"Return for now, Sylveon. Volcanion, begin charging. Get ready for Steam Eruption!"
"Mega Alakazam, Teleport!"
As Gu Yuan's orders rang out, Volcanion began condensing the power of steam. Immediately after, Mega Alakazam vanished from the spot, taking Gu Yuan and Volcanion with it.
At this moment, the laser cannons were operating at an overloaded capacity, desperately attacking the surroundings to keep Mega Salamence and Mega Sableye tied up. Although Maxie's main base housed the strongest elite forces, Team Magma was simply no match for the well-prepared Hoenn League.
Furthermore, Gu Yuan's previous series of attacks had made the situation even worse. Even the Champion Rank trainers of Team Magma found themselves being besieged. Consequently, when Mega Alakazam brought Gu Yuan to the side of a laser cannon, the strongest defensive force present was only at the Peak Ace Rank.
"Go, Volcanion! Steam Eruption!"
Following Gu Yuan's voice, the already prepared Volcanion immediately launched its assault. A massive amount of steam surged forth, carrying incredible power. By the time the Team Magma members guarding the laser cannon reacted, it was already too late.
Volcanion's Steam Eruption can be released by tightly grabbing an opponent with its arms, or it can emit a large volume of steam and control the resulting explosion. Once the steam was fully released, Volcanion immediately triggered the blast.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Ear-splitting explosions rang out. The omnipresent blasts were difficult for the Team Magma members to withstand. They could only have their Pokémon do their best to protect them and the nearby laser cannons.
When the explosions subsided, the Team Magma members appeared in a wretched state, surrounded by wounded Pokémon. The two laser cannons remained intact, but Gu Yuan had never expected to destroy them in the first place; his goal was merely to buy time for Mega Salamence and Mega Sableye.
Almost at the exact moment the explosions ended, Mega Sableye surged out from the dimensional space. It appeared behind the Team Magma members and the laser cannons like a giant demonic shadow. Its claws swung, instantly defeating the Peak Ace Rank Pokémon.
From the front, the dragon that Mega Salamence had transformed into also charged in. A deafening dragon roar was the last thing those people would ever hear.
As Mega Salamence and Mega Sableye were liberated, a hint of despair finally flashed in Maxie's calm eyes.
"Use all our forces to break through!"
As Maxie's voice echoed through the headsets, Team Magma undoubtedly mobilized all of its hidden reserves. Having researched Groudon for so long, Team Magma had developed powerful weapons and special potions based on numerous unique items.
Regarding weaponry, while they couldn't match the previous laser cannons, their power was still quite formidable. The only drawback was perhaps their lack of mobility. As for the potions, they could make a Pokémon significantly more powerful in a short time, though the cost was the depletion of the Pokémon's life force.
In terms of hidden reserves, the former Team Aqua was not much inferior to Team Magma. Unfortunately, due to a sudden accident, Team Aqua had no time to prepare; otherwise, that war would not have ended so easily.
At this moment, every Team Magma member began to fight for their lives. Even Champion Rank trainers gave their Pokémon the potions to exchange for greater power.
"You want to break the net even if the fish dies? Take a look at what kind of fish you are and what kind of net we have."
As Drake's voice rang out, numerous black dots appeared in the distance. These were the allied forces of the Hoenn League. Without having to stay alert against Team Aqua, the power the Hoenn League could mobilize was staggering.
To minimize their own losses, Drake had the Hoenn League forces expand their encirclement, thereby dispersing Team Magma's strength. Coordinated with the arriving reinforcements, they once again held the advantage in numbers. No matter how incredible the effects of those potions were, they could not compare to being outnumbered.
Watching his subordinates being easily neutralized by the Hoenn League despite their desperate efforts, a hint of regret appeared in Maxie's eyes. If he had lent Team Aqua a hand back then, would he be in this situation today?
Unfortunately, there is no medicine for regret in this world. Who knows if Team Magma's situation would have been better or worse if Team Aqua had actually succeeded.
"Fight to the end, my old friends! Let us battle to our hearts' content!"
At this moment, regret and despair vanished from Maxie's eyes, replaced by a firm will to fight. The fighting spirit unique to Fire-type Pokémon burned, manifesting as invisible flames that enveloped them. There was no need for specific instructions; their mutual understanding was such that with a single look or movement from Maxie, his Pokémon could launch the corresponding attack.
"Mega Salamence, Dragon Rush!"
Even facing a Maxie who was going all out, Drake still held the upper hand in direct confrontation. This was the formidable power of a veteran Elite Four member. Furthermore, Phoebe had her Pokémon provide support from the sidelines, ensuring Maxie's situation saw no improvement.
Soon, Maxie's Pokémon began to suffer casualties. As each Pokémon fell, Maxie could clearly remember the hardships and efforts from the day he met them, through their training and growth to this day. It was only as his organization grew larger that he spent less time personally leading them in training and battle.
Only now did Maxie realize that the size of his organization was not what mattered; his own strength was. But it was already too late.
"Roar!"
With a dragon's cry, another one of Maxie's Pokémon was defeated. A dark shadow lunged out from behind Maxie as Mega Sableye headed straight for him. At this point, Maxie's only two remaining Pokémon were being suppressed by Drake and were unable to provide support.
However, Mega Sableye did not intend to kill Maxie; it only planned to capture him alive.
"Team Magma has been destroyed. As the leader, how can I live on in disgrace!"
Ignoring the cold sensation coming from behind him, Maxie's tone was full of resolve. At some unknown point, Maxie had plunged a dagger into his own heart and twisted it fiercely. Intense pain instantly surged through his body, and as blood sprayed, Maxie's life drifted away.
With Maxie's fall, Team Magma's morale plummeted. Many people surrendered to the Hoenn League, leaving only a small portion still putting up a stubborn resistance. But with two Elite Four members like Drake and Phoebe present, this bit of resistance amounted to nothing.
Gu Yuan, in particular, was active to the extreme. He constantly used Teleport to appear beside these people, defeating their Pokémon with maximum force to seize the final moments to earn points.