Kurokawa Ryosuke, Hattori Tōkichi, Giovanni, Pryce, Bruno, Howard, and the other prominent figures had all gathered in front of Shadow Team's castle, while Tetsuya had long since blended into the crowd. At this point, he was nothing more than an unknown nobody.
It was obvious that the castle's fortifications were far beyond what average Pokémon could breach.
"Let's all share our thoughts. How can we break through this castle?" Ryosuke said.
"My Pokémon can smash through anything. Let me give it a try."
Bruno was the first to send out his Fighting-type army as they charged toward the castle gates. They unleashed all kinds of STAB Fighting-type moves, yet the gates remained completely unmoved. Even after repeatedly attacking the castle walls, there was not the slightest sign of damage.
"This…"
Bruno was, after all, a young Elite Four enjoying the height of his success. This mission had been entrusted to him by the League, and he had wanted to make a "good impression". Instead, he had only embarrassed himself…
"Elite Four Bruno, there is no need for you to… eh, get discouraged. Judging by appearances, these walls are at least one meter thick and built entirely from the hardest stone. The gate itself has three layers, inside and out, all forged from refined steel. It cannot be breached through brute force alone.
Since even the power of your Pokémon couldn't break through it, there's no need for anyone else to try," Giovanni said deliberately, easing Bruno's "embarrassment".
"So, this is an Elite Four from Kanto, huh. Let me try." Tōkichi stepped forward and sent out his Poison-type Pokémon. Large quantities of Acid were sprayed onto the gate, but they simply ran down the refined steel surface without leaving the slightest trace of corrosion…
Tōkichi swallowed hard. "Eh…? I-IIt's obviously made of metal. How can it be unaffected by Acid!?"
"…It was probably treated to resist corrosion. Shadow Team is, indeed, really despicable," Howard said, attempting to smooth things over.
At the same time, however, Howard had already ordered people to keep an eye on Tetsuya. He had invested far too much effort into raising that Miltank to simply let Tetsuya keep it. Even if Pryce suspected something, what could he do without proof?
They then tried attacking from underground, but after digging only two meters down, they encountered an extremely hard layer of rock and soil.
Dig was completely unusable!
In the end, they could only organize the first wave of seventy to eighty Investigators who specialized in Flying-type Pokémon to launch an aerial assault. They were the aerial ace forces of both Leagues.
They circled high above the castle, looking down over the entire fortress.
[What's the situation inside the castle?] Ryosuke and Giovanni both questioned the Investigators from their respective sides in the air.
They all gave the same reply. [The Shadows inside the castle are in low spirits. It looks like they're only trying to stall for time. We'll definitely succeed in one strike.]
[Good! Your first priority after entering the castle is to open the gates,] Giovanni said.
Immediately afterward, cries echoed across the sky as countless dark silhouettes dived!
Suddenly, blue light flashed, and every Flying-type Pokémon was pinned within the blue radiance…
"What is that!?" Many Trainers below looked up at the scene and shouted in shock.
"It's an electromagnetic wave… Break free!" Pryce and Giovanni both recognized what was happening. Those were seventy to eighty League Investigators. Every Investigator had a combat power level approaching that of a Gym Leader.
The Leagues had invested enormous funds training them, selecting the very best from competitive tournaments before pouring vast amounts of resources into their training. A League's Investigators represented the overall strength of the League itself. Yet now, seventy to eighty of them had fallen into danger all at once!
Neither Ryosuke, Bruno, nor Giovanni had any way to explain this to the League, yet there was nothing they could do to rescue them now. All they could do was watch anxiously while shouting.
Shadow Team's castle had an exceptionally complete defense system. The electromagnetic wave barrier covering the entire sky carried a massive electric charge. None of the seventy to eighty Pokémon could break free.
The Investigators had long since been shocked unconscious, and the Flying-types also fainted under the overwhelming electrical load.
Shadow Team then cut off the power, and every Pokémon and Investigator fell into the castle…
"Damn it!We have to find a way to save them!" Ryosuke said anxiously, though even he knew those words were little more than self-deception.
At that moment, Pryce said, "Can they still be saved? After being shocked by electromagnetic waves for that long and then falling from such a height… even if they survive, they'll be crippled for life. Sigh…"
Everyone fell silent. Having lost so many comrades in succession, those who were naturally the most distressed were Kurokawa Ryosuke, Hattori Tōkichi, and Bruno.
As for Giovanni… although he also bore a certain amount of responsibility, the primary responsibility still rested with Bruno because he was the "Elite Four" serving as the overall commander of this operation.
Giovanni had originally been the one to request reinforcements from the League, so his shared responsibility was comparatively limited.
"W-We've lost so many Investigators this time. How are we supposed to explain this to the League when we return!?" Tōkichi was already pacing back and forth in anxiety.
Meanwhile, Ryosuke was already thinking about how to shift the blame, and Tōkichi was naturally the perfect scapegoat…
"Don't worry, Tōkichi. I'll take full responsibility for whatever happens," Ryosuke said as he patted his chest.
"…Is that so? Then it seems I really have to... thank you." Tōkichi had dealt with Ryosuke for many years. He knew exactly what kind of person he was and naturally did not believe a word of his nonsense. However, Ryosuke was the "Champion", while he himself was completely at a disadvantage, which gave him quite a headache.
"Hn." 'Every one of them has their own hidden agenda,' Tetsuya snorted.
At that moment, with a grief-stricken expression, Bruno walked over to Giovanni. "Giovanni, this time I have caused the Indigo League enormous losses.
I've failed the League's trust, but… I swear to destroy Shadow Team!
If I unfortunately die here, I ask that you apologize to the League on my behalf."
"Don't say such things. The League absolutely cannot afford to lose an Elite Four like you. Whatever happens, we'll bear the responsibility together," Giovanni said. Bruno truly was an honorable man…
"Destroy. Shadow. Teaaaaam!"
The shout rose like crashing waves from the ranks of the Indigo League's Investigators.
Only then did Giovanni breathe a slight sigh of relief. Dozens of Investigators had died, but with both Bruno and himself sharing the responsibility, the League would be heartbroken after learning the truth, yet it would not deliberately seek to punish them.
However, if Bruno were to die here… then Giovanni's responsibility would become enormous!
The death of an Elite Four was an event of terrific significance. What had he himself been doing? Why had a "mere" Gym Leader remained completely unharmed? If the League investigated the matter thoroughly, how could he possibly have any energy left to develop Team Rocket?
Pryce shook his head helplessly. Just by looking at the morale of the two Leagues, he already knew that the decline of the Johto League had become an undeniable fact. Even their morale was on an entirely different level.
---◓---
After fighting for an entire day and losing so many comrades, no one could think of a way to breach the castle. Left with no alternative, they could only rest where they were.
The logistical supplies provided by the nearby cities also arrived.
Although everyone was grieving, they still had to fill their stomachs first. As for the injured Pokémon, they could only be transferred to the nearest Pokémon Center for treatment.