Fatigue was written all over Mira's face. Azelf's capture had dealt her a devastating blow, and she could hardly imagine what Aspiration City would be like without Azelf's protection.
Afterward, Fessen and Sutter began briefing the female city lord on the current situation of the Pokémon Domain. When she saw the true strength that the territory had mobilized, shock appeared on her face as well.
Aside from the assembled trainers, an even greater number of Pokémon tribes had gathered from the Pokémon breeding zones, so densely packed that there was no visible end.
"RHYYY! RHY! RHYYYY!"
Rhyperior led a massive group of Rhydon and Rhyhorn, gathered together and ready to charge at any moment.
Unfortunately, there simply hadn't been enough time for Master Makin. Although he had done everything possible to forge the equipment needed for Rhydon to evolve into Rhyperior, he still hadn't managed to finish it before the battle began.
Even so, the Rhydon brought by Rhyperior alone were enough to give everyone an overwhelming sense of security. They would undoubtedly become an unstoppable force on the battlefield.
"Heat! Ran!"
Heatran itself stood beside Rhyperior at this moment.
It already understood that the very same people who had once tried to capture it had returned, and worry was clearly visible on its face.
Seeing this, Rhyperior hurriedly reassured it. As long as it was here, it would never allow the Pokémon Domain to suffer any harm—whether to humans or Pokémon.
"Plume~"
In the distance, Vileplume was also commanding vast numbers of Oddish and Gloom.
After continuous development, the number of Oddish and Gloom had long since reached the tens of thousands, and many Gloom had successfully evolved into Vileplume and Bellossom.
After this battle, the large number of Bellossom that had mastered Grassy Terrain would become the battlefield's medics, providing treatment to fallen companions.
"NIDO! NIDO! NIDO!"
The Nidoking tribe, along with groups such as Drapion, had also completed their preparations.
Their figures were now concealed within a forest, ready to use the potent toxins on their bodies to heavily wound the enemy at any moment.
Even though the opponents this time were guardian deities, if they were struck by massive amounts of poison, they would still fall into a state of severe poisoning.
Poison-type Pokémon had always excelled at fighting opponents above their level. If they could force a guardian deity into a poisoned state, its strength would be greatly weakened as the toxins continuously drained its stamina.
They had absolute confidence in the deadly poisons prepared by Aven. What they lacked now was only an opportunity—an opportunity for those poisons to come into contact with the enemy.
Crack—Crack—Crack!
At that very moment, dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky, plunging the entire heavens into gloom. Accompanied by unceasing thunder and raging winds, it was as if the sky itself were about to collapse.
"They're here!" Mira looked up at the sky, her expression solemn.
As her words fell, figures of Thundurus and Tornadus suddenly appeared within the dark clouds.
"Two guardian deities!" Every trainer present grew grim.
Seeing this, the Pokémon at their sides all stepped forward. Although the enemies they faced this time were indeed unimaginably powerful, they too had reasons they could not retreat.
For their trainers, for the protection of their home, they could not allow themselves to fail. They did not want to return to the kind of life they once had.
"So what if they're guardian deities! With us defending this land, even guardian deities are not allowed to set foot here!" The trainers clenched their fists and roared.
"Since they've already come, there's nothing more to say. Prepare for battle!"
Sutter stepped to the very front of the trainers, and as his voice rang out, all the Pokémon on the field began to gather energy.
At that instant, a bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the sky, blasting straight toward the densest part of the crowd below, clearly intending to clear the field with a single strike.
But just as the lightning struck downward, it abruptly changed direction midair, shooting straight toward the cluster of Rhydon and Rhyhorn in the distance, and slammed directly into that area.
BOOM!
A terrifying explosion echoed out as Rhydon, Rhyhorn, and the others were engulfed by lightning.
An attack at the level of a guardian deity was truly horrifying. Everyone could feel the ground trembling violently beneath their feet, and they instinctively clenched their fists in tension.
"It's fine. Even if the opponent is a guardian deity, an Electric-type attack is still an Electric-type attack."
"All the Rhydon and Rhyhorn are Ground-type. These attacks can't harm them at all!"
The trainers reassured one another. Over this period of time, the Pokémon Domain had already completed widespread education, especially among trainers, all of whom had received basic training.
Type matchups were the most fundamental compulsory lesson for every trainer, and this knowledge eased their nerves somewhat—the type chart would not be wrong.
Moreover, many Rhydon and Rhyhorn possessed the Lightning Rod ability, giving them even greater resistance to Electric-type attacks while also boosting their Special Attack.
BOOM!
After the violent explosion, thick black smoke billowed upward.
Soon after, the figures of Rhydon and Rhyhorn emerged from within the smoke. Just as the trainers had expected, they appeared completely unharmed.
"RHYYYYY!"
Rhyperior let out a thunderous roar.
