52: Chapter 52 The Three Kings Concentrate Their Fire, Disaster Appears in the World

Tyranitar stood in the center of the volcanic crater.

Its ten-meter-tall body blocked half the firelight, and the red core in its chest pulsed rhythmically.

It looked down at its claws, where fragments of Machamp's armor and shards of ice were still wedged between its talons.

Lorelei did not give it time to adapt to its body.

"All units, freeze."

Lapras, Cloyster, and Dewgong attacked simultaneously.

A tide of ice surged from three sides, crusting the surface of the magma once more, while ice pillars erupted from beneath its feet, pinning Tyranitar's ankles.

Lorelei intended to lock it down.

Once this monster left the crater, the entire island would become its battlefield.

Bruno moved as well.

Machamp, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, and Hitmontop formed a four-cornered offensive, aiming specifically at its joints, abdomen, and the fissures beside the red core in its chest.

Bruno followed behind, waiting for the moment the ice trapped Tyranitar.

Agatha raised her cane from the shadows.

Old Gengar, leading a group of Haunters, spread out a black net, climbing up along the shadow beneath Tyranitar's feet.

The Elite Four had a clear division of labor.

Lorelei pinned the feet. Bruno broke the armor. Agatha sealed the shadow.

They had been startled by its birth just moments ago, yet they remained terrifyingly steady. This was the weight of the Alliance's Elite Four.

Tyranitar finally moved.

It lifted its foot.

The ice layer emitted a harsh, cracking sound.

Lorelei's eyes darkened.

"Hold it down."

The three Cloysters closed their shells, and ice pillars erupted from the ground, clamping onto Tyranitar's ankles.

Machamp seized the opportunity to leap up, wrapping its four arms around Tyranitar's right arm. Hitmonchan's fists struck the same fissure repeatedly, while Hitmonlee attacked its legs from the side.

Tyranitar lowered its head to look at the Machamp on its right arm. Then, it grabbed Machamp's shoulder with its left claw and yanked outward.

Machamp's four arms were forcibly pried apart, and its entire body was swung like a heavy hammer, smashing into Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee.

Boom!

The three Fighting-type Pokémon slammed into the rock wall together.

Bruno's expression changed, and he charged forward himself. He punched the fissure on Tyranitar's chest, causing the light from the red core to flicker.

"It can be hurt!"

Lorelei immediately applied a second layer of freezing. The ice tide pinned half of Tyranitar's body, and Dewgong's Ice Beam pinned its shoulder.

Agatha's ghost net also caught it. Old Gengar bit down, trying to tear Tyranitar's shadow apart.

The next moment, Old Gengar shrieked. Even darker teeth suddenly emerged from within that shadow, biting back onto its tongue and dragging it toward the ground beneath Tyranitar.

Agatha slammed her cane down heavily.

"Sever it!"

Old Gengar only escaped by cutting off a piece of its own shadow, purple mist pouring from the corners of its mouth. Agatha's face was grim.

"The shadow can eat people too."

Lynn stood on high ground, his voice calm.

"It has been eating its way to this day; it should have learned that long ago."

Lorelei, Bruno, and Agatha all understood that the probing phase was over.

This Tyranitar had hard armor, immense strength, was connected to the volcano beneath its feet, and its shadow could bite back. If they dragged this out, it would only become more familiar with its body.

Above Cinnabar Island, the remnants of the Alliance watched this scene clearly.

They had once believed that once The Elite Four struck, everything would end. They cheered when Lorelei froze the outer sea. They raised their guns when Bruno smashed the shield. When Agatha's ghost net covered the giant beast, even the wounded soldiers hiding behind wrecked cars crawled up to watch.

Yet, the first time Tyranitar swung its claw, it slammed Machamp into the rock wall. The second time it lowered its head, Old Gengar had to bite off its own shadow to escape. The third time it inhaled, even Lorelei hurriedly retreated.

The cheering gradually died out.

A young soldier raised his gun, aiming at the crater. An old veteran pressed down on the barrel.

"Don't fire."

The young soldier's teeth chattered.

"Why?"

The veteran stared at the black giant beast, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"The sound of gunfire will make it look over here."

This sentence spread through the trenches, and many soldiers silently lowered their weapons. They finally understood that the rifles, light artillery, and armored vehicles in their hands would only appear ridiculous in a battle of that level.

The Elite Four were still fighting hard. Frost had formed at the corners of Lorelei's eyes, and her lips were pale, yet she still stood on Lapras's back, directing the ice tide. Bruno's knuckles were split, blood dripping down his bandages, yet he continued to press his tenth punch toward the red core in its chest. Agatha's Old Gengar was heavily injured, yet it dove back into the shadows to help her maintain the black net.

These three people were truly worthy of the title "Elite Four." Knowing full well that a man-eating volcano stood before them, they still threw themselves against it.

