"Nidoking, Nidoqueen, I used a Light Screen to protect you just now."
"Now, follow my instructions and eliminate the enemies before you."
Feng Che sent his telepathic command to the duo. The King and Queen nodded heavily, their eyes refocusing with newfound determination.
Suddenly, lush green grass erupted beneath their feet—Grassy Terrain. The injuries they had sustained from the previous explosions began to knit back together at a visible speed. Meanwhile, the Shiny Koffing, having exhausted its energy with Self-Destruct, lay limp and unable to fight.
Quark looked at the billowing black smoke with a satisfied grin. He was simply waiting for the haze to clear so he could toss his Poké Balls and claim his prizes.
Quark: These two are incredibly powerful Poison-types. If I can deliver them to Commander Chakra, I'll finally get the recognition I deserve.
As he fantasized about his promotion, the Amoonguss and Shiinotic suddenly inhaled deeply, releasing a massive, secondary cloud of white spores.
"Amoonguss? Shiinotic? What are you doing?" Quark stammered. The moment he touched the spores, a crushing wave of lethargy washed over him.
His squad members were already collapsing, falling one by one like dominos.
"These are... Sleep Spores... but... if we sleep... who will catch... the Nidoking..." Quark couldn't even finish his sentence before faceplanting into the dirt, snoring loudly as a string of drool escaped his mouth.
"Excellent, Quark. Your job is done."
A small shadow stepped out from the dense treeline.
"Amoonguss and Shiinotic were acting on my orders when they released those spores," the figure said, a cold sneer on his face. "Apologies, but I'll be taking this valley for myself. You lot will wake up thinking this was all just a vivid dream."
"Hmph. What I want, I don't share with the rest of Team Rocket."
The newcomer was Chakra, a man with the stature of a small child. He was a specialist in Pokémon that utilized Self-Destruct and massive explosions—Electrode, Forretress, and Weezing were his bread and butter. He lived by the mantra that "Explosion is Art," and his detachment of Rocket grunts were known as war-hungry fanatics.
"Perfect. This concentration of Sleep Spores should have forced every Nido-clan member in the vicinity into a deep slumber," Chakra noted, patting the caps of his mushrooms smugly.
Just then, two pillars of fire erupted from the clearing. Amoonguss barely raised its shields in time to block the Flamethrower. The shields were scorched black, and the mushroom let out a pained shriek.
"What?! How are they still awake?" Chakra stared in shock at the Nidoking and Nidoqueen, who looked more than ready for a fight. "No matter. They're just Heavenly King-rank wildlings. My partners are more than enough. Amoonguss, Morning Sun! Shiinotic, Hardened Plant (Frenzy Plant variant)!"
Amoonguss bathed in the early light to heal, while Shiinotic slammed its hands into the earth. Massive purple vines laced with metallic thorns erupted from the ground, whistling through the air as they lashed out at the royal pair.
"Nidoking, use Slash! Nidoqueen, continue with Flamethrower!"
Feng Che, hidden in the shadows, issued his silent commands.
Nidoking's claws glinted with white energy as he sliced through the approaching vines, turning the hardened plants into splinters. Nidoqueen's flames followed immediately, igniting the debris and creating a ring of fire that trapped Chakra and his mushrooms.
Chakra shrieked in rage. As a newly promoted executive tasked with expanding into the Johto region, he was notoriously thin-skinned. Like Sakaki Tsuna, he was petty and vindictive, especially regarding his height. But beneath his small frame was a massive, dangerous ambition.
Feng Che knew Chakra's history—in the future, once he learned of Giovanni's son, Silver, Chakra would even plot to assassinate both father and son with a specialized "Super Bomb." He was a true psychopath.
"Amoonguss, use Substitute!"
Amoonguss exhaled, creating several small mushroom clones that began hopping toward the King and Queen.
Amoonguss: Hehe, these clones are all rigged with Self-Destruct. Once they get close, those two are history.
"Careful, Nidoking, Nidoqueen—those clones are bombs. Use Fissure together!"
The royal pair exchanged a glance. They opened their mouths in a synchronized roar before slamming their forelimbs into the earth with everything they had.
The ground buckled and split into deep, jagged chasms. The Amoonguss clones tumbled into the cracks, detonating prematurely. The valley shook with a series of muffled thuds as smoke billowed from the fissures.
"Strange... they saw through the trap?" Chakra muttered, his suspicion growing. "I feel like there's a trainer back there, pulling the strings."
"Could these be the property of another Rocket executive? Did someone 'free-range' them here?"
Mewtwo: Chakra is wondering if they're already owned by someone in the organization, Mewtwo reported after a psychic scan.
"Knowing Chakra, it doesn't matter," Feng Che mused. "Once he sets his sights on something, he'll try to kill whoever stands in his way to take the eggs."
"Amoonguss, Stun Spore! Shiinotic, Leaf Storm!"
Chakra's eyes flared with a manic light. "I don't care if another executive claims them! Once they're in my hands, they're mine!"