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"Got you."
With Kecleon's help, Sato held the Great Ball containing Swampert in his hand and said with a smile.
For Sato, the appearance of this Swampert carried enormous significance. It meant he could now, openly and legitimately, bring out the Swampert he had been keeping with Professor Oak.
In the League's internal records, Tyler originally did not possess a Swampert. If Sato were to use one rashly—especially considering he also had a powerful Pikachu—people would easily associate him with the mysterious figure who had triggered the clash between Legendary Pokémon a month ago.
Now things were different. With Aina and the others as witnesses, Sato no longer had any worries. Even if someone questioned him in the future, Aina and the rest could testify on his behalf, allowing him to clear himself with ease.
That said, the Swampert in front of him was far inferior to the ace Swampert staying with Professor Oak. Still, its strength was decent. Since the gap between this one and his ace was quite large, Sato decided to keep this Swampert by his side for the time being, to avoid revealing any inconsistencies.
After all, Drake had seen his Swampert before. As a Dragon-type Elite Four member, his eye was sharp—he would surely notice something unusual. Therefore, if Sato wanted to use Swampert in public in the future, he would have to let it hold back a little.
After settling the Swampert issue, Sato and the others encountered no further obstruction from wild Pokémon. Using Pokémon to climb the artificial waterfall, they smoothly reached the designated location.
About ten minutes later, a faint, abnormal sound came from a manhole cover in the southern area of the power plant. Soon, it was slowly pushed open.
"All clear."
Sato was the first to enter the power plant through the sewer. After confirming that no Galvantula were patrolling nearby, he signaled to those below that it was safe. Aina and the others then emerged one after another.
At this point, Sato's group had successfully infiltrated the power plant. However, they did not act immediately. They needed to patiently wait for signals from the other three teams before proceeding.
This mission required all four teams to act simultaneously. If even one team failed to shut down their assigned power source, the risk of mission failure would multiply.
The power plant was filled with traps between every zone to prevent intruders. Ordinary people could barely move inside, and one misstep could mean falling into a trap.
If that happened, the Galvantula infesting the plant would certainly not pass up such high-quality "reserve rations."
Another ten minutes passed before good news finally arrived from the other three teams. All four squads had successfully infiltrated the power plant through the sewer system.
About a minute later, a violent explosion erupted from the front of the power plant. The blast jolted all the Galvantula awake, and large numbers of them rushed toward the main entrance.
In fact, Sato had added one key suggestion to the original battle plan: a feint.
Each team left one person behind to guard their manhole cover. Besides guarding it, their main task was to detonate explosives at the front of the power plant, drawing the Galvantula's attention and allowing the infiltrating teams to act freely inside.
As expected, the feint worked perfectly. Huge numbers of Galvantula rushed to reinforce the front, leaving the internal defenses dangerously thin.
"Move. Begin the operation."
Feeling the timing was right, Sato immediately gave the order. The group left their hiding place and advanced toward the target location.
By now, everyone had put on rubber suits and released their Rhydon. These thick-skinned powerhouses, all possessing the Lightning Rod ability, took the lead—triggering traps and acting as living shields.
Along the way, they did encounter some resistance from Galvantula, but thanks to Lightning Rod Rhydon and their specialized rubber suits, they crushed this defensive force with ease.
Soon, they reached the guarded door containing the emergency shutdown button. After entering the correct password, they slipped inside and successfully shut it down.
In an instant, power generation and supply across most of the southern sector of the plant were cut off.
"Our task is complete. Let's return the way we came. The rest is up to them."
Seeing their mission completed flawlessly, Sato smiled and spoke to the others.
By now, Sato had fully become the backbone of this squad. His words were final—no one objected, and everyone nodded in agreement.
However, as they stepped out of the room, the Galvantula—finally realizing they had been tricked—arrived late and confronted them head-on.
"Back into the room. Prepare for battle. Have the Rhydon block the doorway."
Seeing they were surrounded, Sato immediately ordered everyone to retreat inside and prepare to fight.
With the power supply cut, the Galvantula in this area were severely weakened. Although they held a numerical advantage, the presence of seven Lightning Rod Rhydon rendered their Electric-type moves completely useless.
Under Sato's precise command, the seven-member squad advanced steadily, gradually whittling down the Galvantula's numbers.
After a grueling half-hour battle, they finally defeated the intercepting Galvantula force. During the fight, they also received confirmation that the other three teams had succeeded.
"Excellent! We don't need to return the same way. Let's go rendezvous with Wattson and the others."
With news of the other teams' success, Sato's spirits soared as he spoke excitedly.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's move! Without electricity, these Galvantula are toothless tigers!"
"Exactly—wipe them out!"
"Hey, hey, calm down. Wait for Tyler's arrangements."
The others were equally energized, speaking excitedly in response.
About an hour later, Sato's group successfully rendezvoused with Wattson and the others. After a full night of effort, they had driven all the Galvantula out of the power plant, fully restored electricity to Mauville City, and achieved this without a single casualty.
Thus, the mission to restore power to Mauville City was perfectly completed.