Bruno scratched his head, realizing it seemed he hadn't managed to stop them in time.
Still, he wasn't too worried.
Technology had its limits — but the power of Pokémon was limitless.
He admitted that some human inventions were impressive and useful, but the foundation of everything still lay in how well one could develop a Pokémon's potential.
Otherwise, why would Pokémon be the dominant force in the world?
"Let's just hope Lady Athena makes it out safely… or Lord Apollo will definitely kill me."
The Team Rocket grunt operating Machine No. 3 muttered a desperate prayer in his heart.
He didn't know much about the relationship between Apollo and Athena.
But judging from the rampant rumors within Team Rocket — whether they were siblings or lovers — one thing was certain: if Athena was hurt, Apollo would deal with whoever caused it.
And knowing his one-eyed boss's personality, he doubted the man would protect him from Apollo's wrath.
For a while, the only sounds were those of the distant battle outside the valley — Silas and the others were still fighting — while inside, an uneasy silence fell.
Under Captain Shiraki's command, the League's Special Task Force took position behind Bruno, staring down Team Rocket's squad led by the one-eyed man.
"How long is this thing supposed to take?"
The one-eyed Rocket boss could barely hold his stance anymore, his posture trembling.
Still, he refused to show weakness.
Dr. Tonbo had said it would take ten minutes or so, one of his grunts reminded him.
"Ten minutes!?" the boss's heart sank. "That's enough time for the League to bury us, dig us back up, and bury us again!"
He was so frustrated he didn't even bother correcting the grunt for calling Dr. Nanbo the wrong name.
"What is that device supposed to do, anyway?"
The League soldiers whispered among themselves.
They knew Team Rocket's style — their machines usually had an on switch but no off switch.
The only way to stop it would be to let it run its course and have the League's scientists figure out a shutdown method later.
Since they couldn't capture it mid-operation, they might as well take a breather.
"Judging by the direction it's firing, it's probably causing tremors underground — likely targeting the cave system below us," said Captain Shiraki to Bruno.
Bruno nodded and smiled faintly.
Shiraki understood the meaning of that smile.
After witnessing Bruno's strength, it was almost amusing that Team Rocket thought Lorelei — someone even stronger — could be restrained by a piece of tech.
"To defeat a Elite-Four… only another Elite-Four can do it," Shiraki muttered quietly.
Most people didn't grasp the weight of that statement, but as someone who had climbed the League's hierarchy, he understood it clearly.
Even an Elite-level Trainer or Pokémon wasn't something numbers could easily overwhelm — let alone those of Elite-Four caliber.
In the age of ancient kingdoms, such Trainers and Pokémon were revered as sacred guardians, second only to Legendary Pokémon themselves.
To a loyalist like Shiraki, it was unthinkable that any human organization could ever overthrow the League — not even one riddled with internal divisions.
History proved as much: common uprisings never succeeded.
The downfall of every ancient kingdom had always come from rulers who coveted the power of the Legendary Pokémon… and paid the price with divine punishment.
Few people today still entertained such foolish ambitions — the evidence of failure was too abundant.
Only groups steeped in darkness, like Team Rocket, still dreamed of mastering Legendary power to reshape or destroy the world.
Shiraki thought grimly, If Legendary Pokémon were really that easy to control, the world would've ended long ago.
Time passed.
Machamp suddenly tapped Bruno on the shoulder.
"What is it? Something moving underground?" he asked.
Machamp nodded.
Though it was a pure Fighting-type, its sensory perception of energy shifts far surpassed that of most Pokémon.
Bruno scratched his head again, regretting — for the umpteenth time — not training Pokémon of other types.
Fighting types excelled in battle, sure, but they lacked versatility.
If only he had a Ground- or Rock-type here, he might've been able to sense or alter what was happening beneath them.
Now all they could do was wait.
"Huh? Where's the moon?"
One of the bored task force members looked up — only to find the night sky completely black.
The valley was brightly lit by artificial floodlights, so no one had noticed when the sky had changed.
"Interesting," Bruno murmured, staring upward.
Could this be the power of Articuno?
A chilling wind swept through the valley.
The cliffs on either side began shedding small rocks as the blizzard intensified.
Even Team Rocket started to realize something was wrong.
"Dr. didn't say anything about this happening!" a grunt shouted.
The one-eyed boss smacked him upside the head.
"Idiot! Our device is channeling energy downward, not into the sky!"
He sighed — definitely time to find smarter subordinates.
"B-Boss… is it just me, or is the snow getting heavier?" the grunt asked nervously, rubbing his head.
He paused. Come to think of it, even on the perpetually snowy Seafoam Islands, this was unusually strong.
"Captain! The sea level's acting strange!"
The League's radio crackled with an urgent update.
"Ma'am! Multiple whirlpools forming offshore — massive waves too!"
"Retreat immediately. Pull all ships away from the Seafoam perimeter," Bruno ordered calmly.
He looked back at the valley with a grin.
