James seized the opening and commanded, "Koffing, take to the air! Use Poison Gas to cover the whole lobby! Don't let them breathe!"
Koffing immediately surged out of its own smoke, its body bloating like a balloon as it expelled a massive amount of black smog. The gas spread rapidly through the air, soon shrouding more than half of the Pokémon Center. The pungent toxic fumes caused trainers and Nurse Joy to cover their mouths and noses, with fits of coughing breaking out everywhere.
"Everyone, stay calm! Use wet cloths over your faces!" Nurse Joy shouted, trying to calm the crowd while searching for the backup air purification units.
"Bulbasaur, aim for the sky with Razor Leaf!" Hora's voice cut through the chaos, reaching Bulbasaur with perfect clarity.
Bulbasaur adjusted its stance instantly. The seed on its back glowed with green light, and countless sharp leaves shot into the air like flying daggers. The Razor Leaves struck the still-spewing Koffing with precision. "Koff!" Koffing let out a cry of pain, its body wobbling. Its floating speed slowed significantly, and the jet of Poison Gas sputtered out.
Seeing Koffing injured, Jessie immediately shifted tactics: "Ekans, charge into the smog! Use Wrap on Bulbasaur!" Ekans was agile; using the smoke as cover, it slithered like lightning behind Bulbasaur and lunged, coiling its body tightly. "Bulba!" Bulbasaur cried out in pain, its Razor Leaf attack coming to a dead halt as it was constricted.
"Beedrill, fly up! Use Fury Cutter on Koffing!" Hora made a split-second decision. He would eliminate the injured Koffing first before turning back to save Bulbasaur.
Beedrill beat its wings and soared, its twin stingers gleaming coldly as it slashed down repeatedly at the wounded Koffing. Thud-thud-thud! Hit by the Fury Cutter, Koffing crashed heavily to the floor, the impact even dissipating a portion of the surrounding smoke.
In that brief opening, Hora saw the situation clearly: Ekans had Bulbasaur pinned in a death-grip, the latter's body squeezed tight, its face twisted in agony.
"Bulbasaur, use Leech Seed!" Hora commanded immediately.
Enduring the pain, the seed pod on Bulbasaur's back spat out a green seed. It landed precisely on Ekans's scales and instantly sprouted into emerald vines, binding the snake's body. As green light pulsed, the vines began to drain Ekans's stamina. "Chaaaa!" Ekans hissed in pain, the strength of its constriction noticeably weakening.
Simultaneously, Bulbasaur's expression eased. Leech Seed not only attacked the enemy but fed the drained stamina back to itself, perfectly alleviating the suffering from the Wrap.
Jessie and James looked at their grounded Koffing and the seed-bound Ekans, their faces darkening completely. "Curse it! We're actually being suppressed by this brat!" Jessie gnashed her teeth, unable to find a better counter. With Ekans being drained and Koffing out of the fight, continuing would only lead to a more humiliating defeat.
Just as Ekans hissed in agony and Koffing lay incapacitated, a sharp siren wailed from the distance, piercing through the chaos of the Pokémon Center.
A crisp, authoritative female voice blared through a megaphone, echoing throughout the lobby: "Team Rocket inside, listen up! You are surrounded by the police! As the Viridian City Police Chief, I order you: Recall your Pokémon and come out with your hands behind your heads!"
It was Officer Jenny!
James panicked instantly, clutching his hair as he looked at Jessie. "Jessie! Officer Jenny is here! What do we do? If we don't leave now, it'll be too late!"
Jessie glared at Hora, her eyes full of resentment. They could have successfully stolen the Pokémon today, but this brat had ruined everything again. Now, even escaping was a problem. She bit her lip and hissed, "Retreat! Consider yourself lucky today, brat! We'll settle this score another day!"
"Meowth, use the smoke bombs!" Jessie shouted toward a corner.
A figure darted out—it was Meowth, who had been hiding and observing since the fight started. It pulled two round smoke bombs from nowhere and slammed them onto the ground!
Boom! Boom! Dense black smoke erupted. The air, already foul from Koffing's gas, became pitch black, making it impossible to see or breathe.
"Open the doors! We're going to suffocate!" someone in the crowd yelled.
The main doors were flung open. As fresh air rushed in, panicked trainers and citizens flooded out, coughing and clutching their throats. The lobby fell into complete disarray.
Hora didn't join the stampede. Instead, using the confusion, he quietly pulled out his Poké Balls and recalled Bulbasaur and Beedrill. Leaning against a corner, he watched the bustling crowd outside, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Move in and search! Protect the civilians and don't let Team Rocket escape!" Officer Jenny's voice commanded from outside. Officers rushed in with batons, beginning a thorough search of the premises.
Hora followed the last few citizens out. His gaze instinctively swept toward a distant alleyway where three silhouettes were fleeing—Jessie, James, and Meowth. He didn't chase them; the System had already marked them for him.
Shortly after, power was restored. The lights flickered back on, the emergency broadcasts stopped, and the scene gradually returned to calm, leaving only a few officers taking statements and comforting startled trainers.
Hora walked to the service counter and handed his Poké Balls to Nurse Joy. "Nurse Joy, please check them over. They might have taken some light hits during the fight."
Nurse Joy took the balls with both hands, her face full of gratitude. "Of course. If you hadn't stepped in and held Team Rocket back until I could contact Officer Jenny, at least half the Pokémon here would have fallen into their hands."
"It was nothing," Hora smiled, then shifted his tone slightly with a hint of doubt. "But I have a question. Why does a place as important as a Pokémon Center have no specialized security? It stores many injured Pokémon; it seems like an easy target for villains."
As he finished, a dignified voice came from behind him: "It's not that no one is on watch. It's just that under normal circumstances, no one would dare harbor evil intentions toward a Pokémon Center."