TN: (Guys, I change the Volcano Keystone to Volcanic Keystone.)
The coastal town belonging to Meteor City.
At this very moment, an intense and violent battle was underway.
The Grand Sorcerer stood atop a cliff, gazing down at the battlefield below, his eyes occasionally drifting toward the distant city walls.
In order to defend against threats from the sea, this coastal town had erected sturdy defensive walls. Large numbers of knights could be seen stationed along the ramparts, standing guard.
Below the walls, countless red, lobster-shaped Pokémon were launching a fierce assault on the town. Golden five-pointed stars gleamed atop their heads, while powerful Hydro Pumps erupted from their thick, twin claws. They were none other than the ocean ruffians—Crawdaunt.
At the same time, one could see massive rocks being hurled skyward from atop the walls. However, before they could even land, they were blasted into fragments by Crawdaunt's Hydro Pump.
"Grand Sorcerer, when do we make our move?" Ghostshade, Ghostfire, and Frostghost stood beside him.
Their gazes were fixed upon the battlefield in the distance, watching as Crawdaunt continued to fall one after another.
"Wait a little longer," the Grand Sorcerer said calmly. "We'll wait for the Lord of Meteor City to arrive."
"The location of the Volcanic Keystone is known only to him. We must ensure that he is captured alive."
The Grand Sorcerer slowly closed his eyes, utterly unhurried. With the strength currently at their disposal, flattening the town before them would take only moments.
For now, there was no need to reveal their trump cards. This town was merely bait—bait meant to lure the Lord of Meteor City into the open so their plan could be executed.
As for what if the Lord of Meteor City never came?
Then they would simply continue advancing inland. The Grand Sorcerer did not believe that such a warlike city lord would be able to restrain himself indefinitely.
Whoosh—
At that moment, a chilling wind suddenly swept through the air.
A Mismagius appeared silently beside the Grand Sorcerer, blue light flickering within its eyes.
"So, you've finally arrived?" The Grand Sorcerer's gaze sharpened.
He raised the black crystal in his hand. Thick black mist surged forth from the crystal and flowed directly into Mismagius' body.
"Maa~ Maaa~"
A look of bliss appeared on Mismagius' face as it absorbed all of the black mist.
Immediately afterward, its aura began to surge rapidly. The dark energy surrounding its body became far more solid and oppressive.
"Now is the time. Let's move."
As his words fell, the figures of Mismagius, Gengar, Froslass, and Chandelure vanished from their spots simultaneously.
Mismagius had already locked onto its target's aura. Even if the target was hiding within the city, they would still be able to locate him swiftly.
At this time, within the knight camp inside the town, the Lord of Meteor City—dressed in full armor—arrived among the knights with his Infernape at his side.
"The Lord has arrived!"
"Long live the Lord! Long live the Lord of Meteor City!"
The knights were instantly invigorated. Raising their swords high, they erupted into loud cheers.
Meteor City had often suffered invasions from other territories, and each time, their city lord personally took to the battlefield, leading the knights in a charge to crush the enemy.
They firmly believed that this time would be no different. As long as their lord had arrived, victory would surely belong to Meteor City!
"Now… it is time for the counterattack," the Lord of Meteor City said, highly satisfied with the knights' reaction.
Standing atop the high platform, he raised the Meteorite Sword in his hand, continuing to stir the fighting spirit of the knights below as they prepared for the coming clash.
But at that very moment, an eerie wind suddenly swept through the entire knight camp.
Immediately afterward, the sky above the camp grew dark and oppressive, as though it were about to collapse down upon them.
"What's happening?" The knights all looked up in confusion.
Before they could discern anything amiss, a terrifying psychic pressure suddenly descended upon the area.
In the next instant, four figures abruptly appeared atop the platform, positioned in four directions, completely surrounding the Lord of Meteor City.
"Who goes there?" The city lord's brows furrowed.
However, having seen countless storms before, he did not panic. He remained where he was, while Infernape stepped forward, positioning itself in front of him protectively.
Whoooosh—
A Chandelure wreathed entirely in flames slowly floated forward.
Since the opponent this time was one who wielded fire, it was naturally Chandelure's battlefield. Flames were its greatest delight.
"FEEER!"
Infernape's eyes sharpened. Flames ignited around its fists as it threw a powerful punch through the air.
Instantly, the flames transformed into a roaring fire dragon that surged forth from Infernape's fist, swallowing Chandelure whole.
Seeing his attack land squarely, Infernape's eyes flashed with disdain. There was no opponent that could take one of his punches head-on and emerge unscathed!
Whoooosh—
But in the very next moment, the blazing flames in midair suddenly reversed direction.
From within the fire emerged Chandelure's figure. The flames flowed around its body before being completely absorbed into it, failing to pose the slightest threat.
This was Chandelure's Flash Fire ability—no flames could harm it. On the contrary, fire only served to strengthen its power.
"FEER!"
Shock flashed across Infernape's eyes.
Recovering instantly, it lunged forward, clenching its fists and striking directly at Chandelure.
Flames surged violently, yet when the attack connected, it passed straight through Chandelure's body, unable to inflict any damage whatsoever!
"What's going on? Why can't Infernape hit it?" The Lord of Meteor City finally lost his composure.
Watching the battle unfold, he was horrified to realize that his Infernape was completely at a disadvantage, being utterly suppressed.
Meanwhile, the three remaining figures had yet to make a move—but the sheer aura they emitted alone was enough to drive people to despair.
"How is this possible? All four of them… are King-level magical beasts?" The knights below finally understood what was happening, disbelief written across every face.
A deep sense of despair followed immediately. In such a situation, how were they supposed to fight? Four King-level magical beasts—was that truly something they could resist?
"Who are you people? And what is your purpose in attacking Meteor City?" The city lord asked, his expression remaining relatively calm.
He had already realized that the force attacking Meteor City was far beyond what his city could oppose. Such a powerful faction would not come here without seeking something.
"It seems you're quite perceptive," Mismagius floated forward, stopping in front of the city lord. Blue light shimmered in its eyes as it directly communicated with the human before it.
"Our objective is very simple. Hand over the Volcanic Keystone, and we will immediately leave this place."
Upon hearing those words, the Lord of Meteor City frowned slightly.
What was the Volcanic Keystone?
Why had he never even heard of such an object before?
(End of Chapter)