"I've received confirmed intel: Goodshow is moving to seize Lugia from High Priest Shamyo," Lance's voice crackled with grim intensity over the communicator.
"Oh? That old fox is finally making his move?" Lorelei wiped sweat from her brow with a towel. "I suppose he couldn't hold back any longer."
"Getting humiliated by Team Rocket only strengthened his obsession with Legendary Pokémon," Lance said. "He thinks owning a God will put him above us all. It's naive. If a Legendary could be easily broken by humans, it wouldn't be a Legendary. Did he learn nothing from his failure with Rayquaza?"
Lorelei's lips curled into a mocking smile. "And what's the situation now?"
"I've formed an alliance with Shamyo. He informed me that a pregnant Lugia has returned to the Seven Islands to nest. She's hiding in the deep trenches, using the gentle tidal energy to hatch her egg. This period of vulnerability is the perfect window for a capture—and Goodshow knows it. Haven't you noticed the massive troop deployments in your sector lately?"
"I'm at the Seven Islands now," Lorelei replied, her tone sharpening. "The League claimed they were conducting 'routine maneuvers.' I didn't think much of it at the time... so they're practicing a God-hunt in my backyard?"
The communicator shook slightly in her hand. Lorelei was beyond livid. "I'll investigate immediately. I won't allow the League to turn the Seven Islands into a battlefield. If Lugia retaliates, the entire archipelago will burn."
"Keep a close eye on them," Lance urged. "I've tipped off Shamyo to prepare. He's a key figure in fighting the 'Demonic Monsters'—if he falls at the Seven Islands, the consequences will be catastrophic."
"The Jingten Cult... I still can't believe such a faction exists," Lorelei muttered. "Don't worry, Lance. I'll dismantle their operation one way or another."
The Aero Plateau
Located in the northeast of the island, the Aero Plateau was a jagged landscape split by a mountain range so high its peaks were perpetually lost in snow.
"The mountain divides the plateau into two distinct climates," Togetic explained to Feng Che. "And because of that, we have two different forms of Braviary."
"On the left, you have the standard form. But on the right... they are larger, more majestic, and possess powerful psychic abilities."
Hisuian Braviary, Feng Che thought immediately. In ancient Sinnoh (Hisui), these Psychic/Flying types were common, though they were thought to be extinct in the modern era due to climate shifts. But this island was crafted by Mew to be a sanctuary for all avian life. It makes sense they'd thrive here.
As Feng Che looked up toward the snowy peaks, a massive airship suddenly de-cloaked. It hovered menacingly over the plateau, drawing the ire of circling Braviary and Mandibuzz.
The birds swarmed the ship, but the vessel's hatches slid open, releasing hundreds of electrified metal rings. Beneath the hull, twin turrets swiveled, firing jagged sheets of lightning. Birds struck by the bolts plummeted like falling stones, only to be scooped up by the rings and hauled into the ship's cargo hold.
"Mewtwo," Feng Che said, his eyes narrowing as he watched the systematic plunder. "How about we pull off a big heist?"
"You want to infiltrate the ship, switch their high-potential captures with common ones, and leave them with a hold full of nothing," Mewtwo deduced telepathically.
"Exactly. Why hunt one by one when the poachers have already done the legwork for me? It saves a lot of time."
Just then, several Aerodactyl were snagged by the rings and dragged inside.
"Mewtwo, can you teleport us onto that ship?"
"Let me scan for anti-psychic barriers first..." Mewtwo paused. "Hmph. I can bypass their external shielding. I've located the central Pokémon Warehouse, but the interior is lined with lead and psychic-nullifying alloys. I can't get a lock on the coordinates inside the vault itself."
"That's fine," Feng Che grinned. "Teleport me to the locker room or a crew lounge. We'll disguise ourselves as Akimoto's squad 'returning' with a haul. Once we're inside, the rest is easy."
With a silent flash, Feng Che and Mewtwo vanished.
Seconds later, a dark blur emerged from a nearby rock. It was An.
"Dammit! He's a psychic? He's vanished," An growled. "Now I have to track him all over again. No matter... a prey that runs makes the hunt more interesting for an old hand like me."
An didn't notice a girl with a high ponytail watching him from the shadows. Maki narrowed her eyes. So the Jingten Cult isn't the only one after him. I'll wait. When they clash and exhaust each other, I'll strike.
Inside the Airship: Warehouse Entrance
Automated rings were dropping captured Pokémon under a specialized scanner that force-captured them into "Dark Balls." The balls then zipped down a conveyor belt into a pneumatic tube system, destined for the sorting racks in the warehouse.
Feng Che, now clad in a stolen Poacher uniform, walked toward the primary vault.
"Halt! Identification!" The warehouse guards leveled their stun guns, the red infrared dots of their sights dancing across Feng Che's chest.
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