novelnext Chapter 440 Between Sand and Foam
Chapter 440 Between Sand and Foam
Chapter 442 Between Sand and Foam
War, in essence, is the art of the strong bullying the weak. It requires skillful allocation of forces to create a significant advantage in specific areas, overwhelming the opponent. Otherwise, one is easily defeated piecemeal, ultimately ending up with no troops left to fight.
Just like Pokémon battles, in addition to considering the characteristics of the Pokémon itself, you should also try to seize the opportunity to switch Pokémon during the battle, so that the Pokémon with full health and type advantage can face the opponent who is at a disadvantage in a fully prepared state. This not only makes it easier to seize the opportunity to strengthen and advance, but even if you are not careful and fall into the opponent's tactical trap, you are confident that you can get out of the predicament by relying on pure strength.
Conversely, if you want to defeat the enemy with absolute certainty, you must keep a close eye on the weaker members of their team and dismantle them one by one.
In Hugo's original plan, the two Sages from Team Plasma were the weakest link in the entire Snow City battle line. Therefore, he dispatched Azure and three Gym Leaders—a force that seemed sufficient by all accounts—to focus on breaking through their defenses.
However, due to an unexplained intelligence leak, the enemy launched an ambush ahead of time. Azure fell into a coma, reducing the overall combat strength. This turned what should have been a one-sided hunt into a stalemate, even putting the alliance at a disadvantage. As a result, Hatchku had to feign weakness to buy time. In Hugo's usual style, such a battle that couldn't be decided in one fell swoop was unnecessary—though it was a pity, preserving effective combat strength was always a wise choice.
However, the enemy also revealed a weakness this time.
While the ambush on Azure reduced their own forces, the new information they revealed during the operation gave the detectives a glimmer of hope for a reversal of fortune. The attackers who targeted Azure were very likely from Team Aqua, and due to their opposing stances, these hostile forces would most likely split up with Team Plasma in Snowflake City.
This seemingly obvious move by the enemy was actually a hidden weakness. Although the Alliance's combat strength was weakened, the dispersal of the Plasma Team and the Aqua Team also provided the Alliance with an opportunity to exploit.
If all conditions are met, these two forces, whose interests are not entirely aligned, may restrain each other like a game of Go in the final stages, with their relative strengths fluctuating, or they may even reverse course in an instant.
The key to victory or defeat lies in whether the league can accurately seize this fleeting opportunity.
"It seems there are more enemies than we initially thought."
As the desert dragonfly gradually approached the snowflake wetlands, the Boss Chrysanthemum standing on its back had a stern expression, as if examining a depreciating asset, coldly surveying the group of Fleet Aqua members on the ground.
"According to Champion Hugo, all we need to do is stall these naval team members here. Mr. Artie has already arrived near Snowflake City and will join the battle soon. After three and a half hours, we'll drive them eastward toward the cylindrical bridge, and then we can completely resolve this incident."
As Fenglu spoke, she secretly released more Flying-type Pokémon under the cover of the clouds. Based on the Detective's previous warning, the saturated Snowflake Wetlands were Team Aqua's home ground, so they should try to avoid setting foot on the battlefield and instead kill time by engaging the opponent in ranged attacks.
"Hold them off?" Boss Ju looked at the sky south of the wetlands where snow was beginning to fall in patches, and shook his head. "Although it sounds like he doesn't trust his colleagues, Hachiku might not last that long. He's always been a man who only pushes himself to the limit."
"But in the news from Hugo Champion, didn't he say everything was going smoothly? If he were to show his struggles, he wouldn't be the best action star in Unified."
Boss Ju lowered the brim of his wide hat and said decisively, "Now is not the time to leisurely wait for Yadi to come from Feiyun City. We must take the initiative and preferably defeat this group first. Even if we can't do that, we should at least force them to move towards the cylindrical bridge ahead of time."
"Won't this disrupt Hugo's plans?" Feng Lu had witnessed Hugo's arrangements on the island, and her tone was tinged with unease.
"There are many smart people in the world besides that detective," the gym leader of Fanba City said calmly, shaking his head.
"Three and a half hours is a bit too precise. He probably sent us to the cylindrical bridge to wait for some train coming from underneath, right?"
The Cylindrical Bridge, located between U.S. Highways 8 and 9, gets its name from the cylindrical railway tunnel beneath its trusses. When a train passes through the tunnel below, pedestrians crossing the bridge above feel a vibration beneath their feet, as if some kind of energy is being injected.
"So I guess our mysterious reinforcements are probably in one of the later train carriages."
"I just informed my own company and all the companies I can contact that they have cancelled all loading and unloading operations for freight trains passing through the railway. All trains that have already departed have been changed to pass through directly or wait on the siding, freeing up a dedicated lane for high-priority trains. This will save at least half of the train travel time," said Boss Ju in a calm tone.
"Isn't that an incredible thing?" Feng Lu exclaimed, her mouth agape in surprise.
"Compared to the safety of United, this loss is nothing. With my status in the industry, I'm not going to pay a penalty for breach of contract because of a one-day delay. As long as our champion isn't too stupid, he will definitely cooperate with my plan."
Just then, Feng Lu's communicator, clipped to her flight suit, beeped, and at the same time, a new message arrived on Boss Ju's phone: "[The special train is on track; we can begin operations ahead of schedule—or rather, please do so.]"
Thank you.
"We should get moving too—those guys down there should have spotted us a long time ago, but they're deliberately not moving to set a trap, though the Pokémon they're carrying are actually hidden."
Kiku looked around, a disdainful sneer on his lips. "Since that's the case, I don't need to bother with any of the dojo leader's etiquette when we're fighting."
With a forceful pull of both hands, he dragged a heavy cloth bag from behind the desert dragonfly. As soon as the knot was untied, a strong smell of dust wafted out.
Sandy Rocks—a type of yellowish-brown gemstone found alongside ancient rocks. For ordinary explorers, this is a precious item that is only found sporadically in deserts and deep rock formations. Not only does it contain the essence of the earth that can be used as food for special Pokémon, but it can also be used in Pokémon battles to greatly extend the time that Pokémon can maintain "Sandstorm".
However, for Boss Ju, known as the "King of Mines," this stuff was nothing more than a byproduct of the constant clearing of mountains and roads. "I didn't expect that just leveling a section of desertified wasteland south of Raven City would yield so much. Oh well, now's the time to waste it!"
Without hesitation, he placed one foot on the bag and released his hands, sending over sixty rough rocks raining down like hailstones onto the wetlands where the naval fleet was lying in ambush.
At the same time, the Flygon beneath him suddenly swooped down and swooped towards the leader of the Aqua team. "Feel the passion of the Unova land, Flygon, 'Sandstorm'!"