"Boss… lost!?"
Proton and the others were dumbfounded.
Even though they knew Aggron was just a newly captured Pokémon by Giovanni and still lacked maturity in many aspects, it was undeniably at the level of an Elite Four Pokémon.
Yet, it was defeated by that kid…
No, the shocking thing wasn't just the kid—it was that Bewear!
There was no way Bewear's overall level was higher than the Boss's Aggron.
Even someone like Petrel, who was a street thug dropout, would know that Aggron's evolution requirements far exceeded those of Bewear.
In the game data for reference: Stufful evolves into Bewear at just level 27, while Aron requires a hefty level 42 to evolve into Aggron.
This alone was enough to indicate that a freshly evolved Bewear couldn't possibly have a higher level than Aggron.
In other words, Bewear defeated Aggron while being at a lower level!
"The Boss… got defeated by someone at a lower level…"
Petrel's face was filled with disbelief.
How… how could something like this happen…
"AHH—!"
The next second, Petrel felt a sharp pain in his lower body.
He immediately clutched his crotch, curling up on the ground like a Silcoon, trembling all over.
Nearby, Will smirked, "Didn't your Boss ever teach you not to let your guard down until the very last moment in a fight?"
As he spoke, he shook the right foot he had just used to kick Petrel in the groin.
Ever since smashing poacher Bishas' jewels, he had developed a liking for this kind of move.
On the other side, Karen also seized the opportunity. Her high heel slammed into Proton's stomach, causing him to vomit bile and collapse to his knees again.
"The tides have turned, Team Rocket Boss."
Lusamine shot a grateful glance at Stephen, then placed one hand on her hip and coldly addressed Giovanni, who was recalling his defeated Aggron into its Poké Ball.
"Hmph~"
However, faced with Lusamine's naïveté, Giovanni couldn't help but chuckle.
She was only a few years younger than him, yet so naive.
"What are you laughing at?"
Although Lusamine couldn't see Giovanni's expression, hearing his chuckle sent a strong sense of foreboding through her heart.
"President Lusamine, you should be thankful that it was me you encountered. If it had been another organization, with your level of naïveté, you wouldn't even have a trace left of you by now."
Giovanni's chuckle deepened.
"What are you saying!?"
Enraged, Lusamine commanded her Milotic to attack.
But the next moment, Lusamine was stunned to find that her feet felt as though they were glued to the ground, completely immobile.
"Ugh!"
Her Milotic let out a pained cry.
It, too, was frozen in place, unable to move as though paralyzed.
"President! Over there!"
At that moment, Wicke noticed something and pointed behind Lusamine.
Lusamine turned to look and saw a Dugtrio that had somehow emerged from the ground behind her.
The pristine white tiles in a large area around the Dugtrio had turned into quicksand-like terrain.
This quicksand firmly trapped the feet of everyone and every Pokémon in the area, making movement impossible.
It was Dugtrio's Arena Trap ability!
"Glasses boy, if you don't want to…"
Giovanni began to wrap up the operation.
"Murkrow, Pursuit!"
However, before Giovanni could finish speaking to Stephen, Karen suddenly kicked the collapsed Proton aside and released another of her Pokémon, launching an attack on Giovanni, who had just recalled Aggron.
Yet Giovanni remained completely unfazed.
Boom—!
A Poké Ball on the inside of Giovanni's coat automatically opened.
A bulky Pokémon leaped out.
It was Giovanni's ace: Nidoqueen.
Without even using a proper move, Nidoqueen simply reached out and grabbed the oncoming Murkrow by the neck with pinpoint accuracy.
"Caw!"
The Murkrow let out a pained cry, sounding like a duck being strangled.
"Murkrow!"
Karen's face turned pale.
But she didn't even have time to worry about her partner.
Nidoqueen, still gripping Murkrow's neck with her right hand, took a step forward, placing her left hand on Karen's head.
If Nidoqueen wanted to, she could crush this little girl's skull like an egg in the next second.
"So… so fast! She's on an entirely different level compared to that Aggron…!"
Will was dumbfounded by Nidoqueen's smooth and decisive actions.
He realized now that the man in black hadn't been going all out earlier!
Feeling the warmth of Nidoqueen's massive hand on her head, Karen broke into a cold sweat, soaking her black dress in an instant.
Strictly speaking, this was the first time she had come so close to death.
"Now then, will you listen to me properly this time?"
Giovanni spoke cheerfully.
"Let her go."
Stephen spoke in a deep voice, "I'll be your hostage."
"Stephen!?"
Karen looked at Stephen in disbelief.
Stephen raised his hand, signaling to Karen that it was okay.
He recalled Bewear into its Poké Ball and adjusted it to its minimized state, ensuring the Pokémon could not come out on its own.
Then, Stephen threw all five of his minimized Poké Balls away and slowly walked toward the Nidoqueen.
"Let her go. Take me… as your hostage."
Nidoqueen turned its head to look at its trainer.
Even Giovanni looked a little stunned.
This… this wasn't part of the plan.
To be fair, Giovanni's original intention was to help Stephen win over Lusamine. But how did things suddenly shift to Karen?
Hmm… well, given the current atmosphere, let's just go along with this kid's idea.
Giovanni nodded.
Seeing this, Nidoqueen released both Murkrow and Karen.
The moment Stephen saw this, he pulled Karen toward him and immediately pushed her away to safety.
"Stephen!"
When Karen saw Nidoqueen's hand gripping Stephen's head, her eyes, hidden behind her sunglasses, couldn't stop shedding tears.
"Stay back."
Stephen kept waving his hand, signaling Karen to retreat further.
"Such courage and loyalty…"
Wicke murmured in admiration.
Lusamine also nodded in agreement.
Though she was in a precarious situation and didn't know if she would survive, she had to admit that the young man named Stephen was truly remarkable.
If we manage to survive, I should introduce Lillie to him sometime, she thought.
"What do you want?"
Stephen turned his gaze toward Giovanni.
"Don't rush. We have plenty of time; we can talk slowly."
Giovanni walked to the center of the ruined villa, picking up Stephen's laptop, which was barely functional.
"Uh, uh, sir, this… this is the research data for the move machine," Faba said nervously as he handed the USB drive Stephen had brought to Giovanni.
Stephen silently watched this unfold.
Suddenly, he recalled the events of the future Team Rainbow Rocket incident. It was because of Faba being a traitor that Giovanni was able to invade Aether Paradise so easily.
Although, even without Faba's betrayal, Stephen figured that Aether Paradise wouldn't have stood a chance against Team Rainbow Rocket's strength anyway.
Still, regardless, Faba was a despicable turncoat.
"Unbelievable, starting his traitorous antics this many years in advance…"
Stephen criticized internally.
However, in the eyes of the others, even with Nidoqueen's hand gripping his head, Stephen remained calm and composed, as if nothing could faze him.
"So cool!"
Hiding in a corner behind the others, future Pokémon's self-proclaimed Number One Edgy Teen, Gladion, whispered in awe while trembling alongside his sister.
This heroic image left an indelible mark on the heart of young Lillie, who was still of kindergarten age.