Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game

…………

"Thank you so much for your help!"

The sarcastic tone naturally came from Gadriya, but looking at Cynthia's smiling face beside her, Xia Chen felt that this must also be what she really thought.

Xia Chen explained helplessly, "I'm Fire Goose, one of the three executives in the Lava team's inside game. My reward is helping her obtain a legal new identity."

Cattleya only made a joke and didn't dwell on the matter. Instead, she seriously discussed what Fire Goose had mentioned on the phone earlier about the Lava Team's actions tonight.

"So, do you need our help tonight?"

After considering it carefully, Xia Chen replied, "Yes, we need to. After all, there are quite a few of them, and it would be best to catch them all without missing a single one."

Cynthia suddenly asked, "What about the underwater cave? Should we get involved?"

Xia Chen pondered for a moment and said, "Why don't you two go to the underwater cave? Mikalia and I are enough to handle things here."

The two naturally agreed and nodded.

After assigning the tasks, Xia Chen quickly relayed the news to Mikoli.

It's already past four in the afternoon. Although it's summer and nights come late, in this kind of weather, it will be pitch black outside in just a few hours. It's best to prepare early.

Xia Chen specifically instructed him not to tell the alliance about this matter, as there was a traitor within the alliance, and spreading this news would only harm Huo Yan.

Because Team Lava's operation came so suddenly, by the time they had finished everything in a hurry, it was almost time for Cynthia and Gadriya to head to the underwater cave.

Seeing the two who had just finished showering about to plunge back into the downpour, Xia Chen said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I haven't even let you get a proper rest before you have to..."

"Stop talking nonsense."

Gadriya interrupted, "Instead of wasting this time, why don't you hurry up and prepare a farewell feast for Nana and me? That would be more practical."

Xia Chen quickly fled into the kitchen.

…………

Due to time constraints, the farewell dinner was rather simple, but Cynthia and Gadalia, who hadn't tasted Xia Chen's cooking in a long time, didn't complain and ate to their heart's content.

But Garchomp and Lucario were not so lucky. Xia Chen put his hands together apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, I'll definitely treat you to a good meal after this is over."

Garchomp wasn't a dragon that cared about such trivial matters, but Xia Chen was different; after all, he was a very important person to its trainer, so it nodded in agreement.

After finishing their meal, Cynthia and Gadria rode their respective Pokémon mounts and disappeared into the rainy night. Xia Chen also prepared to set off for Mikori's residence in the Ancient City of Glass.

Before leaving, he instructed Serena and Xiaoxi, who were at home: "You both know the current situation. Stay at home obediently, especially you, Xiaoxi. Don't do anything foolish like coming out to look for me."

In countless works of art, mischievous kids like Xiao Xi cause all sorts of accidents because of their bravado. Although they all end up with a happy ending thanks to the protagonist's halo, Xia Chen couldn't guarantee that such things would happen in reality, so he gave her special instructions.

Higana stuck out her tongue. "I know, I'm not stupid."

Xia Chen nodded and said, "That's good. Be a good girl and wait for me to come back. If anything unexpected happens along the way, stay at home and don't move around. I will come to find you."

After explaining everything, he boarded the Guleton and disappeared into the cold, desolate rainy night.

Therefore, since Leton is a legendary elf, the riding experience is more advanced. Under the protection of something like a [rain cover], Xia Chen arrived at Mikoli's manor without being too disheveled.

Upon arrival, Mikoli, Adam, Qianli, and Maxiu were already waiting in full force.

Xia Chen looked at Ma Xiu, who was dressed in a rare, smart casual outfit, and asked in surprise, "Miss Ma Xiu, you're here too?"

Ma Xiu raised an eyebrow and retorted, "What, do you think I'm weak?"

Why are they all so aggressive? It's one thing for Cattleya to be like this, but Ma Xiu is too?

He mentally complained, but denied it, saying, "Of course not... It's so great to have your help."

None of these four could be the mole within Team Lava, so Xia Chen was very confident in this elite five-person team, whose members were at least at the gym level.

After exchanging greetings, the group began to discuss their specific strategy for tonight's "extermination of the lava team."

Chapter 328 Rainy Night, Operation

Looking at the security management issues in various regions of the world, the Hoenn region is not bad, but it is far from good either.

In terms of inferiority, Team Rocket casts a shadow over Kanto and Johto, and Team Flare's abilities and Team Plasma's ambitions are superior to Team Magma and Team Aqua.

In terms of quality, teams like Team Skull from Alola, Team Shout from Galar, and Team Celestial from Padia are just small fry.

Team Magma and Team Ocean are the kind of teams that have no real abilities and are constantly fighting amongst themselves.

And what about our side?

Even the weakest Mage is a trainer with more than five years of experience as a gym leader.

Perhaps due to various side jobs, he is still a bit far from being a top-tier player, but defeating a third-ranked officer like Huoyan is definitely not a problem.

Not to mention Mikoli, Adam, and Qianli, each of them is a formidable figure, a true master of writing, or even a king among masters.

Therefore, Xia Chen is quite optimistic about tonight's operation.

However, while we should remain optimistic, we still need to make thorough and detailed plans.

After discussing for a while, the group had their first disagreement regarding the timing of the action.

Qianli suggested, "My idea is to wait until Chiyansong and his elite squad have all entered the Awakening Temple before we make our move, and then catch them all in one fell swoop."

