This was all part of the pn.

  Feign retreat, then order the Weezing that had been hiding nearby to unch a suicide attack.

  Over his decade-long career in Team Rocket, Ijun had used this underhanded tactic to eliminate countless enemies.

  "That explosion was at point-bnk range. That should've done it, right?" Ijun muttered to himself.

  His experience told him that no one could survive a Self-Destruct at such a close distance, yet an uneasy feeling gnawed at him.

  Just to be sure, he decided to confirm the result first.

  "You—go check it out!" He pointed at one of his subordinates, signaling for him to investigate.

  The unfortunate grunt's face paled, but he dared not disobey. Gritting his teeth, he released a Machoke and positioned it in front of him as a shield while inching toward the pile of rubble.

  Under the tense gazes of every Rocket member present, Machoke approached the colpsed rock pile.

  "Machoke, move the rocks."

  Having a brain filled with nothing but muscle, Machoke didn't think too much about the order. Upon hearing its Trainer's command, it stepped forward and reached for the nearest stone.

  But at that very moment—

  Boom!

  A deafening explosion erupted as the pile of rocks suddenly burst apart.

  Caught off guard, Machoke was struck by a massive boulder, sent flying into the tunnel wall, and instantly knocked unconscious.

  The remaining Rocket members finally got a clear look at what was beneath the rubble.

  Standing there, completely unscathed, was August.

  Beside him, Gardevoir calmly lowered her arms, dissipating the spherical barrier that had shielded them both.

  "Phew, that was close. Just a little more, and I'd be dead."

  August pinched his thumb and index finger together, exaggerating the tiny gap between them.

  Like hell we believe that!

  The Rocket members screamed internally at his over-the-top performance.

  If August and Gardevoir had even the slightest scratch on them, maybe—just maybe—they could fool themselves into believing that the attack had at least done something.

  But the reality was... nothing.

  Not a single injury.

  Not even an ounce of damage from that devastating explosion.

  The remaining conscious Rocket members felt as if they had plunged into an icy abyss. Some had already started scanning their surroundings, searching for an escape route.

  Ijun, watching his subordinates waver, panicked.

  Retreat? No way!

  He was terrified, too, but this mission had come with an absolute order from higher-ups.

  If he returned empty-handed, his fate wouldn't be much better than getting thrown into the League's prison—perhaps even worse. At least in jail, there was still a chance of being bailed out.

  Gncing at the tracker still blinking and beeping at his waist, Ijun clenched his jaw and shouted,

  "Stall him! According to our intel, he only has one Gardevoir. Gardevoir's stamina is limited—if we can hold out until the reinforcements from Squad Three arrive, victory is ours!!"

  His words had some effect, slightly bolstering the morale of his shaken troops.

  Rocket Grunts began hurling Poké Balls, unching a coordinated assault on August and Gardevoir, attempting to overwhelm them with sheer numbers.

  Above, Ijun's Crobat sshed through the air, unching an [Air Ssh].

  On the ground, a Rhydon barreled forward, its drill-like horn spinning at high speed as it charged full tilt.

  Nearby, a Magnezone hovered, its three Magnemite components simultaneously firing beams of light at August and Gardevoir.

  These weren't mindless attacks. The Pokémon coordinated with one another, a clear sign that even Team Rocket's grunts received proper battle training.

  But—

  "They're still too weak!"

  If August's Gardevoir were still below the Elite Four threshold, perhaps he would have felt some pressure.

  But a post-Elite Four Gardevoir was a completely different beast.

  With a mere lift of her hand, every piece of debris on the ground floated into the air under her telekinetic control.

  And then—

  Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

  A flurry of sonic booms followed as the rubble shot forward like bullets, bombarding the incoming Pokémon with a storm of rock shards.

  The [Air Ssh] and Magnezone's triple beam attack were all intercepted mid-air, detonating upon impact.

  The remaining debris rained down mercilessly on the advancing Pokémon.

  Rhydon and Magnezone, both resilient and heavily armored, managed to withstand the assault—for now.

  But for fragile, agile Pokémon like Crobat and Fearow, it was a nightmare.

  Especially Ijun's Crobat—it had earned August's special attention.

  Despite frantically fpping all four of its wings in a desperate attempt to dodge, the sheer density of incoming projectiles made escape impossible.

  With a sharp screech, Crobat was struck mid-air and lost its bance.

  "No! Crobat!" Ijun yelled, sensing danger.

  One of his subordinates, seeing their captain's Pokémon in peril, gritted his teeth and ordered his Fearow to shield Crobat, absorbing part of the attack.

  Ijun's face lit up. "Good job—"

  But before he could finish speaking, August's next command came through.

  [Psybeam]

  A dazzling, multicolored beam of chaotic psychic energy erupted from Gardevoir's hands, striking both the disoriented Crobat and the Fearow shielding it.

  The unstable psychic force scrambled their minds instantly, throwing them into a state of confusion.

  With their rationality shattered, the two Pokémon turned on each other in a brutal aerial brawl, feathers and blood scattering through the air.

  Even the Pokémon below weren't spared from the chaos.

  "Damn, that's brutal."

  Ordinarily, confusion wouldn't lead to such violent results.

  But Team Rocket had trained their Pokémon with an excessive focus on aggression, pushing their natural instincts toward savagery.

  With their battle rhythm completely thrown into disarray, the rampaging Fearow and Crobat turned into a tornado of destruction, attacking anything in sight—including their own Trainers.

  August?

  At this point, he was completely stress-free.

  "Gardevoir, it's all yours. Keep them alive—just don't let anyone escape."

  He shot Gardevoir a look, signaling her to handle things herself.

  Meanwhile, he released his Dratini and Bagon, picking a half-defeated Graveler as a sparring partner for them.

  Five minutes ter—

  Dratini and Bagon worked together to take down the Graveler.

  When August looked back at Gardevoir, he saw her levitating a crackling Magnezone with her psychic power—using it like an oversized stun baton to repeatedly bash a Rhydon.

  Thwack! Thwack!

  After over a dozen brutal strikes, both Rhydon and Magnezone colpsed, unconscious.

  At this point, not a single Pokémon remained standing.

  Among the Rocket Trainers, only Ijun was still conscious—Gardevoir had deliberately left him for August to deal with.

  "Any st words?" August asked with a smile.

  "Team Rocket will never forgive you!"

  "Ugh, this again."

  Shaking his head in exasperation, August waved his hand.

  With a single psychic pulse from Gardevoir, the tunnel fell silent at st.

  Only the relentless beeping of the Mew tracker remained.

  ---

  T/N: jesus christ that gardevoir...