Chapter 489: Deliberation

Looking at the Rocket Team Trio's message on his phone, Huo La let out a helpless sigh.

"Alright, we can't rely on those three. The road to Shixiang Town can only be entered by us ourselves."

Inside the house, Paipa had just made a plate of sandwiches, placed it on the table, and the four each grabbed a piece to stave off hunger.

Bilan bit into the sandwich and asked softly, "So, the three of them are unharmed and safe?"

"Hmm." Huo La nodded, and said truthfully, "Not only are they unharmed, they also plan to go find the Flash Flame Team for revenge."

"Revenge? Heh." Xiaoyin scoffed immediately, eyes full of contempt, "Can those three, who accomplish little but cause plenty of trouble, even manage that?"

Huo La shrugged indifferently, "Their serious missions are indeed unreliable, but when it comes to causing trouble and sabotage, I've never seen anyone more skilled than them. If they can truly disrupt the Flash Flame Team's deployment, that would actually be a good thing for us."

Paipa swallowed the food in his mouth and asked earnestly, "Then how do we enter Shixiang Town now?"

Huo La composed himself and slowly laid out the current intelligence: "According to the information we just gathered, Shixiang Town is now blockaded from both sides by the Flash Flame Team and the Resistance Organization, with the two forces locked in a stalemate. Any outsider, no matter who, who rashly steps into the war zone will immediately be treated as an enemy by one side and attacked."

"From that perspective, as long as we locate the Resistance Organization's camp, we can smoothly blend into the battlefield, right?" Paipa said.

"It's not that simple," Huo La shook his head lightly.

He stood up, took paper and pen, quickly marked three points on the paper, then pointed to the outermost circle and said, "This is our current location."

Next, he pointed to the opposite circle: "This is the Resistance Organization's encampment."

Finally, he pointed to the central point between the two: "And this area is entirely controlled by the Flash Flame Team."

Paipa, seeing the layout, widened his eyes in shock, "Whoa! We're actually in the Flash Flame Team's rear hinterland?"

"Exactly," Huo La said gravely, nodding, "If we want to reach the Resistance Organization's camp, we must cross the entire area under Flash Flame Team's control."

"So... shall we just pick a night and sneak over?" Paipa tentatively suggested, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he helplessly shook his head.

He knew well that the Flash Flame Team had concentrated all manpower and resources to block the area around Shixiang Town, with forces dense and guard strict; a night‑time infiltration plan was utterly infeasible, tantamount to walking into a trap.

"Sneaking away is simply unrealistic," Huo La sighed lightly, shattering the hopeful notion, "At present we have only one remaining way out."

Bilan, Paipa, and Xiaoyin instantly lifted their gazes, all eyes fixed on Huo La, waiting silently for his plan.

Huo La took a deep breath, and with resolute tone said, "Attack them."

Those three simple words made the other three's pupils contract simultaneously, their faces full of shock.

"I originally prioritized a covert infiltration, but the current situation makes that impossible," Huo La explained slowly, his tone steady, "The ship being suddenly bombed alone proves the Flash Flame Team's guard intensity and reaction speed, far scarier than we anticipated."

"Even the house we're staying in now is most likely under their covert surveillance, just not yet exposed,"

He paused, then continued outlining the situation: "Moreover, the prolonged stalemate shows the Flash Flame Team and the Resistance Organization are evenly matched; neither side has absolute certainty to launch a full‑scale attack and crush the other."

"As far as I know, Lysandre holds a Divine Beast‑level trump card, whereas the Resistance Organization led by BuLaTaNuo Bo Shi lacks the force to directly counter a Divine Beast. The only way the two sides can maintain balance is that the Resistance Organization's mid‑to‑high‑level forces far outnumber the Flash Flame Team."

"Therefore my plan is to mobilize the Space-Time Trio as the main force, with all of us aided by Pokemon, to launch a Surprise Attack from behind the Flash Flame Team, forcibly tearing open a gap."

"Once we ignite the fight from the rear, it will inevitably draw a large portion of the Flash Flame Team's main forces, disrupting their deployment. At that moment, if BuLaTaNuo Bo Shi's Resistance Organization seizes the chance to strike frontally, it will create a pincer encirclement, crushing the Flash Flame Team's blockade line in one blow."

After hearing this meticulous analysis, Bilan and Paipa both nodded, acknowledging the plan's feasibility.

Only Xiaoyin remained silent for a long while, then spoke coolly, his words shattering the optimistic atmosphere: "Your idea is too idealistic."

Huo La raised an eyebrow slightly, and Bilan and Paipa also turned their gazes toward Xiaoyin, the three sets of eyes converging on him.

Being stared at by six eyes at once made Xiaoyin a bit uneasy, yet he remained calm, insisting on his judgment: "We needn't argue whether we can defeat the Flash Flame Team; the real issue is how long we can hold out frontally."

Huo La heard that, furrowed his brows slightly, thought a moment, then understood his concern and nodded, indicating, "Continue."

"There's also the biggest risk," Xiaoyin analyzed methodically, "From yesterday until now, you have been unable to contact BuLaTaNuo and his party, which shows the Resistance Organization's external communications have long been completely blocked and cut off by the Flash Flame Team. We can't be sure whether, at the moment we launch the Surprise Attack, they can react in time and coordinate."

Those words struck at the core flaw, causing the room's atmosphere to instantly grow heavy.

Huo La was silent for a moment, then asked, "Do you have a better plan?"

"The concept of a strong offensive is fine," Xiaoyin said firmly, presenting the revised plan, "But the attackers are the three of us. While we engage frontally and the whole field is chaotic, you should slip alone into the war zone to rendezvous with the Resistance Organization."

"Me?" Huo La was slightly taken aback, thought a moment, then instantly grasped Xiaoyin's overall reasoning, and replied, "I get your point; the plan itself is fine, but as for the infiltrator, let Bilan take that role."

Xiaoyin turned to Bilan beside him, without any hesitation, shook his head: "No, among everyone, only you are most suitable. The Resistance Organization's higher-ups all know you; once you reach the camp you can immediately connect and establish contact, which none of us could do."

He paused, "And don't get it wrong: drawing fire frontally may seem dangerous, but with your Space-Time Trio as backup, self‑preservation is no issue. The real danger is the lone infiltrator threading through the war zone. I can't let Bilan get into that unknown peril, so the infiltrator can only be you."

Bilan, who was about to argue, was gently cut off by Huo La raising his hand.

Huo La remained silent for a long while, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, then sighed lightly, "I underestimated you. Your thinking is more seasoned and comprehensive than I expected."