"Roar!"
With a loud crash, a massive figure appeared on the ground. The spiral horn on its head began to rotate violently, emitting a low buzzing sound. It radiated an aura of heaviness and explosive power. Beside it, a Crobat slightly flapped its wings, kicking up gusts of wind. Its eyes were filled with malice and cunning as it stared excitedly at Director Yanagi and Director Fukiishi.
Facing these two Pokémon, a giant figure emerged that was easily a match for the Rhydon: Blastoise. Its presence was every bit as imposing as the Rhydon's. Having not fought for a long time, it was filled with battle intent upon seeing an old rival. Beside it stood its partner, Arcanine. As soon as it appeared, the surrounding temperature rose by several degrees. It bared its teeth and glared fiercely at the Crobat. After a few seconds of confrontation, they attacked simultaneously.
The two ground-based Pokémon charged at each other.
Thump! Thump!
Their massive bodies caused the earth to vibrate with every step. Finally, the two collided. Rhydon pushed forward with both hands, but Blastoise caught them. Both Pokémon exerted their full strength, muscles tensing as they tried to topple the other. The surrounding energy fluctuations were exceptionally active, causing nearby pebbles to tremble. Rhydon and Blastoise were locked in a test of power; their strength was almost perfectly matched.
It was difficult for either to gain the upper hand. Judging by the energy radiating from them, their levels were nearly identical. If Eichi were here, he would discover that both Pokémon were at the peak of the Elite Four rank.
"Crobat, go help Rhydon!" Yakusho commanded.
"You're not going anywhere! Your opponent is me!" Fukiishi shouted. Seeing Crobat attempting to interfere, he gave the order to Arcanine. "Arcanine, use Flamethrower!"
A ball of fire rapidly formed in Arcanine's mouth and erupted into a fierce pillar of flame. The heat radiated was more dazzling than any light. With such high energy density, this was undoubtedly a Flamethrower at the Mastery level, making Yakusho's scalp tingle with fear. He couldn't help Rhydon now and quickly gave an order to Crobat.
"Crobat, use Shadow Ball!"
Crobat gathered a highly concentrated sphere of purple energy between its wings and launched it. It collided with the Flamethrower, the two attacks locked in a stalemate. Upon contact, the opposing energies repelled each other and detonated.
Boom!
A massive explosion occurred, and the resulting shockwave sent Arcanine and Crobat reeling backward. The rocks near the blast site shattered into pieces, leaving a giant crater in their wake. A large empty space opened up around the two Pokémon; others fought elsewhere, terrified of being caught in the collateral damage. This was the true power of Elite Four-ranked Pokémon.
Meanwhile, Eichi had been preparing. When he heard the explosions, the roars of Pokémon, and the sound of the excavators stopping, he knew Director Yanagi and the others had arrived. The Team Rocket members guarding them also looked panicked. Everyone in the cages noticed the commotion and crowded against the bars to see what was happening.
Eichi took this chance to release Beedrill and Scizor, having already instructed them on what to do. The moment they were released, they blurred toward the guards. People near the edge of the cages felt a flash before their eyes, as if something had just streaked past.
The guarding Arbok, Weezing, Golbat, and other Pokémon suddenly felt a sharp pain before losing consciousness. They didn't even see what had attacked them before they collapsed. The guards realized their Pokémon were incapacitated and panicked, looking around for the culprit. However, they soon felt the same sharp pain and fell to the ground.
Two dark shadows flashed by, stopping outside different iron cages. With a single snip or strike, the iron locks were severed. Eichi also used the keys to open his cage and spoke to Tetsu and the others. "Everyone, go get your things, then we escape together!"
With determined looks, they rushed out of the cage toward the small passage. Eichi ran to the other cages, opening them with the keys while shouting, "Everyone, if you have Pokémon, go retrieve them and escape now!"
As the cages opened, the people inside thanked Eichi.
"Thank you!"
"Thanks for saving us!"
"We're forever grateful!"
With the help of Beedrill and Scizor, all the iron cages were soon opened, and all the workers were set free.
"Eichi! Eichi!"
Tetsu and the others were calling him; they had already retrieved their belongings and were running back. Tetsu said quickly, "We've got our stuff!"
"In that case, let's go!" Eichi declared.
"Right!" everyone agreed.
The workers followed as they all ran out of the tunnel together. In the main hall, Pokémon battles were occurring everywhere. Flames, water pillars, ice, rocks, lightning, and venom crossed paths. Energy intertwined amidst the roars of Pokémon and constant shockwaves.
The energy fluctuations in the center were particularly powerful. Eichi saw Director Yanagi riding his Flygon, battling a Team Rocket member on a Fearow. Below them, over a dozen Pokémon radiated terrifying energy as they fought. Eichi realized they were all Elite Four-ranked Pokémon.
In a nearby area, Director Fukiishi was riding a Skarmory, battling a Crobat. The people fighting around them were all from Silver Academy. Only now did they show their true strength; not a single Pokémon among the teachers was below the Gym Leader rank. Elite Four-level clashes broke out frequently, but Team Rocket had the advantage in numbers. Even though the teachers were strong, they were slightly outnumbered.
Seeing Eichi and the others running out to help, a man who looked like a leader shouted, "Go stop them!"
A large group of Team Rocket grunts surrounded them, releasing their Pokémon. Most were Ekans, Arbok, Koffing, Weezing, Zubat, Golbat, Houndour, and Houndoom. Their strengths varied, but they swarmed forward in a mass.
Eichi's eyes narrowed as he shouted, "Don't be afraid! Charge through!"
"Beedrill!"
"Scizor!"
Would you like me to continue with the battle and see how Eichi leads the students and workers to break through the Team Rocket blockade?