Chapter 65: The Iron-Masked Marauder’s Scheme (MORE!)
The video continued playing.
Suicune led the way while Raina lay against Lapras’s back, with Milotic swimming beside her. With Milotic’s help, they encountered almost no further obstacles.
After an unknown amount of time, Raina noticed a bank of dense fog rising over the waters ahead. Jagged silhouettes of reefs were faintly visible within it, resembling the spine of some enormous beast.
Lapras slowed down and released a low cry.
Suicune looked back at Raina before raising its head toward the depths of the fog.
Raina followed its gaze, but she couldn’t see anything through the mist. However, the ancient book in her arms suddenly began growing hot.
She opened it and discovered that the silver symbol on the navigational chart was flashing violently.
A long, deep cry emerged from within the dense fog.
Raina froze.
The cry contained neither a threat nor a warning.
It was a sorrowful call filled with grief.
"Lugia..."
Raina tightened her grip on the ancient book.
[VIP Chat Group]
[Ash]: Lugia! It’s Lugia!
[Professor Oak]: Wait. Something is wrong with that cry.
[Cynthia]: The ancient book says, "The Sea God departed, and the sea route was lost." Perhaps Lugia didn’t leave willingly. It may have been trapped.
[Lance]: If Lugia has been trapped here all this time, then the abnormal conditions around the Whirl Islands can be explained. The currents didn’t become chaotic on their own—Lugia’s power has gradually begun slipping out of control.
Within the video, an enormous whirlpool appeared at the center of the reef formation.
It was several hundred meters wide, and the rapidly rotating seawater produced a deafening roar.
Directly above the whirlpool, an enormous silver-white bird struggled against the black-and-purple chains wrapped around its body.
The chains extended from the depths of the whirlpool, densely binding Lugia’s wings and torso. Ominous dark-red patterns flowed across every chain.
Raina recognized those markings.
They were identical to the red light that had glowed in the Seadra’s eyes.
"Someone is trying to control it!"
Raina clenched her fist.
Before she had even finished speaking, three pillars of light erupted into the sky from three different sides of the whirlpool.
Moltres flew from the red pillar, the intense heat radiating from its body turning the surface of the sea into great clouds of white steam.
Zapdos emerged from the yellow pillar, golden electricity crackling across its body while thunder continuously rumbled through the sky.
Articuno flew from the blue pillar. With a single flap of its wings, snowflakes began slowly falling from above.
Without exception, all three of their eyes glowed with an unnatural red light.
Suicune stepped forward to stand protectively in front of Raina and released a deep roar.
"The three Legendary birds..."
Raina looked around.
"They’ve been controlled too."
Lugia raised its head toward the three controlled Legendary birds and released an extremely low growl from deep within its throat.
[Regular-Seat Chat Group]
"Holy crap! All three Legendary birds have been controlled! What kind of scene is this?!"
"Lugia is trapped by those chains! What the hell are those things?!"
"Someone managed to control all three Legendary birds and imprison Lugia at the Whirl Islands. Is that really something a human could accomplish?!"
[VIP Chat Group]
[Raihan]: Controlling all three Legendary birds simultaneously? Has anyone ever heard of technology capable of doing that?
[Steven]: Deploying equipment on this scale throughout the Whirl Islands couldn’t have been accomplished in a day or two. Someone began preparing this operation a long time ago.
[Lance]: ...Team Rocket.
[Leon]: Raina has to face all three Legendary birds simultaneously while also finding a way to free Lugia from those chains. For any Trainer, this situation would be hopeless.
The video continued playing.
The battle around the edge of the whirlpool continued.
Raina knew they couldn’t allow the battle to drag on. Her Pokémon were steadily losing stamina, while the controlled Legendary birds seemed incapable of feeling exhaustion.
At that moment, an enormous black shadow began slowly rising beneath the sea.
The shadow was so vast that it created the illusion that the entire ocean floor was rising.
"That’s..."
Raina held her breath.
The shadow broke through the surface.
