The group soon arrived at a platform.
"I'll handle this." A scholarly-looking man with glasses stepped forward.
"Porygon, infiltrate the system and open it."
He tossed a Poké Ball.
Out came a sharply angular, red-and-blue Pokémon—Porygon, also known as the Virtual Pokémon.
In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a stream of data and merged into a hidden control computer within the steel wall.
This was the unique ability of Porygon, an artificial, man-made Pokémon.
Because its body was composed of programming code, it could freely move through cyberspace and perform operations far more advanced than any human hacker.
For many reasons, Porygon was extremely rare and only found in the possession of a very small number of people.
"Kelala."
Before long, the platform unlocked, and an elevator revealed itself.
Looker frowned slightly.
"The weight capacity isn't great. If it's carrying large Pokémon, seven or eight at most is the limit. Space, however, shouldn't be an issue."
Porygon's Trainer checked the readings on his computer and confirmed.
"How far down is it from here?" Looker asked.
"At the elevator's fixed speed, a round trip would take about seven minutes. If we push it to maximum load, just the descent would still take four minutes."
"Tch. Then… same old routine?" Looker glanced at the other Trainers.
Same old routine? Silas and several of the younger Trainers were confused.
"Just follow along," someone reassured them.
This was one of those things you'd understand simply by watching.
Six people remained above to stand guard. The remaining twenty-seven, including Silas, stepped onto the elevator and began their descent.
The speed was unusually slow, with Porygon handling the controls.
Five minutes later—
Below, inside the underground research facility, Team Rocket grunts had already lined up in formation, releasing their Pokémon in front of them. They stood ready in strict defensive positions, still wondering why their enemies were taking so long to arrive.
BANG! A thunderous metallic crash rang out.
The next instant—
"Aggron, smash through them!"
With a mighty roar, the elevator doors were blasted apart as a massive steel monster, glowing with white light, tore its way out. It left behind a jagged hole more than two meters tall.
"Charizard, Steel Wing!"
"Nidoking, Horn Attack!"
"Golem, Defense Curl into Rollout!"
Charging close behind were three slightly smaller Pokémon, but their momentum was no less ferocious.
Each struck from a different angle and height, smashing straight toward the enemy.
"Golduck, three Butterfree, Hypno, two Kadabra—use Psychic to assist!"
Further back, seven Psychic-type Pokémon advanced, eyes glowing with a bluish-purple psychic light.
"Venusaur, Servine—Grassy Terrain!"
Green waves of energy swept outward from the elevator, spreading across the battlefield until they reached the rear of Aggron's combat zone.
"Squad One! Use Harden, Protect, Sand Tomb, and other moves to weaken their charge!
Squad Three! Water-types, form a blockade!
Squad Two! Attack freely!"
The Team Rocket commander's reaction was swift.
This wasn't their first clash with the League. They knew well that the underground labs were easy to defend and hard to attack, and the League's methods were always predictable.
Preparations had already been made.
Unlike the League Trainers, who fought mostly as individuals with only occasional support, Team Rocket's forces were organized into specialized squads.
The commander gave orders in rapid succession.
In the front, over a dozen Pokémon formed two ranks. Some glowed brightly as they braced themselves in place; others erected shimmering green barriers.
Several Ground- and Grass-types began setting traps—Sand Tombs and binding vines.
Moves like Protect and Grass Knot weren't skills that just any Pokémon could naturally use, but they were highly effective at halting enemy charges. Without them, the League's forces would have broken through much more easily.
Behind them stood more than a dozen Water-types, gathering energy in preparation for a barrage.
Most of Kanto's heavy, charging Pokémon were notoriously weak to Water-type attacks.
And Water-types? They were plentiful and easy to field.
Every strong offensive push by the League always ran into this troublesome wall of elemental disadvantage.
The third wave of Rocket Pokémon was a chaotic mix: Beedrill, Arbok, Weezing, Raticate, Golbat, and many more.
The entire tunnel, both ground and air, was packed with Pokémon.
Aggron and its three allies crashed into the Rocket formation.
Given the sheer difference in strength, the binding and restricting moves barely made a dent.
The bright green terrain energy gradually dissipated.
The four heavy Pokémon were quickly encircled.
Fortunately, due to the confined space, they weren't overwhelmed by sheer numbers all at once.
Even when long-range attacks rained down from Rocket's rear ranks, they weren't left completely isolated.
"Three Bellossom, Venusaur, Flareon—Sunny Day!"
"Blaziken, Sandslash, Poliwrath, Machamp, Cloyster—prepare to attack!"
Brilliant orbs of light floated upward, bathing the underground passage in dazzling sunlight.
The oppressive darkness of the subterranean lab vanished, replaced by a warm, radiant glow.
At the same time, Water-type moves were drastically weakened.
After layers of Psychic interference, move cancellations, and counterattacks, the Water-type damage that reached the front-line heavy hitters was reduced to the bare minimum.
The entire research facility's passageway erupted into chaos.
Seventy to eighty Pokémon clashed at once, filling the tunnel with a frenzy of attacks. Blinding flashes of multicolored energy lit up the battlefield nonstop.
"Split up and deal with them individually," Looker commanded, pulling a piece of cloth from his pocket.
"Interpol Gadget No. 2—Invisibility Cloth!!"
With his signature catchphrase, his figure vanished into thin air.
The others paid him no mind, continuing to direct their Pokémon in relentless combat.
