There was only one entrance to the power plant, but it was tightly guarded by the Magmar and Electabuzz groups. So far, not a single person had managed to get through.
Sato and Cynthia weren't in any rush, because with so many Trainers gathered at the power plant, someone was bound to get impatient and try to play the hero.
All they had to do was use the chaos to slip in, minimizing their own losses in the process.
Of course, many others likely had the same idea, so everyone just kept their eyes to themselves, calmly setting up camp nearby.
Sato and Cynthia chose a relatively secluded spot with access to water to pitch their tent. With Gengar and Spiritomb taking turns standing watch, they weren't worried about missing anything important.
"Glaceon, come out."
With a flash of blue light, Cynthia's Glaceon sat quietly beside her, though its large eyes were intently staring at Sato…
"…Umbreon, your Glaceon is looking for you."
Sato sighed helplessly, but he still released Umbreon quickly. After all, it was rare for anyone on the team to find a partner; they couldn't let it get dumped now.
"…What? You're actually asking if you can break up?" Sato looked at Umbreon, wondering where it got the nerve!
Victini, maybe?
At this point, Glaceon had already reached Peak Ace level, while Umbreon, after all its growth, had just recently reached High Ace.
Yup… still got outpaced.
Of course, Umbreon was just being cheeky. By now, it had already gone off into the woods with Glaceon, all sweet and lovey-dovey~
Sato suddenly felt a bit envious. He subconsciously glanced at Cynthia… only to see her instructing Spiritomb on a scouting task.
'Yeah… better to focus on work.'
---◓---
Time flew, and evening arrived. Though dinner went well with training, the area was crowded with eyes everywhere, so Sato didn't even bother trying to train Absol.
And once the sun fully set, someone finally snapped.
"You're all a bunch of damn cowards! PATHETIC! We've been here all day and no one's gone in. Fine, I'll be the one to see what the hell's inside!"
A burly, foul-mouthed man stormed toward the entrance, yelling all the way!
…Though his pace slowed the closer he got, until he finally stopped.
All he really wanted was to provoke some reckless rookies into responding, then use them to test the situation.
But no one here was a hot-blooded teenager. Everyone was on high alert, and not one person took the bait.
Now stuck in his own act, the musclehead had no choice but to grit his teeth and send out his Quagsire toward the gate.
In the next instant, flames and lightning exploded across the air, crashing down in a torrent. The wild Pokémon didn't even give him a chance to speak.
A green Protect shield flared to life. Quagsire broke into a sweat as the endless barrage rained down, its tiny bean-shaped eyes full of dazed panic.
Protect… didn't last forever!
"WHY ARE YOU ALL STILL STANDING AROUND!? These wild Pokémon can't be handled by just one person! We need to work together!"
'Work together, huh?'
The crowd snorted silently. Weren't you just calling us cowards?
And now you want help?
What a joke!
The next moment, Quagsire could no longer maintain the Protect shield. Its beady eyes squeezed shut, and with a thud, it collapsed to the ground, just in time to narrowly avoid the first wave of attacks.
The musclehead, all bark and no bite, froze in terror. As the flames and lightning closed in on his face, he was sure… his handsome mug was about to get fried!
But in the next moment, the flames and lightning suddenly curved midair, striking a tree off to the side instead.
"…Move."
The cold command snapped the stunned musclehead awake. He backed away instinctively, glancing at the person who had spoken.
A white trench coat, sleek black pants, and beside him, 'An enormous… Bronzong?' Most striking of all, several red-and-white Poké Balls floated weightlessly around him.
A Psychic user!
The musclehead, fresh from the jaws of death, looked at the Psychic with envy all over his face, wondering what the point of all these muscles was anyway.
Next, the Psychic stepped forward and intercepted the brunt of the attacks from the Magmar and Electabuzz.
But as the battle dragged on, the Magmar and Electabuzz didn't hesitate to howl toward the interior of the power plant.
Soon after, another large group of Pokémon rushed out. Even with the Psychic's strength, he was quickly forced into retreat.
"I told you! There's no way one person can deal with this many wild Pokémon! There's only one entrance, we HAVE to go in together!"
The musclehead shouted again, completely oblivious to the now furious expression on the very Psychic who had just saved him…
Still, his words finally had an effect. Many of the Trainers who had been itching to move eventually sent out their Pokémon and joined the chaotic battle.
Sato and Cynthia blended seamlessly into the crowd, drawing no attention.
Umbreon and Glaceon at their sides had likewise suppressed their auras.
As long as they didn't make a move or attract scrutiny from a experienced Trainer, their Pokémon would, at most, be mistaken for Elite level.
---◓---
There was still a significant difference between wild Pokémon and carefully trained partners.
As more people launched their attacks, the wild Pokémon guarding the power plant were forced to retreat step by step.
Finally, the defense was broken!
The Psychic took the lead, sitting cross-legged on top of Bronzong and flying straight inside.
The others rushed to imitate him, and after several more people slipped in, the entrance was once again sealed tightly by the wild Pokémon.
Everyone wanted in, but that meant fewer people attacking, which gave the Magmar and Electabuzz a chance to recover. Then another wave of combat would break out, creating a new opening and letting a few more people slip through.
Sato and Cynthia exchanged a glance, understanding each other instantly.
The moment another breach appeared, only Glaceon and Umbreon launched a reverse attack from the other direction.
A second breach opened!
Sato and Cynthia charged in without hesitation. They didn't care if anyone followed; they immediately sent out Hydreigon and Garchomp to skim the ground and shake off the wild Pokémon trying to give chase.
"Gengar, Spatial Barrier."
"Geng~"
With the Spatial Barrier deployed, they slipped past a crossroad, and in the eyes of everyone else, Sato and Cynthia had vanished without a trace…
---◓---
"This ability's amazing!"
Even Cynthia couldn't help but look at Gengar with a hint of envy.
Sato gave a slight smirk.
"Heh~ Gengar's talents don't stop there."
"Geng~"
Hearing their praise, Gengar simply nodded casually, as if everything it did were trivial.
"Where to next?" Sato brought the conversation back on track.
"Before we came in, I pulled up the power plant's layout. Let's check the central generator first."
Clearly, even though she had only taken the mission because of Sato, Cynthia had done quite a bit of prep work in a short amount of time.
"Alright!"