Chapter 176: The Champion Arrives

Master Liu Ge and his people's actions were very timely.

The personnel lurking around Elder Ejin quickly discovered that the lower ranks had submitted intelligence regarding the Rescue Organization.

But it was soon drowned out by the news of the Rainbow Team's establishment.

Elder Ejin didn't even glance at that message; the emergence of organized resistance, something unseen in decades, made him feel such things simply couldn't happen. He only offered a single comment about the Rainbow Team's new leader—Baimu.

"A greenhorn who can't tell reality from fantasy."

This made everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

At the same moment.

After resting in place for two days and finishing their observation of the situation in Huang Tie Town, Elder Ejin's forces began to move.

As for the surrendered Chester, his fate surprised many. Elder Ejin actually handed him over to the international police, who had been summoned by the Alliance prosecutor, as one of the chief culprits behind the Quicksand Team's invasion of the Hound Team.

The same went for a large number of captured Quicksand Team members.

Elder Ejin's meaning was clear: the chief culprits had been punished, so everyone should turn a blind eye and let it pass.

These bizarre maneuvers were truly beyond their expectations, because Elder Ejin, in a way that made him look at everyone as if they were idiots, tried to keep the lid on Huang Tie Town.

Hand over a few random people and pretend nothing happened?

You deserve this disaster coming your way!

The startled Rescue Organization was now even more certain they could defeat Elder Ejin.

—

Huang Tie Town.

Before Elder Ejin's forces arrived.

The Rainbow Team was the first to welcome support from Agate Village.

Baimu had the fortune to meet the game protagonist Miley's grandfather—Logan, the only person in the game to hold the title of Legendary Trainer.

In appearance, this man was no different from Gandalf—just an old man in his seventies or eighties.

But since he was willing to wade into Huang Tie Town's muddy waters, he must have his own reliance.

Besides old man Logan, there were countless trainers who looked extraordinary.

Lei Ou told him that on the northern side of the Oure Region there was an active volcano called "Battle Mountain."

That place was originally a sacred ground for many Oure trainers. They would battle each other there with their Pokémon, seizing platform after platform as challengers. Those who could climb to the summit were called Battle Masters—the strongest trainers in the Oure Region.

Unfortunately, after Elder Ejin rose to power, he forcibly compelled Battle Mountain's trainers to work for him.

But how could those trainers possibly accept that? Yet they also didn't want conflict with him, so some chose to leave the Oure Region, while others came to Agate Village at the mountain's foot to live in seclusion.

Elder Ejin didn't dare push too hard either, and the matter eventually fizzled out.

Battle Mountain's various facilities were abandoned from then on.

The villagers of Agate Village came this time not only to help the civilians of Huang Tie Town, but also hoping to restore Battle Mountain to its original state. If they could take the opportunity to establish an Alliance and attract those trainers who had left to return, that would be even better.

"Battle Mountain has been abandoned, huh…"

Baimu learned of this news and felt quite regretful.

Battle Mountain was something of a signature feature of the Oure Region. When playing the game, it gave him the feeling of "real men climb a hundred floors," and the platform at the very top, built over the churning lava of the volcano's crater, left a particularly vivid impression on him.

The key was that there were also many spectators around, giving one the feeling that nobody was afraid of death.

He hoped that after the new order was established, all of this could be rebuilt.

Baimu thought to himself.

At the same time.

The remnants of the Quicksand Team, after a long journey, finally returned to the vicinity of Huang Tie Town.

Unfortunately, what greeted them were not the familiar logistics and peripheral personnel, but face after face of strangers.

Without exception, these people were all imprisoned by people sent by Master Liu Ge.

During this time, some tried to resist, but the moment they sent out their Pokémon, Lei Ou used Snag Balls created by the Snag Device to capture them.

And with N assisting from the side, even when those Pokémon left their Poké Balls, they no longer obeyed those people's commands—

From this alone, one could see how poorly these scoundrels treated their Pokémon. If it were Baimu's Aggron, Master Liu Ge's Hippowdon, or Flobo's Ditto, even if they were captured with a Snag Ball, they would never obey a stranger's words.

