23: Chapter 22: Front Lotus!
23: Chapter 22: Front Lotus!
Chapter 22: Front Lotus!
Core zone of the Team Rocket base.
“Dragon Rush!” Lance shouted, sweeping his arm in a grand gesture.
“ROAR—!!” Hovering in mid-air, Dragonite understood immediately.
Wild blue Dragon-type energy erupted around its body as it dove straight down with overwhelming momentum, aiming dead at Proton!
Proton’s expression shifted slightly.
Not daring to hesitate for a single second, he barked an urgent command: “Nasty Plot into Flamethrower!” The Houndoom chimera once again displayed its terrifying capability to release dual moves simultaneously.
Snapping its massive maw wide, it unleashed a roaring Flamethrower even larger and far hotter than before.
The pillar of fire surged forward like rushing lava toward Dragonite, attempting to intercept it mid-flight.
“Extreme Speed!” Lance barked coldly.
Far from dissipating, the Dragon-type energy blanketing Dragonite’s body grew even denser.
Beating its wings violently, its speed suddenly surged, transforming its entire form into a streak of blue light!
“Stacking two moves?!” Proton gasped, losing all composure.
Dragonite tilted its body at an impossible angle, cleanly dodging the main column of the Flamethrower.
It flew at extreme speed right along the blazing edge of the fire, the flames reflecting off its scales like a meteor streaking across the night sky!
“Oh no!
Houndoom, use Extreme Speed to intercept!” Seeing Dragonite drawing closer and closer, a chill ran down Proton’s spine.
He hurriedly ordered the Houndoom chimera to abandon the Flamethrower and switch to Extreme Speed for an interception.
However, right as the Houndoom chimera abruptly cut off its fire and sprang forward like an arrow released from a bow…
“Dragon Tail,” Lance commanded, unhurried and calm.
“What?!” Proton’s pupils shrunk to pinpricks.
Lance had clearly calculated his every move and reaction well in advance.
Dragonite’s colossal tail flared with wild, green Dragon-type energy.
Wrenching its waist violently, the power stored within its core was unleashed in a single microsecond!
Its tail slammed downward like a massive battleaxe, striking the incoming Houndoom chimera square on!
*BOOM—!!* The chimera’s forward momentum was brutally cut short.
Letting out a sharp, agonized wail, its entire body bent into a “C” shape as it was sent flying backward.
“Final blow, Seismic Toss!” Lance pointed a thumb downward, his tone ice-cold.
Dragonite instantly caught up to the airborne Houndoom chimera, locking its massive claws firmly around the creature’s frame.
Immediately after, turning its head downward and tucking its wings tight, it harnessed the dual forces of its dive and gravity, plummeting toward the alloy floor below like a burning meteor!
*THUD—!!!* A deafening roar exploded outward, causing the entire base to shudder violently.
The Houndoom chimera’s massive head slammed violently into the ground.
A shockwave expanded in every direction, and even the specially reinforced alloy floorboards failed to withstand the terrifying force, fracturing inch by inch with the impact point as the epicenter.
Spiderweb-like cracks spread frantically in all directions, caving into a shocking, massive crater!
Sustaining this sacrificial blow—executed exactly like a “Front Lotus”—the tufts of blazing fire on the Houndoom chimera’s back flickered out instantly.
Its body twitched violently a few times before it completely lost consciousness, slumping motionless at the bottom of the crater.
Proton’s face turned ash-pale as realization dawned upon him— Even though the Houndoom chimera’s raw power was on par with Dragonite’s—perhaps even slightly superior—the gap in combat experience, paired with Lance’s near-predictive command capabilities, was far beyond anything he could ever hope to match!
Back at that crucial microsecond, he should have ordered the chimera to use the boosted Flamethrower to attack Lance directly!
From that single flawed decision onward, he had already lost the entire game…
Regret was meaningless now.
Without a shred of hesitation, Proton violently slammed his finger onto the remote control he had been clutching in his hand.
A bright white light instantly enveloped the specialized floor section he stood upon as the teleportation device hummed to life.
