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"Venusaur, Energy Ball!"
He suddenly spun around and threw a Poké Ball while pivoting to face the Team Rocket operatives who were preparing to launch their assault.
BOOM!!!
"Saur!"
A heavy thud echoed as the massive form landed on the laboratory floor. An Energy Ball resembling a green crystal formed in Venusaur's mouth, which immediately launched toward the doorway.
CRASH!!!!
An incredible explosion instantly engulfed the entire entrance area, blasting a enormous hole through the reinforced doorframe.
The Team Rocket members who had previously surrounded the entrance were sent flying by the tremendous blast. Smoke filled the corridor as heavy footsteps could be heard approaching through the haze.
Venusaur pushed through the smoke and debris. Fortunately, the explosion had widened the doorway sufficiently—otherwise, its massive body wouldn't have been able to pass through.
Ash emerged with Pikachu, Jigglypuff, and Scyther following close behind, then stepped aside to make room. He pointed toward the staircase direction.
"Get out of here quickly!"
The liberated Pokémon listened to Ash's words and looked at him with obvious gratitude before beginning their escape down the stairs. At that precise moment...
BOOM!!!
CRASH!!!
BANG!!!
Ash turned his head toward a sudden burst of smoke ahead. Scyther flew forward and crossed both blade-arms defensively in front of his trainer. As the smoke cleared before them, Scyther lowered his guard and flexed his arms slightly.
The haze gradually dissipated, revealing three figures standing in the corridor ahead. Ash's eyes narrowed slightly upon seeing them, and he slowly walked forward to take position beside Venusaur.
The three individuals before them all stood with hands positioned on their chests in confident poses, with three Pokémon positioned in front of their respective trainers.
Ash immediately recognized the middle Pokémon. He could see its distinctive silhouette—nostrils flaring continuously, front hooves pawing at the ground aggressively, glaring forward as if ready to charge at any moment.
It was a Tauros.
On the right stood a Pokémon covered in a hard, rocky body with numerous angular protrusions. It possessed four powerful arms and was clearly Graveler, the evolved form of Geodude.
The one on the left was a tall figure with slender legs and a body structure similar to an ostrich, but distinctly different in that it possessed three elongated necks, each topped with a separate head.
Of the three heads, one appeared melancholy, another looked joyful, and the third seemed perpetually angry. This Pokémon was Dodrio, which Ash recognized immediately.
Although incapable of flight, it was still classified as a Flying-type Pokémon. It could run as fast as most Pokémon could fly, often moving even faster than actual Flying-types.
The three trainers wore black uniforms similar to regular Team Rocket attire, but their outfits featured distinctly different styling that marked them as higher-ranking operatives.
"So it's finally time for the executive level to make their appearance?" Ash observed them calmly.
Obviously, the previous attack had been launched by this trio. Scyther had reacted quickly enough to block their assault successfully.
"My name is Ryu. These are Ken and Harry, and we're three of Team Rocket's captains! Remember our names well—this is where your advance ends."
The man in the center spoke with authority. Ash was completely unfamiliar with these three individuals.
Since he hadn't encountered them in the anime series, he could sense their strength far exceeded that of the ordinary operatives currently lying defeated around the corridor—they were at least at Erika's skill level.
Such characters wouldn't be unknown within Team Rocket's ranks. Thinking carefully, if they hadn't appeared in the anime, they were likely from either the manga or special episodes.
"There are so many people here wanting me to remember them. Wouldn't that be exhausting?"
"Listen here, kid! We're completely different from the small fry you've defeated so far! Graveler, use Rollout attack!"
After hearing Ash's dismissive words, the faces of the three captains who felt underestimated immediately darkened with anger. Ken was the first to attack, commanding Graveler to tuck its arms tightly against its body before rolling forward rapidly.
"Tauros, use Take Down!"
"Dodrio, Quick Attack!"
Harry and Ryu joined the assault simultaneously as their Pokémon rushed forward with fierce determination in their eyes.
"Pikachu, Iron Tail!"
"Scyther, Agility!"
"Venusaur, Vine Whip!"
Faced with three opponents attacking in coordination, Ash remained completely calm and responded strategically. Pikachu and Scyther rushed out from left and right flanks respectively.
Pikachu moved first, activating Iron Tail to collide heavily with Graveler's rolling attack. Simultaneously, Scyther used Agility to boost his speed.
He rushed toward Dodrio, his body also glowing with silver energy. Both Pokémon collided with tremendous force, and each was knocked backward by the other's power.
In the center, Tauros charged with such incredible force that the ground trembled beneath its hooves. Emanating a faint yellow aura, it barreled straight toward Venusaur.
Upon seeing this, Venusaur extended its Vine Whip attacks. Two vines grabbed Tauros's horns respectively, while a third vine wrapped around the charging Pokémon's front legs. Tauros, focused solely on its forward momentum, was suddenly entangled by the vine around its ankles.
Then Venusaur pulled with its Vine Whip, causing Tauros to immediately lose balance and tumble forward, its head striking the ground directly.
Venusaur's remaining vines quickly shot out, completely restraining Tauros's body and lifting the entire Pokémon into the air, rendering it completely immobile.
CHU!!!
Pikachu's collision with Graveler intensified as his power suddenly increased dramatically. With a tremendous crack, his tail directly swept Graveler backward, the force of Iron Tail launching the Rock-type Pokémon into the wall behind it.
"They don't seem any different from the others! Venusaur, Energy Ball! Scyther, Double Team!"
Ash sneered upon witnessing this display. At his command, Venusaur began condensing energy while maintaining its grip on the helpless Tauros, then fired the Energy Ball directly at its captive target.
Since Tauros couldn't move while restrained, it could only endure Venusaur's attack completely, taking the Energy Ball at point-blank range. At the moment of impact, Venusaur released its Vine Whip, and Tauros was blasted away by the explosion.
On the other side, Scyther activated Double Team, and several identical Scyther figures appeared throughout the corridor instantly. Dodrio looked around in obvious confusion.
Its three heads began preparing to attack in different directions, but they couldn't distinguish which duplicates were real and which were illusions.
Although Dodrio possessed three heads capable of simultaneous attacks, this Pokémon also had a significant weakness—each of its three heads maintained independent thinking abilities.
Because their thoughts couldn't always be unified, disagreements sometimes arose between them. In severe cases, the three heads might even fight among themselves, creating openings for opponents to exploit.