Chapter 657: Agatha: Wait, His Students Are This Strong?

“Bamo!”

Bamo, flailing its electrified fists, narrowly dodged the Gyarados’ bite and unleashed a devastating “Thunder Punch” that exploded across its body.

Brilliant lightning illuminated the Gyarados as it recoiled.

At this moment, Watermelon was ready to curse.

What the hell is going on with that girl!?

Watermelon knew he might not match the brilliance of champions like Wallace or Wallace, or else he’d have challenged the Hoenn League long ago—why bother being some damn villain boss?

But with the entire Team Aqua’s resources behind him, matching an Elite Four-level Trainer was no problem.

Yet even so, his strongest Pokémon, this Gyarados, was being crushed by Bamo, sent out by Nimo!

As if that weren’t enough, she kept sending out two more Pokémon to block Cadet Aqua and Cadet Aqua’s Cradily and Lapras.

What is this, a joke? Is she even a champion-level Trainer?!

But despite his shock, Watermelon forced himself to calm down, gripping the crimson orb in his hand.

Nimo was strong, yes—but not strong enough to instantly obliterate their Wangpai , let alone steal this crucial crimson orb that controlled the ancient Pokémon Kyogre.

His subordinates, noticing the commotion, gathered around. Watermelon, Cadet Aqua, and Cadet Aqua exchanged glances, signaling them to just hold Nimo off.

You always pick the softest targets. Nimo was alone, and even counting all her Pokémon, she had no more than five—surely they’d find an opening to strike through Shinji and Shizuka, the weak points.

Of course, Qiantishi Red Pine doesn’t come in to kick them while they’re down—after all, aside from that decent Red Gyarados, he had nothing threatening.

Lucky for that glasses-wearing schemer!

On the other side.

After exiting its Poké Ball, Dragonite swiftly knocked the indigo orb from Red Pine’s hand and was about to bend down to pick it up when Charizard lunged forward, tackling it back several meters.

Dragonite tried to dash in using its “Quick Attack” state, but Charizard used its bulk to shield Red Pine and the indigo orb firmly behind it.

Dragonite’s size made it impossible to find an opening.

Red Pine seized the chance and snatched up the indigo orb.

“Tch.”

Agatha raised a hand to block a Rocket grunt’s punch, then flipped him over her shoulder onto the ground.

Several Houndoom bared their fangs at Agatha, only to be swept aside by Dragonite, who had retreated to retrieve her.

“Let’s go!”

Agatha leapt onto Dragonite’s back and pointed toward Brock and the Red Gyarados.

His arrival was a massive relief to Brock, who had been under immense pressure.

“Mr. Agatha!”

Brock shouted excitedly as Agatha, riding Dragonite, flew over the Rocket grunts and landed before them.

“Hmm. Don’t worry—leave everything to me.”

Agatha gave the three a slight nod; her champion’s cloak fluttered like a guardian over them.

To reassure them, she added casually, “By the way, Ash is safe too.”

“That’s great!”

May and her brother exchanged glances and smiled; the heavy weight in their hearts finally lifted.

“Sorry I didn’t get the orb.”

Agatha apologized to Brock and the others, her gaze locked on the growing circle of Rocket grunts closing in.

She wouldn’t blame her failure on having only brought two Pokémon due to stealth—she had missed a rare opportunity, and that was the truth.

“How could you say that, Mr. Agatha, you’ve already—”

May tried to speak, but Red Pine interrupted.

“Agatha, Elite Four of the Johto region, Champion of the Hoenn region—why are you meddling in Hoenn’s affairs?”

He stared at the young man with wild red hair, his expression dark.

The man still wore a Team Magma uniform—any fool could tell he’d been embedded in Team Magma for a long time.

And yet I had no idea!!

“Justice knows no region.”

Agatha signaled May to stay silent, speaking with unwavering righteousness.

“Your justice means being a spy and an infiltrator?” Red Pine sneered. “Team Magma, seize them all!”

Dozens, hundreds of eyes turned toward the four.

The next instant.

Brilliant attack lights shot toward them.

Agatha crossed her arms and gave a low command.

“Dragonite, Gyarados—”

“Hyper Beam!”

“That’s quite a fight.”

In the opposite forest, still wearing her Team Aqua uniform, Shigan leaned against a tree, watching the scene with a complex expression.

Though the current situation had exceeded her expectations, she couldn’t deny it had created an extremely favorable scenario for her plan.

