Erick's face, completely disfigured by the beatings, still showed a faint smile.
"In the end, I fell into your trap. But it doesn't matter... everything the Team Magma has, the League will know about it." He forced a grotesque grimace, revealing a twisted, ugly grin.
Even so, one could still faintly recognize the shadow of the handsome face he once had.
Bang!
A blow from a metal bat struck him squarely on the back.
His face slammed against the ground.
Lying on the floor, Erick couldn't get up right away.
His gaze became slightly glassy.
He still didn't understand why the League, even knowing that in some ways it was acting wrongly, insisted on pressing forward.
Team Magma, though an underground organization, couldn't be said to be purely evil.
More than a group of thugs, they were zealots who worshipped Groudon as a god.
There wasn't much difference between them and religious devotees.
What Maxie held in that metallic box was precisely the reason for Team Magma's existence. It was the item he had unearthed from that small fishing village on the coast.
Archie possessed something similar.
Erick's consciousness faded, and he fell into unconsciousness.
"Finish him," Maxie ordered with a wave of his hand, not bothering to drag the matter out.
He had managed to plant pieces within the League, so naturally, the League had spies within his ranks as well.
That was the chess match between him and the League — with no absolute "good" or "evil."
What truly enraged him was that the infiltrator had reached such a high position within Team Magma.
Erick was, undeniably, a talent.
What a waste...
Upon hearing Maxie's command, the Team Magma members guarding Erick immediately displayed cruel smiles.
They were Elite Officers who had always dreamed of reaching Executive rank but had never had the opportunity.
Now that Erick had fallen from grace, they saw an open door.
Moreover, the Pokémon he left behind were anything but ordinary.
Although some had been gravely injured while trying to protect him and wouldn't survive, several Elite Four–level Pokémon still remained.
Both their potential and strength stirred immense greed.
If they could earn Maxie's favor, they might receive one of those Pokémon as a reward.
With just that, their path to becoming Elite-level trainers would open wide.
But what they didn't know was that, hidden behind the tent, Cain had witnessed everything.
His eyes flickered with hesitation, but he finally made a decision.
He took a deep breath, and from his shadow silently emerged Gengar, who began sliding from the back of the tent toward the front.
However, at the exact moment he appeared, the Mightyena lying beside Maxie opened its eyes.
It rose slowly, sniffing the air.
It couldn't detect any scent, but it sensed something.
Maxie noticed Mightyena's movement and narrowed his eyes, immediately closing the metallic box in his hands.
Mightyena fixed its gaze on the tent's main entrance.
Everyone present noticed the tension as well. They all stood up and grabbed their Poké Balls.
Boom!
The front of the tent exploded with a thunderous crash.
In an instant, Cain and Slowking appeared, revealing themselves from their hidden state. Slowking didn't move alongside Cain — instead, it began preparing a Teleport on the spot.
"Who's there?!" roared Maxie.
But as he shouted, he felt a sharp tug on his hand.
His expression changed drastically.
The Mightyena, which had lunged toward the entrance, immediately rushed back.
Its fangs charged with Dark energy, it slashed through the psychic energy that had been trying to ensnare Maxie.
At that moment, a black shadow burst through the entrance.
While everyone's attention was fixed on Maxie, Erick's body — which had been lying on the ground — was swallowed by the shadow.
At the same time, dozens of Poké Balls shot into the air, releasing powerful Pokémon that filled the tent.
But by then, Gengar was already gone.
Maxie reacted instantly, throwing out two Poké Balls.
A Crobat and a Camerupt appeared in the middle of the tent.
"Crobat, Air Slash! Camerupt, Flamethrower!" shouted Maxie. His face still showed a trace of panic as he clutched his neck, blood seeping through his fingers.
If his Mightyena had reacted a second later, he would have been dead.
The enemy's attack had been brutal and precise.
The force that wounded him was sharper than any blade, and not even the special fabric of his red uniform — designed with Team Magma's most advanced technology to resist any weapon — had been able to block it.
The culprit was Cain.
The attack that injured him was a spatial slash.
Of course, Cain knew he couldn't — and shouldn't — kill Maxie here. His true target had always been the metallic box.
Wounding him was merely to distract and allow Gengar to complete its task.
Just as he had planned, Maxie focused entirely on defending himself, unaware that the real objective was the object he carried.
Although the slash had torn through his uniform instantly, it had also consumed a great deal of Cain's psychic energy.
That was why it only managed to cut skin, nothing more.
Fortunately, neither Maxie nor his Mightyena knew that.
Inside the tent, the only one who could truly stop Gengar was that Mightyena.
Even so, Gengar managed to rescue Erick and return to Cain's side.
The only unexpected twist was Maxie's reaction speed — without checking anything, he immediately hurled out two Poké Balls, sending his Pokémon toward the rear of the tent.
The entire operation lasted no more than two seconds.
Though Maxie appeared physically weakened, his mind was sharp, and his command ability in battle was formidable.
It was no coincidence he had become the leader of Team Magma.
That miscalculation from Cain prevented Slowking from completing its Teleport.
With no other choice, Cain waved his hand and opened an alternate space within the rock wall, hiding inside.
When Maxie burst out of the tent, he caught a glimpse of the portal rapidly closing.
Through the opening, he could make out a dark silhouette inside.
Cain then had an idea and shouted loudly, "This man is under the protection of our Sacred Church! Leader Maxie, we'll take this item as compensation!"
And he finished with another shout: "Our Sacred Church will return!"
After that, the portal sealed shut completely.
The Team Magma members, along with their Pokémon, furiously attacked the rock wall — but found nothing.
(End of Chapter)