City in Crisis

"Chief, Team Rocket has discovered our plan. Should we still attack?" Officer Jenny Chief reported to Shiba, the bare-chested Elite Four member before her, with a face full of seriousness.

"They were bound to find out. I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly..." Shiba muttered to himself before continuing, "Deploy Team C to support the Pokemon Centers. Team A, stand by where you are. Team B, charge up with me!"

This time, the Pokemon League had mainly deployed three elite teams. There was no difference in strength between them; they had merely been assigned based on geographical proximity.

"Elite Four Shiba, are we really going straight in? There could be an ambush!"

"...There won't be."

Officer Jenny Chief had no time to stop him. Shiba took the lead, with a Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee at his side, and charged straight into Silph Co.

"Move!"

Behind him, the uniformly dressed Team C had been caught off guard and hurriedly followed Elite Four Shiba.

Fifteen Minutes later, when the main force reached the top floor of the building, Shiba stood against the cold wind, squinting into the pitch-black distance.

"Elite Four Shiba..."

"Team Rocket left long ago. We've been played."

"...Yes." Though unwilling to accept it, Officer Jenny still nodded and admitted her mistake. Shiba had been sent by the League as a show of military force, but the actual wartime deployment was her responsibility.

"Elite Four Shiba, Team Rocket couldn't have evacuated everyone in such a short time. A large number of Team Rocket members should still be..."

Boom!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One explosion rang out, followed by explosion sounds erupting across Goldenrod City. Small mushroom clouds rose one after another, and the entire city was affected!

"What's going on?!" Officer Jenny stopped her report and demanded loudly.

"Reporting, Chief! Team Rocket secretly planted Geodude and Graveler along the city's major roads. We just received word that most of them have begun self-destructing!"

A male police officer hurried forward. Compared to Officer Jenny Chief, he appeared somewhat calmer.

"These lunatics! Arrange rescue efforts immediately! Send out Pokemon with Damp to stop the explosions!"

"I'll do it!" Shiba stepped forward, somehow pulled out a Poké Ball, and threw it.

"Croak!"

A yellow-green Politoed appeared before them, clapping its hands. At a full two meters tall, it was twice the height of an ordinary Politoed! "Politoed, Rain Dance! Stop the explosions in this city!" The imposing words coming from Shiba's mouth gave the astonished crowd a trace of hope.

Still clapping its hands, Politoed swaggered over to the side of the building. Looking at Goldenrod City, which was being gradually devastated by explosions occurring from time to time, a blue glint flashed through its dark, round eyes.

Heavy rain enveloped the weather within a hundred meters in an instant, but it was not enough! "Croak!"

Politoed took a huge breath, then a thunderous frog croak spread throughout Goldenrod City. For a time, even the sounds of explosions were drowned out.

"Glub~"

A Magikarp poked its head out of a not-so-clean sewer, its dull eyes staring at the sky as though something were calling to it.

Inside an ordinary residential building, a trembling little boy tightly hugged his only companion, a dim-witted Psyduck. When the frog croak reached them, Psyduck disregarded the little boy's attempts to stop it and walked straight outside! Poliwag, Wooper, Tentacool, Totodile... Whether they were Wild Pokemon hidden in the shadows and living cautiously, or Water-type Pokemon carefully raised by Second Generation Rich heirs, all walked outside without hesitation.

At that moment, Sato was carrying Nurse Joy into a relatively safe underground operating room, using his fairly practiced first-aid skills to treat her wounds.

Suddenly, Carvanha's Poké Ball gave a slight shake. Sato glanced at it but paid it no further attention, only speeding up the movements of his hands.

The other Water-type Pokemon that had emerged all behaved the same way, raising their heads toward the sky as if silently praying for something.

One drop, then two... In less than half a minute, all of Goldenrod City had fallen into heavy rain. Then the Psyduck, Wooper, and Poliwag with Damp began shuttling through the city of their own accord.

The chain explosion had come quickly and ended even faster!

Everyone looked at this somewhat adorably dazed Politoed with disbelief. Rain Dance was not difficult; what was difficult was commanding all the Water-type Pokemon in an entire city to use Rain Dance together! If Sato had been there, he definitely would have thought, Totem Pokemon! Politoed itself, like Slowking, became the king of its group as soon as it evolved! With both factors combined, setting Politoed's strength aside for now, its ability to command Water-type Pokemon was completely like a War Machine! "Elite Four Shiba, is that Politoed Elite Four Lorelei's?" Officer Jenny Chief asked, sounding excited and admiring.

"Mm. I borrowed it from her beforehand. Have you found Team Rocket's base?" Shiba shifted his tone and returned to the main topic.

"There are currently several suspected locations: Silph Factory, Silph Game Corner, and Silph Commercial Plaza," Officer Jenny answered honestly, with a hint of unease.

"Sigh, then hurry up and investigate them." Shiba was a top-tier fighter, but that did not mean he possessed exceptional command ability. He had experienced many wars, and he was somewhat disappointed by the performance of Goldenrod City's police force this time.

As two flowers bloomed, each told its own tale.

While the League's main forces were busy searching and rescuing people, Sato was treating Nurse Joy's urgent injuries.

Meanwhile, Zoroark blended into the panicked crowd, gradually approached the prize exchange area of the Game Corner, and quietly lay in wait.

If not for the large-scale explosions earlier also bombing the Game Corner and causing considerable damage, the Pokemon League would likely have done more than merely suspect it.

In the Game Corner's basement, all of Goldenrod City's Team Rocket members had gathered. In the same battle command hall, a tall, burly man with rough features watched the citywide heavy rain on the projection On The Big Screen with an ugly expression.

"Lord Caesar, all the explosive ambushes have failed. Shall we proceed with the next attack?"

That was right. The overall person in charge of Team Rocket's counterattack plan this time was one of Team Rocket's Four Executives, Dark Caesar!

"Hehehehe... Launch the counterattack!"

"Yes!"

At the order, the Team Rocket members who had long been Ready to Go assembled one after another. They then passed through underground passages and quickly reached designated locations throughout the city. The war had begun! At the Pokemon Center, Sato, who had finished Nurse Joy's emergency treatment, vaguely sensed noisy footsteps coming from above. He summoned Haunter to investigate, and the League personnel he had been waiting for finally arrived.

But immediately afterward, Team Rocket members poured out from the side, catching the League completely off guard!

North of Goldenrod City, the owner of Moomoo Farm and also the Gym Leader of Goldenrod Gym, Master Yasumura, who was nearly seventy years old, commanded five Pokemon still classified as Normal-type: Miltank, Tauros, Clefable, Wigglytuff, and Granbull. He single-handedly blocked thirty official Team Rocket members, clearly showing the extent of his strength!

Team Rocket members appeared in every important location, including the Pokemon League office building, Police Station, and Pokemon Centers!

For a time, smoke and flames rose everywhere!

Thank You to reader Yunhaias for the 100 Book Coin donation, and thank you all for your support!