The explosion made the already angry Gravelers grow even more furious.
In the next second, a white light burst from their bodies. But this was not the light of evolution. It was the light of Self-Destruct!
Self-Destruct is a move with a power of 200. After using it, the user is left in a fainted state.
A move that requires such a heavy price naturally carries extraordinary power.
The worst part is that this move is often mastered by short-tempered Pokémon, and Graveler was one of them.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Like fireworks during a festival, a series of explosions echoed.
From the inside out, all of Mt. Moon began to shake as if the end of the world had come.
"What is going on!?"
Faced with the sudden quake, a patrolling squad of Rangers froze in shock.
Soon, their training kicked in, and they prepared to report what was happening.
But before they could send the message, several Pokémon burst out of the bushes. Most of them were Scyther, Persian, Arbok, and Weezing, each with Intermediate Rank strength.
The ambush was too sudden. The Ranger squad was wiped out before they could fight back.
"I never thought we'd see the day we could hunt these dogs instead. This is thrilling!"
Looking at the Rangers lying in pools of blood, Masuyama shouted with excitement.
"Don't celebrate too soon. This is only the beginning. The real work is just ahead."
"Will, how's the signal jamming coming along?"
While reminding Masuyama to calm down, Murakami turned to the steadier Will.
"It's done. But with such loud explosions, the League will notice soon. We need to move faster."
"That's enough. Let's meet up with Torre and Cass. First, we take all the Moon Stones."
Murakami took the lead toward the meeting point.
Earlier, Torre and Cass had driven the Gravelers to Self-Destruct, while the other three attacked the Rangers. Together, the five formed a team of professional Pokémon Hunters.
Unlike those who hid in the shadows, these hunters acted openly and boldly.
More importantly, each of them had Senior Rank strength, and Murakami, their leader, owned two Senior Rank Pokémon.
Don't think Senior Rank is weak. The next step after Senior is Ace Rank, which gives someone the right to become a Gym Leader.
With such strength, they could hunt powerful or rare Pokémon. They even targeted Trainers.
Every Trainer they chose as prey was killed. Even Rangers chasing them often died. Because of this, the League had long since placed them on a wanted list.
No one expected them to strike Mt. Moon despite the League's pursuit.
The strongest Rangers stationed here were only of Senior Rank, but Pewter City was very close, so reinforcements could arrive at any time.
That was why, even though many knew about the Moon Stones in Mt. Moon, no one dared to touch them.
But this group of five had clearly prepared well.
The sudden explosions caused chaos, and the blocked signals made it hard for the outside world to know what was happening inside Mt Moon.
Even worse, the noise had stirred the wild Pokémon on Mt. Moon into a full-scale rampage.
A rampage means that, under extreme conditions, all the wild Pokémon in an area sense danger and run outward.
At that moment, anyone or anything standing in their way would be torn apart.
"Keep trying to reach the Ranger division in Pewter City. The League won't ignore a jammed signal."
"The rest of you, move with me. Protect the Trainers on Mt. Moon and stop the rampage as quickly as possible."
"And stay alert. This rampage must be linked to Pokémon Hunters or Team Rocket. They could attack at any moment."
"Now move out!"
"Yes, sir!"
Quickly regaining composure, Kaneya gave his orders.
At once, the Rangers spread out.
The best way to stop a rampage is to split up the wild Pokémon, then battle them until they faint.
Once they wake up and no longer feel threatened, they return to normal and go back to their habitats.
Easier said than done. Dividing up a stampede of wild Pokémon is one of the hardest skills for a Ranger to master.
With clear goals, the Rangers began their work in an orderly way.
Meanwhile, Torre's group of five moved deeper into Mt. Moon.
Normally, Rangers would patrol here, but now they were too busy with the rampaging wild Pokémon to stop Murakami's team.
"My God! We've struck it rich this time!"
Seeing the huge number of Moon Stones, Masuyama shouted.
"Stop talking. Move quickly. Gather every Moon Stone as fast as possible. If we're lucky, we'll even catch some wild Pokémon to take with us."
Unlike Masuyama, Murakami remained calm.
With their Pokémon helping, they mined Moon Stones one by one and packed them into space backpacks.
While they worked, the Rangers were locked in battle with wild Pokémon.
"You go down the mountain from here. Head to Pewter City and tell the police or the Rangers. Mt. Moon—"
Kaneya saved several more Trainers and repeated his instructions.
"Yes! We understand!"
Grateful to be alive, the Trainers quickly agreed and retreated along the path Kaneya pointed out.
"Execute Plan A. Split them up!"
Watching the Trainers leave, Kaneya shifted tactics. Instead of standing against the wild Pokémon directly, he began using dispersal strategies.
It looks like this cave is the source of the rampage. But is it the work of Pokémon Hunters or Team Rocket?
Standing outside the cave, Gu Yuan thought to himself.
Gu Yuan had arrived before the rampage began. That's how he was able to locate the source as soon as the wild Pokémon poured out.
He still didn't know who had started it, but he guessed their goal. It had to be the Moon Stones.
And Gu Yuan himself was very interested in those Moon Stones too.