The battered and bruised Cipher grunts continued their advance.
Following the gas explosions and the Pokémon self-destruct traps, they had navigated countless obstacles. While their specialized protective suits had kept casualties to a minimum, they had lost numerous Shadow Pokémon, and more importantly...
This was incredibly aggravating!
Every single Cipher grunt was currently seething, waiting for the moment they finally encountered Team Rainbow so they could vent their pent-up frustration.
To satisfy their desire, Kashiwagi and the others arrived.
BOOM—!!
The ground beneath their feet suddenly disintegrated. In an instant, a silver, glittering behemoth exploded from the earth, letting out a piercing shriek like a high-speed train!
"Attack! Shadow Rush!"
"Shadow Wave!"
The Cipher grunts frantically released more Shadow Pokémon, ordering them to swarm the Giant Steelix.
At the same time, Pokémon popped up from the surrounding buildings, raining down long-range moves. Team Rainbow members darted between the cover, continuously throwing flashbangs and gas grenades. The grunts at the front and rear of the column were drawn away to deal with these skirmishers.
Those in the middle focused entirely on the Giant Steelix.
"ROAR!!"
The Giant Steelix took several hits, letting out a cry of pain. But instead of retreating, it twisted its massive body, propping itself upright. Its four horizontal steel ridges began to spin violently!
Rumble—!!
A violent sandstorm gathered instantly. Like a localized natural disaster, a towering sand pillar connected heaven and earth, blotting out the sun and flinging the approaching Shadow Pokémon away!
"What a powerful Pokémon!"
The Cipher Executive was stunned by the Giant Steelix's sheer scale. He roared, "Don't get close! Use ranged attacks! Blast it from a distance!"
Against a sandstorm of this magnitude, any physical assault was suicide. Only a fierce barrage of long-range energy could bring it down.
"Shadow Storm!"
"Shadow Bolt—ACK!"
A Cipher grunt suddenly screamed. His companions looked over, only to see a pair of glowing blue orbs rising from the ground.
"GRON—!!"
Aggron swung its massive arm with casual brutality, sending the grunt flying with a sickening thud. It then threw its head back and roared as a swarm of Pokémon poured out from the hole dug by Steelix!
"Roar!"
Aggron acted like a heavy armored tank in motion. Cloaked in the brilliant white light of a Take Down, it plowed through the Shadow Pokémon, specifically targeting the Cipher grunts. If it managed to grab one, it treated them like a baseball bat, swinging them through the air.
You think those suits make you invincible? Let's see how much impact you can actually take!
Mawile, taking advantage of its small stature, used Magnet Rise to zip through the battlefield. Whenever it saw an ally in trouble, it rushed in to deliver a punishing punch or kick to the enemy. Meanwhile, Chansey busied itself with rescuing the wounded. To most people, telling a Shadow Pokémon from a normal one was difficult, but for Chansey, who could sense emotions, they were as easy to spot as a flare in the dark.
Under the design of Kashiwagi and N, the Cipher units were being squeezed from both ends and the middle, thrown into such chaos they could barely distinguish friend from foe. However, because Shadow Pokémon could trade injury for injury without feeling pain, and because the two hundred grunts had nearly a thousand Pokémon between them, Aggron and the others were beginning to feel the strain.
"Retreat! Don't get bogged down! Fall back!"
The command echoed from the sky. A few Shadow Pokémon tried to attack the source, but they only managed to shoot down a drone. More drones began broadcasting Kashiwagi's voice, ordering Aggron, Steelix, and the others to withdraw with the injured and exhausted Pokémon.
In a side alley, Kashiwagi and Takeshi were breathing heavily. Around them lay several unconscious Shadow Pokémon and a few incapacitated Cipher grunts. Kashiwagi was shouting into a radio while Mawile stood guard. Takeshi's Haxorus and Druddigon were covered in scratches, warily scanning the surroundings.
Though they never expected N's tamed Pokémon to single-handedly defeat Cipher, the tide had turned faster than expected. To avoid unnecessary sacrifices in a stalling war, a retreat was mandatory.
"Take the men and fall back to the second defensive line. N and I will cover the rear," Kashiwagi turned to Takeshi.
Takeshi hesitated. "But—"
"There's no time to argue! Go! Make sure the people there are ready!" Kashiwagi pushed him. Just as he was about to bark another order, he stopped.
And looked toward the sky.
"A daytime meteor?"
A brilliant silver streak cut across the heavens. In Kashiwagi's confused vision, the "meteor" suddenly pulled a sharp cut and dived straight toward their position.
BOOM—!!
The silver meteor slammed into the ground nearby. The earth cracked like a brittle cracker; surrounding buildings shuddered and collapsed. The shockwave sent the Shadow Pokémon pursuing the retreating units flying backward.
The snarling Cipher grunts stared blankly at the billowing smoke, looking at one another in confusion. Then, a silhouette emerged from the haze.
"It seems I'm a step late. You must be Team Cipher. And these... are Shadow Pokémon."
A tall, smiling young man stepped out of the smoke. Behind him was a strange, glittering silver creature with four powerful limbs, looking almost like a sentient machine.
"METAGROSS!" it let out a sonorous, metallic cry.
A Cipher grunt tried to launch an attack, but the Executive held him back. He sensed immediately that this person was not a local—not in his temperament, nor in his presence. A faint memory began to click into place in the Executive's mind.
"Who... who are you!?" he demanded. "This is Pyrite Town! We are suppressing a rebellion! Civilians should stay away!"
"Suppressing a rebellion... Hmph. A group of frauds calling themselves the side of justice." Steven Stone looked around, taking in the devastation. His smile turned cold. "It seems your Pokémon don't quite agree with your words."
The Shadow Pokémon, after prolonged combat, were becoming frenzied. Their eyes were being overtaken by a deep, crimson hue.
"Enough talk! Kill him! Attack! All of you, attack!" one grunt screamed, unable to contain himself. A swarm of Shadow Pokémon lunged at Steven.
In that instant, Steven seemed to blur, appearing atop his Mega Metagross. In a voice that was neither loud nor soft, he said:
"Very well. Let me show you who is the strongest and most powerful in this world."
Zzt! Crackle!
Countless bolts of black lightning and waves of dark energy converged on Mega Metagross from all directions, only to be effortlessly repelled by a shimmering pale-blue barrier of psychic energy.
The Cipher Executive suddenly trembled as the memory finally solidified.
"It's the Champion! Steven Stone of the Hoenn Region!" he shrieked.