Pokémon, Inkaros, my starter Pokémon

What are they talking about?

I didn't hear the content clearly, but the most important piece of information came through.

Rockets!!!

Tokito signaled to Ash and the others to keep quiet, while he himself cautiously used the shadows of the stairs to try and get closer to hear more information.

However, just as Tokito leaned halfway out, his attention completely focused on the conversation upstairs...

"Huh? Who are you? What are you doing here?!"

A harsh shout suddenly rang out from behind them in a dark corner of the sixth floor.

Suddenly, a soldier dressed in a Team Rocket uniform spotted them and glared at the uninvited guests with a wary and fierce look.

The sudden question sounded particularly jarring in the silent tower.

Oops!

Discovered!!!

Shi Dou was startled and immediately realized that the situation was not good.

Almost simultaneously, the conversation on the seventh floor abruptly stopped, followed by the red-haired woman, Athena, speaking warily:

"What's going on down there?!"

All eyes instantly focused on Shidou and his group at the top of the sixth-floor staircase.

Before the Rocket Soldier's question had even faded and before he could take any further action, a green afterimage had already swept in front of him like a ghost!

It's Hilda!

Hilda didn't even use the sharp edge of her scythe; she simply used the back of the blade with lightning speed to precisely strike the soldier on the back of the neck.

"Uh!"

The soldier only managed to let out a short, muffled groan before his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed limply to the ground, losing consciousness.

However, the commotion here has been completely exposed.

Heavy footsteps came from above the stairs. When everyone looked up, Athena, the Team Rocket executive with flowing red hair and wearing an R-sign uniform, appeared at the corner of the stairs. When she saw her fallen subordinates and the group of unfamiliar intruders, a clear look of shock and anger flashed in her eyes.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Athena said angrily.

"Since you asked the question sincerely!"

"We will tell you with great mercy!"

"To prevent the world from being destroyed!"

"To protect world peace!"

"Upholding love and truth... uh... justice!"

"A cute and charming decent character."

"Ash from Pallet Town."

"Xia from Hualan City".

"I am Xiaogang."

Athena: “???”

Faced with this sudden confrontation and the other party's obviously unfriendly attitude, Ash, Misty, and Brock, for some reason—perhaps in desperation to scare the other party, or perhaps having seen similar scenes too many times—suddenly struck a pose as a classic combination and shouted in unison.

However, faced with this situation, Athena showed obvious surprise and bewilderment for the first time. Her brows furrowed tightly as she looked at the three teenagers in front of her, who were striking strange poses and shouting incomprehensible lines. For a moment, she was unable to react.

While Athena was still in a daze, Ash finally came to his senses, pointed at the conspicuous "R" symbol on her chest, and loudly and righteously questioned, "Team Rocket, it's you again! Sneaking around in this tower again, are you up to something bad again!"

These words completely enraged Athena. Her eyes turned cold, revealing murderous intent. "You sharp-tongued brat, you're asking for death!"

Athena didn't even summon a Poké Ball; she simply waved her hand, and a black shadow shot out.

It was a large-mouthed bat with fierce eyes, its gaping maw revealing venomous fangs that gleamed with an ominous purple light, aimed straight at Ash's neck!

This attack was swift and ruthless, clearly intended to kill!

"Xiao Zhi!" Xiao Xia and Xiao Gang cried out in terror.

Ash didn't even have time to react; he could only watch helplessly as the pair of venomous fangs rapidly enlarged before his eyes.

However, at this critical moment...

A dark shadow suddenly appeared in front of Ash.

It was Cain, who had been lurking in the shadows all along!

Shadow Shield!

The all-consuming dark energy shield unfolded once more, firmly blocking the venomous fangs!

"puff!"

The fangs slammed into the shield, and all the toxicity was once again completely absorbed without any ripples.

The giant bat, having failed in its attack, flew back to Athena's side in frustration.

"Tsk!"

