Chapter 494: The Groudon Incident

"This is trouble!"

Fladali's voice through the earpiece was solemn.

He had already prepared to seize the Legendary Rock amid the chaos, but the sudden appearance of two Ultra Burst Latios made him doubt his plan would proceed smoothly.

After all, why had two Latios, who had been fighting each other just half a day ago, teamed up?

Aren't they both Pokémon with an absolute obsession over territory?

Fladali could not fathom it.

Baimu inside the transport plane was equally baffled, looking up at the two Ultra Burst Latios rolling and circling like soaring dragons, then down at the rigid, motionless Primal Gyarados and Primal Groudon, speechless for a long while.

In the game, the Delta Stream ability activates only once—but the chaotic air currents now covering half the sky couldn't possibly be the work of just one Ultra Burst Latios.

The sight, as if the heavens themselves had collapsed, filled even the pilots with heavy pressure; they unconsciously lowered their flight altitude, making the cabin's atmosphere even more solemn.

The arrival of the two Ultra Burst Latios brought no joy to the group; instead, the unexpected scenes stirred varied apprehensions.

Baimu felt half joy, half persistent confusion.

This… do Latios have genders?

The Shiny Latios is male, the Hoenn Latios is female—did they take a liking to each other?

That can't be right.

Judging by how they're acting now, there's no sign of courtship—they're clearly more focused on the Legendary Rock and the two Primal Pokémon, especially the Shiny Latios, whose eyes practically sparkled as it stared at Primal Gyarados and Primal Groudon.

It wore an expression of pure fascination, as if finding something wonderfully amusing.

Baimu pursed his lips and glanced at Miss Xijiana and Champion Dawu; he saw they were still stunned, utterly bewildered, and realized only he felt this way.

Of course—normal people couldn't possibly read anything from that majestic dragon face.

Only he, who had twice exchanged minds with this creature, could roughly sense the Shiny Latios's current mental fluctuations.

Over the sea.

Primal Gyarados and Primal Groudon ultimately couldn't resist the lure of the Legendary Rock—or perhaps had forgotten the beatings they'd suffered centuries ago—and simultaneously launched attacks on the two Ultra Burst Latios.

Boom—!

A swarm of azure beams and thick emerald light columns illuminated half the sky!

In that instant, the Ultra Burst Latios, as if granted justification to strike, twisted their massive bodies with astonishing agility to dodge the 【Origin Pulse】 and 【Solar Beam】.

They exchanged a glance; destructive light flared in their maws, and together they tilted their heads upward, releasing two brilliant energy orbs!

Boom!

Flames mixed with shockwaves exploded amid the sky's chaotic currents; fire meteors, thick with blinding Dragon-type energy, rained down like cluster rockets, bombarding the two Primal Pokémon in relentless succession!

Boom boom boom boom—

The continuous explosions made their eardrums ache.

Primal Gyarados, battered and desperate, swayed helplessly across the sea like a lone boat in a storm, with no room to evade, pitifully tossed by the waves.

Primal Groudon, too, was entirely buried under towering plumes of dust; the ground beneath its feet cracked beyond recognition.

The apocalyptic spectacle reduced everyone on the transport plane to mere spectators.

The pilots, meanwhile, wished only to put as much distance between themselves and the battle as possible.

But clearly, neither Primal Pokémon could be easily eliminated by a meteor shower; before the dust even cleared, they launched another assault, unwilling to give up.

Primal Groudon roared upward, spewing molten rocks at the Hoenn Latios, while Primal Gyarados unleashed torrents of freezing beams at the Shiny Latios, determined to knock them from the sky.

Both had pushed their output to the absolute limit, just as they had earlier against Pokémon like Ultra Burst Charizard X.

But unlike the original plot's scenario of two-on-one, which led to the Hoenn Latios being struck repeatedly and crashing onto ice, now that it was two-on-two, they effortlessly dodged the attacks again, spiraling to land behind each of the two Primal Pokémon.

"Roar!"

"Roar!"

The Ultra Burst Latios let out long, piercing roars; destructive energy instantly gathered, forming two black-purple beams of annihilation that struck the backs of the two Primal Pokémon!

Boom—!

The Mega Rayquazas tilted their heads back and let out long howls, and destructive energy instantly gathered, transforming into annihilation black-purple energy cannons that each bombarded the backs of the two Ultra Ancient Pokémon!

The air twisted under the terrifying energy fluctuations, nearly invisible to the naked eye; though Primal Groudon stood rooted to the ground, resisting the energy column's force, Primal Gyarados was violently blasted upward, crashing headlong into Primal Groudon.

