"What?! Why would Kyogre do this?!" Wallace stood up, visibly shocked.
Compared to the situation at the Aether Marine Platform, the Kyogre crisis was far more urgent. The last time Kyogre unleashed its full power, several islands had been completely submerged.
Every Champion of the Hoenn region knew one core responsibility: to monitor and, if necessary, intervene in any disturbance involving the super-ancient Pokémon—Kyogre and Groudon.
"It's still unclear," replied Kennedy calmly. "The information gathered by the Pokémon League's Special Search Team suggests Team Aqua is behind this, but the specifics remain unknown. According to our latest recon, Kyogre has been frequently spotted around Route 124."
Gary immediately grasped the situation. The inevitable clash between Team Aqua and Team Magma had begun. Each group likely wanted to trade or seize the super-ancient Pokémon held by the other.
Archie had clearly gained control over Kyogre, but Groudon remained unclaimed for now. Still, Gary knew Groudon would awaken soon and engage Kyogre, which meant the situation, while serious, was still under some level of control.
However, Steven and Wallace were unaware of the final outcome. To them, Kyogre was the top priority.
"Wallace, I'll leave this to you. I'm going." Steven stood up decisively. "Kennedy, prepare the helicopter."
Kennedy quickly left to make arrangements.
"Steven, are you sure about going alone? That's Kyogre we're talking about!" Wallace asked, deeply concerned.
As a lifelong citizen of Sootopolis City, Wallace understood Kyogre's immense power. Not even a Champion could subdue it alone.
"It has to be done—even if it's risky. Don't worry. I'll be cautious and won't act recklessly," Steven reassured him before hurrying out.
"…What a troublesome time," Wallace sighed, watching him go.
The Aether Marine Platform situation was already a massive headache—and now Kyogre had stirred. Troubles were piling up fast.
Wallace felt powerless. As a Champion, he should be acting, but with no direct evidence against the Aether Foundation, he was forced to wait. Now, Kyogre's emergence had only made things worse.
He glanced at Gary, puzzled by the young man's unshaken composure.
"Huh? Why does this kid look so calm?"
While Wallace worried, Gary appeared unfazed, as if the Kyogre threat didn't concern him at all. Maybe it was because outsiders didn't truly understand the destructive force of Kyogre.
"Gary," Wallace called.
"Hm? What is it?" Gary looked up.
"You do know about Kyogre, right?" Wallace asked cautiously.
"Of course," Gary replied. "Kyogre is a super-ancient Pokémon said to have created the oceans."
"Then you should also understand how dangerous it is."
"I do. But now that it's already happened, we have no choice but to deal with it head-on," Gary said confidently.
In truth, Gary wasn't worried about Route 124 at all. With Groudon poised to wake up and counter Kyogre, there was no immediate danger. Besides, their battle would take place in a remote area, far from civilization. Last time, Kyogre had simply taken one SolarBeam and calmed down—it wasn't a massive catastrophe.
Gary's concern lay elsewhere—at the Aether Marine Platform. He recalled that in one of the movies, Rayquaza had been captured by humans. Though he didn't remember who exactly did it, he had his suspicions.
That incident—and the mysterious "infinite energy" that Steven had mentioned earlier—seemed connected. That energy source, as Gary understood, was derived from life energy, and Rayquaza could convert life energy or meteorite energy into infinite energy. Only Rayquaza possessed that ability.
If humans had already captured Rayquaza, and infinite energy was involved, then the Aether Marine Platform might be the real threat. Could it be that the Aether Foundation had secretly captured Rayquaza?
As Gary's thoughts spiraled, the environment around him suddenly distorted. A vivid illusion swept over him—an illusion that felt real.
He now stood in a cold, metallic environment—surrounded by iron walls and machinery. Right in front of him stood a middle-aged man in a Team Rocket uniform, glaring at him menacingly. His lips moved, but Gary couldn't hear a word. Chapters fırst released on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝕟𝕖𝕥
Then the illusion panned to the right—and Gary's heart dropped.
Zinnia—his comrade—was bound in metallic rings, held captive by a steel mechanism. And beside her was Rayquaza, unconscious and completely restrained. Dozens of mechanical arms were clutching Rayquaza at its pressure points, suppressing its power.
"No!! Something's happened to Zinnia!" Gary jolted upright, the illusion immediately fading.
"Gary? What did you just say?!" Wallace exclaimed in shock.
Just moments ago, Gary had fallen silent, as if in deep thought. Wallace had decided not to interrupt him. But now, with Gary shouting about Zinnia, Wallace was alarmed.
"I just received an illusion from Latios!" Gary explained. "Zinnia has been captured by the Aether Foundation—and Team Rocket is there too! They've also captured Rayquaza!"
"What?!" Wallace's eyes widened. "They captured Rayquaza?!"
Rayquaza was stronger than both Kyogre and Groudon—how could the Aether Foundation possibly capture such a force?
"Yes. I lent Latios to Zinnia this morning for protection. Just now, Latios sent me a mental image through telepathy," Gary said urgently.
"Wait—Latios?! You have a Latios?!" Wallace was stunned. Neither he nor Steven knew that Gary had such a rare Legendary Pokémon.
"Let's talk about that later. We need to head to the Aether Marine Platform immediately. Zinnia is in danger. Are you coming with me?" Gary asked.
"Of course! Let's take a helicopter!" Wallace offered.
Gary paused. "Why bother with a helicopter? We can just fly on Pokémon."
Wallace scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh… all the Pokémon I have right now are Water-types. None of them can fly."
"…Don't you have a Pelipper?" Gary asked, clearly surprised.
Gary smacked his forehead. "Oh my god… You don't even have Pelipper—the original Drizzle setter? What kind of Champion are you?!"
"Original… Drizzle setter?" Wallace blinked in confusion.
He had always associated that title with Kyogre, not Pelipper.
"Let's just get going!" Gary walked out to the balcony, pulled out three Ultra Balls, and threw them into the sky.
Three majestic shapes—red, yellow, and white—emerged from the sky, their wings shining as they soared above.
Wallace's jaw dropped.
"The Legendary Bird Trio…?!"
His eyes widened in disbelief. Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno circled overhead in perfect formation.
"Who is this guy…? He summons Legendary Pokémon like it's nothing…" Wallace thought, completely dumbfounded.