Steven's tang was a reflection of his status.
This was the gap between people in the Pokémon world.
For ordinary civilians, becoming a Trainer required exhausting every effort just to obtain even the most basic Pokémon.
But for soone like Steven, a noble-born child, his starting point was already far beyond the reach of most.
This was the reality of this world, and it was also the main reason Aoki didn't resist joining Team Rocket after being recruited.
What was wrong wasn't people like Steven, but the system itself.
Slowking and tang—two Pokémon with Psychic abilities—weren't just a simple sum of their individual strengths.
A glance between Aoki and Steven was enough. The trust they had built over the course of the day allowed them to make the right call.
"Slowking, take tang and use Teleport! Get behind those two and hold them in place with Psychic—make sure they don't move a muscle," Aoki commanded telepathically.
Steven didn't need to give any orders—tang already understood what was expected of it.
The Psychic energy around Slowking surged, and in an instant, both it and tang vanished.
The strength of two powerful Psychic Pokémon working in unison was terrifying.
Appearing behind the two Team Magma guards in a flash, Slowking and tang imdiately restrained them with their Psychic power.
Even though the two Mightyena at their feet were Dark-types, they stood no chance against Slowking and tang's Miracle Eye-enhanced Psychic abilities.
Though the guards and their Pokémon were strong, they were no match for Aoki and Steven.
And Slowking and tang weren't just any Pokémon—they were their trump cards.
If it weren't for the need to keep things quiet, there wouldn't have been any need for such caution.
Aoki tossed out another Pokéball, releasing Skorupi.
With its segnted body and many legs, Skorupi thrived in this rocky, volcanic terrain. Under Aoki's command, it swiftly approached the restrained Mightyena and landed two precise Poison Stings, knocking them unconscious.
With the imdiate threats neutralized, Aoki and Steven erged from behind the rocks.
The two Magma grunts, eyes filled with horror, could only watch as Aoki ordered Slowking to knock them out as well.
Aoki frowned. If it weren't for Steven being here, he would have finished them off permanently.
This was why the League was constantly on the back foot—too hesitant, too soft.
If the League had more ruthless enforcers like so of the more hardened officers, if they t violence with violence, the underground organizations wouldn't be running rampant like they were now.
There were more and more criminal organizations in the shadows, and it was all because of the League's unnecessary rcy.
With the two grunts tied up, Aoki and Steven stripped them of their red Magma uniforms.
Slipping on the hooded jackets, Aoki imdiately noticed sothing surprising—the coats were actually cool to the touch.
As expected of Team Magma, an organization that operated in high-temperature regions, their uniforms had been specially treated.
With the hoods up, Aoki and Steven now looked just like Team Magma grunts.
This was the strategy they had devised—rushing in headfirst would be suicide, but disguising themselves could at least help them bypass so basic security asures.
Once the two grunts were secured, Aoki had Slowking splash them with water to wake them up.
The mont they opened their eyes and saw Aoki and Steven standing before them in Team Magma uniforms, their faces turned deathly pale.
They knew they had been ambushed.
They had wanted to call for help, but their bodies wouldn't move.
And now, seeing that their uniforms had been taken… they knew their fates were sealed.
If the two infiltrators didn't deal with them, their own boss would once he found out they had been compromised.
Their expressions were filled with despair.
Aoki smirked, seeing right through them.
"We're with the League," he said coldly. "Answer our questions, and maybe you'll live. Otherwise…"
Hope flickered in their eyes.
Even though their capture ant trouble for Team Magma, the League had one undeniable advantage—they didn't kill indiscriminately.
If they cooperated, the worst outco would be imprisonnt.
And being locked up was still better than being dead.
The male grunt frantically nodded.
Slowking still had their mouths restrained, preventing them from speaking.
"I'm going to let you talk now," Aoki said. "Choose your words carefully. If you lie, or try anything stupid, I'll shut you up again."
With a signal from Aoki, Slowking loosened its Psychic grip on their mouths.
But the grunts weren't foolish enough to shout for help.
They still wanted to live.
Aoki nodded in satisfaction.
"Why is Team Magma here?" he asked.
The male grunt responded imdiately. "Sir, I don't know the exact details, but this operation is being led by Butler. He usually carries out missions for Lord Harlan, so I'm not sure if this was his idea or Lord Harlan's. We're just low-level grunts, assigned to receive deliveries."
"What's Butler's strength?" Aoki pressed.
The leader of this mission was more important than its objective.
If Butler was too strong, Aoki and Steven would back off. The League's reinforcents would arrive soon anyway.
But if Butler wasn't that powerful, then this was an opportunity to dig deeper.
The grunt hesitated for a second before answering. "Butler's exact strength… I'm not sure. But within Team Magma, there are rumors that he only holds his position because of Lord Harlan's favor. He ranks just below the true executives—stronger than regular squad leaders, but not quite at the executive level."
Team Magma's ranking system was similar to Team Rocket's, but Aoki wasn't sure if their power levels matched.
If Butler was truly at the peak of the squad leader level, then his strength was likely equivalent to an early-stage Elite Trainer.
But since Team Magma wasn't as established as Team Rocket, their squad leaders might only be at the high-tier Trainer level instead.
That seed more likely.
Hearing this, Aoki let out a breath of relief.
As long as Butler wasn't at the Champion level, things were still manageable.
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