Proton

Proton ランス Lance
File:RocketLance.png Artwork from HG/SS
Gender	Male
Eye color	Green
Hair color	Green
Hometown	Unknown
Region	Johto
Trainer class	Rocket Executive
Generation	IV
Games	Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, SoulSilver
Member of	Team Rocket
Rank	Executive

Proton (Japanese: ランス Lance) is one of the four Team Rocket Executives introduced in Pokémon Gold and Silver. However, his true identity wasn't revealed until Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.

In the games

File:VSRocketLance.png

Proton's VS sprite from HeartGold and SoulSilver

In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Proton is first seen and battled in the Slowpoke Well, where Team Rocket is trying to cut off Slowpoke tails to make a profit. Later, the player meets and battles him for the second time in Goldenrod Radio Tower.

Proton is labeled as the scariest and cruelest of Team Rocket, yet also remains one of the more popular executives. A grunt in the Radio Tower admits to how she admires him. Proton seems to be very wrathful, using the very word several times in his dialogue.

In Generation II, the character of Proton is, in reality, two characters: an ordinary Grunt originally taking his place in Slowpoke Well and a Rocket Executive encountered in the Goldenrod Radio Tower. These two are amalgamated into Proton for Generation IV, who shares both their single Pokémon.

Proton's position has existed since Pokémon Gold and Silver. However, his existence was easy to miss because all Rocket Executives used the same sprite (now adopted as Archer's canonical design), making it seem to some like there was only one Executive. The Rocket Executive (as well as the Grunt) Proton is based on was then given a canonical design and an official name in HeartGold and SoulSilver, along with the other three Executives, to distinguish them as individuals. Petrel's case is the same.

Pokémon

Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal

First battle

File:GSC Rocket GruntM.png [[Team Rocket Grunt (Trainer class)|Team Rocket Grunt]] [[Slowpoke Well|Slowpoke Well]] Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal [[Team Rocket Grunt (Trainer class)|Team Rocket Grunt]] and Professor Oak [[Slowpoke Well|Slowpoke Well]] Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal Reward: $560
Types: Poison Unknown Held item: None Koffing♂ Lv.14 Tackle Normal   --       Smog Poison   --       Poison Gas Poison   --       Unknown   --

Second battle

File:GSC Rocket ExecutiveM.png [[Rocket Executive (Trainer class)|Rocket Executive]] [[Goldenrod Radio Tower|Goldenrod Radio Tower]] Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal [[Rocket Executive (Trainer class)|Rocket Executive]] and Professor Oak [[Goldenrod Radio Tower|Goldenrod Radio Tower]] Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal Reward: $5184
Types: Poison Flying Held item: None Golbat♂ Lv.36 Wing Attack Flying   --       Confuse Ray Ghost   --       Leech Life Bug   --       Bite Dark   --

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

First battle

File:RocketLanceHGSS.png [[Executive (Trainer class)|Executive]] Proton [[Slowpoke Well|Slowpoke Well]] HeartGold and SoulSilver [[Executive (Trainer class)|Executive]] and Professor Proton Oak [[Slowpoke Well|Slowpoke Well]] HeartGold and SoulSilver Reward: $480
Types: Poison Flying Ability: Inner Focus Held item: None Zubat♂ Lv.8 Leech Life Bug Physical   --       Supersonic Normal Status   --       Unknown Unknown   --       Unknown Unknown   --       Types: Poison Unknown Ability: Levitate Held item: None Koffing♂ Lv.12 Poison Gas Poison Status   --       Tackle Normal Physical   --       Smog Poison Special   --       SmokeScreen Normal Status   --

Second battle

File:RocketLanceHGSS.png [[Executive (Trainer class)|Executive]] Proton [[Goldenrod Radio Tower|Goldenrod Radio Tower]] HeartGold and SoulSilver [[Executive (Trainer class)|Executive]] and Professor Proton Oak [[Goldenrod Radio Tower|Goldenrod Radio Tower]] HeartGold and SoulSilver Reward: $1320

Types: Poison Flying Ability: Inner Focus Held item: None Golbat♂ Lv.28 Wing Attack Flying Physical   --       Confuse Ray Ghost Status   --       Leech Life Bug Physical   --       Bite Dark Physical   --       Types: Poison Unknown Ability: Levitate Held item: None Weezing♂ Lv.33 Sludge Poison Special   --       Double Hit Normal Physical   --       SmokeScreen Normal Status   --       Smog Poison Special   --

Quotes

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

Slowpoke Well

• Before battle

"What do we have here? I am often labeled as the scariest and cruelest guy in Team Rocket... I strongly urge you not to interfere with our business!"

• After sending out last Pokémon

"It doesn't matter where we go, there's always someone that doesn't agree with us..."

• During battle

"Are you serious? Did you come here thinking you could mess with our plans?"

• When defeated

"Grr... For a kid to be this good... I didn't see it coming."

• After being defeated

"Humph... Team Rocket was indeed broken up three years ago. But we continued our activities underground. A small obstacle like you won't be much of a problem for our mission. I advise you to be very afraid of what is to come!"

Radio Tower

• Before battle

"Now, wait just one second! Aren't you the one who got in our way at the Slowpoke Well? I see... You're doing all this because you want to make me angry. Be careful! But since you seem to wish it, I'll show you the full extent of a Team Rocket Executive's wrath!"

• After sending out last Pokémon

"Seriously, you'd chase me this far?!"

• During battle

"Ugh... What are you?!"

• When defeated

"Phew..."

• After being defeated

"You may have won this time... But all you did was make Team Rocket's wrath grow..."

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

The Four Generals in the manga

Proton appears in the HeartGold & SoulSilver arc of the Pokémon Adventures manga alongside the other three executives. They appear at the end of the first round to take over control of Team Rocket from Carr, saying that they will stay true to Giovanni's intentions.

Trivia

• In Generation II, all the Rocket Executives (male and female) went unnamed. In the case of the male Executives, they all shared the same sprite, which eventually led to some confusion among the fans when Proton and Petrel were revealed. Many to initially believe they were two new characters introduced in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. However, closer research proved that the Executive role Proton is filling has existed since Gold and Silver, appearing in the same place in Goldenrod Radio Tower and training Golbat, just like his Generation IV counterpart. However, a Weezing was added to his team, to compensate for his additional role of replacing the Grunt that originally participated in the Slowpoke Well mission, who had the Koffing Proton is initially seen with.

Names

Language	Name	Origin
Japanese	ランス Lance	May be a reference to the MGM-52 Lance, a surface-to-surface missile used by the US Army.
English	Proton	From Proton, an expendable launch system used for the Russian government as well as commercial uses.
French, German	Lance	The same as Japanese.
Italian	Milas	From Milas, an anti-submarine variant of the Otomat, an Italian-built missile.
Spanish	Protón	Same as English name.
Korean	랜스 Lance	Same as the Japanese name.