Jessie's eyes flared with rage.
"What did you just call us?!"
"Yeah!" James snapped, Koffing floating at his side. "Take back what you said if you don't want my Koffing to beat you up!"
Rael let out a long, exasperated sigh. With his Pidgeotto sealed in the Lust Dimension and Riolu out of reach, there was only one option left.
He stepped forward, rolling his shoulders as he popped his knuckles, each crack echoing in the tension-heavy room.
"Ash, Misty, Nurse Joy—stay back," Rael said calmly, his gaze locked onto the trio of intruders. "I'll take care of this bunch of clowns."
"Clowns?!" Jessie shrieked, her whole body bristling.
"How dare you?!" She flung her arm forward. "Ekans, use Poison Sting! Tear him apart!"
"Koffing, use Tackle! Flatten him!" James added with a flourish.
The room exploded into chaos.
"Rael!" Ash called out, springing to his feet.
"Young Trainer!" Nurse Joy gasped, grabbing a Poké Ball from behind the desk but hesitating.
Misty's heart leapt into her throat. No Pokémon, just himself?!
Sure, Rael had taken on a Gyarados before—but that had been with help. These were Poison-types. One good hit could cripple him.
Her fingers clenched. Damn it, he might be a smooth-talking pervert… but I don't want him to die.
Rael smirked, eyes glinting.
"Relax. These clowns can't even lay a finger on me."
Ekans lunged first, tail glowing with poisonous energy.
But Rael moved like lightning.
He side-stepped just as Koffing barreled in with its Tackle, grabbed the hovering gas ball by its rounded body, and planted a foot on its head mid-spin.
Using it like a springboard, Rael vaulted upward, flipping through the air as Ekans' Poison Sting shot up beneath him—and missed by inches.
"What?!" Jessie and James screamed together.
Rael landed lightly behind them, dusting his hands off.
Ash's jaw hit the floor. Misty's eyes were wide as Poké Balls. Nurse Joy nearly dropped hers.
Even Meowth blinked.
"You were just lucky!" Jessie and James shouted in unison.
"Ekans! Again!" Jessie barked, pointing at Rael with a furious glare.
"Koffing, use Poison Gas! Fill the place!" James commanded.
Koffing quickly spewed a cloud of toxic gas into the Pokémon Center, filling the room with thick, purplish smoke that stung the eyes and clouded all vision.
'Fuck!' Rael cursed internally, instinctively covering his mouth. I can't dodge what I can't see…! The stench of the gas was choking, his body reacting instantly to the toxins. His eyes burned, his skin prickled, and his muscles slowed.
"Young Trainer!" Nurse Joy cried out.
"Rael!" Ash and Misty shouted in alarm.
Then—stab!
Rael felt it too late. A sharp pain behind him as Ekans's Poison Sting connected.
His body spasmed slightly as the venom surged into his bloodstream. Coupled with the Poison Gas already in the air, his limbs grew sluggish, his breath shallow.
"Hahaha!" Meowth howled with laughter. "He couldn't escape Ekans and Koffing's super combo!"
Jessie and James laughed along, smug and triumphant.
But Rael's eyes didn't show defeat.
Only fire.
'I'm already poisoned anyway... so why be careful?'
He grabbed Ekans's tail—still stuck near him from the sting—and with a sudden, explosive movement, swung the serpent like a yoyo.
"What is he doing?!" Jessie gasped.
"Is he dancing?" James asked, bewildered.
"This ain't a talent show!" Meowth added, squinting.
But the whipping momentum of Ekans's body began to disperse the Poison Gas, spinning the air around Rael and clearing the toxic fog. Their vision improved—and they all saw the purple blotches forming on Rael's skin.
"Young Trainer!" Nurse Joy shouted in horror. She knew the signs. He was deeply poisoned.
But Rael planted his feet, adjusting his grip on Ekans's tail, and took a baseball stance, shoulder dipped, knees bent.
His teeth gritted, his eyes narrow with raw defiance.
"Team Rocket…" he growled.
"W-What's he trying to do now?" the three muttered together, unnerved.
Rael spun.
"Take THIS!"
With all the might he could muster, he swung Ekans like a bat, striking Koffing like a ball mid-air.
Wham!
The toxic balloon Pokémon slammed into Jessie, James, and Meowth like a bowling ball knocking over pins.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" the trio screamed as they crashed into each other and soared into the ceiling, crashing through a hole in the roof and sailing out into the night sky in a sparkling arc.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"
Ding!
Ekans flew after them from the momentum, joining its teammates in the starry distance.
Rael stood there, panting, skin pale with poison, but smirking.
Then—his knees buckled.
"Rael!" Misty and Ash shouted, racing to his side as he swayed.
"Young trainer!" Nurse Joy's voice rang sharper. She rushed past them and gently pushed the two aside with practiced urgency. Kneeling down, she caught Rael just before he collapsed completely, easing him down and cradling his head in her lap.
"So comfortable..." Rael thought hazily, his vision swimming.
[Poison is accumulating in your body…]
The Lust System's message suddenly flashed across his inner vision.
[Thanks to the skill, Lucky Guy, the toxins haven't reached your vital points yet. But without treatment, death may occur within a dozen of minutes.]
"This Lucky Guy skill… saving my ass again—"
Rael didn't get to finish the thought. His eyes widened slightly as something soft and warm pressed against his lips.
Nurse Joy.
Her lips met his in a sudden, firm kiss.
Ash and Misty froze.
"W-What is she doing?!" Ash blurted, face going beet red.
"Wait—WHAT?!" Misty shouted, fists clenching as her face flushed deeply.
Rael's thoughts weren't any clearer.
"Wh-Why is Nurse Joy kissing me…? Not that I'm complaining. Man, she tastes like strawberries and salvation... She can just keep going..."
He groaned a little, tilting into the kiss, completely unaware of how his expression looked to the others.
But Nurse Joy was in full medical mode—mostly.
She had crushed and half-dissolved a powerful detoxifying pill in her mouth moments before. Given Rael's state, she supposed he couldn't swallow on his own. Time was critical. The only way to administer it quickly…
…was mouth-to-mouth.
She didn't even think. She just acted.
But as their lips stayed connected longer than expected, something strange stirred inside her. Her body was heating up, her pulse racing faster than it should for an emergency. Why are his lips so damn sweet…? she wondered, surprised by her own reaction.
Rael, meanwhile, had no clue what medicine was being delivered.
He just felt a divine softness and warmth, and in his half-dizzy, half-pleasured daze, he whispered faintly, "Best... treatment ever..."
To be continued...
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How was this chapter? Liked it?
Oh, also, I've completed the main team. You're always free to give suggestions though, I can always change it.