Alex watched as the missile drove into the lower side of the airship, close to where the Master ranked Pokémon had slammed into the other one. A moment later, an explosion tore an entire chunk from the hull, raining fire, debris, and electrical discharge. The airship immediately began an uncontrolled descent, presumably because the engine or propulsion system had been hit, rendering it crippled and effectively a non-issue for the rest of the battle.
They would likely land deep in a Champion ranked danger zone in inhospitable territory, forced to fight off hordes of enraged Pokémon while trying their best to make repairs. Alex doubted they would get much done, let alone provide reinforcements to the remaining three ships, so he ignored them for now and focused on the others.
There were still three airships left after the missiles had done their worst. Alex had to admit that Rhea had done a good job cobbling them together in such a short amount of time, even if they had only managed to take down one airship instead of five. To be fair, she didn't have much information to go on and could only speculate; otherwise, she might have built something far nastier.
He analyzed that their defenses were very inaccurate, likely because they were controlled by humans who weren't enhanced by a bond like trainers were. But while they lacked accuracy and speed, they more than made up for it with sheer numbers. It was a simple math problem that Alex was more than confident in winning as he urged Mantine to approach.
They flew in from the side, taking a wide arc to ensure they attacked from the flank where they would only have to contend with 50 or less gun ports from one airship. As for the remaining 600 drones buzzing about, they were still split between Mantine, Altaria's team, and Grim's team, which had recovered from their spiraling fall. It was a dangerous undertaking, but it was more than doable given that he had plenty of Champions to even the numbers through sheer power.
"Gardevoir," Alex called out. "Have Grim's and Altaria's teams flank our approach from below. I don't want any suicide drones tipping us over from our blind spot. Raticate, I want you and your team to bore a hole through the airship's hull once we're near the energy shield. Kommo-o, take your team inside and wreak havoc. Focus on taking out the engine, which should be a big block of energy once you're inside. Lucario, guard our entrance and be ready to send Gallade to retrieve Raticate and Kommo-o's teams if they faint."
Alex received calls of confirmation from his Pokémon as they began their approach. They settled into formation before launching a counter-bombardment, drowning out the Elite ranked fire from the gun ports and destroying drones as they lined up and approached.
The gun ports weren't a problem in the slightest; they were simply too sparse, and their attacks were destroyed before they could threaten Mantine. The drones, on the other hand, were a nuisance. Not only were 600 of them concentrated on their small group of three, but they also weren't afraid to use their bodies as weapons, dive-bombing or trying to tip them over with their wings.
Alex had to admit that their mass and speed made them the perfect missiles against his team, especially since they had their guns to bore a hole through his Pokémon's energy counteroffensive. Fortunately, the sheer damage a single Dazzling Gleam could produce was enough to wipe out a dozen at a time while simultaneously clearing the airspace of incoming fire.
Soon, the battle was in full swing as Mantine charged toward the airship, largely unhindered, only occasionally taking fire to his underside. He ignored the colors, noise, and explosions around him as he leisurely approached the energy shield, then turned to match the airship's speed, flying in parallel.
"Go," Alex said once they were close enough, signaling his Pokémon to proceed with the infiltration.
He couldn't get them any closer, since the energy shield would leave them defenseless against the enemy's guns and drones if their counter-bombardment was neutralized before reaching enemy fire.
Raticate and Arcanine bolted with Quick Attack and Extreme Speed, slamming head-on into the airship's solid hull and creating a significant dent that allowed them to stand on it. Together with Kommo-o's team, they bombarded the dent with Fighting type moves before finally bursting through and entering. Lucario's team followed suit, taking out anything nearby before standing guard at the breach.
Meanwhile, Alex and the rest of his Pokémon continued to fight off the swarm of attacks and drones targeting them. It had become more difficult to remain unscathed with their reduced numbers, as they occasionally took a crashing drone to the face, but they were still able to hold out well enough through Protect rotations.
Raticate, Arcanine, and Ceruledge ran through the interior of the airship, moving down the cold metal halls while taking out anything they encountered. There were humans with guns, Pokémon with collars, and more drones with weapons, which were slightly more annoying than the humans.
