Chapter 658: Sea and Land Great Battle!

"They're retreating."

Watching the Magma Team members retreat like a receding tide, Archie felt not a shred of relaxation.

If anything, he associated this with some unpleasant possibilities.

"Unheard beast roars and whale calls... More importantly, the sudden change in weather."

"Could it be—"

Interrupting Archie's thoughts were Hearing Nimo, Paul, and Shizuka, who had run over from the encirclement formed by the retreating Aqua Team.

Though puzzled by the reason for both groups' retreat, they lacked any sense of urgency since they knew little about the myths and legends of the Hoenn region.

"Wow! It really is Mr. Lance!"

Hearing Nimo jogged over holding the umbrella Shizuka had given her, her eyes sparkling especially bright upon seeing Lance and his signature flamboyant red hair.

Were the current situation more suitable, she would have immediately challenged him to a Pokémon battle!

After all, even in the Paldea region, Hearing Nimo had heard of the fame of Lance, the Dragon Master.

Paul and Shizuka also called out to Lance with a hint of admiration.

"You've arrived just in time."

Lance gave the three a slight nod; without Hearing Nimo and the others sharing half the pressure, he, lacking his main force, might truly have been trapped and unable to escape.

Although, if they hadn't burst out, he would still be comfortably undercover.

"Based on the current situation, it is highly probable that the contained Ancient Pokémon have been released for some reason."

"This is a crisis, but also an opportunity."

"I know where the Magma Team is holding Ash; let's rescue him first, and then consider our next moves."

During missions, Lance's mind always remained calm and clear.

He understood that since the escape of the Ancient Pokémon could not be reversed, he should first complete what could be done, considering the next steps along the way.

Lance briefly explained his plan.

"I will take Brock, May, and Max to rescue Ash; can you three contact those two individuals outside the signal-blocking zone and inform them of the current situation?"

Displaying the communication device set with only two contacts, Lance looked at Hearing Nimo, Paul, and Shizuka.

As a former Gym Leader, Brock did not bring his main force, and moreover, Rock-type Pokémon struggle to achieve much at sea.

May is a novice Trainer, and furthermore, most Coordinators are not skilled in battle.

Her brother, Max, hasn't even received his starter Pokémon yet.

While Lance was confident he could care for them while rescuing Ash, venturing further onto the dangerous sea to find a signal area for help left him somewhat unable to be in two places at once.

Hearing Nimo's strength had just been verified, and Paul and Shizuka were students taught by Luo Mu; although he felt somewhat ashamed to assign such a task to these young people, this was the only solution Lance could currently devise.

Hearing Nimo took the communication device, and seeing the contacts noted as Steven and Wallace, her eyes flickered slightly.

It seems the situation is quite urgent...

After exchanging a glance with Paul and Shizuka, Hearing Nimo nodded, "Please leave it to us, Mr. Lance!"

They had originally intended to call the police, but unexpectedly encountered Brock and the others, which is why they ended up on Mossdeep Island.

Lance's eyes lit up, "My Gyarados can also be lent to you for riding; as long as you can hold your breath, traveling through the sea will be simpler than on the surface."

Judging by the pouring rain, one could tell how dangerous the sea conditions were; Lance's own Gyarados, having undergone systematic training by Interpol, would have no problem protecting them through the storm.

"No need, Mr. Lance, you should keep your Gyarados."

Hearing Nimo shook her head, explaining that they also had reliable mounts for sea travel.

Wailord was still waiting for them by the coast; with its size, it could easily conquer the sea no matter how violent it became.

Since Hearing Nimo had said so, and given that his available combat strength was indeed rather scarce, Lance did not insist further.

The situation could deteriorate at any moment; they did not have much time left.

After dividing the tasks, Lance led Brock and the other two toward the Magma Team's submarine; the enemy was currently busy pursuing the escaped Groudon, making now the best time to infiltrate.

Meanwhile, Hearing Nimo and the other two headed toward the meeting point agreed upon with Wailord; just after that exchanged glance, they had reached a consensus.

—Besides summoning these two Hoenn Champions, they also needed to call Teacher Luo Mu!

What? You ask if this would trouble Luo Mu?

What trouble could there be? Luo Mu often taught them the principle: "Hit the small ones, and the old ones come." If the matter was truly a problem they couldn't solve, regardless of any other nonsense, they should just contact him immediately.

