Alarm bells rang in Ariel's heart. Without hesitation, he noted the location of the ore and turned to leave.
Just then, Ken's excited shout came from the other side of the Crater.
"I'm going to stand right here, at the highest point of Mt. Chimney, and take a photo!"
This shout broke the dead silence of the area and served as a foolish signal.
Ariel cursed under his breath, "Idiot," as his movement instantly quickened.
He ducked into the shadows of the stone wall.
Almost simultaneously, several red figures leaped down from the shadows of the rocks above his head. Like predatory spiders, they landed precisely at various key positions around the Crater, blocking all exits.
Ariel's footsteps came to a sudden halt. He looked up, his gaze cold as it swept over these uninvited guests.
They wore uniform red hooded outfits with a ferocious 'M' logo on the chest that resembled a volcanic eruption.
The Team Magma!
The leader was a tall, thin man. His uniform was clearly of a more advanced style than the others, with the hood pulled low, revealing only a pale chin and a pair of emotionless eyes.
Behind him stood a dozen Minions holding capture nets and Poké Balls. Each of them looked unfriendly as they surrounded Ariel and Ken's trio on the other side.
Ken and his companions were clearly startled by this sudden turn of events.
"Wh... who are you people? What do you want?"
Ken shouted with blustering bravado, positioning his Charmeleon in front of him for protection.
Lele and Valk also nervously released their Wingull and Combusken, huddling back-to-back with wary expressions.
The Team Magma leader, code-named Fire Ghost, didn't even bother to look at Ken.
His gaze passed over everyone and locked directly onto the section of the rock wall Ariel had just left, a flicker of greed flashing in his eyes.
Only then did he turn his attention back to these ignorant intruders.
"Dispose of them."
Fire Ghost's voice was icy and devoid of any nonsense, as if he were ordering his subordinates to clear away a few annoying bugs.
One of the Minions behind him gave a sinister grin and threw a Poké Ball.
"Go, Mightyena!"
"Roar!"
A robust Mightyena appeared with a roar, baring its sharp teeth. Saliva dripped from the corners of its mouth onto the scorching ground, evaporating instantly.
"Is this a robbery? I'm telling you, we are volunteers from Lavaridge Town!"
Ken tried to intimidate the opposition with their status.
He was answered by the sound of multiple Poké Balls opening.
A Houndoom, followed by a Slugma, a Numel... nearly every one of the dozen Team Magma Minions had a Pokémon, instantly shifting the power balance on the field to a desperate state.
Ken's face turned pale. He hadn't expected the other side to attack immediately without a word, nor that their lineup would be so massive.
"Damn it! Charmeleon, use Flamethrower!" Caught up in the heat of the moment, Ken chose to fight back.
"Combusken, Double Kick!"
"Wingull, Water Gun!"
The three Pokémon launched their attacks simultaneously, but their opponents were too numerous.
Mightyena nimbly dodged the flames, Houndoom used Crunch to shatter the Water Gun, and the Double Kick was tanked head-on by the thick-skinned Magcargo, leaving it completely unharmed.
"A bunch of brats who don't know the height of the heavens," Fire Ghost snorted contemptuously, finally deciding to act himself.
He took a Poké Ball from his waist and gave it a casual toss.
Bang!
With a dull thud, a Camerupt far larger than normal appeared in the center of the field.
The volcano-like humps on its back were a size larger than a typical Camerupt's, and red magma could be seen flowing faintly inside. The high temperature it emitted caused the surrounding air to distort violently.
This Camerupt had a fierce gaze filled with tyrannical aura; its level was definitely not low!
"This is Team Magma territory. Your presence here is a mistake."
Fire Ghost's voice echoed throughout the Crater. "Now, pay the price for that mistake."
He raised his hand and gave a light downward wave.
"Capture them all. Beat their Pokémon until they lose their ability to battle."
With the order given, the dozen or so Pokémon launched a total assault!
The defensive line of Ken's trio became precarious in an instant.
Ariel stood at the other end of the battlefield, watching coldly from the sidelines.
From the moment the Team Magma appeared, he had suppressed his presence to the limit, blending into the shadows of the rocks like a lifeless stone.
These fools could serve perfectly to attract the Team Magma's attention.
His mind raced, analyzing the situation before him.
The Team Magma's goal was to clear out the Trainers here.
Ken and the others' appearance was merely an accident.
At the Mt. Chimney Crater, the air was so parched and hot it felt like it would ignite one's lungs.
Crimson lava flowed slowly in the abyss, emitting a pungent smell of sulfur.
The heat waves distorted vision, making the scarlet uniforms of the Team Magma opposite look like clusters of dancing Will-O-Wisps.
On the rock walls, a strange ore reflected a dark, deep luster against the backdrop of the lava, breathing as if it possessed life.
Ken took a step forward, his face full of righteous indignation, his voice echoing within the Crater.
Beside him, Charmeleon cooperatively spat out a few sparks, baring its teeth in a battle stance.
"Don't be afraid, everyone! Fight against evil!"
Ariel almost laughed out loud in the shadows.
Fight? With what? With that nonsensical hot-bloodedness of yours?
He didn't even bother to look at Ken's face, which was flushed with a'sense of mission,' and instead focused his attention more intently on those shining ores.
The battle broke out faster than expected, and it was... more like a massacre than expected.
"Roar!"
Ken's Charmeleon roared and charged out, flames igniting on its claws.
The man leading the Team Magma, code-named Fire Ghost, didn't even look at it directly.
The Camerupt beside him lazily raised a front hoof and stomped it heavily onto the ground.
"Vroom—"
A visible wave of yellowish-brown energy instantly spread out. The ground shook violently, cracking open several hideous fissures.
Charmeleon's charge came to an abrupt halt as if it had hit an invisible wall. It let out a scream and was sent flying high, tracing a parabola in the air before crashing into the distant rock wall with a loud bang, sending stone fragments flying.
It slid to the ground, its body twitching twice before becoming still.
Its life or death was unknown.
"Charmeleon!" Ken's eyes instantly turned bloodshot.
"Wingull!"
Lele screamed as she commanded her Pokémon. Wingull circled upward, attempting to launch a Water-type attack from the air.
However, the Minions behind Fire Ghost were already impatient and threw their Poké Balls in unison. Several robust Mightyena landed; they didn't even look up, simply pushing off with their hind legs and leaping into the air.
Black figures crossed in the air, accompanied by the terrifying sound of sharp teeth slicing through flesh.
"Rip—"
Wingull's white wings were instantly torn apart, its shrill wail echoing through the Crater.
It fell like a kite with a broken string, spiraling down as blood stained the air along its path.
The Combusken brought by the other boy had just struck a fighting pose when it was tightly entangled by three Zubat pouncing from the side. Immediately after, a Slugma pressed directly onto it, pinning it to the ground completely immobile.
Screams, the wailing of Pokémon, and the sound of energy explosions mixed together.
Ken stood frozen in place, his face splattered with the blood of his companions' Pokémon. The warm liquid made him tremble slightly.
The 'battle for justice' he had imagined hadn't even lasted a minute.
"Ariel!"
As if grasping at a final straw, he suddenly turned back and roared,
"Quick, have your Pokémon help! We can win! We can definitely win!"
The roar echoed between the mountain walls.
---"Huh? Where is Ariel?"
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