After receiving the news from Professor Oak and the media, Logan rushed back from the Hoenn Region to Kanto at full speed.
Standing atop Garchomp's back, he cut through the sky at supersonic velocity. His hands were clasped behind him, his expression cold and severe—yet in his heart, he could not help but admire the Elite Four's sudden and ruthless strike.
Because Logan had repeatedly disrupted their plans in the past, the Kanto Elite Four had already marked him as a serious threat.
While Logan had been traveling across the world in search of Latios and Latias, the Elite Four had remained completely motionless, lying low and waiting. But the moment Logan appeared in Alto Mare, and the media confirmed that he was there, the Elite Four seized the opening and launched a massive, coordinated assault on the Kanto Region.
Even with Garchomp flying at maximum speed, the journey from Hoenn to Kanto still took several hours—and that time gap was more than enough for the Elite Four to complete their operation.
Lorelei and Bruno were dispatched to Pewter City and Cerulean City, while Agatha and Lance personally led the attacks against the two strongest Gym Leaders among the four—Erika and Blaine.
With years of preparation, accumulated resources, and Agatha's technical support, they launched a full-scale war. In a single coordinated strike, they seized control of four major Kanto cities and obtained the Original Badges belonging to the four Gym Leaders.
Erika and the others had no way to hide their badges.
To the Elite Four, hiding them was meaningless. With their strength, they had countless methods to uncover hidden badges—and if forced, they would not hesitate to resort to extreme measures such as arrest, torture, and coercion.
Rather than provoke even greater escalation—or suffer unnecessary physical torment—the safest choice was to carry the badges openly, using them as bait to draw out the Elite Four.
When Logan finally returned to Celadon City, what greeted him was utter devastation.
Even though the Elite Four had already completed their objective and withdrawn, scattered wild Pokémon were still rampaging through the city, causing chaos.
Celadon had nearly lost all functionality. Transportation was paralyzed. Rescue personnel ran in every direction. From time to time, cries of adults and the sobbing of children echoed through the streets.
To attack Celadon City alone, Lance had mobilized more than twenty thousand Pokémon, most of them extremely rare Dragon-types. No one knew how much effort it had taken him to gather such a terrifying force.
Even with Agatha's techniques, it was impossible to make two hundred thousand Pokémon across four cities behave like a disciplined army. Without Trainers, they could not be perfectly controlled—but a single broad directive was enough: attack key targets.
The Elite Four themselves then personally confronted the Gym Leaders.
Lance's sudden strike left Celadon City completely unprepared. The Pokémon did not attack as a unified force—they scattered, acting independently, attacking any human they encountered.
The exact number of casualties in Celadon had yet to be calculated. But no matter how many people were injured or killed, it meant nothing to Lance.
He already intended to eradicate humanity. Once his plan was complete—once he secured the support of the strongest tier of Legendary Pokémon—his next step would be the complete annihilation of Kanto's human population.
Logan's expression remained calm as he surveyed the ruined city, but his pace quickened as he headed straight for Celadon Gym.
Behind him, Latias followed closely. Seeing the devastation, she raised a hand to her mouth in shock.
"Keep up, Latias," Logan said without turning back.
"I'm coming, Master!" Latias replied, quickly smoothing her dress and hurrying after him.
When Logan reached the Gym, the building lay in ruins. Medical teams were rescuing the wounded, while local Trainers cautiously patrolled the perimeter.
Seeing Logan walk straight toward the shattered Gym, someone immediately stepped forward to stop him.
"Sorry, the Gym is severely damaged and off-limits. If you need to visit, please come back in a few days—"
Before the sentence finished, the man recognized him.
"…You're the Kanto Champion!"
The exclamation rippled through the crowd. Heads turned. Murmurs spread.
The heavy despair hanging over the area lifted instantly.
Logan's arrival gave the disorganized Trainers something they desperately needed—a pillar of support.
"What's the current situation?" Logan asked as he moved forward, no longer stopped.
"I rushed back from Hoenn after seeing the reports. Is Erika all right?"
Walking beside him, the Trainer who had stopped him earlier spoke with visible anger.
"Casualties and economic losses haven't been fully calculated yet… Gym Leader Erika—she was gravely injured."
"…The attackers were the Kanto Elite Four," the man continued bitterly.
"Aren't they supposed to protect us? Why would they do something like this?!"
Logan fell silent.
After hearing that Erika was seriously injured, he actually felt relieved. As long as her life wasn't in danger, modern medicine could heal even severe wounds.
"Has the news about the Elite Four being behind the attacks spread?" Logan asked.
"Don't worry, Champion," the Trainer said quickly.
"We know how serious this is. If that information got out, Kanto would fall into total chaos. Only insiders know. There are rumors, but without proof, they're just speculation."
Perhaps reassured by Logan's presence, even the man's tone grew more respectful.
"Champion—you're finally back!"
A short, middle-aged man rushed over, nearly in tears, grabbing Logan's hand.
Logan blinked. "…You are?"
"My apologies—I'm the mayor assigned by the League to manage Celadon's internal affairs," the man said quickly.
"If you have any questions, I'll answer everything I can!"
The mayor practically dragged Logan toward a heavily guarded, relatively intact section of the Gym.
"The Gym Leaders of Pewter and Cerulean were also severely injured," he whispered.
"To concentrate our defenses, we had their Trainers escort them here to Celadon so they could be protected together. The League fears the Elite Four may attempt to eliminate them."
"…Blaine from Cinnabar Island was also badly wounded," the mayor added quietly.
"But Cinnabar is too far away—we couldn't help. He'll have to rely on himself and the local Trainers."
The mayor was practically glowing with relief. As an administrator, he had no authority over proud Trainers, and with the Gym Leaders incapacitated, Kanto's cities had fallen into chaos.
Now that the Kanto Champion had returned, everything changed.
With Logan's authority alone, he could suppress all dissent, restore order, and force every troublemaker back into hiding like rats in the sewers.
The mayor lowered his posture completely. He knew his role now—support the Champion and handle the small matters.
"I understand the situation," Logan said calmly.
"Take me to see Erika and the others first."
"Yes, Champion—this way, please!"
The mayor bowed deeply, his voice filled with deference.
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