Looking at the three mummified corpses, Feng Che felt the hair on his arms stand up. If the cave only held Level 8 or 9 Zubat, even the weakest Rocket recruit shouldn't have been drained dry. The fact that even the Pokémon inside their Poké Balls were scared to death suggested a much darker predator.
He gripped the handle of his thunderbolt gun tightly. A shrill, piercing screech erupted from the darkness, and a massive shadow tore through the air. The King of the Zubat, Golbat, finally revealed itself.
This Golbat was a behemoth. While a standard specimen stands at 1.6 meters, this one was a towering 2.5 meters. The Golbat-Ditto looked like a mere hatchling in comparison. Hanging around its neck was a Golden Key.
Pokémon: Golbat Gender: Male Potential: Outstanding (Green) Ability: Inner Focus Level: 35 Type: Poison + Flying Status: Awakening from a long hibernation; strength recovering. Evaluation: A mutated Golbat of extreme research value. Its blood may possess unique properties.
Feng Che's face turned pale. "Damn that Chuzhu! He lied to me!"
Chuzhu had estimated the leader to be Mid-Elite level (around Level 25), but this monster was Level 35—four levels higher than Feng Che's strongest Pokémon, Linoone. This was a massive level gap that triggered a suppression effect.
Feng Che wanted to retreat, but the hungry Golbat had no intention of letting him leave. In the world of Team Rocket, trust was a luxury he had momentarily forgotten.
"Ah-choo!" Miles away, Chuzhu rubbed his nose. "Kongjian should be at the bat cave by now. That Level 35 beast will make quick work of him. In this trial, you have to eliminate the competition to rise."
The Golbat King let out a cry, and a swarm of Zubat dragged a wild Tauros into the cavern. The King dove onto the bull, its four massive fangs piercing the jugular. Within seconds, the Tauros was a dry husk. Refueled, the Golbat unfurled its wings—a staggering four-meter wingspan—and let out a roar of restored power.
Suddenly, the King vanished from the flashlight's beam. Feng Che heard the whistle of air—a Steel Wing was hurtling toward him.
CLANG!
Ditto-Arbok intercepted, its silver Iron Tail clashing with the metallic wings in a shower of sparks. But the level gap was obvious; Arbok was thrown back. Feng Che fired a thunderbolt from his gun, the golden arcs crawling over the Golbat's hide, but the beast only grew more enraged.
"SCREECH!"
A Screech attack hit Feng Che like a physical wall. His brain felt like it was being stuffed with lead, and he dropped his gun, clutching his head in agony. The Golbat loomed over him, its crimson eyes inches from his face.
Feng Che reacted on instinct, thrusting his high-powered flashlight directly into the King's eyes. The sudden brilliance blinded the cave-dwelling predator. It shrieked, tears streaming down its face, but it began using its ears and mouth to track Feng Che's position through echolocation.
"Arbok, Iron Tail! Linoone, Headbutt!"
Feng Che rolled away just as the Golbat's fangs snapped shut inches from his neck. Arbok and Linoone launched a pincer attack. The Golbat, choosing to tank the damage, lunged through the Iron Tail to deliver a Poison Fang to Arbok's neck.
Arbok hissed in pain, purple-black venom instantly darkening its scales.
"Linoone, Rookidee! Hold the swarm back! I need to heal Ditto!"
Feng Che pulled a concentrated Pecha Berry juice from his bracelet and forced it down Ditto's throat. Meanwhile, Linoone's claws were a blur of Fury Swipes, and Rookidee's Whirlwind sent hundreds of underling Zubat crashing into the stone walls.
Once the venom was neutralized, Feng Che saw his opening. "Ditto! Transform into Electrode! Thunderbolt!"
The entire cavern turned a blinding gold. The 100,000-volt discharge tore through the air, fried the underling Zubat, and struck the Golbat King squarely. The King fell to the floor, its wings twisted and smoking.
Ditto, furious at being poisoned, unleashed a second Thunderbolt for good measure. The Golbat King spasmed and went still.
Feng Che threw a Special Rocket Ball. Shake... shake... click. "Level 35 Golbat captured," he panted.
The battle had been a catalyst. Rookidee reached Level 10, Linoone reached Level 30 (Elite Peak), and Ditto hit Level 20.
In the back of the cave, among the skeletons of past victims, Feng Che found a Golden Chest. He shoved it into his bracelet and quickly buried the remains of the Rocket recruits as promised.
As he emerged from the cave, his communicator began to ring incessantly.
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