Not to mention, the news they watched before leaving Mossdeep City stated that Luo Mu alone could contain two Legendary Pokémon, and had even beaten them down once.

Although they didn't know whether that Rayquaza was superior or inferior compared to the two Ancient Pokémon sought by the Aqua Team and the Magma Team.

But calling him was definitely the right move!

Archie and Maxie, who had chosen to retreat, also arrived at opposite ends of Mossdeep Island at this time.

On Archie's side, heavy dark clouds blocked the sky, and countless raindrops fell from above, almost forming an omnipresent black curtain.

In the sea, a submarine painted with Aqua Team markings swayed helplessly in the wind and rain, every rising wave seeming ready to smash it to pieces.

Though it was a crystallization of human wisdom, before the roaring fury of nature, it appeared as helpless as a young child.

Standing on a flying device, Archie held the Red Orb, veins bulging on his forehead; though he was hoarsely screaming something, the noise generated by the rain curtain and gale completely drowned out his voice.

In the sea, a great fish from myth and legend leaped freely between the water and the air, its broad fins churning the ocean and raising wave after wave, nearly threatening to swallow the entire Mossdeep Island.

Archie attempted to project his will onto Kyogre through the Red Orb, but the latter not only refused to be controlled, it didn't even bother to spare him a glance.

—Kyogre seemed to be accumulating power, waiting to meet its archenemy.

On the other side, Maxie encountered the same situation.

After the clear sunlight was covered by the rainstorm, a dazzling beam of Bai Guang shot straight into the sky, instantly dispersing most of the dark clouds shrouding Mossdeep Island, followed by the scorching rays of the proud sun.

Compared to the turbulent sea on the other side, the situation here was relatively calm.

—That is, provided one ignored the colossal beast clad in red plate armor, which had forcibly created a walkable path of lava upon the sea.

That was the Ancient Pokémon named Groudon.

The opponent seemed to dislike flying or leaping; only after the path leading to the island formed did it slowly lift its two feet, advancing toward the island with firm steps.

Based on Flannery and Tabitha's deductions, the opponent's destination appeared to be the volcano on the island that could erupt at any moment.

Maxie attempted to project his will onto Groudon using the Indigo Orb, but he encountered the same problem as Archie.

—No matter how they shouted, neither of the two Super-Ancient Pokémon even lifted their heads to glance at them holding the Orbs.

"It's impossible; people from the Super-Ancient era already verified that different colored Orbs can control the corresponding colored Super-Ancient Pokémon."

Maxie did not understand where exactly the problem lay.

Their mental power could not even make the Orb glow with the slightest light.

Could it be that their will to pursue ideals and long-cherished wishes was not firm enough?

Unwilling to accept such ridiculous facts, Maxie, also standing on the aircraft developed by Team Magma, followed Groudon's moving figure, holding the Orb and constantly shouting at it.

Unknowingly, Groudon had already reached the crater.

Perhaps having arrived at its destination, it began to notice the surrounding conditions, or maybe Maxie's constant chirping along the way had made it somewhat impatient.

Groudon, who had previously not even deigned to spare Maxie a glance, finally deigned to look at him properly.

Originally, Groudon was too lazy to bother with the little noisy creature that always clamored beside it whenever it awakened.

After all, with that free time, it would be better to first prepare for the battle against that fat-headed fish.

But the moment Groudon shifted its gaze to Maxie—or more accurately, to the Indigo Orb in his hand—its eyes, which originally contained no emotion and merely reflected the cold indifference of nature's own will, suddenly brightened.

—The next second, Maxie discovered with surprise that the Indigo Orb in his hand suddenly emitted a burst of light, and he also sensed a certain vast will.

"Oh oh oh, Groudon, heed my will!"

Maxie's face lit up with joy, and he immediately raised the Indigo Orb in his hand high.

Flannery, Tabitha, and others who had followed him up the volcano clearly saw the entire process of the glowing Orb merging into Maxie's body.

They, along with numerous Team Magma members, wore faces full of excitement.

Excellent! As long as Groudon accepts Team Magma's control, expanding the land to the ends of the world and making humanity's footsteps Spread Throughout the World will no longer be a dream!

