The disciples of the Fortree Gym moved through the crowd with specialized scanners, systematically checking the power levels of the gathered trainers' Pokémon. One by one, those who failed to meet the "Gym-Leader Tier" threshold were politely but firmly escorted out.
When the dust settled, fewer than thirty trainers remained in the massive arena.
"Listen well," Winona cautioned, her voice echoing. "I've received intel that General Jecal of the Poacher Syndicate is en route. Landing on the Island of Flight likely means walking into an ambush. If anyone wants to back out, do it now. Once you board the yacht, there is no turning back."
Standing in the crowd, Feng Che remained silent, but a voice echoed in his mind.
[Feng Che, I sense localized malice from three individuals,]Mewtwo warned telepathically. [They are hiding it well, but I can feel the 'Demonic Qi' radiating from their souls.]
Oh? Point them out, Feng Che replied calmly.
[The young man with trendy blonde hair in the southwest corner.] Feng Che used his psychic perception to scan the target. The youth appeared fashionable, but his pupils were faintly swirled with dark mist, as if a black flame were flickering in the depths of his eyes.
[The redhead with the high ponytail in the northeast corner.] A woman in tactical gear stole a glance at Feng Che. On the back of her hand was a skull-shaped brand, pulsing with invisible dark energy.
[And the gaunt old man leaning on a cane.] His hair was silver-white, and he looked frail, yet his presence was heavy.
[These three are likely connected to the cult that attacked the Bell Tower,] Mewtwo concluded.
So they're coming for me on the island, Feng Che thought. No matter. My Viridian Power is the natural bane of their dark energy. Let them come; I'll bury them in the forest.
Kanto League: President's Office
"Goodshow, that brat who humiliated you has left for the Hoenn region," a voice rasped from the shadows. An (暗 - Darkness) stepped forward.
President Goodshow stiffened. He feigned indifference. "Why isn't he staying in Viridian? What's he doing in Hoenn?"
"They discovered the Island of Flight. It's crawling with rare avian Pokémon. It seems the boy wants to theme his Gym around the Flying-type and is looking for 'stock.' Tell me, Goodshow... do you want me to eliminate this thorn in your side?"
"Do what you want," Goodshow snapped irritably. "Don't use my name as an excuse."
"Heh, you want him dead as much as I want a challenge," An smirked. "I haven't stretched my legs in a while. Kage (影 - Shadow), watch over the President while I'm gone."
An dissolved into the shadows.
Vindictive brat, Goodshow thought with a sinister grin. You shamed me in front of the Sasakis. An is a veteran Elite Four-level operative. With him on your tail, don't expect to come back alive. Once you're dead, I'll send my own people to 'inherit' that new Gym of yours.
Mt. Chimney, Hoenn
A blast of fire vaporized a wall of volcanic rock as Maxie (赤焰松) stepped into the long-lost Earth Temple.
"Hahaha! Finally! The temple of Groudon!" Maxie cheered. "Here, the Earth God can finally use the millennia of stored energy to reform its Primal body!"
But his laughter died in his throat. The temple was cold. The vast reservoirs of elemental energy were... gone. "How?! Where is the power?! It should have been here for a thousand years!"
His furious roar echoed through the empty hall.
Miles away, Archie (水梧桐) was experiencing a similar meltdown. He stood amidst the ruins of the Sea Temple, looking at drained conduits and empty altars. "Someone tell me how thousands of years of Water energy just vanished!"
Without that energy, Kyogre's resurrection would be delayed by decades—unless they found the Alpha Sapphire.
"Report, Leader Archie!" his admin, Matt (潮), called out. "We found the boy the Sea God mentioned. He's with Winona's team heading for the Island of Flight."
"Finally, some good news," Archie growled. "Take a team and bring me that boy's head. Maybe the Sea God will forgive our failure if we present him with his enemy's remains."
The Island of Flight
Feng Che stood on the deck of the yacht as the island loomed ahead. It was divided into seven distinct biomes: Forest, Meadow, Plain, Plateau, Mountain, Lake, and Volcano.
The sky above the island was a swirling vortex of wings. "No wonder Winona took a boat," Feng Che noted. "A helicopter wouldn't last ten seconds in that airspace."
"Trainers! We can't go any closer without being swarmed," the captain shouted. "Launch your Pokémon and make for the shore!"
Trainers began their descent. Some dove into the water on Gyarados; others soared on Pidgeots. Feng Che and Mewtwo simply vanished in a flash of Teleport.
Feng Che reappeared in the heart of the island's rainforest. The air was thick with the scent of wet earth and tropical flowers. Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy like golden sand.
The trees were alive with the Pikipek line.
Pikipek: Small woodpeckers that can peck 16 times per second.
Trumbeak: Capable of mimicking over a hundred sounds and firing seeds like bullets.
Toucannon: Their beaks can heat up to over 100°C, delivering explosive seed-shots.
As Feng Che stepped into a clearing, a flock of Trumbeak blocked his path, their beaks bulging with seeds. They spat a barrage of green projectiles at him.
"Go, Corviknight!"
Feng Che released the massive, armor-clad bird. The seeds bounced off its steel-blue feathers with the rhythmic clink-clink of pebbles hitting a tank.