“The Volcano Plan was a success.”
“The target has awakened. The inducement was successful, and the target has fallen into a weakened state. It is currently moving toward the sea as planned. Requesting authorization to begin capture.”
“Confirmation complete. The target’s energy is continuously recovering. Initiate the capture plan immediately.”
Tabitha, captain of Team Magma’s special operations team, stood atop a cliff and watched the red behemoth slowly awakening from the magma. He murmured, “Who would have thought that Groudon was actually sleeping at the very bottom of Mt. Chimney’s smallest volcano? Had we not made another breakthrough with the volcano system, we probably would never have discovered its location.”
Team Magma’s Volcano Plan had been carried out successfully. Most of Groudon’s energy had been extracted, after which Team Magma reactivated the volcano and lured Groudon away from this unsuitable sleeping place.
Groudon was currently moving toward the sea, where Team Magma had already laid an inescapable net. Seeing that the plan was about to reach its final stage, Tabitha gave a cold snort and swiftly issued an order. The Heatran beside him immediately unleashed a Magma Storm, colliding with the scorching flames attacking them from the side. Heatran then opened its enormous mouth and swallowed both intertwined moves whole.
“Moore…”
The one who had attacked Tabitha was a white-haired old man wearing dark-tinted reading glasses and riding a Charizard. After the attack failed, he quickly ordered Charizard to stop and said in a somewhat hoarse voice, “I knew villains like you would never give up. It seems I was right not to leave Lavaridge Town.”
“Former Elite Four Moore, at your age, shouldn’t you stop running around? Wouldn’t it be better to stay home and enjoy your retirement?” Tabitha mocked with a laugh.
“A Heatran with the Flash Fire Ability, and that device… Charizard, use Dragon Rage to destroy the device on Heatran!”
Moore snorted coldly. The last time, Team Magma had run rampant and escaped unharmed, but he would not allow that to happen again!
As the former Fire-type Elite Four of Hoenn commanded Charizard, he looked worriedly toward the continuously moving red behemoth. However, with his aged body, he was probably no longer capable of stopping Groudon.
Moreover, unless he dealt with the man before him, he likely would not even be able to approach Groudon.
More than a decade ago, Moore had participated in a major campaign—the destruction of a Poacher Guild—which had cost him his core ace and caused his strength to plummet. Combined with his advancing age and declining stamina, Moore had gradually withdrawn from the front lines. It could be said that the current Moore was completely incapable of displaying the strength an Elite Four should possess.
Throwing out the Poké Balls of his last few old companions, Moore looked toward Tabitha. All he could do now was hope that the League’s reinforcements arrived quickly. It would be disastrous if that big guy escaped.
Charizard’s reddish-purple Dragon Rage surged forward, sweeping through countless trees before successfully striking Heatran on the ground. However, most of its energy was absorbed by the special device attached to Heatran’s body, preventing it from being destroyed.
It could even absorb non-Fire-type energy? Moore’s heart sank. His original main Pokémon had grown old one after another, and he had not spent much effort raising new Pokémon. This was bad…
Meanwhile, Lavaridge Town’s security forces immediately sprang into action after reacting to the situation. However, because magma was flowing between the mountains and the roads were difficult to traverse, the officers could only proceed on foot. Several police dogs led the way, followed by a group of officers and conscripted Trainers.
“I have already received intelligence from Elite Four Moore. Many Team Magma members are still roaming nearby, so everyone must remain vigilant from this point onward,” Officer Jenny announced to the group.
“D-Do we have to stop that Pokémon next?” one Trainer asked fearfully as he stared at the red behemoth towering over the forest, beginning to regret answering the call.
“The embodiment of land, Groudon… It’s probably not something we can stop with our strength. And even if we wanted to approach it, Team Magma might not allow us.”
“Subduing Team Magma and preventing the magma from spreading are our top priorities!”
After awakening Groudon, Tabitha and the many Team Magma members responsible for carrying out the Volcano Plan still had one final mission: escort Groudon safely into the sea and prevent outside forces from changing its movement direction.
The police officers and Trainers who had entered the mountains had not gone far before they were suddenly ambushed by numerous Team Magma members lying in wait. Due to the urgency of the situation, Lavaridge Town had issued a temporary call for Trainers with at least four Badges to participate in this special operation. Trainers who took part would receive monetary rewards and honors afterward. The League did not force Trainers to join; participation was entirely voluntary. However, once they joined, they had to follow police command and obey orders.
Under the police’s professional command, even the temporarily recruited Trainers did not allow the enemy’s ambush to succeed. After the initial clash, the two sides immediately began fighting.
At the Lavaridge Town’s Pokémon Center, Breeder Crystal clasped her hands together and prayed silently. When the police called for Trainers, Troy had been the first to respond. He had now entered Mt. Chimney with the first group.
Less than five minutes had passed since Groudon emerged from the magma, yet Mt. Chimney had already descended into chaos.
For ordinary Trainers, the most brutal battles they had ever experienced were no more than risking their lives against poachers. Very few had ever taken part in a large-scale battle against an organized and disciplined criminal organization. At the very least, the group of Trainers who had answered the police summons had failed to adjust properly, and their performance was only average.
In a formal battle under standard rules, some police officers might not necessarily be a match for Trainers currently collecting Badges. But in an environment like this, the disadvantages of Trainers without specialized training immediately became apparent.
The Trainers staying in Lavaridge Town who had voluntarily answered the police summons were both fortunate and unfortunate. Perhaps they had acted out of hot-blooded passion, or perhaps merely out of curiosity, but regardless, they now had no choice but to face battles far more brutal than regulated matches. Of course, if they managed to return to Lavaridge Town unscathed, they would receive considerable rewards. The Hoenn League would not be stingy toward those who rendered meritorious service. And after being tempered by real combat, the Trainers who underwent a complete transformation would be able to travel much farther down the path of a Trainer and gain experience far beyond that of others.
Although the police were providing unified command, most Trainers were still visibly uncomfortable. Only a small number of elites could keep pace with the police and engage the Team Magma members effectively.
Even after collecting four Badges, these Trainers were little different from rookies when facing Team Magma members, intimidated by their ruthless methods.
“Bah, what a braindead mission,” a Team Magma squad leader spat heavily onto the ground. With a grim expression, he commanded his subordinates to hold back the advancing police and Trainers. He did not believe these useless officers and useless Trainers could alter Groudon’s movement direction. And even if they could, every other route led toward a town. Would the police dare alter it?
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