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Chapter 152: Disguised Gladion
🕑 Added 2025-06-15 17:15:14 +0000 UTC
A figure stood atop a jagged boulder on an island,—a man with bright purple hair, cropped short at the sides with a flamboyant curl atop, a neatly trimmed purple beard framing his jaw, purple eyebrows arching over piercing purple eyes.
His black jumpsuit, accented with yellow-gold lines, bore a bold red "R" on the chest, the unmistakable insignia of Team Rocket.
Beside him an Umbreon padded silently, her black fur blending with the shadows, red eyes glinting with dark amusement.
[Oh, master, your new look suits you well,] she purred, her voice dripping with sarcasm. [You kinda look scary—like a discount villain from some third grade movie..]
Yup, the man was Gladion. Nope that's not how he looked. He was much more handsome than the look that he currently had. But he would never brag about it since he lived by humility.
Gladion was disguised as Petrel, a Team Rocket executive. Hechuckled beneath the slimy mask of a Ditto molded to his face. "Let's hope Team Aqua buys it," he muttered, grimacing.
"This Ditto feels like I smeared my face with Muk sludge. I can't wait to peel it off."
Ultron, his Metagross, had telepathically shared Petrel's image with the Ditto. Now the ditto could not cover entire of Gladion and he can't have the ditto act as Petrel since a ditto can't speak.
Thus, he decided to have the ditto just transform into Petrel's face and stick it to his own face. He also carried a voice modular to change his voice a little.
His plan was to attack Team Aqua with Petrel's face.
And the reason he had disguised himself as Petrel was because of Ultron's intel.
Ultron's intel, extracted from the deceased Rocket grunt's mind, confirmed Petrel's role as Rocket's liaison with Team Aqua, making him the ideal disguise for Gladion's audacious plan. Petrel was the one that always dealt with Team Aqua. He was the 'ambassador' of team rocket to team aqua.
'Rocket'll know it wasn't Petrel but without proof, Aqua won't believe their denials. Team Aqua would question them that no outsider knows about any of Team Rocket executives so there is no way for someone to know about Petrel and disguise as him.'
The plan was simple: Hit Aqua's base, leave one or two survivors to spread tales of 'Team Rocket's executive' attacking Team Aqua.
Team Rocket would suspect an impostor, but Team Aqua, already wary of their allies, would smell treachery—perhaps Rocket had found a new Hoenn smuggling route and wanted Aqua off their turf.
'They'll tear each other apart.' To keep his identity hidden, Gladion had borrowed Pokémon from Sabrina—Hypno and Jynx—and Gwen—Gengar, Sableye, Banette—while using only Nyx and Guy from his roster.
Of course Team Rocket would definitely suspect him. After all, he had destroyed many of their bases. They can also deduce that he borrowed Pokemon from his sister and his friend Sabrina. But that's where his Assistant Kai came in.
Back at Moonwood Gym, Kai, Gladion's assistant, was playing his part, disguised as Gladion with another Ditto and a voice modulator to mimic his boss's cool tone.
Kai was shorter by half a foot so he had to wear heels. Gladion could not help but chuckle as he remembered Kai falling everytime he tried to walk.
Anyways, Kai as Gladion was doing the gym battles for him. To sound as him, he gave him a voice modular with his recorded voices and sentences. The battles would be posted online so Team Rocket would have to remove him from their line of suspects. Ditto were rare and not many thought of them using it like this. Infact many don't even know that Dittos can turn into humans.
There was no record of Gladion having any Ditto and Gladion was going to keep it that way. While Ditto as a battles was peak, it was quite useful for other tasks.
Now on Moro Island, one of the Islands of Orange Archipelago, Gladion scanned the terrain, his psychic senses probing for Team Aqua's base.
'Ultron's intel said the deal between the two organisation happens here. It's an inhabited island so it makes sense. The island was barren—craggy rocks, sparse shrubs, no human auras.
'Moro must just a rendezvous point. Team Aqua base should be nearby. 'He teleported to a higher cliff, Nyx at his heels, her claws silent on the stone. He saw a tiny island a little farther from this island. He went to the edge of Moro's island.
He then did a psychic sweep and caught a faint cluster of auras—nine humans, multiple Pokémon—500 meters away, on a tiny islet cloaked in dense trees and bushes.
'They are Camouflaged, hidden from aerial scouts.' His smirk darkened. 'War soldiers don't play sloppy.'
His senses sharpened, detecting a psychic field enveloping the islet, maintained by a Staryu patrolling the shore. Its red core pulsed, casting a telepathic net to block Teleports and alert intruders.
Water Pokémon—Golduck, Kingler, Tentacruel—patrolled the surrounding seas, their auras sharp and vigilant.
'No swimming in.' Gladion's mind raced, strategizing. 'That Staryu's the key.* He threw a Pokeball as Sabrina's Hypno came from it.
"Oi, Hypno," Gladion said, his voice low. "See that Staryu? Overwhelm its psychic power and kill it." Hypno's eyes widened, its telepathic voice hesitant. "Kill? Like, dead-dead?" Gladion nodded, his aura cold. "Brain-dead, silent. No alarms, no screams."
Hypno's shock morphed into a wicked grin, its pendulum glowing with psychic energy. "Oh, I like this job." It focused, its mind a sledgehammer, unleashing a tidal wave of psychic force.
The Staryu froze, its core flickering, then dimmed, collapsing into the surf, lifeless, not a ripple betraying its fall. Gladion's psychic senses confirmed the field's collapse.
'Clean.' He teleported to the islet's edge, Nyx and Hypno beside him, and released his remaining Pokémon for this mission—Jynx, Gengar, Sableye, Banette, and Guy.
Gladion looked at the Pokemon and said,
"Time to clean the oceans a little."