Athena clicked her tongue in annoyance, a hint of surprise and annoyance flashing across her face.

I intended to take care of that noisy brat in one blow, but unexpectedly...

Athena's gaze swept past the still-shaken Ash and fixed intently on the suddenly appearing Pokémon.

Looking at Cain's unique shadowy body, enormous sapphire eyes, and the way he floated in the air, Athena's eyes were filled with doubt.

"What is this spirit...?"

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P.S.: Another 10,000 words in a day! Please vote!

Chapter 67 Athena: It's actually a low-level elf!

Athena's gaze swept back and forth between Tokito, Ash, Cain, and Hilda, her mind racing as she recalled recent intelligence from within the organization.

"After the Saint Anne incident... Apollo's report mentioned a brat who used Pikachu and a trainer who commanded Pokémon he'd never seen before and could withstand physical attacks, who ruined Lance's plans..."

Athena carefully compared the features of the people in front of her.

A boy holding Pikachu, and a young trainer accompanied by a green scyther and a shadow sprite.

"It seems it's you guys."

Athena's voice was icy, confirming the other party's identity. "Last time it was Lance, this time it's my turn to entertain you. What, trying to be an obstacle hero again, hindering my plans?"

"It's only right to stop bad people from doing bad things!" Ash immediately shouted back.

"Hmph, overestimating yourself." Athena scoffed disdainfully, her gaze lingering more on Hilda and Cain, filled with possessive desire. "However, perfect. I'll gladly accept these two rare elves of yours. Besides... I know the weakness of your strange shield!"

Athena's lips curled into a dangerous smile as she swiftly tossed out a Poké Ball. "Vileplume, let's show them what's what! Use Giga Drain!"

A giant hibiscus flower appeared on the field.

The Queen of Pain, a flower-type Pokémon, is a Grass/Poison type with the world's largest petals. It shakes its enormous petals with a deafening bang to disperse its toxic pollen. With a loud pop, the bud opens, releasing the numbing, allergenic pollen. While larger petals release more pollen, this makes the head heavy and causes fatigue.

The Queen of Paprika swayed its body, and in an instant, several beams of emerald green energy shot towards Cain like tentacles. This move was a Grass-type special attack, designed to exploit the weakness of Shadow Shield in effectively defending against special attacks.

However, Shi Dou reacted even faster!

"Hilda, Double Flash of the Moon!"

Hilda's figure blurred instantly, transforming into a green lightning bolt to meet the energy tentacles. The scythes on her arms drew two intersecting, crescent-shaped, and poignant arcs in the air!

"Shh! Shh!"

The emerald green energy tentacles were severed upon contact with the sharp crescent moon, completely interrupting the final absorption of energy and failing to reach Cain in the slightest!

"Tsk!"

Athena was once again astonished; the opponent's reaction speed and the mantis's attack power both exceeded her expectations.

"A Grass-type Vileplume? Then let's use a Fire-type to deal with it. Charmander, I choose you! Use Flamethrower!" Ash immediately thought of type advantage upon seeing this.

"Gah!"

The little fire dragon leaped out with high spirits, its tail flames burning fiercely. It took a deep breath, and a blazing orange-red pillar of fire shot out, heading straight for the Queen of the Sea Flower.

The bright flames instantly dispelled part of the darkness on the sixth floor of the Pokémon Tower, bringing a brief moment of light and warmth.

"Naive!" Athena scoffed, not even bothering to command Vileplume, but instead throwing out another Poké Ball, "Nidoqueen, Brick Break!"

A massive blue figure crashed to the ground; it was none other than Queen Nido.

Nidoran is a Poison/Ground type Pokémon. Its strong body is covered in hard, needle-like scales that act like armor. When excited, the needles stand up to protect the body from attacks. It is said that its scales can grow new ones on their own.

