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Roy crouched behind an iron barrel, taking all of this in.
He rubbed his chin, a curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
These organizations are really working hard.
Charging forward one by one as if they were pumped with adrenaline.
But that's normal; who wouldn't want to possess a Legendary Pokémon of Zapdos's caliber?
Never mind these organizations, even those scattered Trainers were charging forward with bloodshot eyes.
A middle-aged man wearing a raincoat was hiding in a corner, throwing Poké Balls non-stop.
One after another, he hurled them at Zapdos.
However, before they could even reach it, they were shattered by electricity.
He wasn't discouraged, though, and kept throwing them.
Roy felt like applauding him.
What perseverance.
...
Even though Zapdos had superior combat power, it couldn't withstand the relentless attacks from so many Pokémon and human weapons.
Although it could repel the enemy's attacks every time, the drain on its stamina was real.
The electricity on its body wasn't as bright as before.
At the beginning, it was wrapped in dazzling golden arcs of electricity, its entire figure looking like a small sun.
Now, the brightness of the arcs had clearly dimmed, and the color had shifted from bright gold to dark gold.
Its breathing had also become labored.
Every time it flapped its wings, one could hear its heavy panting.
Its gaze was no longer as sharp as before, carrying a hint of exhaustion.
Yet its will remained firm, and every attack was merciless.
Several more Poké Balls flew in from different directions, striking it.
Red light flashed repeatedly, sucking it inside.
The Poké Ball fell to the ground, shaking violently.
Once, twice, three times...
This time, the shaking lasted longer than before.
Zapdos struggled inside the Poké Ball for quite a while before breaking out.
When it emerged from the red light, its body swayed noticeably, and its wing flaps were less powerful than before.
Roy's eyes lit up.
The time was right.
"Old Ghost, do it!"
As soon as the words left his lips, an eerie laugh came from above.
"Hehehehehe..."
Then, a massive cloud of Haze appeared out of thin air.
The Haze was so thick it felt substantial, pouring down from the factory ceiling and instantly enveloping the entire battlefield.
I have to say, the Thousand-Year Gastly's skills were quite effective.
This old ghost had lived for over a thousand years; although it wasn't good at fighting, it was incredibly skilled at underhanded tactics.
This Haze was not only thick, but it also had an interference effect.
The moment the Haze enveloped them, everyone's vision was stripped away.
It was pitch black.
Furthermore, the Haze was mixed with a strange energy fluctuation that interfered with people's perception and judgment.
"What's going on?"
"Who released the fog?"
"I can't see!"
"Damn it, whose tactic is this?"
"It wasn't me! I was about to ask if it was you!"
Various exclamations came from the Haze, one after another.
Everyone was in chaos, unable to grasp the situation.
Everyone from all the organizations present was wondering whose tactic this was.
The men in black thought it was Team Rockets, Team Rockets thought it was the ninjas, and the ninjas thought it was the men in black.
They suspected and were wary of one another.
But no one dared to act rashly.
Because in a situation where vision was stripped away, acting rashly could very likely result in friendly fire.
The purple-haired woman gritted her teeth, one hand pressing against the collar of her chest, while the other held a Poké Ball tightly.
She tilted her head to listen, trying to judge the situation from the sounds.
But the Haze provided not only visual interference but auditory interference as well.
All sounds became muffled, as if separated by a thick layer of cotton.
Aya was crouching in a corner, the wound on her shoulder still throbbing with pain.
...
Inside the Haze, Roy stood up.
He walked out from behind the iron barrel; possessing Aura, the Haze had little effect on him.
The members of those organizations were spinning around like headless flies; some were crouching on the ground not daring to move, others were groping along the walls, and some were holding Poké Balls, looking around vigilantly.
Zapdos was not far ahead.
It was also enveloped by the Haze, but its reaction was much faster than the humans'.
It sensed that something was wrong and flapped its wings, attempting to fly.
But the stamina drain was too great; it flew very slowly, many times slower than usual.
It wanted to fly back into the thunderclouds in the sky, where the lightning energy it needed could replenish its stamina.
Roy saw through its intent.
He let Pikachu enter the fray.
Pikachu's little face was full of excitement.
Having watched Zapdos's battle for so long, it was already fired up.
Those thick bolts of lightning, those dazzling electric arcs, those shocking explosions...
