Chapter 83: Zapdos
"You've returned!" A Rocket member stood firmly, greeting Proton as he walked past him.
"Is everything prepared?"
"Yes, sir! And Zapdos is still recovering in the electricity containment room, seemingly using the power here to heal!"
"Good! It seems holding them back was the right move," Proton smiled.
Zapdos, representing the thunder of the skies, possessed power that Team Rocket couldn't easily pass up.
Naturally, the same went for Articuno and Moltres—neither of them would be able to escape.
For this reason, the team had gone to great lengths to capture all three legendary birds.
Currently, the two others were being targeted by the Admins.
Proton was in charge of Zapdos (the other Admin was resting at a beach in Hoenn, as he was mainly skilled at disguises anyway).
"Do it now."
"But sir, many of our team members are already unable to fight."
"It doesn't matter, better to do it now than wait."
"...Understood!"
And with that, the communicators of each squad leader were activated, carrying Proton's orders.
The squad leaders immediately commanded their subordinates to act.
Zapdos, still recovering from relentless pursuit by Team Rocket, sensed something amiss.
It took flight, looking around to see Rocket members swarming in.
Angrily glaring at the intruders who had attacked it, Zapdos unleashed a powerful electric attack that covered everything around it.
Even while injured, the attack was so intense that the power plant lit up, illuminated by Zapdos's electricity.
But Team Rocket had anticipated this. They had equipped their attacking members with special gear in advance.
Smiling, the Rocket members brought out a cannon-like device and activated it.
Zapdos, pouring out electricity, quickly felt its strength weakening.
It turned to see Team Rocket's device rapidly draining its energy!
Realizing the situation, Zapdos attempted to strike its foes as fast as possible.
"Activate it now!"
Team Rocket activated another machine, creating an intense pressure that forced Zapdos down to the ground.
A glass cage quickly formed as it collapsed, trapping it inside.
The Rocket members sneered as they continued to drain both energy and electricity from Zapdos.
Exhausted, Zapdos was barely able to keep its eyes open.
"A legend is still just a Pokémon in the end and nothing can withstand human intelligence," Proton said, satisfied with the results.
He looked at the energy container filled with Zapdos's power. The electricity from Zapdos was different from regular power—purer, unique to Zapdos alone.
Team Rocket had succeeded in achieving their first objective.
…Now only the second objective remained.
But first, they had to transport Zapdos's energy container. Proton wasn't foolish enough to leave it here, only to have some lunatic come along and ruin all his hard work.
The Zapdos energy container was placed in a mini aircraft with stealth capabilities and swiftly flew away.
"Now then..." Proton looked at the weakened Zapdos, preparing to order his men to bring it back to Team Rocket's base.
...Only for someone to suddenly place a hand on his head and chin.
The others jumped, startled by someone bold enough to approach Proton like that.
A few recognized the person standing behind Proton.
"I-Isn't that…?!"
The one who had defeated a Team Rocket captain?!
"Honestly, dying in this game feels so weird—it's almost like dying for real," the boy with a heroic face remarked.
"What… are you even talking about?" Proton muttered, sweating as he felt the boy's grip tighten.
"Oh? You don't need to know, my dear NPC. Just know that…" the boy smiled.
"THE HERO, ZERO2HERO, HAS RETURNED!"
Just as Zero2hero was about to twist Proton's neck, Proton quickly elbowed the boy hard in the stomach, making him step back.
"USELESS HERO! GET LOST!"
As Proton prepared to kick, he was blocked by someone else.
A pair of deep red eyes stared at Proton as if he were prey.
Suddenly, Pikachu jumped up, its Iron Tail aimed right at Proton's head.
Seeing this, Proton stepped back, dodging Pikachu's attack.
The Rocket members glanced at the two boys, readying their weapons and Pokémon.
"You're way too cool for an NPC who never speaks. I hope you're not the final boss of this game," Zero2hero quipped.
"…"
Just as the Rocket members were about to attack, a powerful soundwave forced everyone to cover their ears.
Then, multiple Sonic Boom attacks hit the Rocket members, causing some of them to faint.
Proton and the Rocket members looked around in shock as Pokémon gradually began to appear.
A huge number of Voltorb, Electrode, Magnemite, Magneton, and Magnezone appeared.
Proton was shocked to see so many Pokémon gathering here, but what surprised him more was how they managed to assemble and arrive!
Then he looked at the boy with black hair and a red cap, standing next to the heroic-looking kid.
'Could it be… because of him?!'
Just as he was pondering, Red raised his hand to give a command.
Charmander appeared out of nowhere, claws poised to slash at Proton.
"Tch!" Proton quickly summoned Weezing with a Poké Ball.
The Pokémon launched their attacks en masse, forcing Team Rocket to fight back by summoning their own Pokémon.
A large-scale battle erupted between the Pokémon of the power plant and Team Rocket!
And Zero2hero was the one enjoying it the most.
"BEING A HERO IS THE BEST!" he shouted, leaping up to kick someone in the face.
*****
I've been sick, so i got to take time off from school, giving me some free time to work on a new chapter
Of course, this one is a bit short since it doesnt even reach 1000 words
Sorry about that
Ughh my ass hurt