The Legendary Team Rocket Trio

Roar!

A vicious glint flashed in one Hippowdon's eyes. It opened its enormous mouth and fired a golden Hyper Beam, striking the oncoming net and blasting it away.

At the same time, two more Hippowdon stepped forward beside it and fired Hyper Beams of their own.

Boom!!!

The two golden beams punched through the sandstorm and struck the Rhyhorn head-on.

But as dust billowed up, the Rhyhorn was gone. It had vanished without a trace.

"Palu?"

The brown-and-black Hippowdon shook its huge head and exchanged a puzzled look with its companions. None of them knew why the enemy had suddenly disappeared.

"Palu!!"

Suddenly, a panicked cry from a female Hippowdon rang out behind them.

Somehow, the Rhyhorn had moved behind the male Hippowdon's defensive line, right beside the Pokémon Eggs guarded by the three remaining black-and-yellow female Hippowdon.

"Palu!!"

The male Hippowdon's eyes rapidly turned bloodred. They opened their mouths wide, ready to fire their Hyper Beams at any moment.

But Butch laughed wildly. "Hippowdon, don't you care what happens to your children?"

As he spoke, a metal claw clamped around one of the Pokémon Eggs. The female Hippowdon guarding it could only watch, still weak from giving birth.

"Roar!!"

The male Hippowdon flew into a rage. When it saw the Pokémon Egg, though, it forced itself to calm down. The fierce sandstorm pouring from its nostrils showed just how furious it was.

"Ohoho! Such a loving father. Don't worry, we'll make sure your whole family serves Team Rocket together. Your companions, too."

Cassidy's voice came from inside the Rhyhorn. She sounded equally pleased with herself.

After all, capturing six Hippowdon and three Pokémon Eggs with almost no effort was a huge haul.

This was why the League established Pokémon Preserves. Powerful as Pokémon were, wild Pokémon could not match