It had been two full days since Sato and the others began traveling on their Pokémon. Along the way, they passed two small tributaries and one medium-sized river.
Only one of the small tributaries was still intact. The other two had clearly been ravaged by Gastrodon.
Seeing this firsthand, the three realized that the situation might be even more complicated than they had imagined.
The rivers leading to Lake Verity had been wiped clean. But aside from the three of them, they hadn't encountered a single Ranger along the way.
Lake Verity was massive, was the Sinnoh League really not monitoring it at all?
That was clearly impossible.
In that case, the answer was becoming clear. It was very likely that some big shot in the League was involved.
Sato thought about many things along the way: the Sinnoh League's initially unfriendly attitude toward him, Bertha being forced to carry out the Gym evaluation "mission" under pressure, and the official media's bizarre incident that made him both a scapegoat and a hero.
All of these things -seemingly ordinary or coincidental- hinted at something more calculated.
Clearly, the "big shots" of the Sinnoh League had been locked in intense internal conflict, and Sato had been indirectly affected by it.
Now, seeing something as outrageous as this, it didn't seem all that surprising anymore.
Setting aside the tangled thoughts, the three continued forward. Whether Sato's guess was correct would become clear once they reached Lake Verity.
This also served as a warning to them. As they approached the lake, they slowed their pace and began walking cautiously.
Lucario and Zoroark were sent ahead to scout the surroundings, just in case the other party discovered them before they arrived.
This time, Gengar was also brought out. It molded the [Spatial Barrier] into a bowl shape and inverted it over the group's heads.
With this setup, aside from a few faint footprints in dense grass, no Pokémon outside would be able to see them.
"What a heavy fishy smell… Lake Verity must be just ahead," Mark said, sniffing the air, a bit excited.
After all, they had been traveling for quite some time. It was only natural that he'd be excited to finally arrive.
On the other side, Lucario moved smoothly with its eyes closed, relying entirely on Aura to explore.
Zoroark, meanwhile, "transformed" into an ordinary-looking Bidoof and bounced along toward Lake Verity.
Sato and the others followed the trail their Pokémon had scouted, quietly moving ahead until they reached the bushes near the lakeshore.
---
"This… how is this possible?"
Through the bushes, the three finally laid eyes on the legendary Lake Verity. But the state of the lake shocked them deeply.
The water was murky and foul. Garbage, branches… even Pokémon corpses were floating across the surface.
A foul stench filled the air. The [Barrier] wasn't fully sealed, so it couldn't block the odor.
And yet, in that filthy water, the lake was packed with Water-type Pokémon. Gastrodon and Shellos made up the majority.
Magikarp, Tentacool, Floatzel, Wooper, even Piplup and Finneon… countless Pokémon were crammed together in the water, not even able to struggle for survival.
Just then, a relatively sturdy Bibarel swam toward the shore, trying to escape that nightmarish place.
But it hadn't even made it halfway before a swarm of Shellos surged forward, dragging Bibarel to the lakebed.
…Where it vanished without a trace.
It was only now that Sato and the others noticed: within at least three meters from the lakeshore, the area was completely occupied by Shellos and Gastrodon. Only farther out did other Water-type Pokémon appear.
Seeing this made the three of them feel chilled to the bone. These Gastrodon were definitely doing this intentionally, and there had to be someone controlling them from behind the scenes.
"…Lake Verity is big. If we move along the shore, we're bound to find something…" Sato gave the order in a low voice. Joseph and Mark nodded and silently followed him.
As they walked along the lake's edge, they encountered quite a few wild Pokémon on land.
Most of them looked toward Lake Verity with trembling fear, yet were unwilling to leave the place they had always lived in.
On the way, the trio came across a strong Staraptor. Using its physical strength and hunting skills, it kept flying over the water to rescue Floatzel, Bibarel, and other Pokémon that could live on land.
But compared to the sheer number of trapped Pokémon, the Staraptor's efforts were almost negligible. Each time it acted, it risked being dragged into the water by Gastrodon. One mistake, and it could lose its life.
To avoid being discovered, Sato and the others bypassed the Staraptor and continued their investigation along the lake. Soon, they reached a massive water outlet.
At the outlet stood a towering steel dam, completely blocking the flow. Atop the dam, three satellite dish-like structures were aligned side by side.
Just as Sato and the others frowned and tried to guess what those devices were for, three intense electric currents suddenly converged on the steel rods at the center of each "dish."
Zzzap… crackle!
A surge of electricity violently struck the water at the outlet. The agonizing cries of Water-type Pokémon rang out, making the trio's hearts tremble.
Next, three massive iron nets launched from the top of the dam, scooping up every Pokémon within the electric zone.
Because the Pokémon were so densely packed, the space left behind by those captured was quickly filled again. The panicked Pokémon tried to flee, but couldn't escape at all.
Moments later, another flash of electricity, and the same process repeated. Again, three giant nets swept up the defenseless Pokémon in one go.
What horrified the duo -Mark and Joseph- even more was that unevolved Shellos had no resistance to Electric-type attacks. When they were pushed into the shock zone, they too were struck.
And yet, the nearby Gastrodon didn't react at all. They stood firm, blocking every escape route, letting the dam unleash round after round of electric shocks, netting up Shellos and other Pokémon together.
"Joseph, don't alert them. Either we wipe them all out at once, or the consequences will be endless."
Sato grabbed Joseph tightly, who was trembling with rage, his eyes bloodshot. He thought Joseph might lose control and rush out on impulse.
Right now, Sato wasn't worried about Mark. When faced with a serious situation, he could actually keep his cool.
But for Joseph to have earned Celebi's approval and gained Viridian Power, it showed how deeply he loved Pokémon from the bottom of his heart.
He wasn't like Giovanni, who eventually turned dark. With this happening right in front of him, how could he not be furious?
"…I can hold it in. Let's keep investigating. Once we've figured everything out, I want these scumbags…" Joseph clenched both fists. His knuckles were white, proof of his fury.
Mark quietly placed a hand on Joseph's shoulder, saying nothing.