That bolt of lightning had indeed been powerful, but they were not afraid in the slightest.
As its roar echoed out, countless Rhydon began to gather energy, and in an instant, innumerable sharp stones shot up into the sky.
Whoosh—Whoosh—Whoosh!
In midair, a massive tornado suddenly rose straight from the ground.
The tornadoes collided head-on with the flying stones, brutally shattering them into pieces.
"Heat!"
Heatran looked at its companions with deep emotion.
It knew that they were fighting to protect it, and this realization ignited a surge of power within it as well.
"HEAT! RAN!"
Opening its mouth, terrifying Fire-type energy gathered rapidly, transforming into a fearsome magma storm that blasted forward, dispersing the violent winds formed by Tornadus.
"Plumee!"
The Vileplume on the battlefield also began issuing commands to its companions.
In an instant, Grassy Terrain spread rapidly across the field, and massive Grass-type energy was drawn together.
Using a method similar to a ritual, enormous amounts of Grass-type energy converged toward the leading Vileplume, causing the power radiating from its body to surge dramatically.
At the same time, the Cherrim also made their move. Although they couldn't wrest control of the weather from Thundurus, they could still channel the power of Sunny Day toward Vileplume, causing the flower atop its head to bloom with dazzling light.
Immediately afterward, all the Grass-type Pokémon began gathering solar energy and Grass-type energy. Guided by the ritual power of the Vileplume leader, these energies transformed into beams of sunlight that shot straight into the sky.
Although the individual strength of these Grass-type Pokémon was not great, when all their power was combined, it still unleashed an astonishing level of force, blasting a massive hole straight through the originally pitch-black sky.
At the same time, the other Pokémon on the battlefield also launched their attacks—some coordinating with one another, others striking alone—as countless attacks poured into the sky, shattering the gathered lightning and wind blades.
The power of guardian deities was indeed formidable, but once numbers reached a certain level, even ordinary Pokémon could still hope to defeat them.
"Hehehehehe!"
Inside the Tower of Souls at this moment, large numbers of Ghost-type Pokémon were gathered together.
Most of these Ghost-types had been rescued by Aven during the Beast Tide of the Abyssal Caverns, and in recent times, many more Ghost-type Pokémon had also assembled here.
Sensing the continuous energy fluctuations coming from the distant battlefield, the figure of Mismagius floated upward, waves of psychic power spreading outward from its body.
Now was the time for them to fight for the Pokémon Domain—just as their master had once saved them, now it was time for them to give something back.
As Mismagius's psychic signals spread, countless Ghost-type Pokémon lifted into the air and flew rapidly toward the distant battlefield, forming a black mass that covered the sky.
Soon, these Ghost-type Pokémon arrived at the battlefield. They ignored the fighting below and charged straight toward Thundurus and Tornadus in the sky, Ghost-type energy continuously condensing around them, carrying a sinister aura.
As they rapidly closed in, these Ghost-types locked onto the two guardian deities, their presence drifting outward.
If Aven were here, he would immediately recognize this as the move Curse—a move that uses one's own life force to place a curse on the enemy, directly consuming the opponent's vitality.
Knowing that they could not contend with guardian deities head-on, these Ghost-type Pokémon launched what were essentially suicidal attacks.
In the next instant, the Ghost-types that had used Curse began falling from the sky like dumplings, their life energy growing thin and faint.
Even so, they still used their final strength to unleash Destiny Bond, delivering one last blow to the enemy and contributing the last of their power.
As these Ghost-type Pokémon fell, waves of deathly aura appeared around Thundurus and Tornadus. The curse-infused energy began relentlessly eroding their presence.
In midair, Thundurus and Tornadus suddenly let out anguished roars. Even though they were legendary Pokémon, possessing only immense power, they still could not withstand the effects of Curse and Destiny Bond. Their life energy was continuously being consumed, and if it were completely eroded, they too would fall.
"It worked! Thundurus and Tornadus have been injured!" Seeing this, the trainers on the battlefield all burst into excitement.
Sutter immediately began directing the Pokémon medics to rescue the Ghost-types, while another group of trainers continued commanding their Pokémon to attack, suppressing Thundurus and Tornadus in the sky.
At this moment, they truly saw hope of victory. Although the enemy had two guardian deities, they had Heatran on their side. Combined with the weakening effects inflicted by the Ghost-types and the relentless attacks from the other Pokémon, it was enough to contend with two guardian deities.
"So strong… this is the power of Pokémon, this is the power of trainers…" Mira murmured softly.
If they had had such Pokémon support during the battle at Aspiration City, Azelf would surely have been able to hold off the enemy. Unfortunately, there were no "what ifs." Everything had happened far too suddenly. As this thought crossed her mind, she clenched her fists and looked toward the southwest.
"Aven… please come back soon."
(End of Chapter)