The following day, before Yuga and his team set out, they were once again gathered by Mr. Moore.
"I know your main objective on this trip is the Fire-type Pokémon population at the center of the island, but you also have the task of clearing the path.
There's no such thing as a free lunch, and since the League has provided you with the opportunity to capture Pokémon, you must also contribute to the League's cause.
Yesterday, you defeated many Pokémon while clearing the path, but these Pokémon, once they recover, will still be obstacles to the mining team's progress.
Starting today, your job is to capture the Pokémon you've defeated along the way.
You can keep the captured Pokémon for yourself or turn them in. Of course, the League won't take your Pokémon for free; you will be compensated with Merit Points. Non-final evolved Pokémon will earn you 10 Merit Points each, while final evolved forms will earn you 50 Merit Points, and pseudo-elite will earn 100 Merit Points.
Let's not even talk about Elite-level Pokémon; you're not capable of dealing with them. Handling pseudo-elite will be challenging enough, so take it easy.
You can get more Poké Balls from the supply station, but don't take them lightly, or you won't like the consequences."
Mr. Moore's speech elicited cheers from all the trainers below.
Except for Yuga, everyone here was registered with the League. For them, Merit Points were more valuable than Pokémon, as they determined their status within the League.
Yuga's personal account already had 1500 Merit Points, 1000 from Lilycove City and 500 from Sinnoh. He had never used them.
Yuga also picked up some Poké Balls.
According to Mr. Moore, the League was capturing these Pokémon to relocate them to a protected area, so there were no potential requirements. He could hand over any leftovers, earning Merit Points in the process, a win-win situation.
After getting ready, Yuga and his team continued their journey.
They followed the same route as yesterday, and since they had explored it once, they moved much faster. Along the way, they also captured the Pokémon that had attacked them yesterday, such as Ariados and Zangoose. After all, the Merit Points they earned were the same.
As for weaker Pokémon, the three of them ignored them because they wouldn't have a significant impact on the mining team.
As they neared the dormant volcano, they were ambushed by a group of Swellow and Taillow. The reason was that Yuga had defeated one of the Taillow.
The leader of these bird Pokémon wasn't as high-leveled as Ursaring, so dealing with it alone wasn't difficult. However, there were a total of five Swellow, all with levels above 40.
The leader, Swellow, was at level 45, and the other five Swellow ranged from levels 40 to 43. Additionally, three of them had Green potentials, including the leader.
Dealing with them alone wouldn't be too challenging for Yuga and Beidou, as their Pokémon were all above level 40. However, the real issue was the large number of Taillow following them closely. They were numerous and intimidating.
Facing the group of Swellow and Taillow, Yuga said to the other two, "Flannery, you handle one of the Swellow, Beidou, you deal with the two over there, and I'll take care of the remaining three!"
Capturing the leader, Swellow, first was Yuga's decision.
Flannery, upon hearing Yuga's plan, was not pleased.
"You're underestimating me. Give me the two Swellow over there; I won't be a burden!"
Yuga hesitated for a moment but ultimately nodded in agreement.
First, Yuga recalled Absol because it would be weaker in both group and aerial battles. Then, he sent out Dragonair and Florges.
Yuga instructed his three Pokémon, "Dragonair, go block the group of Taillow. Florges and Vivillon, stay here to deal with the Swellow."
Dragonair nodded and took to the sky, blocking the path of the Taillow.
At the same time, Beidou and his elegant Delcatty and Crobat were ready for action. Flannery, in addition to her partner Typhlosion, released her starter Pokémon, which was significantly stronger than Houndoom.
Staring at Yuga's team for a while, the six Swellow rapidly swooped down, all using Aerial Ace.
Yuga and his team each selected their opponents.
With two against two, Yuga was completely unafraid of these two Swellow.
Florges nimbly ascended into the sky, using her vine whips to restrain the charging Swellow. While the Swellow struggled, Vivillon swiftly performed a Quiver Dance.
Two powerful psychic waves took control of the Swellow entangled by the vines. After a graceful 360-degree spin in the air, both Swellow were thrown to the ground like ragdolls. Even Yuga, their opponent, couldn't help but feel sorry for them.
But the attacks weren't over yet.
While Vivillon used its psychic waves to control the Swellow, Florges completed the preparation for Moonblast. A magnificent beam of light engulfed the Swellow.
Caught by Florges's vine whips after swooping down, both Swellow were in a state of confusion. Why had they been captured? Why were they thrown to the ground? Why were they powerless to resist? Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?
Yuga wasn't privy to the mental turmoil of the two Swellow. Seeing them both down, he intended to assist Dragonair, who was fighting alone.
However, when Yuga raised his head, he saw a massive dark cloud forming rapidly in the sky, soon followed by a drizzle.
Surrounded by the Taillow, Dragonair raised its head and let out a resounding cry before soaring into the clouds. Shortly after, the cloud began to flicker with lightning.
Beneath the thick black cloud, the cacophony of the Taillow became increasingly agitated. They all felt an unparalleled pressure coming from above, making them extremely restless.
Screaming, they tried to escape the intimidating cloud above them. However, as they flapped their wings to flee, a myriad of golden lightning bolts struck down, drowning all the Taillow.
Yuga watched Dragonair's extraordinary performance in awe, stunned by its incredible abilities. Had his Dragonair been this powerful all along?
Meanwhile, Beidou's opponent had also fallen under the onslaught of Delcatty's Thunderbolt and Crobat's Cross Poison. Then, he saw the golden sky lit up with lightning.
Flannery was still engaged in a battle with one remaining Swellow alongside her Typhlosion when the sky suddenly began to rain. Following that, a flash of lightning struck, causing the Swellow to emit smoke and fall to the ground.
Wave after wave of lightning descended, and the Taillow, like dumplings falling into a pot, fell one after another. In no time, there was not a single Taillow left in the sky.
Watching the lightning-filled clouds, Flannery and Beidou couldn't help but swallow hard.
As the other teams performing missions in the forest saw the distant lightning in the sky, they were unaware of what had occurred.