The spot where Magmar had struck revealed faint cracks. Maki reached out and tapped lightly—more debris crumbled away, exposing what seemed to be a passage behind the wall.
"Charmeleon, dig it open."
Maki gestured toward the rock wall in midair. When it came to digging, Charmeleon was undoubtedly the best choice among his Pokémon.
It didn't take long before the thin rock barrier was completely broken through, revealing the passage beyond. Maki exchanged glances with his Pokémon.
"A tunnel inside a cave isn't that unusual."
After a brief moment of thought, Maki released his Malamar.
"Did you see this path when you were here before?"
Malamar shook its head. It hadn't encountered this passage previously, but the terrain inside volcanoes was complex. A tunnel like this wasn't surprising.
Perhaps a Dugtrio had dug it out? It was entirely possible—after all, Onix were also known to inhabit environments like this, drawn by the presence of rare minerals within volcanic rock.
As Malamar mused on this, its gaze swept across the cave floor—and accidentally landed on the fallen Magmar.
Malamar: ???
It had barely been inside its Poké Ball for long, yet Maki had already taken care of the Magmar?
Maki, utterly exhausted, was slumped over his Absol, too drained to explain anything to Malamar.
"Let's head inside."
He addressed his Pokémon. If they encountered a particularly strong opponent, they'd just run—there was no reason for a fight to the death over nothing.
...
Mt. Moon, Kanto Region.
Everything around them was shrouded in Alakazam's psychic power, forming an impenetrable dome. From the outside, it was impossible to see what was happening within. And yet, despite maintaining such an extensive barrier, Alakazam still looked composed, as if this was effortless.
Within the concealed space, the countless stones that once littered the altar had all vanished—cleared away by Alakazam. At last, the altar's original form was fully revealed to Giovanni.
"Bring everything out."
Giovanni spoke calmly to Alakazam.
With a slight motion of its spoons, Alakazam teleported several advanced machines onto the altar. At the same time, Giovanni brushed his hand over his belt, releasing several Pokémon.
Three Electivire, a Raichu, two Jolteon, and an Electrode—seven Pokémon in total, all of them Electric-type, and all of them at the Elite Four level.
In any region outside of Kanto, this lineup alone could easily form the foundation of an Elite Four Electric-type team.
Yet here, Giovanni had summoned them all for one simple purpose: powering these devices.
Of course, not all of them belonged to Giovanni. The Raichu and Electrode were Lt. Surge's, and one of the Jolteon belonged to another Team Rocket executive. Giovanni had merely requisitioned them for now.
Specialized power transfer devices connected the Pokémon to the machinery, ensuring a steady flow of electricity.
Ordinarily, opening a passage through an existing spatial rift wouldn't require this much energy. But this wasn't just any rift—this one had been sealed. Under normal circumstances, it should have remained closed permanently. The only way to force it open was with sheer, overwhelming power.
By calculations, at least five Elite Four-level Electric Pokémon were required to sustain the necessary energy output. To be safe, Giovanni had brought seven. Failure was not an option today.
Just as Giovanni was about to begin the operation, his phone rang.
Glancing at the screen, the name displayed was none other than Sabrina.
Maki had been missing for days. There was no way Sabrina wouldn't have noticed. Giovanni had yet to give her a definitive answer. The fact that she hadn't stormed into Team Rocket's headquarters already showed remarkable restraint.
Without hesitation, Giovanni declined the call. If today's plan succeeded and they retrieved Maki, there would be no need for explanations. If it failed...
"Begin."
A cold glint flashed in Giovanni's eyes. In his world, failure simply did not exist.
At his command, the Electric-type Pokémon unleashed their full power. The confined space was instantly filled with arcs of electricity, a sharp scent of ozone permeating the air.
A protective psychic barrier materialized in front of Giovanni, shielding him from any stray electric currents.
"Booo!"
One of the Poké Balls on his belt burst open, and a Dragonite emerged behind Giovanni, silently watching the machinery.
After being sucked into the Ultra Wormhole alongside Maki, Dragonite had been separated from him by chaotic space currents, eventually crash-landing on a remote island in Hoenn.
Once it had determined its location and failed to find any trace of Maki, Dragonite immediately took flight, returning to Kanto as fast as it could to report everything to Giovanni.
Now, as it watched the spatial device steadily accumulating energy, Dragonite lowered its head in silence. That day, in its attempt to protect Maki… it had failed.
Despite the combined efforts of seven Elite Four-level Pokémon at full power, the devices still required nearly half a minute to reach full charge.
Atop the largest device, a structure resembling an antenna tower emitted a faint blue glow. As the energy built up, the glow intensified, culminating in a powerful beam that shot toward the sky.
Alakazam's psychic energy flared, extending over the entire valley like a massive cloak, ensuring that this phenomenon remained unseen. Otherwise, Mt. Moon would undoubtedly be making headlines once again.
Fortunately, the League's Marshal, Bruno, had already been reassigned elsewhere days ago. Otherwise, things might have been complicated.
The energy beam struck the weakest point in the fabric of space, immediately tearing open a rift. A gateway shimmering with an eerie glow—the entrance to an Ultra Wormhole—reappeared!
At first, the opening was only the size of a fist, but with the device's influence, it gradually expanded.
"Is this the right entrance?"
Giovanni turned to the only one who had entered the Ultra Wormhole before—Dragonite.
"Booo!"
Dragonite nodded. It was smaller than before, but it radiated the same energy as the one it had seen that day.
Once the wormhole reached a certain size, it ceased expanding, no matter how much more electricity was poured into it.
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