Lynn watched them, a trace of coldness flashing in the depths of his eyes. The stronger the enemy, the more stable the Black Flag would be once Tyranitar trampled over them. He never wanted just to win. He wanted the entire Cinnabar Island to see with their own eyes: even when the Alliance's highest combat power threw itself against this newborn monster, it could not hold it down.

On the other side of the crater, Blaine's technicians were also watching. At first, they only viewed Tyranitar as Lynn's weapon. But now, this weapon was being surrounded and beaten by the three members of The Elite Four; its chest was split, its feet were frozen, its shadow was bitten, yet it still stood firm, step by step.

Someone muttered, "Will it hold?" Blaine slapped him on the back of the head. "Take your eyes off the monster and watch the furnace pressure!"

The technician quickly lowered his head, scrambling to adjust the valves. The Cinnabar furnace had already been affected by Tyranitar; if the valves couldn't keep up, the entire underground district would explode first. In other words, this battle was not just in the center of the crater. Every pipeline, every valve, every sweating worker was helping that giant beast sustain the fire beneath its feet.

Lynn heard the report from the lower levels.

"Valve No. 2 on the north side is jammed."

"Send someone to smash it open."

"Smashing it open will cause burns."

"Give them triple the medicine and five times the rations."

After a brief silence, a gruff voice came through the communicator.

"Understood, tell the medics to stand by."

Soon, Valve No. 2 was forcibly smashed open, and the heat flow rushed back into the main channel. The red core in Tyranitar's chest brightened.

Behind this monster, it was no longer just Lynn's gamble alone. There were the corpses of the swarm, Blaine's experimental zone, the scalded palms of the Cinnabar workers, and the courage temporarily mustered by those forced under the Black Flag.

Therefore, Lynn did not tell it to retreat.

Lorelei also saw through Lynn's goal at this moment. Lynn never expected Tyranitar to be unscathed from the moment of its birth. He wanted the entire island to see it take a beating, to see The Elite Four throw all their killing moves at it, and then to see it swallow those killing moves.

Strength must be seen to become rule. Fear must fall into everyone's eyes to become command.

A chill ran through Lorelei's heart. She had always thought Lynn was an out-of-control avenger. But now she realized that this person, even at the most dangerous moment, was still calculating the subsequent takeover, public opinion, the morale of the troops, and the ownership of Cinnabar Island.

"This person is more troublesome than his Pokémon." She whispered.

Bruno heard her, but had no time to answer. He could not hold back his tenth punch. His fist, carrying all his rage, all his dignity, and all his power as a member of The Elite Four, smashed toward the red fissure on Tyranitar's chest.

If this punch broke through, Cinnabar Island could still be saved. If it didn't break through, everyone would have to start adapting to the Black Flag. If they retreated at this step, everyone who had died before would become a joke.

Lorelei took a deep breath.

"The final round."

Bruno nodded. Agatha also raised her aged eyes.

A blizzard descended once again. The gray clouds were frozen into large ice crystals by the cold, and it looked as if a forest of white blades was hanging above the crater.

Bruno pressed his fists against Machamp's back, pouring his own power into it.

"Ten seconds, break through the chest."

The shadow beneath Agatha's feet spread out, and Haunters emerged one after another, forming a massive black net that covered the top of Tyranitar's head.

Ice locking the feet. Fists striking the chest. Ghost net suppressing the shadow. The true combined attack of The Elite Four descended.

Tyranitar retreated for the first time. One step. Two steps. The fissure in its chest widened, and the red core revealed a sliver of light.

Blaine's smile vanished.

"If they keep hitting it, its chest will crack."

Lynn was still watching the crater.

"It knows."

Bruno's Machamp threw the seventh punch. The eighth punch. The ninth punch. Every punch caused red sparks to shake out of Tyranitar's chest.

The remnants of the Alliance in the distance raised their heads again. Someone gripped their gun tightly, a glimmer of hope reigniting in their eyes. "Can The Elite Four win?"

The veteran next to him didn't speak, only staring at Tyranitar's open mouth. It was inhaling.

Magma, ice, fist energy, and ghost mist were all drawn by that single breath. The expressions of the three members of The Elite Four changed simultaneously.

Lorelei shouted: "Break the ice lock!" Bruno tried to retract his punch. Agatha's ghost net also began to retreat.

It was too late.

The red core in Tyranitar's chest opened a crack. The ice, punches, and ghost mist that had been struck into its body moments ago were all churning inside, and finally, they were compressed by the volcanic heat flow into a ball of deep crimson light.

Blaine looked at the gauges, his voice hoarse.

"It has burned your combined attack into its own fire."

Lynn smiled.

"That's enough."

Tyranitar raised its head and unleashed its first complete roar. The volcanic crater responded to it, and a rumbling thunder-like echo came from underground.

The three members of The Elite Four finally confirmed one thing. What they were facing had already exceeded a normal Pokémon battle. This was a disaster that had just stood up.