Chapter 661: Champions Gather, The Might of Groudon and Kyogre

At the coast of Mossdeep City, Wallace, who had rushed over from Sootopolis City, shouted toward the figure waiting ahead of him: "Steven!"

At this moment, the white cap Wallace wore had long been blown away by the fierce wind to who-knows-where; even his meticulously styled hair was ruined by the wind and rain, yet Wallace had no mood to fix it.

Steven did not turn around; with his back to Wallace, his gaze stretched out over the sea before him as he murmured, "The waters of Hoenn have never been this furious."

The sea surface boiled with an unnatural deep blue, spreading rapidly like an overturned ink bottle.

The once-gentle tides turned restless and wild; waves surged upward from the depths, transforming into twenty-meter-high walls of water that slammed violently against the breakwaters.

The air was thick with dense sea mist, every breath carrying a salty, fishy stench and a crushing sense of oppression.

An ancient hum rose from the seabed; the entire ocean began to swell against all logic—not a tidal rise, but stemming from what seemed like an unceasing torrential downpour.

Clusters of reefs were submerged within a short time, corals bleached and died, and schools of fish leaped out of the water as if gone mad.

In the open ocean, massive whirlpools formed out of nowhere, dragging tens of thousands of tons of seawater into bottomless abysses.

The sky poured seawater down in a frenzy; dark clouds spun into a cyclone a hundred kilometers in diameter, while lightning occasionally struck the churning black sea.

It was utterly a scene of apocalypse.

"... Over in Sootopolis City, the seawater temperature is also rising strangely; some plants have already shown signs of withering, and the sky is devoid of even a single cloud, with only a scorching sun constantly radiating light and heat."

Wallace, who was likewise watching this scene, said in a heavy voice.

The entire Hoenn region seemed to have been sliced cleanly in two out of nowhere.

On one side, torrential rain poured down; on the other, a blazing sun hung overhead.

Although, due to the factor of time, the natural disaster itself had not yet spread across all of Hoenn, judging by its current rate of expansion, that was likely only a matter of time.

At most a day, at least less than half a day, and the entire Hoenn region would be dragged into this chaotic vortex.

The areas covered by the torrential rain faced not only the complete failure of urban drainage systems but also the possibility that coastal zones would be swallowed by the surging waves.

As for the areas bathed in the scorching sun, though not as visually dramatic as the rain-soaked regions, the land enduring prolonged baking would inevitably dry and crack, while riverbeds would run dry and plants would wither.

One side would be ravaged by floods; the other would become a thousand miles of barren earth.

By then, Hoenn would truly become a hell on earth.

As a child of Sootopolis and the guardian of the Cave of Origin, Wallace's expression was terrifyingly Solemn.

"... This is the power of the Super-Ancient Pokémon; walking natural disasters, entirely different from the pure strength of someone like Rayquaza."

Steven nodded in agreement with Wallace's assessment, then spoke: "Only pure strength can prevent the disaster from expanding further."

Just as the ancient myths and legends of Hoenn had told.

As long as they used their power to beat Groudon and Kyogre to the point where they had to rely on hibernation to recover, all crises would naturally be resolved.

Fortunately, that previous phone call, which arrived faster than the monitoring systems could react, allowed the Hoenn region to prepare before the natural disasters arrived; cities along the coast had already begun organizing evacuations to avoid the possibility of tsunamis striking the urban areas.

On the other side, in the regions rapidly entering drought mode, the populace had long been notified to hide in shady places as much as possible and not to go out unless absolutely necessary.

Wallace sincerely rejoiced that he had detected the unusual movements of Team Magma and Team Aqua and had invited Lance to go undercover in Team Magma; only thus had they succeeded in reducing the impact of the disaster as much as possible.

He and Steven briefly exchanged the intelligence they held and reached a unanimous decision.

Issues such as the collusion between certain members within the League and Teams Aqua and Magma would be dealt with after this matter concluded.

However, Lance had not brought too many of his main forces, and besides, they could not place the burden of defending Hoenn solely on his shoulders, leaving him to fight alone.

Elite Four-level powerhouses like Drake, Phoebe, Flint, and Glacia were also rushing over to this side.

News also came from the Dragon Clan that they were attempting to summon the descent of the "Sky-High Pokémon," but they could not pin their hopes on Rayquaza, which had attacked LaRousse City not long ago.

Now, there was only one thing for the two of them to do—

Proceed to the center of this chaos and attempt—no, they must suppress Groudon and Kyogre!

