Chapter 652: The Hearing Nimo Trio

Hoenn Region, Mossdeep City Port.

After ending the call with Luo Mu, Hearing Nimo turned to Shinji and Shizuka behind her, smiling as she said, "Let's go; it's been less than a month until the Ever Grande Conference opens, so we must quicken our pace."

"Alright."

Shinji and Shizuka nodded lightly, a solemn expression floating onto their faces.

In the Hoenn Region's official recommended order for challenging Gyms, the Sootopolis Gym is ranked last, as the eighth Gym.

Whether it is Wallace, who has already retired but occasionally serves as acting Gym Leader to manage the Gym, or Wallace, who serves as the dignified Hoenn Region Champion while also operating the Sootopolis Gym.

Both Trainers are quite powerful and famous Trainers; indeed, that Wallace is even the League Champion of the Hoenn Region.

I heard that Sootopolis City is recently hosting the "Wallace Cup," organized entirely by him, so the probability of encountering him during a Gym Challenge might surge dramatically.

Opportunities to battle a Champion are rare, so we must prepare thoroughly—wait.

A hint of hesitation suddenly appeared on Shinji's expressionless face.

Isn't the Champion traveling together with us right now?

He drags us into battles every single day, delaying our travel progress quite a bit; if this continues, we'll be caught up by that idiot Satoshi.

Thinking the same thing, Shinji and Shizuka exchanged glances and suddenly felt no longer nervous.

However, the short-term training they had planned in advance still needed to continue.

To deal with the Sootopolis Gym, which specializes in Water-types, they indeed needed to find a spot among the myriad small islands scattered across Hoenn's vast waters to conduct specialized training against Water-types.

It was precisely for this reason that they had specially come to this port, intending to rent a boat and head out to sea.

The cost of renting a boat was actually quite high, but who made them have a little rich lady in their team? Even though Shinji and Shizuka initially felt somewhat embarrassed about taking advantage of Hearing Nimo, under her tireless, context-ignoring barrage of battle invitations,

the two of them had an epiphany.

—Let's just consider it compensation for the double torment inflicted upon our spirits and bodies.

Having confirmed that all supplies were fully prepared with nothing omitted,

the three of them jointly went to a corner of the port where their reserved boat was docked.

Although they were already sick of taking boats in the Hoenn Region, they actually lacked any experience going out to sea, so everything still depended on the hired old sailor.

After the three boarded the ship, as the sound of the propeller churning the seawater rose, the vessel slowly set sail.

After sailing at sea for about half a day, Hearing Nimo and the other two, following the sailor's suggestion, quickly selected an island.

Although this place was far from the port, the ecosystem of aquatic Pokémon surrounding it was quite rich, and the island itself possessed a fine natural ecology.

More importantly, this location still fell within Mossdeep City's signal coverage range, so the three of them could train here without worrying about being unable to return.

"Then it's agreed; I'll come back to pick you up in three days."

The bold sailor uncle waved to the few of them and sailed away.

The three of them also began their tacit division of labor.

Hands in his pockets, Shinji walked toward the interior of the island, saying, "I'll go find a place to set up camp."

"Then I'll prepare lunch," Shizuka said with a sweet smile, preparing to cook right by the wide beach.

"I'll go battle—oh no, I'll help everyone eliminate any wild Pokémon that might be aggressive!"

Hearing Nimo's eyes lit up, and like a cheerful little pony, she ran toward the island's forest.

However, after running only a few steps, her speed slowed down, and she began panting heavily.

This was the daily routine of their three-person journey.

Shinji, the most calm and composed, who had diligently absorbed much wilderness knowledge, was extremely reliable, a true know-it-all of the wilds.

As a former Nurse Joy, Shizuka's logistical capabilities were maxed out.

As for Hearing Nimo, her Wu Li value was high, she had money, and she could eat!

Last year, the composition of Hearing Nimo's three-person travel team with Penny and Clavell was quite similar to the current one.

The trio, whose coordination was already extremely skilled, quickly finished preparations for spending the night on the island and had already eaten lunch.

Next came the moment for training.

"Torterra, Skeledirge, Ursaring, Snorunt, Lairon, Ninjask, come on out!"

With a Poké Ball manipulation technique that Hearing Nimo envied immensely, Shinji simultaneously tossed six red-and-white Poké Balls into the sky.

Six beams of red light shot down onto the beach together, and the figures of six Pokémon appeared simultaneously.

Aside from the two veterans Shinji had caught in the Paldea region, plus his starter Pokémon Torterra,

he had also successfully filled out his team during his travels in the Hoenn Region.

