The moment Yunlong Dam was mentioned, both Elite Four's expressions grew even graver.
"Guo Yi—what we're about to tell you," Jin Peng said, "whether you agree to come with us or not, you absolutely must not leak it."
"Otherwise… we may end up crossing blades."
His tone was harsher than Guo Yi had ever heard.
If news about Team Galactic and the Seven Sages got out, it could easily spark widespread panic.
Seeing their seriousness, Guo Yi realized immediately that things were far more complicated than he'd assumed.
He nodded at once. "If Yunlong Dam really is at risk, I'll go with you."
With that promise secured, Jin Peng laid out everything he knew about Team Galactic and the Seven Sages, piece by piece.
By the time Jin Peng finished, Guo Yi's brows were deeply furrowed.
"Team Galactic? And the Seven Sages actually dare work with them—are they tired of living?"
Guo Yi had naturally heard of Team Galactic and had some sense of their strength.
Team Galactic's top ranks consisted of a leader and five senior Executives.
Each of those five senior Executives was at Elite Four Tier.
And their leader—rumor had it he had already reached Champion Tier.
That information had come from a former Champion of Eagle Country, making it extremely credible.
With Team Galactic at that level, the Seven Sages still dared risk cooperation…
Guo Yi hadn't expected that.
Could the other Light Stone be in Team Galactic's hands? Guo Yi couldn't help but speculate.
Aside from the Light Stone, he couldn't think of any other reason.
"If it were only the Seven Sages," Jin Peng said, "Brother Lin and I could guarantee Yunlong Dam's security."
"But add Team Galactic into the mix, and there's still risk."
"Guo Yi, you know how crucial Yunlong Dam is. To ensure nothing goes wrong, I specifically came to ask for your help."
"I hope you'll join us."
Jin Peng didn't show a hint of arrogance, despite his status as an active Elite Four.
In truth, he could've simply used his authority and forced Guo Yi to comply.
After all, if Guo Yi still wanted to live in Dragon Country, he wouldn't have much room to refuse.
But Jin Peng didn't do that. Instead, he spoke to Guo Yi as a friend.
Because he trusted Guo Yi's character.
Teacher Guo's own mentor had once faced Zapdos head-on for the sake of an entire plane's population.
His disciple wouldn't disregard the lives and property of more than a hundred million people.
And just as Jin Peng expected, once Guo Yi grasped the situation, he agreed readily.
"Jin Peng, I'll go with you. But can you give me a little time? There are some things I need to handle first."
"Of course," Jin Peng said.
"When you're done, contact me. I'll come pick you up myself."
With Guo Yi's agreement, the pressure weighing on Jin Peng and Lin Feng significantly eased.
"Then we'll be going, Guo Yi," Lin Feng said.
"Take care of what you need to."
Having achieved their goal, the two Elite Four didn't linger. After bidding farewell, they quickly departed Shanghai Pokémon University.
Once they left, Guo Yi informed the president and Tang Ming that he'd be heading to Yunlong Dam with the Elite Four.
He was a university teacher, after all. Certain leave procedures couldn't be skipped.
After settling these details, Guo Yi went to find Su Qingxue and Hu Yan'er.
"Qingxue, Yan'er—take these two Pokémon."
"Qingxue, the Poké Ball in your hand holds Zapdos."
"Yan'er, yours holds Ninetales."
"If you run into danger, use them to protect yourselves."
The two girls stared at the Poké Balls, confusion visible in their expressions.
"Teacher, it's just disaster relief," Su Qingxue said softly. "Do we really need your Pokémon?"
In her memory, her teacher wasn't usually this cautious.
She was right—initially, Guo Yi hadn't planned on it.
But once he learned the disaster might involve an organization like Team Galactic, he'd deliberately added another layer of protection.
Guo Yi's expression was solemn. "The cause of these disasters isn't simple. I'm giving you these Pokémon to make sure you're completely safe."
"And I trust you. Unless it's a life-and-death situation, you won't release them."
Guo Yi understood their personalities well.
Even holding such powerful Pokémon, they wouldn't act recklessly.
He'd also warned Ninetales and Zapdos: unless the enemy was truly formidable, even if released, they were not to assist.
As for his distribution, that was based on practicality.
Su Qingxue was heading to Chengdu. With earthquake damage there, public transportation would be severely disrupted.