They walked awkwardly on two legs but packed far more firepower than the humans. Still, they were just as easy to take down once their chests were caved in. Even the half-machine Pokémon carrying larger guns were slow, and the narrow halls of the ship kept them from ganging up on them.
Kommo-o, Togekiss, and Dusknoir, meanwhile, broke through wall after reinforced wall as they moved toward the largest energy source they could detect, located a little toward the back of the airship at the bottom. They ignored any forces sent to intercept them, simply smashing through the corridors until they finally reached the engine room.
In the middle of a room filled with wires, flashing lights, and containment glass sat a large spherical piece of metal, brimming with energy that radiated powerfully. They realized they might die if it exploded, so rather than destroy it outright, Togekiss suggested breaking it just enough before retreating.
Kommo-o and Dusknoir obliged, slamming their feet and fists into the metallic floor and unleashing empowered Earthquakes. The resulting vibrations caved in the floor and crumpled the surroundings, sending a wave of energy that destroyed everything nearby, including the engine, which developed cracks that slowly spread across its surface.
Togekiss caught the pair mid-air just as the floor collapsed, then darted back the way they had come, informing Gardevoir that the mission had succeeded. Gardevoir forwarded the retreat order to Raticate's team, and they promptly evacuated the airship as random bursts of flame and electricity erupted from the wiring, pipes, and ammunition storage rooms.
Their escape was as fast as their assault. All three teams burst out of the breach and made their way back to Mantine with Alex and the rest. Raticate and Arcanine surged through the air with Quick Attack and Extreme Speed, Togekiss carried Kommo-o, and Ceruledge and Dusknoir traveled via shadows. Lucario's team, along with Gallade and Lopunny, waited for Raticate and Kommo-o's teams to exit safely before teleporting onto Mantine, joining the others in their retreat.
Alex watched everything unfold, receiving occasional updates from Gardevoir. He saw them enter and exit within 10 minutes before explosions began tearing through the airship. All the while, he and his Pokémon fought an intense aerial battle that barely allowed them to see through the smoke, debris, and fire raining down.
"Good job," Alex said, genuinely proud. "Now, we need to do it only two more times."
Mantine received Gardevoir's order and began climbing as the airship started losing altitude, crashing into the mountain range below. Once it was low enough, they began their approach toward the second airship, which didn't hesitate to open fire as soon as they came into line of sight.
Fortunately, the drones they were fighting had been reduced by a third after Alex's Pokémon completed their mission, leaving only 400 for them to contend with. It was only a matter of time before they took down the remaining two airships.
BOOOM!!!
A massive explosion erupted behind them as the airship they had just taken down crash-landed. Unlike the first two airships, which had gone down from the Master ranked Pokémon and Rhea's missile, this one had its engine's structural integrity compromised, causing it to explode in a fiery blast that reminded Alex of nuclear explosions from his old world. Of course, it was much smaller and far less dangerous, but the spectacle was strikingly similar, if scaled down.
"Gardevoir," Alex said, "take note. When you issue commands, don't let the airship crash on the base if the engine is compromised like it was this time."
"Gar," she replied with a nod.
She certainly didn't want her cozy room or training grounds destroyed because of her lack of oversight, so she resolved to find another way to bring the airships down.
The battle continued as they made their approach, this time with far less effort than before, enough that Alex even had Grim assist with the infiltration rather than continue acting as their guard.
Once they neared the energy shields of the next airship, they launched a similar offensive, breaking the hull from the side and wreaking havoc inside. Only this time, there was a complication.
"Gardevoir," Gardevoir said, her voice tinged with concern.
"Yes, we're too close," Alex replied. "We can't crash it unless we steer the ship off course."
They were already close to the base, and at the airship's current speed and altitude, letting it crash would send the explosion dangerously close to their walls. If the engine detonated on impact like the previous one, the blast could easily damage the base itself.
That meant they could no longer destroy the engine outright. Instead, they would have to disable the ship and guide it down safely, preventing the engine from detonating. The process would take far longer than simply blowing it apart.
And while they spent that time dealing with this airship, the last one would be left to advance unchecked toward the base.
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