"Target Kumanokawa Yukinosuke is approaching the ambush point. Estimated force: over a thousand men," Yuan Fu reported meticulously through his radio to the Second Elder. "They are all mounted on Flying-type Pokémon. Mostly Staraptor, Swellow, and Pidgeot."
"Excellent," Second Elder Yuan Tian replied from his command post in Floaroma Town. "Wait for them to enter the heart of the zone, then launch the assault."
The Second Elder felt a surge of adrenaline. He looked at the monitors displaying his troops. The Patriarch is truly a genius, he thought. To think he could organize our Grass-types into a disciplined 'Pokémon Legion.'
Feng Che had introduced a revolutionary training method: Sychronized Volleys. By having a group of elite Grass-types use Leafage or Razor Leaf in a specific rhythm, the combined power would escalate into a catastrophic Leaf Storm. Yuan Tian had tested it with his own Torterra; a single combined strike had nearly knocked out the high-defense giant.
Initially, I didn't believe it, Tian mused. But this new Patriarch's grasp of tactical coordination is peerless. Today, we prove to Sinnoh that the Gardenia family is no longer a soft target. We will bite back so hard they'll fear to speak our name.
This was Feng Che's "Sacrificial Lamb" strategy. He had intentionally stoked the Bounty Hunters' fury, needing a "chicken" to slaughter so the "monkeys" (the League and Temple) would hesitate.
The Sweet Scent Trap
High in the air, Kumanokawa suddenly caught a whiff of a peculiar fragrance. It was fresh and invigorating, like a pine forest after a heavy rain.
"That smells amazing," one hunter remarked. "Must be some rare flora from the Gardenia estate. Imagine the loot we're going to haul back!"
But as the hunters gossiped about their expected riches, Kumanokawa's instincts screamed. The forest below was too quiet. Not a single wild Pokémon was in sight.
Suddenly, his Pidgeot shrieked, its eyes glazing over. Ignoring his commands, it tucked its wings and dived headlong toward the canopy.
"Pidgeot! What are you doing? Pull up!" Kumanokawa roared, but the bird was in a trance.
Around him, the entire sky turned into a scene of chaos. Swallows, Noctowls, and Pidgeottos were all "demon-possessed," diving recklessly toward the trunks of giant ancient trees.
THUD. CRACK. CRASH.
The sound of Pokémon slamming into wood echoed through the valley. Hundreds of hunters were bucked off as their mounts knocked themselves unconscious against the bark. Screams of agony filled the air as men fell from the sky.
Kumanokawa managed to leap from his Pidgeot just before impact, landing heavily on a thick branch. He looked at the bark and saw a golden, viscous liquid smeared across the wood. The irresistible scent was emanating from it.
"Sweet Scent... no, a specialized pheromone brew designed specifically to drive Flying-types into a feeding frenzy," Kumanokawa hissed, his face darkening. He looked around; every major tree in the sector was coated in the gold sludge.
The Green Storm
"Strategic success! The Sweet Scent trap has decimated their air superiority!" Yuan Fu shouted into his headset. "Unit 'Victreebel,' execute! Razor Leaf—Combined Volley!"
From the thick foliage below, hundreds of crescent-shaped leaves erupted. Each was over a meter long, spinning with the velocity of a buzzsaw. As they converged in the air, they formed a literal Leaf Storm of emerald energy.
"Ambush! Take cover!" Kumanokawa yelled, rolling behind the thick trunk of the tree.
The leaves whistled through the air like shrapnel.
"My leg! I'm hit!" "I can't stop the bleeding!" The mercenaries were being shredded. The "soft" Gardenias were delivering a masterclass in lethality.
Kumanokawa, crouched low, finally released his true aces. "Go, Houndoom! Magmortar!"
"Houndoom, Flamethrower! Magmortar, Fire Blast!"
Houndoom unleashed a roaring sea of orange flames that vaporized the incoming leaf storm. The fire caught the dry autumn leaves on the forest floor, turning the ambush zone into a furnace. Magmortar followed up, its cannon-arms firing a barrage of molten fireballs into the canopy where the Victreebel were hidden.
"As expected of a Heavenly King," Yuan Fu thought, watching the fire rain down. "He found our position instantly. But the Second Elder accounted for that. I hope you're ready for the real gift from the Gardenias."