Chapter 378: Mega Showdown

"Village?"

"That's right—Meteor Village, where the Meteor People resettled after they moved out."

Ba Xiu nodded vigorously, "Based on my observations, the vast majority of powerful Dragon-type Pokémon in Meteor Village head to Meteor Falls during the day. Only many young Dragon-type Pokémon and a few powerful ones remain, along with a group of elderly villagers with little combat ability."

"Now is the perfect time to strike! If we can capture all the Dragon-type Pokémon there, this trip won't have been in vain!"

"Meteor Village… what about the Super Stone deposit at Meteor Falls?"

Pu Sen stared in shock.

"You really think such a thing exists? I secretly scanned the area for three days—there wasn't a single trace!"

Ba Xiu gritted his teeth, "Besides, if there really is a Super Stone deposit, the Meteor People must've mined it extensively—just take it from them! Are you seriously planning to wait here until the mission fails? Bring back more Dragon-type Pokémon, at least you can report something to Boss Sakaki!"

"... Makes sense."

Pu Sen didn't even think deeply—he trusted his companion and had already grown impatient. Without hesitation, he nodded within two seconds.

The other Team Rocket members exchanged glances, then unanimously agreed.

At least doing something was better than sitting here waiting like fools.

Seeing this, Pu Sen waved his hand grandly, "Team Baisen! Target: Meteor Village to the southeast—prepare to move!"

"Yes!"

The Team Rocket members responded with renewed energy.

The massive invisible entity hidden in the clouds suddenly burst through the white clouds, propelled by its propellers, heading toward Meteor Village. A nearby Qingmian Bird, seeing the scattered clouds, wore an expression of terror.

What is that? Did I encounter a ghost?

It flapped its wings and fled the airspace at once, unwilling to linger a moment longer.

Meteor Village.

Peaceful.

The young Dragon-types played carefree; the elderly Meteor People went about their favorite activities, little conflict, no urban clamor.

Only the chirps of Qingmian Birds and Xiqi Qingniao, and the wingbeats of Soundwave Larvae filled the air.

Baimu sat in the courtyard playing guitar, beside him happily singing Happiny and Gulpin—he believed singing together might improve their coordination.

Midway through the song.

Snap!

The guitar string suddenly snapped.

"This…" Baimu looked at the broken string, then at Happiny and Gulpin, "Never mind—let's take a break."

Even the most beautiful song, repeated over and over in a short time, eventually becomes tiresome.

Besides, this song might not even be Happiny and Gulpin's favorite—just one they liked and could sing easily. Suddenly pushing them into a difficult piece? Happiny couldn't handle it.

【Honestly, lately I've been reading on Yeguo Reading for updates—easy source switching, multiple voice options, works on both Android and iOS.】

"Happy…"

Happiny fell into self-blame for the first time in a long while; Gulpin's mood also sank.

The pre-competition rehearsals for the last two Beautification Contests had gone too smoothly, making them believe that, aside from daily preparation, they could effortlessly complete a high-quality performance every week or two.

But now they were stuck on the duo performance.

Extremely frustrated, yet unable to find an outlet.

No.

There was one.

Gulpin stood up, ran to its Trainer, and punched his arm—punch after punch, like beating a doll.

"That hurts!"

Baimu looked at it helplessly. Who knew where this thing learned to use him as a punching bag when down? There were so many dolls available.

Doesn't the Trainer feel bad when you hit him?

Though Gulpin's punches weren't especially strong, they were precise and rapid—cumulatively, they added up to serious pain.

"Enough!"

Baimu grabbed its tiny fist, about to say something, when suddenly he looked up at the sky.

The next instant.

Above the clear sky, a massive black-and-gray airship suddenly appeared, its hull emblazoned with a bright red R—

"Team Rocket!"

Baimu's expression changed instantly. He urgently called to the Bisharp and other Pokémon scattered around the courtyard and sprinted toward the house.

Dragon-type Pokémon across Meteor Village looked up at the airship, bewildered. Before they could react, they watched as the airship's underside rapidly opened numerous ports, launching countless glittering projectiles.

Peng! Peng! Peng! Peng!

The glittering projectiles exploded violently, spewing thick gray-white smoke that instantly engulfed more than half of Meteor Village. Dragon-type Pokémon collapsed in droves; many Meteor People who hadn't reacted in time fainted as well.

Only a few Meteor People with quick reflexes managed to avoid the fate by hiding in tightly sealed houses.

Immediately after:

A piercing alarm blared suddenly.

The sound came from loudspeakers mounted on utility poles throughout the village—but as the airship released a burst of low-frequency sonic waves, the loudspeakers and streetlamps exploded into shards, along with countless windows in nearby houses.

Baimu's residence, being farther away, barely held together, covered in a dense web of cracks.

Inside the room, he quickly donned his League Conference Lava Suit, strapped on a gas mask, and stuffed each Pokémon's mouth with Muzi Berry lozenges to prevent them from inhaling the smoke and fainting.

Thanks to his swift reaction and the slow spread of the smoke, all Pokémon except the three-headed Dragon that had gone to the Dragon Nest remained unharmed.

"The target shouldn't have been Meteor Falls… why did it become Meteor Village?"

Baimu stared out the window at the blurred, smoke-obscured landscape, hesitated for several seconds, then grabbed the colorful bombs crafted from the schoolgirl's dream.