Bixas's "Dark Ball" and other special items were another matter.

"Now there's truly nothing to worry about."

Baimu thought to himself.

The miners who had been wrongly imprisoned in the deep dungeons of the mines had long been freed, while another portion who truly had committed crimes were placed under unified management, to be dealt with later.

Elder Ejin's forces were about to arrive, and everyone roused two hundred percent of their energy, preparing to face these powerful enemies.

—

Debei.

As the Oure Region's only external transportation hub, it had long been under the Rescue Organization's covert control.

During their more than ten years of preparation, at least half that time was spent on slowly prying Debei free from Elder Ejin's clutches, ensuring its special independence.

On this platform for external exchange, Elder Ejin didn't dare do anything excessive, and was forced to turn a blind eye to many situations. So much so that when the Rescue Organization brazenly communicated with the international police, he remained completely in the dark.

Even.

He was equally unaware of the Devon Corporation's support arriving at this very moment.

Mountain Shrimp planned to take advantage of this point to quietly transport the important supplies provided by Devon Corporation to Huang Tie Town.

From the latest protective suits to Pokémon Navigators, to sewage treatment machines and equipment for environmental management, even hovercars and saucer-like hover devices were included, let alone survival supplies like food.

Even Elder Ejin would be envious seeing such a mountain of supplies.

Container after container was unloaded by the dock machines. He stood before the Devon Corporation representative with a beaming smile and said, "Would you like to ride in my car later?"

"No, no, no, I still have to hurry back." The representative waved his hands repeatedly.

"You're not coming with me?" Sennen asked, somewhat surprised. "Aren't you worried these supplies might be used for unlawful purposes?"

"That's not it."

The person in charge shook his head again, then pointed at a silver-blue-haired young man on the cargo ship who was currently giving orders. "Our young master will be traveling along. He's very interested in the current situation in Iron Town and hopes to do his part."

"Young master…"

Sennen squinted to get a look at that person, then turned to the person in charge in disbelief. "Mr. Champion?!"

"Hahahaha, no need to be so surprised. Our young master has always had a strong sense of justice. Hearing that a town we cooperate with has ended up in a situation like this—how could he possibly sit by and do nothing? He should be able to help you out."

The person in charge said proudly, then puckered his lips toward the bow of the ship. "Not only that, but he also brought quite a few helpers along. Do you recognize that one?"

Sennen followed his gaze and immediately spotted an old man with a white beard, wearing a white captain's hat and a black open-collar coat.

*The First Evolution*

"The Four Heavenly King Yuan Zhi…"

He fell silent for a moment, then bowed deeply to the person in charge. "Thank you all so much! You've come all this way to the Oure region to help us—I'm more grateful than words can say!"

"No need, no need. This is the young master's and Mr. Yuan Zhi's own wish. The situation in Iron Town is something none of us at the Devon Corporation wanted to see. If we weren't just a high-tech company, we might have gathered a large number of trainers long ago to help you."

The person in charge hurriedly helped Sennen back to his feet.

That person really wasn't lying. When Sennen relayed the current situation in Iron Town and the treatment of its civilians to the Devon Corporation, it immediately caused an enormous uproar.

Even Devon Corporation employees who had lived through the chaos caused by Team Magma and Team Aqua in earlier years could not help feeling indignant and shedding tears upon discovering that there was still a place in the world that treated people this way.

The entire company unanimously decided to provide aid to Iron Town, and Mr. Zisuqi Mujin, as the company president, even submitted a proposal to the Hoenn League to assist Oure.

Hearing all this, Sennen was naturally overjoyed, but he still understood that outside aid alone was not enough. The ones who could truly save Oure were the people of Oure themselves.

Moreover, he was very worried that outside aid would spoil these spiritually "fragile" people of Oure.

The plan to save Oure still has a long way to go.