The battle outside Rhine City was undoubtedly a grave incident. The Dark Guild's assault on an official beginner Trainer, although not uncommon among League trainers, raised significant concerns due to its malicious nature.
This marked the first time so many Dark Guild members were captured simultaneously. The League swiftly dispatched several high-level Trainers to Rhine City to verify the identities of the apprehended Dark Guild members.
They confirmed sixteen ordinary Dark Guild members, one elite member Babu, and a branch president Pes. Ultimately, all were detained by the League.
Capturing such a large number of Dark Guild members elicited widespread celebration from countless Trainers. Over the years, the Dark Guild had become like an insidious tumor in the Sebas region, causing immense harm to numerous Trainers. Each year, countless Pokémon mysteriously disappeared without trace.
Following Pes's confession as the Dark Guild branch president, the League organized a major operation involving multiple Trainers who ventured to the overseas archipelago's Dark Guild outpost for a thorough crackdown. They arrested all members at the branch and discovered hundreds of Pokémon, mostly young ones sourced from various cities, many of which were exceptionally rare.
In the end, the League took custody of these Pokémon, conducted rigorous identification checks, and returned the missing Pokémon to their original Trainers. Witnessing their lost Pokémon reunited with them brought tears of joy and overwhelming gratitude to each Trainer involved.
***
In Misty City, at a certain underground location.
Kentra's expression was grim, almost dripping with frustration. Recently, numerous infuriating incidents had plagued him: being humiliated by a Charmeleon in the Dream World, losing the Zapdos youngling, and now having an entire branch annihilated with all its members captured. Worst of all, the Z-Ring fell into the hands of the League.
Acquiring that Z-Ring had cost him dearly; not only did it go to waste, but he also lost an entire branch—a double loss akin to surrendering both territory and troops.
"Pr-President, what should we do next?" asked a Dark Guild officer softly, harboring some schadenfreude within his heart. Pes, appointed as Branch President by Kentra, had been excessively arrogant, so his capture by the League seemed fittingly unfortunate.
"What can be done? The League has taken action. What do you expect me to say? Find a way to rescue Pes and a few elites—they still have value. Ignore the rest; they're just useless trash!" Kentra growled darkly.
"Yes, sir." The guild officer nodded repeatedly.
"Prepare a comprehensive report on this incident for me immediately; I need to review it," Kentra added, recalling something crucial.
Promptly, a detailed account of the events was delivered. Kentra meticulously read through it, then rested his chin in thought after finishing.
"Can Charizards truly be this strong?" Kentra murmured to himself. In his memory, Charizards were formidable, but those were already highly evolved ones after countless years. This particular Charizard had just recently evolved from Charmeleon.
Most importantly, even before its evolution, this Charizard was incredibly fierce. It endured numerous attacks from various Pokemon without losing combat capability and defeated over ten of them.
While Kentra always knew that ordinary members' Pokemon weren't exceptionally powerful, it depended on whom they were compared against. A single Charmeleon achieving such feats, and upon evolving, instantly mastering moves like Air Slash and Heat Wave, was remarkable.
Kentra didn't associate this Charizard with the Charmeleon from the Dream World, deeming it impossible.
This Charizard possessed immense potential, far exceeding normal strength levels. Its evasive capabilities were outstanding, faster than even Weavile, displaying an unbelievably formidable power.
"Hmph, how could a little girl possibly train such a Pokemon? Only sheer talent can explain this; it rightfully belongs to me," Kentra muttered as he summoned the Dark Guild officer back inside.
"Sir."
"That Zapdos should still be nearby. Go inform it that the Zapdos has gone to the Dream World; it's not here anymore. If it's capable, let it find the youngling itself within the Dream World," Kentra instructed.
Misty City served as the Dark Guild's main base in the Sebas region but appeared publicly as just a ruined city with minimal inhabitants.
Recently, Zapdos had been roaming close by, attacking Dark Guild members and searching for their hideout.
Zapdos cannot be tamed due to its unwavering innate will, making it impossible to forcibly capture an adult Zapdos unless it voluntarily submits, even after being defeated.
This is why Kentra aimed to capture the Zapdos instead of attempting to directly tame the fully grown Zapdos—a feat deemed unachievable with such powerful Legendary Pokemon.
While the Dark Guild could potentially defeat Zapdos, the bird wasn't foolish; if overwhelmed, it would simply retreat and return later. Over this period, Zapdos continuously patrolled the area, launching numerous attacks on Dark Guild members.
Under normal circumstances, Kentra wouldn't have bothered much about Zapdos' presence since he already captured the Zapdos, and anything else was inconsequential. However, with numerous issues piling up lately, including losing the Zapdos, his patience with Zapdos had reached its limit.
He decided to tackle each problem systematically: first, drive away Zapdos; then visit the Dream World multiple times to locate the missing Zapdos; finally, address the situation involving the little girl and Charizard.
"Yes, sir," the Dark Guild member nodded in agreement.
The Zapdos truly was infuriating. As intelligent creatures, Legendary Pokemon would swiftly flee whenever large groups of Dark Guild members approached. However, when lone guild members ventured out, Zapdos would immediately strike, causing severe injuries to many.
Now, it seemed the President was finally ready to resolve this issue. But how could such a careless mistake occur, leading to the loss of the Zapdos within the Dream World?
Outside Misty City, a high-ranking Dark Guild member stepped forth alone, ensuring no one else was nearby.
After waiting briefly, a yellow Zapdos suddenly appeared. Before it could attack, the guild member spoke, knowing that Zapdos understood human language.
"Zapdos, our President has stated that the little Zapdos is no longer here but in the Dream World. You can search for it there; staying here serves no purpose!" the guild member shouted loudly.
With a piercing cry, Zapdos acknowledged the guild member's words. However, humans were known for their deceit, so it couldn't easily trust them. Nonetheless, it could no longer sense its child's presence nearby.
Zapdos had limited knowledge of the Dream World, despite its connection to Legendary Pokemon. Not all Legendaries necessarily knew each other well.
Crack!
A bolt of lightning struck down, causing the Dark Guild member to jump aside fearfully. He hastily released his Pokemon to guard the area.
"Believe it or not, the little Zapdos is indeed gone from here and now resides in the Dream World. Your search here is futile," the guild member yelled.
Zapdos continuously unleashed bolts of lightning at the Dark Guild member on the ground, but they were all deflected by his Ground-type Pokemon. The Ground-types could conduct electricity into the earth, rendering the attacks harmless unless the Pokemon were airborne.