Chapter 559. Territory Defense Mode 1

Chapter 559: Chapter 559. Territory Defense Mode 1

"Is this everyone?" the oldest man asked as he looked over those who had ultimately accepted his proposition to attack the Silver Network’s main hub.

They were gathered in the deepest cave system beneath the northern reaches of Mt. Moon, far from the usual routes and close to Clearstone Valley. From there, they could launch their attack on the Silver Network’s main hub in Kanto, overwhelming its defenses with sheer numbers and coordinated tactics.

Only five other Master ranked trainers had agreed to join him, bringing roughly 300 trainers with them. He recognized them as trainers who lived within the various regions, meaning none of those living between regions had bothered to come.

It was unfortunate, but he couldn’t complain. Anyone with half a brain would have noticed Alex’s attack pattern. He only knew the locations of Team Luminal’s bases within the regions, not those outside them. As a result, trainers living between regions had little reason to worry about the crisis this time.

Team Luminal was a relatively loose organization, after all. At most, its members were required to attend emergency meetings. Beyond that, they weren’t obligated to take part in the organization’s affairs, hence the disappointing turnout.

Still, there were far too few attendees. He had expected at least three times this number, giving him a thousand-strong force. That would mean 5,000 primary Pokémon and over a million spares to flood the base with. Even Alex would struggle against an organized army of that size, one powerful enough to overrun an entire region if they moved quickly.

Of course, no one was foolish enough to actually try. The League’s true strength wasn’t its buildings or defenses, but the Master ranked trainers associated with it. At the snap of a finger, they could descend upon any region or organization through their stockpiled benefits and resources, erasing whatever threat had emerged. That was why few were as idiotic as Team Dominion to openly challenge the League. Team Luminal, a mere bandit organization, certainly didn’t have the balls.

"It can’t be helped," one of the Masters replied. "The bounty hunter attacked all the remaining bases throughout the regions overnight, leaving only those of us who followed your advice and moved first. The Grand Underground tried to muster a counterforce, but they were annihilated, leaving only a few trainers hiding deep underground. As for those living between regions, they didn’t bother coming."

The old man sighed, his expression suddenly seeming much older. He had been so close to becoming a true leader within the organization, having built a reputation through his information and achievements, but it had all been for nothing. Team Luminal was like sand slipping through his fingers, no matter how tightly he tried to hold on.

"We should still be strong enough to bring down his base," another Master added. "With our Master ranked Pokémon leading the assault, we can minimize casualties while the weaker Pokémon flood the base and wreak havoc from within."

"Alright," the old man finally said, bringing up a map. "Let’s go over our attack plan."

They spent the next hour devising a solid attack plan, one that gave them a genuine chance of success, before finally moving out. They took up positions west of the main hub and launched their assault at exactly noon.

From this point on, no matter what happened, they would see the attack through to the end.

-----

"We’re under attack," Nyx said lazily, rousing herself from beside Alex as she glanced at her phone.

"How many?" Rhea asked just as lazily from his other side.

"About 300,000 Pokémon. They’re gathering the wild Pokémon in the west, though, and starting a flood. They should reach us around noon with nearly a million Pokémon."

"What do you want me to do? Just let the home team handle it."

"They have Master ranked Pokémon as well."

Rhea’s eyes finally opened fully at that. Nyx, meanwhile, smirked, knowing she had successfully pawned the problem off on the little maniac.

"Alright. I’ll take care of it," Rhea said with a grin.

"Should we wake Alex? He’ll want some action."

"Nah. Let him sleep. He was up all night."

"If you’re doing what I think you’re doing, I doubt he’ll be able to sleep anyway."

"Since they’re attacking from the west, he’ll sleep just fine. Now, let me handle this."

"Alright. Whatever," Nyx said, settling comfortably back against Alex’s side and draping an arm across his chest.

Rhea hopped out of bed like an excited child on Christmas morning and quickly threw on some clothes and her lab coat before rushing toward the command center. She took the head seat, adjusted it to the proper height, and quickly brought up a holographic map of the area.

"Metagross, activate territory defense mode, but keep it quiet. We don’t want to wake anyone."

A hologram appeared, displaying a three-dimensional map of the base and the surrounding area for several miles. A live satellite feed showed the base, Clearstone City to the south, the forest and gorge to the north, and open plains stretching to the west and east. On the western side, red markers indicated Pokémon herding nearby wild Pokémon toward the base. Judging by their movements, they were expected to arrive around noon.

