Vermilion Gym

  The moment Lt. Surge left, the entire gym went into high alert.

  Under the dim glow of moonlight and artificial lights, a dozen Gym Trainers stood guard at the entrance, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

  ---

  August and Blue observed Vermilion Gym from the shadows.

  "Should we just march in through the front door with the search warrant?" Blue asked, even acting out a door-kicking motion.

  Clearly, this was how she imagined the International Police—brutal, forceful, and direct.

  "If our Kanto division still had its full force and not just the two of us, that would actually be an option," August replied.

  "But, well… my former colleagues all got reassigned thanks to my former boss. Manpower is an issue."

  He spread his hands helplessly.

  Honestly, August wasn’t against the idea—he’d love to experience that ‘FBI, open up!’ moment himself.

  Unfortunately, they were too short-staffed.

  If they charged in head-on, by the time they dealt with the guards outside, the evidence inside the gym would likely be destroyed.

  "Then… we sneak in?" Blue suggested next.

  This method, at least, she was familiar with. Whether it was disguises, scaling walls, or using Pokémon to infiltrate, she had mastered them all.

  Yet, August shook his head again, his reason simple:

  "If we sneak in, wouldn’t that make my search warrant completely useless?"

  "…?"

  Blue was baffled.

  No frontal assault. No stealth. What was his pn?

  Resigning herself, she simply watched August in silence, waiting for his performance.

  August smirked. "This search warrant has a special use. Today, let me show you the art of striking at the heart!"

  He nodded toward Gardevoir.

  In response, Gardevoir grabbed both August’s and Blue’s arms. Her eyes gleamed blue as she activated her Psychic abilities.

  Swish!

  The trio vanished from the alley.

  A moment of disorientation—

  When Blue opened her eyes again, she found herself inside a room filled with advanced equipment.

  At the front of the room, a massive screen dispyed a map of Vermilion City, marked with numerous moving red dots.

  Beneath the screen, a group of Team Rocket operatives, cd in uniform, were frantically communicating with their remaining squads. They were so preoccupied that they hadn’t even noticed August and Blue’s sudden appearance.

  This is… Team Rocket’s hidden command center inside Vermilion Gym?

  Realization dawned on Blue.

  So this was what August meant by striking at the heart.

  But what next?

  Should they start fighting?

  She turned to August for his next move—only to see him calmly pulling out the search warrant.

  The next second, he raised it high and cleared his throat loudly.

  "This is the Kanto Branch of the International Police. I suspect you are involved in an attack against an official League officer. Step away from all equipment and Poké Balls immediately and await inspection."

  Blue was shook.

  Marching into Team Rocket’s headquarters and announcing the search warrant—

  This was his use of a search warrant?!

  At first, the Rocket operatives seemed too absorbed in their work—or perhaps too confident in their hideout’s security—to react.

  Feeling ignored, August repeated himself, this time slightly tweaking his words:

  "This is the Kanto Branch of the International Police. I now suspect you are conspiring to overthrow the League. Step away from all equipment and Poké Balls immediately and await inspection."

  That wording finally caught someone’s attention.

  It took a moment for them to register the presence of an intruder—an unfamiliar face standing right in the heart of their command center.

  And that intruder was ciming to be an International Police officer—wielding a search warrant.

  "Who the hell are you?!"

  One Rocket grunt instinctively reached for his Poké Ball.

  But before his fingers even grazed it, Gardevoir’s eyes fshed blue, and he colpsed to the ground.

  Several other quick-reacting Rockets suffered the same fate, hitting the floor in unison.

  "When will you guys ever learn to listen?" August sighed, shaking his head.

  "I told you twice—don’t touch your Poké Balls. But nooo, you just had to."

  "Dealing with you Rocket types is seriously exhausting."

  With Lt. Surge having sent most of his forces out, the gym was only lightly defended, relying on pre-set traps to hold intruders at bay.

  But with August bypassing those defenses entirely and teleporting straight into the command center, Vermilion Gym was now utterly defenseless against him.

  Having Gardevoir put another grunt to sleep, August lured the remaining guards inside—where they, too, were swiftly dealt with.

  He left Blue to tie up the non-combat personnel and collect evidence.

  Then, August casually made his way to the gym’s battle arena, where he took a seat in Lt. Surge’s chair.

  Idly pying with Eevee, he waited for Lt. Surge to return.

  Then—

  He would wrap up this operation with a perfect ending.

  ---

  Lt. Surge was having a terrible night.

  He had never dealt with such an infuriating opponent.

  First, the bastards had the nerve to send him a threatening letter.

  Then, when he deployed his men, they didn’t even have the guts to face him head-on. Instead, they picked off his subordinates one by one.

  Fine.

  Maybe they had guessed that he had traps set up inside Vermilion Gym.

  So, he gave up his defensive advantage and stepped out himself.

  Now they had to face him—right?

  But no.

  They were gone.

  Lt. Surge had been patrolling the city all night with his men, but the so-called Masked Corps had vanished without a trace.

  Frustrated, he directed Electabuzz to bst a passing Fearow out of the sky with a Thunderbolt, venting his irritation.

  He decided to return to the gym and use the communication network to request backup from headquarters.

  With that thought, he pulled out his radio.

  "Command center, notify all squads—regroup."

  Shhhhhh…

  "Command center, respond."

  Shhhhhh…

  He tried multiple times.

  No response. Only static.

  "Comms interference?"

  Lt. Surge wasn’t unfamiliar with this.

  Team Rocket themselves often used signal jamming when dealing with the International Police.

  "Are they still at it? Trying to cut off my forces’ communication and pick them off one by one again?"

  The realization made Lt. Surge feel sick, as if he had just swallowed a Muk.

  Fortunately, Vermilion Gym had equipment specifically designed to counter such interference—though it was locked in the vault and required his authorization to access.

  Quickening his pace, he rushed back toward the gym.

  But for some reason—

  A faint sense of unease crept into his gut.