Looking at Sato's smile, all Lt. Surge wanted was to slam his fist into that face!
Unfortunately, he didn't dare…
Lt. Surge could already imagine that even if he refused, Sato would still find another way to make him charge in first.
But what he still couldn't confirm was just how much Sato actually knew.
Did he only suspect that his whereabouts had been leaked, or did he know that he, Lt. Surge and the last "Surge" were undercover agents for Team Rocket?
No, Sato couldn't possibly know he was undercover. Otherwise, the one facing him right now wouldn't be Sato, it would be an arrest warrant from the League.
Thinking this, Lt. Surge eased up slightly. If this was just personal retaliation, then he could always settle the score after the mission.
For now, he'd just go with the flow!
"Mission will be completed!"
He no longer resisted and even took the initiative to cooperate with Sato, figuring that maybe this would help wrap things up faster.
"Mhm, then I'll count on you! Leader. Lt. Surge!" Sato replied with a smile, even giving him a friendly pat on the shoulder.
But very quickly, Lt. Surge's smile vanished…
As the vehicle approached the destination, he finally realized which underground base Sato was targeting.
Team Rocket's Base A-12.
Any base with an 'A' designation was a major installation. A single city might have only one; and yet Sato had found it within just a week!
Even Lt. Surge was shocked. How had he pulled that off?
---◓---
By the time Sato arrived, a large group of elite League Trainers had already gathered around the area, waiting for his command to launch the assault.
Inside Team Rocket's Base A-12, chaos had erupted. As the reigning Underground Organization across both Kanto and Johto, of course they didn't rely solely on Lt. Surge for information.
Even so, mobilizing the entire base's personnel and destroying critical data wasn't something that could be done easily.
Base A-12's commander, Carr -one of the Three Beasts of Team Rocket[1]- was in a very bad mood.
The League had launched a massive operation, and he hadn't received even a hint of warning beforehand.
Carr couldn't help but curse in his heart. 'Was Lt. Surge's brain made of nothing but muscle?'
The enemy was already at the gates, and they were only just realizing it!
Now, in a panic, all they could do was try to evacuate, destroying much of their sensitive data in the process.
"Commander! We've identified the opposing leader. It's that 'rising star', Yuga Sato."
"I… I KNEW IT!"
The short Carr shouted furiously. Ever since he learned Sato had returned to Vermilion City, he had felt that something was going to happen.
And now Sato had come, bringing so many Trainers with him, clearly determined to take down the base.
Carr was furious and stomped his feet, cursing Lt. Surge even more!
"Bah! Prepare for counterattack!
ALL BATTLE PERSONNEL, COME WITH ME TO FACE THE ENEMY!"
Carr roared, then lifted his stubby legs and dashed toward the base's exit.
Behind him, Team Rocket's combat units quickly followed, each of them fully prepared for battle.
---◓---
Back on Sato's side, once he rejoined the main forces, he didn't hesitate in the slightest and gave the order to attack.
A wave of Trainers sprang from their ambush points and began storming the base in a coordinated strike.
Sato also gave a slight nod toward Lt. Surge, who could only sigh in resignation and send out his Magneton.
The move Magnet Rise activated!
Lt. Surge was now floating rapidly through the air, quickly overtaking the Trainers running below him.
Just as Lt. Surge reached the entrance of Team Rocket's base, the door opened…
Carr stepped out in the lead, and right at that moment -perfectly timed- the two locked eyes in an intense stare!
"..."
"..."
For a brief moment, neither of them said a word. They didn't even know how to start…
The next second, Carr -ever the quicker thinker among the Three Beasts- was the first to snap to his senses and immediately commanded his Pokémon to attack Lt. Surge.
"FORRETRESS, GYRO BALL! SCIZOR, BULLET PUNCH!"
Forretress was usually very slow, but when using Gyro Ball, it could accelerate in an instant.
Meanwhile, Scizor was already fast on its own, and with Bullet Punch's priority effect, it struck Lt. Surge's Magneton almost instantly!
"DAMMIT!"
Now it was Lt. Surge's turn to be pissed. They were all on the same side, did he have to hit that hard? 'Couldn't he see the furious winks I was giving him!?'
But the next moment, Scizor attacked again with a heavy punch, and Forretress spun in the air, charging again toward Magneton.
"RAICHU, THUNDER!"
Enraged, Lt. Surge didn't hold back anymore. He immediately sent out his Low Ace level Raichu, blasting off a powerful Thunder.
And now Carr was furious!
He had already figured out that Lt. Surge was being coerced. 'So just play along and let me beat you down! That way, you'd get out clean, and I could focus all my power on that punk Sato.
But now you had to go and… SEND OUT RAICHU!?
So this is the kind of IQ gap that exists between people!?ヾ(￣□￣)ノ
Meanwhile, atop Hydreigon, Sato looked down at the battlefield and was stunned for a second. 'Lt. Surge… are you playing double agent?
…Or is this a double agent within a double agent?'
Whatever the case, with Lt. Surge single-handedly holding off Carr, Sato and the others were now free to support the rest of the operation.
As for the so-called grunt-vs-grunt, captain-vs-captain nonsense… well, then Team Rocket should've sent out a second general, shouldn't they?
Or were they expecting Sato to just sit this out?
"Lefty, use Dark Pulse to rescue that Nidoking…"
--
"Righty, Dragon Pulse to pressure that Kingdra!"
--
"Middy, Meteor Shower! Smash that Rocket base with everything you've got!"
"Hyd!"
"Goooon!"
"Drei~"
Lefty, Righty, and Middy all responded in turn, their moves launching in succession. Not only did they resolve two critical situations for League Trainers, but they also dealt devastating damage directly to Team Rocket's base.
Meteor Shower… every single meteor hit the base!
"Awoooooo~"
Suddenly, a wolf-like howl drew Sato's attention.
He turned to look and saw a Houndoom recklessly tearing through the League's rear lines, already causing considerable damage.
Sato frowned, then without hesitation tossed out Honchkrow's Poké Ball.
"Sky Attack!"
"Krooow!"
Honchkrow spread its enormous body wide! Its massive wings darkened the sky, casting a suffocating shadow over a huge area below, making everyone within feel a crushing sense of pressure.
The next moment, Honchkrow displayed an agility completely unexpected from its size. With just a single flap of its wings, it appeared in front of the Houndoom.
As if it had teleported!
[1] Canon