Team Aqua and Team Magma’s elite forces were all tied up by those likely sent by the Pokémon League.

One side was powerful, the other numerous—neither could gain the upper hand for now.

It was clear the stalemate would last a while.

That time—was more than enough for her to achieve her goal.

After a brief pause, Shigan’s agile figure vanished into the woods.

On the heavily guarded Team Magma submarine, a massive cargo crate was securely fastened to the deck.

Teams of Team Aqua grunts patrolled the crate in shifts, leaving no opening for intrusion.

—Yet despite such tight security, a man and woman in white uniforms, along with a talking Meowth, quietly approached the crate.

Inside the crate lay the ancient legendary Pokémon—Kyogre.

Team Magma had discovered Kyogre sleeping in an underwater cave, used technology to keep it in stasis, and then “moved” it.

“Sleeping soundly, huh~”

Looking at the external screen showing Kyogre’s slumbering form, Jessie rubbed her hands together.

“Let’s take it to Boss Sakaki and get promoted to executive!”

Meowth drooled, already lost in fantasy.

“Alright, little Kyogre-chan, it’s time to move.”

Jessie had already begun randomly operating the crate’s control panel.

At that moment.

The angry shouts of awakened Team Magma grunts rang out.

A powerful wind pressure descended from above, nearly blowing the two and the cat away.

“What the heck is going on?! Who’s trying to ambush us?!”

Meowth instinctively yelled—but when it looked up and saw the Gyarados, its crimson wings beating against a suddenly clear sky, turning its head toward them, it fell silent.

Jessie and James also shrank back, cowering.

Otherwise, they feared the giant would swallow them whole.

From the Gyarados’ back, a voice with a strong, feminine tone spoke.

“Why are Team Rocket here?”

“Well, doesn’t matter much.”

Shigan, now wearing her original outfit and having shed her Team Aqua uniform, leapt down from Gyarados and smiled at the trio.

“I’d suggest you run—why? Because I’ve already released Groudon from Team Aqua’s side. Next up is Kyogre.”

“What… are you insane?!”

Meowth’s eyes widened, its fur standing on end, nearly triggering its old wild instinct to hiss.

Jessie and James stared at the crazy woman in disbelief.

They’d only wanted to steal the sleeping Kyogre and deliver it to Boss Sakaki for promotion—not to wake these dangerous beasts.

How dare this short-haired girl set them free?!

“You wouldn’t understand. This is all to protect the world from destruction, to preserve peace.”

Shigan shook her head and ordered Gyarados to blast fire, blocking the approaching Team Magma grunts.

“Hey! That’s our line!”

James was still weakly shouting, but Jessie had already lunged forward.

Before she could reach Shigan, Gyarados swept her away with its tail, sending her flying into James.

Shigan didn’t look up as she operated the console, adding casually, “Since you don’t seem irredeemably evil, I’ll give you one last warning—get out now.”

“From now on, this island—no, the entire Hoenn region—will become a battlefield where two awakened ancient Pokémon fight over scarce natural energy.”

“At this moment of crisis, the ‘Sky Dragon’ will descend from the heavens to quell the catastrophe they bring.”

“Then, I will ask the Dragon God to save Hoenn.”

Shigan whispered the last sentence so softly only she could hear.

Under Meowth’s and Jessie and James’s stunned expressions, she unhesitatingly pressed the “Unlock” button.

With a deafening mechanical roar and a burst of rising steam.

All the mechanisms the Magma Team had installed to prevent Kyogre from awakening have failed, and its bindings were thus released.

In the cramped water tank of the cargo crate, a pair of primal golden beast eyes—devoid of any emotion—suddenly snapped open!

Accompanied by a soaring whale song, the clear sky instantly gathered dark clouds; droplets the size of beans fell slowly at first, then rapidly, Fengkuang drenching the ground until a torrential downpour formed in the blink of an eye.

Amid violent explosions, the ancient Pokémon Kyogre spread its wide flippers and leapt into the sea, which had suddenly become turbulent.

Ignoring the trio of Musashi, Kojirō, and Meowth who had already chosen to flee, she let the rain pound against her as she turned and mounted Flygon.

Her task was temporarily complete.

As long as Groudon and Kyogre are released, they will, driven by instinct, engage in fierce conflict.

Unless their wills are immediately imposed upon them via the Orb while they are still dazed from awakening.

