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Ah, *chirp!*
"Gary! Are you okay? Have you caught a cold?" At that moment, Gary, cruising in his sports car, suddenly sneezed. One of the girls sitting next to him turned to him with concern.
"It's fine, just an itchy nose!" Gary rubbed his nose nonchalantly. The weather wasn't cold at all! Little did he know, Ash—far away—was silently grumbling about him.
---
"It's none of your business what I do!" The red-haired boy's face darkened as he responded to Ash's words with a cold tone.
Ash's comment seemed ordinary, yet it struck a nerve, making the boy feel as though his thoughts had been exposed.
"I don't care," Ash replied calmly. "I'm just saying, you'd better leave quickly."
"I don't need advice from you!" the boy snapped, clearly averse to being told what to do.
Ash merely shrugged and spread his hands in indifference.
---
"Over there!!"
Suddenly, a shout rang out, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps. All four of them—Ash, Misty, Brock, and the red-haired boy—turned toward the noise. A group of figures emerged, heading their way. Seeing this, Misty and Brock's expressions immediately grew tense.
The red-haired boy frowned slightly, a sharp glint in his eyes, but he remained unafraid. Ash, on the other hand, felt a twinge of exasperation. *Why are you always so stubborn?*
"That's him! He's the Trainer Granny Yin put a bounty on. Catch him!"
The crowd quickly surrounded them, their focus locked on the red-haired boy. Mistaking Ash and his friends for allies of the boy, they also seemed intent on keeping Ash from taking the lead.
Poké Balls were drawn, and tension crackled in the air. Misty and Brock looked uneasy, while Ash held his ground.
At that moment, a yacht glided in from the sea. Standing on its bow was a sharply dressed man, flanked by bodyguards. His fiery gaze zeroed in on the red-haired boy before flickering to Ash and his companions.
"Huh? It's you three!" he sneered, his anger flaring. "That's the guy who destroyed the luxury hotel I poured my heart into building! Did you track him down? Perfect! Help me capture him, and I'll throw in a bonus!"
As Pikachu squared off against the red-haired boy's Sneasel, the man gestured toward Ash, trying to rope him into the conflict. Ash rolled his eyes in irritation.
"And for the rest of you!" the man bellowed, addressing the surrounding Trainers. "Anyone who catches him gets a one-million-dollar bonus!"
At this, Granny Yin chimed in, egging on the crowd even further.
---
"Hey, wait a minute!" Misty shouted, stepping forward. "Do you really want to help this guy? This whole mess started because she destroyed Tentacool's habitat just to make money! As Trainers, are you really going to side with someone like that?"
Her words gave some of the Trainers pause. While a few remained resolute, others hesitated, doubt flickering across their faces.
"Don't listen to this little girl! Those jellyfish are nothing but a nuisance," Granny Yin snapped, her voice laced with disdain. "Hurry up and act! This is money you'll never see in your life, old woman!"
Her words were sharp, intended to quash any doubts. The hesitant Trainers quickly firmed their resolve, their eyes locking onto the red-haired boy.
"You..." Misty's expression fell, her disappointment evident as she scanned the crowd.
"Misty, don't bother trying to reason with them," Ash said gently, shaking his head. "It's useless. People like them won't listen."
Misty's shoulders sagged. Ash could see her frustration, but he knew better than to expect much from these Trainers. For every devoted Trainer who cared deeply about Pokémon, there were many who saw them as mere tools.
The red-haired boy's cold gaze flicked to Ash for a moment, then shifted back to the Trainers encircling him. He smirked, his confidence unwavering.
"Do you really think you can catch me?" he sneered. "Sneasel, use Metal Claw!"
With a sharp cry, Sneasel lunged forward, its claws gleaming with a metallic shine. The surrounding Trainers hadn't even released their Pokémon yet, leaving themselves wide open. Sneasel struck, its speed and precision sending two Trainers flying backward.
"Ahhh!" Misty and Brock gasped in unison, shocked by the direct and aggressive attack.
"Darn it! Go, Beedrill!"
"Spearow, get in there!"
"Golbat, take him down!"
"Machop, let's go!"
The Trainers, now furious, sprang into action. Their hesitation forgotten, they released Pokémon one after another, their Poké Balls filling the air with flashes of light.
"Magneton, Discharge!"
The red-haired boy remained unfazed. As Sneasel darted among the enemy Pokémon, he tossed another Poké Ball. From it emerged Magneton, its three metallic orbs arranged in a triangular formation. The Pokémon hovered in midair, its central eye glowing ominously, magnets crackling with electricity.
*Sneasel's claws gleamed with Metal Claw* as it struck two Pokémon, knocking them back with ease. Meanwhile, Magneton unleashed a powerful Discharge attack. Blue currents of electricity surged from its body, spreading in a wide arc and stunning multiple Pokémon in one go.
*BOOM!*
The area erupted with sparks and explosions as Discharge blanketed the battlefield. Several Trainers' Pokémon collapsed, paralyzed or knocked out by the sheer power of the move.
"Wow, this is incredible!" Brock muttered, unable to hide his admiration. "That kid is way stronger than I thought!"
Despite Magneton and Sneasel's dominance, the sheer number of opposing Pokémon began to overwhelm them. While they held their ground with impressive skill, it was clear they couldn't fend off everyone forever.
"This is bad..." Ash murmured, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation. Even with their strength, the red-haired boy and his Pokémon couldn't last much longer against such overwhelming odds.