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The command room was dimly lit, with only countless screens flashing cold data light.
Ariel sat in the command seat, with a dozen split screens in front of him, allowing him to switch to the perspective of any combatant at any time.
Yuki sat beside him; her console was more complex, with the network map of the entire Hoenn region spread out before her, as countless streams of code refreshed like a waterfall.
"Grouping orders issued."
Ariel's voice rang out inside the vehicle, without any superfluous words.
He sensed the emotional fluctuations of every person through his mental power and issued the first order in an unquestionable tone.
"Assault Group A, numbers one to three, target, Hoenn eastern island trading post."
"Assault Group B, numbers four to six, target, southern Slateport City port supply station."
"Assault Group C, numbers seven to nine, target, central Mauville City large-scale power plant."
Three groups, nine people, nine Mega Evolution Pokémon, like three poisoned daggers, simultaneously struck at three different regions of the Hoenn League.
"Yuki."
"Present."
"Deliver our slogan to everyone in Hoenn."
"What is the slogan?"
Yuki looked up, her lenses reflecting the light from the screens.
Ariel's gaze fell on the main screen, which was displaying the night view of Mauville City, peaceful and tranquil.
"Just say, Team Evil is here."
The night sky was pierced by sharp alarm sounds.
At the port in Slateport City, workers conducting night loading and unloading operations hadn't even reacted when a dark red figure descended from the sky.
Mega Beedrill!
Its arms and the poison stingers on its tail glimmered with a cold metallic light, and every thrust precisely detonated a shipping container.
Explosions rang out one after another, and flames illuminated the terrified faces of the dock workers.
Almost at the same time, at the large-scale power plant on the outskirts of Mauville City, the heavy alloy gate buckled inward with a loud bang, and a huge pink Pokémon with steel jaws walked in.
Mega Mawile!
The guarding League Trainers immediately released their Pokémon; several attacks intertwined and struck Mega Mawile, but only sputtered a few insignificant sparks.
The giant jaws behind it opened suddenly and snapped down, tearing the power plant's energy transmission pipelines apart, sending blue-white electric arcs frantically darting through the air, emitting a "sizzling" wail.
The lights of the entire Mauville City began to flicker and extinguish at a speed visible to the naked eye.
And at the eastern island trading post, the situation was even more direct.
The Inferno fire spat out by Mega Houndoom, like an angry fire dragon, swept through the entire commercial street.
Wooden structures instantly carbonized under the high temperature and then collapsed with a roar.
The League's defensive forces were as fragile as paper in front of these overwhelming combat powers.
Inside the mobile command vehicle, Ariel watched all of this calmly.
Real-time footage from the three locations switched on the screens in front of him, with explosions, screams, and alarms mixed together, coming through the speakers and sounding somewhat noisy.
He casually turned down the volume.
"Group A, destroy the buildings, cut off the sea routes."
"Group B, detonate all supplies, do not leave a single screw behind."
"Group C, completely destroy the generator units; I want Mauville City to not see a single glimmer of light for three days."
His orders were precise and cruel.
"Do not seek annihilation, only seek destruction."
Yuki's fingers danced on the keyboard; the public broadcast systems, television signals, and network pop-ups of Slateport City, Mauville City, and even all surrounding towns were forcibly taken over by her at this moment.
There were no complex declarations, only a single cold sentence, accompanied by a bright red "R" letter logo, playing on a loop.
"Team Evil is here."
"Team Evil is here."
"Team Evil is here."
Panic, like a plague, began to spread in the darkness.
Ariel's gaze moved away from the burning buildings and broken ruins, landing on the Hoenn map on Yuki's console.
Several red dots representing the League's rapid response forces had already set out from different cities and were rushing in a panic toward the three incident locations.
The jumping casualty numbers on the screen were no different from roadside pebbles in his eyes.
These were all just appetizers.
What he wanted was not this insignificant destruction, but to make the League's support forces run around exhausted between these three far-apart coordinate points like headless flies.
He wanted to drag the entire Hoenn League's defense system into a quagmire of chaos.
"Sir,"
Yuki suddenly spoke up,
"The League's communication encryption level has been raised; they are mobilizing Quasi-Elite Four Level combat power."
A faint, almost imperceptible arc finally appeared at the corner of Ariel's mouth.
The fish, it was beginning to take the bait.
The evening news segments of major television stations in the Hoenn region were forcibly interrupted by the same breaking news.
The footage shook violently, with the background being the devastated port of Slateport City, where thick smoke and dust had not yet dissipated.
A female reporter wearing a hard hat was facing the camera, her voice slightly distorted due to excitement and lingering fear.
"Dear viewers, just half an hour ago, a mysterious organization calling themselves 'Team Evil' launched an attack on the city center! The Pokémon they used... we have never seen before! They are huge in size, ferocious in form, and have astonishing destructive power!"
The camera cut, and a blurry video shot by a passerby's mobile phone began to play.
In the footage, a yellow and blue Mega Sharpedo opened its huge mouth, and a thick Hydro Pump blasted the glass curtain wall of a building to pieces.
In the studio, the knowledgeable host also looked confused:
"The appearance of these Pokémon has undergone drastic changes; is this an unknown evolutionary form? There is absolutely no relevant information in our pokédex database."
In another interview video, a resident who had just been rescued from the ruins, still covered in dust, shouted at the camera:
"Team Rockets! They must be that evil Team Rockets from the Kanto region! Too despicable!"
His shouts represented the sentiments of most of the public, and the flames of anger quickly spread across the internet.
Immediately after, a thoroughly exhausted Officer Jenny appeared in front of the camera, with countless flashing police lights behind the cordon line.
"Please remain calm, citizens; the League's support forces are rushing over at full speed. We will never let any criminal who disrupts the peace of Hoenn go!"
Her voice spread through the airwaves to thousands of households, attempting to appease the restless hearts of the people.
And the mastermind behind all of this, Ariel, was standing in front of a screen at a temporary base, calmly watching the chaos he had directed himself in the news.
The light from the screen cast changing shadows on his dark combat uniform, but it could not illuminate his eyes, which were as still as an ancient well.
"Lord Ruth, public opinion has been ignited, and the League's attention has been completely diverted."
Yuki was behind him, her voice tinged with a hint of excitement.
Ariel did not turn back, his gaze still locked on the righteous Officer Jenny on the screen.
"Withdraw."
One word, without any extra explanation.