Flames filled the corridor. Bai Chen pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Come out, Articuno! Use Powder Snow."
Articuno beat its wings, bringing an intense cold that instantly snuffed out the fires.
Articuno? Steven Stone stared in disbelief. He truly hadn't expected Bai Chen to possess a Legendary Pokémon.
"The power system is down, and the fire suppression didn't trigger," Steven noted. "I'll find a way to restore the electricity; I'll leave the rescuing to you."
With Articuno's help, rescuing survivors would be significantly easier.
"Leave it to me," Bai Chen replied.
"I'll catch up once the power is back on." Steven and Bai Chen parted ways at the corridor's junction.
Bai Chen watched Steven disappear around the corner and whispered, "Restoring power should be quick."
He had used a Fire Soul Bomb to destroy the main power source, but the backup system was only suffering from a software glitch in the smart controls.
Once Steven manually bypassed it, the chaos in the base would subside. As for casualties, Bai Chen had controlled the blast radius strictly. In his estimation, no one would die, though he felt little guilt for these "villains" who were planning to bring disaster to Kalos anyway.
"Mr. Bai, let's go save people!" The kind-hearted Lillie urged him.
"Before we save people, let's save the future of Kalos first." Bai Chen placed his hand on Lillie's shoulder and, along with Articuno, teleported them to a new lab.
"Teleportation?"
Bai Chen released Moltres, whose fiery body immediately illuminated the dark room. Lillie looked around, confused. This lab was pristine, showing no signs of the attack. In the center of the room stood a massive transplanted tree enclosed in a giant glass vat.
"Where are we?" Lillie asked.
Bai Chen walked to the vat. Inside were small, green cellular organisms. "Are these Pokémon?" she asked tentatively.
"They are, and legendary ones at that," Bai Chen explained, smiling at the Zygarde Core within. "Looks like I'm just in time. You haven't been controlled yet."
Zygarde (Z1) looked at Bai Chen through the glass. Though he was being rescued, his expression remained tense. He felt an extraordinary power radiating from the man.
"Thank you for honoring the contract," Z1's body pulsed with green light as he spoke telepathically.
"No problem. Though, as you know, rescue isn't free."
Bai Chen shattered the glass and freed Z1. He then tossed a Fire Soul Bomb into the room, preparing to erase all evidence of the lab. He held out a Poké Ball. "Come on, get in. Be a good boy."
Z1 flared with anger. "Are you betraying our agreement?!"
"I'll keep my word. But Team Flare has devices to track you. If I just carry you around, they'll find us in minutes."
"Can't you just teleport out?"
"Tch." Bai Chen clicked his tongue, caught in his lie.
"You WERE trying to trick me!"
Bai Chen explained shamelessly, "I'm not tricking you. I'm staying here for a while, and I can't let you wander off. If you run away, I might never find you again."
"I have never broken an oath since ancient times. If I say I will help you, I will."
"I've never worked with you before. How should I know?"
"If there is no trust, there is no need to continue this cooperation," Z1 said regretfully.
"You're the one who doesn't trust me," Bai Chen said, standing up. "Ask Moltres and Articuno. I captured them in Kalos, and we have an agreement. If I break it, they'll side with you."
Z1 looked at the two birds. As the guardian of Kalos, he knew them well. The birds nodded in unison, affirming Bai Chen's honesty regarding his contracts.
"Don't worry," Bai Chen added. "Once I'm safely out, I'll destroy the Poké Ball and release you."
Z1 hesitated for a moment before jumping up and bopping the button on the ball, disappearing inside. Bai Chen looked at the Poké Ball in his hand. He wouldn't break his promise, but this was a crucial first step in truly "recruiting" the guardian of order.
Lillie asked for an explanation. Bai Chen simplified it: "Lysandre wanted to control Zygarde to destroy Kalos. Imagine if someone tried to control Necrozma to destroy Alola."
Lillie understood immediately, though she was baffled that the polite Lysandre could harbor such dark intentions.
As Bai Chen prepared to play the hero and "rescue" the researchers, he suddenly felt a massive surge of energy. Moltres and Articuno shrieked in alarm.
Bai Chen's brow furrowed. "Damn it. Did Team Rocket actually activate the Giant Rock?"
Three minutes earlier, the Team Rocket trio had emerged from their tunnel, feeling triumphant.
"The Giant Rock is ours, meow! Let's call the Boss!" Meowth cheered.
"Wait!" Jessie stopped him. "Before we hand it over, why don't we use it? If it can make Rayquaza Mega Evolve, it can make any Pokémon Mega Evolve! Imagine an army of Mega Pokémon under our command!"
James and Meowth's eyes turned into dollar signs. However, their daydream was cut short by a voice.
"Your dreams are over."
Malva stood before them. She had predicted they would dig their way out and had been waiting on the surface.
"Who's this lady?" Jessie sneered.
James flipped through his "Kalos Guidebook" excitedly. "She's Malva of the Elite Four! A world-famous news reporter! I'm a huge fan!"
