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"Nidoqueen, use Water Pulse!" Giovanni commanded with authority.
Looking at the Charizard standing before him, Giovanni seemed to have a complex expression flash through his eyes for just a moment, but this emotion quickly disappeared. His gaze returned to its sharp focus, and he immediately launched his counterattack.
After hearing the command, Nidoqueen couldn't wait to strike back at Charizard. She slightly raised her hand and opened her palm wide, preparing for the attack.
Water began condensing from the moisture in the surrounding air, forming a brilliant blue sphere of compressed water directly in Nidoqueen's outstretched palm.
Although Nidoqueen was primarily a Ground-type Pokémon, she could master many moves from other types, including Water-type attacks that were typically super effective against Ground-types. She was particularly skilled with techniques like Water Pulse and Surf.
With explosive force, the ground beneath her feet cracked and crumbled as she charged directly toward Charizard. Instead of launching the Water Pulse from a distance as usual, she chose to deliver it as a devastating close-range attack, thrusting her palm forward to drive the compressed water sphere directly into her opponent.
"Thunder Punch!" Ash responded immediately, waving his hand decisively.
Charizard also rushed forward to meet Nidoqueen head-on. While Thunder Punch's electric energy would have no effect on the Ground-type Nidoqueen, Ash was using it specifically to counter the raw power of the incoming Water Pulse attack.
Both Pokémon charged toward each other simultaneously, and the two powerful creatures met in the center of the office. Water sphere and crackling lightning fist collided with tremendous force.
CRASH!! BOOM!!!!
The two opposing special moves intertwined and created an absolutely astonishing explosion of energy. The floor beneath both combatants collapsed extensively across a wide area. If the Silph Company building hadn't been constructed with exceptional structural integrity, the entire floor would likely have been completely destroyed by this point.
The moment the two conflicting energies collided, they created a massive shockwave that rippled outward in all directions. Even though both Pokémon's special attacks had cancelled each other out, the physical impact and energy explosion from their clash still generated incredible destructive force.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!!!
The devastatingly powerful shockwave spread throughout the office, and the overwhelming force directly overturned all the furniture—sofas, coffee tables, and filing cabinets were thrown around like toys. Giovanni's subordinate and President Silph quickly scrambled to find safe places to take cover.
Only Ash and Giovanni remained standing firm and unmoved under this tremendous impact, neither giving ground to the other.
The explosive force that erupted affected the entire surrounding area, causing deep cracks to spread across the walls like spider webs. The massive glass panels of the floor-to-ceiling windows could no longer withstand the pressure, and fractures began spreading rapidly across their surface.
With a thunderous crash, the reinforced glass finally gave way to the impact of the powerful airflow and completely shattered. Not only did the glass break, but the wall sections connected to the window frame were also blown apart due to the explosive force.
CRASH!
The entire window frame was torn away from the wall, launched directly outward by the impact, and fell from the building to strike the ground far below with devastating force.
Fortunately, there were no civilians in the area below due to the police evacuation that had taken place earlier.
Inside the office, the combined power of water and electricity continued to rage. After the Water Pulse sphere was dispersed, electrified water scattered and splashed in every direction throughout the room.
Under the impact of the explosion, even the overhead light fixtures were shattered, and the splashing water mixed with electrical current fell into the broken lighting system simultaneously.
The incredible electrical energy was instantly conducted into the building's circuit system, causing an immediate power failure throughout the entire Silph Company building. The lights from the top floor all the way down disappeared instantly.
Within moments, Silph Company—which had been brilliantly illuminated against the night sky—was transformed into a completely darkened building.
Only thick smoke and powerful currents of air could be seen blowing stone fragments and debris from the top floor. The police officers positioned in the distance witnessed this dramatic scene and instinctively began moving closer to the building.
At that moment, high above on the top floor, the violent airflow gradually subsided after what felt like an eternity. Large volumes of outside air poured in through the massive breach in the building's exterior, slowly clearing away the thick smoke that had filled the office.
The surroundings were shrouded in darkness and chaos, with only four figures still standing upright amidst the destruction.
Ash lowered his hand from his hat, raised his head slightly, and looked at Giovanni standing across from him. A hint of mutual appreciation flashed in both of their eyes.
Both Charizard and Nidoqueen showed clear signs of the intense battle on their bodies. Charizard's eyes remained sharp and focused, but Nidoqueen was breathing somewhat heavily from the exertion.
Although Thunder Punch had no type advantage against her, the physical force of the punch and the impact from the explosion had still affected her significantly.
When an explosion generates such tremendous impact, naturally the stronger combatant bears less of the destructive force, because the superior fighter can redirect most of the explosion's power toward their opponent, forcing them to absorb more of the damage.
On the high floor of the building, the wall where the floor-to-ceiling windows had once been was now completely destroyed, and air was constantly flowing in through the opening. This seemed to make the entire atmosphere even more tense and dramatic.
At this moment, Giovanni's subordinate emerged from the rubble and debris. He looked at the two trainers on the battlefield with obvious lingering fear, glancing in Ash's direction with genuine surprise as cold sweat unconsciously flowed down his forehead.
He was secretly shocked and thought to himself: "Is this kid some kind of monster?"
Although it was rare to see the boss engage in direct battle, Giovanni had once been a renowned trainer throughout the Kanto region, even earning the legendary title of "Giovanni of the Earth."
But the young man standing before them was supposedly just a rookie trainer who had recently begun his journey. Thinking about this impossible situation, the subordinate couldn't help but swallow nervously.
"That was impressive!" Giovanni said, looking at his injured Nidoqueen without showing any signs of panic. Instead, he gazed at Ash with clear admiration and respect.
"It's far too early to be surprised by that!" Ash replied confidently when he heard Giovanni's comment, and the two opponents faced each other in the dark and devastated office.
"I'm genuinely looking forward to seeing how many more surprises you can bring me!" Giovanni chuckled softly, his expression remaining calm and composed. However, his eyes shifted slightly toward the blasted opening in the wall, and he glanced at a building in the distance.
It should be almost finished by now, shouldn't it?
Directly across from Silph Company stood an equally tall building—Rainbow City's famous entertainment destination, the Rainbow City Game Corner.
The Game Corner contained all manner of gambling games and slot machines, and its generous prize offerings attracted many local citizens and visiting tourists to play daily, generating enormous profits for its operators.
However, what no one realized was that this establishment served as Team Rocket's true secret headquarters in Rainbow City. On the surface it appeared to be an innocent Game Corner, but beneath the entire facility lay a massive underground base and research laboratory.
At that very moment, deep underground beneath this Game Corner, another person was also engaged in solitary combat.
"Dragonite, use Dragon Claw!" commanded a mysterious voice.
"ROOOOOAR!"
In the underground passageway, a large number of Team Rocket members and their Pokémon lay unconscious and defeated across the corridor floor, scattered in front of a heavily secured electronic door.
A figure wearing a concealing cloak issued the command, and a powerful Pokémon standing before them instantly raised its claws in preparation for a devastating attack.