Battle of Ecruteak City

The Battle of Ecruteak City was the second major battle of WWII, and took place inside the cultural capitol of Johto, Ecruteak City. The city had been taken over by Kanto soldiers, but was successfully reclaimed by Johto, albeit suffering heavy losses. The battle also revealed the existance of the Rogues to the world, which resulted in mass defections from both militaries to join the peace movement.

This battle was also used as Round Three in the OCT.

Background
Following Kanto's victory at the Battle of Undella Bay, Unova began to supply the region with some of their superior technology. One such piece of equipment was an Electromagnetic Pulse, or EMP, device that would lock opposing forces' Pokémon inside their balls. Special operations forces soon slipped inside Johto's Ecruteak City and took over the town, setting up the EMP in one of the two bell towers that the city boasted.

However, as Johto forces rushed to reclaim the city, a mysterious person took over the radios, and called for open rebellion. Although this man's location was suppressed, Kanto General Jane Delancy took the opportunity to announce her own faction of soldiers, later known as the Rogues, who fought to immediately end the war.

The reveal of the Rogues quickly resulted in mass defection from both sides, and the third party successfully took over the EMP device in Brass Tower, denying soldiers access to any locked Pokémon.

The Battle
The battle to retake the city started as Johto used their Higgins boats from Undella and Patrol Sharpedo boats to claim superiority over the river. However, the operation itself ran into many complications. Due to the river's unusually low water level, several patrol boats ran aground. At least one patrol boat was destroyed due to rogue action- Ellen Lance (JN-100) sabotaged her boat and almost killed her comrades.

The Navy's limited force covered Johtoan army landing in the heart of the city, with General Johannson leading a pincer movement to trap Kanto inside the city. The battle itself was chaotic; soldiers from both sides were defecting and turning on their fellow comrades. The situation actually led to some instances of truces forming- Simon Potter (JA-005) and Adrohai Arnsgail (KA-151) formed a temporary truce with their squads to retake the Brass Tower.

Both Air Forces also played a significant role in the battle. Kanto deployed at least one Lancaster heavy bomber to lay waste to the city, although the aircraft was quickly destroyed by enemy monsters. The 4th Fighter Squadron also was transported to the top of Brass Tower, where they parachuted to the roof. Johto had Spitfire aircraft to support the Army and deny Kanto air superiority. To help with this, they experimented with battlefield photo-reconnaissance. This also ended in disaster, when their recon pilot, Alexander Collins, collided with Mag Gables, causing to complications that led to the destruction of both aircraft.

Although the armys succeeded in disabling the EMP device, the fighting sparked numerous fires within the Brass Tower. The dry wood aided small fires to quickly grow into a single inferno, which engulfed the tower, until it's base could no longer support it, and the entire structure collapsed. The loss of Brass Tower essentially signaled the end of the battle, as survivng Kanto forces either retreated or were captured by Johto.

Casualties
All sides suffered heavily in the battle. Hundreds of soldiers were killed in the fighting and destruction of the Brass Tower. A large portion of Kanto forces present in the battle were later captured by Johto military forces.

Practically all Navy forces present in the battle were destroyed when the Brass Tower lost its support on its third level, collapsing into the river, sending a wave down the river.

Equipment losses were significant. The battle had the first use of a bomber aircraft, flown by the 144th Fighter Squadron, which ended in the aircraft's loss. Many other aircraft were shot down or disabled. In one instance, Mag Gables, after colliding with Alexander Collins, used her Spitifre as an aerial ram, destroying two Kanto aircraft before crashing outside of the city.

The collapse of the Brass Tower also killed civilians trapped in the city during the fighting. Several dozen citizens, at least, lost their lives in the battle.

Aftermath
The battle was essentially considered a Johto victory, as they retook Ecruteak City from Kanto control. However, it could hardly be called a victory on strategic terms, as the city was heavily damaged during the battle. This was partially allievated with the capture of Kantonese P.O.W.s.

Morale plummeted following the battle. Remaining troops were emotionally scarred, after being betrayed by their comrades. Discipline issues rose after the battle, as fights broke out and trust was shattered.

With the destruction of the Brass Tower, the Johto Government labeled the Rogues as a terrorist group, and devoted a large force to find the deserters. Dozens of Rogues were caught and executed under the crime of treason, but the majority escaped into the Johto wilderness.

Kanto P.O.W.s were taken to Johto's Whirl Islands prison complex for internment and interrogation. This ultimately set the stage for a large rescue attempt.