"Oh, really? Speak." said Archie.
Indeed, with both sides stuck here, the only one who would end up benefiting was the League.
"We both know well why we're here. Those two things won't be buried separately. It's better if we join forces to find them first, then you take what you need, and I take mine," Maxie replied.
"We all know the items are here, but Meteor Falls has so many branches... even if we mobilize everyone, how long will it take? According to my intel, the League is already outside." Archie raised an eyebrow.
"So, you know the League is outside too. If we come out of this empty-handed, the cost of our failure will be huge — I'm sure you understand that."
"The fact that you came all the way here means you're also willing to take that risk. So we'd better find them first, and talk after."
After saying this, Maxie clapped his hands. Immediately, two members brought forward a middle-aged man dressed like an archaeologist.
"This is Professor Cozmo, a leading researcher of Meteor Falls. I'm convinced that with his help, we'll find it quickly. But until we do, no infighting. Once it appears, we'll discuss it then." Maxie cast a glance at the slightly disheveled Professor Cozmo, smiling with narrowed eyes.
A smiling tiger.
Among them all, Archie was the one who knew best what kind of person Maxie was.
"Then let's search for what we came for. Shelly, keep an eye on this." Archie ordered the tall woman standing behind him.
"No problem," Shelly nodded.
"In that case, Tabitha will take charge on our side," Maxie added.
It wasn't their first time working together. They knew each other well, which made cooperation smooth.
...
"Drapion, Shadow Ball."
At Cain's command, two black orbs the size of a head instantly formed in Drapion's pincers.
He hurled them toward two Pokémon that shone like small suns, radiating an orange glow down the tunnel.
Boom!
Boom!
With both explosions, the Pokémon fell to the ground.
They were two Solrock.
Deep within Meteor Falls, Solrock and Lunatone were abundant.
At the intersections of multiple tunnels and in larger chambers, their presence was quite common.
Moreover, these Pokémon — formed from celestial bodies — after living underground for so long without contact with the outside world, though Psychic-type, didn't possess true intelligence, only strong mental power.
Upon seeing Cain and Drapion as intruders, they naturally attacked without hesitation.
But all of them fell under Drapion's assaults.
These Psychic-type Pokémon had virtually no resistance against a Dark-type Drapion.
Although in this area, the Solrock and Lunatone were higher-level than usual.
Most were at the peak of the Advanced rank, and some had reached Quasi-Elite level.
After all, this was the deepest area of Meteor Falls. Few ever came here, so they had grown in peace.
"Not much farther now," Cain thought silently.
Standing atop Drapion's back, he perceived through Slowking two coordinates of psychic energy.
Earlier they had been fuzzy — likely because the large number of Solrock and Lunatone interfered with his senses.
He recalled Drapion.
A Pokémon that large would draw too much attention.
Then, together with Slowking, he used the technique to hide from the Sacred Church's perception.
And he secretly headed toward the coordinates.
Gradually, he began to see several Team Magma and Team Aqua members examining the walls and ground with instruments.
Seeing them working together without conflict made Cain's heart sink.
Team Magma and Team Aqua had ended up cooperating.
"Better test first whether they're keeping constant communication between them."
Cain made a bold decision.
He slipped instantly behind some of them, using the tunnel's dim light and the aid of psychic energy.
In such an environment, Gengar and Mismagius were the true masters.
His two Pokémon appeared at once — one targeting the enemy Pokémon, the other directly the humans.
There was no battle, only hypnosis.
Thud!
One after another, they collapsed unconscious.
Cain hid immediately, waiting to see if chaos would ensue.
Fortunately, after five minutes, nothing happened.
That gave him confidence.
He put the sleeping ones — both humans and Pokémon — into the alternate space.
Then advanced silently toward a wider area.
There, he saw a group of people surrounding a man in a white lab coat, pointing and arguing about something.
The moment he saw him, Cain recognized him — it was Professor Cozmo.
Team Magma and Team Aqua were clearly prepared; they had even captured Professor Cozmo.
But how did they know the two orbs were here?
And stranger still — if Team Magma had mobilized something this major, why hadn't Erick informed Drake?
Cain's mind was filled with unanswered questions.
He decided not to get closer, instead circling stealthily around them, using the shadows along the walls to move deeper in.
Shelly's and Tabitha's coordinates were very close to Professor Cozmo's.
But neither Maxie nor Archie were in sight. Cain decided to keep investigating.
After passing through a short tunnel, he arrived at two huge tents — one blue and one red.
The light from inside revealed a crowd of people.
Cain hesitated a moment, then headed toward Team Magma's tent.
Quietly, he circled to the back.
He used psychic energy to open a small slit and peeked inside.
What he saw made his pupils shrink sharply.
Maxie was seated at the main chair, holding a metallic box of unusual design. Inside, a red-yellow orb glowed like a tiny flame, casting a sinister light across Maxie's thin face — making him look even more chilling.
The energy of Groudon!
But what shocked Cain most wasn't that.
It was the bloodied figure kneeling before him.
Barely recognizable — it was Erick, the one Drake had sent as an infiltrator.
And judging from his condition, Maxie had discovered his true identity.
Several people standing beside him looked on with cold smiles.
Two of them even held metal bats stained with blood.
Erick's hands were tied behind his back, and his eyes were fixed on both the metallic box and the six Poké Balls lined up before him.
They were his Pokémon.
"So you're not going to talk, huh? Courtney had been warning me there was a mole within Team Magma, but I refused to believe it. In the end, I had to use this as bait — and I didn't expect you'd actually bite the hook," Maxie said with a cold smile, staring at Erick.
Bang!
His hand slammed hard on the table.
"I trusted you so much... and you turn out to be a spy from the League!" Maxie's face darkened instantly.
With Erick's position, he knew too much.
And now that his identity was exposed...
Team Magma was practically laid bare before the League.
For Maxie, who had always prided himself on his cunning, this was an unbearable humiliation.
Or worse — an insult.
(End of Chapter)