[Pokémon: Persian]
[Type: Normal]
[Level: 71]
[Ability: Technician]
[Moves: (omitted)]
Persian—an utterly ordinary Pokémon you could see just about anywhere.
Yet in Giovanni's hands, it had reached level 71!
That already put it at roughly Champion-tier strength.
And Grey's own Annihilape had only just barely scraped its way up to level 64!
The real world wasn't like the games, with numbers laid out neatly. A difference of even a single level could mean a world of difference.
Never mind when the gap was this big.
And this was just a Pokémon Giovanni had trained on the side.
Most days, all it did was get its fur stroked and be petted.
And it still ended up this strong…
A bead of sweat slid down Grey's forehead as he tried to figure out, with their power disparity this huge, how he could possibly pull one over on Giovanni.
In a straight-up fight he might not be Giovanni's match, but when it came to little schemes and tricks, he definitely had a few up his sleeve.
"Gym Leader Grey, are you really planning to see what my Persian can do? You've certainly got courage."
Giovanni began to applaud, the steady rhythm of his clapping echoing in Grey's ears. "But its strength is on par with the Kanto Elite Four. Even Bruno might not be able to finish it off quickly."
"You never know unless you try."
Instead of backing down, Grey stepped forward, crunching over a layer of ice crystals.
Beside him, Annihilape moved up, standing shoulder to shoulder with Grey as it faced Giovanni's Persian head-on.
"Meow~"
Opposite them, Persian elegantly groomed the fur along its foreleg, the red jewel on its forehead glowing bloodily in the Blizzard.
It let out a lazy-sounding "meow," but the claws at the tips of its paws suddenly extended, gleaming with a cold metallic light.
It was that seemingly languid posture that had left countless opponents clutching at torn throats, spraying blood as they fell.
"Oh? You've caught a legendary and yet you still choose to fight with such an utterly common Pokémon?"
Giovanni raised an eyebrow, watching Grey with an amused half-smile. "If you used Articuno, your odds might be better. Or do you really think type advantage alone can completely shut down my Persian?"
"No. This is a promise between me and Annihilape. If we ever stood before Team Rocket's Boss, then no matter what Pokémon you sent out, it would be the one to take the field in the first battle—and it would keep fighting until it went down."
As he spoke, Grey's eyes flared with fighting spirit. The Aura coursing through his body surged outward, shrouding him in a faint blue glow.
Clearly, he was ready to go all out.
"Oh~ So Gym Leader Grey is also a gifted one. But if that's all you've got as a trump card, then we're still standing on the same level—you haven't widened the gap even a little bit."
Giovanni stroked his softened belly, a faint green glow flickering at his fingertips.
The power of Viridian, also known as Viridian Power…
It was an ability only trainers born in Viridian Forest had a chance of possessing, and usually, only one person with Viridian Power would appear in ten years.
Aura versus Viridian Power—it was obviously a battle between two walking cheats.
"Graah." (I'm ready. Boss, just give the order.)
Annihilape was already getting impatient. All it wanted right now was to go all-out against Persian, win or lose, so it could finally get its revenge.
"Annihilape, go all out in this battle!"
Grey pointed straight at Persian and shouted, "Annihilape, Cross Chop!"
"Graaaah!" (Die for me!)
Annihilape's arms crossed sharply in front of it, Fighting-type energy flooding into its forearms and condensing into a blazing cross-shaped blade of light.
Power surged from its legs in a torrent. Everywhere it charged, the ice crystals formed on the ground shattered, bursting into fine icy mist!
Giovanni lifted his gaze to watch Annihilape's wild, heavy-handed fighting style. The tip of his polished shoe tapped lightly against the floor as he ordered, "Aerial Ace."
"Meow!" (Stupid monkey—hurts, doesn't it, having all that strength and still not being able to knock me down!)
With a cold little laugh, Persian's four limbs kicked off the floor, its snow-white body wrapped in Flying-type energy as it soared up as lightly as a feather!
It nimbly flipped over the blades of Cross Chop, claws flashing coldly as it raked down hard at Annihilape's back as the latter charged past beneath it!
Slash!
Three white lines instantly appeared across Annihilape's back. It let out a low grunt of pain but forced itself to tank the attack.
"So, a highly agile Pokémon. I guess raw power isn't its biggest selling point…"
Seeing the injuries on Annihilape's body, Grey's mind began to turn.
He could tell that Giovanni's Persian was built for extreme speed, and its raw strength wasn't quite as terrifying.
But it was still far from anything to underestimate…
"Grey, if this is all you've got, you really disappoint me. I've been looking forward to this for so long, and after one stumble you won't even keep giving orders?"
Disappointment crept over Giovanni's features. He'd been hoping to see Grey grimace and struggle, but instead the man looked like he'd already given up and couldn't be bothered to command.
"Annihilape, show an opening and bait it in. Let it get close to you first."
Grey deliberately pulled a strained expression, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't, making it seem to Giovanni as if he really had thrown in the towel.
In truth, Grey was using Aura to transmit his thoughts directly into Annihilape's mind, laying out a plan.
"Graaaah…" (Damn it… Is this really where I stop…?)
Annihilape dropped to one knee, its chest heaving violently.
It slammed a fist into the floor with a heavy thud, a hoarse roar of frustration tearing from its throat. Then it suddenly raised its head, its blood-red pupils reflecting Persian's graceful, unhurried steps.
The other Pokémon was calmly licking the blood from its claws. Under the jewel on its forehead, its narrow slit pupils curved into delighted crescents.
"Meow~" (I thought you might be something scary, but you're not even as good as that Meowth from that show-off trio~)
Persian lazily groomed its forepaw, as if the Annihilape before it was nothing more than a dying ant.
Just a dead monkey waiting to happen, nothing worth mentioning.
"Sigh, you really are boring me."
Giovanni flicked a bit of invisible dust from his cuff and looked at Grey, displeasure filling his eyes. "Persian, finish it with Shadow Claw."
"Meooow!" (Just a worthless monkey. Watch me take it out with a single swipe!)
Persian lifted one foreleg high. Its claws became shrouded in ghostly violet energy, stretching out into three half-meter-long spectral blades!
It leveled Shadow Claw straight ahead, aimed at the half-kneeling Annihilape.
Then its body shot forward, leaving streaks of afterimages in the air, moving so fast even the eye could barely track it!
"Don't panic. I'll give the signal when it's right on top of you. Don't let its speed fool you—it's just running circles around you. Now close your eyes. I'll share my vision with you."
With that, Grey and Annihilape both closed their eyes.
In Annihilape's Aura-sight, everything suddenly slowed to a crawl…
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