Kanto Region, in the seas west of the Seafoam Islands, dozens of helicopters were secretly heading toward Pomeg Island.
The continuous "whirrr" of rotor blades filled the air as the helicopters sped forward.
Each helicopter was coated with a special layer that allowed their color to blend perfectly with the sky.
Flying-type Pokémon passing through the skies were often startled by the faint sounds and movement of these aircraft, since the helicopters were concealed so well.
On Pomeg Island.
The Team Rocket executives stationed there wore grim expressions. Up until now, they had tried to evacuate a small portion of their equipment first, but those ships carrying the early shipments were still circling out at sea, unable to leave the area.
After investigation, it was confirmed that the entire sea region surrounding Pomeg Island was being patrolled by dozens of League warships.
The Indigo League's 85th Maritime Security Fleet Exercise happened to be taking place at this exact time. This move by the League made every Team Rocket executive stationed on the prison island realize how dire the situation was.
Some even suspected that if it weren't for the researchers held on the prison island as "hostages," the League's fleet would have already launched an assault.
Half an hour passed. Contact was lost with the ships that had left early to transport equipment, and after losing communication with them, the highest commander of the prison island immediately convened the executives to discuss the situation.
"It seems the sea routes have been completely blockaded by the League. The only way to break through is underwater, but we still haven't mastered deep-sea navigation technology. Besides, even under the sea, the League has likely prepared countermeasures."
"Breaking out isn't the hard part, we can rely on our Water-type Pokémon for that. The real difficulty is how to transfer the people and equipment from the prison island."
The room fell into heated discussion over the topic.
This so-called "maritime security fleet exercise" was clearly aimed at them, reportedly scheduled to last a week, and no one here believed for a second that it was a coincidence.
"Although headquarters has dispatched the Transport Helicopter Sky-4, I doubt the League isn't surveilling the skies," remarked one executive.
"What about engaging them head-on?" someone suggested.
But he was immediately rebuked. "Headquarters has issued orders. Unless the situation becomes completely irreversible, avoid combat at all costs."
"We must avoid battle. The League's fleet is still concentrated in these waters. With only our current Water-type Pokémon army, a direct confrontation would basically mean death for us."
"However, the League cannot possibly ignore the safety of these researchers, so they definitely wouldn't dare to act rashly. Nevertheless, it's not like we have no way to deal with their warships; these technological products all have a fatal flaw, which is that they require human control. As long as we can carry out a decapitation strike, seizing half of their warships, we will have a chance to break through head-on."
A decapitation strike? Seize their warships?
"Who will go?" the highest commander of the prison island asked indifferently, "Even if the decapitation succeeds, who among us can operate those warships?"
"Pokémon, Hypnosis," someone replied.
Indigo League, having confirmed the location of prison island, the supposed research and logistics depot of Team Rocket, swiftly seized the opportunity and dispatched a fleet to encircle them, giving Team Rocket no time to evacuate.
At the same time, through secret spies, Team Rocket also learned that their base's location had been exposed. Both sides began to act swiftly, each with reasons they could not afford to fail. This would inevitably lead to a battle here. At this very moment, the entire southern sea of Kanto was shrouded in a tense atmosphere.
Unlike the League, which aimed to completely uproot the prison island, Team Rocket's priority was simply to escape, if they could.
Even Team Rocket lacked the courage to confront the League directly. Though it was Kanto's largest criminal organization, compared to the Pokémon League, which governed nations across the world, its strength was still far too insignificant.
Openly confronting the League would certainly be an unwise choice. The power gap between the two sides was simply too large. Therefore, provided they did not lose the prison island's equipment and researchers, Team Rocket's strategy was to avoid combat and strive to escape with key personnel and technology intact.
But the League obviously had no intention of giving Team Rocket an opportunity to easily move equipment and personnel off the prison island. The entire island was currently in a tightly sealed blockade.
Nearly a full day passed. Both sides were wary of each other and neither made a move.
At this moment, both the League and Team Rocket each had a few elite members attempting to infiltrate the other side to look for a breakthrough, but Team Rocket understood that the longer time dragged on, the more unfavorable it would be for them.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Just as the atmosphere at the Team Rocket branch on the prison island grew heavy, reinforcements gathered from various branches arrived. Elite members from different branches descended, giving the Team Rocket members stationed on the prison island a brief respite.
At the very least, they were no longer fighting alone.
...
Meanwhile, countless warships patrolled the sea; their reconnaissance systems had locked down the area so tightly that it was said not even a single Magikarp could escape the blockade.
On a massive silver warship, an elderly woman wearing a purple dress stared at a three-dimensional hologram screen ahead and emitted a raspy laugh.
"Commander, the enemy reinforcements have arrived. What are the next orders?"
"The fish have taken the bait. In ten minutes, everyone attack and aim to annihilate them."
Agatha tapped her cane and gave the order.
This time, in order to completely eliminate the Team Rocket base on the prison island and safely rescue the elites imprisoned from various fields, the League surprisingly dispatched two Elite Four members. Among them, Elite Four Agatha served as the overall commander, preparing to invade the island with her eerie ghost army.
As Kanto's most senior Elite Four member, Agatha's experience far surpassed that of some Champions. Her strength lay in the many powerful Ghost-type Pokémon she had trained over a long career as a Trainer.
Ghost-type Pokémon are known for their long lifespans and the slowest decline in combat ability among all types, so even though Agatha was quite old and her personal commanding ability had waned, her Ghost-type army still retained tremendous combat power.
Besides her main Pokémon Gengar, Agatha had raised eighteen other Gengar over her lifetime, forming her own ghost army.
Each of those Gengar, taken individually, was powerful enough to hold its own, defeating any challenger vying for Agatha's Elite Four position.
For this operation, her entire ghost army was being deployed. Eighteen top-tier Gengar were more than enough to turn the entire prison island upside down!!
TN: Hey guys, I've picked up a new One Piece novel. You can search it: One Piece: The Undying King.
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