Chapter 272 – Groudon & Kyogre (Part 1)
Mossdeep City
Gary looked at Asahi, who was holding a box of fries, repeatedly luring a Wingull in the sky, his face full of confusion.
Weren't they here to assist Steven in dealing with Team Magma and Team Aqua?
Why was Asahi feeding a Wingull…?
Just as Gary was about to ask, the Wingull in the sky finally succumbed to the temptation of the fries. It locked onto Asahi's hand and dove down from the sky.
The Wingull's dive was incredibly fast, like a flash of lightning, and in the blink of an eye, it was right above Asahi's head, its beak reaching for the fries.
But at that moment, Asahi's other hand, which had been hidden behind his back holding a Poké Ball, suddenly moved in front of the fries.
Wingull panicked, but its diving speed was too fast—it was already too late to dodge. All it could do was watch helplessly as it crashed into the Poké Ball, turning into a red light and getting absorbed inside.
The Poké Ball shook violently for a moment but eventually settled down.
Asahi stuffed the fries into his mouth as if nothing had happened.
Everyone: "....."
He was the head of the Kanto Division, yet he still went through such theatrics just to catch a weak little Wingull.
When it came to acting inhuman, no one could surpass Asahi.
After putting the Poké Ball containing Wingull into his backpack, Gary asked, "So, what are we doing now?"
Surely, they didn't come all this way just to catch a Wingull…
Asahi didn't answer Gary's question. Instead, he held out a fry dipped in ketchup to Gardevoir—only to have her turn her nose up at it.
She wasn't a Wingull. She had no special fondness for fries.
With a shrug, Asahi ate the rejected fry himself. Just then, he finally received a file from Steven.
[Route to the Seafloor Cavern.zip]
Opening it, he studied the 3D map briefly before tossing the fries to Gary.
"Time to get to work."
Then, before Gary—who was fumbling to catch the fries—could react, Asahi threw out a Poké Ball.
A shimmering silver-feathered Lugia appeared on the beach.
Asahi stroked its head as it affectionately nudged against him, then turned to the group. "I need one person to come with me to the Seafloor Cavern to stop Maxie and Archie from awakening Groudon and Kyogre."
"Is the Seafloor Cavern deep underwater?"
"Around a thousand meters or so."
Gary thought about what it meant to be a thousand meters deep.
From what little scientific knowledge he had, that was a depth unreachable by many Water-type Pokémon.
It was extremely dangerous—one mistake and the water pressure could crush them like jelly.
But this was the perfect moment for him, the great Gary, to showcase his champion's spirit!
He took a step forward, just about to declare, "I—"
But Sabrina and Green beat him to it.
"I'll go." / "I'll go with you!"
Zinnia, who had just joined the team, watched the three of them fight over a dangerous mission and was utterly baffled.
Asahi, however, wasn't surprised. After a moment of thought, he decided, "Sabrina, you come with me."
According to Pokémon Adventures, Maxie and Archie, while being controlled by the Red and Blue Orbs, could also harness Groudon and Kyogre's powers, making them formidable opponents.
Gary and Green were still a bit lacking in strength.
But Sabrina, with her psychic abilities and Elite Four-level skill, was the perfect partner.
Especially since she had just obtained Alakazam's Mega Stone.
Asahi gave Green a reassuring look and Gary a glance of sympathy before instructing Mewtwo to protect them.
Then, he patted Lugia.
"Woo~!"
Lugia let out a long cry before diving into the ocean, carrying Asahi and Sabrina with it.
---
As Asahi disappeared beneath the waves, Gary composed herself and nodded at Mewtwo before turning to Gary, who still looked frustrated.
Since when had he been this eager to volunteer?
Seeing her puzzled expression, Gary patted his chest and declared, "I'm a Champion! Of course, I have to do my part for the League!"
"…And besides, staying near Asahi is the safest place to be! Who knows what kind of disaster Groudon and Kyogre will cause once they wake up?"
Zinnia: "...."
Green: "...."
So that was the real reason.
---
Underwater
As they descended, Asahi immediately sensed a change.
The surrounding Water-type Pokémon had become unusually active. Normally territorial species were now coexisting peacefully, showing no signs of aggression.
Every sign pointed to the ocean awakening.
Beneath him, Lugia also transmitted the same message to him.
"What's wrong?" Sabrina asked, noticing Asahi's serious expression.
Perhaps because they were in the middle of a critical mission, she didn't take the opportunity to mock him for once.
"Kyogre is about to wake up." Asahi's tone was grave. "We need to speed up. Hold on tight."
As soon as he finished speaking—
"Woo~!"
With a resonant cry, Lugia's body shimmered with silver light, accelerating rapidly as it dove deeper.
---
Following Steven's navigation map, Asahi and Sabrina finally reached the Seafloor Cavern.
Exchanging a glance, Asahi made a gesture.
Sabrina understood, gripping a Poké Ball tightly as she mentally counted down—3, 2, 1…
With a sudden flap of its wings, Lugia burst through the water's surface and shot into the cavern.
The abrupt intrusion startled Team Aqua members, who had been preparing to seize control of the submarine while Team Magma was distracted.
Reacting instinctively, they commanded their Pokémon to attack.
"Sharpedo, Hydro Pump!"
"Ludicolo, Razor Leaf!"
"Pelipper, Hurricane!"
A barrage of attacks was launched at Asahi and Sabrina.
Without hesitation, Asahi threw out a Poké Ball.
Gardevoir emerged, gracefully crossing her arms in front of her. A shimmering Psychic Barrier formed, effortlessly blocking the incoming attacks.
At the same time, Lugia counterattacked.
The plate hanging around its neck vibrated slightly. With a powerful flap of its wings, it summoned a whirlwind inside the cavern.