Adam objected, saying, "No, the Temple of Awakening is just an ordinary rock cave. It can't withstand a battle of this intensity and scale. We should make our move before they enter."

Qianli frowned and said, "If this is the plan of action, can you guarantee that no one will escape?"

Adam retorted, "What if we fight in the Temple of Awakening, and the cave collapses and buries us all inside?"

Although there was some disagreement, both of them made some valid points, so the other three were seriously considering the two options.

“I think... fighting in the Temple of Awakening isn’t out of the question.”

Adam looked at Michael, who had spoken, in surprise. He hadn't expected his prized disciple, the most orthodox of the Glass People, to agree to this plan.

Mikuri said calmly, "With our strength, there won't be much risk of collapse. Anyway, once Groudon awakens, that place will definitely collapse too."

That makes a lot of sense. The commotion caused by Groudon's awakening is unlikely to be smaller than the battle between the two groups. The collapse of the temple is only a matter of time.

Adam remained silent for a while. A large part of his opposition stemmed from his desire to preserve the Temple of Awakening, a place of great importance to the people of the Glass. But since Adam had already made his stance clear, there was nothing more for him to say.

…………

"Xia Chen, Ma Xiu, what do you think?"

With three votes in favor of fighting inside the temple, Mikoli sought the opinions of the last two.

Ma Xiu looked at Xia Chen, seemingly indicating that she agreed with him.

As their eyes met, Xia Chen pondered for a moment and said, "I'm a little worried... that moving around inside the temple might cause Groudon to awaken prematurely, especially since Crimson Pine has the Crimson Orb in its hand."

"And if they were to wake up at that time, people would have even less time to escape."

Everyone fell silent.

This is a very sensitive issue. If we only focus on eliminating Team Magma and ignore the series of consequences caused by Groudon's awakening, the final result could very well be—

What exactly have you been protecting?

It's conceivable that, given the setback in his original plan, Crimson Pine would ultimately resort to a desperate gamble to summon and control Groudon. If he succeeds, the consequences would be absolutely unimaginable.

"Therefore, we must keep him and the Crimson Pearl out of the temple. Even if their remnants escape, there's nothing we can do."

"Mikeli said in a deep voice."

"Don't worry, they can't escape."

Xia Chen gestured towards Gu Leton with his chin and said this.

The other three also approved the final plan.

With the biggest disagreement resolved, the subsequent plans and task allocation became a natural progression.

Adam, the strongest among them, was in charge of the main battlefield and direct confrontation with Crimson Flame Pine, while Qianli, Mikoli, and Xia Chen dealt with the smaller minions.

Most of the fairy-type spirits in Maxiu are small in size and are responsible for reconnaissance and support.

The unique Guleton is a free agent who moves between different battlefields and pursues the fleeing Lava Team members.

After discussing these matters, it was nearly eight o'clock.

Although the Lava Team would most likely operate in the dead of night, Xia Chen and his team still dispatched a dozen or so Bigmouth Gulls and Giant Swallows to conduct aerial reconnaissance near the temple.

They fed and rested the Pokémon, devised tactics, and waited patiently for Team Lava to arrive.

Xia Chen took a moment to contact Cynthia; they had successfully arrived at the underwater cave, but Team Ocean had not yet arrived.

The situation there is much more complicated. The underwater cave is not like the Awakening Temple in the city, which is guarded by elves. You need to consider the timing of your infiltration, and the Marine Team could act at any time.

Firstly, the underwater caves are hundreds of meters deep in the ocean, allowing the marine team to sneak in undetected from below the surface.

Cynthia and her companion could only have Milotic stay in the underwater cave and wait for the information before they could take action.

Therefore, there is a greater possibility of an accident occurring over there.

Fortunately, the area surrounding the underwater cave is all sea, uninhabited by humans, so even if an accident occurs, the impact will be much smaller.

As for the safety of Cynthia and Gadriya, Xia Chen had nothing to worry about and didn't need to give them any instructions.

…………

Before we knew it, it was 2 a.m.

In the dead of night, with wind and rain falling, it is the perfect time to sneak around and do bad things.

In the rainy night, a flock of giant swallows flapped their wings vigorously and flew towards the ancient city of Liuli on the crater. With their fierce and powerful claws, they captured figures dressed in fiery red uniforms.

The leading giant swallow was exceptionally large, with a pair of wide, fully extended wings as majestic and powerful as an eagle's.

Before long, this group of giant swallows, taking advantage of the cover of the rainy night, silently sneaked into the ancient city of Liuli. At the same time, a large beak resting on a tree next to the Awakening Temple narrowed its sharp eyes and flew towards the Liuli Dojo on the other side of the lake.

No one noticed this seemingly ordinary elf.

The leading giant swallow landed first, followed by the thirty-odd giant swallows behind him.

Just like Crobat and Arbok are Team Rocket, Swellow is Team Magma's signature Pokémon. This team, consisting of more than thirty Swellows at least at the Elite level, is the elite Team Magma led by Redpie.

At the head of the operation, a lean and capable middle-aged man with red hair was giving final instructions in the woods, which was only a few hundred meters away from the Temple of Awakening.

"Firefly, your squad will deal with the guardian spirits watching over the temple. Fire Spirit, you take Porygon and Rotom and the others to break through the temple's gate... Understood?"

The calm voice carried a hint of cold decisiveness. The thirty-one team members did not answer, but nodded firmly with fanatical expressions.