Ink-black night completely swallowed the supply point on the western side of the Alliance.
The terrain here was remote, with sparse woods. On the surface, the defensive forces appeared adequate.
The light of the bonfire flickered in the cold wind, stretching the shadows of the patrolling soldiers long and thin. Everything seemed so calm, even somewhat lax.
This was precisely the intelligence the Viper had obtained with her charms.
The eastern defenses appeared weak, but it was actually a trap designed to attract Team Rockets' attention and then wipe them out in one fell swoop.
The truly suitable place for a breakthrough was the western side!
In the night wind, four ghost-like figures silently closed in.
There was no unnecessary communication, not even a glance of signal.
When Ariel's fingers lightly tapped three times on his communicator, this one-sided slaughter began.
"Boom—!"
The first explosion came from Corona.
He never stooped to stealth or assassination.
Violent flames descended from the sky. Charizard's massive wings cast a shadow of death as its searing Dragon Breath instantly turned the wooden palisades and watchtowers into charcoal.
The flames greedily licked at everything flammable. Screams and the crackling of fire intertwined, playing the overture to destruction.
"Enemy attack! It's Team Rockets!"
A shrill alarm pierced the night sky. Alliance members awoke from their sleep, scrambling to grab their Poké Balls.
But what greeted them was another, faster, and more lethal figure.
Blaziken was like an orange-red lightning bolt, darting through the chaotic crowd at extreme speed.
Its legs were covered in a layer of scorching air currents, each kick precise and efficient.
An Alliance soldier had just released his Machoke and hadn't even had time to issue a command before Blaziken's knee strike slammed into his chest.
"Crack!"
The sound of shattering bones was clearly audible amidst the roar of the flames.
That soldier was sent flying backward like a ragdoll. While still in mid-air, he was completely engulfed by Charizard's flames.
Blaziken did not pause for even a moment. Its figure left a trail of afterimages in the firelight.
High Jump Kick, Blaze Kick, Flare Blitz... each move was executed without reservation, each strike aimed at a vital point.
It wasn't fighting; it was reaping.
Corona stood on the periphery, arms crossed, a near-pathological fervor on his face.
He reveled in the feeling of crushing his opponents with absolute power. Watching life wither under his Pokémon's might gave him a sense of control, a thrill.
In stark contrast to Corona's violent heat was Dar's Sheer Cold.
A soldier trying to throw a smoke grenade for help from the flank had just raised his arm when his movement froze forever.
A thin layer of frost rapidly spread from his feet to his entire body, perfectly preserving his terrified expression within a crystalline block of ice.
Froslass drifted like a ghost along the edges of the battlefield. Wherever its breath reached, life was frozen solid.
It didn't create loud noises like Blaziken. Its killing was silent, and therefore even more terrifying.
"Thud!"
A tall figure flashed out from behind an ice sculpture. It was Gengar.
It grinned its signature wide grin and delivered a Shadow Punch, accurately smashing into the frozen soldier.
The ice sculpture shattered with the sound, turning into countless ice crystals glinting with cold light, along with the person inside, reduced to dust.
Gengar let out a silent, sinister laugh before disappearing into the shadows, searching for its next target.
Dar merely watched quietly, his pale face expressionless, as if what shattered before him wasn't life, but an imperfect ice sculpture.
And all this chaos was merely to cover up the true killing blow.
Ariel stood on a slightly elevated rock, coldly surveying the entire battlefield.
Beside him, Malamar hovered in mid-air, its huge eyes flickering with a bizarre, iridescent light.
An invisible psychic ripple spread out from it, like ripples on water's surface, enveloping the entire supply point.
"Ah! My hand! Why won't my hand obey me!"
"Don't come closer! You monster! Stay back!"
"It was you! You betrayed us!"
Below, a hellish scene began to unfold.
Those Alliance members who had narrowly escaped the flames and frost now fell into deeper terror.
Their eyes became frenzied and confused as they began to attack their companions wildly.
Golem's Rollout crashed into its own Trainer. Arcanine's Flamethrower burned towards comrades who had fought side-by-side.
Trust, friendship, camaraderie—under Malamar's powerful mental interference, they proved fragile and easily broken.
They saw their deepest fears and projected that fear onto those closest to them.
Ariel watched all this with an impassive face.
Under normal circumstances, Malamar definitely couldn't control so many Trainers at once.
Because the difficulty of mental control is determined by the target's willpower and resilience.
But at this moment, the Alliance members had been suddenly attacked. They were all on edge, some even on the verge of mental collapse.
This was precisely the opening Ariel exploited. The effect of Malamar's Hypnosis at this moment was simply phenomenal!
At this very moment.
His Weavile moved like a black shadow between the battlefield's communication equipment. Each swing of its sharp claws was accompanied by the sound of severed wires.
It cut off all communication between this place and the outside world, turning this supply point into an isolated slaughterhouse.
Just then, an angry roar came from the distance.
"Stop! You bastards!"
A strong light pierced the night as a burly Poliwrath charged out from the woods. Its Dynamic Punch directly blasted towards the rampaging Charizard.
Vulcan, the Inspector, had arrived.
He had rushed over from the eastern side the moment he received news of the supply point attack.
He was the person in charge of this operation—Vulcan!
As he had come at his fastest speed, the elite squad hidden on the eastern side was still on its way.
He looked at the horrific scene of corpses strewn everywhere and people killing each other, his eyes bloodshot.
He had only left to inspect another defensive line, less than half an hour ago. How had this place turned into a living hell!
"Finally, someone decent."
Corona licked his lips, his fighting spirit soaring.
"This one's mine to command, you all..."
Before he could finish, Dar's Froslass had already drifted over, firing an Ice Beam straight at Poliwrath's face.
Corona's words caught in his throat, his expression turning somewhat ugly.
Command? Here, no one would listen to anyone's command.
They were just madmen gathered together for a common goal.
"Hmph."
Corona snorted coldly and said no more, directing Blaziken to attack from another flank.
Vulcan's strength was indeed not bad, having just reached Gym Leader Level with two Gym Leader Level Pokémon.
His Poliwrath and another Golem cooperated seamlessly, actually managing to trade blows with the four Pokémon of Corona and Dar for a time.
Corona, Dar, and the Viper—the strength of their main Pokémon was at the Superior level.
Poliwrath used Waterfall to nimbly dodge Blaziken's kicks while using Ice Beam to restrict Charizard's movements.
Golem relied on its tough body to withstand most of the attacks from Froslass and Gengar.
"A decent target."
Ariel's voice came from above, devoid of any emotion.
Vulcan's heart tightened. He looked up and met Ariel's utterly placid eyes.