While the front lines bristled with tension, the Garden Estate was under siege. Hunter J's mercenaries had surrounded the property in multiple layers.
"The Pope's orders were simply to ensure no supplies reach Celestic Town," J thought, looking at the fortified mansion. "I'll just maintain the blockade. There's no need to actually shed blood here unless they force it."
Inside, the Elder Yuan Tian was pacing nervously. "Master Feng Che told me not to worry, but we're surrounded! And I can't even get that lazy Heatran to wake up. It's gained ten pounds just eating and sleeping!"
The Ambush at Mt. Coronet
As the Temple fleet entered the airspace above Mt. Coronet, they were suddenly bombarded by high-voltage discharges from a swarm of Probopass and Magnezone hidden among the crags.
"Fire! All batteries, fire!" Brandon shouted, commanding from the deck.
The massive cannons of the warships deployed. But as the gunners pressed the triggers, nothing happened. Moments later, a series of muffled thuds echoed through the hulls.
BOOM!
The cannon barrels, secretly sabotaged or blocked by psychic force, exploded internally. Several smaller frigates were torn apart instantly, their debris raining down on the ships below.
"Cease fire! The cannons are compromised!" the Pope screamed.
"Lord Pope, the barrels were blocked from the inside!" Brandon reported frantically.
The Garden family did this, the Pope realized, his face darkening. They used the same trick to take down Julian's ship. Celestic Town knew we were coming.
"No matter. We still have the Pokémon legions. We don't need cannons to crush them."
As the Temple's legions of Bronzong and Staraptor poured out of the hangars, Drasna and Zinnia gave the signal.
"Probopass, Magnezone! Use Gravity!"
The heavy psychic weight slammed into the flying Temple forces. Hundreds of Bronzong plummeted from the sky like lead weights, crashing into the rocky slopes below.
"It's a trap!" Brandon mounted his Staraptor and dove into the fray. But as he descended, the scenery around him shifted violently. He found himself standing in a secluded mountain valley, cut off from the main fleet.
"A pleasant environment for a rematch, don't you think, Brandon?"
A figure in a black cloak and a smiling mask levitated before him.
"You again!" Brandon growled, recognizing the thief from the lake.
"I have a wager for you," the masked Feng Che said, holding up the glowing Green Earth Orb. "If you can defeat me, this legendary treasure is yours. It's a key to Arceus's power—surely the Pope would forgive your previous failures if you brought him this?"
Brandon's eyes lit up. "The Green Earth Orb... a tempting prize."
"But I want more," Brandon added, sensing he had the advantage of numbers with his Titans. "I want that Jirachi you stole."
"Fair enough. If you win, you get both. If you lose... your life remains here."
Feng Che released his Flygon. "Flygon, turn the valley into a shifting sea of sand!"
The desert dragon beat its wings, cloaking the area in a violent Sandstorm that blinded Brandon. From within the swirling dust, a haunting, siren-like song began to echo—Flygon's Sing.
"Go, Three Titans!"
Brandon released Regirock, Registeel, and Regice.
"Regice, Blizzard! Freeze the sand!"
A wave of absolute cold swept through the valley, flash-freezing the sand dunes into jagged ice sculptures. But before Brandon could celebrate, a pillar of white-hot fire erupted, melting the ice in a heartbeat.
Greninja emerged from the steam, its body shimmering with a mysterious Alpha-symbol aura. Incineroar landed beside it, its belt-fire roaring.
The battle lines were drawn:
Greninja vs. Regirock
Incineroar vs. Regice
Flygon vs. Registeel
The valley shook with the impact of divine-tier combat.