Zapdos, capable of flight, would be more convenient.
Hu Yan'er was heading south, where rainfall had been relentless.
Ninetales' Drought Ability would be extremely helpful.
Although Guo Yi was also traveling south to Yunlong Dam, he didn't intend to accompany Hu Yan'er.
Fledglings had to learn to fly on their own.
The Pokémon he'd given them were simply insurance, ensuring they had the power to defend themselves against otherwise unbeatable foes.
Both girls nodded gravely, promising not to use these trump cards unless absolutely necessary.
After giving further reminders, Guo Yi took out his phone and contacted Jin Peng.
...
Southern Yunlong Dam.
Within a Secret Realm.
Rumble—!
Black clouds rolled across the sky, casting shadows over the water. Waves surged again and again.
Blazing lightning forked through the clouds, as if the apocalypse had arrived.
At the center of the raging thunderstorm, Thundurus continuously drew in and discharged lightning.
With every crash of thunder, the Pokémon in the lake Secret Realm grew more irritable.
Simultaneously, the rainfall intensified to frightening levels.
The rivers and lakes within the Secret Realm couldn't handle this volume.
Through the connection points to reality, floodwaters poured directly into the reservoir behind the dam.
In the real world, the dam's water level rose alarmingly, quickly surpassing the red warning line.
Deep within the storm-swept forest, a group in black raincoats looked skyward.
"Leader," Lie Ke said, staring at Thundurus wreaking havoc among the thunderclouds, "this Thundurus feels even more terrifying than the Zapdos we faced before."
Lie Ke had confronted Zapdos personally. He clearly sensed the gap in strength.
Of course—that was expected.
Guo Yi's Zapdos hadn't reached Master Tier, nor did it hold a divine authority yet.
But this Thundurus was different.
Not only was it immensely powerful, it also held divine authority.
Naturally, Zapdos in its current state couldn't compare.
Hearing that, the leader sneered. "If Team Galactic wants to challenge the Dragon Country Pokémon League without bringing real strength…"
"Wouldn't that just be a waste of time?"
Even now, Yang Yong still didn't know Team Galactic's true intentions.
"I can't figure out what they're really after—causing disasters on this scale so openly."
"Is it really just revenge against Dragon Country?"
Yang Yong pondered.
In previous multinational operations, Dragon Country had indeed inflicted severe losses on Team Galactic.
But revenge alone seemed insufficient as a motive.
If Team Galactic's leader were truly that petty—the organization could never have grown to its current scale.
There had to be another hidden motive Yang Yong didn't yet grasp.
"Leader," another Sage spoke up, "with Thundurus here, we might not even need to act. The floodwaters alone could shatter Yunlong Dam."
The Seven Sages.
They were called this because the organization was founded by seven people.
Besides Yang Yong, their leader, six Sages served beneath him.
Lie Ke was among them.
However, despite multiple leaders, their overall strength couldn't match Team Galactic's.
Among the Seven, only Yang Yong and Lie Ke possessed Elite Four-tier combat strength. The rest were mostly Pseudo-Elite Four, with some only having a few Pokémon at that level.
That was precisely why Yang Yong was desperate to control Kyurem.
Only then could the Seven Sages expand rapidly.
But regarding the Sage's optimism, Yang Yong shook his head.
"Don't celebrate too soon."
"The League isn't that simple. Even just the four active Elite Four are difficult enough—not to mention retired Champions and Elite Four."
"However, the League won't deploy its full strength initially. That gives us a chance to execute our plan."
Yang Yong suddenly turned to Lie Ke. "Lie Ke—how's the backup plan for breaching progressing?"
From the start, Yang Yong's real target had never been Yunlong Dam, despite Team Galactic's demands.
It was the Yangtze River dike along the watershed.
Precisely because Yunlong Dam was critical, its defenses were formidable.
Yang Yong wasn't foolish enough to clash directly with the Pokémon League.
From the outset, he'd prepared an alternative plan.
Breaching the Yangtze dike wouldn't be as devastating as destroying Yunlong Dam, but dealing with Team Galactic required a tangible result.
This backup mattered only if Thundurus was defeated first.
"Don't worry, Leader," Lie Ke replied confidently.
"Everything's prepared. We can breach it anytime."
Just then, another Sage ran over in panic.
"Leader—the Corps stationed near Yunlong Dam has started attacking the Secret Realm!"
---
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