"Natsui?"
Maxie froze—then it hit him who Courtney was talking about.
That guy who'd ruined their plans again and again?!
Unlike Archie, Maxie preferred operating from the shadows. Still, he knew Natsui's name. Lately it kept showing up in reports—always tied to another failed operation. He'd been Team Magma's number one threat for a long time!
Maxie had never faced him, but he knew how dangerous he was.
But he hadn't expected this. Why was he here?
Why was he everywhere?
"What is going on?" Maxie turned to look at Courtney and shouted, "Why is he here? Didn't you say no one was coming up the mountain to support them?"
Courtney looked just as confused. Usually calm and steady, there was a rare crack in her calm. "I don't know. The patrols didn't see him. I don't know how he got past them."
The rest of her words caught in her throat.
She'd dealt with Natsui more than anyone. She knew exactly what his presence meant.
With his Legendaries—and the rumor about Deoxys—this mission was probably over. Getting out alive might be the real problem.
On the other side, Natsui commanded his Pokémon. After the opening strike threw them into chaos, Natsui's team pushed straight into their lines.
This time, because Phoebe was drawing most of the fire, he didn't use his Legendary Pokémon. He sent out his usual team. Yet even so, his team struck as one—Team Magma's Pokémon couldn't withstand them.
The only thing Natsui was worried about was Misty's safety.
Misty had hit them from another side too. Her team wasn't as strong as his. It was fine for now, but once they fell into a prolonged battle and Team Magma reacted, they could overwhelm her quickly.
So Natsui decided finding Misty came before backing up Phoebe.
Fortunately, Misty's Pokémon were all Water-types, which gave her a type advantage. Moreover, the three-sided attack had thrown Team Magma into disarray, so they hadn't realized Misty was fine for now, but she'd fold if they focused on her.
But sooner or later they'd notice. Better to regroup early.
With that in mind, Natsui hurriedly ordered his Pokémon to move closer to Misty.
He'd worried for nothing—Team Magma was already breaking.
If they were simply facing Phoebe, or facing other enemy reinforcements, these people of Team Magma might have had the courage to fight. But the opponent they were facing now was Natsui, whose reputation was feared inside the organization.
Especially since many among them had experienced that chaotic great battle with Deoxys last time. They had just suffered a crushing defeat, and their scars hadn't even healed yet, so how could they possibly dare to fight him again!
The moment they saw him, their morale collapsed. Many even lost the courage to battle in an instant!
Seeing his members behave this way, Maxie immediately flew into a rage and shouted, "Don't panic. Hold the line! Our dream is right there! Get the Red Orb and Groudon is ours. This is not the time to back down!"
To his credit, Maxie sounded like a leader. Whether it was his authority or his conviction, his encouragement still had a significant effect.
Some of the wavering Team Magma members started to calm down.
Right. They were one step away. They couldn't fold now.
Under Maxie's supervision, these people from Team Magma regrouped and regained their beliefs, managing to hold the line without showing signs of a rout.
To be fair, the elites were strong—about on par with most trainers. Together, they put Phoebe under immense pressure.
Worse, Maxie and the other Commander released their Pokémon too, making the fight even harder!
Luckily, Natsui's Pokémon were strong enough to draw a lot of heat away from her. The moment he showed up, their focus shifted—from her to him.
Phoebe noticed it almost at once.
It still threw her off.
I'm an Elite Four member!
How can these people ignore me and run off to deal with that man instead?
However, thinking back to the introduction just now, when Misty said they had dealt with Team Magma many times, it seemed very easy to understand.
There must be so much bad blood between them that they went at each other the moment they met.
Maxie looked like a planner, but his Pokémon weren't weak.
Maxie sent out five Houndoom. He wasn't aiming at Natsui—he wanted Phoebe down fast, and the Red Orb with her.
These Pokémon, resembling black hellhounds, coordinated with each other and kept Phoebe on the back foot.
Dealing with an opponent of this level, even an Elite Four member felt it was too much to handle, not to mention there were other Team Magma members eyeing her aggressively from the side.
Fortunately, she knew in her heart that behind her was the treasure guarded by her grandfather and grandmother. She understood its importance and knew it could not be lost, so she didn't take a single step back, simply gritting her teeth and holding on!
After all, she was someone who could obtain the title of Elite Four at such an age.
The League valued talent—and Phoebe had plenty.
Under her command, several Ghost-type Pokémon, despite the attribute disadvantage, withstood this wave of offense, firmly protecting the shrine behind them the whole time!
Just at this time, Misty also arrived with her Pokémon to support.
Although among the three, her strength was the weakest, likewise, the obstruction she faced was also the smallest. Most of Team Magma focused their attention on Natsui and Phoebe; aside from the few members directly facing her, very few people paid attention to her anymore.
