"Send the bounty hunters to contain the breach in the hydroponics farm!" Rhea ordered. "Release the quadcopters as well and have them protect the bounty hunters. Make sure none of them or their Pokémon dies."
The bounty hunters grabbed their weapons and rushed out of the dining hall, fanning across the base to form a defensive line between the northern and southern walls. Thousands of quadcopters swarmed out of Rhea's factory, rising into the air before spreading over the battlefield and hovering above the bounty hunters and their Pokémon. Their weapons tracked targets below, providing covering fire as the hunters drove the rampaging Pokémon back toward the hydroponics farm. Every opening they created was quickly sealed, preventing the enemies from spreading deeper into the base.
"Send the drone army outside to deal with the survivors of the bombardment and the trained force behind them. Have the home team provide support from the back and make sure they don't get overwhelmed."
The drone army surged through the breach, humanoid, quadrupedal, and spider tanks advancing in formation. Their weapons thundered across the battlefield, cutting down Pokémon that had survived the carpet bombing. The survivors fought back, but the drones continued their advance, forcing the survivors toward the larger force behind it.
That rear formation was a different matter. Thousands of Pokémon stood ready behind the battered survivors, their coordinated use of Protect having shielded them from the worst of the bombardment. As the drone army approached, the Pokémon surged forward to meet them, but the drones had a weapon specifically designed to counter their defenses. Feint and Phantom Force bullets tore through the Protect shields, leaving the Pokémon exposed to the torrent of gunfire that followed.
The drone army had no Protect shields to absorb the onslaught, leaving their weaker metallic frames exposed to attacks from thousands of opponents. The front line was quickly overwhelmed, with drones torn apart one after another as the invading Pokémon surged forward over their wreckage.
The home team didn't let their sacrifice be in vain. Holding their ground behind the fallen drones, they unleashed a relentless barrage of energy into the exposed swarm. The advancing Pokémon were ripped to shreds under the concentrated fire, their numbers rapidly dwindling before they could overwhelm the defenders.
"Finally, have Gardevoir teleport the away team to the rear. I want them to hunt down those Master ranked Pokémon while attacking the back of that trained force."
At Rhea's command, Gardevoir teleported the away team behind the enemy formation. They appeared in the midst of the rear ranks and immediately unleashed their attacks before the Pokémon could react. Caught between the drone army advancing from the front and the away team striking from behind, the once-organized formation was suddenly trapped in a deadly pincer.
The attack team quickly split into 6 groups, each targeting one of the half-dozen Master ranked Pokémon. As the battles intensified, the 6 groups gradually drove their opponents toward the flanks, drawing them away from the main clash between the defense team and the now-panicking horde.
"Have you found the trainers yet, Metagross?" Rhea asked as she scanned the battlefield.
"Negative," an artificial voice replied.
"Split the Crobat swarm and send them into the breach beside the hydroponics farm. Those fuckers are probably hiding underground. Send the rest of the swarm to search the surrounding caves and every tunnel they can find. Also, make sure the Master ranked Pokémon remain isolated so they can't receive any further orders from their trainers."
Following Rhea's orders, Metagross relayed the commands to the Crobat swarm over the radio, instructing them to search the cave system and hunt down any trainers they found. The swarm split into smaller groups and disappeared into the tunnels, their screeches echoing through the darkness. Once they ventured too deep underground, however, the radio signal could no longer reach them, cutting them off from Metagross and leaving the Crobats to continue the search on their own.
As for the battle itself, it was shaping up to be a decisive victory with no casualties. The drone army had absorbed the brunt of the assault from the flood to the west, while the noisy quadcopters drew most of the fire away from the bounty hunters. Meanwhile, the away team was simply too well-coordinated to suffer any serious damage.
So far, not a single life was lost. The base had suffered some damage, with drones and quadcopters destroyed and parts of the hydroponics farm needing to be rebuilt, but the losses were easily offset by the value of the corpses now littering the battlefield. It was shaping up to be another one-sided defensive slaughter, just like every flood before it.
"Let's keep pushing!" Rhea exclaimed. "Send a barrage of scattershots into the western flood!"
The railguns atop the main hub whirled back into action as fresh missiles were loaded into their launchers. After charging, they fired with a heavy whoosh, sending the payloads soaring toward the trained flood fighting on two fronts. This time, the missiles climbed higher before arcing downward and dropping directly over the battlefield.
