"...It seems she wasn't kidnapped by Joker but willingly chose to follow him."
After a brief mont of awkward silence, Lance suddenly shot to his feet, his gaze turning cold and sharp.
Initially, Lance had treated Rihua with relative gentleness. He thought her reluctance to disclose the truth might stem from being intimidated by Team Rocket's evildoers—perhaps she had her reasons for staying silent.
But now, it seed he had completely misjudged her.
"Calm down, Lance. There might be so sort of misunderstanding here," Goodshow reminded him.
"A misunderstanding? Even with a Poke Ball Disruptor in her possession, you still think there's room for doubt?" Lance scoffed.
For Joker to trust Rihua with such an important tool, there was only one explanation in Lance's mind—they were working together.
Was it last night that Joker managed to persuade Rihua to join him? Or had they been colluding even earlier?
Lance didn't dwell on the possibilities. All that mattered now was catching her. Regardless of the reasons behind Rihua joining Team Rocket, capturing her would lead him straight to Joker.
"Lance, don't expose Rihua's identity in public. I suspect... that child must have her reasons," Goodshow advised.
Rihua was a very gifted young trainer, and Goodshow hoped she could contribute to the League in the future. As long as her true identity wasn't revealed, cleaning up the ss afterward would be much easier.
Lance frowned but said nothing and quickened his pace as he left.
At that mont, the police received a tip-off, and Lance joined the police squad in their operation. Goodshow didn't say anything further—he knew Lance's silence was a sign of agreent.
"What exactly... happened?" Goodshow murmured to himself, glancing at the television screen, where Rihua, now a wanted criminal, was shown wreaking havoc and looting.
Goodshow had t Rihua before and saw her as a promising trainer. In his eyes, she was undoubtedly a prodigy. With Agatha aging, Goddshow had even envisioned Rihua seamlessly succeeding her in the future.
But now...
....
At the Crossroads
The arriving Officer Jenny's squad had already evacuated civilians to a safe distance of over a hundred ters. The area was surrounded by police vehicles, and reporters from Cianwood TV were stationed on-site.
The Ursaring and Murkrow had successfully escaped into the crowd, but to cover for them, Rihua hadn't had ti to make her getaway.
"Young lady, recall your Pokémon and don't make any sudden moves," one Officer Jenny called out through a gaphone from the lead police car.
Facing the dense line of police officers, Rihua couldn't hide her nervousness.
"Where did Joker go? He doesn't expect to handle this on my own, does he?" she muttered to herself.
Earlier, when she tried to contact him, Joker's only response was: "Just stay still."
Rihua had no idea what that guy was planning.
Officer Jenny holding the gaphone glanced at Rihua with a trace of sympathy and tried again, "Young lady! Why are you doing this? Is sothing troubling you? You can tell —I'll try to help you—"
"Arf! Arf!"
"Arf! Arf!"
Officer Jenny's Growlithe and Rihua's Houndour locked eyes and imdiately began barking furiously at each other as if they were natural enemies.
Rihua frowned under her bandages. That guy doesn't expect to fight my way out of this alone, does he? Or worse, is he trying to make add 'assaulting the police' to my list of cris and escalate the situation even further?
She gritted her teeth. Fine. If I've already chosen this path, I might as well see it through to the end.
"Houndour, let's—"
"Dragonite, Dragon Pulse!"
Just as Rihua was about to charge forward with her Houndour, a violent wave of fiery energy descended from the sky, cutting a swath between the barking Houndour and Growlithe.
"Stop barking, you two stupid mutts!"
Everyone turned their heads toward the commanding voice. The caraman from Cianwood TV instinctively aid his cara at the sky.
...
"Oh, oh, oh! It's Elite Four Lance! Lance is here!"
In New Bark Town, a four-year-old girl nad Kris clapped her hands excitedly as she watched the figure standing atop his Dragonite on the TV screen.
Kris was a fan of Lance, one of the Indigo League's Elite Four. While Lance wasn't as approachable as Leon, his popularity in Kanto and Johto rivaled Leon's, thanks to his incredible strength and the League's promotion.
Standing atop his Dragonite, Lance made a slow descent, flanked by two Dragonair hovering protectively on either side of him like royal guards.
As he landed, Lance crossed his arms over his chest with an air of authority and addressed Rihua coldly,
"I don't care why you're doing this, but I know one thing: capturing you will lead straight to him."
Lance dismounted from his Dragonite and walked toward Rihua, his expression calm but intimidating. He tossed a handcuff at her feet and continued, "You have talent, but you're not foolish enough to think you can beat , are you? So, what will it be? Surrender willingly, or call him to co save you?"
...
"So cool!"
Back in New Bark Town, a young boy nad Gold, also around four years old, watched the scene on TV with shining eyes.
There was no doubt about it—when it ca to dramatic entrances, nobody could outdo Lance, the Dragon Master.
Rihua clenched her teeth in frustration. Damn it, Joker! This wasn't part of the plan!
At that mont, her inner thoughts mirrored the sentint of a certain : You expect to fight Lance?!
"Champion Lance, look over there!"
Suddenly, Officer Jenny behind Lance pointed toward the sky.
Lance and everyone on the scene turned their gazes upward.
Lance's pupils contracted. He's here. He showed up.
"It's Joker! Joker has appeared!"
Many onlookers in the surrounding streets also spotted him.
Hovering above the Cianwood Departnt Store, the infamous League Class-A fugitive, Joker, appeared, gliding through the air on a hang glider.
"You won't fool with the sa trick twice," Lance muttered coldly.
He leaped back onto his Dragonite, rising into the air with his two Dragonair in tow.
He was already familiar with Joker's Poke Ball Disruptor from their previous encounter. That's why he released all three of his dragons as soon as he left Rihua's mansion.
With the combined might of his Dragonite and two Dragonair, even Joker's Beedrill wouldn't stand a chance.
"I don't care how you convinced that girl to join you," Lance said, flying up to face Joker in midair. "Once I've captured you, we'll have plenty of ti in the League's prison to sort that out."
Landing directly in front of Joker, Lance smirked. "Now, bring out your Beedrill. Don't think your dirty tricks will work on twice!"
At that mont, nearly all of Johto's attention was focused on the skies above Cianwood City, where Lance and Joker faced off.
Television audiences watched the scene breathlessly, while Cianwood City residents craned their necks, staring at the two figures—one clad in black and the other in red—hovering in the sky.
So captivated were they that they failed to notice a strand of webbing shoot out from the crowd, latching onto Rihua's shoulder and pulling her into the mass of people.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Or have your little tricks finally run out?"
Seeing that Joker remained silent, Lance pressed further.
But Joker didn't respond. His silence only made Lance more suspicious.
Sothing was wrong. Joker was maintaining a perfectly parallel glide with the ground, his hang glider spread wide. But now, he hung suspended in the air, as if frozen in place—completely defying the laws of physics.
"Dragonair, restrain him!"
Sensing danger, Lance abruptly ordered one of his Dragonair to make its move.
The Dragonair shot forward, coiling around Joker and binding him tightly in an instant.
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