"Lorelei!"
Apollo sneered.
"Will and I have been waiting for you for a long time!"
"Don't think that just because you turned Sabrina against us and captured Koga and Karen that everything is settled!"
"As one of Team Rocket's highest-ranking executives, we're not the same as those useless trash."
"I have a Legendary Pokémon specifically prepared to deal with you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Apollo produced a Dark Ball.
The next moment—
A burst of black light erupted.
A majestic Pokémon covered in blazing flames appeared before Lorelei.
Its eyes were pitch black.
Its entire body radiated violent energy.
One of the Legendary Birds.
Moltres.
"That's…"
"Moltres?!"
Lorelei's expression immediately changed.
A Legendary Pokémon.
This had suddenly become far more troublesome.
"Come out!"
"Lapras! Cloyster!"
Facing Moltres, Lorelei dared not be careless.
She immediately summoned three of her strongest Pokémon.
Jynx.
Cloyster.
Lapras.
"Jynx, use Psychic!"
"Lapras, Hydro Pump!"
"Cloyster, Ice Beam!"
Under Lorelei's command, all three Pokémon attacked simultaneously.
Their combined assault surged toward Moltres.
"Moltres!"
"Use Fire Blast and stop them!"
Following Apollo's order, Moltres opened its beak.
A massive flaming character erupted from its mouth.
The Fire Blast collided directly with Hydro Pump and Ice Beam.
At the same time, Jynx's powerful Psychic attack continuously disrupted Moltres.
As a result, the power of Fire Blast weakened considerably.
Boom!
A tremendous explosion erupted across the battlefield.
To everyone's surprise—
Lorelei actually managed to block Moltres's attack.
Seeing this, a smile appeared on her face.
"So this isn't the true Fire God of the Orange Islands."
"With this level of strength, you won't be defeating me."
"Keep attacking!"
Apollo's face darkened instantly.
"Lorelei!"
"I swear, one day I'm going to grab those damn breasts of yours and crush them!"
"Go, Houndoom!"
"Use Fire Blast!"
Will laughed as well.
"Don't forget about me."
"Xatu, use Psychic!"
In an instant, both Apollo and Will released their Pokémon.
The two joined forces against Lorelei.
Immediately, the pressure on the Kanto Vice Champion increased dramatically.
Although the Moltres before them wasn't a true divine Legendary Pokémon, it was still a Fire-type Legendary.
It could easily tie down one or even two of Lorelei's Pokémon.
Defeating it quickly was impossible.
And besides Moltres—
There were still Apollo and Will.
Lorelei might possess six Pokémon of her own.
But the moment she released additional Pokémon, Apollo and Will could do exactly the same.
Six against thirteen.
The numerical advantage was entirely on Team Rocket's side.
Fortunately, because the battle was taking place in Ecruteak City, the Gym Leader Morty had already received the League's emergency notice and rushed over to assist.
As a Ghost-type specialist with pseudo-Elite Four strength, Morty could barely hold off Will.
"Today…"
"Ecruteak City will belong to Team Rocket!"
Apollo laughed wildly.
"Moltres!"
"Use Burn Up!"
A pillar of scorching fire erupted instantly.
Morty's ace Gengar was struck head-on and immediately lost its ability to battle.
Even Lorelei's Jynx suffered severe injuries.
As Apollo and Will pressed forward relentlessly, Lorelei gritted her teeth and released her remaining Pokémon.
Dewgong.
Slowbro.
Piloswine.
All three appeared simultaneously.
Apollo burst into laughter.
"You're not the only one with extra Pokémon, Lorelei."
"Just surrender already."
"You're pretty enough."
"If you cooperate, maybe I won't kill you."
A cold expression filled Lorelei's eyes.
"In your dreams."
"Dewgong!"
"Piloswine!"
"Jynx!"
"Cloyster!"
"Lapras!"
"All of you use Sheer Cold!"
"Freeze the entire battlefield!"
"Slowbro!"
"Use Heal Pulse on Jynx!"
Realizing she had no chance of defeating a Champion Peak-level Trainer, an Elite Four Peak-level Trainer, and a Legendary Pokémon simultaneously, Lorelei immediately chose to retreat while fighting.
"Everyone!"
"Prepare to withdraw!"
Upon hearing her command, the League members and Officer Jenny's forces began retreating under Morty's cover.
Once the balance among top-tier combatants was broken, battles often became very simple.
"Vice Champion Lorelei!"
Morty shouted anxiously.
"Doesn't the Pokémon League have reinforcements?"
"There's a Team Rocket ambush here!"
"It won't be easy to escape!"
Hearing those words, Lorelei remembered what Lance had told her earlier.
The Champion himself had gone to Viridian City.
The headquarters of Team Rocket.
And judging by everything happening now—
Giovanni was almost certainly there as well.
Adding in the Mewtwo capable of controlling Sabrina—
Lorelei simply couldn't believe Lance had any spare strength to send reinforcements.
One of Team Rocket's top executives already possessed a Legendary Pokémon.
Would Giovanni not have one as well?
For the first time, the situation seemed genuinely dangerous for the Pokémon League.
Looking down at the Psychic mark on her arm and remembering Aiden Flint's overwhelming power, Lorelei sighed helplessly before pressing it.
"If I want everyone from the League to get out safely…"
"I can only rely on you now."
…
At the same time—
Bruno's side had also fallen into trouble.
Although he had destroyed three Team Rocket bases in succession with the support of multiple Gym Leaders—
This time, he encountered another member of Team Rocket's Four Generals.
Ariana.
A woman with short crimson hair.
And a Trainer who also possessed Champion-level strength.
More importantly—
She commanded a Legendary Pokémon.
Zapdos.
"When did Team Rocket capture Zapdos?"
Bruno clenched his teeth.
Ariana smiled smugly.
"That's one of Team Rocket's greatest secrets."
"Only true core executives have the right to command Legendary Pokémon."
"Lance and Lambda may have failed."
"But I, Ariana, will personally bring the Head Elite Four of the Kanto League back to headquarters today."
"Zapdos!"
"Use Thunder!"
Facing Zapdos's full-powered attack, Bruno's expression changed dramatically.
"Machamp!"
"Use Protect!"
A shimmering barrier appeared instantly.
Yet even so, facing the might of a Legendary Pokémon and a Champion-level opponent, Bruno found himself at a severe disadvantage.
For a time—
Both of the Kanto League's strongest combatants were trapped in desperate situations.
Still, if one had to compare—
Lorelei's situation was far worse.
If Bruno and Lorelei swapped places, Bruno might have already been defeated.
When Aiden Flint sensed the two distress signals, a troubled expression appeared on his face.
Both Bruno and Lorelei were requesting assistance.
The question was—
Which one should he save first?
…
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