In such a confined space, a storm was devastating.
Whoosh!
The howling wind swept through the cavern, instantly sending several Team Aqua members and their Pokémon flying.
The remaining grunts struggled to fight back—until Sabrina took action.
Her eyes glowed blue.
The Team Aqua members suddenly froze, their bodies refusing to obey them.
In their current state, they were completely defenseless.
One by one, they were swept up by the storm, slammed into the cavern walls, and knocked unconscious.
In just one minute, the only person left standing was Admin D.
"Who the hell are you?!" D's voice trembled in disbelief.
They were in the deep sea, a place so dangerous that even Team Aqua had to cooperate with Team Magma to reach it using the Abyssal One.
Yet these two had just appeared out of nowhere?!
D couldn't even begin to process the absurdity of it.
But Asahi had no time to waste on explanations. He simply glanced at Gardevoir.
With a flick of her wrist, a Psychic Blast knocked D unconscious.
Pelipper tried to resist, but with another gesture, Sabrina had Alakazam bend its spoon—instantly freezing Pelipper in place.
Glancing at the fallen Team Aqua members, Asahi recalled Lugia into its Poké Ball.
"What do we do with them?" Sabrina asked.
They didn't have time to manage prisoners, but leaving them unchecked would risk them escaping.
After a moment's thought, Asahi pulled out a Poké Ball.
Pop.
A Slowbro appeared in the cavern.
Then, Asahi retrieved an Icicle Plate from Gengar's shadow and handed it to the sleepy-looking Slowbro.
"Use Ice Beam to freeze that submarine solid. If you do a good job, I'll cut your training in half."
The moment Asahi finished speaking, Slowbro's ears twitched—suddenly, it wasn't sleepy anymore.
Grabbing the plate, it hardened its gaze and blasted the submarine with a frigid Ice Beam.
Under the power of the Icicle Plate, the freezing effect intensified.
Crack, crack, crack!
Within seconds, the entrance of the Seafloor Cavern and the submarine were completely sealed in ice.
Slowbro stared in disbelief at its own handiwork.
But Asahi paid no mind.
After Sabrina quickly collected the Aqua grunts' Poké Balls, Asahi sensed the two branching paths in the cavern.
Both were empty—there was no sign of Groudon or Kyogre.
Although he had suspected it the moment they entered, Asahi still felt disappointed.
"Team Magma and Team Aqua moved faster than expected…"
Hearing this, Sabrina's expression grew heavy.
"What now? Are you heading back to the surface to face Groudon and Kyogre directly?"
It wasn't that she doubted Hoenn's Trainers, but based on previous experiences, only Legendary Pokémon could counter other Legendary Pokémon.
Simply relying on Hoenn's Trainers wouldn't be enough to stop them.
However, Asahi shook his head. "Since Groudon and Kyogre have already awakened, it means they've reached a delicate balance. Even though it's unstable, going after either one of them first will only make things worse."
"So, what's your plan?"
Asahi had already considered multiple contingencies. Since keeping Groudon and Kyogre confined underground was no longer an option, he had to move on to the next plan.
Stepping forward, following his Aura detection toward the location of the Red and Blue Orbs, he spoke to Sabrina:
"The Red and Blue Orbs… First, we need to take these crucial artifacts from Maxie and Archie. Controlling Groudon and Kyogre to minimize the destruction and environmental impact comes first—then, we bring them together… and deal with them both at once!"
---
Meanwhile, just as Asahi was about to put his plan into action…
The once clear and sunny Slateport City was suddenly engulfed by a massive storm.
Urgent sirens blared through loudspeakers across the city.
The sea level rapidly rose, swallowing the beaches and surging past the breakwaters, flooding into the city streets.
On a nearby mountain where the city's residents had been evacuated, the Gym Leaders overseeing the evacuation watched in awe.
At that moment, they felt it—the terror of being at the mercy of ancient Pokémon.
At first, some people thought Asahi's proposal to evacuate an entire city's residents was an overreaction. But now, witnessing the scene before them, no one doubted him anymore.
What they felt instead was relief…
Thankfully, they had followed Asahi's suggestion. Otherwise, the casualties would have been unimaginable.
At this moment, the operation channel was filled with bad news...
"A tsunami has hit Lilycove City! Fortunately, all residents were evacuated to New Lilycove in advance, and there are currently no reports of casualties..."
"The Mossdeep Space Center has reported that a satellite has spotted Kyogre near Marine Lilycove, heading toward Slateport City..."
"The League has issued an urgent directive: Do everything possible to stop Kyogre! We must keep it away from Slateport City!"
Hearing the League's command, the Gym Leaders present fell silent.
Their opponent was Kyogre—capable of easily altering the weather and triggering a tsunami that could drown an entire city. The idea of trying to stop it with their strength alone was absurd.
But they also knew they had no choice.
Behind them was Slateport City, home to countless residents. If Kyogre got too close, the already high sea levels would trigger a massive tsunami, putting those taking refuge on higher ground in grave danger.
Even if they could delay Kyogre for just a moment, it would be worth it!
Exchanging determined glances, the trainers hesitated no more and prepared to head toward Marine Lilycove.
However, just then, a voice filled with disbelief and fear came through the channel.
"Verdanturf Town... there's been a sighting of Groudon near Verdanturf Town!"
The expressions of everyone present changed dramatically.
Groudon and Kyogre had appeared at the same time!
What should they do? Should they split up to deal with Groudon?
As confusion took hold, a steady voice came through the channel—Steven Stone.
"Leave Groudon to me and Asahi's team. Wallace and the other Elite Four members are already heading to Slateport City!"
"We are Hoenn's last line of defense. I'm counting on you all!"
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