Snorunt was caught at the end of last year, but since the training level required for its evolution was quite high, Shinji also planned to save up money to buy a Dawn Stone himself, which was why it had not yet evolved.

Lairon and Ninjask were caught during this return journey to Hoenn.

Lairon had evolved from Aron, and that Aron had hatched from a Pokémon egg gifted to Shinji by an old grandpa in Lavaridge Town.

As for Ninjask, it was caught directly in its evolved form, hence there was no accompanying Shedinja appearing.

Shinji had once heard Luo Mu speak about the miraculous Pokémon Shedinja and had even considered catching one if the opportunity arose.

But Shinji immediately took a fancy to Ninjask's faster speed compared to its peers, as well as its outstanding perseverance for an insect-type Pokémon.

Added to the fact that his team currently lacked a fast attacker, after expending considerable effort, Shinji successfully caught this Ninjask.

Seeing Shinji release his Pokémon, Shizuka, unwilling to be outdone, also threw out five Poké Balls, "Chansey, Porygon2, Venusaur, Skarmory, Quagsire, it's activity time~"

The Poké Balls popped open with "bang bang" sounds, and five Pokémon figures, standing with their backs to Shizuka and looking extremely reliable, also appeared on the beach.

Shizuka had caught fewer Pokémon; despite being about to challenge the final Gym, she was still one spot short.

This was also related to her hope of finding Pokémon that matched her own rhythm and with whom she mutually clicked.

Skarmory was one she had caught at the end of last year in a canyon in the Hoenn Region, following Luo Mu's suggestion.

Actually, just like Shinji, Quagsire had hatched from a Pokémon egg forcibly stuffed into her hands by an old granny while challenging the Gym in Lavaridge Town.

It was just that this kind of Pokémon, Wooper, evolved very quickly after receiving proper care, leaving Shizuka somewhat regretful that she could no longer hold the cute Wooper.

—In fact, Hearing Hearing Nimo was just like the two of them; she had also received a Pokémon Egg.

That Pokémon Egg had hatched into a Wiglett.

It looked uglily cute; although its existence was not yet known in the Hoenn region, it had already been confirmed in the Paldea region to possess an evolved form.

After gathering the Poké Balls scattered across the ground, the two had no intention of starting a spar right there on the beach, but instead began searching the seaside for traces of Water-type Pokémon.

They had even prepared an inflatable rowboat capable of floating in coastal waters, allowing them to sit in the boat and venture into deeper waters if necessary to seek out and battle wild Water-type Pokémon.

It was said that the Sootopolis Gym was a Water-type battle facility, with footing consisting only of floating platforms of varying sizes.

In order to adapt to that style of combat, such training was indeed necessary.

The two paid absolutely no attention to where Hearing Hearing Nimo had run off to on the island.

After all, given Hearing Hearing Nimo's strength, there were hardly any wild Pokémon left that could give her trouble.

She was surely right now joyfully seeking out wild Pokémon on the island to spar with, so there was no need to worry.

Training time always passed quickly; in the blink of an eye, the dimming sun had overlapped with the horizon, and the sky was filled with evening mist.

Taking a brief rest, Shinji and Shizuka were preparing dinner, as curling cooking smoke rose up from the small island.

Gently stirring the curry inside the pot, Shizuka frequently glanced back toward the woods behind her, "Why hasn't Hearing Hearing Nimo returned yet?"

Silently arranging bowls and chopsticks, Shinji's movements paused slightly, and he said expressionlessly, "She is usually like this; if it really comes to it, I will just have my Ninjask call her later."

"Alright."

Shizuka sighed and turned her attention back to her cooking.

After all, she was the eldest among their travel companions and had already worked at a Pokémon Center; compared to Shinji, who liked gnawing on rations to save unnecessary time, and Hearing Hearing Nimo, who had never cooked a meal for herself from childhood to adulthood, this task could only fall upon her shoulders.

Shinji had also finished setting out the bowls and chopsticks by this time and was just about to call his Ninjask over to send it into the woods to fetch Hearing Hearing Nimo for dinner.

But in the corner of his vision, the previously calm and unrippled sea surface suddenly began to churn with waves.

"... What is that?"

Shinji frowned slightly, his attention fully focused on that direction.

—And then, he saw it.

In the boundless vastness of the great sea, a massive dark blue submarine, accompanied by splashing spray, rose completely from beneath the water.

On the surface of the submarine, a huge white symbol was painted in a very conspicuous manner, and Shinji recognized what that symbol represented.

