"Retreat!"
Lt. Surge's voice rang out sharply, filled with frustration and urgency. As a former Air Force major, he had extensive battlefield experience and could easily judge when a mission had failed.
And this mission—capturing Zapdos—was an absolute failure.
The longer they remained here, the more dangerous the situation would become. The Pokémon League would soon send reinforcements, and if Team Rocket were caught, the consequences would be severe.
Following Lt. Surge's command, the remaining Rocket members began to clean up the battlefield and evacuate in an orderly fashion.
However, Zapdos, still soaring above, was not about to let them go so easily.
After all, these humans had taunted it, injured it, and now, they wanted to escape?
Unforgivable.
A surge of fury coursed through Zapdos's body, and with a deafening screech, it unleashed a relentless storm of lightning. Thunderbolts rained down like divine punishment, striking the battlefield indiscriminately.
Yet, despite the raw power of its attacks, Lt. Surge's team held strong.
As a specialist in Electric-type Pokémon, Lt. Surge had superior defensive strategies against Zapdos's electrical onslaught. His Pokémon absorbed or deflected most of the damage, allowing his team to continue their organized retreat.
Only a few unfortunate Rocket members were struck down by the wild bolts.
As they reached the final stages of their escape, Lt. Surge and the last few operatives pulled small grenade-like devices from their pockets and threw them to the ground.
A second later, blinding flashes of light erupted, followed by a thick cloud of black smoke that quickly covered the battlefield.
The sudden flare of intense light forced Zapdos to squeeze its eyes shut.
And when it opened them again, the thick fog had settled over the area, and Lt. Surge—along with the rest of Team Rocket—had vanished without a trace.
---
The Wrath of Zapdos
"SCREEEEECH!"
Zapdos let out an earth-shaking cry of rage, the thunder in the sky roaring in response.
It had lost sight of its enemies, but its fury was nowhere near satisfied.
Zapdos turned its gaze toward the brightly lit Cerulean City in the distance.
If it couldn't punish Team Rocket, then it would punish the humans in the city instead.
Zapdos flapped its wings, preparing to take flight toward Cerulean City, its body crackling with electricity—
But then...
A voice rang out from the ground.
---
Agatha Appears
"I've said it before—the upper ranks of the Pokémon League need to be cleaned out."
A calm yet authoritative voice echoed through the air.
"If even sewer rats like Team Rocket can cause this much trouble, then the League has become far too weak."
The source of the voice was a figure standing in the mist, leaning on a wooden cane.
It was none other than Agatha, one of the Elite Four of the Kanto region.
Zapdos's eyes gleamed with renewed anger. It didn't care who this old human was.
This was just another opponent to strike down.
With a mighty flap of its wings, Zapdos launched a powerful Thunderbolt straight at Agatha.
Yet, before the attack could land—
A shadowy figure emerged from the darkness, grinning mischievously.
Gengar.
Without hesitation, Gengar raised a ghostly barrier—Protect!
The Thunderbolt struck the shield and dispersed harmlessly into the night.
Agatha narrowed her eyes at Zapdos.
"Hmph. Have you completely lost your mind?"
"You're still fighting despite being injured, and you almost attacked innocent people in Cerulean City."
"That's not going to happen. Looks like I'll have to put you in your place."
With a sharp wave of her cane, she called out:
"Gengar, use Scary Face!"
"Froslass, use Blizzard!"
"Dusknoir, Ice Punch!"
A flurry of icy attacks and ghostly energy surged toward Zapdos, surrounding it from all sides—
---
10 Minutes Later...
The storm had completely settled.
Agatha stood firmly in place, holding up an Ultra Ball in her hand.
Inside the ball...
Zapdos.
She had caught it.
A moment later, Gengar appeared beside her, floating in the air with an amused expression.
In its hand were fragments of a broken canister, its label still barely visible—a Gengar logo imprinted on it.
Agatha raised an eyebrow.
"...Haunter's snack can?"
---
Back in Cerulean City
The next morning, after a good night's rest, Ma En went for an early morning run before heading to the Pokémon Center for breakfast.
As he reached the entrance, he noticed a familiar face waiting for him—
Launce.
However, Launce didn't look too well. His eyes had dark circles, a sign of lack of sleep.
"You look like you had a rough night," Ma En teased.
Launce sighed, rubbing his temples.
"As an investigator for the Pokémon League, I had to assist with last night's operations. Unlike you, I couldn't just go to sleep."
Ma En sipped his tea.
"So? What happened?"
Launce's expression turned serious.
"Team Rocket's entire underground network in Cerulean City was wiped out. The League conducted a massive arrest operation last night, and now, this city is probably one of the safest in all of Kanto."
Ma En raised an eyebrow.
"Not bad. What about Zapdos?"
Launce hesitated for a moment, then said,
"Team Rocket failed to capture it. Their plan was a total disaster."
Hearing this, Ma En smirked.
"Well, at least our efforts weren't wasted."
Launce's expression grew even stranger.
"That's not all. Zapdos was captured."
Ma En's smile froze.
"...Wait. What?"
Launce sighed.
"Agatha caught it."
---
A Surprise Call
Before Ma En could process what he just heard, his Pokédex rang.
A video call invitation popped up on the screen—
The caller was his grandmother, Agatha.
Ma En answered the call, and Agatha's stern face appeared on the screen.
"Grandma! I heard you were amazing last night!" Ma En grinned, throwing her exaggerated praise.
Agatha's face remained mostly serious, though there was a slight softening in her expression.
Behind her, Gengar popped into view, making faces at Ma En through the screen.
"Enough small talk," Agatha said, cutting straight to the point.
"Ma En, do you want Zapdos?"
The question shocked both Ma En and Launce into silence.
To Be Continued...
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