A Wailord of almost unimaginable size emerged from the sea.
More than a dozen figures stood on a temporary metal platform constructed across its back.
The man leading them wore a black uniform, the red letter R emblazoned across his chest standing out beneath the moonlight.
"Team Rocket."
Raina clenched her fist.
"As expected of Kanto’s newly appointed Elite Four member. You actually managed to make it this far."
The leader removed his mask, revealing the face of a middle-aged man.
"I am the Iron-Masked Marauder, leader of the new Team Rocket."
Raina didn’t respond.
The Iron-Masked Marauder smiled and snapped his fingers.
Wailord released a deafening roar before firing a massive Hydro Pump directly at Lapras.
"Gyarados, Protect!"
Golden Gyarados burst from the water at Lapras’s side, forming a pale green barrier in front of it.
The Iron-Masked Marauder nodded.
"As expected of an Elite Four member. Even while battling the three Legendary birds, you still have enough strength remaining to deal with us."
He paused.
"Unfortunately..."
As his voice faded, countless densely packed shadows appeared across the sea.
An army of Tentacruel, Seadra, and Sharpedo surfaced alongside several enormous Wailord.
Every one of their eyes glowed scarlet, and their movements were so perfectly synchronized that they resembled components controlled by a single machine.
Raina stared at their eyes.
"You used drugs to control them."
"That’s right."
The Iron-Masked Marauder spread his arms.
"These Pokémon are now my property! And your Pokémon—especially that Golden Gyarados—will soon become part of my collection as well."
He raised one hand and snapped his fingers.
The chains extending from the depths of the whirlpool suddenly tightened.
Lugia released a cry of agony. Its wings were forcibly drawn against its body as the chains dragged its silver-white form half a meter downward.
"Stop it!"
Raina stood atop Lapras’s back.
"Becoming too emotional is bad for your health, Lady Raina."
The corners of the Iron-Masked Marauder’s mouth curved upward.
"Aren’t you curious? How am I able to control all three Legendary birds simultaneously? Why is even the Sea God Lugia incapable of escaping our control?"
He spread his arms.
A ring of dark-purple devices embedded in the reefs around the whirlpool lit up simultaneously.
A purple-black stone was embedded in every device. The markings across the stones were identical to the red light flowing through the chains.
"These are Dark Stones. They use the same technology as the suppression device Giovanni once employed to control Mewtwo."
The Iron-Masked Marauder adjusted his glasses.
"The only difference is that I improved it. Instead of merely suppressing a Pokémon, my technology forcibly controls it."
A trace of madness flashed through his eyes.
"I should have been the one leading Team Rocket! Giovanni should have stepped aside and handed his position to me from the very beginning!"
"Only then could I have led Team Rocket to conquer the world!"
[VIP Chat Group]
[Professor Sycamore]: Forced control?! Technology that can directly control a Legendary Pokémon’s actions?
[Professor Oak]: The Iron-Masked Marauder... I remember that name.
[Ash]: I remember him too! He used a Dark Ball to control Celebi and caused an enormous amount of destruction!
[Lorelei]: It appears that the Iron-Masked Marauder is no longer operating under Giovanni. That explains why this operation is so crude.
[Koga]: If this is the Iron-Masked Marauder’s personal operation, then what does he intend to accomplish by controlling the three Legendary birds? Does he plan to replace Giovanni?
The video continued playing.
Across the sea, Raina stared fixedly at the Iron-Masked Marauder.
"What are you planning to do after controlling them?"
"It’s simple."
The Iron-Masked Marauder adjusted his sleeve.
"An ancient source of energy lies beneath the Whirl Islands, and Lugia is the key to that power."
"Controlling Lugia is equivalent to controlling the entire Kanto sea—and perhaps waters far beyond it."
He walked toward the nearest device and placed one hand on the Dark Stone.
"Before that, however, your Pokémon are even more suitable as experimental subjects than I anticipated."
He licked his lips.
"Suicune and Milotic in particular. Once I control them, my collection will become even more perfect~"