Immediately after:

The two Ultra Burst Latios' movements stiffened slightly, as if glitching—then, sudden azure energy enveloped their bodies, flowing with unmatched beauty.

They straightened their bodies horizontally, like supersonic intercontinental missiles, surging forward with colossal waves, crashing toward Primal Gyarados and Primal Groudon!

The spinning motions of the two Mega Rayquazas stiffened slightly, as if they had lagged, and then azure energy suddenly coiled around their bodies, its flow carrying an incomparable beauty.

In an instant, the Ultra Burst Latios streaked past the two Primal Pokémon—one left, one right—dumping all their energy onto them, triggering an unimaginable, earth-shattering explosion.

Boom!

The shockwave sent the transport plane into violent shaking; they stared down at the hemispherical energy dispersion zone and the mushroom cloud rising into the sky, feeling an indescribable awe at the destruction wrought by this Ultimate Flying-type move.

Even the lava land created by Primal Groudon seemed to collapse effortlessly under this blow.

The seawater below surged upward a hundred meters, completely submerging Primal Groudon and Primal Gyarados, forming a massive circular crater.

Even the lava land created by Primal Groudon seemed to be easily blasted apart by this move.

The seawater at the very bottom surged up and shot a hundred meters into the air, completely submerging Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre, forming a circular massive crater.

"They've been driven back—by the Latios," Champion Dawu said, his face showing no trace of relief. "This power is terrifying!"

The Primal Pokémon battle, which they could not possibly interfere with, offered no chance to retaliate before the two Ultra Burst Latios—casually, effortlessly, like beating up kindergarteners…

That might be an exaggeration, but the battle had unmistakably given him that impression.

Baimu remained silent, fully aware that in the original plot, Gyarados and Groudon couldn't even defeat a single Latios, let alone be knocked out of their Primal Forms by 【Dragon Ascent】—and now there were two.

That might be an exaggeration, but the recent battle had clearly given him this impression.

Baimu remained silent, fully aware that Gyarados and Groudon, in the original plot, hadn't even fought one Rayquaza, let alone been forced out of their Primal Reversions by a single Dragon Pulse—much less now that two had arrived.

Just knock these two brothers out with a stun?

After all, if there was only one, they could barely hold their own and lose with some dignity—nothing like this miserable state.

He even felt that the Shiny Latios was still not satisfied, clearly delighted and excited by the chance to unleash full power against other Pokémon.

It just can't swim, otherwise it would've already dived down to catch the unlucky Fathead and the flightless ones.

…Huh?

Why does it seem like it has zero interest in the Legendary Rock? What exactly is it here for?

Baimu noticed that the Shiny Latios kept staring at the sea, leaving the Hoenn Latios to guard the Legendary Rock, and that same wave of doubt rose in him again.

Suddenly.

As if sensing his gaze, the Shiny Latios turned its eyes toward him, locking directly with his as he clung to the cargo door.

"Roar!"

The Shiny Latios's eyes sparkled with delight, abandoning the Hoenn Latios and flying straight toward him.

The pilot, seeing it approach, nearly died of fright, thinking it was about to attack—he frantically tried to take off and evade, but the transport plane was nowhere near as agile as the mega-evolved Shiny Latios, which effortlessly reached the cargo door, its massive head blocking the entire side entrance without revealing a hint of expression.

The accompanying Mega Metagross and Mega Dragonite tried to attack but were both stopped by Champion Dawu and Miss Xijiana, their faces solemn.

Manon trembled in fear, clutching the still-unconscious Aran and Hariyama without daring to look further.

"…Fine."

Baimu bared his teeth, muttered something inexplicable, then leapt sharply onto the Shiny Latios's head and turned to Dawu and Xijiana: "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

Dawu's concern showed plainly on his face, but all he could solemnly say was: "Stay safe."

Xijiana did not look at the Shiny Latios, only warned him: "Watch your safety—avoid it if you can!"

This "traditional" girl likely had no fondness for the Shiny Latios, even after it had just fought alongside the Hoenn Latios—respectful distance was probably her only response.

As for Baimu, who had formed this strange friendship with the Shiny Latios, she was not so narrow-minded as to deem him a heretic; she still cared deeply for this long-lost tribesman, her attitude unchanged.

Because she knew well that friendship between humans and dangerous Pokémon like Latios often required one side to constantly compromise—nothing near as easy or joyful as it appeared.

"Alright."

Baimu nodded to both of them, smiled reassuringly at the fearful Manon, then grabbed one of the Shiny Latios's single horns.