Once the Orb fully merged into his body, ancient red patterns identical to those on Groudon's surface lit up on Maxie.

That was the mark signifying that his will had drawn close to Groudon's.

"—Good, Groudon, now begin to expand the land!"

Maxie shouted excitedly, not noticing that he had completely lost his usual calmness.

Whether or not Maxie's command had taken effect, Groudon lifted its ferocious beast head and let out a roar that echoed across the entire Mossdeep Island.

The next moment.

A violent tremor suddenly swept across the entire Mossdeep Island.

Accompanying the earth's shaking, the volcano, which had previously only occasionally emitted some black smoke, erupted after a brief buildup!

Sky-piercing magma gushed forth into the sky, then transformed into countless falling meteors of fire, indiscriminately attacking everything on Mossdeep Island and even in the nearby seas.

Groudon's roar echoed between heaven and earth, while the pillar of magma from the volcanic eruption pierced straight through the clouds. Maxie stood on the edge of the erupting crater, red patterns flowing on his skin like molten lava, as hot waves billowed his red-and-black uniform.

At this moment, he could clearly sense Groudon's simple thoughts.

This was also Groudon's "provocation," or rather, its "challenge," to Kyogre.

In the depths of the sea, Kyogre, currently accumulating power, was naturally extremely familiar with this force.

Its emotionless pupils fixed firmly on Groudon standing atop the volcano, particularly on Maxie beside Groudon holding the Indigo Orb.

The next instant.

Archie, who could not attract Kyogre's attention no matter what, discovered with surprise that the Vermilion Orb in his hand, which had shown no reaction earlier, suddenly lit up and merged into his body.

Immediately, Archie sensed Kyogre's vast will, as well as the rage mixed within that will.

—It seemed to regard the Indigo Orb as its own possession.

Although he did not understand what was happening, realizing that he had established a connection with Kyogre, Archie shouted loudly:

"Hahahaha! First, submerge this island, Kyogre!"

Kyogre opened its massive mouth full of sharp teeth, letting out a whale cry that resounded through the sky, then without hesitation slapped its fin-palms, instantly raising a massive tsunami capable of easily submerging Mossdeep Island.

The hundred-meter tsunami raised by Kyogre blocked half the sky, with sunlight refracting an eerie blue light behind the wall of waves. Archie stood in the depression of Kyogre's dorsal fin, indigo patterns pulsing like blood vessels on his neck, as the salty sea wind filled his arrogant laughter.

His emotions seemed to be influenced by Kyogre.

"How can I let you succeed!" Maxie's expression turned cold; Groudon heavily stomped its Forelimb Weight onto the crater, suddenly cracking open red light patterns in a spiderweb shape, causing magma to rush out along the paths of the light patterns and build a boiling lava dam at the coastline.

It also took advantage of the momentum to open its massive mouth, and without any charging, a thick "Solar Beam" blasted a huge gap in the tsunami.

The moment the tsunami in the gap collided with the lava, the entire Mossdeep Island shook violently. White mist shot into the sky, and the shockwave from the steam explosion flattened the coastal forests.

Fortunately, most members of both sides had boarded submarines, while the few remaining ones had gathered behind either Maxie or Archie, unaffected by the moves.

Casualties were not that severe.

With the first wave of the tsunami defeated, Archie's expression did not change in the slightest as he waved his large hand again.

"Ice Beam!"

Blue light lit up on Kyogre's dorsal fin; the second wave of tsunami it raised was hit by the beam and directly frozen into an ice wall.

Relying on its weight, the ice wall crushed the gradually cooling lava barrier.

This scene of fierce battle was taken in by Lance, who had already rescued Ash and was hiding in a place unaffected by the conflict to watch.

"... This is the power of Super-Ancient Pokémon?"

Although it was only two exchanges, the shocking sensation of commanding the forces of nature as if they were one's own limbs made Lance dumbfounded.

Now he could confirm it.

The legends Wallace had told him before he infiltrated Team Magma probably contained not a shred of falsehood.

If anything... those accounts had been quite conservative.

Gazing at the two extreme weather patterns that had already begun to spread and collide, Lance suddenly had a premonition.

It is no exaggeration to say that if left unchecked, the battle between Groudon and Kyogre would truly affect the entire Hoenn region!

(End of Chapter)