A crimson halo streaked across the sky, rippling outward in waves.
Yet the light didn't seem to affect Dragonite at all. Its wary expression shifted into one of confusion.
"Wrooo?"
Tilting its head, Dragonite blinked, clearly puzzled as to why nothing had happened.
That innocent look—honestly—was so cute it could melt steel.
Even among Team Rocket's ranks, several female members found themselves squealing internally at the sight.
If Dragonite hadn't just displayed such terrifying destructive power moments ago, they probably would have rushed over to hug it on the spot.
"What's going on here?"
Nozomi narrowed his eyes. He didn't believe Team Rocket would activate a machine like that for no reason. If they'd turned it on, there had to be a purpose.
"Whatever it is, since it doesn't affect Dragonite, we'll just destroy it!"
With that thought, Nozomi shouted, "Dragonite, use Hyper Beam on that machine!"
He chose Hyper Beam specifically, just in case the device was equipped with any kind of defensive mechanism.
"Stop him! Don't let him destroy it!"
The Team Rocket researcher who had been smiling triumphantly just moments earlier suddenly turned pale.
As one of the machine's developers, he knew exactly what it was capable of—and if it were destroyed now, the consequences could be catastrophic.
Within Team Rocket, researchers held significant authority. To the grunts below them, their word was practically law.
So despite their reluctance, the Team Rocket trainers grit their teeth and ordered their Pokémon forward to intercept.
But Dragonite had already finished charging.
The blast of Hyper Beam unleashed was massive—an enormous white pillar of light that engulfed everything in front of it.
Graveler's rocky body cracked apart, and Nidoking was knocked out cold instantly.
But just before the beam struck the machine, an Alakazam appeared, thrusting up a Light Screen that bent the trajectory of the attack.
A thunderous explosion rocked the area as the beam veered off course. Instead of vaporizing Team Rocket, it detonated in the distance, sending a mushroom cloud soaring into the sky.
"Tch—missed," Nozomi clicked his tongue in annoyance.
His gaze fell on the Alakazam that had appeared out of nowhere.
"Where did that Alakazam come from?" he muttered irritably.
Dragonite could have wiped the entire squad in one blow—but this unexpected interference meant he'd have to waste more time.
Meanwhile, the Team Rocket researcher exhaled in relief as the machine remained intact.
"That was close!"
The color had yet to return to his face, but he managed to glare at Nozomi and shout, "Do you even realize what you just tried to do?!"
Nozomi turned his cold gaze on him. "What I tried to do?"
The researcher flinched as their eyes met.
So terrifying… He felt as though his very soul had been laid bare.
"Dragonite—use Draco Meteor! Let's see how you block this!"
Nozomi's command rang out.
He refused to believe Alakazam could defend against something as wide-ranged as Draco Meteor. If it somehow did, he swore he'd walk away immediately and stop bothering these fools altogether.
Sure enough, the Rocket trainer's face paled at the command.
He turned to Alakazam. "Stop it! Quickly!"
But Alakazam, boasting an IQ of over five thousand, instantly understood the situation—it couldn't stop Draco Meteor.
Once that attack rained down, everything in the area would be annihilated. Instead of defending, Alakazam made a desperate decision: it lunged forward to attack Dragonite directly, hoping to disrupt the move before it launched.
Of course, Nozomi wasn't unprepared.
He flung another Poké Ball forward.
With a flash of blue light, Metagross landed heavily on the ground.
"Metagross! Then that means—he's Nozomi!"
The entire Team Rocket squad froze in shock.
There were indeed a few trainers in Kanto who commanded Metagross—but only one with that level of power.
Only Nozomi.
Only he would attack Team Rocket on sight, without hesitation or negotiation.
"Damn it! If we'd known it was him, we would've retreated immediately!"
Grumbling broke out among the fleeing Rockets.
To them, Nozomi was like a mountain—massive, immovable, and utterly beyond their reach. It felt downright unfair that someone that strong would still bother to come after low-level grunts like them.
But complaining wouldn't save them now. The only thing left to do was run.
As they turned to flee, the sky suddenly dimmed.
An ominous darkness rolled in, thick as storm clouds—but glowing faintly red.
Nozomi squinted. It wasn't a storm cloud at all.
A swarm of Ghost-type Pokémon was charging toward them—hundreds strong. Gastly, Haunter, Gengar… the air shimmered with their eerie presence.
"Is the machine attracting them?"
The crimson glow surrounding the ghosts matched the light on the device perfectly.
Nozomi quickly pieced it together. The machine must have been designed to lure—or even control—Ghost-type Pokémon. Team Rocket was likely taking advantage of the ongoing "Ghost Catching Festival" to trigger a mass outbreak at Pokémon Tower. Whether they intended to capture the ghosts amid the chaos or unleash destruction on Lavender Town, Nozomi couldn't be sure.
Either way, I can't let them finish.
"If we get surrounded by those Ghost-types, it'll be a disaster. The machine has to go first."
His thoughts were sharp and decisive.
"Metagross, stop that Alakazam! Dragonite, continue—use Draco Meteor!"
A resonant hum filled the air as Metagross flashed forward, intercepting Alakazam mid-charge.
"Wrooo!"
Dragonite roared, unleashing the energy it had been gathering.
BOOM!WHOOSH!
A downpour of blazing meteors rained from the heavens.
Facing the celestial bombardment, Team Rocket's morale shattered. They screamed, scattered, and ran for their lives.
Alakazam glanced at the carnage, a flash of human-like emotion crossing its eyes.
After locking eyes with Nozomi one last time, it vanished into rippling space—using Teleport to escape without a trace.