Jessie scowled. "She has an annoying face. Wobbuffet, stall her!"
"You aren't going anywhere! Houndoom, Mega Evolve!"
The light of evolution shrouded Houndoom, transforming it into its skeletal Mega form. "Inferno!" Malva commanded. A wall of fire surged toward them.
Wobbuffet used Mirror Coat, reflecting the flames. Mega Houndoom dodged the blast with ease. "Fire Fang!" It lunged, biting into Wobbuffet's round body. Wobbuffet retaliated with Counter, using the physical damage it just took to strike back.
Houndoom was hit hard by its own doubled damage, and, already weakened from its fight with Bai Chen, it was forced out of its Mega form. Wobbuffet also collapsed, unable to take any more punishment.
Malva recalled Houndoom and released her next ace. "Pyroar, use Flamethrower!"
The trio was out of options. They pushed Meowth forward. "Do something, Meowth!"
"I'm not a fighter, meow!" In desperation, Meowth pushed the steel-and-glass casing of the Giant Rock in front of him as a shield.
Crack! The glass couldn't withstand the intense heat of an Elite Four-level Flamethrower. Malva's eyes widened. "Pyroar, stop!"
But it was too late. The glass shattered, and the flames struck the Giant Rock directly.
The Rock reacted. A pulse of prismatic energy erupted, leveling every building within 100 meters and throwing the trio, Malva, and their Pokémon into the air. The Rock began to glow with a light that rivaled the sun and slowly drifted into the sky.
Malva dragged herself out of the rubble, looking at the Rock—now 500 meters in the air—with despair. "That energy... it will call him here! We have to secure it now!"
But the entrance to the lab had been buried by the blast. Suddenly, sirens wailed. Police and firefighters, already on high alert due to the city's disaster warnings, arrived within minutes.
"Injured over here!" Officer Jenny called out. "Miss Malva? What happened?"
Malva looked at the chaos and decided to protect the institute's reputation. "I don't know. There are survivors trapped underground; please focus on them." She then pointed to the sky. "That object is dangerous. It's the source of the disaster. Handle it quickly."
Meanwhile, the Team Rocket trio slipped away into the shadows. They were wanted criminals, after all; they couldn't afford to be caught by Jenny.
On the surface, Bai Chen teleported to the ruins, squinting at the glowing Rock. He released Nebby (Cosmog). "Nebby, take that rock and teleport it back to Alola."
But as Nebby ascended, the sky darkened. Thunder rolled, and the wind howled. An emerald streak flashed through the clouds.
Bai Chen's heart sank. "The Legendary Pokémon... Rayquaza."
He tried to use his system to scan it, but all he got was a string of "???". Whether it was the Rock's interference or Rayquaza's sheer power, he couldn't see its stats. He switched to his Natural Vision; the aura surrounding Rayquaza was dozens of times more intense than his own.
This wasn't an opponent he could defeat at his current level.
"I've pulled a bad hand," he muttered.
Rayquaza's 30-meter-long body coiled around the Giant Rock in the sky like a final boss guarding the ultimate treasure.
Bai Chen's waist pulsed as Z1 let himself out of the Poké Ball. The Core stood beside him, looking up at the dragon. "That Rayquaza is incredibly powerful, even among its own kind," Z1 noted.
Bai Chen looked down at the Core. "Hey, Squishy. That guy is definitely disturbing the order of Kalos. Why don't you go stop him?"
"S-Squishy?" Z1 processed the nickname before retorting, "He is merely bringing a disaster to humans. His threat to the ecosystem of Kalos is near zero. By the rules, I cannot interfere."
"Then I'll use one of my favors. Help me drive him away."
Z1 flatly refused. "I refuse. You have no reason to fight him. Moreover, I cannot defeat him alone. I would need Z2's help."
"I have plenty of reasons to fight."
Bai Chen didn't blame Z1. They had no bond yet, and asking Zygarde to fight Rayquaza was a tall order without its 100% form.
He turned to Cosmog. "Nebby, go fetch my gear."
"Mogu!" Nebby vanished and returned instantly with Bai Chen's armor and his Great Sword.
As Bai Chen strapped on his armor, Z1 tried to stop him. "Are you insane? Let him take the Rock and leave. There is no need for this."
Bai Chen ignored him. He whistled for Indeedee, who returned via teleportation with three heavy bowguns floating behind her.
Bai Chen then released his full team: Nergigante, Valstrax, Zinogre, Kirin, Gravios, and Moltres.
He looked at "Squishy" and said, "Nature is cruel. It's only natural to fight over rare resources, right?"
"Beasts know not to fight enemies they cannot beat. Are you seeking death?"
"Maybe I can't win. But if he wants to take my Rock, he's going to have to bleed for it!"
Bai Chen vaulted onto Valstrax's back, his Great Sword in hand and three telekinetically controlled blades hovering around him. He patted the dragon's neck.
"Let's go. Let's show him what we're made of!"
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