Much like the earlier carpet bombing, slots opened along the missiles' sides as they descended, releasing a cloud of heavy metal darts. Each projectile radiated Feint and Phantom Force energy, allowing them to tear through the Protect shields surrounding the densely packed Pokémon below. The shields shattered almost instantly, leaving the exposed Pokémon with nowhere to hide as thousands of darts rained down.
The barrage tore through the formation. Metal darts punched cleanly through flesh, crushing skulls, piercing hearts, and ripping through vital organs. Roars and cries filled the battlefield as countless Pokémon collapsed beneath the assault, many dying instantly from devastating wounds. Yet even after the initial barrage, some managed to survive.
BOOM!
Every remaining projectile detonated in rapid succession, each explosion carrying roughly the force of a hand grenade. Many of the darts still embedded in Pokémon exploded from within their bodies, ripping them apart or inflicting fatal injuries. The individual blasts weren't particularly powerful compared to the carpet bombing, but with thousands erupting across the battlefield at once, they were enough to finish off the wounded Pokémon and leave most of the survivors barely standing.
With the intensity of the enemy's resistance sharply reduced, the androids advanced through the devastation. Their weapons swept across the battlefield, gunning down anything still moving as they methodically cleared the remaining Pokémon. It was a crushing follow-up assault, and Rhea intended for it to end the battle once and for all.
Suddenly, a new red mark appeared on the map Rhea had been watching for what felt like an eternity. The Crobat swarm had finally done its job and located the masterminds behind the assault.
"Finally!" Rhea exclaimed, leaning closer as she examined the location.
The signal was coming from an underground chamber near Mt. Moon's northern cavers. Inside, 6 Master ranked trainers were gathered with their Champion ranked Psychic type Pokémon, ready to teleport them to safety if their position was compromised. Their expressions were grim as they watched the battle unfold through a live feed they'd prepared beforehand.
"Do you think the Crobats can handle them?" Rhea asked.
"30% chance of success," Metagross replied in its artificial voice.
"Right. Those Psychic types will tear the Crobat swarm apart in a space that cramped, no matter how many we send in." Rhea paused, staring at the red mark. "Looks like we have no choice but to use that."
Her words were reluctant, but her eyes gleamed with anticipation at the opportunity.
"Yes... it simply can't be helped. We have no other choice." A mischievous grin spread across her face. "Ehehehe."
She stood on her seat, raised a hand, and stared ahead with sharp eyes before commanding, "Fire the bunker buster!"
One of the railguns whirled toward the southwest before firing a new missile. Like the scattershot rounds, it climbed high into the sky before arcing back down toward its target. As it approached the ground, it reached terminal velocity before its rear thrusters ignited, accelerating it beyond that limit before it slammed into the earth.
The impact sent a powerful shockwave through the surrounding rock and soil as the missile bored deep underground, tunneling toward the enemy's approximate coordinates. A moment later, it detonated with tremendous force. The cavern shuddered violently before the surrounding rock gave way, collapsing the chamber and burying everything inside beneath tons of rubble.
"Hahaha~" Rhea laughed excitedly as the holographic map updated, confirming the missile had struck almost directly above the enemy's position.
Even if the initial blast hadn't killed them, the collapsing cavern certainly would. A Champion ranked Psychic type Pokémon might be able to withstand the explosion with Protect, but surviving the subsequent collapse would be another matter entirely. Still, if any of them somehow managed to escape, Rhea wouldn't mind letting them live. Their survival would simply mean she'd failed to make the weapon effective enough and needed to keep improving her creations.
Rhea returned her attention to the ongoing battle and nodded. The fighting was already winding down. The Crobats had blocked the tunnels, cutting off the Pokémon's escape routes and allowing the bounty hunters to move in and finish off the remaining stragglers. The Master ranked Pokémon had either been torn apart or captured, while the remnants of the flood were systematically wiped out.
Many defenders were injured or exhausted, but none had died, a stark improvement over the defensive battles the base had endured in the past. In the end, it was a complete and resounding victory, achieved through the overwhelming effectiveness of the base's defenses.
"With this, even if we aren't here in the future, there's no longer any need to worry about the Silver Network bases," Rhea concluded, pride evident in her voice as she looked over the battlefield.
The defenses she'd designed had held against an overwhelming assault, proving that the bases could protect themselves even without their strongest defenders present. It was a long-term project that had finally borne fruit, tested and proven against Master ranked invaders.
From this point on, their bases would no longer suffer casualties no matter who they pissed off.