A hint of a grim smile appeared on Tian Haoyu's face, which was now completely distorted from the beating he had received.
"I fell for your trick again, but it does not matter. The League will know everything that Team Magma has." Tian Haoyu opened his mouth and revealed a very ugly smile, through which one could still vaguely see how handsome he once had been.
Bang—
A staff struck him directly on the back, forcing his face into intimate contact with the ground.
Tian Haoyu, lying on the ground, was unable to get up. His eyes were slightly dazed. He still did not understand why the League insisted on pursuing this course of action even though it knew it was wrong. Although Team Magma was an underground force, Tian Haoyu still had to admit that they did not do only bad things. It was more accurate to describe them not as a group of violent elements, but as a collection of fanatics who worshipped Groudon with a crazed devotion. There was not much difference between them and members of an extreme religious faith.
The metal box in Maxie's hand contained the reason for Team Magma's founding, and it was also what Maxie had brought out from their small village by the sea. Archie of Team Aqua possessed a similar one.
Tian Haoyu finally lost consciousness.
"Deal with him," Maxie waved his hand, no longer bothering with him any further. He could place pawns within the League, and the League could, of course, also place undercover agents around him. This was a game between him and the League; there was no inherent right or wrong. He was just a little angry that the League's undercover agent had actually managed to rise to such a level within Team Magma. Tian Haoyu was indeed a talented individual. What a pity...
Upon hearing Maxie's order, the Team Magma members who had been escorting Tian Haoyu immediately revealed cruel smiles. They were several Team Magma captains who had always aspired to become executives but had never had the chance. Now that Tian Haoyu had fallen, it was a perfect opportunity for them. Leaving aside everything else, the Pokemon Tian Haoyu had left behind were not ordinary Pokemon. It was just a pity that when they had subdued him, several of his Pokemon had been seriously injured in the process of protecting him and were unlikely to recover. But the remaining few were still quite good, all of them being Champion-level Pokemon. Their potential and strength were enough to make anyone jealous. If they could make Maxie happy, they might receive some rewards. If they could obtain just one of these Pokemon, the door to the Champion level would be opened for them.
Aoki, who was hiding behind the tent, witnessed all of this. A flicker of hesitation passed through his eyes, but he soon made up his mind. Taking a deep breath, Gengar silently emerged from Aoki's shadow and then slowly moved from the back of the tent towards the front.
However, the moment Gengar appeared, a sturdy Mightyena that had been lying beside Maxie opened its eyes! It stood up slowly, its nose twitching. It had not smelled anything, but it had definitely sensed something.
Maxie noticed the Mightyena's actions, narrowed his eyes, and immediately closed the iron box in his hand. The Mightyena's gaze was fixed on the main entrance of the tent. Seeing the changes in both the Mightyena and Maxie, the others in the tent also sensed that something was unusual. They stood up and took out their Poke Balls.
Boom—
The front of the tent was torn apart by an explosion.
In an instant, Aoki and Slowking emerged from their previous concealed state. Slowking did not move with Aoki but began preparing to teleport on the spot.
"Who's there?!" Maxie growled.
But just as he spoke, he felt the box in his hand loosen. His face suddenly changed to one of horror!
The Mightyena rushed towards the entrance and immediately returned. A large amount of dark energy condensed around its huge fangs as it lunged towards the psychic energy, instantly sever the psychic attack that had been intended for Maxie himself.
At that moment, a dark shadow rushed in through the main entrance! Tian Haoyu, who had fallen to the ground, was absorbed by the black shadow while everyone was distracted by the commotion around Maxie.
Simultaneously, a large number of Poke Balls were thrown out, and powerful Pokemon appeared one after another.
Unfortunately, with Gengar's speed, it had already disappeared.
After reacting, Maxie immediately threw out two Poke Balls of his own. A Crobat and a Camerupt appeared in the tent.
"Crobat, Air Slash! Camerupt, Flamethrower!" The horror on Maxie's face had not disappeared. He covered his neck with one hand, and blood could be seen flowing between his fingers. If the Mightyena had reacted just a little slower, he might have been killed. The opponent's attacks were brutally efficient, and the abilities or tools used were also incredibly sharp. It was sharper than any blade, and the red turtleneck made of a special material he wore underneath had provided no protection whatsoever. One had to know that this red turtleneck suit was made from a material developed by Team Magma's most advanced technology; theoretically, its toughness was such that even the sharpest knife could not cut it. But just now, it had seemed to offer no resistance at all.
The one who had taken action this time was Aoki himself. It was a Spatial Cut that had caused the injury to Maxie. However, Aoki knew that he could not, and would not be able to, kill Maxie now, so his target had always been locked on the iron box in Maxie's hand. As for attacking Maxie after obtaining the box, it was also to attract the attention of Gengar and the others. And the result was obviously just as Aoki had expected. Although the high collar of Maxie's suit had been instantly destroyed by the Spatial Cut, it had also consumed a great deal of the psychic power Aoki had invested. All that remained was a shallow cut on the skin. Fortunately, neither Maxie nor his Mightyena knew this.
The only one who could restrain Gengar was Maxie's Mightyena. Gengar had successfully rescued Tian Haoyu. At the same time, it had also successfully returned to Aoki's side.
The only thing that surprised Aoki was Maxie's reaction speed. Without even confirming the situation, he had thrown out two Poke Balls and had his ace Pokemon attack the back of the tent. The entire operation had taken no more than two seconds. Although Maxie looked thin, he had a clear mind and was quite capable of commanding battles. It was clear that there was a reason why Maxie could become the leader of Team Magma.
Because of Aoki's miscalculation, Slowking's teleportation could not be activated immediately. In desperation, Slowking could only wave its hand to create an opening to another dimension on the rock wall for them to hide inside.
When Maxie rushed out of the tent, he saw the dimensional passage shrinking at an extremely fast speed. Peering through this passage, Maxie caught a glimpse of a dark figure inside.
Aoki suddenly had an idea and shouted, "We, the Divine Religion, will protect this man! Chief Maxie, consider this compensation for your injury!" Finally, he added, "Our Divine Religion will return!"
After saying that, the channel to the other dimension disappeared completely.
Several members of Team Magma rushed forward with their Pokemon and launched a fierce assault on the rock wall, but they found nothing at all.