On an uninhabited island at the southernmost tip of Hoenn, deep underground, lay the main hub of Team Dominion in the region. Victor Arclayne, the regional head overseeing Hoenn, watched the situation unfold with sharp, calculating eyes.
He had been hearing whispers from his spies about suspicious movements by prominent trainers, the police, and Gym Leaders, but no one knew the exact reason why. He could guess that their public facilities would likely come under attack, but with no further specifics, he couldn't act.
What he could do, however, was keep watch over the situation and prepare their countermeasures against the League. The very reason they had made the effort to steal the Red and Blue Orbs in the first place. This was their chance to show just how much of a threat they posed to the populace, forcing the League to back off and maintain the peace.
Before him was a hologram displaying a map of the entire region with strategic locations that held their bases both hidden and in plain sight. They had lost a few locations since the start of their encroachment such as Rustboro City and a few others but they were ultimately still on track for their ultimate plan.
Suddenly, multiple locations across the region started shining red. It indicated that they were under attack and requesting help. Before he could give out orders, more locations sent out alerts until finally every single location on the map was covered in red.
"What's happening?" he shouted, demanding an answer.
"We're under attack!" his secretary said, her voice tense.
"I know that, but all our locations at once?"
"No, I mean we are under attack, right here, right now. There is a team of Elites, led by a Champion, outside bombarding the island."
The base remained stable, without a single quake, so he hardly noticed. Their new shell was far superior compared to the rest of the bases. It would require constant bombardment from a Champion ranked Pokémon to make a dent, let alone cause it to shake.
"Send everyone out to confront them and activate the Cataclysm Protocol at my signal," Victor ordered, preparing to head out to confront their guests as well.
"Yes, sir," the secretary replied shakily, directing the observation team.
Victor raced to the amplifier room, a vast chamber dominated by a towering machine that resembled an enormous satellite dish. At its center were two slots designed to hold the Red and Blue Orbs, allowing the device to amplify their power and project their effects remotely across Hoenn.
He placed the orbs into the slots, their surfaces glowing faintly as they locked into place.
"Activate it," he commanded through the intercom.
The room shuddered as the ceiling opened, and the entire floor, carrying the massive dish along with it, began to rise. The machine lit up as energy poured into the orbs, transmuting into the power of the Red and Blue Orbs. Once the platform rose to the top, the machine emitted pulses of invisible energy that, seemingly, had no effect.
Outside, attacks erupted across the island as his men struggled to hold back the relentless onslaught, and Victor answered by releasing his team of six Champion ranked dragons. They were Dracovish, Turtonator, Haxorus, Druddigon, Hydreigon and Noivern.
"Take them down," he ordered calmly.
They scattered like rays of light, intercepting the Elite ranked Pokémon that were tearing through the soldiers. The soldiers had been helpless, unable to aim fast enough to hit opponents moving at such speed. To them, the Elites were like ghosts, weaving between bullets with ease.
Victor's Pokémon cut down the Elites with only a few strikes before turning to the others spread across the island. It was a massacre born from perfect coordination and the shock of ambush.
The leader of the trainers tried to respond, sending out a single Champion ranked Pokémon to match them. As could be expected, it was torn apart almost immediately, forcing the attacking trainers to retreat and report the outcome of the battle to the League.
None of them realized they were attacking the main hub, defended by a bona fide Champion ranked trainer with a full team. All they had been told was to destroy the base and everyone in it. The result was a massacre that left them with severe losses. Losses they would demand Steven Stone compensate for, given their lack of information.
Even so, the League gained a benefit from the failed assault. Steven Stone was now able to pinpoint the exact location of Team Dominion's main base.
Unfortunately, greater problems still loomed across Hoenn.
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'The main base has been located,' Metagross telepathically communicated to Steven Stone. 'It is on an uninhabited island south of Sea Route 109. Protected by a Champion ranked trainer with a full team. The trainers sent were devastated in the ensuing battle.'
"Survivors?" Steven asked.
'The trainers and their escape Pokémon. Although, their main team was torn apart before they realized the situation.'
"Give them triple the compensation."
'They also reported a strange device that emerged from the ground with the Champion ranked trainer. It resembled a satellite dish aimed at the center of the region.'
"Looks like they've chosen to assert their dominance. It's time to remind them why the League stands at the top of the food chain, far above the Underworld. Dispatch Ruby to Kyogre's location and send Zinnia to Groudon's."
Metagross sent out the messages as Steven took out a Poké Ball and released a Claydol.
"Take me to the island."
They teleported to Sea Route 109 and then headed south along the calculated route. The area lay beyond the League's control, a known danger zone filled with Champion ranked nests that ships normally avoided. As a Master ranked trainer, Steven navigated the location without difficulty.
When they arrived, a satellite dish pointed north greeted them. Nothing looked wrong, but Steven immediately understood the dish's purpose. It was used to awaken Groudon and Kyogre, causing devastation as the pair attempted to create more land and water.
