Aggron used Dig, taking Giovanni and tunneling rapidly into the ground below.
Lance's eyes widened in alarm. He quickly ordered Dragonite to keep Rhyperior occupied while both Aerodactyl and Gyarados dove toward Giovanni and Aggron's position.
"Aerodactyl, Gyarados—use Earthquake!"
If Giovanni was defeated here and now, Team Rocket's downfall would be inevitable. Even for someone like him—the top-ranked of Kanto's Elite Four—such an achievement would be monumental, enough to guarantee his promotion to Champion of the Kanto Region.
At this very moment, he couldn't—wouldn't—let Giovanni escape!
The ground trembled violently as Aerodactyl and Gyarados struck the earth in unison, their Earthquake attacks rippling across the battlefield.
Aggron, with half its body already underground, would suffer immense damage if the tremors struck now.
But that wasn't the worst part—if the Earthquake landed, escape would become impossible.
He had to stop them.
Giovanni's mind raced. In a split second, a plan formed.
Reaching into his coat pocket, Giovanni pulled out a Poké Ball and hurled it in the direction of Aerodactyl and Gyarados without even looking.
Bang!
The Poké Ball burst open midair, releasing a rock-gray Pokémon made up of countless boulders fused into a single sphere.
"Golem—Self-Destruct!"
The command tore from Giovanni's throat without hesitation.
Even as he shouted it, pain flickered in his eyes.
His Pokémon were not disposable tools. Giovanni had always understood the importance of the bond between trainer and Pokémon. Every single one of his Pokémon was raised personally—trained, nurtured, and perfected under his care.
And yet, today's battle forced him to abandon both Rhyperior and Golem, his two main powerhouses. Who knew how long it would take to raise new ones to their former strength?
"Not good—get back!"
Lance's instincts screamed. The instant Giovanni shouted "Self-Destruct," he gave up the chase and ducked behind his Dragonite for cover.
Nozomi, meanwhile, ordered his Mega Metagross and Dragonite to use Protect, forming barriers in front of them.
As for Sabrina—she had already teleported out of sight.
Then came the explosion.
A thunderous roar split the air as Golem detonated. The shockwave ripped outward from the blast center, flattening everything within a hundred meters—trees, buildings, debris—obliterated in an instant.
Aerodactyl and Gyarados were both hurled through the air, tumbling helplessly.
Lance's Dragonite shielded its trainer with its arms, claws dug into the earth as debris and dust swept over them.
Nozomi and his Pokémon were farther from the blast and strong enough to withstand the impact, suffering only minimal damage.
The entire abandoned manor's lawn was blown apart. Ghost-types—Gengar, Haunter, and Gastly—that had been lying in wait scattered in terrified shrieks. Half of the already-crumbling manor collapsed outright, leaving only shattered ruins behind.
When the dust settled, Nozomi and Lance looked toward where Giovanni had stood—but there was no one there.
Nozomi even extended his telekinesis to scan underground, but Giovanni's presence had vanished completely.
"Damn… he's fast."
Nozomi couldn't help but admire Giovanni's survival instincts.
Lance's face darkened. Nozomi had already captured Mewtwo—technically, capturing Giovanni should've been his responsibility. But now the Rocket Boss had slipped through his fingers. It was a humiliating failure.
Noticing Lance's expression, Nozomi chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Giovanni's just one man. The results we've achieved are more than enough."
For Nozomi, capturing Mewtwo was already more than satisfying.
With Mewtwo under his control, Team Rocket's fate was sealed.
And besides—you can't catch a monk by chasing the temple. Giovanni could run, but his organization couldn't.
The reason people feared Giovanni was because he was the head of Team Rocket. Once his wings were clipped, the man himself was nothing to fear.
Nozomi glanced toward the nearby field where Oka had surrendered, hands raised, while Chakra lay unconscious. Their defeat marked a massive blow to Team Rocket.
Lance nodded in agreement. "You're right. With two Rocket executives down, their operations will take a heavy hit. Even without Giovanni, they'll need time to recover."
Nozomi brushed a hand through his hair, still tousled from the explosion, then turned to Lance and Sabrina. "Let's go assist Lorelei. That battle's happening inside Saffron City—I don't want any accidents."
Lance nodded. He called over a team of League Investigators who had been standing by nearby and handed them the handcuffed Oka and the unconscious Chakra.
"Let's move."
Nozomi and Sabrina mounted one Dragonite, while Lance rode another. The three took to the skies, racing toward Saffron City.
"Damn it! How did Lorelei find our hideout?"
Inside Team Rocket's main headquarters, a fierce firefight raged between Rocket operatives and League Investigators.
Two hours earlier—just after Giovanni's departure—Lorelei, one of the Elite Four, had led a surprise assault on the base.
Caught completely off guard, Team Rocket lost control of the first five floors of the building, suffering massive casualties.
Fortunately, Athena and Apollo, who were overseeing the base, were far from incompetent. They rallied their forces swiftly, halting the League's advance and fortifying the defense around the fifth and sixth floors.
The two of them even had to personally enter the battlefield, facing Lorelei head-on to stabilize the situation.
"Have we reached Giovanni yet?"At the surveillance deck above, Matori turned sharply toward a subordinate, her tone edged with tension.
"No, ma'am. His communicator's off."
"Damn it!"
Matori's expression tightened with frustration. Without Giovanni's orders, she didn't know whether to fight or withdraw.
If they couldn't reach him soon, and the League reinforced their assault, they'd be overwhelmed.
What she didn't know was that Giovanni was already deep underground—too busy fleeing to answer any calls.
Matori glanced at the monitors again. More and more freelance Trainers were joining the League's ranks to support the assault, and her team was beginning to falter.
"Retreat! Everyone, withdraw in order!"
Unable to contact Giovanni, Matori made the call herself.
Her decision—was to retreat.