"It seems our friend beneath the ice… isn't happy."
Even in the worsening storm, he looked almost amused.
Outside the valley.
"Pidgeot, use Steel Wing!"
Silas commanded sharply.
Pidgeot dove, its metallic wings slicing through the air toward the opposing Pokémon.
The two Team Rocket Trainers fought with surprising coordination.
Even though Silas had the upper hand, he wasn't great at multitasking and couldn't finish them off quickly.
The rest of the team faced similar stalemates.
A chunk of hail shattered at Silas's feet with a crack.
He narrowed his eyes.
He had turned off the League communication channel during the battle, so he didn't know what was happening in the valley — but he had already noticed the unnatural weather.
"Articuno… it's this strong?" he murmured, astonished.
Even though he was prepared for its presence, the difference between memory and reality made him uneasy.
The sheer scale of this storm felt absurd — completely unlike the "legendary bird" that was once beaten by an Electric Mouse and a Charizard in his memories.
"Still daydreaming?"
One of the Rocket Trainers seized the opening.
"Murkrow, use Sucker Punch!"
A black bird with a hat-shaped crest and broom-like tail shot from the shadows — a Murkrow.
It was said to bring bad luck and loved to steal shiny objects, often clashing with Meowth groups.
Its evolved form, Honchkrow, was called the Big Boss Pokémon — evolution triggered only by a Dusk Stone.
Judging by this Trainer's strength, obtaining such a stone shouldn't have been difficult.
Silas guessed they were holding off, waiting to use a high-grade Dusk Stone to boost its potential during evolution.
After all, a Pokémon reaching near-Elite strength in its first form had immense growth potential.
The smarter Trainers knew — patience meant power.
"Pidgeot, Aerial Ace!" Silas shouted.
Silas reacted instantly — faster and more decisively than his opponent expected.
"Finally fell for it once," he muttered, exhaling slightly.
These two Team Rocket members weren't inexperienced.
They'd faked him out several times already — the moment anything seemed off, they would hold back their attacks.
Even now, it couldn't be called a complete victory.
High above, Pidgeot's wings still glimmered faintly with a metallic sheen — the afterglow of Steel Wing.
The opponent's Pokémon, Murkrow, was a small, dark avian creature — the complete opposite of the majestic, broad-winged Pidgeot.
Being a dual Dark/Flying-type, Murkrow's advantage lay in its agility and cunning.
If Pidgeot didn't possess superior speed, the aerial battle might have already been reversed.
Hearing its Trainer's command, Murkrow darted behind Pidgeot just as it finished using Steel Wing.
Its body became a razor-like black blur that shot forward in a surprise strike.
Sucker Punch — a Dark-type move that always landed first when the target was preparing to attack — was described as "a sneaky blow delivered while the foe is off guard."
In truth, it was a masterful exploitation of a split-second gap, punishing opponents caught mid-action.
At that moment, Pidgeot had just spent its strength on the previous move, unable to recover in time — and could only take the hit head-on.
"Piiidgeot!"
The bird cried out sharply. The attack hurt more than expected.
But using that same force, Pidgeot thrust itself forward, ascending sharply before turning in a graceful 180-degree loop.
In an instant, their positions were reversed.
Pidgeot's body began to glow with a brilliant white light — the sign of another Aerial Ace.
"Pidgeot!"
Its powerful cry echoed through the sky as it shot forward like a meteor, slamming into Murkrow with overwhelming momentum.
The entire sequence unfolded in mere seconds — by the time Murkrow managed to stabilize itself after the recoil, Pidgeot had already slipped into its blind spot.
The next instant, the massive bird's full weight and speed collided with it head-on, sending Murkrow hurtling through the air.
Spinning helplessly, it crashed into the thick branches of a nearby tree.
"Blaziken! Quick Attack, followed by Thunder Punch!"
Silas knew Murkrow wasn't out of the fight yet.
Without hesitation, he ordered Blaziken to abandon its current opponent and close in.
The fiery Pokémon sprinted at a staggering speed, its right arm crackling with barely contained electricity.
"Zzzzt—!"
Blaziken's Thunder Punch connected squarely with Murkrow's body.
"Caw—!"
Murkrow let out a shrill cry before collapsing.
Two heavy hits in a row — that was the end of it.
Silas frowned.
"Crawdaunt! Use Water Gun—again and again!"
The other Team Rocket member, seeing his partner's Pokémon downed, seized the chance to counterattack.
The Pokémon he commanded — Crawdaunt — was a large, red crustacean with menacing pincers and a distinct yellow star on its forehead.
Known as the Rogue Pokémon, Crawdaunt was violent by nature, always eager to provoke fights and drive other Pokémon from its territory.
Wherever Crawdaunt or its pre-evolved form, Corphish, appeared, few other Pokémon dared to stay.
Crawdaunt raised its claws and unleashed a flurry of Water Gun attacks, sending powerful streams shooting forward.
Pidgeot was still stiff from the previous exchange and couldn't dodge in time.
