"Quick! Capture that guy! As long as we catch him, no matter how powerful his Pokémon are, they won't dare to attack us if he's in our hands!" a Team Rocket member shouted frantically.
"Go!"
Following the command, the rest of the Team Rocket members rushed toward Robert with a crazed fervor, as if they had been injected with adrenaline.
"You think you can catch me? Keep dreaming," Robert sneered, standing his ground confidently. "Haunter!"
At Robert's call, Haunter, who had just finished defeating another opponent, immediately turned his attention back to his trainer. Without hesitation, Haunter left his previous target and floated towards Robert.
"Gastly~" Haunter chuckled playfully, its eerie form flickering as it moved.
"Haunter, Hypnosis!" Robert commanded, his voice sharp.
Haunter's crimson eyes glowed ominously. An invisible wave of confusion and mental pressure rippled out from its gaze, enveloping the rushing Team Rocket members.
"Careful! Don't look into its eyes! It's using Hypnosis!" a Team Rocket member cried out in horror. Unfortunately, despite the warning, it was too late. One after another, the charging grunts froze in their tracks, their eyes glazing over before they collapsed onto the ground, snoring heavily.
"Now, Haunter—hit them with Thunderbolt!"
"Gastly~" Haunter giggled mischievously.
Electricity crackled violently around Haunter's floating hands. The air sizzled with energy as bolts of yellow lightning were stockpiled, growing thicker and more dangerous by the second.
With a flick of its ghostly limbs, Haunter released a devastating Thunderbolt, electrocuting dozens of Team Rocket members in one shocking blast.
"AAAAHHHHH!!!"
Screams of agony filled the air as one by one, the thugs were struck down, their bodies convulsing before collapsing to the floor, unconscious. Their willpower was no match for the sheer intensity of Haunter's electricity.
From the sidelines, the Team Rocket Captain, Wright, watched in disbelief, his face turning red with rage.
"You useless fools! There were ten of you, and you couldn't even dodge a single attack!" Wright roared, clenching his fists in fury.
Robert smirked when he heard the yelling. The captain's grating voice was like nails on a chalkboard.
"Tch. So noisy," Robert muttered. "Haunter, take care of him. I don't want to hear another word out of his mouth."
"Gastly~" Haunter responded cheerfully.
Without wasting time, Haunter floated menacingly towards Wright, his gaseous body shifting like a misty specter.
"You—what do you think you're doing?!" Wright stammered, stepping backward nervously. "I'm a Team Rocket Captain! If you dare lay a finger on me, I swear—!"
Haunter simply floated closer, a friendly but utterly chilling smile plastered across his face.
"Hey! You and you—go stop that Haunter!" Wright barked at his nearby subordinates. "And you—have you heard anything back about the support I requested?!"
The subordinates exchanged helpless looks. Their Pokémon were all either knocked out or still battling elsewhere. Barehanded, they stood no chance against a Pokémon as powerful as Haunter.
But refusing Wright's order wasn't an option. Gritting their teeth like doomed soldiers, the men charged at Haunter with desperate shouts.
Meanwhile, the communicator, a young Team Rocket grunt, returned with a grim expression. "Captain Wright! I sent the request for support, but... personnel from nearby bases are all out on other missions. Reinforcements are being gathered from further away, but it'll take at least an hour for them to arrive!"
"What?! An hour?!" Wright's face twisted in despair.
An hour was as good as a death sentence. In an hour, this entire stronghold would be flattened.
Normally, Team Rocket's operations avoided using flying Pokémon or helicopters within major cities. The Alliance's surveillance teams were always lurking, ready to catch the smallest mistake. If they exposed one stronghold, it could lead to the exposure of two or even three others.
Because of that, unless it was a major emergency, Team Rocket rarely mobilized forces openly. Their support networks were slow, cautious, and stealthy to avoid drawing attention.
Realizing there was no hope of reinforcements coming in time, Wright's survival instincts kicked in. He knew he had only one option left: run.
He needed to escape quickly, find a way to spin this disaster into a story that would save his own skin. If he could claim that Robert was the heir of a powerful family and had elite-level Pokémon protecting him, he could cover up his own incompetence. Maybe even turn it into a heroic tale of how he "barely escaped a catastrophe."
Yes... exaggerate the enemy, highlight your own bravery. Maybe a promotion would even follow. The thought brought a disgusting smirk to Wright's face as he stared at Robert.
Robert immediately noticed the change in Wright's expression. His skin crawled.
"What the hell...? Is this guy seriously fantasizing something weird?" Robert muttered, shivering with disgust. "Hey, hey, that guy's a damn pervert! Haunter, quick! Finish him off before I throw up!"
Although Haunter didn't understand what Robert meant exactly, it could sense the urgency and irritation in his voice. It abandoned the idea of toying with the henchmen and prepared to strike.
Thunderbolt!
A storm of violent electricity surged through Haunter's body once more. The yellow energy danced wickedly as it shot out in all directions.
The henchmen who dared to stand in Haunter's path were instantly zapped, their bodies freezing mid-step before collapsing like puppets with their strings cut.
Wright, seeing his last line of defense fall, turned to flee, but Haunter was already upon him.
"NOOOO—!!"
The captain barely managed to let out a scream before the lightning engulfed him too. His body twitched violently for a few seconds before he hit the ground with a heavy thud, unconscious.
Robert let out a breath of relief, brushing imaginary dust off his shoulder.
"Tch. Seriously. What a weirdo."
With the immediate threat taken care of, Robert surveyed the scene. All around him, dozens of unconscious Team Rocket members littered the ground, smoke rising from a few singed uniforms. The base had been completely overwhelmed.
Robert turned to Haunter, giving it a thumbs-up.
"Good work, Haunter."
"Gastly~" Haunter chirped happily, spinning in a little circle.
Robert knew this wasn't the end. Somewhere deeper in the base, more operatives might be gathering. Maybe even stronger opponents. But for now, he had a clear path ahead.
This was just the beginning of Robert's war against Team Rocket.
He wasn't just some naive rookie trainer anymore.
He was a storm coming to tear their whole organization apart.
---