The leader of Team Magma was astonished—he hadn't expected a handful of teenagers to command such powerful Pokémon.
Especially Gary, who had even brought Latios.
Legendary Pokémon were far beyond the reach of ordinary Trainers.
And Gary dared to go all in because he recognized that the Team Magma mbers' Pokémon weren't particularly strong:
[Lv. 23 Golbat / Elite]
[Lv. 22 Golbat / Elite]
[Lv. 24 Mightyena / Elite]
[Lv. 30 Mightyena / Gym]
[Lv. 35 Carupt / Gym]
Although Team Magma had numbers, most grunts only carried one or two Pokémon—typically Golbat or Mightyena.
Only the captain had more, but even then, his Pokémon weren't high-level.
More importantly, they had already battled Team Aqua, and many of their Pokémon were defeated. At this point, Team Magma was a spent force.
"Kid, just hand over the teorite and we'll leave. There's no need for a pointless battle, right?" the Team Magma captain offered.
Gary sneered inwardly but didn't back down. He launched his attack without hesitation.
"Rhyperior, Stone Edge!
Eevee, Hyper Voice!
Latios, Dragon Pulse!"
As soon as the words left his mouth—
Razor-sharp stones, a thunderous sonic blast, and a spiraling draconic beam tore through Team Magma's formation.
"Carupt, Flathrower!"
"Golbat, Air Slash!"
"Mightyena, Dark Pulse!"
Team Magma fired back, and Ash and the others added their own support—but Gary's trio alone was overwhelming.
After one round of combat, most of the Golbat and Mightyena lay unconscious.
With Ash's help, only a few battered Pokémon and the captain's Carupt were still standing.
"Carupt, Smokescreen! We're leaving!" the captain barked. He knew the mission had failed, and these young Trainers were no ordinary children.
Carupt belched out a thick cloud of smoke, and Team Magma fled into the haze.
"Gary, shouldn't we chase them?" Ash asked.
With their current strength, they could definitely take Team Magma down.
"Not with Professor Cozmo here. It's too risky," Gary replied.
"If we corner them, they might go all out—and Team Aqua could be waiting to take advantage."
Ash nodded in agreent.
"Good point. What's next?" he asked.
"First, let's reach the summit station and check on the cable car. Then we'll call Officer Jenny and arrange for League personnel to escort Professor Cozmo."
"Okay, let's do that," Professor Cozmo agreed.
After all, Team Aqua was still out there. There was no way to know if they had retreated. Caution was the safest route.
Hidden nearby, Team Aqua operatives watched Team Magma retreat and decided to abort their own mission.
Disrupting Magma had been the primary goal. The teorite was secondary.
At the cable car station at the mountain's base, Team Aqua mbers received the retreat signal and quietly withdrew one by one.
The station staff also erged from hiding and hurried to check the condition of the cable car system.
Gary's group reached the summit station, reported the incident, and contacted the police. Officer Jenny asked them to stay for questioning.
In the lounge, Professor Cozmo safely stored the teorite and turned to Zinnia.
"Zinnia, where exactly are you from?"
"Rustboro City," she answered.
"Rustboro…?" Cozmo frowned. He'd visited Rustboro often but had never heard anyone refer to Rayquaza as the 'Dragon God.'
"Her family lives in a village outside Rustboro," Gary offered smoothly.
"They rarely interact with outsiders and revere Rayquaza as their totem—hence the title 'Dragon God.'"
Cozmo's eyes lit up.
As a researcher at the Mossdeep Space Center, he was fascinated by Rayquaza's behavior. News of a community that actively worshipped it was both intriguing and delicate.
"In that case, would you like to visit the Mossdeep Space Center soti?" he asked.
"We have the best equipnt for observing Rayquaza."
"What? I could actually see the Dragon God?" Zinnia's eyes sparkled.
Gary sighed inwardly—Cozmo had just found the fastest way to her heart.
For any mber of the Draconid tribe, seeing Rayquaza was a sacred experience. Zinnia had never had the chance.
"If you're passing through Mossdeep City during your Gym challenge, just drop by," Cozmo added.
"I definitely will!"
Gary sensed no ill intent—after all, the Space Center was on the Gym route—so he let the matter go.
A short while later, Officer Jenny arrived, took statents, and escorted Professor Cozmo down the mountain.
Gary and Zinnia chose not to travel with Ash's group. After lunch, they cycled down the newly paved road toward Lavaridge Town.
Since it was getting late, Ash's group decided to camp on the mountain and descend the next morning to challenge Flannery at the Lavaridge Gym.
Dusk had fallen by the ti Gary and Zinnia rolled into Lavaridge and checked into the Pokémon Center's hot-spring lodge.
The town's famous hot spring baths washed away their fatigue in an instant. It was Zinnia's first soak—and she erged feeling utterly refreshed.
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