After leaving the shop, Ash and his group followed the notice to the gathering point. Besides them, two other people from the same shop followed not far behind.
The gathering place wasn't far away; it was near the boarding point of Yumachi Wharf. From a distance, Ash and the others could see police officers and people in uniform.
The uniform was red and white, the same colors as the Poké Ball. The clothing was form-fitting and gave a sophisticated impression. This was the combat unit of the Pokémon League.
There weren't many fighters in the Pokémon League, only nine, and they seemed to be in groups of three. Except for two groups patrolling nearby, only one group was stationed in Rampur.
In addition to the Pokémon League members, thirty or forty trainers had gathered. Naturally, more trainers were in Rampur, with some from farther away still rushing over.
Despite the crowd, the atmosphere was quiet. Solaceon's face was full of seriousness, especially for some Trainers participating in this kind of mission for the first time.
They seemed a little restless.
Even experienced trainers felt this unease. After all, this was an A-level mission, a type that hadn't appeared in a long time. Although such events had occurred before, the highest mission grade had only been B.
Upon arrival, Ash and his group showed their identification to the person in charge. Only then did Ash learn that only trainers above the official level were eligible for this mission.
Originally, the minimum participation level for A-level missions was the Poké Ball level, but due to Rampur's geographical location, only full-level trainers could participate.
Ten minutes later, Officer Jenny arrived. Her expression was grim as she surveyed the scene. The number of participating Trainers was far fewer than expected.
According to Pokémon Center records, Rampur had at least two to three hundred trainers, but it seemed that not even a hundred had come.
Among them, only a small portion belonged to the Kanto League; most were from other Regional Leagues.
"Kanto League... Has it fallen to this level..." Officer Jenny gritted her teeth, feeling disheartened. As a Kanto native, she felt a pang of heartache.
"If there were a Champion... Maybe the Kanto League wouldn't be in this situation..." Officer Jenny sighed inwardly. The root of the Kanto League's problems was the lack of a Champion as a spiritual leader.
However, these issues weren't Officer Jenny's immediate concern. She began dividing the ninety-four trainers into teams of three.
Nine members of the League combat department served as captains, forming three squadrons, each led by a combat department member.
"Everyone, the primary goal of this mission is to defend Yumachi Wharf and prevent the Tentacruel group from attacking the city..." Officer Jenny explained the mission details.
If it were simply repelling the Tentacruel group, the mission wouldn't be A-level. However, the danger lay in the possibility of the Tentacruel group gathering and using Surf simultaneously. Thousands of Surf attacks could create a massive tsunami.
If that happened, the tsunami would devastate Rampur City, causing immense casualties and damage. This was the main reason for the A-level classification.
If they could repel most of the Tentacool and Tentacruel in time, the mission wouldn't escalate to that extent.
Therefore, the priority was to attack swiftly!
Officer Jenny wasted no time. The sea situation had been assessed, confirming their fears. The Tentacruel group numbered at least 300, excluding other Tentacool and Tentacruel converging on the area.
"Here they come!" At that moment, the patrolling officers spotted red light spots appearing on the sea surface. These were reflections from the large, agate-like orbs on the heads of Tentacool and Tentacruel, densely packed and shimmering.
"Everyone, disperse and attack according to plan!" Officer Jenny issued the order without hesitation, simultaneously instructing a search for the Tentacruel leader. Defeating the leader was key to resolving the crisis.
Ash's group, along with their assigned captain, headed to the far left of Yumachi Wharf. They ran along the guardrail, observing the Tentacool and Tentacruel surfacing on the sea.
"So many... why did it become like this!" Misty bit her lip. She adored Water-type Pokémon, including Tentacool and Tentacruel. Witnessing this situation pained her.
Why couldn't humans and Pokémon coexist peacefully? Why did people always engage in actions that disrupted peace?
The Tentacruel group had lived peacefully in the nearby coral reefs, but human greed had destroyed their home and driven them out.
If humans had acted for survival, Misty would have felt conflicted but understood. However, this destruction stemmed from selfish desires!
Ash had no way to answer this question, and he also wondered why the League didn't discover this situation in time. What was the reason? Why did they have to rely on a Horsea to warn everyone in the end?
After a while, everyone arrived at their assigned location. Although it was only a corner of Yumachi Wharf, a large number of Tentacool and Tentacruel were already on the coast they were heading towards, and their numbers were still increasing.
"Trainers with Water-type Pokémon, step forward! Trainers with Rock-type Pokémon, step forward!" League staff immediately began organizing, assigning Water-type Pokémon to the front line and Rock-type Pokémon to the pier as a line of defense.
Rock-type Pokémon are not suitable for underwater combat. They can only be used to prevent Tentacruel groups from rushing ashore or to launch large-scale moves from the sea to impact the pier.
Other Attribute Pokémon, such as Ash's Pikachu, Charmeleon, Ivysaur, Pidgeotto, and Beedrill, were positioned in the middle. They could only attack the Pokémon in the sea from a distance.
The Water-type Pokémon entered the sea as the front line, attempting to resist the attack as much as possible while interfering with the Tentacool and Tentacruel.
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