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CRASH!!!!
Brilliant green energy blazed forth, forming razor-sharp claws that swept toward the reinforced metal electronic door with devastating force.
With a thunderous impact, claw marks slashed across the surface, tearing several gaping holes through the thick metal barrier. With another resounding crash, the entire door was completely destroyed and knocked inward.
Two figures moved through the settling smoke and debris, stepping through the demolished doorway simultaneously. Everyone inside the facility immediately turned to face the intruders.
However, the cloaked figure showed no fear whatsoever when confronted by such overwhelming opposition, because the powerful Dragonite standing beside him was his greatest source of confidence.
"Just as I suspected—it's here!" the man declared, surveying the room that stretched out before him.
This was clearly a massive underground laboratory facility. At that moment, inside a huge transparent containment chamber positioned directly in front of the laboratory, three legendary figures were trapped simultaneously. Their bodies appeared to be under some form of control, and all three seemed to be unconscious.
On the floor in front of the glass container sat a bewildering array of precision scientific instruments that would give anyone a headache just looking at their complexity.
A figure wearing a white laboratory coat was standing directly in front of the control panel, remaining completely unmoved even after hearing the violent commotion from behind.
"Long time no see, Lance! You're truly worthy of being the Dragon Master of the Elite Four," came a mocking voice.
At that moment, two figures in white uniforms emerged from among a group of Team Rocket members dressed in their standard black outfits. The man spoke first, with a cold sneer spreading across his face.
The person who had broken into this heavily fortified location was none other than Lance, the Dragon-type Elite Four member and Champion.
Ever since leaving Cinnabar Island, Lance had been conducting a thorough investigation, following clues that had ultimately led him to Rainbow City. After discovering that something was seriously wrong, Lance had found several important leads.
After successfully infiltrating the Game Corner, he had located the hidden mechanism that provided access to the underground facility beneath the entertainment venue.
Upon reaching the underground levels, Lance had discovered that this location served as a major Team Rocket stronghold, and they had boldly built a legitimate Game Corner above it to operate openly in Rainbow City.
Lance had then fought his way through the facility's defenses. Looking at the three legendary figures imprisoned in the glass containment chamber, Lance realized his worst fears had been confirmed.
Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno were all being held captive in separate glass containers. Just as Ash had warned him, the three legendary birds had indeed been captured by Team Rocket.
Although Lance still didn't fully understand their true purpose for capturing the three legendary birds, his eyes instantly turned ice-cold when he witnessed this appalling scene.
"Going to all this trouble to capture three legendary Pokémon—what kind of twisted scheme are you people planning?" Lance demanded coldly, addressing the figures standing before him.
The people confronting Lance were none other than Archer and Ariana, two of Team Rocket's four Executives. Petrel and Proton were currently occupied with the situation at Silph Company.
These two Executives were responsible for overseeing the project at this location, which was nearing its final completion. Even though they were here, they were determined not to allow their carefully laid plans to be ruined.
"Ha! Aren't Blaine and Dr. Fuji working under your Alliance now? Why don't you ask them about it? But it doesn't matter that you've arrived—let the mightiest Trainer in Kanto and Johto witness this historic moment!" Archer responded with a sneering laugh.
"Whatever you're planning to do, don't expect to succeed!" Lance declared with absolute determination.
"Go, Dragonite!" Lance commanded without hesitation.
After receiving the order, Dragonite immediately rushed forward into battle. Seeing this aggressive move, Ariana and Archer exchanged meaningful glances with each other.
They both knew they weren't strong enough to defeat Lance in direct combat, but what they needed to accomplish right now was to buy precious time until their plan could be completed. Ariana was the first to throw her Poké Ball into action.
"Arbok, use Wrap!" she commanded decisively.
Arbok immediately burst forth from its Poké Ball, using its massive serpentine body to rush directly toward the approaching Dragonite with intent to ensnare it.
However, Dragonite's reflexes were incredibly quick. Even without Lance's direct command, the Dragon-type Pokémon immediately launched a counterattack. When Arbok lunged forward, it didn't have enough time to successfully execute its binding technique.
Dragonite caught Arbok's body in its powerful grip, then lifted off slightly and slammed the serpent Pokémon heavily into the ground with tremendous force.
"Dragon Tail!" Lance commanded at the perfect moment.
Dragonite descended from its brief flight after hearing the order. A burst of brilliant green energy flashed around its tail as it spun around and delivered a devastating tail strike.
The attack connected directly with Arbok, and the incredible force sent the serpent Pokémon flying backward, where it crashed into a group of Team Rocket members positioned behind it.
"Hyper Beam!" Lance ordered, escalating the battle intensity.
Although Lance didn't yet fully understand Team Rocket's ultimate purpose, he felt a growing sense of unease and urgency. He decided not to waste any more time and launched his most devastating attack.
"ROOOOOAAR!!!!"
Dragonite opened its mouth wide after hearing the command, and brilliant golden energy began continuously gathering within its jaws, forming an incredibly destructive beam of pure power.
BOOM!!!
The energy exploded outward, and golden light was released with overwhelming force. Witnessing this incredible display of power, Archer's expression became grim as he quickly threw his own Poké Ball forward.
"Houndoom, use Counter!" Archer shouted, sensing the serious danger posed by the incoming attack.
He released his Pokémon and issued the command simultaneously, hoping to turn Lance's own power against him.
Houndoom materialized in front of the attack, and a brilliant red aura suddenly flashed around its entire body as it prepared to absorb and redirect the incoming damage.
CRASH!!!
The devastating power of the Hyper Beam struck Houndoom directly, making contact with the Counter technique's defensive energy. Houndoom gritted its teeth under the tremendous pressure, but the redirected force didn't rebound immediately as expected.
After witnessing this development, Lance remained completely expressionless, but at that moment, Dragonite released a low, menacing growl from deep in its throat.
"Grroooowwwwl..."
BOOM!!!
As the threatening sound echoed through the laboratory, Dragonite's eyes became intensely focused. The energy powering the Hyper Beam suddenly increased dramatically from within its mouth. The golden beam became significantly thicker and more powerful, and Houndoom's expression changed to one of genuine alarm.
Instead of being successfully redirected by the Counter technique, the overwhelming power of the enhanced Hyper Beam continued to grow stronger, directly forcing Houndoom's body backward against its will.
CRASH!!!!
In the end, Houndoom was completely overwhelmed and launched backward by this incredible force. The Hyper Beam continued blasting toward the rear of the laboratory. Archer and Ariana instinctively dove to avoid the attack, but the golden beam struck the ground behind them with devastating impact.
Under the shocking explosion that followed, the Team Rocket members positioned in the back were instantly caught in the blast radius. Archer, who had managed to avoid direct impact, shielded himself from the powerful airflow with his arms while frowning at the scene of destruction before him.
"Impossible! Even Counter was completely useless?" Archer muttered with a grim expression.
His Houndoom's Counter technique had been powerful enough to redirect attacks from even the three legendary birds, but Lance's Dragonite had completely ignored and overpowered the defensive move.
Although Archer had long known that Lance would be a difficult opponent, the Elite Four Champion was proving to be even more formidable than he had imagined.
At that moment, Lance slowly walked over to stand beside his Dragonite. Remarkably, the powerful Dragon-type Pokémon showed no signs of being affected by the typical side effects that came with using such a devastating Hyper Beam attack.
There was no doubt that both ignoring the Counter technique and remaining unaffected by recoil damage were clear demonstrations of Dragonite's incredible power and Lance's superior training methods.