Everyone fell into despair as two more Team Rocket Captains arrived. How could they fight this? No one here possessed a Gym Leader-level Pokémon.
Tetsu had his Gym Leader-level Houndoom, but it was currently being surrounded and attacked by several other Pokémon and was on the verge of collapse. The teachers were all tied down by other Team Rocket members and couldn't come to their aid at all.
"Eichi, what do we do?" Ami asked Eichi urgently.
Eichi didn't answer. His brow was furrowed tightly as he stared at Yakushimaru's Pokémon, his mind racing to find a solution.
Currently, only a few Pokémon remained on the field, with Tetsu's Houndoom and Eichi's Heracross bearing the brunt of the assault. Heracross was usually lazy, but it exploded with startling power in this critical moment. It constantly maneuvered around the Arbok and Golbat, fully aware that the situation was extremely unfavorable for them. Its goal wasn't to attack, but to tie them down and stall for time.
Heracross dodged Arbok's Fire Fang and retaliated against Golbat with Pin Missile. Countless sharp needles shot toward Golbat, whose wings became covered in a brilliant white light.
Wing Attack!
It deflected all of Heracross's needles. The sharp pins struck the surrounding stone walls with a series of loud thuds, sending dust and debris flying everywhere. Behind it, Arbok's eyes gleamed with a cunning light as it saw its chance.
"Hiss!"
It opened its mouth wide and fired a barrage of purple needles at Heracross.
"Heracross, watch your back!" Eichi shouted.
The warning alerted Heracross. It turned its head just in time to see the incoming poison needles.
"Yark-ru!"
It spun its body as green energy seemed to gather in its eyes, forming a circular green screen in front of it.
Protect!
It successfully blocked all the poison needles, but this created another opening. Golbat saw the opportunity and lunged forward.
Wing Attack!
The white light flared. Just as Golbat was less than ten centimeters away from Heracross, the latter pivoted its body slightly. It was a razor-thin margin, but it was enough. The Wing Attack missed. Heracross seized the moment. It raised its right arm and delivered a heavy Brick Break strike to Golbat's body.
Immediately after, it vibrated its wings and retreated from the two Pokémon. Golbat shrieked in pain and tried to counter-attack, but Heracross had already fled far away.
Kawai mocked Yakushimaru from the side. "Yakushi, you're useless. I really wonder how you became a Captain. You can't even handle a few kids, and you even let them take out two of your Pokémon."
The other Captain, Ueno, also scoffed, "Exactly. You can't even deal with a few brats. You're really regressing in your old age."
Hearing their mockery, Yakushimaru's face turned hideous. He clenched his fists and said coldly, "Hmph, don't underestimate them."
Kawai shouted arrogantly, "I don't care what kind of geniuses they are; no one is leaving today! Go, my lovely little babies!"
Kawai pulled out six Poké Balls and released all of his Pokémon. Six more Pokémon radiating powerful auras appeared before them, their pressure washing over the group.
Houndoom, Arbok, Feraligatr, Magneton, Ariados, and Murkrow.
Eichi's pupils constricted. Every single one was at the Gym Leader rank, with the strongest being the Feraligatr, which was at the peak of the Gym Leader rank. On the other side, Ueno also released his Pokémon with a cold laugh.
"Go, tear them to pieces!"
Six more figures appeared, and the oppressive pressure on the field intensified sharply. Some of the more timid workers began to tremble uncontrollably.
Weezing, Rhydon, Machamp, Piloswine, Magcargo, and Golbat.
Eichi's expression was now exceptionally grim. These three Team Rocket Captains were progressively more powerful than the last. He had originally planned to let Beedrill and Scizor rest before using the same tactic to wear down Yakushimaru's remaining two Pokémon. If he could do that, the fight would become manageable. However, he hadn't expected two more guys to rush over. There was truly nothing he could do now but stall for time. The teachers must have seen the situation; he just had to wait for them to arrive.
"Go!"
Kawai and Ueno gave the attack command simultaneously. Bloodthirsty glints flashed in the eyes of all their Pokémon. Seeing the Houndoom struggling against the Ursaring and another Houndoom, Feraligatr kicked off the ground with such force that it left deep footprints. It lunged forward and swung its fists at Houndoom.
Two punches slammed into Houndoom, which let out a soul-wrenching cry as it was sent flying. But it wasn't over. Feraligatr wore a cruel smile as it opened its mouth wide to gather energy. A massive pillar of water erupted from its maw.
Hydro Pump!
The high-powered blast struck Houndoom squarely. This time, Houndoom didn't even shriek; it had completely lost the ability to battle and fell unconscious.
"Houndoom!"
Tetsu scrambled over in a panic. Seeing the Houndoom on the ground, he realized the injuries were severe—it was in a near-death state.
"Houndoom... Damn it!"
Tetsu's eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Feraligatr. The Feraligatr, meanwhile, was exceptionally excited by its handiwork. The other enemy Pokémon also moved out. None of the students' or workers' Pokémon could withstand a single blow. One by one, they were defeated until only Heracross remained. Every enemy Pokémon turned its gaze toward Heracross as it desperately tried to dodge.
"Eichi, what are we supposed to do now?" Shinta asked in a panic.
"Yeah, Eichi, what do we do?"
"Think of something!"
"Find a way!"
Tetsu and the others now felt that Eichi was the only one who could have a solution. Eichi's mind raced as he desperately searched for a plan. Finally, he said, one word at a time, "Wait. We can only wait."
In the distance, Director Yanagi saw that Eichi's group was blocked. He wanted to help, but Hiraoka laughed wildly. "Where do you think you're going? Your opponent is me! Block them all!"
All of Director Yanagi's Pokémon were held back. In front of Eichi, Heracross finally reached its limit and was sent flying by a heavy blow. Now, every single one of their Pokémon had lost the ability to battle.
Yakushimaru laughed loudly, "Haha! You'd better just come back with us quietly!"
Total despair washed over everyone. Tetsu looked at Eichi, whose face was grim. Why hasn't a teacher arrived yet? Just as the dozen or so Pokémon closed in, a voice echoed from the distance.
"Eichi!"
A massive figure suddenly appeared in front of Eichi. Everyone saw the newcomer and cried out in joy, "Teacher Joylin!"
Teacher Joylin smiled at them. "I'm here."
Then, she looked coldly at Yakushimaru and the other two Captains. "No one is allowed to harm my students."
She released three Pokémon.
"Go!"
Three massive figures appeared on the battlefield, descending upon the scene.