“Where do you think you’re going?!” Having anticipated that his opponent would have a backup plan, almost the exact microsecond the teleportation light flared— “Draco Meteor!!!” “ROAR—!!!” Dragonite threw its head back and roared to the sky, draconic energy surging frantically from its body.
Countless brilliant meteors streaked across the mid-air, raining down across the entire core zone in a completely indiscriminate bombardment!
Explosion after explosion rang out non-stop as fire and smoke surged and rolled, sending the entire facility into violent tremors.
*BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—!!!* A short while later, the onslaught ceased, and the smoke slowly cleared away.
Reaching down into the rubble, Lance picked up the scorched beret lying on the floor, its brim still bearing black singe marks.
Confirming Proton’s death, his expression didn’t fluctuate in the slightest.
He turned around alongside Dragonite and departed, continuing to sweep through the rest of the base to eliminate the remaining remnants.
…
…
Professor Elm sprinted down the long, gloomy corridor with Sean on his back, while Gengar floated ahead carrying the unconscious Larvitar to lead the way.
Suddenly.
The heavy sound of approaching footsteps and beating wings echoed from ahead.
Quilava went on high alert instantly, the flames on its back flaring high!
Instinctively assuming it was Team Rocket combat personnel and Zubat, its mounting fury transformed into a pillar of blazing fire that erupted straight from its mouth!
“Protect!” Reacting at extreme speed, Dragonite raised an emerald-green barrier to intercept the Flamethrower!
Yet as the fire continued to pour out, the searing heat actually caused a hairline crack to surface on the barrier’s face!
*What kind of terrifying power is this?!* A flicker of surprise crossed Lance’s eyes.
“It’s Lance!
Quilava, stop!” Professor Elm shouted in excitement as he caught sight of the tall figure standing behind Dragonite.
Quilava halted its assault immediately, the fire in its mouth snapping shut.
Dragonite also tactfully dropped its barrier, and both parties quickly converged inside the narrow corridor.
“Professor Elm?
Sean!” Lance’s gaze fell instantly upon the purple-faced youth on the Professor’s back, his pupils shrinking violently.
“Quick!
Sean’s injuries are critical, he needs treatment immediately!” Professor Elm urged frantically, his voice carrying an unsuppressible tremble.
Without a shred of hesitation, Lance made an instant judgment of the situation’s severity: “Understood!
Dragonite!” Dragonite carefully received Sean from the Professor’s back, holding him steadily in its arms.
Beating its wings violently, it generated a fierce gust of wind, rocketing out of the Team Rocket base at extreme speed as it flew toward the nearest hospital at full throttle.
Immediately after, Lance tossed a Luxury Ball from his waist.
The Luxury Ball popped open as it hit the ground, a flash of white light revealing a massive blue dragon with giant, blood-red wings before the group.
Salamence lowered its body, picking up Professor Elm and the others before spreading its wings and taking to the sky, trailing closely behind Dragonite as they departed the base.
…
…
“Doctor!
Nurse Joy!
Save him, please!” Lance burst through the hospital doors holding Sean, bellowing at the top of his lungs.
Having already received emergency notifications and standing by in full readiness, the Nurse Joys and their team of Chansey rushed forward immediately.
They carefully took Sean from Lance’s arms and rapidly wheeled him straight into the emergency room.
Anxious beyond belief, Quilava and Gengar tried to charge in after him, but Professor Elm held them back with a firm arm: “You can’t go in there.
Be good…” *BANG!* The heavy metal doors of the emergency room slammed shut, and the bright red indicator light above clicked on with a sharp *pop*.
And that light remained lit for three days and three nights.
…
Inside the corridor outside the emergency room, the acrid stench of disinfectant hung heavy in the air, creating a suffocatingly oppressive atmosphere.
Lance, the battle-hardened Champion, could only lean against the cold wall with his arms folded across his chest, his brows furrowed into a deep crevasse.
