Sato had no intention of acknowledging that enemy who still failed to grasp the reality of the situation. To prevent any of them from escaping or committing suicide… though the latter was unlikely to happen.
Still, he confiscated all three of their Poké Balls, and Tyranitar and the others gradually brought back the remaining scattered grunts.
However, none of them were in good shape…
The Pokémon had also seen the tragedy at Lake Verity and held no sympathy for these people, so they definitely hadn't held back.
Sato and the others naturally turned a blind eye. Even if some accidentally died in the process, dead was dead, no one was going to press charges.
Once things at the base were settled, there was no relief on the trio's faces. They all turned their eyes toward Lake Verity, exchanged a glance, and headed straight for it.
When they arrived, the first thing they saw was three massive Gastrodon wreaking havoc uncontrollably. The dam guards had long since vanished.
In the end, it was the wild Pokémon of Lake Verity who suffered the most.
Large numbers of Gastrodon and Shellos crawled out from the lake, dividing into three groups and merging continuously into the giant Gastrodon.
With the blockade gone, the wild Pokémon frantically fled toward the rivers. Those who could go ashore swarmed the banks.
Even though it had been half an hour since the dam shut down, the mass escape showed no signs of slowing.
The three giant Gastrodon, as if long suppressed, had fallen into a frenzy, firing Hyper Beams in all directions without restraint.
Many Pokémon had finally escaped the nightmare that was Lake Verity only to collapse helplessly halfway through, caught in the indiscriminate destruction of the Hyper Beams.
"That guy earlier said these giant Gastrodon aren't real Pokémon… that they were fused under Mesprit's control. Do you believe it?"
Mark asked in a heavy tone. The idea that one of the Lake Guardians, Mesprit, was an accomplice was something he simply couldn't accept.
"I don't." Joseph's voice was quiet, but firm.
"If the Gastrodon were controlled by Mesprit, who's to say Mesprit isn't being controlled too?" Sato offered, recalling the future unrest in the Sinnoh Region and forming a guess.
"Right! That makes a lot of sense, Boss!" Mark clapped his hands, completely agreeing.
"…So, we're splitting up to deal with the three giant Gastrodon?" Joseph frowned. After witnessing the power of Hyper Beam, he and Mark both knew they couldn't defeat one on their own.
What's worse, with Shellos and Gastrodon constantly merging into them, their size and strength were still growing, and their stamina seemed endless.
"Let's help the wild Pokémon first. We'll deal with the rest later," Sato said. He had been watching the giant Gastrodon for a while now, and had a vague suspicion in his heart but couldn't yet confirm it.
"Aye!" Joseph and Mark answered in unison. The three of them then adjusted their Pokémon teams and split into three groups to begin rescuing the fleeing Pokémon.
Sato assigned Weavile and Gengar to Joseph and Mark, and took Joseph's Chansey along with the rest of his own Pokémon to one of the giant Gastrodon.
Zoroark and Tyranitar focused on blocking the incoming Hyper Beams; not provoking, just defending.
Chansey, Umbreon, and Ralts were tasked with treating the injured Pokémon and transporting them to safety.
As for Houndoom and Sharpedo, Sato assigned them to clear out the Shellos that were clogging the tributaries but hadn't evacuated in time.
Weak little Skorupi had no role to play in this kind of situation, so Sato didn't bother sending it out.
Although Sato and the others' arrival did help accelerate the escape of the wild Pokémon to some extent, overall it still felt like a drop in the bucket.
Lake Verity was no small place, and the number of Pokémon was just too vast. At times, it truly felt like human power had reached its limit.
"…Hmm?"
Sato let out a quiet murmur as he suddenly saw a large flock of Staravia and Starly burst out of the forest. Leading them was that Staraptor.
Staraptor let out a high cry toward the sky, and all the Staravia and Starly dove down, grabbing struggling wild Pokémon from the water and tossing them into the nearest tributary.
They were rescuing their companions!
The forest began to stir. Large numbers of land Pokémon suddenly appeared along the shores of Lake Verity.
Groups of Roselia gathered together, unleashing Aromatherapy in unison to ease the pain and heal abnormal statuses of the Pokémon in the water.
Carnivine, Tangela, Victreebel, and other Pokémon used Vine Whip to pull Pokémon to shore or into nearby tributaries.
Murkrow, Yanmega, Chatot, and other Flying-types followed behind Staraptor to provide aerial support.
Many Pokémon capable of using healing moves also began organized rescue efforts under the command of Joseph's Chansey.
Houndoom, who hadn't done much in the earlier battle, now showed its leadership skills, rallying Pokémon who weren't suited for healing to go clear the waterways and speed up the evacuation.
Lake Verity was still murky and chaotic, but the scene of all the Pokémon working together in unity left Sato and the others deeply moved.
On the other side, Joseph -his body glowing faintly with green light- slowly opened his eyes. He looked out at the bustling rescue efforts and smiled warmly.
The next moment, Joseph suddenly felt dizzy, and collapsed powerlessly to the ground.
Bayleef had been keeping watch at his side. Seeing Joseph fall, it quickly used Vine Whip to catch him.
"Bay… Baylee…" Bayleef looked at Joseph with concern, releasing a wave of floral scent in an effort to ease his exhaustion.
"I'm fine. I just overused Viridian Power. But look how much faster things are moving now~" Joseph said, smiling weakly as he patted the leaf on Bayleef's head, his face deathly pale.
It turned out that the land Pokémon hadn't joined the rescue on their own. Joseph had drawn out all of his Viridian Power to call as many Pokémon from the area around Lake Verity as he could.
"Go join the rescue… I'm safe here… they need you more…" Joseph said to Bayleef, pointing toward the lake.
Bayleef nudged Joseph gently with its head, then turned and ran straight toward Lake Verity, its body gradually glowing with a dazzling blue light.
When Bayleef understood Joseph's unwavering determination, it too wanted to do its part for him.
'I, Bayleef, am not helping you because I'm kind… I'm helping because my Joseph wants me to help you…'
The blue light faded, and Bayleef was gone. In its place stood a graceful, elegant Pokémon radiating a soft floral fragrance: Meganium.
"So you've finally decided to evolve… It's about time you grew up," Joseph smiled with relief as he looked at Meganium's silhouette.
❄
❄
❄
Starting next week, any PS goals that get ✓ - will have their chapter saved up and dropped on Sundays.