Drake, Norman, and Glacia had yet to appear.
Meanwhile, Steven, Phoebe, and Wallace had already fully joined the war.
Many lay defeated at their feet.
When Cain appeared, the three of them immediately moved toward him while commanding their Pokémon.
"Cain, you made it out—what about that man?" asked Steven. His usually immaculate suit was now slightly disheveled, and his Pokémon were all somewhat battered.
Cain shook his head, offering few details. "He's dead. I'll heal his Pokémon first. Hold out a bit longer—I'll try to bring everyone back."
Saying this, he pulled several special pills from his pocket and distributed them among them. Then he had Florges release Grassy Terrain for emergency healing.
The three said no more. They took the pills, fed them to their Pokémon, and placed the most severely injured within the effect zone of Grassy Terrain.
Right there, Cain closed his eyes, linking with the Unown to sense nearby alternate spaces.
That kind of spatial fluctuation would be hard to detect on his own, but for the Unown, it was like searching for a spring of water—much simpler.
"Found it!" Cain's eyes lit up. His right hand, covered in spatial ripples, traced through the air, tearing open a dimensional rift. Inside appeared Norman—alongside a man in a silver coat.
That man had clearly underestimated Norman's strength, for he had already been captured.
Norman, however, couldn't leave until Cain opened the alternate space.
With a grin, he shoved his prisoner forward and stepped out.
Once outside, he too noticed the brutality of the battlefield. Clapping Cain on the shoulder, he said, "Cain, keep looking for the other two. I'm heading straight into the fight."
Without hesitation, he summoned his Pokémon and charged forward, immediately taking down several members of the Hunter Guild.
Seeing Norman appear in the fray, Old Cassius grimaced.
Cain repeated the process and soon found Glacia as well, freeing her.
Just like Norman, the person restraining her had been captured.
After thanking him, Glacia joined the battle without hesitation, and the League quickly gained overwhelming advantage.
Finally, Cain spent much more time locating Drake. The moment he tore open the spatial rift, a surge of Dragon-type energy burst forth.
Peering inside, he saw a woman in a silver coat commanding Latias and Latios, along with other Pokémon, fighting evenly against Drake. It was impossible to tell who held the upper hand.
When her space was forcibly opened, the woman noticed immediately.
Her gaze locked onto Cain's, filled with curiosity.
"Sir Drake!" Cain shouted.
Focused on the battle, Drake was delighted to see him. He and his Pokémon rushed toward the rift and emerged.
But upon seeing the carnage in the forest, his expression darkened.
Everything was the fault of those silver-coated figures. If they hadn't appeared, the war would have been an absolute victory for the League.
Right after Drake came out, the woman followed, riding on Latios and Latias, hovering in midair.
Her eyes remained fixed on Cain, her curiosity growing stronger.
As for the bloody battlefield and Drake, she ignored them completely.
With Norman and Glacia's arrival, Old Cassius was already overwhelmed. Seeing Drake as well, he turned pale with fear.
Pointing at the woman in the silver coat, he roared, "What the hell are you doing!? You couldn't even stop one of them! What about your damn agreement!?"
His shout seemed to snap her out of her thoughts. She glanced at him indifferently, dismissing him entirely.
Then she lowered her gaze toward her two captured subordinates.
Her expression turned icy cold—without the slightest hint of surprise at their defeat.
With a simple gesture, both of them groaned and collapsed, bleeding from every orifice.
Cain frowned.
Once again—methods of the Sacred Church.
The woman looked deeply at Cain once more, as if wanting to etch him into her memory.
Then, along with her Pokémon, she vanished without a trace.
Old Cassius stared after her, dumbfounded, at a loss for words.
Her departure served as a signal—the men he had summoned began fleeing in all directions.
But now, with Drake enraged and the League members present, how could they possibly escape?
Including Cassius himself and all the members of the Hunter Guild, they were captured without exception.
Thus ended the two major incidents sparked by the sudden actions of Team Magma and Team Aqua.
As for the uprisings in the various cities, after these two victories they no longer posed a serious threat.
However, what should have been a straightforward operation against the Hunter Guild turned into a massacre, due to the unexpected appearance of those mysterious individuals.
Of the more than six hundred regular League soldiers, fewer than three hundred emerged without major injury—and among those, many had lost or seen their Pokémon wounded.
On the frontlines, over a hundred had fallen, and around two hundred were injured. The Pokémon casualties were countless.
It could be said that this was the greatest loss in the Hoenn League's history since its founding.
From the League headquarters, Juan felt not only deep sorrow but also regret over his hasty decision.
...
The League forces returned.
The detachments from Meteor Falls and the forest near Slateport City came back together.
Juan and the League's high command welcomed the survivors in the central plaza of headquarters, along with the urns of the fallen heroes. Their names would be engraved on the League's monument.
The return was broadcast live across the region, to show every faction the strength of the Hoenn League.
Juan delivered an impassioned speech, explaining the causes of the two incidents, the hard-won achievements, expressing condolences to the fallen, and especially praising the League's young generation—with Cain at the forefront.
With that, this chapter officially came to a close.
After the speech and a brief round of press questions, the League's high command began another urgent meeting.
They discussed the sudden rise of Team Magma and Team Aqua, the Hunter Guild's invasion, the identity and motives of those mysterious, oddly dressed figures, and how to handle the prisoners.
(End of Chapter)