Time passed, and under careful control, both the League's and Rocket's Pokémon were gradually forced into smaller, separate chambers branching off from the main tunnel.
"Finally, we can fight without holding back," one Trainer muttered, voicing what they were all thinking.
Unlike Team Rocket, who didn't care about friendly fire, the League's Trainers had been fighting under immense strain.
Every command to their Pokémon carried the constant worry of accidentally harming an ally. Every time a move was unleashed, their nerves tensed, terrified a Fire-type blast might hit one of their own Grass-types.
Still, thanks to this caution, they managed to split the battlefield in such cramped conditions, even when fighting nearly two-to-one.
Many Rocket Pokémon hadn't even fallen to League attacks but instead were brought down by their own allies' crossfire.
"Well then, everyone—good luck."
A burly man bared his teeth in a grin that was almost painful to look at. With that, his agile figure darted into one of the side chambers where his Pokémon were battling.
The rest of the group hurried to depart as well. This was no time for modesty—after all, credit and merit would be tallied after the mission.
Silas released his Gigalith, allowing his Servine to ride on its back.
It wasn't that Gigalith couldn't charge into the fray earlier—rather, its strength was a little weaker compared to the four heavy-hitting Pokémon that had led the charge, and it also took up more space. There was no need to force it onto the field prematurely.
But now that the battle had split into smaller, isolated skirmishes, Gigalith was the perfect shield.
The moment it appeared, Gigalith stirred up a swirling sandstorm around its body.
Silas calmly pulled on his mask.
With the dense wall of sand blocking sight, opponents outside couldn't see either him or his Pokémon. Wide-area attacks could theoretically break through, but they required too much time to charge up.
And in the chaos of the battlefield, no Pokémon had the luxury of standing still to prepare a charged attack—anyone who tried would just become a sitting target.
Thus, in a way no ordinary person could even imagine, Silas strode into one of the side chambers, cloaked by the storm.
Only four species of Pokémon possessed the ability Sand Stream: the pseudo-legendary Tyranitar, Gigalith, and the desert dwellers Hippopotas and Hippowdon.
Without exception, none of them were easy to obtain.
Tyranitar was a pseudo-legendary—its rarity and difficulty went without saying. Gigalith was another case: its pre-evolution Roggenrola and Boldore didn't always have Sturdy—many instead had the ability Weak Armor, meaning even if they evolved, they couldn't become Sand Stream users.
Silas knew well that a Roggenrola line with Weak Armor was incredibly rare. After all, that ability contradicted its naturally rock-solid body. Though it was classified as a secondary ability, its occurrence rate was closer to that of a Hidden Ability.
In fact, among most Pokémon with thick armor or protective shells, Weak Armor really did exist only as a Hidden Ability. Roggenrola and Boldore were one of the few major exceptions.
As for Hippopotas and Hippowdon—they were rarer still, since they lived deep in unforgiving deserts, were hot-tempered, and had plenty of dangerous neighbors. With their strength, plus the peril of their environment, deserts became a forbidden zone many trainers didn't dare tread.
"When I get myself a Tyranitar, I'll stroll around like this too."
One League trainer muttered to himself enviously.
His teammates who hadn't yet left shot him odd looks.
Morning already, and he was still dreaming?
According to League statistics, the number of trainers who actually possessed pseudo-legendary Pokémon was pitifully low compared to the total population. Even if you only compared against officially registered trainers, the ratio was embarrassingly small.
In fact, among the very few Elite Four–level trainers across regions, many of them didn't even have a pseudo-legendary on their roster.
And this guy was an Elite-level trainer? What a joke.
Silas didn't care what others outside were thinking—he didn't have the time to.
The moment he stepped into the room, two waiting Team Rocket grunts, though surprised, immediately launched their attack at him and Gigalith.
As for his Blaziken, it was already tied down by four enemy Pokémon outside.
Thankfully, Gigalith was always there to shield him.
Ding!
A sharp metallic sound rang out.
Gigalith had raised Iron Defense, blocking both a spray of toxic needles and a jet of venom.
From atop its back, Servine's small face grew serious, its body glowing green as it quickly restored Gigalith's lost stamina with Leech Seed energy absorption.
"Blaziken, use Flare Blitz on that Weezing!"
The sandstorm paused for a heartbeat, giving Silas a clear view of the battlefield. He wasted no time directing his Pokémon.
The two Rocket members' faces immediately twisted. Was this League trainer insane? Attacking Weezing head-on—did he want to blow up the entire room?!
They didn't dare gamble on whether their Weezing's volatile gases would ignite and explode upon contact with fire.
Even if the opponent had some countermeasure, their own lives would certainly be forfeit.
One of them hastily recalled his Weezing.
But without Weezing to restrain it, Blaziken was free to fight without holding back.
Moments earlier, it had been hesitating, afraid of causing a catastrophic explosion and injuring itself. But now with Silas's support, it no longer had any reservations.
Flames cloaked its body as it braced its right leg against the ground.
Whoosh!
In the next heartbeat, it crashed straight into the opposing Parasect.
When it came to picking targets, you always chose the weakest link. The Rockets thought the same.
And Parasect, with its 4x (even 5x in practical terms) weakness to Fire-type attacks, was the perfect victim.
Boom!
Caught completely off guard, Parasect was sent flying, slammed against the wall, its body still flickering with flames as it fell into a Burn state.
It didn't even manage a scream before collapsing, knocked out instantly.
"Gyaaahhh!"
At the same time, an eerie, chilling Pokémon cry echoed from outside.
....
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