The light rain tio drizzle, and tonight's moonlight was exceptionally bright.

  Deep into the night, most of Goldenrod City's residents were fully dressed, hiding quietly in their homes, listening to the otion outside without making a sound.

  Just beyond the walls, the Pokémon League and Team Rocket were locked in an all-out battle—humans fighting humans, humans fighting Pokémon, and Pokémon fighting Pokémon.

  League-affiliated trainers, having undergone professional training, were powerful. In one-on-one frontations, they pletely overwhelmed Team Rocket and far outnumbered them.

  But this was war.

  Poisoning, ambushes, group attacks… The Team Rocket, unbound by any battle regutions, was fighting at more than one hundred pert of their capacity.

  The battle was divided into three fronts. Around Silph Co.'s building, a third of the League's trainers were stationed, making it the area with the highest tration of attag Team Rocket members.

  Elite Four member Bruno did not engage in the chaotic melee below.

  His gaze was ice-cold. So far, the Pokémon League had been pletely passive—they didn't even know where Team Rocket's secret base was located.

  If they didn't capture the ander of this Team Rocket operation, no matter how many low-level grunts they arrested, they would still lose.

  …

  At the Pokémoer, Sato had just climbed out of the basement when he saw the League's formation pletely disrupted. Many trainers were trapped in the middle, clearly injured.

  "Haunter, sneak in and take down every Golbat and Zubat in the sky!"

  "Kehehehe~"

  Haunter g to the walls, swiftly making its to the ceiling. At that moment, a Zubat hovered into position, preparing to dive. Suddenly, ghostly cws materialized behind its back.

  Shadow Punch—direct hit to the back!

  The Zubat didn't even have time to cry out before it was instantly knocked out. The battlefield was so chaotic that its trainer didn't even notice.

  One dow another would follow. As Haunter moved stealthily along the walls, ceiling, and floor, it silently struck down a fifth target—a retively strong Golbat—severely injuring it.

  Only then did its prese exposed.

  "There it is! Arbok, use d tear it apart!"

  "Weezing, Sludge Bomb! Bring that Haunter down!"

  "Shadow Ball—detonate!"

  "Keheh!"

  Fag the ining attacks, Haunter remained pletely calm. A series of small Shadow Balls formed around it, then unched all at once.

  Each Shadow Ball was highly unstable, detonating upon impact. d Sludge Bomb—everything was blocked at the perimeter!

  "Now's the time!"

  Sato shouted. The surrounding Team Rocket grunts turheir attention toward him, but they only saw him standing still.

  Wheurned back, they realized that the League traihey had surrounded had broken through a gap!

  "Haunter, Shadow Barrage!"

  "Keheh~"

  Haunter, already exhausted from expending so muergy, took a deep breath. It raised both ghostly hands, f a bck orb.

  Then, a single Shadow Ball quietly unched—quickly targeting Team Rocket.

  Owo, three, four… A rapid succession of Shadow Balls shot out at varying speeds and iies, following no disible pattern!

  Team Rocket grunts had no choice but to go all out in tering each attack to avoid taking damage.

  Silently, Sato retreated. A mere Elite-level Haunter had single-handedly tipped the scales of battle. There was nothing more for him to do—it was time to make his exit.

  The rejuvenated League members were filled with gratitude toward Sato for his assistance.

  With Team Rocket fully exposed, the League forces regaiheir footing, reanizing their battle formations and gradually taking trol of the battlefield.

  Meanwhile, the Goldenrod Gym Leader stood alone against an overwhelming force, relying solely on his immense personal strength to single-handedly hold bad exhaust more than thirty Team Rocket members who had e to raid the gym.

  The battle at Silph Co. Tower was also nearing its clusion.

  Team Rocket didn't seem to be putting up a particurly stroance here—only sending a portion of their forces, as if merely putting on a show before withdrawing.

  Three battlefronts, and while the League appeared to have secured an overwhelming victory, the true problem remaihey had yet to locate Team Rocket's secret base.

  This move by Team Rocket was btant. They were telling the League: We are abandoning Goldenrod City of our own accord. If we want to leave, you won't be able to stop us.

  Bruno, watg the increasingly clear oute of the battle, furrowed his brows even more.

  Without paying any more attention to the ckluster and of Officer Jenny beside him, he prepared to set off personally, heading toward the location under suspi—the Goldenrod Department Store.

  "E-li-te B-Bruno, sir… We've firmed the location! It's ihe Game er!"

  Bruno turned his head sharply, seeing Officer Jenny press a hand against her earpiece as she carefully listeo the report. However, her expression was tinged with fusion.

  "The prize Pokémon at the Game er… someone released all of them! Whether they were Team Rocket members, League officers, or just regur gamblers hiding in the building—they all went mad. Because among the prizes… was a Larvitar!"

  "Fet the Larvitar. It doesn't matter. We o capture the Team Rocket!"

  "Yes, sir!"

  Bruno immediately leaped onto his Pidgeot and shot toward the Game er at top speed. Officer Jenny and several h-ranking League officers quickly followed.

  At the Goldenrod Game er, Zoroark, still maintaining its Illusion disguise, subtly blended into the frantic crowd. All around, people were scrambling and ransag the p search of Larvitar—so much so that no one paid attention to Zoroark at all.

  Yes, Zoroark's entire objective in infiltrating the Game er had been to release the prize Pokémon.

  The Pokémon up frabs were already rare species, and at first, the crowd hadn't sidered looting them. But once Zoroark set an example—pandemonium broke loose.

  The urge to steal became untrolble.

  Meanwhile, deep beh the Game er, Team Rocket's four Executive, Kaiser, watched as even his own subordinates began itg to rush upstairs and cim a share of the loot.

  His expression twisted into pure rage.

  At the same time, Kaiser gave the order to retreat. The momee Four Bruno moved, he was immediately notified.

  He had never expected the Game er to desd into chaos all on its own, nor that so many low-level Rocket members would foolishly expose themselves over a prize Pokémon.

  At that very moment, Goldenrod Gym Leader Howard was also rushing toward the Game er atop his Dodrio.

  -------------

  Having handed Nurse Joy over to the League's medical team and briefly using the healing maes to restore Haunter's stamina, Sato, too, was heading toward the Game er at full speed.

  The battle foldenrod City had reached its climax—all eyes now focused on the Game er!

  When Bruno and Officer Jenny finally arrived at the se, they were met with absolute bedm.

  The Game er acked to the brim, with gamblers, Team Rocket members, and League officers all jumbled together.

  The eablishment had been ransacked from top to bottom—clearly, everyone was frantically searg for a fleeting glimpse of the pseudo-legendary Pokémon, Larvitar.

  At this point, even Officer Jenny had no trol over the situation.

  Bruno remained expressionless. In chaos like this, there was simply no way to duct mass arrests.

  "Primeape. Machamp. Hitmon. Hitmonlee. Earthquake."

  Without hesitation, Bruno released his four stro Pokémon simultaneously—eae unleashing a massive Earthquake.

  In an instant, the entire Game er trembled violently—as if the world itself were ending.