This allowed her to seize the opportunity.
Normally, more than one or two would be too much for her.
But in such a chaotic melee, she could actually perform better.
Plus, over such a long time, she had grown a lot while following Natsui. Most importantly, having seen too many big scenes, her mental state had grown hugely, allowing her to achieve a calm and composed response, breaking them one by one without panic or confusion.
This was also the biggest reason why Misty could reach Phoebe's side so easily!
The formerly beautiful scenery near the shrine had been affected by this battle and had already been ruined into a mess.
Seeing that after a long attack, they still hadn't broken Phoebe's defense, and she had even waited for reinforcements, Maxie's originally impassioned heart also slowly cooled down.
Maxie scanned the battlefield again. Both sides were at a stalemate, but the longer it went, the worse it got for him.
Although he didn't know why that man named Natsui hadn't sent out those Legendary Pokémon that were repeatedly mentioned in the reports, one could figure out that the opponent hadn't used his full strength yet, while Maxie had already given his all. Obviously, if they kept fighting like this, their situation would only become increasingly bad.
Thinking of this, he already understood that trying to snatch the Red Orb by force was no longer very likely.
And next, it would depend on whether his fallback plan would work.
Luckily, he'd sensed something was off before the battle and made preparations early. If not, there might have been no way out at all.
After having this thought, Maxie began to lead people to fight while retreating.
This wasn't a panicked rout, but a slow withdrawal toward the mountaintop entrance, step by step.
That kept the fight going and pulled them farther from the shrine—exactly what Tabitha needed.
Under Maxie's guidance, they kept giving ground toward the exit.
Phoebe and Misty noticed the shift, but didn't think much of it, assuming Team Magma was preparing to retreat.
Only Natsui perceived that things were a bit not quite right.
It wasn't anything specific. It was too clean—too orderly.
Natsui could see it too: Maxie couldn't take the Orb by force anymore.
But instead of a last push or a clean retreat, they kept stalling. Something was off.
Natsui had a sharp eye for the battlefield. He didn't miss the small shifts.
He didn't need proof to know they were setting something up.
He didn't know the plan, but he saw Phoebe and Misty being pulled away from the shrine. "Don't chase!" he shouted. "Careful—they've got a trick!"
Misty stopped after hearing him—but Phoebe ignored it and kept going. Maxie's stomach dropped.
Bad!
Did he see through something!?
Even so, Maxie's dread deepened.
Hearing about him wasn't the same as facing him. Before this, Maxie had only known him by reputation. But seeing him in action—even without the Legendaries—made it clear how difficult he was to deal with.
No wonder Team Aqua had never been able to contain him.
Looking at it this way, his plan was at least half successful, and his odds just got better. Next, as long as he turned up the pressure, these guys would definitely take the bait!
Thinking of this, he nodded to a few surrounding Team Magma members, and those members understood immediately, directing their respective Pokémon one after another to launch an attack on the house of Phoebe's grandfather and grandmother!
Several streams of fire instantly ignited the outer fence. The flames began to burn fiercely and started spreading toward the house!
"You bastards!" Phoebe shouted.
She'd grown up here. It was her grandparents' home—and they'd set it on fire!
The fire not only burned the yard but also ignited the anger in Phoebe's heart.
Seeing these guys wanting to get away after setting the fire, how could she agree to that? She led her Pokémon and charged after them!
Natsui wanted to stop her, but he was already separated from Phoebe by a distance. By the time he saw the flames, Phoebe was already leaving his line of sight...
So seriously, why does the League want to find such a child to serve as an Elite Four member?
No matter how strong she is, her mind has not yet developed to maturity. At least wait until she reaches fifteen or sixteen years old and has some social experience!
Seeing such a classic bait-and-draw trick, Phoebe still jumped right in. Natsui sighed helplessly.
But as things stood now, ignoring Phoebe wasn't an option either.
After all, he had accepted Anabel's request. If something happened, it would look bad.
But he couldn't just leave it at that.
He waved his hand to call his Gengar over, letting it guard here properly, and then immediately shouted to Misty: "You stay here too, put out the big fire first, and then go guard the Orb. I'll go see how Phoebe is doing!"
Misty nodded sensibly: "I understand, leave this to me, you be careful too!"
The plan wasn't perfect, but at least the Orb was safe.
Ordinary Pokémon were not Gengar's opponents, not to mention Misty was also guarding by the side.
Moreover, he wasn't as stubborn as Phoebe. If someone really wanted to snatch the Orb, his Gengar could calmly take it and slip into the ground. Even if Team Magma dug three feet deep, they'd never find it!
The point was to leave them no opening.
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