Nidoran let out a deep roar, gathering Fighting-type energy in its right arm, which was covered in a hard carapace. It swung it forward and actually split the flame-spraying pillar in the middle. The scorching flames scattered to both sides, without harming the Vileplume behind it in the slightest!

"So, so strong!"

Ash was shocked by Nidoqueen's domineering power.

Looking at the situation before him, Tokito knew that he could no longer let Ash and his friends confront Athena's main force head-on.

"Ash, Misty, Brock, you guys deal with the other Team Rocket grunts, clear the battlefield, and prevent them from interfering. I'll handle this woman."

Tokito made a decision immediately and said in a deep voice to the three people beside him, including Satoshi:

Ash is still too inexperienced. Neither his tactics nor the strength of his Pokémon are sufficient to fight against Team Rocket's senior executives. Forcing him to participate in battles of this level would not only be unhelpful, but could also become a weakness that requires careful protection, or even a side effect.

Although Ash was unwilling, he understood that Tokito was telling the truth. He gritted his teeth and nodded, saying, "Understood, Mr. Tokito. Be careful! Pikachu, Charmander, let's go settle scores with the other Team Rocket members!"

With that, Ash, along with his friends Misty and Brock, rushed towards the other Team Rocket members who had come down from the seventh floor after hearing the commotion.

The main battlefield was left to Tokito and Athena.

Shi Dou noticed that Athena had already sent out three Pokémon: Vileplume, Nidoqueen, and Zubat. Team Rocket executives often had backup plans. Considering Athena's possible lineup, he didn't hesitate to throw out two Pokémon Capsules in quick succession.

"Barus, stand guard beside me!"

"Gager, you're on the field too."

The Pokémon Capsule was thrown out, and two Pokémon appeared at the same time. The azure Balus roared and appeared to the side of Shidou, surrounded by water vapor, ready for battle. Meanwhile, Gag tried to get into a battle stance and stood next to Balus.

In a field setting, the treacherous and ruthless Athena may also have an Arbok, skilled in stealth and ambush, lurking in the shadows.

Barus's water-based skills can detect and intercept enemies in a wide area, so let's just treat this as a practical training exercise.

Athena looked at Shi Dou's formation with disdain on her lips, her attention mainly focused on Cain: "Hmph, even if your Pokémon is immune to physical attacks, what about its special attacks and status skills? Vileflower, use Poison!"

The Queen of the Night immediately shook its huge corolla and sprayed out a thick, viscous purple poisonous mist that enveloped Cain. This move was not a direct attack, but rather an inflict of the most troublesome poisoning condition!

However, Shidou's response once again surprised her.

"Hilda, block it! Protect yourself with your fighting spirit!"

Hilda flashed and instantly appeared in front of Cain. Then, pure white battle aura burst forth from her body, forming a temporary protective field.

The deadly poisonous mist, upon touching this layer of battle aura, was swiftly purified and dissipated as if it had encountered its nemesis, leaving not a trace of toxin!

"What?! The deadly poison has no effect?!"

Athena's composure finally crumbled as she stared in shock at the unharmed Hilda.

How can this guy's mantis be immune to abnormal statuses?!

Athena gritted her teeth and immediately changed targets, commanding, "Goblin, use Venom Impact on that mantis."

Even without the poison status bonus, the Venom Impact's base power of 65 is enough to cause considerable damage.

The giant beak bat flapped its wings, then forcefully gathered poison energy, opened its huge mouth, and a highly toxic solution was about to gush out.

But in that very instant, Cain, who had been silently hovering, struck again!

Cain's sapphire-blue eyes flashed with an eerie light, and an invisible mental wave instantly struck the Zubat. The Zubat's body convulsed violently, as if all its strength had been drained in an instant, and the poison energy it had just gathered instantly dissipated.

It let out a weak, mournful cry, and plummeted limply from mid-air, collapsing to the ground, its eyes filled with utter exhaustion. It could barely maintain flight, let alone attack.

Skill - Soul Interference effect activated!