Fortunately, Crawdaunt wasn't focusing on it — only sending an occasional spray in its direction.
After all, Water-type moves weren't especially effective against Flying-types.
Blaziken, on the other hand, took the brunt of the assault.
"Blaaaze!"
It cried out in pain, lifting its arms to shield itself from the impact of the high-pressure water blasts.
Then—
Crash!
A massive hailstone suddenly plummeted from the sky, smashing into the ground — and right onto Crawdaunt's carapace.
The Water Gun barrage stopped instantly.
"Reversal!"
Silas didn't waste the opening. He called for Blaziken to strike back with its last remaining strength.
"Blaaaze!"
Blaziken roared, body bursting with light as it dashed forward in a blur.
It slammed shoulder-first into Crawdaunt's chest with tremendous force.
Boom!
The collision echoed across the battlefield.
Crawdaunt never saw it coming — felled not just by the attack, but by the sheer absurdity of losing because of a falling chunk of ice.
It was sent flying backward, completely dazed.
But Pidgeot wasn't about to leave it at that.
It swooped in again, delivering two more Steel Wings for good measure — just to make sure Crawdaunt stayed down.
"Return, Pidgeot! Return, Blaziken! Go, Gigalith—use Rock Tomb!"
Silas recalled his two exhausted partners and sent out Gigalith.
The moment it appeared, the sturdy Rock-type Pokémon immediately obeyed, summoning jagged stones to construct a makeshift shelter around them.
Crack… crackle…
Huddled against the rocky barrier, Silas could hear the relentless impacts echoing outside.
He grimaced and rolled up his sleeve.
A large bruise marred his forearm.
"Damn, this hail's too strong—it's almost overkill."
Through the cracks between the rocks, he could see faint flashes of white outside — the blizzard growing fiercer by the second.
Beside him, Gigalith's body began to glow faintly brown.
It was reinforcing the rock barrier, layer by layer.
Hard to believe that this violent storm — this unnatural weather — was merely the prelude to Articuno's appearance.
"Hope everyone else is okay," Silas murmured.
They should be fine, he told himself — each of them was capable enough.
It was Team Rocket he worried least about. They were about to get obliterated.
A sharp ping rang out as a shard of ice shot through a gap and embedded itself into the stone wall.
Cold sweat dripped down Silas's forehead.
If that had hit a human, it would've pierced clean through.
He instinctively edged closer behind Gigalith.
"Lorelei… if you can reason with Articuno, maybe tell it to tone it down a bit?" he muttered under his breath.
Inside the valley, everyone was thinking the same thing.
"How long can the barrier hold?" asked Captain Shiraki.
From the outside, their once-ordinary tent was now encased in a shimmering white energy field.
"If the hail doesn't intensify further, and our Electric-types can maintain power output, we can hold for around two hours," replied a technician after a quick calculation.
"Any contact with Elite Four Lorelei?"
"No, Sir. The signal's completely jammed. Unless we use top-tier League satellites, there's no way to reach the outside League HQ for emergency authorization."
The technician sighed helplessly. Some things were simply beyond human control.
"Don't worry. She'll handle it," said Bruno calmly from his seat.
Captain Shiraki shot him a look that was half respect, half frustration.
That was a Legendary Pokémon out there — could Lorelei really handle it so easily?
"The Rockets outside must be suffering," one of the task force members remarked.
Unlike their commander, they seemed more relaxed now, even joking about their enemies.
They'd already retreated to base at the first sign of the blizzard.
The Rocket squads outside had no such protection and were paying the price.
Indeed, chaos reigned outside the valley.
The one-eyed Rocket leader's authority meant little now; his Elite-level Pokémon had already fallen to Bruno, leaving him only a few near–Elite-level partners.
When survival was at stake, nobody cared about future punishment.
Members of the dark organization acted on instinct — directly and ruthlessly.
Some ordered their Pokémon to dig holes in the snow and dove in after them.
The tunnels might get buried, but that was still better than being crushed to death by hail.
Others worked together, carving small caves into the frozen cliffs, braving the storm to find shelter.
In times like these, those with Rock- or Ground-type Pokémon became the most sought-after allies.
One Rocket member proudly released his Onix, hoping it could shield them.
Within seconds, the giant serpent of stone was bombarded by enormous hailstones and stunned senseless.
The larger the target, the worse the beating.
He recalled it instantly — any longer and it might've died.
"Are Legendary Pokémon… really this powerful?"
The whisper wasn't just his — it echoed the thoughts of everyone there.
On the Seafoam Islands, only three people truly understood what they were facing: Bruno, Lorelei, and Team Rocket's Athena.
For everyone else, this was their first time witnessing the true wrath of a Legendary.
And none of the three veterans had any intention of explaining it.
Through the howling wind and pelting ice, a faint, high-pitched cry rose into the night —
a clear, melodic birdcall that cut through the blizzard like a blade of frost.
The song of Articuno.
....
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