"Come forth, Garchomp!"
Dr. Carolina released a fiercely powerful Garchomp. "Garchomp, take me to the Dragon God Shrine immediately. I must personally see if something has gone wrong."
The Garchomp arrived at the shrine in an instant. Seeing the row of Garchomp guards collapsed on the ground, Carolina's heart skipped a beat. She rushed frantically into the inner sanctum, but the altar that usually held the Dragon Orb was empty. It felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck her; her face turned ashen.
"So that's why the Pope retreated so suddenly... he managed to steal the Dragon Orb from right under our noses!" Carolina spat the words out through gritted teeth.
"What a cunning old fox! He drew our strongest fighters to the front lines just to slip into the shrine and thieve our treasure. But how did that little thief get in? I thought all the moles had been purged! And who could have done this? These guards are all Elite-level Garchomp—who possesses the ability to bypass them all?"
Carolina's scalp prickled with rage, her eyes burning with fury. Just as the war seemed to be turning into a total victory, the Temple had outmaneuvered them at the final second.
With the Pope's sudden withdrawal and the disappearance of Regigigas and the Three Titans, the remaining Temple and League forces became pathetically vulnerable. Massive Draco Meteors rained down from the sky, leaving the invading army screaming for mercy as they fled in a blind panic. Even the Temple's warships weren't spared; a swarm of Dragon-type Pokémon surrounded them, prying the decorative gemstones right off the hulls.
In this theatre of the war, the Temple and the League had been utterly humiliated.
The Ambush on Route 210
Meanwhile, in a valley along Route 210, the coalition forces of the Bertha clan, the Pastoria Temple, and the Volkner family were on the move. They were led by Bertha's young heir, Yōta. Their ranks were filled with Pokémon ranging from Gym-level to Quasi-Elite.
"Yōta, are you sure about this? Striking at Celestic Town's rear like this... won't we be discovered?" The speaker was the successor to the Pastoria Temple, Master Taiga.
"Don't worry, Master Taiga," Yōta said confidently. "Celestic Town is locked in a frontal clash with the Pope and the League. They won't have the spare eyes to watch this path. Even if there's an ambush, most of their personnel are occupied elsewhere. If we can execute a successful surprise raid and erase the town, the glory will be ours. Our positions within our respective clans will be unshakeable."
Just then, a cloud of golden powder began to drift down from the sky like shimmering snow.
"Watch out! It's Stun Spore!" Yōta looked up and saw the air saturated with the yellow dust. "It's an ambush! Everyone, defensive formations! Cover your mouths!"
Panic rippled through the ranks as trainers scrambled to protect themselves. Suddenly, thousands of glowing green seeds rained down from above. The moment they struck the ground, they erupted in a chain of violent explosions.
"Cough... release the main squad!" Yōta shouted through his sleeve, throwing a Poké Ball to release a Rhyperior.
The Rhyperior was a massive, tank-like beast clad in orange and black armor. It possessed hexagonal plating on its torso and specialized holes in its palms used to fire rocks with muscle-bound force.
"Rhyperior, Rock Wrecker!"
Though the enemy was hidden by the smoke, Yōta intended to blast a path forward. Rhyperior opened its palms, and a powerful suction force drew in a nearby Geodude that couldn't get out of the way in time. The Rhyperior fired the Geodude like a cannonball, smashing into the valley wall and causing part of the cliff to collapse.
Suddenly, thousands of vines erupted from the earth, coiling tightly around the Rhyperior. Before the beast could react, the vines began to drain its stamina. Within seconds, the Rhyperior's limbs buckled, and it crashed to the ground.
"Dammit! They mixed Leech Seed into the Seed Bombs!"
The Pokémon of the Pastoria and Bertha clans were largely Ground or Water-types, making them extremely vulnerable to Grass-type moves. The Leech Seeds were systematically dismantling their front line.
"I thought the Celestic people were Dragon-fanatics! Where did all these Grass Pokémon come from? Has the Garden family joined the fray?!" Yōta growled.
As if in answer, a massive Leaf Storm roared down from the heights, the sharp leaves swirling like a green hurricane.
"Hmph! Go, Hippopotas, use Sandstorm! Master Taiga, get your Water-types to use Muddy Water!"
The Pastoria monks released a swarm of Floatzel. The torrent of water combined with the swirling sand, creating a thick, heavy mudslide. The mud collided with the Leaf Storm, resulting in a series of messy explosions. When the spray cleared, the valley was filled with "mud-men"—trainers and Pokémon alike blinking in confusion, covered in sludge and scattered leaves.
"Hippopotas, Earthquake!" Yōta roared, his eyes turning bloodshot with frustration.
The Hippopotas slammed its body into the earth, sending a violent tremor through the valley. The shockwave caused a small hill on the flank to shatter. Behind the falling rocks, the Garden family's ambush team was revealed.
Rows of Venusaur, Victreebel, Vileplume, and Torterra stood atop the ridges, looking down at the coalition with cold, predatory eyes.
"It really is the Garden family," Yōta snarled. "Only they would have this many Grass-types."
"Everyone! Release the Steel-types! Steelix and Excadrill, charge!"
Yōta led the charge, releasing his Flygon. The desert dragon beat its wings, kicking up a massive Sandstorm. But as the sand rose, it was met by a blizzard of pink petals. The Venusaur legion began to channel massive amounts of green energy, causing the entire valley to sprout lush grass at an impossible speed.
A gentle breeze blew, and the mud-covered battlefield was suddenly transformed into a blooming field of flowers.