N's Power

For the Poison Skull Team, the worst part wasn't the giant beast that had descended from nowhere and wiped out the squad they'd sent.

It was that, after their officers and underlings were captured, their Pokémon had openly switched sides!

"Damn it! What did they do to them?"

A Poison Skull Team officer stopped at the boundary between territories and glared ahead.

Beyond the guarded intersection and a huge, mysterious pit, the Skorupi and Stunky that had once belonged to the Poison Skull Team were playing with a crowd of human children.

They might have looked harmless now, but the moment anyone from the Poison Skull Team tried to cross, they would form a defensive line.

Every one of them would unleash poisonous gas and Poison Sting without hesitation.

The Stunky were especially troublesome. With a little spark, the poisonous gas they sprayed turned into a flamethrower!

A whole row of flames had left the team scrambling. They'd tried to copy the trick afterward, but never managed it, as though there were some decisive difference between the Pokémon on each side.

If it had only been the Stunky, that would have been one thing.

The Poison Skull Team knew a terrifying Giant Steelix was lurking underground. A single breath from him could send people and vehicles flying more than ten meters, and when he charged, he was more frightening than a construction truck at full speed.

Trainers like them, who specialized in Poison-type Pokémon, were no match for him.

"Monster Wood..."

Remembering that dreadful experience, many Poison Skull Team grunts refused to go back and get themselves killed. Even ten extra lives wouldn't be enough.

The team's leaders had headaches of their own. They'd meant to pick the softest target first, only to run straight into a hard one.

But