—Team Aqua.

That massive submarine was a submarine belonging to Team Aqua!

The instant he realized this fact, Shinji's first reaction was to turn his head and shout at his resting Ninjask, "Use Gust to blow away the smoke and flames!"

Though his Ninjask did not understand the reason, it immediately responded to its Trainer's command.

Under Shizuka's stunned expression, the Ninjask vibrated its transparent thin wings at an even higher frequency, and the whirlwind it stirred up directly blew away all the flames from the firewood pile and the rising smoke.

Even so, Shinji was not satisfied; he then ordered his Snorunt to blow an Icy Wind, completely freezing the extinguished firewood pile.

"... Let's go!"

Having done all this, Shinji directly grabbed Shizuka by her clothes and made as if to walk into the woods.

The Pokémon all followed along; as for the pots, pans, bowls, benches, and tables that there was no time to pack up, Shinji simply abandoned them outright.

Once they reached the woods, a relieved Shinji pointed in that direction and explained to Shizuka why he had suddenly performed this series of actions.

"... Team Aqua!?"

Shizuka covered her mouth, letting out a sound of surprise.

Hiding behind the trees, she cautiously peered in that direction.

Sure enough, the submarine bearing the emblem representing Team Aqua was still floating quietly on the sea surface, liable to dive underwater and vanish without a trace at any moment.

The three of them had been traveling in the Hoenn region for quite some time now.

Naturally, they had also heard the infamous names of the two evil organizations in the Hoenn region: "Team Aqua" and "Team Magma."

Here... a submarine belonging to Team Aqua had actually appeared?

Shizuka finally understood why Shinji had immediately extinguished the firewood pile that might attract their attention and then without hesitation pulled her away.

Indeed, on such a remote isolated island far from land, exposing their presence to what might be the base of an evil organization was certainly not a good decision, and it was very likely to bring disaster.

This had nothing to do with strength.

Shinji immediately sent out his Ninjask to search for Hearing Hearing Nimo, while he and Shizuka together kept a firm watch on the submarine's movements in the distant sea.

If the other party discovered the items they had left behind on the beach, or showed any intention of approaching the island, they would immediately retreat deeper into the woods.

However, judging from the fact that the submarine had shown no movement at all, the other party probably had not noticed the situation here.

At the same time, inside the submarine.

Having undergone a thorough disguise and already infiltrated Team Aqua, Xiang Xiang Jiana looked at the screen where she had deliberately erased the footage, the corners of her mouth rising slightly.

"Really, you guys are just utterly unlucky; to think you would encounter a submarine surfacing like this."

"Luckily I discovered it; otherwise, given Team Aqua's current tense atmosphere, they would probably have surrounded the island to search."

As she muttered to herself, her gaze fell upon the two Team Aqua grunts lying nearby whom she had knocked unconscious.

She knew how to use a mobile phone and was more accepting of novel things than other Draconid people.

But that did not mean she was a computer expert.

Therefore, her method of solving this problem was quite simple and crude: knock out the person responsible for monitoring this area and wait until the submarine submerged again.

Anyway, it would not be long before the time for the transaction between Team Aqua and Team Magma, so Xiang Xiang Jiana did not care whether she would be exposed.

"Team Aqua has already dispatched spies to infiltrate Team Magma's submarine to release the captured Groudon, which saves me some trouble; next, I only need to release Kyogre."

At the edge of the Hoenn region, near the Kanto waters.

Luo Mu, who had spent three days relaxing thoroughly in Lavaridge Town, had also ridden Moltres to arrive here.

Because Lavaridge Town was located deep in the Hoenn region's interior, the only way to meet Lugia and the giant Dragonite without causing panic was to come to this place.

Incidentally, this sea area lies in a direction completely opposite to the other end of the Hoenn region, where Ever Grande City, Mossdeep City, and Pacifidlog City are located.

The aftermath of the impending battle between Groudon and Kyogre will absolutely not affect this place, nor is it possible for it to do so.

After all, that would be equivalent to the entire Hoenn region falling into ruin.

—But is that possible?

Not to mention the Shiny Rayquaza that likely hasn't gone far; even the standard Hoenn Rayquaza is currently in its active period. If those two behemoths fight too excessively, it will naturally appear to stop them.

Thinking thus, Luo Mu, hovering above the sea surface with no psychological pressure whatsoever, touched the Silver Wing at his chest and summoned Lugia's descent!

It was probably because the distance was very close.

He did not have to wait long; beneath the calm sea surface, a massive creature began to rise.

(End of Chapter)