The Mt. Silver Range stretched across the northern reaches of the Johto Region like the spine of a giant dragon.
Snow that never melted blanketed the entire range in a stark, forbidding silver-white.
The specialized armored vehicle carrying Ye Li had only just entered the outskirts of the range when bone-chilling cold seeped through gaps in its body.
Beyond the windows lay sheer cliffs that looked as though they had been hewn with blades and axes, and bottomless abysses.
The treacherous terrain made it exceptionally difficult for the engineering vehicles to advance.
"Roar!"
Just as the convoy struggled through a narrow valley, a roar brimming with savage fury came from its depths.
Immediately afterward, a sandstorm that blotted out the sky swept over them without warning.
Countless sharp stones mingled with the yellow sand, lashing the armored vehicles like spinning blades and producing a teeth-grating barrage of rattles and cracks.
"It's Tyranitar! They're attacking!"
Apollo's tense shout came over the convoy's communications channel.
"All vehicles, activate your Energy Shields immediately! Hold position and defend!"
Yet there was not the slightest hint of panic on Ye Li's face.
All of this was within his expectations.
"Umbreon, you're up."
The hatch atop the armored vehicle opened, and Ye Li appeared amid the raging sandstorm.
Beside him, Umbreon's black amplification armor gleamed with a cold metallic sheen beneath the dim daylight.
"Use Taunt toward the center of the valley!" Ye Li's voice rang out with exceptional clarity in the howling wind.
Red light flashed in Umbreon's eyes.
The Energy Circuits in its amplification armor activated instantly.
An invisible wave of Dark-type energy, laden with the utmost insult and provocation, spread instantly like ripples from a stone cast into a lake, precisely covering the entire valley.
"Roar!!!"
From within the sandstorm came a roar