"All members capable of using Poison Gas or Smoke—follow orders! Have your Pokémon stand in front of Murkrow and release your skills at full power!"
After receiving the scouting report, Luke immediately issued commands.
"Yes! Koffing, release Smog at full power!"
"Weezing, you too!"
One by one, the Pokémon stepped forward and began releasing thick clouds of toxic gas.
"Hiss—hiss—"
Purple smoke quickly spread forward, growing denser by the second.
---
Icarus frowned slightly.
There's no one in sight… why start now?
But the answer came immediately.
---
"Murkrow, blow it forward at full power—use elemental energy!"
"Caw!"
Murkrow's wings lit up with intense Flying-type energy. It flapped powerfully—
"Whoooosh—!"
A fierce wind surged forward, carrying the poisonous smoke deep into the distance.
---
So that's it… an Elite-level Murkrow.
Icarus immediately understood.
Using elemental power to extend the range…
It won't do much to elite opponents—but for ordinary trainers, this is devastating.
Luke had clearly prepared this to weaken the enemy's lower ranks before contact.
---
Minutes passed.
Then—
"Didi—Didi—"
Luke's communicator buzzed.
He opened it. A message from an insider appeared:
"Poison gas effective. 6 Pokémon poisoned. 4 more weakened."
---
"Haha! Good!"
Luke laughed loudly.
"Move out! Charge with me!"
---
"Follow up!"
"Go! Go!"
"Evolution stones, here I come!"
Excited shouts erupted as the Rocket members rushed forward with their Pokémon.
---
"Bibi Bird, stay with me. We move behind them."
Seeing Bibi Bird ready to rush ahead, Icarus quickly stopped it.
"Beep? Beep-beep?"
It looked confused.
---
"This kind of melee is dangerous," Icarus said while running.
"The moment both sides clash, it becomes chaos. If we rush in blindly, we could get hit by our own side."
---
"Beep…"
Bibi Bird hesitated, then nodded and slowed down, staying close behind.
---
Up ahead, Luke had already reached visual range.
Without hesitation, he threw a Poké Ball forward.
"Aggron—Earthquake!"
---
A red flash burst—
"ROAR!"
A massive, armored Aggron, nearly two meters tall, appeared and slammed its foot down.
"BOOM!!!"
The ground shook violently.
Even Icarus, far behind, felt the tremor.
---
At the front of the caravan, several Graveler acting as shields were instantly knocked out.
Against an Elite-level Aggron using a full-powered Earthquake—
They had no chance.
---
"Damn it! Team Rocket!"
"Don't panic—I'll handle him! Regroup!"
A middle-aged man at the center of the caravan stood up and threw a Poké Ball.
"Come out—Ursaring!"
---
"ROAR!"
A towering Ursaring appeared, radiating powerful energy—it was clearly Elite-level as well.
---
But before the two elites could clash—
The five squad leaders arrived.
"Graveler, Rock Slide!"
"Arbok, Poison Sting!"
"Butterfree, Silver Wind!"
---
"Attack!"
The Rocket members followed immediately, unleashing a barrage of attacks.
"Beedrill, Poison Jab!"
"Pidgeotto, Gust!"
"Graveler, Rollout!"
---
In an instant—
The battlefield exploded into chaos.
---
"Ursaring! Block with Hammer Arm—then counter with Earthquake!"
The caravan's elite trainer shouted.
Ursaring's arms glowed white as it began blocking incoming attacks, while Ground-type energy gathered beneath its feet.
---
"Heh… dreaming, are you?"
Luke sneered.
"Murkrow—Quick Attack, then Night Slash!"
---
A black blur streaked through the air—
"Slash!"
Before Ursaring could react, dark energy struck its leg.
"ROAR!"
The attack hit cleanly—the Earthquake was interrupted.
---
"Raticate, go!"
"Spearow, intercept!"
"Sandslash, Slash!"
---
Thanks to Ursaring buying time, the caravan finally stabilized.
They recalled fainted Pokémon and released new ones, barely holding the line.
---
"Boom! Crash!"
"Roar!"
"Bang—bang!"
---
With both sides fully engaged, formations collapsed completely.
The battlefield split into dozens of smaller fights.
Each trainer found their own opponent.
---
Meanwhile—
The two Elite-level trainers had already moved away from the main battlefield.
Their clashes were too destructive—staying here would only cause friendly casualties.
---
"BOOM—!"
Even from a distance, Icarus could hear their battle.
Trees fell.
Wild Pokémon fled in panic.
---
Watching from the rear, Icarus exhaled slowly.
Good thing Luke is here…
Without an elite to hold them off, even double the numbers wouldn't matter.
We'd be slaughtered.
---
Now—
The real fight had begun.
And this time—
He was on his own.