Every scene made its heart race, and its little paws kept gesturing in the air, simulating Zapdos's attack movements.
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu clenched its little fists, its eyes shining.
Roy rubbed its head and pointed at Zapdos not far away.
"Go, Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu took a deep breath, its cheeks puffing up.
Its little face was full of seriousness, and it placed its two little paws in front of itself, beginning to charge power.
The red electric sacs on its cheeks crackled with electric sparks.
Golden current surged over its body, from the tip of its tail to the top of its head; every single hair was charged.
Pikachu stared at the Zapdos ahead, its eyes full of longing for battle.
Having watched for so long, it had wanted to make a move for quite some time.
Now it was finally its turn!
"Pika—Chuu!!!"
Pikachu shouted, and the current it had been storing for so long was suddenly unleashed.
A thick bolt of golden lightning shot out from its body, heading straight for Zapdos.
Although the lightning wasn't as exaggerated as Zapdos's, it was still powerful enough.
The golden lightning exploded within the Haze.
Zapdos was struck by the lightning, its body shivering violently.
It was already exhausted, and this just added insult to injury.
Furthermore, Pikachu's Thunderbolt and the Thousand-Year Gastly's Haze worked together seamlessly.
The current conducted through the Haze, spreading across the entire battlefield.
Everyone got shocked!
...
After being hit by Pikachu's Thunderbolt, Zapdos swayed in the air.
Its wings flapped even more weakly, and its flight speed became slower and slower.
It wanted to fly back to the thunderclouds in the sky, but its stamina could no longer hold out.
Roy seized this opportunity.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
With a thought, his system backpack expanded in his consciousness.
He took out the Master Ball.
He threw it with force, and the Master Ball left his hand.
The pure white Poké Ball traced a graceful arc in the air, striking Zapdos precisely.
The moment the Master Ball touched Zapdos, the sphere opened automatically, splitting into two halves.
A red light, several times more intense than that of a regular Poké Ball, shot out from the sphere, enveloping Zapdos.
Zapdos didn't even have a chance to struggle; its entire body was sucked into the Master Ball by the red light.
The two halves of the sphere closed shut.
Click.
It locked.
The Master Ball fell from the air, bounced twice on the ground, and then came to a steady stop.
The surface of the sphere began to glow.
First a faint red light, then it turned golden, and finally, it became a dazzling white.
The entire Master Ball was trembling, as if it were bearing immense pressure.
Roy could feel that inside the Master Ball, Zapdos's will was resisting frantically.
It was unwilling to be captured.
It wanted to break free, to get out, to return to the sky.
Powerful electrical energy surged from inside the Master Ball, and the entire surface of the sphere was filled with golden electric arcs.
Crackle!
The arcs danced on the surface of the Master Ball, scorching the surrounding air.
Roy crouched down and stared at the Master Ball.
The sphere was trembling violently, and tiny cracks began to appear on its surface.
Roy narrowed his eyes.
This Zapdos's willpower was truly strong.
However...
Sorry about that.
At this moment, Zapdos's stamina had already dropped to near the weakened state.
Master Ball, ignore will, reach state one hundred percent capture!
...
After putting the Master Ball away, Roy looked up overhead.
"Old Ghost, retreat!"
"Roger, boss!" The Thousand-Year Gastly's voice came from the void, carrying a hint of smugness.
The Haze began to slowly dissipate.
It didn't disperse all at once, but rather started from the edges, thinning out bit by bit.
This way it dissipated slowly, but it wouldn't cause too much of a commotion.
Holding Pikachu, Roy turned and Teleported out of the factory.
...
Inside the power plant, the Haze was still slowly dissipating.
The members of those organizations were still clueless in the fog, having no idea that Zapdos had already been captured.
...
After finishing the job, the Thousand-Year Gastly also slipped away instantly.
Its stealth ability was top-notch; under the cover of the Haze, not a single person discovered it.
It floated above the factory, watching Roy's receding figure, its blood-red eyes full of amusement.
"This kid is a real genius."
It muttered, then its figure flashed and vanished into the night.
...
A few minutes later, the Haze finally dissipated completely.
The scene in the factory hall slowly revealed itself.
The ground was pockmarked, littered with rubble and fragments of shattered equipment.
Several injured Pokémon lay on the ground, some twitching, some whimpering softly.
The air was filled with a burnt smell and the scent of rust, mixed together, making it uncomfortable to breathe.
