"Our carefully planned operation was ruined by that silly girl who destroyed the fountain!" A man dressed in a water supply company uniform muttered quietly into his communicator.
Four menacing-looking accomplices stood behind him.
These were the same five individuals Ryan had been secretly observing earlier.
They were actually members of **Team Aqua**, disguised as water supply workers.
Their original plan had been simple: sabotage the fountain, suck the Lotad that passed by every day into the pool, and kidnap Mr. Stone amid the chaos.
They never expected Sapphire to suddenly appear and completely ruin their scheme.
"I understand," a cold, menacing voice replied from the communicator. "No matter what happens, the mission remains unchanged. Today, we **must** kidnap Mr. Stone! Find a quiet spot and take him!"
"Yes, sir!" The Team Aqua members glared fiercely at Sapphire in the distance, then silently slipped away into the surrounding area to wait for their chance.
Ryan noticed their movements immediately.
...
"Thank you so much!" Mr. Stone said gratefully once he saw his Lotad had regained its energy.
"You're welcome~" Sapphire smiled brightly, showing her cute little fangs.
The surrounding trainers, realizing there was no more excitement, gradually dispersed. The once-busy section of Route 104 quickly became quiet and deserted.
"Hello, young lady. My name is Mr. Stone. What's yours?" the old man asked in a friendly tone.
"My name is Sapphire." She gently handed the Lotad back to him.
"You're really impressive, crossing Petalburg Woods all by yourself," Mr. Stone praised.
Sapphire scratched her head a little embarrassedly. "Actually… I got lost in the woods. I met a big brother in Petalberry Forest. Without his help, I probably wouldn't have made it out yet."
As she spoke, her eyes searched for Ryan.
At that moment, Ryan was squatting on the ground, carefully disassembling the gear on Riolu.
"Brother Ryan?" Sapphire walked over curiously.
Mr. Stone followed, still carrying his Lotad.
"What are these?" Sapphire asked, looking at the strange equipment lying on the ground.
Before Ryan could answer, Mr. Stone's eyes widened in shock. "These are 10kg-level super-heavy training weights!"
"There are four of them!"
Super-heavy training weights were produced by the Devon Corporation. As its president, Mr. Stone naturally recognized them instantly.
"Super-heavy training weights?" Sapphire looked confused. She had never heard of them before.
"That's right," Mr. Stone explained. "Wearing these Overweight Armor adds a fixed amount of weight to the Pokémon. They're used to train strength and speed. Each piece weighs 10kg, so four pieces equal 40kg total!"
"A Riolu wearing training weights twice its own body weight? That's unbelievable!"
"What?!" Sapphire was stunned after hearing the explanation.
That meant during their battle earlier, Riolu had been wearing a total of 40kg of extra weight the entire time!
And even then, her Aron and Torchic hadn't stood a chance!
With a loud *clang*, Ryan removed the final piece of Overweight Armor from Riolu and casually tossed it onto the ground with a heavy thud.
He also released Ralts from its Poké Ball.
"Sapphire, release your Pokémon and protect Mr. Stone," Ryan said calmly while cautiously scanning the surrounding forest. "Leave the rest to me."
Sapphire was startled at first, then nodded firmly.
Although she had only known Ryan for a short time, he usually had a gentle smile on his face. But now his expression was completely serious and focused.
Instinctively, she sensed that something was wrong.
She quickly released Aron and Torchic to shield Mr. Stone.
Mr. Stone also noticed the sudden change in atmosphere and began looking around warily.
...
"Either get lost, or come out yourselves," Ryan shouted toward the nearby grove.
Using Riolu's Aura, he could roughly sense the positions of the five Team Aqua members.
The Team Aqua grunts had already set up an ambush, but they were shocked that someone had seen through them. Still, they weren't overly worried—they believed they had the numerical advantage.
They stopped hiding and swaggered out of the grove.
They had shed their water supply company uniforms and were now wearing their signature Team Aqua outfits, which Mr. Stone recognized immediately.
Team Aqua and Team Magma were two notorious evil organizations in the Hoenn region. They committed countless crimes in the name of their so-called "great ideals" and were deeply despised by the people of Hoenn.
The moment he realized who they were, cold sweat broke out on Mr. Stone's forehead. Combined with the suspicious way his Lotad had fallen into the fountain, it was obvious this had all been Team Aqua's doing.
...
"Kid!"
"I advise you not to meddle in this!" The Team Aqua squad leader said arrogantly. "Our target is Mr. Stone. This has nothing to do with you. Don't be a fool!"
He then released his Pokémon to show force.
**[Pokémon]: Mightyena**
**[Type]: Dark**
**[Level]: 18**
**[Ability]: Speed Boost** (Increases speed by 50% when afflicted with a status condition and ignores the speed reduction effects of paralysis.)
**[Description]: Mightyena is loyal and works well in packs. Wild Mightyena live and hunt in tight-knit groups.**
The other Team Aqua members also released their Pokémon. However, aside from the leader's Mightyena, the rest were only level 15 unevolved Poliwag.
A small but coordinated squad had formed.
Seeing that the opponents were well-prepared and had clearly planned this in advance, Mr. Stone realized he was in serious trouble. Cold sweat dripped down his face.
"They're here for me. There's no need to drag you two kids into this!" Mr. Stone said, preparing to step forward and draw their attention.
But before he could move, Ryan's Pokémon sprang into action!
Riolu suddenly appeared beside the lead Mightyena. It raised its fist and slammed it down with full force.
**Rock Smash!**
The Fighting-type move struck with devastating effect!
With one powerful blow, the Mightyena was sent flying several meters and crashed hard into a tree. It never got up again.
**One-hit KO!**
This sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.
But Riolu didn't stop there. It continued weaving through the enemies at high speed, relentlessly unleashing punch after punch.
By the time the five Team Aqua members could react, two more Mightyena had already been defeated.
"What's going on?!"
"Back up! Back up now! Don't bunch together!" the squad leader shouted in disbelief.