The will of an ancient Pokémon cannot be swayed.

The Orbs held by Watermelon and Blaziken are merely tools to lure them into attack.

After all, both ancient Pokémon seek to absorb all the natural energy stored within the two Orbs—otherwise, Watermelon and Blaziken would never have believed they could project their will onto Kyogre or Groudon using mismatched Orbs.

Not long ago, on Mew Island.

While using Dragonite and Gyarados to hold back the pressure from Team Magma.

Agatha, watching the three figures surrounded by Team Aqua, asked without turning: “Who are they over there?”

He had already prepared to retreat, avoiding their combined assault and rescuing Brock and the others.

But the arrival of those three directly relieved more than half his burden.

He had no recollection of the other two, but the face—more precisely, the features—of the slightly older woman with a single pink ponytail seemed familiar to him.

“They are Nimo, Shinji, and Shizuka—all students of Mr. Luo Mu!”

As Brock commanded Wailord to use Water Gun to neutralize the Flamethrower flying toward them, he answered immediately.

As he directed Wailord to use Water Gun to cancel out the Flamethrower flying toward them, Koga immediately replied.

Agatha’s eyes widened in shock—he nearly slipped, nearly bitten in the left leg by a fearless Houndoom lunging at him.

Standing behind May, Max added: “Nimo is the youngest Champion in the Hoenn region!”

Standing behind Ryo, Koga added, “Nimo is also the youngest Champion-level Trainer in the Paldea region!”

How long has it been? When did his students become this strong?

What the hell did I miss while undercover in Team Magma!?

Watching Nimo, even as Team Aqua closed in, still find openings to counterattack with type advantages.

Even though he knew she had the advantage of carrying more Zhuli Pokémon and teammates who weren’t useless, aiding her.

Agatha still concluded she had reached the level of a regular region Champion.

But Agatha still concluded that the girl had certainly reached the strength of a regular region’s Champion.

Eleven? Twelve?

If she’s even younger, isn’t she just a reincarnation of those two legends who shook Kanto years ago?

Surprised, Agatha nonetheless ordered Dragonite to seize every opportunity to strike Blaziken’s Torkoal hard.

Even outnumbered, only Blaziken and two executives in Team Magma had Pokémon capable of tanking Dragonite’s direct attacks.

Just as the sky suddenly cleared, the fire-type Pokémon’s firepower seemed to intensify.

Who activated Sunny Day?

No matter how strong Dragonite is, its stamina is dwindling under relentless assault.

Agatha frowned, already deciding to call Nimo and the others, retreat with Max and the rest, rescue Ash, then immediately request reinforcements from the Hoenn region.

Goh or Milotic—or even one of the Elite Four—would turn the tide.

Blaziken guessed Agatha’s plan and ordered his men to hold them fast, Burang them escape.

—But just then, an alarm blared from Team Magma’s submarine.

Team Aqua, too, had recently suffered a similar attack, causing chaos on their end.

Before Blaziken could order his men to defend the submarine and the Kyogre cargo, the sky, moments ago clear, suddenly darkened.

The instant heavy rain began to fall, Blaziken’s expression twisted in sudden understanding.

—Besides these two groups, someone else is secretly manipulating events!

Who? That boy and Pikachu?

No, they couldn’t possibly have that power.

But before Blaziken could ponder further, a piercing whale cry and a heavy beast roar erupted simultaneously from opposite ends of Mew Island.

Watermelon had already received word from his subordinate: Groudon had been freed by a traitor dressed in Team Aqua uniform!

Both he and Blaziken had tried to control the other through their Orbs, but no matter how hard they strained, the Orbs remained dark.

As if they were utterly incapable of imprinting their will upon the two ancient Pokémon.

Blaziken and Watermelon gritted their teeth and roared: “Everyone, prepare to retreat!”

Have they given up controlling Groudon and Kyogre?

Of course not.

In their view, it was merely distance—once they drew closer to Groudon or Kyogre, their wills would surely take hold.

They no longer cared to block the others; as they ordered their men to retreat and cover their escape, they abandoned attacking Nimo and Agatha entirely, focusing solely on the ancient Pokémon they had long plotted to claim.

The two had grown too lazy to block each other; as they ordered their subordinates to retreat and cover their own withdrawal, they abandoned their plan to surround Nimo and Agatha entirely, focusing all their efforts on the ancient Pokémon they had long sought.

(End of chapter)