The moment it sensed he was steady, it immediately turned and flew toward the nearby Hoenn Latios.

At the same time.

On the vast, turbulent sea, a new anomaly erupted—a black submarine burst from the water, its surface opening dozens of launch ports that fired off countless pure-white missiles, which ascended to a certain height and exploded violently, bathing the entire sky in dazzling white light so intense that even the Hoenn Latios and the Shiny Latios could barely see their surroundings for a moment.

Only Baimu, who had been prepared, caught a glimpse of the submarine firing a strange, multicolored net to capture the Legendary Rock after launching the powerful flash bomb.

"The Rock's energy signature vanished!"

After the intelligence officer's cry came Dawu's solemn voice: "Vanished?"

When the flash faded, the Hoenn Latios and the Shiny Latios searched confusedly for the Legendary Rock's whereabouts—yet the black submarine had already sunk beneath the waves, vanished completely, just like the Legendary Rock.

"No wonder it's human black tech…"

Baimu took off his sunglasses, thinking with a touch of helplessness.

Even though the Latios had demonstrated such immense power, before humanity's endless black tech, they were like mantises trying to stop a cart—helplessly toyed with.

At least within this animated setting, most Legendary Pokémon, who wielded the powers of nature and were akin to gods, could not resist technological force.

The Hoenn Latios hesitated for a moment after losing its target, de-mega-evolved, and so did the Shiny Latios; both let out a long howl and flew far into the distance.

Xijiana did not forget her purpose in coming near Canaaz City's coast—seeing this, she immediately tried to ride her Dragonite after them, but a voice in her earpiece made her freeze.

"Success."

Flannery's voice echoed in everyone's ears: "We analyzed the components extracted from the Rock last time and developed a system capable of sealing its energy emissions."

Listen! They manufactured this in less than half a day!

Baimu, high above, sneered.

"Mr. Dawu, Mr. Baimu… and Miss Xijiana, please leave the Rock in my custody," Flannery said without a hint of courtesy. "I intend to transport it to the Kalos region."

After a brief pause, Xijiana spoke: "What do you plan to do with it?"

"I will use the Rock to create devices that harness its mega-evolution energy for the benefit of all humanity, freeing everyone from suffering and disaster. Miss Xijiana, I have no objection to the Meteor Tribe's oversight."

Flannery carried himself with such dignity, as if "grandeur and righteousness" were embroidered onto his suit.

But one must admit, Flannery originally did hold such ideals and tirelessly pursued them—until human greed and evil shocked and repelled him, twisting him beyond recognition.

…Love turning to hatred? Somehow, it fits perfectly.

Baimu quietly sent Xijiana a message, asking her to monitor how the Legendary Rock was being used—if she was willing—and expressing his distrust of this sudden Kalos man, finding Flannery highly suspicious.

As for why the Hoenn Latios had fought over the Legendary Rock, he would figure that out himself.

A dozen seconds later.

Xijiana replied with a "Good," plus a Gu Niu Niu thumbs-up emoji.

Clearly, she also thought it suspicious that Flannery had stealthily used flash bombs and special devices to snatch the Legendary Rock—won from Groudon and Kyogre by the Hoenn Latios—from them, far from the noble claims he made.

There was nothing to be done.

Xijiana's stance naturally had one foot on the side of the Hoenn Latios; her not objecting to the act—or even tacitly allowing it to be taken to Kalos—was already the absolute limit of her other foot, planted firmly on humanity's side.

Xijiana was not unreasonable—if Flannery truly could benefit humanity, she had nothing to say.

After all, it would be a wonderful, welcome thing.

In the end, she simply couldn't understand why Latios, which had never wanted the Legendary Rock thousands of years ago, suddenly became interested in it now—she'd even asked the elders, but got no answer.

To Dawu, Baimu also sent a warning message—but given Dawu's gentle, courteous Young Master personality, he would need convincing evidence to escalate his suspicion from "Flannery Institute warrants caution" to "Flannery Institute demands thorough investigation."

Of course.

Baimu was unaware that Dawu had, from the very beginning, harbored some doubts about Flannery—and after receiving the message, he had raised his vigilance another notch.

After all, the original plot gave zero hint that Dawu was ever wary of Flannery.

At most, it briefly depicted his later focus on the Legendary Rock, only appearing to stop it and claiming "I was deceived by Mr. Fladali" when the Fladali Plan was set in motion, revealing that even Champion Dawu, despite launching an investigation, failed to obtain decisive evidence in time.

But now, with Baimu's interference, it is easy to imagine this matter will produce unexpected changes.