"Metagross, prepare the away team and have Gardevoir on standby for Teleport. Put the home team on standby behind the western wall and deploy the drone army behind them. Send the capture swarm to the southwest. Lastly, have the bounty hunters gather in the dining hall. Keep everything discreet. No alarms. We want to surprise them."

Metagross carried out her orders telepathically, relaying commands to the various leaders, who quickly organized their subordinates. Everyone moved into position and waited in anticipation, knowing this wasn’t a drill or practice run.

Finally, the Pokémon flood arrived, crashing blindly against the wall. Those capable of leaping over it did so in a panic, while the rest were trampled underfoot, crushed against the wall, or funneled northward where they could bypass it. The sheer mass of bodies collided in a chaotic crush, claws scraping against stone as the panicked creatures fought desperately to escape the press behind them. The air filled with roars and cries as those caught in the middle were swallowed by the stampede, leaving a trail of battered Pokémon in its wake.

Those that leapt over the wall were shot down midair by dozens of precise single-target attacks, killed before they could even touch the ground. The alternating volleys tore through the charging Pokémon one after another, leaving their bodies to tumble back into the surging mass below. It was a defensive tactic developed for the home team to deal with the Pokémon floods from the north. To them, this was nothing new, and this assault was far smaller than what they normally faced, hence their relaxed demeanor.

"Hmm... nothing out of the ordinary so far," Rhea noted as the battle raged at full swing. "I wonder what those idiots are thinking with just this. Do they really think we can’t handle a flood or two?"

Suddenly, powerful blasts of energy erupted from the rear of the enemy formation and slammed into the western wall, instantly overwhelming its defenses and tearing a massive breach through it. The attack came from Master ranked Pokémon, whose sheer power easily shattered the Elite ranked barrier.

Like a literal flood, the rampaging Pokémon poured through the breach and immediately came face-to-face with the home team, who responded with area-of-effect attacks without the slightest hint of panic. This wasn’t the first time a wall had been breached through sheer wear and tear, so they were well prepared. Powerful attacks flooded the opening, slaughtering anything that dared push through and washing over the panicked Pokémon behind them.

Another barrage of powerful attacks tore through the wall from the sides, widening the breach and allowing even more Pokémon to pour through. It was like prying open a sealed can one pull at a time, each breach widening the opening and sending more of its contents spilling out.

"Umu, umu... I can’t let this continue. The home team is strong and capable, but they can’t hold back the flood on their own without walls," Rhea mused. "Alright, now’s as good a time as any. Metagross, fire the railguns. Use carpet-bombing munitions."

The three railguns mounted above the main hub whirred to life as electricity surged through their coils. Beside them, the automated ammunition system loaded missiles into the launchers one after another before locking them into position.

Energy built within the railguns, yet the discharge was controlled enough that the building barely trembled. A moment later, all three missiles launched, streaking into the sky along the path of the incoming flood from the west.

As they spun overhead, panels along their bodies snapped open. Thousands of fist-sized bombs spilled from their surfaces, scattering across the sky before falling beyond the western wall.

Then they detonated.

Explosions erupted across the Pokémon flood in rapid succession, one after another, spreading from the leading edge all the way to the rear. The entire horde vanished beneath a rolling sea of fire and smoke as the barrage tore through the mass from front to back.

"Ahahaha!" Rhea laughed like a madwoman, her eyes gleaming with delight. "Yes! This is it! This is exactly what I envisioned! Such beauty! Such majesty!"

Once the smoke cleared, however, Rhea frowned. The front line had been decimated, leaving only the strongest Pokémon to continue their rampage, which the home team could easily handle. The rear, however, was a different story. More than 300,000 Pokémon remained largely unscathed, having used Protect to weather the bombardment. Clearly, dealing with them would require more than simple technology.

"Hmph! I guess it’s really only good against floods and nothing else. Still, seeing 300,000 Pokémon coordinating Protect like that is pretty interesting." Rhea grinned. "Alright, bring it on. Show Mama what you can do!"

Suddenly, tremors erupted from the mountains in the western valley. A massive hole tore open along the mountainside, and several thousand Pokémon burst from within, charging toward the base in an organized assault.

They stormed the hydroponics farm, trampling crops and tearing through equipment before spreading throughout the facility. Automated turrets immediately swiveled toward them, unleashing a barrage of fire as the invaders fought back and pressed against the defenses.

Rhea stared at the chaos unfolding across the hologram, her earlier excitement slowly draining from her face.

"Ah," she stammered, swallowing nervously. "Kaia is going to kill me."