Lugia flew swiftly through the sky toward Lake Verity in the Obsidian Fieldlands.
"John, do you know why the Ginkgo Guild would suddenly target the Lake Guardians?" Akari asked from behind him.
"The Ginkgo Guild?" John's expression turned serious. "Tell me more."
"Commander Zisu told us before we left. The Ginkgo Guild has been a peaceful merchant organization for years, but recently their old leader died and someone new took over."
"Who's the new leader?" John already had a bad feeling.
"His name is Volo," Mai answered. "A blond merchant who always seems friendly, but Commander Zisu said Captain Kamado suspects he's behind the recent strange activities."
John's eyes narrowed.
Volo.
Just as he suspected. The mastermind was finally making his move.
"What's Captain Kamado doing about this?" John asked.
"That's the strange part," Akari said. "The captain disappeared this morning. Commander Cyllene issued the emergency orders in his place, Galaxy Team goes to Lake Verity, Diamond Clan to Lake Valor, and Pearl Clan to Lake Acuity."
"Where's Kamado?" John's instincts screamed danger.
"Nobody knows. He left without explanation."
John clenched his fist. This wasn't good. If Kamado was missing and Volo was making his move, this was all connected somehow.
"We need to hurry." John urged Lugia faster.
Obsidian Fieldlands.
Lake Verity wasn't hard to find.
It was just a bit farther from the Oreburrow Tunnel. In a dense forested area, there was a crystal-clear lake. Looking down from the sky, it was strikingly conspicuous.
When John arrived, many people had already gathered here. They all wore unified clothing.
Blue coats, white undershirts, golden emblems on their chests, paired with luxurious-looking travel bags. Without a doubt, these were all Ginkgo Guild members.
John didn't choose to attack directly. Instead, he had Lugia land in the distance.
Then he sent out Zoroark to use Illusion to conceal himself, and then had Gardevoir teleport him into the middle of the Ginkgo Guild.
He was preparing to act together with the Ginkgo Guild to see how they would make their move against the Lake Guardians.
"Everyone, attack the rocks in the center of the lake!"
The many Ginkgo Guild members deployed their Pokemon.
All were Gyarados, Aggron, and Rhydon, these fierce-looking, combat-strong Pokemon.
Then a round of Hyper Beam, Flash Cannon, and Flamethrower fired simultaneously.
It was clear the Ginkgo Guild was not conducting a large-scale Pokemon hunt for the first time.
"Defog!"
At one command, a wide-mouthed bird flapped its wings to whip up a gale, blowing away the black smoke on the lake's surface, revealing the massive rocks on the lake.
But this large cave was visibly deep to the naked eye. Clearly it wasn't created by the Ginkgo Guild's attack, it must have existed long ago, just covered by rocks.
The Ginkgo Guild's attack merely knocked away that layer of rock.
"Everyone else, switch Pokemon immediately. We're entering the cave now!"
The others switched their Pokemon, changing Aggron and Rhydon to Luxray, Mightyena, and Sneasel, Pokemon more suited to fighting in narrow, dark environments.
John followed the group into the cave.
The cave was deep and winding, clearly leading to the lake's depths.
After walking for about ten minutes, they finally reached the bottom.
This was an underground cavern, extremely spacious.
And in the center of the cavern was a small island.
On the island floated a small, pink Pokemon with two tails.
[Mesprit LV80]
The Being of Emotion, one of the Lake Guardians.
"Capture it!" Volo's voice suddenly rang out.
John turned to look and finally saw Volo himself.
Blond hair, dressed in Ginkgo Guild attire, with a seemingly gentle smile on his face.
But John knew, this man was the mastermind behind everything.
The one who wanted to use Giratina to destroy and rebuild the world.
"Mesprit, sorry about this." Volo said with a smile. "But I need your power."
Mesprit's eyes suddenly opened.
It sensed danger.
Psychic erupted, sending several Ginkgo Guild members flying.
"As expected of a legendary Pokemon. But unfortunately, I came prepared." Volo raised his hand.
Behind him, several figures emerged from the shadows.
All were powerful Pokemon.
[Garchomp LV85]
[Lucario LV83]
[Arcanine LV84]
[Roserade LV82]
[Togekiss LV85]
[Spiritomb LV87]
This was Volo's full team.
And every single one was extremely powerful.
"Everyone, attack together!" Volo commanded.
John watched from the shadows, not making a move.
He wanted to see what Volo was planning to do.
And more importantly—
He needed to wait for the right moment to intervene.
When Volo revealed his true purpose, that would be when John would strike.