Chapter 123: Under the Dome

Looking at the suddenly manifested special ability, a giant question mark couldn't help but form in Huyang's mind.

This...

Can a flame with healing properties actually attack someone?

Is it a "Golden Healing Fire Blast," a technique cut from the same cloth as the Golden Healing Shuriken?

Huyang pondered seriously for a moment.

Entei’s sacred fire could both save and harm; the deciding factor was likely the will of the user. Perhaps the flame of this Charmander, much like Entei's, could be freely controlled.

However, this was only Huyang’s speculation. He would need to test it with the Charmander after leaving this place to reach any firm conclusion.

Squirtle, Oddish, and Charmander were returned to their Poké Balls, leaving only Raichu, Vulpix, and a few others outside.

The Pidgeys possessed the ability to fly; as long as he returned them to the surface, they could find their own way home. The Poliwag were the same, as the river they inhabited was right there in Viridian Forest.

As for the Cubone, according to its description, its home seemed to be near Lavender Town, as it had mentioned a tower cemetery where Ghost-type Pokémon lived. In the Kanto region, the only place fitting that description was the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town. In the games, that was a cemetery where deceased Pokémon were laid to rest. Since the path to the Power Plant passed through Lavender Town anyway, Huyang was quite willing to help the Cubone return home.

As for the remaining Vulpix and Raichu who wanted to return to their trainers, Huyang was completely powerless to help. After all, he was a stranger in these parts of Kanto.

At this moment, Lance, who had been watching the entire scene, spoke up: "I can look into the police station's cases regarding missing Pokémon and help reunite them with their trainers."

"Raichu!"

"Vulpix!"

Raichu and Vulpix, who had been feeling utterly dejected and lost, let out sounds of gratitude immediately upon hearing this.

Lance smiled faintly. Upholding justice, protecting the weak, and fighting against evil—this was why he had chosen to become an investigator.

With the arrangements for these Pokémon settled, everything finally came to a rest. Only two humans remained in this Team Rocket base: Huyang and Lance.

Looking at the remaining areas, Huyang prepared to enter "scavenger mode," while Lance began to collect evidence of Team Rocket’s criminal activities.

But before they could act, a red alarm siren echoed throughout the entire base.

A cold, mechanical female voice began counting down without a hint of emotion: "Self-destruct sequence initiated. Countdown: 60 seconds. 60, 59, 58..."

Huyang’s movements froze.

Lance, reacting instantly, saw his expression turn grim. He turned around quickly and shouted, "We have to get out of here!"

Huyang shook his head. "It’s too late."

The distance from this research lab to the elevator was not short. Even on the back of a Dragonite, returning to the surface from this depth of several dozen meters underground would take several minutes.

Hearing this, Lance gritted his teeth, his thick brows furrowed. "Damn it!"

Compared to Lance, Huyang was much calmer. He sighed helplessly and asked, "Do you trust me?"

Lance was stunned for a moment.

"Entei, get inside first; I'll take you out of here!" Huyang didn't say much more, instead pulling out an empty Poké Ball and speaking to Entei.

Entei had also heard the urgent alarm and sensed the impending danger, so it did not resist and was recalled into the ball.

"Gengar, you return too!" Huyang added.

In just over ten seconds, only Cramorant, Huyang, Lance, and his two Dragonites remained outside.

"From here on, my Pokémon will clear the way," Huyang said in a deep voice. "I need your Dragonite to follow right behind it."

At this moment, twenty-eight seconds remained.

Although Lance didn't fully understand what Huyang intended to do, he wasn't the type to be a burden. He nodded and said, "I understand."

Huyang let go of Cramorant and said earnestly, "I'm counting on you!"

Cramorant looked at him blankly. "Gah."

Immediately after, as if sensing something, it turned its body and shot toward the ceiling.

Huyang commanded: "Use Roar of Time at maximum power!"

The command was given, and a thick, deep blue beam of light instantly condensed in Cramorant’s mouth.

The next second, the deep blue beam shot out straight ahead. The moment it touched the air, its radius expanded rapidly.

Energy as vast as the ocean pierced through the metal ceiling above in an instant. The soil and rock that should have collapsed were all pulverized into dust by this energy.

The blue light reflected on Lance’s face; his pupils constricted, and he was deeply shocked. But he didn't forget the current situation. The countdown in his ears continued, reaching the twelve-second mark.

Lance pulled his gaze away, sat on his Dragonite, and reached out a hand to Huyang. "Quick, get on!"

Huyang grabbed his hand and pulled himself up. Once he was aboard, Lance said firmly, "Hold on tight!"

Huyang quickly wrapped his arms around the Dragonite’s neck.

The Dragonite’s rounded body moved in an instant. Everything around them blurred into a trail of shadows and vanished before Huyang’s eyes.

Cramorant cleared the path ahead, with the Dragonite following closely behind.

"4... 3... 2..."

"1!"

The moment the countdown hit zero, the Roar of Time pierced through the earth and shot toward the sky.

The deep blue beam briefly illuminated the entire Viridian Forest. Under the cover of night, it was filled with a sense of the unknown and the sublime. But the next second, the light of the Roar of Time was swallowed by the ensuing explosion and fire, as if that sacred scene had merely been an illusion.

Violent tremors spread from underground; the ground of a large portion of the forest began to collapse inward from the explosion. Flames and thick smoke billowed out through the hole blasted by the Roar of Time, and waves of scorching heat swept outward from the center.

...

On the other side of the forest, Giovanni looked up at the scene, a slight arc forming at the corner of his mouth.

In this way, no one would ever know about the secret data hidden in that base.

As for Lance, who had repeatedly disrupted their plans...

If he was gone, he was gone. He was merely a member of the Elite Four; it wouldn't be long before someone new took his place.

However...

Thinking of the losses this time—the fallen Team Rocket members and that Nidoking—Giovanni’s expression darkened.

The images of that bird Pokémon and the young man flashed through his mind. But by now, they should be buried deep beneath the earth.

This was the price of opposing Team Rocket.

Giovanni sneered, turned around, and his tall figure disappeared into the night.

Tomorrow, he would still be the Gym Leader of the Kanto League.

Once the "Project Mewtwo" was completed, there would be no one left in all of Kanto who could stop Team Rocket’s plans.