The powerful aura surrounding his body caused the passing medical staff to instinctively lighten their footsteps, even breathing with extreme caution.
Professor Elm’s lab coat was still stained with Sean’s blood, which had dried into a dark, rusty brown.
He sat on the bench with his head buried in his hands, his shoulders trembling slightly, his heart completely consumed by a piercing, knife-like guilt: *If he hadn’t come to save me, Sean would never have suffered this terrible fate…* Having received the news, Lyra had also rushed over.
She leaned against the wall, looking after Quilava, Gengar, and Larvitar, occasionally offering a few soft words of comfort in a deeply sorrowful tone.
Word spread rapidly.
In response, numerous renowned doctors and Pokémon medical specialists from across the Johto region hurried to the hospital one after another, bringing various advanced pieces of equipment and pharmaceuticals as they stepped into the emergency room with grave expressions.
Every single time the emergency room doors opened and closed, it felt like an invisible hand squeezing everyone’s hearts tight.
Through the gaps in the opening doors, one could see the white-clad figures bustling back and forth inside, and hear the mechanical ticking of medical instruments alongside the doctors’ brief, urgent exchanges.
That bright red indicator light remained lit, burning without rest through day and night.
Three days and three nights—time moved as sluggishly as if it had frozen solid, every single minute and second turning into absolute agony.
The atmosphere in the corridor grew heavier and heavier, silence weighing on everyone’s chest like a massive boulder.
Finally— *DING!* That single soft chime rang out with extreme clarity in the quiet corridor.
In a split second, every single person in the corridor tensed up in unison, holding their breath.
The indicator light went dark.
The emergency operation was over.
The heavy metal doors slid open slowly, and several doctors and Pokémon medical specialists involved in the operation walked out with utterly exhausted steps.
Their footsteps were as heavy as if filled with lead, their lab coats drenched in sweat, their faces written with a helplessness born of sheer exhaustion.
Without exception, they kept their heads lowered.
Not a single person dared to meet the expectant gazes waiting in the corridor.
An ominous premonition washed over every person in the hall like a surging tide.
Lance was the first to charge forward, grabbing the lead doctor by the shoulder, his voice suppressing a tremble he hadn’t even noticed himself: “Doctor, how is he?!” The doctor slowly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot with fatigue.
His lips twitched slightly as he spoke in a rasping, heavy voice: “We did everything we could…” He paused, every single word taking an immense amount of effort to deliver: “Relying on defibrillators and our latest antivenom serum, we barely managed to restore his heartbeat and contain the further spread of the poison…
However…
The poison inside his body is a super-toxin created by mixing and refining the venom of an Arbok, an Ariados, and a Crobat through some method beyond our current understanding.
Its sheer complexity and virulence far exceed the scope of modern medicine’s antivenom capabilities…
We attempted every possible protocol, every known antivenom serum, and even deployed experimental-phase treatments…
yet we remain completely unable to eliminate the toxin.
I am so sorry…” Lance’s grip on the doctor’s shoulder slowly went limp.
He slammed his fist violently against the wall.
The skin split across his knuckles, bright red blood oozing out and slowly sliding down the wall’s surface.
He kept his head lowered, his voice choked with regret and self-blame: “…If I hadn’t let him participate in the operation back then…
what on earth was I thinking?!” Standing to the side and listening to the doctor’s words, Professor Elm looked as if every shred of strength had been drained from his body.
His face turned as grey as death.
His lips twitched a few times, yet he couldn’t utter a single word.
He didn’t shed tears, nor did he cry out in despair.
He simply spun around violently, stumbling and crashing his way out of the hospital.
He could not accept this outcome.
He was going to find a way to save Sean himself!
There had to be a way!
There just had to be!!
Lyra covered her mouth, tears spinning in her eyes, unable to accept this cruel reality…
“Wuuu-ma—!!” “KE-GIAH—!!” “LARVI—!!” Quilava, Gengar, and Larvitar could no longer hold it back.
They burst into tears in a single instant, their heart-wrenching wails echoing through the corridor, lingering for a long, long time.