The various groups emerged from their hiding spots, some rubbing their eyes, others brushing dust off their bodies.
Then, they looked toward the center of the hall.
Empty.
There was nothing.
Zapdos was gone.
"Where is my bird?"
A man in black shouted out first, his voice full of shock and anger.
"My Zapdos?"
Someone from Team Rockets also shouted, their tone equally incredulous.
"Who captured it?"
The middle-aged leader of the ninjas frowned, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings.
Everyone was stunned.
The scene was in chaos.
"Who did this?" The purple-haired woman gritted her teeth, her green eyes full of fury.
The various groups looked at each other, their eyes full of suspicion and hostility.
The men in black stared at Team Rockets, Team Rockets stared at the ninjas, and the ninjas stared at the men in black.
They didn't trust each other; everyone felt the others were acting.
But no one had any evidence.
No one knew who had actually captured Zapdos.
Only the dark clouds above the factory continued to churn, with lightning occasionally piercing the sky, illuminating the abandoned building.
The rain was falling harder and harder.
...
Holding Pikachu, Roy used several consecutive Teleports to flash directly out of the power plant's vicinity.
In the rainy night, his figure flickered on the road.
Each Teleport covered over a hundred meters, and in the blink of an eye, he had left the power plant behind.
Rainwater pelted him, and his clothes were already soaked through.
But he couldn't concern himself with that; the most important thing now was to leave this area as quickly as possible and find a safe place to hide.
Pikachu lay in his arms, its little head turning to look back from time to time.
After flashing a few more times, he arrived at a dense forest and leaned against a large tree to catch his breath.
Roy wiped the water from his face, and just as he was about to continue retreating, he suddenly frowned.
Something was wrong.
He looked back.
Although he couldn't see anyone, Roy's Aura clearly sensed that something was chasing him from behind.
And it was very fast.
"What's going on?" Roy muttered to himself.
He had clearly created chaos with the Haze; logically, the members of those organizations should still be in the power plant suspecting one another.
How did they catch up so quickly?
Roy looked down at the Master Ball in his hand.
Faint golden electric arcs were still dancing on the surface of the sphere, and although the Zapdos inside had been captured, it was still struggling.
Although not as violent as before, the energy fluctuation was still very strong.
Roy understood instantly.
He possessed Aura, so he could clearly feel the powerful energy fluctuations emanating from the Master Ball.
These organizations must also have special instruments that could sense the energy of Legendary Pokémon.
"So that's it."
As expected of a Mythical Pokémon, it was still so troublesome even inside the ball.
He gripped the Master Ball tightly, sensing the state of the Zapdos inside.
Its stamina was still being drained, but it hadn't reached the point of collapse yet.
He could only wait for this thing to completely exhaust its stamina and for the energy fluctuations to disappear before he wouldn't be discovered.
Roy took a deep breath, returned Pikachu to its Poké Ball, and hung it on his belt.
Then he gripped the Master Ball tightly and activated Teleport again.
...
On the other side, inside a black sedan.
A man in black wearing sunglasses stared at the instrument in his hand, his brows furrowed tightly.
On the instrument's screen, a light point was flickering.
But every time it flickered, the point would suddenly jump a distance.
"Huh? What's going on?" The man in black rubbed his eyes, thinking he had seen it wrong.
His companion nearby leaned over: "What is it?"
"Look at this tracking point." The man in black passed the screen over: "It's flickering, and every time it flickers, the position changes."
His companion stared at the screen for a few seconds and was also stunned.
"This... what kind of maneuver is this?"
In another car, the purple-haired woman from Team Rockets was also staring at the instrument in her hand, her eyes full of confusion.
On the screen, the tracking point's movement trajectory was completely abnormal.
It wasn't continuous movement, but jumping in segments.
It was as if Zapdos was using Teleport.
"Impossible." The purple-haired woman shook her head, "Zapdos shouldn't have such an ability."
But there was no time to worry about that now; she had to catch up first.
"Full speed ahead!" The purple-haired woman ordered into the walkie-talkie, "Head in the direction of the tracking point, don't lose it!"
The same words rang out simultaneously in the vehicles of all the organizations.
The roar of engines rose and fell in the rainy night, and black vehicles sped along the streets.
Rainwater hit the car windows, and the windshield wipers swung frantically.
Everyone was staring at the instrument screens, terrified that the light point would disappear.