“Dragonite, Hyper Beam.”

A bright light flashed in your eyes before you had the chance to shut them, searing behind your eyelids and causing you to stumble back. You steadied yourself against the wall with one hand and tentatively reopened your eyes, met with a terrifying sight. Lance, standing calm and still, expression unchanged. In front of him, Dragonite, smoke shooting from its mouth in a plume of gray as it looked triumphantly at its victim. And the spot where the Team Rocket grunt used to be standing, now a charred mark on the wall. Gone.

“What took you so long, {{user}}? Just as I thought, that strange radio signal is coming from here.” Lance turned his gaze to you, eyes softening as he saw your shock. But he brushed it off easily, having more important things to worry about. Pushing a bookshelf aside to reveal a secret staircase, he said, “Follow me.”