"Coumarine City, Shalour City, and Lumiose City have all been successfully connected to their backup systems. Power supply has already been restored," Officer Jenny explained as she briefed them on the current situation.
"And my assignment?" Silas asked.
"To rescue the emergency response team dispatched to the Kalos Power Plant, and to investigate the cause of the massive blackout as thoroughly as possible," Gurkinn took over the explanation.
The moment the large-scale blackout occurred, the Pokémon League had immediately dispatched an emergency squad, rushing toward the Kalos Power Plant at top speed to restore electricity. However, twelve hours had already passed, and no news whatsoever had been received from them.
Coupled with the Pokémon riots that erupted just before the blackout, both the Gym Leaders of Coumarine City and Shalour City were forced to remain in their cities to coordinate defenses and could not act rashly. That was precisely why they had come early in the morning to seek help from Silas, a League-certified Elite Trainer, asking him to assist with the rescue operation.
Responding to the League's call was, after all, one of the core responsibilities of an Elite Trainer.
Silas did not refuse. Instead, he asked the two of them for more detailed information about the mission.
From their explanation, he learned that he would not be acting alone—there was another Elite Trainer participating in this operation as well.
After seeing Officer Jenny and Gym Leader Gurkinn off, Silas turned around, about to decide which Pokémon to bring along. The moment he did, a crowd of Pokémon immediately surrounded him.
"Kang Kang!"
"Min!"
"Cyc!"
"..."
Cries rose one after another, overlapping in a lively chorus. The meanings behind them were roughly the same, some were volunteering eagerly to go with him, some were complaining that their tummies were hungry, but most of them were simply worried about Silas.
His gaze swept across the group, meeting pairs of small eyes filled with concern and unease. Silas broke into a confident smile.
"Don't worry. The League-issued mission isn't dangerous at all! And the rewards are exceptionally generous."
With enough contribution points, one could directly exchange them with the League for Mega Stones and various rare Pokémon items, or even earn an opportunity to challenge a member of the Elite Four.
These kinds of missions were often a case of too many wolves chasing too little meat—whether you gained anything depended largely on luck.
There was an old saying: a trainer who doesn't aspire to become an Elite Four member is not a good trainer.
"This time, Kangaskhan, you stay behind and guard the ranch. Keep an eye out for any unfamiliar wild Pokémon."
"Kang…!"
Kangaskhan clearly wanted to go along, letting out a low, aggrieved rumble, but in the end, it still agreed.
Silas placed a hand on Kangaskhan's head, gently soothing it.
"I can only be at ease leaving the ranch to you. Besides, with Cyclizar and Noivern protecting me, I'll be just fine!"
The two Pokémon that had been mentioned both lifted their heads proudly in response.
"Noi~!"
(Don't worry! Leave protecting Silas to me!)
"Cyc!" thumps chest expression.JPG
(I absolutely won't let Silas get hurt!)
With those two by his side, Silas felt it was more than enough to handle most dangers.
Even if they were to encounter Yveltal, the so-called God of Destruction, he could still rely on "Miraidon's" terrifying speed to make a swift escape.
The rest of the Pokémon could stay behind at the ranch.
Mudsdale's Ground typing would indeed be extremely effective in an environment like the power plant, but their sheer combat momentum was simply too overwhelming.
Silas was worried that the three of them might accidentally demolish the entire power plant if things got out of hand.
That would truly be a case of the cure being worse than the disease.
Better to leave them behind—Cyclizar alone was already more than sufficient.
Waving goodbye to Kangaskhan (and Phione), Minccino, and the others, Silas repeatedly reminded them to look after the ranch properly.
At minimum, he would be back within a day; at most, it might take several days—he didn't want them to worry too much.
"Cyclizar, let's go!"
Silas patted Cyclizar beneath him and gave the command.
"Cyc!"
Cyclizar responded and broke into a run. Just as they were about to reach the ranch gate, a white figure suddenly leapt down from above and landed squarely in Silas's arms.
