Read up to 30 advanced chapters exclusively on my Patreon at - patreon.com/LoverrBoy
---------------------------------
[Ding!]
[Achievement: One Thousand Victories!]
[You have consecutively defeated one thousand opponents.]
[Achievement Reward: 10,000 exchange points, Pokémon Lottery Ticket x1.]
[Next Stage: Battle Master — Battle and defeat one thousand opponents in Battles. Earn the title of Battle Master. Achievement Reward: 20,000 exchange points, Super Mystery Pack x1.]
That was Liam's harvest for the day. Looking at the 2,000 remaining exchange points after clearing his debts, along with a newly obtained golden lottery ticket, he felt an overwhelming sense of ease.
As for the Pokémon Lottery Ticket, Liam had no intention of using it for now. After all, he still had other matters to attend to and no time to take care of a newly hatched Pokémon egg. He decided to put it off until after the League Tournament ended and find time then to use it.
Liam had spent the entire day at the Battle Hall. Aside from a few matches at the beginning to fulfill the "One Thousand Victories" achievement, he didn't engage in further battles. Instead, he simply observed others fighting in pairs and occasionally offered guidance on the side.
He had already informed everyone that he would be leaving for a while and would return in time for the League Tournament. When they heard the news, everyone was reluctant to see him go, but in the end, no one clung on. When sending him off, the whole group bowed in unison to thank Liam for his guidance over the past couple of days before dispersing.
As usual, he left his physically exhausted Pokémon with Nurse Joy at the recovery center and returned to his room to rest. Early the next morning, Liam retrieved his PokeBalls, took out his bicycle, hopped on, and began speeding toward Mt. Silver.
Since the road led downhill, the ride was smooth and exhilarating. Liam zipped along, fully enjoying the thrill of extreme speed.
Mt. Silver was still quite some distance from the Indigo Plateau. With some stops along the way, it took Liam two full days to reach the base of the mountain. Staring at the snow-covered peaks of Mt. Silver, he couldn't help but shiver, then quickly found a hidden spot to stash his bike.
He changed into his Team Rocket uniform and put on the Black Vortex mask, then connected to the Team Rocket communication channel.
"Hello? Can anyone hear me?" Liam called into the comm channel.
"Zzz... zzz... Hello? That voice just now—was that Liam... cough I mean, Vortex Leader? Are you at Mt. Silver already?"
Liam recognized the voice as Takeshi's. He was just about to respond when suddenly a loud explosion came through the comm.
BOOM!!
"Huh?! Takeshi! What just happened over there?!"
Liam's brow furrowed as he anxiously questioned.
Cough! "Damn it! We're under attack by the Hunters! Those bastards snuck up on us somehow! What are the sentries even doing?! Go, Fearow! Take down those enemies! Crap! Watch out!! Zzzzz..."
Takeshi coughed and cursed, and Liam could tell from the sounds that both sides had already engaged in battle. After that warning shout, only static filled the communicator.
"Hey! Hello?! Takeshi! Where are you right now?!"
Zzzzz...
"Damn it! Go, Onix!"
Realizing the signal had been lost, Liam didn't hesitate. He tossed out a PokeBall, and Onix's massive form emerged before him. Liam dashed up its rocky body and climbed to the top of its head to get a better view of the surroundings. In the distance, he saw thick black smoke rising from the base of the mountain — a clear sign that battle had broken out there.
"Return, Onix! Come out, Aerodactyl!"
Once Liam pinpointed the battle site, he jumped off Onix, recalled it into its PokeBall, and swiftly threw another. Aerodactyl's towering form materialized in front of him.
"Aerodactyl! Our friends are in danger — this is no time to mess around! Take me there now!"
Liam stepped onto Aerodactyl's wing and leaped onto its back. He issued the command without wasting a second.
"Raaaargh!"
Sensing the urgency in Liam's voice, Aerodactyl, for once, didn't fool around. With a powerful flap of its wings, it lifted Liam into the sky and sped toward the smoke-filled battlefield.
...….
Down below, at the foot of the mountain, a once-functional camp was now in ruins. Takeshi was directing his two Fearow in defending against the attackers.
The group attacking Team Rocket appeared to be the Hunter Squad from the Johto Region. They came in large numbers with Pokémon like Houndour, Ledyba, and Murkrow, and launched a fierce assault on the temporary Rocket camp.
Beside Takeshi stood other Rocket members in black uniforms, all of whom had released their Pokémon. Machoke, Golbat, and Magnemite were locked in fierce battle with the invaders.
"Captain! There are too many of them! You should lead everyone in retreat! Let us hold them off!"
Seeing the overwhelming number of enemies, a Rocket grunt wearing a black blindfold and commanding a Magnemite turned to Takeshi and shouted.
"Enough! All of you, retreat now! Our Vortex Leader has already arrived at Mt. Silver! Go find him — he'll protect you! I'll hold them off here! Bastards! Taste this! Fearow, use Hyper Beam in turns!"
"Caw!"
At Takeshi's command, both of his Fearow returned to his side. One opened its beak wide, rapidly gathering energy, then fired a moderately sized Hyper Beam straight toward the incoming Hunters. The beam exploded in front of the opposing Pokémon, halting their advance for the moment.
"Houndoom, Flamethrower! Magcargo, Flamethrower! Ariados, use Poison Sting!"
Just as Takeshi succeeded with one strike and was about to have his other Fearow attack, three squad leaders from the opposing side charged in with their Pokémon and unleashed a wave of attacks.
"Houn!"
"Gooo!"
"Dos!"
Two Flamethrowers instantly blasted the Fearow before they could dodge, sending them flying. Ariados's Poison Sting zipped toward Takeshi — danger loomed!
"Aerodactyl, use Tailwind!"
At the last second, a commanding shout rang out from above. A powerful gust swept through the battlefield, dispersing the Flamethrower and Poison Sting attacks. Everyone looked up in surprise to see a gray-winged Pokémon overhead.
"Raaaargh!"
With Tailwind active, Aerodactyl's speed soared. In a blink, it descended and landed in front of Takeshi with a massive roar.
Liam's sudden appearance caught the Hunter Squad completely off guard. One of the squad leaders, the Ariados user, hesitated and stepped forward, as if to speak — only to be cut off by Liam raising a hand.
"No need for words. You're the enemy — that's all I need to know. Aerodactyl, use Hyper Beam!"
"Raaa!"
Liam had no intention of wasting time. Without hesitation, he gave the order.
Aerodactyl happily obeyed. It opened its gaping jaws, gathered powerful energy in mere seconds, and blasted it at the enemy squad.
"Dodge it! Ariados, Night Shade! Houndoom, use Inferno! Magcargo—keep using Flamethrower!"
The three squad leaders quickly counterattacked. The three moves intertwined to block the incoming Hyper Beam, but even so, they couldn't fully stop it. The beam pushed through their defenses, drawing dangerously close to the Hunter Squad.
Just then—
"Gyarados, use Hyper Beam!"
From the forest came a calm, low shout. A Hyper Beam shot out from the woods and collided with Aerodactyl's beam mid-air. The resulting explosion produced thick black smoke, obscuring everyone's vision.
"Retreat."
"Yes, sir!"
The voice echoed again from the forest, and the Hunter Squad quickly withdrew. By the time Aerodactyl fanned away the smoke, there was no trace of the enemy — only a battlefield in ruins that testified to the intensity of the earlier clash.