Making bombs is essentially similar to blending incense, and perhaps due to innate talent, he effortlessly developed most types of bombs using only available materials.

They may not be useful, but bringing them won't hurt.

The Rocket Team's objective remains unclear, but after much thought, only a few possibilities remain—the many Dragon Pokémon and the Super Stones and Key Stones guarded by the Dragon Elder.

He let out a loud, sharp click of his tongue.

It's truly bold of the Rocket Team—though most Dragon Tamers live in peace, solely aiming to become a Pokémon League Champion or Elite Four member, the Battle of Huang Tie Town alone proves their wartime potential.

The Rocket Team actually dared to target the widows, orphans, and elderly of Meteor Village…

"This is going to be serious."

Baimu took a deep breath and looked at his Pokémon, "But before we wait for the Dragon Tamers' retaliation, we must find a way to resolve this incident."

Bonsly and the other Pokémon nodded without hesitation.

Since arriving in Meteor Village, everyone—trainers and Pokémon alike—has been cared for by the villagers; emotionally and morally, we cannot stand idly by.

Baimu smiled warmly, then turned serious:

"I believe their main target is the Dragon Shrine and the Dragon Pokémon scattered across the area—they'll inevitably deploy large numbers of personnel… We can strike while they're unprepared and destroy their airship."

He pointed to the airship in the sky above, about to say more when suddenly a violent wind erupted—already shattered glass shattered further into pieces, clattering loudly, and the sleep gas that had blanketed half the village was instantly swept away.

Through the shattered window, he saw a massive blue bird hovering far in the distance, its head, tail, and neck shrouded in vast, pearl-colored feathers like clouds, radiating brilliant luster as it let out a piercing cry.

Mega Sableye, Fairy- and Dragon-type.

Without doubt, this was a Pokémon belonging to one of the Meteor Villagers!

Baimu's face lit up—he realized the earlier 【Gale】 had been summoned by this very Pokémon, clearing the sleep gas from around them.

Unfortunately, from his angle, he couldn't make out who was commanding it; he could barely make out a slightly short figure.

Old Qingliu?

What tightened his heart was that when the Mega Sableye dodged the high-voltage current from the airship and retaliated with a visible pink sonic wave, the airship's surface instantly flared with deep purple energy waves, blocking the pink waves entirely.

"Barrier Shield!"

He frowned slightly.

Just as feared—the Rocket Team, an evil organization matching the Alliance in cutting-edge tech, indeed possessed similar technology.

Fortunately, after absorbing the 【Hyper Voice】 boosted by the Mega Sableye's ability—【Fairy Skin】—the Barrier Shield began flickering violently, proving its protective capacity had limits.

This was definitely good news.

Yet just as the Mega Sableye prepared to press the advantage, a shimmering silver Steelix suddenly appeared, blocking the Mega Sableye—now engulfed in blue flames—as it charged toward the airship with its Iron Tail.

Dust exploded with a "Boom!"

Then, from the thick smoke, the glow of Mega Evolution ignited.

In an instant.

A Mega Steelix far larger than before emerged before Baimu's solemn gaze.

Its horizontal steel bones had been replaced by prismatic crystal pillars; its joints bore mysterious hexagons of black base with blue patterns; countless metal fragments swirled around it, and two shovel-like structures jutted from its chin, appearing mysterious and ferocious.

The two Mega-evolved Pokémon immediately clashed, unleashing one destructive move after another.

Through his telescope, Baimu studied the silver-haired Rocket member standing near the Mega Steelix, recognized him, and his face filled with shock—such a coincidence existed in the world.

This man was one of those who once persecuted Lei Gong using the Crystal System!

He remembered his name…

Basu! Yes, Basu!

He never expected this guy not only came to Hoenn, but also achieved Mega Evolution.

Then where was the other one? That muscular, blond-haired guy named Pusen?

As Baimu shifted his gaze, he quickly spotted his target—the sunglasses-wearing, muscular, blond-haired Pusen standing on a hoverboard, directing Rocket members to recover the successfully hypnotized Dragon Pokémon.

They used an oddly specialized box; when thrown onto a Dragon-type Pokémon, it rapidly expanded into a net, binding them before automatically being retrieved by the airship.

Extremely efficient.

Even if a Dragon Pokémon woke mid-capture, the net released red electric shocks that paralyzed it—ground-type Pokémon like Sonozu and Sandile were no exception.

Many Meteor Villagers who had narrowly escaped the sleep gas rushed out of their homes, ready to attack with their Pokémon, only to be struck by lightning or sonic waves fired from the airship's launchers, collapsing in agonized postures.

The power of black tech was evident.

The Rocket Team always finds new ways to torment Pokémon.

Meanwhile,

Pusen piloted his hoverboard, taking the remaining two Rocket members toward the location of the Dragon Shrine.

Their target was unmistakable—they were heading straight for the Key Stones and Super Stones.

Seeing Pusen's movement, the Mega Sableye rushed to intercept, but was blocked by the Mega Steelix, forcing both to continue their battle.

"... It seems the intelligence we can gather ends here."

Baimu silently withdrew his gaze.

The remaining strength within Meteor Village was still unknown, but he could wait no longer—he couldn't let that Pusen character simply storm into the Dragon Shrine.

For someone to break into such a place and destroy it was no different from desecrating one's ancestral graves.

Remembering the day his name had been carved onto the scroll, Baimu recalled all his Pokémon except Galarian Sunflora, then ran out the back door of the house.