At the foot of Mt. Coronet, a group of people in Team Galactic uniforms rode on their Pokémon mounts, charging swiftly forward.
At the front were two women, one with long pink hair, one with short red hair, two of the three Galactic Commanders: Mars and Jupiter.
Their ranks were grand and orderly, strictly following the formation of defensive-type Pokémon on the outside and offensive-types on the inside.
The Pokémon at the very front were even Gym Leader–level in strength.
With this kind of marching formation, even if they faced Elite Four–level Pokémon, they could still put up a solid fight.
Suddenly, ring ring ring! the communicator on Jupiter's waist buzzed.
On the screen, Saturn appeared, crouched in the corner of the airship.
["Get to Lake Acuity within thirty minutes, or the three Lake Gods will be snatched by Axel!"]
The call ended. Jupiter and Mars looked at each other, both seeing the same shock in each other's eyes.
What was going on?
They both knew Saturn had been beaten by Axel, but even Boss Cyrus couldn't hold down that man now?
The Masked Man's group... was far too terrifying.
"Everyone, push harder! We're less than a hundred kilometers from Lake Acuity, for the sake of our common cause, we must reach it as fast as possible."
"Medical unit, don't hold back, distribute all stamina recovery potions immediately!"
A nearby squad leader looked worried, "But if we do that, our formation will fall apart, won't it?"
"I heard the Officer Jennys have gotten a major power-up recently, I'm afraid we might..."
Before he could finish, the short-tempered Mars had already started yelling.
"At a time like this, who cares about formation?"
"Anyone who fails to reach Lake Acuity within thirty minutes will be treated as a traitor!"
At that, the squad leader could only slink away bitterly, while the other leaders all raised their arms.
"All units, listen up!"
"At any cost, reach Lake Acuity within thirty minutes!"
———
A small Cutiefly fluttered down from the sky and landed on the wrist of an Officer Jenny.
This kind of Pokémon was only ten centimeters tall, yet skilled in sensing energy signatures, making it perfect for reconnaissance missions.
The Officer Jenny detached a tiny camera from the Cutiefly and exchanged a few words with it. A glimmer of excitement flashed in her big sky-blue eyes.
"Sisters, Cutiefly spotted the enemy! Around two hundred of them, wearing Team Galactic uniforms."
"And for some reason, their formation's a complete mess, nothing like usual. They look weak and disorganized."
All the other Officer Jennys' eyes lit up, even Jenny No. 4 looked pleasantly surprised.
At first, she'd thought today's battle might be somewhat difficult.
But for some reason, these guys had completely abandoned their marching formation.
"In that case, let's lend Axel and Lord Mewtwo a little extra help."
"As long as we crush this squad, the pressure on Axel in capturing the three Lake Gods should lessen greatly."
"Group One, move in first, don't give them a chance to use any big power-up moves!"
"All Arcanines with the Justified ability, prepare for surround formation!"
"Arf!"
The moment Jenny No. 4 gave the order, a squad of Officer Jennys charged forward with their Arcanines.
A wave of blazing red swept across the grassland, the first group's Arcanines appeared from behind bushes and boulders, all using Agility in unison.
Seeing the flashing streaks of white light, Mars and Jupiter's faces changed.
"We're ambushed! Everyone, use your buff skills, now!"
In large-scale battles, whoever activated their buffs first would seize the initiative.
That's exactly why Mars and Jupiter had been marching so cautiously in the beginning, they were terrified of ambushes.
Once the order was given, the front-line Team Galactic members nodded quickly.
They began commanding their Pokémon to use various enhancement moves while relaying the message to those behind.
But the command hadn't even reached one-third of the troops before the Arcanines had already charged in.
Dozens of Arcanines flashed with white light, leaving streaks of afterimages as they dashed forward like tigers into a flock of sheep, smashing straight into the Galactic ranks.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A rapid series of crashes echoed as, under the effect of Extreme Speed, the Pokémon in the front lines were slammed backward into their allies.
Many Pokémon in the middle of using buff skills were forced to stop, all of them dazed and panicking.
The trainers in the front quickly recovered and tried to order their already-buffed Pokémon to counterattack, to buy time for those behind.
But before they could speak, a string of deep, commanding roars filled the air.
Circles of red light appeared beneath their Pokémon's feet, their attack power had been lowered by the Arcanines' Intimidate ability.
The first wave of Arcanines grew even bolder, dashing through the Galactic ranks over and over with Extreme Speed, turning the entire force into utter chaos.
"Damn it, where's my Pokémon? It got knocked away somewhere!"
"Snorlax, stop them! Give our teammates some space!"
"Tanks, get to the front! If this keeps up, we're all dead!"
"Shit! This Arcanine stepped on my face! Clefairy, use Life Dew, heal me!"
Amid the Arcanine assault, cries and curses filled the air. Aside from a few trainers who managed to take flight with their Flying-types, every other Galactic member was running around like headless chickens.
Even Mars and Jupiter couldn't get their troops to calm down.
"Jupiter, contact the boss, report what's happening here!"
"I'll have my Pokémon hold back these Arcanines. The other squad leaders, restrain your subordinates immediately!"
With that, Mars glared toward the Officer Jennys in the distance, fury blazing in her eyes, and hurled several Poké Balls into the air.
Bursts of white light flashed, Purugly, Zubat, Golbat, Bronzor, Magnezone, and Kangaskhan all appeared.
Including her Bronzong mount, every one of her Pokémon was Gym Leader–level, and her Purugly radiated the power of an Elite-tier Pokémon.
The alarms on the leading Officer Jennys' gear blared urgently, the beeping so fast it blended into one continuous tone.
Seeing Mars make her move, the Galactic members finally began to recover from their panic, commanding their Pokémon to counterattack.
Embers, Razor Leaf, Bullet Seed, Water Gun, and Water Pulse attacks all filled the battlefield.
Mars' lips curled into a smirk, her eyes gleaming with scorn.
With the League's Elites and Gym Leaders all away, these Officer Jennys, who were only used to dealing with poachers, thought they could stop Team Galactic?
"Purugly, take down those mutts and their handlers—"
Before she could finish, the Bronzong beneath her suddenly slid sideways.
At the same instant, a massive Flame Wheel slammed into the spot where she had just been, gouging a crater more than ten meters deep!
As the smoke cleared, a tall figure in a Jenny uniform stood proudly behind her Arcanine, smiling pleasantly.
"Miss Mars," said Jenny No. 4, her voice calm yet sharp, "and just what were you planning to do with us?"
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