It was only when truly facing head-on the oppressive pressure brought by the two Super-Ancient Pokémon that Hearing Hearing Nimo realized just how despairing the pressure must have been during the nearly twenty minutes Lance had stalled them alone.

She herself possessed no means to move in such an environment, and it was even less possible to let Wailord, who could hardly dodge nimbly, act as a mount and risk danger.

She could only ride on the back of Lance's Dragonite, which had flown over proactively to pick her up, interfering with Kyogre and Groudon's actions alongside the Dragonite while commanding her Pokémon to cope with their powerful attacks, each strike capable of deciding life or death.

For this outing, Hearing Hearing Nimo had brought four of her main Pokémon.

Pawmi, Ursaring, Tauros, and Diejie Diejie Mengmeng.

Pawmi and Diejie Diejie Mengmeng were responsible for handling Kyogre, while Ursaring and Tauros were stalling Groudon on land.

Even though Pawmi held an advantage in terms of type, and with Diejie Diejie Mengmeng's support and healing...

... standing upon ice formed only to be shattered, coping with the relentless bombardment of a legendary spirit of Kyogre's caliber still left Pawmi increasingly exhausted.

On the other side, Ursaring and Tauros were also covered in wounds, holding their bodies up purely by force of will.

Their attacks were effective, it was true, but alas, Groudon was like a tireless monster.

Just as they gathered all their strength to land a full-power blow that knocked it down, a few seconds later, Groudon would stand up again as if nothing had happened to it, immediately countering with a wide-area "Precipice Blades."

If a game designed a boss like this, it would definitely be roasted as a terrible game!

Maxie and Archie, as time passed, also became increasingly unhinged.

Their entire beings had turned into repeater machines with nothing left in their minds but "Expand the land! Expand the ocean!"

"Pawmi, Double Shock!"

"Diejie Diejie Mengmeng, use Dazzling Gleam to block the attack for Pawmi!"

"Ursaring, Tauros, don't let yourselves get surrounded by the attacks!"

Hearing Hearing Nimo's brain, spinning at high speed, was now on the verge of overload.

How long had she even been in this battle?

Less than ten minutes!

Yet right now, she even felt that holding on for just one more minute would be her limit.

Let alone figuring out how Teacher Luo Mu had beaten Rayquaza to the ground; right now, she even felt that the twenty minutes Lance had persisted were so distant to her.

So there was still such a huge gap between herself and them—

This thought kept welling up uncontrollably in Hearing Hearing Nimo's heart.

Under such extreme conditions, this was undoubtedly an opportunity to break through one's limits; even though a single misstep would plunge them into an abyss, it could not be denied that under such immense pressure, both she and her four Pokémon were improving rapidly.

Hearing Nimo's heart still belonged to the young girl who longed to become stronger, yet she clearly remembered Luo Mu's admonition from their earlier call.

"Watch your own safety."

The already Terastallized Pawmot unleashed an all-out "Double Shock," smashing Kyogre down into the sea.

But just as Pawmot landed on the solid ice surface, before it could even catch its breath,

a dark fish shadow shot up swiftly from the seawater, its massive body shattering the ice layer with ease; Kyogre leaped in a spinning arc, its fin striking the unable-to-dodge Pawmot and sending it flying, smashing countless layers of ice.

Had it not been for Ribombee's timely support, that single blow alone would have left Pawmot severely injured.

On the other side,

Ursaluna and Tauros, whose movements were not agile to begin with, found their range of motion growing increasingly narrow under the threat of "Precipice Blades."

Had it not been for Dragonite, carrying Hearing Nimo, constantly providing them support, even a mere graze from an attack carrying such terrifying kinetic energy would have completely stripped them of their ability to move.

"... We can't hold on much longer."

As the torrential rain continuously battered her face, Hearing Nimo whispered softly.

Lance's Dragonite also turned its head to glance at the young girl behind it.

Although its own condition was far from good, Dragonite knew that the girl's state was also continuously declining as this high-intensity battle of offense and defense dragged on.

Frankly speaking, the fact that Hearing Nimo had persisted until now was already something for her to be proud of.

After all, in Dragonite's memory, when Lance was at Hearing Nimo's age, he was still struggling alongside it, back when it was a Dratini, on how to defeat peers of the same age.

"Boo-woo?"

Dragonite let out a cry, seemingly asking Hearing Nimo whether they should retreat at this point.

Before reinforcements arrived, if they continued to obsess over blocking the path of the two Ancient Pokémon, the price to be paid next could be exceedingly heavy.

After a second of silence, Hearing Nimo whispered, "Hold on just a little longer."

If reinforcements still hadn't arrived by then, for the sake of Pawmot and the others' safety, Hearing Nimo would actively choose to retreat.