He released his team, Metagross, Claydol, Skarmory, Aggron, Cradily, and Armaldo, all at the peak of Champion rank, except Metagross, who had already reached Master rank.
"Destroy everything," he ordered simply.
Skarmory, Aggron, Cradily, and Armaldo charged toward the island, empowering themselves with status moves in preparation for the coming battle.
Claydol remained behind to protect Steven while activating Light Screen, Reflect, and Gravity. The effects spread across the island, containing the fight and preventing any disturbance, while simultaneously locking everyone inside. Not even Teleport could allow an escape.
Finally, with a flick of his finger on the keystone pinned to his lapel, he activated Mega Evolution for Metagross. It shone briefly with resplendent rainbow light before clearing to reveal Metagross with four arms.
"Destroy the satellite dish," he commanded.
Metagross raced toward the dish like a meteor, charging an empowered Meteor Mash along the way. As the strike neared, Hydreigon intercepted it with Protect, halting its momentum completely.
"Not so fast!" Victor broadcasted across the island. "You won't get your way so easily here, Steven Stone."
Soldiers swarmed from the underground base and strategically planted mounted turrets across the island. Team Dominion had deployed its newest line of weaponry, capable of firing a few hundred shots per minute, powerful enough to take down Champion ranked Pokémon. Meanwhile, Victor's Pokémon engaged Steven's in open combat, creating a matchup that clearly favored Victor.
Steven ignored the disruption and ordered his Pokémon to begin an evasive bombardment across the island, devastating both the terrain and the scattered soldiers. This exposed them to attacks from Victor's Pokémon, which struck where the turrets had failed.
Skarmory raced with Agility, slicing turrets with Steel Wing along its path, while Noivern followed closely, using Dragon Pulse to slowly whittle it down. Aggron charged with Iron Head, but Druddigon met it head-on with Outrage. Cradily fired Energy Balls, but Turtonator countered with Flamethrower. Armaldo and Dracovish exchanged brutal attacks, shaking the earth with Crush Claw and Fishious Rend. Lastly, Haxorus and Hydreigon tag-teamed Metagross, which barely held on.
The fights favored Victor overall. Steven's Pokémon could not hold their ground against the turrets, forcing them into evasive maneuvers that allowed Victor's forces to chip away at them.
Victor had been right. Despite the devastation to the island and the base, Steven was in over his head given Victor's preparations and equipment.
"Guns are fascinating," Steven commented. "They allow the weak to participate in a fight between Champions, using numbers to overwhelm strength. The applications are numerous, and the potential for scalability is enormous. Once refined through decades of research and development, they will become truly formidable."
"Hahaha!" Victor laughed. "Do you see the future now? This is humanity's true power, which will only grow over time. Someday, Pokémon will become obsolete, and humans, not Legendaries, will wield weapons of mass destruction."
"I fully agree with the sentiment," Steven replied. "Through science, humans will reach a level of power capable of overcoming Pokémon, but we aren't there yet. Let me show you the true power of Master ranked Pokémon so that you may understand that we, as a species, still have a long way to go."
Steven pulled out his phone and, with a few taps, released a flood of Pokémon. Tens of Champions, hundreds of Elites, and thousands of lesser ranked Pokémon surged forward like a tsunami, flooding the island and overrunning everything. They did not use moves in the dense cluster, as none were necessary. A simple stampede and the occasional physical move trampled everything in its path.
The turrets took down some Pokémon, but the effort proved futile as groups of Elites and Champions stepped forward, taking the brunt of the attacks and closing the distance. Once they reached the front, only death and devastation remained to be trampled by the rest of the flood. The new guns only affected weaker Pokémon, leaving the gap between firearms and Pokémon massive.
The soldiers quickly fell to the flood, and Victor's Pokémon were overwhelmed, as they could not maintain their Protect shields against the sheer numbers. This freed Metagross from combat, allowing it to obliterate the satellite dish with a Meteor Mash. Finally, the Champions combined their special attacks to destroy the underground base in a few bombardments.
In one fell swoop, a flood owned by a Master ranked trainer destroyed everything.
Victor attempted to escape on Noivern, but Claydol maintained overwatch, preventing his flight. Steven's Pokémon intercepted him, resulting in the pair being captured with ease.
"This isn't over," Victor said as they brought him before Steven. "Hoenn will be destroyed in the cataclysm of your precious Legendaries."
"Maybe so, but it is certainly over for you. As for the Legendaries, I have experts on the case. Nothing for you to worry about. Now, let's see what Team Dominion is up to," Steven said, sending Claydol to probe Victor's mind.
The psychic lock on Victor's memories proved too powerful even for the peak Champion ranked Claydol. The attempt caused it to shatter, resulting in Victor's head exploding. It would likely take a Master ranked Psychic type Pokémon to disarm the psychic lock.
His Metagross could have done it, but it was more attuned to technology than to human minds. Perhaps in the future, once Claydol reaches Master rank. It wouldn't take too long, just a few more decades.
"Unfortunate, but well within expectation. Now, all that's left is to clean up this mess."
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