Chapter 122: Zenith Mountains
North of Draconia,Zenith Mountains, Class C Hazardous Area.
The Zenith Mountains were well-known among Trainers, a hot spot for adventure. With moderately strong Pokemon and abundant resources, the area drew thousands of Trainers daily from nearby Freak City.
But today, something was different.
The usual bustling trails were eerily empty, blocked by military personnel. Signs posted at every entrance read: "Exit Only: No Entry Allowed."
Despite the ominous warning, a steady stream of soldiers and officials moved in and out of the mountain range. Among them was Major Liam Daniels, a seasoned Pokemon inspector and top investigator for the Dragon Kingdom.
As his black SUV pulled up to the blocked checkpoint, Liam wasted no time. He stepped out, nodded to the guards, and approached the barricade. A Salamence roared to life as he released it from its Pokeball.
"Take me to the source," Liam said firmly.
The Salamence responded with a powerful flap of its wings, lifting them both into the air. Ten minutes later, Liam was descending into the heart of the mountains, where the true mystery awaited.
Liam's sharp eyes caught something unusual as they approached. A massive red crack hovered midair, slicing through the sky like a jagged scar. But it wasn't a physical tear—it was something far more bizarre, a distortion in space itself.
"Space-time rift?" Liam muttered under his breath. His Salamence landed softly near a cluster of military tents set up at the rift's edge.
A soldier greeted him with a brisk salute. "Major Daniels, the chief is waiting for you, sir!"
Liam followed the soldier into the main tent. Inside, an older man with graying hair and sharp eyes sat reviewing documents. He looked up as Liam entered.
"Liam, glad you're here," the chief said, motioning for him to sit. "We've got a situation, and we need your expertise."
"What's going on?" Liam asked, his tone brisk.
"You saw the rift on your way in?"
Liam nodded.
The chief leaned back in his chair. "That rift leads to a secret realm—a volcanic one, to be exact. Our initial exploration teams reported something extraordinary. Have you ever heard of a 'mirage'?"
Liam frowned. "You mean the natural phenomenon? Reflected light creating illusions?"
"Not quite," the chief said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "In this case, it's more like a memory. The rift's magnetic field seems to have captured fragments of past events. We've recorded them as video. Here, take a look."
The chief motioned to a nearby guard, who placed a laptop in front of Liam. The screen flickered to life, displaying the first clip.
In the video, chaos unfolded atop a volcanic battlefield. Trainers clad in red and blue uniforms battled ferociously, their Pokemon locked in intense combat.
Then, the scene shifted. A young man in white strode confidently into the fray, his Blaziken by his side. The Pokemon moved with an almost unnatural grace, delivering devastating blows that left its opponents defeated in seconds.
Liam raised an eyebrow as the video ended. "Impressive. But what's the catch?"
"There's more," the chief said, signaling for the next video to play.
This time, a middle-aged man in a red-and-black trench coat was shown operating some sort of machine. He turned abruptly, as if sensing someone behind him.
"You must be the Trainer who defeated Tabitha," the man said, his voice calm yet commanding. "Join Team Magma, and you'll witness the rise of Groudon—the King of the Land! Together, we'll expand humanity's territory and usher in a new era!"
The video ended there, leaving Liam with more questions than answers.
"Team Magma? Groudon?" Liam repeated, his brow furrowing. "What do we know about them?"
"Not much," the chief admitted. "But there's a third video. Watch this."
In the final clip, the young man with the Blaziken faced off against a massive Camerupt. The fight was swift and brutal. Blaziken delivered a series of kicks that sent the Camerupt reeling, while a Moonblast from off-screen finished the job.
The middle-aged man, clearly a leader of some sort, retrieved his defeated Pokemon and retreated to a waiting helicopter. His final words echoed ominously:
"We'll meet again. Next time, I'll bring Groudon himself. You'll regret defying us!"
Liam leaned back, rubbing his temples as the videos ended. "So, let me get this straight. Team Magma is trying to awaken Groudon—a god-tier Pokemon—and you want me to stop them?"
The chief nodded gravely. "Exactly. This group isn't just a threat to us—they're a threat to the world. If Groudon awakens, we're looking at catastrophic droughts, unrelenting heat, and ecological collapse."
Liam sighed. "Alright, I'll contact the World Police Organization and see if they have any intel on Team Magma. In the meantime, we need to identify that young Trainer with the Blaziken. He's clearly key to all of this."
"Agreed," the chief said. "But finding him won't be easy. There are thousands of Trainers with Blaziken, and we don't have much to go on."
"We'll figure it out," Liam said confidently. "We always do."
The chief smirked. "That's why I called you. Now get to work."
Liam stood, his mind already racing with possibilities. The clock was ticking, and the fate of the world might just rest on his shoulders—and the mysterious Trainer who had stolen the show on that volcanic battlefield.