"Meow~"
(I'm coming too!)
"Alright, then you're coming with us as well."
Silas smiled and nodded, gently stroking Litten's back.
Litten squinted its eyes in enjoyment and lay quietly in his arms.
There was no way this cat was letting the silly human go out hunting alone!!!
...
The Kalos Power Plant was the largest power facility on the Kalos Region, built right within the Lumiose Badlands.
It was said that the plant was scheduled for restructuring, transitioning from Pokémon-based power generation to solar energy, aiming to become a model of environmentally friendly electricity production.
Riding Cyclizar, Silas entered the Lumiose Badlands.
Due to the red clay-like terrain, not a blade of grass grew here, and as far as the eye could see, there wasn't a single wild Pokémon in sight.
Violent winds whipped up red sandstorms, gradually spreading outward.
The badlands showed a clear trend toward desertification.
Logically speaking, with the League's level of technology, restoring and terraforming this land would be effortless.
But what about the countless Pokémon that lived here?
Relocate them all to other regions?
That simply wasn't realistic.
What the League could do was only to strictly control the scope of the Lumiose Badlands, keeping it within limits that both humans and Pokémon could tolerate.
Above them, Noivern flew over the barren terrain, quickly identifying the correct direction.
"Noi~"
(It's to the left, Silas.)
"Got it!"
Hearing Noivern's call, Silas patted Cyclizar, which was running at full speed.
Cyclizar executed a sharp, stylish drift, veering left.
There were no other human settlements in this area of the badlands. Aside from the power plant itself, there were no large buildings, making it particularly easy to locate.
With Noivern continuously adjusting their heading from above, about ten minutes later, Silas finally spotted the Kalos Power Plant from the ground.
It occupied a massive area, with desolation stretching endlessly around it.
As they drew closer, clear traces of battle could be seen everywhere—it was obvious that a fight had broken out here not long ago.
Judging from the large hole burned through the perimeter fence, one side had used Fire-type moves, making it highly likely that a Fire-type Pokémon had been involved.
This matched the intelligence Silas had—one member of the emergency squad specialized in Fire-type Pokémon.
They must have been forced into battle almost as soon as they arrived. The likely outcome was that the emergency team had won; they probably lost contact only after entering the interior of the power plant.
Just as Silas was investigating the surroundings with Cyclizar, Noivern suddenly let out a warning roar.
Following the direction of Noivern's wary gaze, a gigantic draconic figure could be seen advancing toward the power plant.
"Roar—!"
Noivern emitted a threatening low growl, dragon-type energy flaring around its body as it prepared for combat.
The massive dragon showed no weakness in response, answering with a thunderous dragon roar of its own.
The sound boomed like war drums, echoing with the authority of an ancient sovereign—as though a king from antiquity were patrolling his domain.
Faced with Noivern, this "intruder," it felt no fear at all, instead seeking an honorable, head-on duel between dragons.
The distance between them steadily closed, the air thick with tension.
The battle was about to erupt at any moment.
As the opponent drew nearer and the red sandstorm no longer obscured the view, Silas finally saw its full appearance clearly.
A dark crimson, ferocious form stood before them, completely unobstructed, radiating an overwhelming sense of primal, savage power.
Rocky protrusions above its eyes formed a distinctive crown, proclaiming the identity of a tyrant from ancient times.
Its strength was beyond question.
Its abdomen was gray, accented by striped markings along both sides.
Half of its lower jaw was covered in white, beard-like growth, while the other half remained gray.
At the junction of its neck and body, a ring of white fur clung closely, making it resemble a majestic old king.
Roughly a hundred million years ago, it had been one of the rulers of this planet—the very embodiment of invincibility.
A Pokémon that moved like a king was, in ancient times, an undisputed sovereign.
Even with the League's most advanced black technology, its complete form could still not be fully restored.
It was…
(End of Chapter)
TN: Bruh…