge's eyes immediately lit up, and he let out a whistle.
"Oho~ Not bad, baby Trainer. You're a baby yourself, but your girlfriend is quite a looker!" He licked his lips, and filthy words spilled out.
"Ayyy~ You three babies are all so 'cute'! It's making me a bit... excited, hahaha!"
Hearing this blatant harassment, Roy's brow furrowed tightly, but in his heart, he felt a wave of disgust and couldn't help but complain: No way? Is this bastard into both men and women?
Misty was thoroughly disgusted by his gaze and words, trembling with rage. She was about to curse back when Roy gently pulled her hand, signaling her to stay calm.
Lt. Surge joked for a few more sentences, then suddenly seemed to remember something. His laughter subsided slightly, and he looked suspiciously back and forth between Roy and Misty.
The abnormal movement in the battle arena yesterday... and today the two of them came together... Was it a coincidence?
He temporarily suppressed his more explicit thoughts and decided to follow the "normal" procedure first.
"Forget it, forget it. My mood is 'good' today, so I won't hold it against you." Lt. Surge waved his hand and walked to the Trainer's command seat, a cruel and playful smile returning to his face.
"Come on, come on, baby Trainer! According to the rules, the Vermilion Gym is a 1v1 single battle, only one round, okay? Are you really going to bring out this 'baby' Pikachu?"
He pointed at Pikachu and laughed loudly again.
Beside him, the male and female subordinates also let out exaggerated laughs in coordination.
"Hahaha, Leader, maybe they think Pikachu is so 'cute' it can charm your Raichu to death!" the female subordinate said in a squeaky voice.
"Exactly, a baby for a baby!" the male subordinate added.
Facing the mockery, Roy's face remained calm and unruffled.
He didn't even reply, simply patting the Pikachu on his shoulder.
Pikachu understood, leaping lightly off his shoulder and landing steadily on the battle arena. Its small body stood upright, its sharp gaze locking onto the opponent.
Pika!
This attitude already said everything.
"Damn it, you don't know what's good for you!" Seeing Roy ignore him and actually send out Pikachu, Lt. Surge cursed, "Raichu! Come out and teach this kid who doesn't know his place a lesson!"
A red light flashed, and a Raichu with a sturdy build and a thick tail appeared on the field. It looked down at the petite Pikachu opposite it, dismissively flicking its tail as sparks flew.
Roy's gaze swept over it.
A Elite Raichu.
Meanwhile, his Pikachu, after special training and battles, was already at the quasi-Gym-level (LV40)! Not to mention the doubling bonus from the Pikachu-exclusive artifact, the Light Ball!
Level suppression, hardware suppression!
Lt. Surge clearly didn't take Pikachu seriously at all; he didn't even bother to command any tactics.
"Raichu! Give him a hard one right away! Thunderbolt! Let this little mouse know what a real electric shock is!"
Raichu charged up, and violent golden currents erupted from its body, forming a thick electric snake that roared toward Pikachu! The momentum was terrifying!
"Pikachu," Roy's voice rang out calmly, "we'll use Thunderbolt too."
Pika—chu—!!!
Pikachu was already prepared, sparks jumping wildly on its small cheeks!
With the boost from the Light Ball, the surging power within its body far exceeded its peers, even surpassing many final evolutions!
A golden pillar of lightning, even more brilliant, solid, and noticeably thicker than Raichu's, struck first despite being launched later, violently clashing against the other!
"What the hell?" The cruel grin on Lt. Surge's face instantly froze!
In the next second, the two Thunderbolts collided in mid-air!
There was no stalemate!
Almost at the moment of contact, Raichu's seemingly fierce Thunderbolt was like a stream meeting a flood, directly swallowed and crushed by Pikachu's "bigger and thicker" golden lightning pillar with unstoppable force!
The thick lightning pillar continued with unabated momentum, slamming into the stunned Raichu, who didn't even have time to react.
"Raichu!!!"
A shrill scream rang out!
Raichu's sturdy body was completely swallowed by the electricity and thrown high into the air before slamming onto the ground like a broken sack. It was charred all over, emitting black smoke, and the sparks on its tail flickered weakly twice before going out completely.
One hit!
Instant kill!
The entire battle arena instantly fell into a deathly silence.
Only the smell of burning from the electric shock lingered in the air.
Lt. Surge's mouth hung open, his eyes nearly popping out of his head as he stared at the yellow electric mouse on the field, which was still standing straight, with only the tip of its tail smoking slightly, as if he had seen a ghost.
Beside him, his two subordinates, the man and the woman, were even more petrified on the spot.
The female subordinate instinctively covered her mouth, her wide eyes full of disbelief as she blurted out in a murmur:
"How... how is it possible? It's actually bigger and thicker than the Leader's. How can it be so fierce?"
Everyone was stunned by this subversive result.
Roy's Pikachu, with its level suppression and doubled electrical power, had won easily with absolute dominance.
Meanwhile, Lt. Surge, due to his arrogance and contempt, hadn't even let Raichu use any buffing skills or tactics.
This single, super-strong Thunderbolt had directly decided the outcome.
The silence lasted for several seconds.
Until Roy's calm voice rang out:
"Referee, aren't you going to announce the result?"
The female subordinate snapped out of it, looking at the unconscious Raichu on the field, then at the expressionless Roy and that powerful Pikachu, announcing in a dry, trembling voice:
"Rai... Raichu is unable to battle... so, so the winner is... the challenger's Pikachu...