Seeing a yellow figure dart past them, the investigators became as tense as if facing a powerful enemy, cold sweat dripping down. Each one of them was an outstanding Trainer, yet they hadn't even caught a glimpse of their opponent's movements.
What if the target of the attack had been themselves?
At this thought, their hearts pounded rapidly, and they quickly tried to track that yellow figure.
"It's Sandslash."
As two Knock Off moves struck out, sending two Gengar flying, the investigators finally saw the full appearance of this Pokémon.
Pale yellow skin, a white belly, most of its body covered in tough brown quills, with two large claws as its main offensive weapons. There was no doubt, this was a very common Pokémon in the Kanto Region: Sandslash!
But what they never could have imagined was that an ordinary Sandslash could reach such an unbelievable speed.
That overwhelming attack power was even capable of knocking out a member of Elite Four Agatha's ghost army with a single blow. The strength Giovanni displayed made it clear to them that he was not someone they could face.
Sandslash, its gaze cold and severe, swung its white claws. Wrapped in a sandstorm, it used a localized Sandstorm technique to unleash its fully developed Sand Rush Ability. Stimulated by this Ability, Sandslash transformed directly into a yellow flash, becoming a killing machine that continuously darted through the ranks of the Gengar army.
These Gengar, burdened with rescue duties and constrained by the need to protect the hostages within them, were unable to mount an effective counterattack. So, in just a short moment, Sandslash seized several openings and repeatedly used Knock Off to blast the hostages out of the other dimension.
"Alakazam, use Disable!"
"Starmie, Psychic!"
"Arcanine, use Odor Sleuth to lock onto Sandslash's position!"
As Sandslash charged, the investigators gave their Pokémon coordinated orders to attack it.
An Alakazam stood its ground, holding its crossed spoons and locking onto the target again and again, but Sandslash was simply too fast. No matter how quickly Alakazam calculated, it still couldn't catch or lock onto Sandslash's position.
Starmie's Psychic attacks blasted chaotically into the ground, creating several pits, but failed to affect Sandslash at all.
As for the ferocious-looking Arcanine sniffing and following behind Sandslash, it was swiftly slammed to the ground by a feint from Sandslash, leaving it severely injured.
Once the investigators began to act, Giovanni clearly wasn't going to give them any chance to counterattack. The next moment, massive sandstorms surged like tidal waves from all directions toward the investigators and the Gengar army.
Within these sandstorms, a terrifying power coalesced, transforming them into a black hole capable of devouring everything, sweeping forth with relentless fury.
Never before had these investigators seen such a horrifying killing move. Seeing the sandstorm sweep in, they immediately fought with all their strength to resist.
This sandstorm torrent, formed by the combined efforts of several Pokémon, possessed terrifying destructive power. With just a single core move, it forced the Gengar and the investigators into a continuous retreat. Yet, Giovanni showed no fear of the violent sandstorm harming the hostages, pressing on with the most ferocious assault!
Meanwhile, the Team Rocket members began to move as well. Realizing the complexity of the situation, they quickly withdrew, heading to the helicopters according to their assigned roles, preparing for extraction.
Glancing at the investigators and ghost army blocked by nothing but the sandstorm, Giovanni spoke calmly.
"What a pity. Without Agatha's command, and having to focus on rescuing people at the same time, this ghost army can't even bring out half its strength. How boring."
At this point, the sandstorms had already swept up and enveloped dozens of hostages, all of whom Giovanni had single-handedly snatched back from the other side.
With the surrounding sandstorm squad working in tandem with Sandslash, both the ghost army and the investigation team were instantly thrown into disarray.
"What a terrifying sandstorm!" Faced with this fierce offensive, the investigators were trapped within the sandstorm, shocked to their core.
They had experience fighting Team Rocket before, but had never imagined that the leader of this organization possessed such overwhelming strength, something they simply couldn't comprehend.
While struggling to withstand the sandstorm, the investigators also grew increasingly anxious; if this continued, the hostages would all be taken away.
Completely helpless!
Faced with the terrifying sandstorm, all the investigators were powerless even when joining forces, filling their hearts with despair.
But just at this moment of crisis, an intense chill suddenly descended, and a roaring flood of ice and snow swept in, engulfing the sandstorm. Instantly, it transformed into a giant tornado, then exploded outward with a violent burst!!
With the earth-shaking eruption, boundless mist billowed out. Lorelei's figure slowly emerged from within and she spoke: "To think he set up twelve Pokémon all around. Team Rocket's boss really knows how to bully people."
When Elite Four Lorelei arrived, the Sandslash that had been darting through the sandstorms also found its movements restricted. A Cloyster quickly appeared before it, blocking Sandslash's attack with its body and emerging completely unscathed.
"Ka!!"
The joined shells opened, Cloyster revealing its mouth as if mocking Sandslash. Immediately after, an arc of icy light flashed out, forcing Sandslash back a step.
Lorelei's appearance greatly restored the investigators' confidence, reigniting their fighting spirit.
"Elite Four Lorelei, please be careful, the hostages are still nearby!" the investigators reminded her.
"Don't worry, they know how to hold back," Lorelei said, adjusting her glasses, her gaze never leaving Giovanni.
She hadn't expected Giovanni to actually show up in person, undoubtedly the hardest scenario to deal with.
At this point, although Team Rocket had recaptured half the hostages, a portion were still rescued and escaped from the battlefield thanks to the Gengar.
Eighteen Gengar moved unpredictably, and even Giovanni couldn't deal with them all at once, letting quite a few slip away.
"Prison island registered personnel: fifty-four. Gengar successfully rescued twenty-five; Team Rocket recaptured twenty-nine. Report complete!"
Upon hearing the report, Lorelei looked at Giovanni and said, "There's no chance for a miracle now, so I'd advise you to surrender."
"A miracle, huh?" Giovanni smiled when he heard this.
"I wonder if Elite Four Lorelei has heard: as long as you have enough power, you can create miracles. Viridian Gym is confirmed to be Ground-type, do you know why that is?" Facing one of the Elite Four, the strongest group of Trainers, Giovanni showed no fear.
"With just you alone, and Agatha who knows when she'll arrive, you won't be able to keep everyone here."
As Giovanni finished speaking, Lorelei's expression changed drastically, because she felt the ground beginning to tremble violently!
TN: Hey guys, I've picked up a new One Piece novel. You can search it: One Piece: The Undying King.
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