Taking advantage of the distraction among Officer Jennies and League reinforcements below, Elena quickly made her escape with her younger brother.

  As the Gym Leader Howard saw the red-haired girl walking beside the bck-cd, masked boy, he dashed forward in a frenzy.

  "Whitney!"

  "Grandpa!"

  Whitney sprinted a few steps ahead and leaped into Howard's arms.

  "You're safe. That's all that matters… You scared me half to death," Howard said, tears streaming down his face. However, he couldn't help but gnce at Joker with an air of disbelief.

  Wasn't this boy the same person the League's notice identified as one of Team Rocket's operatives?

  Joker first nudged Whitney's friend, signaling her to move along, then gently pced the unconscious young trainer on Howard's Tauros.

  "He's inhaled a lot of poisonous gas. Please, take him to Nurse Joy as soon as possible."

  "Uh… sure," Howard hesitated for a moment before agreeing without question. Above all, he was a grandfather to his precious Whitney, not just a League Gym Leader.

  "Giddy up, Tauros," Joker said with a pyful wave to Officer Jennies.

  A moment ter, he unched a thread of silk, swinging effortlessly between the city buildings and disappearing into the skyline.

  Fortunately, Goldenrod City was full of skyscrapers. In a rural vilge like Pallet Town, this escape wouldn't have been possible.

  "Wait, was that… Joker?!"

  A female voice rose from the crowd, followed by a chilling wave of cold air.

  Everyone turned to see Lorelei, one of the Indigo League's Elite Four, standing tall with her Dewgong by her side. The Pokémon opened its mouth, preparing an Ice Beam aimed squarely at the masked boy darting between the buildings.

  "No!"

  Whitney's friend sprinted with all her might, wrapping her arms tightly around the Dewgong's neck, leaving it bewildered and unable to act.

  "Please don't, big sister!"

  Whitney also wriggled out of her grandfather's embrace and threw herself in front of Lorelei.

  "What are you all doing?!"

  Lorelei excimed, her expression mirroring her baffled Dewgong.

  "Miss Lorelei, we owe our lives to him this time," someone said.

  "That's right! If not for him, we'd all be dead by now," echoed another.

  A chorus of survivors chimed in, trying to mediate.

  Although relieved, Lorelei's frustration only deepened.

  Within five minutes, she learned the full details of the incident from Officer Jennies.

  Her face grew darker with every word.

  A Team Rocket operative turned hero?

  It was a humiliation beyond words.

  But what stung the most was the truth—Joker had indeed acted faster than the League this time.

  ...

  Some 20 Kilometers Outside Goldenrod City.

  The train that had been hijacked by Shadow operatives, ter redirected by Joker's Umbreon, stood motionless on the tracks.

  The locomotive's front bore two massive dents, and half a carriage dangled off the rails.

  Standing at the wreckage was a Nidoking, pulling its fists out of the train's crumpled metal shell. It was clear who had stopped the speeding train.

  Joker descended from the sky, his trench coat billowing as he nded gracefully.

  "Good work, Stephen-kun," Giovanni said, emerging from behind the Nidoking with his hands in his pockets. His smile brimmed with satisfaction.

  "Those Shadow buffoons must be fuming right now."

  "Just luck," Stephen replied, removing his mask and revealing a grin. "But it was a worthwhile haul this time."

  Having deduced Shadow's pn to escape via train, Stephen devised a counter-strategy: letting Giovanni lie in wait while he rounded up the Shadow operatives and herded them onto the train. Then, at the right moment, Giovanni intercepted them mid-route.

  "Looks like I won't need to py bounty hunter for a while."

  Stephen opened a train car, revealing it packed with defeated Shadow grunts.

  "These fools should st us a while."

  Both he and Giovanni chuckled mischievously.

  ...

  Two Days Later, Indigo Pteau League Headquarters

  Lorelei returned from Goldenrod City, accompanied by Howard and several other Gym Leaders from Kanto and Johto, including Lance.

  Joker's recent activity had been unusually prolific, even overshadowing Lance's efforts in capturing fugitives. Feeling his reputation threatened, the Dragon Master had taken to capturing criminals with renewed zeal—only to be overshadowed yet again by the Goldenrod incident.

  "This article's a hoot," said Lt. Surge, the Vermilion City Gym Leader, holding up a newspaper.

  Others craned their necks to read the headline, gasping in shock,

  "In the Face of Evil, Who Stood Up? The League? No, Team Rocket!"

  The accompanying photo showed a crowd of fangirls waving banners that read, Joker Squad: We Love You!

  The Gym Leaders exchanged bewildered gnces.

  "Unbelievable," Sabrina scoffed, crossing her arms.

  "Team Rocket as heroes?"

  Howard stood up and decred, "I take full responsibility for failing to resolve the matter promptly as the Goldenrod Gym Leader. I will resign and pursue my dream of running a ranch."

  "Don't bme yourself, Howard. Who could've anticipated Shadow operatives hiding among passengers?"

  Lance reassured him.

  "Indeed. Instead of assigning bme, let's focus on preventing this from happening again," Erika chimed in.

  Goodshow nodded.

  "First, implement stricter identity checks and searches for passengers. Second, encourage the public to keep at least one Pokémon out of its ball at all times."

  The first measure was aimed at Shadow; the second, at countering Joker's poke ball disruptor.

  The League had witnessed its terrifying potential firsthand.

  At least, for now, Joker hadn't turned it against them.