The grand hall was eerily silent. Even Misty and Brock's faint footsteps were drowned out by the howl of the storm outside.
Since entering, they had encountered no resistance, feeling their way through the darkness until they finally reached the chamber housing the strange machine.
This was the only room in the cathedral still lit. Heart pounding, they peeked in and saw the device still running.
Beside it, trapped in a ring of steel, Latios was having its energy mercilessly drained. Its expression twisted with pain.
Latias, desperate to save her brother, bolted forward without hesitation. Misty and Brock had no chance to stop her.
By the time they realized what was happening, Latias had already reached Latios's side.
Her sudden movement exposed them, shattering any hope of surprise.
"Well, well… what rats slipped in here!?"
The silver-haired thief, Annie, sneered. She immediately used the Soul Dew to reanimate several fossil Pokémon that had already been defeated, ordering them to crush the intruders.
Outside, the massive waterspouts rampaging through the city began to shift course, twisting back toward the cathedral under her command.
This sudden turn was noticed by Kai and the others outside. Realizing something had gone wrong with Misty and Brock, they rushed toward the cathedral, following the path of the raging waters.
Inside, Misty and Brock knew time was running out. They hurled their Poké Balls, sending out their partners to attack the massive machine beneath Annie.
Though it was forged of ancient steel, the device buckled quickly under the Pokémon's combined assault. Within moments, sparks erupted, the structure tilting under the damage. Annie herself struggled to stay in control.
"You pests!" she screamed. "Why do you keep interfering with us?!"
She tried to channel the Soul Dew's power again, but the console in the orb-shaped machine suddenly flickered wildly, spitting out sparks.
The device spun out of control, whirling in circles. The ring binding Latios drew even harder on his life force, forcing a pained cry from him.
Latias panicked, slamming into the metal bindings over and over, ignoring the electric shocks coursing through her body.
Then, a surge of dark energy flashed inside the orb. Misty's eyes widened in horror. The Soul Dew, once brilliantly pure, had turned a sickly blackish-purple, radiating a dangerous, malevolent glow.
"Oh no…" Misty gasped. She remembered Lorenzo's warnings. "The Soul Dew's been corrupted!"
He had explained earlier that the Soul Dew, born of Latios and Latias's spirits, was a symbol of purity and harmony. If twisted by malice, it would be corrupted beyond saving.
Not only would it lose its power it could take the entire island down with it.
What she once thought was just a legend now loomed as a terrifying reality.
With one final crash, Latias shattered the bindings, freeing Latios at last.
But the toll was brutal Latios's body was battered, and his spirit was clearly drained.
Misty glanced at Brock. "We've got Latios out—we need to move, now!"
He nodded, and together they lifted Latios, hurrying toward the cathedral doors. Just as they emerged, they nearly collided with the blonde thief, Oakley, rushing inside.
But Oakley had no time for them. Spotting Annie spinning helplessly inside the machine, she sprinted past with a cry: "Annie! Hang on!"
Neither side spared another word. Relieved, Misty and Brock slipped away with Latios, finally reaching the others outside.
"Latios!" Bianca exclaimed in joy when she saw them. "You rescued him?"
Misty nodded but froze. Something was wrong. The air was unnervingly still. "Wait… where's the waterspout?" Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝕟𝕖𝕥
"They just… vanished," Ash said uncertainly.
At once, Misty remembered the corrupted Soul Dew. Her heart clenched. "The Soul Dew—it turned black!"
Lorenzo's face darkened. "Then we're in grave danger. Once corrupted, the Soul Dew won't just vanish—it will trigger a cataclysm. A tsunami."
Kai frowned. "Isn't there a way to purify it?"
Lorenzo shook his head grimly. "The Soul Dew is the essence of Latios and Latias themselves. Once corrupted, it can never be cleansed."
Erika suddenly pointed. "Everyone—look around you."
They turned, stunned. Not only had the rain stopped, but the rivers and canals of Alto Mare were draining rapidly. Boats sank onto the exposed seabed, left stranded in mud and rock.
But Alto Mare was an island city, surrounded by the open sea. The water shouldn't have been receding it should've been rushing inward.
Lorenzo's eyes widened as realization hit. He dashed toward the edge of the square, overlooking the coastline.
The others followed, only to see the impossible: the entire sea had drawn back, exposing vast stretches of reef and seabed. Pokémon and shells flopped helplessly on the bare ground. In the distance, the ruins of an ancient castle, long lost beneath the waves, now stood in the open air.
But further out, a white line stretched across the horizon, surging higher and higher.
Lorenzo's voice was heavy with dread. "This is it… a tsunami. And not just any tsunami—a super-tsunami unlike anything ever seen before."
"A tsunami?" Brock, who had grown up inland, frowned. "You mean… just a big wave?"
"That's putting it lightly," Lorenzo said gravely. "The sea retreating this far means when it comes back, the wave could reach over a hundred meters high."
"One hundred meters?!" The group exchanged shocked looks.
Bianca's voice trembled as she clutched her grandfather's sleeve. "Grandpa… can the city survive that?"
Lorenzo's face fell pale. He shook his head. "No… If that wave hits, Alto Mare will be swallowed whole. And everyone here… won't make it out alive."
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