A scene flickered into Feng Che's mind through the psychic link.
Deep within a secluded valley, a group of Nidoqueen stood in a protective circle around a clutch of glowing eggs. Outside the valley, a Team Rocket squad in full uniform was aggressively deploying capture nets to snag the younger Nidorino and Nidorina.
The Rocket grunts were piloting specialized drones that rained down a barrage of miniaturized incendiary bombs.
BOOM! BOOM!
The valley was quickly consumed by raging fires and cratered by explosions. Many of the Nidoqueen were already severely wounded, their blue hides scorched and peppered with sharp shrapnel. Despite the agony, not one of them budged from their positions over the eggs.
It was at this moment that the Alpha Nidoking and his Queen arrived. Seeing the devastation of their home and the suffering of their kin, the Alpha let out a roar that shook the valley walls.
"Two more big ones? Does this never end?" Quark, the Rocket leader, grumbled, wiping soot from his brow.
"We planned this raid for when the main Nidoking force was away, hoping to snatch the high-aptitude Nidoran without a fight," he muttered to his men. "I didn't expect these females to fight to the death. Even now, we haven't breached their inner sanctum. If the main herd returns, we're finished. Increase the output! Launch everything! Don't stop the bombardment!"
The drones swiveled toward the Alpha. A volley of mini-bombs hissed through the air.
The Alpha didn't dodge. He opened his massive jaws and unleashed a Snarl. The physical shockwave of the roar struck the projectiles mid-flight, detonating them in a spectacular chain reaction of fire and smoke.
"Damn it! How is this one so strong?" Quark gasped. "Is that the Valley King? The one Chakra warned us about?"
Through the thick black smoke, a pillar of white energy—a Hyper Beam—tore across the valley. It slammed into the drone formation, vaporizing several units instantly.
CRASH!
The wreckage fell to the earth, secondary explosions sending plumes of oily smoke into the sky. "Those drones cost millions of League credits!" Quark screamed, his heart aching for the equipment. "Enough! Send out Commander Chakra's personal units. Crush them!"
Quark hurled two specialized Poké Balls. An Amoonguss and a Shiinotic appeared.
Amoonguss, a mushroom-like Pokémon with shield-like caps resembling Poké Balls, stood tall with its grey, stalk-like body and a menacing, wide pink mouth. Shiinotic, its slender counterpart, glowed with a pale, eerie light from beneath its massive purple mushroom cap.
The Nidoqueen launched a Hyper Beam at Amoonguss the moment it appeared. The mushroom raised its arm-shields, bracing against the searing light. It was pushed back dozens of meters, leaving long gouges in the earth, its shields smoking with the scent of burnt protein.
However, Amoonguss merely shrieked and used Morning Sun. Bathed in the dawn light, its charred shields knitted back together at a visible rate.
The Shiinotic then raised its arms, releasing a cloud of glowing Spores from its cap. As the spores landed on the Alpha and his Queen, they didn't induce sleep—they exploded with violent force. The two giants stumbled back, their hides marked with fresh burns.
Enraged, the King and Queen slammed their claws into the ground—Earthquake.
The valley floor buckled and split. Several Rocket grunts lost their footing, tumbling into the widening fissures. Amoonguss and Shiinotic, however, swayed with a strange, rhythmic frequency, absorbing the tremors and healing themselves with the energy of the earth.
"Good! Truly worthy of Chakra's training!" Quark scrambled out of a crevice, looking disheveled but triumphant.
The Alpha King roared and leaped over the fray, slamming his Fire Punch into the reinforced iron cages holding the captured Nidorino and Nidorina. The cages shattered, and the freed Pokémon lunged at the Rockets, their horns seeping with lethal purple venom.
"Hmph. I was trying to make this painless for you," Quark sneered, reaching for one last ball. "But if you want it the hard way... Go, Koffing!"
The Art of the Blast
Feng Che, having Teleported into the shadows of the valley, watched the confrontation with a frown.
Sending out an unevolved Koffing against a King and Queen? he thought. Is there something special about this one? Is it a high-level monster in disguise?
The Koffing was a spherical purple Pokémon, its body covered in gas-leaking pores. It wore a perpetual, wicked smile beneath its skull-and-crossbones marking.
Wait, it's a Shiny, Feng Che noted, seeing its distinct brownish-gold hue.
Koffing (Shiny)Level: 58 Aptitude: Green Status: Malicious
"Koffing, Explosion is Art! Let's show them a masterpiece! Use Poison Gas!"
The Koffing inhaled deeply and exhaled a thick, acrid purple fog that quickly filled the valley, smelling of sulfur and rot.
"Now, Koffing! Use Ember!"
A stream of sparks flew from the Koffing's mouth. The effect was instantaneous. The gas-filled valley turned into a massive fuel-air explosive.
KABOOM!
"I see," Feng Che realized. "This Koffing was taught Fire-type moves—rare for its species—specifically to act as a detonator."
The King and Queen crossed their arms, shielding their faces from the blast. They were covered in soot and minor burns, their stamina beginning to flag under the relentless attrition.
"Art is an explosion! Koffing, Fire Bomb!"
The Koffing cackled, lighting itself on fire until it resembled a falling meteor. It hurtled toward the exhausted King and Queen, its body beginning to glow with the blinding white light of a final Self-Destruct.
Just as the giants braced for the end, a crystalline Light Screen manifested in front of them. The Koffing detonated against the barrier, the shockwave neutralized by the shimmering psychic field.