"Boo-woo!"

Dragonite looked deeply at her for a moment, then nodded.

Since that was the case, it and Gyarados would do their utmost to push harder.

With its stamina nearly exhausted to the last drop, Pawmot, under Ribombee's auxiliary enhancement, squeezed out every last bit of electricity within its body; another "Double Shock" nearly illuminated the entire sea area.

Ursaluna and Tauros galloped wildly across the trembling earth, using the moves "Headlong Rush" and "Raging Bull" to ram Groudon, causing it to stumble and lose its balance, plopping down onto the ground on its rear.

But immediately following this came the furious counterattack from the two Ancient Pokémon.

Even with the Red Gyarados causing interference, "Origin Pulse" still swept across the area where Pawmot and Ribombee were located, triggering a violent explosion.

Ursaluna and Tauros were even grazed along their bodies by scarlet sharp blades erupting suddenly from underground, suffering the heaviest blow they had endured since the battle began.

They were now almost halfway into a state of being unable to continue battling.

Continuing like this would truly be dangerous.

Seeing this, before the slow-moving Groudon could follow up with a finishing "Solar Beam" attack, Hearing Nimo immediately chose to recall Ursaluna and Tauros into their Poké Balls.

As for Pawmot and Ribombee on the other side, they were rescued by the Gyarados, which had been waiting for an opportunity to act.

However reluctant she felt, Hearing Nimo clearly understood that her fierce battle had reached its end here.

Dragonite, carrying her, began moving outside the attack range of Groudon and Kyogre, and Gyarados did the same.

Not to mention having two "external brains," even the prolonged struggle, which had lasted for an unknown amount of time, had instilled in Groudon and Kyogre the awareness to deliver finishing blows.

The "Solar Beam" that Groudon had originally aimed at Ursaluna and Tauros now targeted Dragonite and Hearing Nimo.

Kyogre's "Hydro Pump" was likewise aimed at the Red Gyarados, which was forced to float on the sea surface, carrying the nearly immobilized Pawmot and Ribombee on its back.

Before the two Pokémon could launch moves to defend themselves, two male voices, one after the other, rang out, carrying a solemn tone.

"Metagross, Cannonbeam!"

"Milotic, Hydro Pump!"

A thick pillar of light with a metallic sheen blocked Groudon's Solar Beam, while similarly turbulent Hydro Pumps canceled each other out.

In the distance, Paul, Serena, and Lance, whose hearts had nearly jumped into their throats, gazed at those two figures; although the solemnity on their expressions had not diminished, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Nearly half an hour... reinforcements had finally arrived!

"Mr. Steven?"

Looking at the handsome man before her and the iconic silver-white Metagross beneath him, Hearing Nimo asked hesitantly.

"It is me; you must be the one who notified us, correct?"

"You have already done very well; leave the rest to us."

Steven nodded slightly, his gaze toward Hearing Nimo filled with appreciation and admiration.

Both he and Wallace had clearly witnessed the back of the young lady as she fought fiercely.

It was undoubtedly their responsibility to let such a young lady bear such heavy pressure; from now on, they would take over the burden from Hearing Nimo, and as Champions of the Hoenn region, suppress the two Ancient Legendary Pokémon!

Only upon hearing Steven personally admit his identity did the strength sustaining Hearing Nimo slowly fade away.

She lay weakly across Dragonite's back, and before departing, whispered softly, "I'll leave this place to you, Mr. Steven and the others; my teacher will arrive here in just a little while."

"Forgive my presumption, but who is your teacher?"

"Luo Mu; his name is Luo Mu, and he is my teacher."

"... I see, so you are his student; no wonder you possess such excellent strength."

Steven nodded to indicate he understood, then cast a glance toward the waiting Dragonite.

As Dragonite flapped its wings and departed, standing atop Metagross and bathed in scorching light, Steven looked down upon the Groudon below, which was roaring at him.

He murmured thoughtfully, "I wonder if I can accomplish the same feat as him?"

On the other side.

After Wallace also covered the Red Gyarados's retreat from Groudon's attack range, he gazed at the deep blue fish shadow swimming freely in the sea before him.

"As a fellow Champion, I can... no, I must be able to do the same thing as him."

At this moment, the thoughts arising in the minds of Wallace and Steven, two close friends with an age gap of nearly ten years, were astonishingly similar.

It was not for the sake of honor, nor was it any so-called desire to compete and win.

They simply felt, purely and simply, that they too must accomplish the same thing as Luo Mu!

—To defend the Hoenn region behind them.

(End of Chapter)