An hour passed.
The battlefield had already undergone quite a few changes.
For example, Steven had defeated Tabitha, successfully freeing himself.
Phoebe and Wallace were also about to finish their battles.
The two who were blocking Cain hadn't gained any advantage—in fact, thanks to Magearna's healing, Cain had already taken the lead.
If it weren't because he wanted to polish Tyranitar and the others' combat techniques, as well as the basic tactics of the Sandstorm team, he would've finished those two off long ago.
At that moment, Steven was having his Pokémon treated; as soon as he was done, he could rejoin the battle, and then the situation on the battlefield would drastically shift, with the League holding an absolute advantage.
However, things never go as one wishes: something unexpected happened.
"!!!I found it!!!" With someone's sudden shout, many turned to look.
It was a middle-aged man—thin, dressed like an archaeologist, covered in dust and dirt—holding in his hands two stones that shone together with a glowing light.
One red and one blue!
The Red Orb and the Blue Orb!
Professor Cozmo had finally found the Blue Orb and the Red Orb, right when the battle was at its peak and the League had the upper hand.
But he didn't have much time to rejoice—suddenly, two Officers who had been following him under their leaders' orders attacked.
Throughout the chaos inside the cave, they hadn't interfered, because their mission was clear: watch Professor Cozmo, and the moment he found the orbs—snatch them.
One of them managed to grab one of the orbs.
Because of how Professor Cozmo was holding them, they could only take the one closer to them.
Team Aqua got the Red Orb, while Team Magma took the Blue Orb.
At the very instant the orbs were discovered, the alliance between Team Magma and Team Aqua officially broke apart.
Maxie immediately lost control and, along with his Pokémon, lunged toward the Team Aqua Officer holding the Red Orb. Archie, on the other hand, with great effort managed to break free from Drake's blockade and charged at the Team Magma Officer carrying the Blue Orb.
In both their eyes, only the two orbs existed now. Team Magma, Team Aqua, even the League—they no longer mattered.
Meanwhile, Shelly—who had been defeated by Cain and knocked out for a while—was hiding in a corner, observing the scene.
She saw the Blue Orb... exactly the same as the one she had seen in her dreams.
She froze on the spot.
Was it really identical to her vision?! Could that earlier dream truly have been a prophecy?
Archie and Maxie, like madmen, fought over the two orbs. Who would dare step between them?
The two Officers obeyed and released those heavy stones, not even knowing their true purpose.
Maxie held the Red Orb, which radiated a crimson glow; Archie stared at the Blue Orb in his hands. Though their faces were different, the same flames of greed and ecstasy burned in both their eyes.
"Team Magma, retreat!"
"Team Aqua, we're leaving!"
They shouted almost at the same time.
In an instant, those who could break free from their opponents withdrew, though most couldn't escape, including several Officers.
"Shelly, what are you doing just standing there? Hurry up!" At that moment, Archie noticed Shelly, standing in the corner, looking a bit battered.
Although he was angry that she had lost to Cain, he knew it was actually because Cain's Kommo-o had seriously injured several of her Pokémon at the start of the battle. That was why she couldn't defeat Cain. Others he would have abandoned without hesitation, but he didn't want to leave the three Team Aqua Executives behind.
Maxie's Mightyena was also carrying the unconscious Tabitha.
In comparison, Maxie had it easier against Norman than Archie did against Drake, so he managed to rescue Tabitha before retreating.
In the end, only about a tenth of their forces managed to regroup; the majority were pinned down, and others had fallen since the beginning.
Even so, the two leaders acted in perfect sync. They summoned two Alakazam that had already been prepared, made them swallow an unknown item, and immediately, the pressure from both Pokémon began to skyrocket. Violent psychic energy radiated from their bodies.
"Let's go!"
With two sharp cries, the Alakazam used Teleport simultaneously—and vanished.
"Cain!!" Seeing this, Drake—still held back by three of Archie's remaining Pokémon—roared with all his might.
Not just him—Norman too was being blocked by three of Maxie's Pokémon sacrificing themselves to buy time.
That was the price they paid to free themselves from Drake and Norman, a cost they had already anticipated.
The others who managed to escape did so under the same conditions.
However, the two enemies in front of Cain didn't have a chance to flee. As soon as he noticed the situation, Cain ordered Drapion and Slowking to join the fight, immediately finishing off the exhausted foes.
"Got it!!"
Understanding what Drake meant, Cain shouted loudly and placed his hand on Slowking's back.
If there was anyone who could stop the enemy's Teleport—it was Cain and his Slowking.
Boom!
Veins bulged on Slowking's forehead as sweat streamed down Cain's face.
Suddenly, several people fell from the cave ceiling, disoriented, and were immediately captured by the nearest League members.
Cain and Slowking opened their eyes at the same time, panting, a trace of frustration reflected in both their gazes.
They hadn't been able to stop them!
At the fastest speed possible, Drake disposed of Archie's three Pokémon and stood beside Cain—but when he saw only a few grunts who had fallen from above, he understood the result.
"What happened?" asked Norman, approaching after finishing off his own opponents.
Cain slowly shook his head.
"Elite-level Alakazam. Normally, with my psychic power combined with Slowking's, we could've blocked them."
"But I don't know what they were made to eat... they forced a massive spike in power, at the cost of burning through their own lives. All we managed to stop were a few insignificant subordinates."
After a brief silence, Cain spoke again: "I can feel the life force of those two Alakazam fading quickly. Most likely, this Teleport was the last thing they'll ever do."
"Damn it!" Drake couldn't help but curse.
No one knew whether it was out of anger for the Alakazam's deaths, or for the enemies' escape—or both.
Victory had been within reach, and right then, they had found what they were looking for.
"Don't be upset, Mr. Drake. Actually, I think this might be the best possible outcome." Norman calmly consoled him.
Drake exhaled deeply. Of course he understood—maybe it really was for the best... but that didn't make it any easier to accept.
(End of chapter)