Even after all his travels and rigorous training, Tyranitar was simply no match for Groudon in a one-on-one fight.
In terms of size, defense, speed, or raw power, Tyranitar was outclassed in every category. While ga statistics might suggest the gap wasn't insurmountable, this was the real world, not cold data. The chasm between their abilities was real—and it could only be bridged if Tyranitar ga Evolved. Without a trainer's direction, a mindless, savage collision would end in defeat, even if Natsui sent out two Tyranitars.
This was the terrifying reality of an ancient Legendary Pokémon. Its re presence was enough to make most Pokémon hesitate, paralyzed by a primal fear.
Rumble...
Tyranitar struggled to its feet amidst the rubble. After only a short exchange, its body was already covered in scars left by Groudon's overwhelming force. Despite the injuries, there was no retreat in its eyes. With a roar, it charged at Groudon once more. Whether it could win didn't matter—it had the courage to fight.
Natsui glanced over briefly. Although he hadn't been focusing on Tyranitar's exact movents, he had expected this outco. It wasn't a surprise.
However, Tyranitar's desperate charge had accidentally blocked Gengar's pursuit of the Magma leaders, allowing Maxie and Tabitha to put more distance between themselves and the ghost.
Fortunately, the setback was minor.
Natsui's primary objective remained Maxie. It wasn't because Maxie was physically powerful, but because his ideology was too dangerous. A man with that kind of ambition leading a massive organization was a greater long-term threat than even Groudon.
If he could capture Maxie, Team Magma would be decapitated, and the organization would likely collapse under its own weight. It was a golden opportunity to eliminate a major threat to Hoenn, and Natsui had no intention of letting it slip through his fingers.
Furthermore, Natsui had no plans to capture the ancient legend himself. He didn't need to defeat Groudon; he only needed his team to stall the beast long enough for him to secure Maxie.
He ordered Gengar to resu the chase. Seeing that Tyranitar couldn't hold Groudon alone, he reached for more Poké Balls to send in reinforcents.
But before he could act, Shelly's voice crackled urgently in his earpiece.
"Oh no! It's Team Aqua! I've been found!!"
Team Aqua?
Natsui paused, montarily wondering if he had misheard. Why were they here? Had Shelly mistaken Team Magma for them in the heat of the mont?
Two seconds later, he realized she was serious.
In the distance, Shelly's submarine breached the surface. As soon as the hatch opened, Shelly sprinted across the deck and leaped onto the island, running toward Natsui at full speed.
As she drew closer, Natsui saw that she was carrying the Blue Orb. Ever since she had taken it, she had been terrified of losing it or letting it fall back into Team Aqua's hands. She usually kept it close, but because it was cumberso, she often left it in the sub.
Bringing it out now ant the situation had beco critical.
As Shelly reached the shore, another massive blue vessel—Sharpedo-shaped—erupted from the waves behind her. Judging by its size and nacing silhouette, it was every bit as formidable as Team Magma's submarine. Its paint and insignia left no doubt: this was Team Aqua's flagship technology.
Shelly reached Natsui, breathless. She thrust the bag containing the Blue Orb into his arms, her face full of regret.
"I was careless! Archie matched my signal frequency... I didn't see him on the radar. He must have been tailing this whole ti!"
It was a classic move. Since both submarines were Team Aqua tech, Archie knew exactly how to mask his approach—thinking she was the hunter, while soone had been following her the entire ti.
Natsui realized he couldn't underestimate anyone in this ga. But how had they tracked her so accurately in the first place? Shelly had been hiding effectively for weeks. There had to be a piece of the puzzle he was missing.
Regardless, Natsui now held both Orbs. This was a dangerous position to be in. If he were defeated now, both powerful artifacts would be lost at once. Though few could dream of taking anything from him by force, he couldn't afford to be arrogant.
He secured both bags to his waist and released Raikou and Suicune.
"Go! Help Tyranitar stall Groudon!"
With his legendaries deployed to keep the ancient beast busy, he turned his attention to the blue submarine. Since Team Aqua was here, there was no avoiding them. He would wait and see what Archie had planned.
In the distance, Gengar had caught up with Maxie and Tabitha. The two Magma leaders weren't going down without a fight; they released their own Pokémon to counter the ghost. Even with Gengar's superior power, the numbers were working against it, and the pursuit hit a stalemate.
anwhile, Groudon was now facing a three-way assault. Raikou and Suicune flanked it while Tyranitar held the front. It felt like a standoff between legends. Groudon sensed that these new arrivals were different from regular Pokémon. While it didn't see them as equals, it was forced to focus.
Shelly's plan had worked perfectly in the beginning—waking Groudon to lure Maxie onto the island. But the arrival of Team Aqua had complicated everything. Groudon was now a cage, keeping Natsui anchored to the island while a new predator arrived.
Two n erged from the hatch of the blue submarine and stood on the deck. Natsui recognized them imdiately: Archie and Matt.
Archie looked down at Natsui and Shelly, his eyes full of mockery.
"I bet you didn't expect to see again!"
His voice bood through a gaphone, carrying clearly over the wind and waves.
"Archie!" Shelly shouted back, her expression a mix of guilt and defiance. "How did you find us!?"
Archie gave a savage grin.
"Is that even a question? I'm here for revenge—and to take back what belongs to !"
Archie wasn't interested in talking. He nodded to Matt.
Without a word, dozens of cannon barrels erged from the sides of the Sharpedo-shaped submarine. At Matt's command, the battery opened fire. Dozens of shells rained down, blanketing the island in fire and smoke.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The bombardnt was relentless. Archie's logic was simple: if his Pokémon couldn't beat this man, he would use human technology to crush him.
Facing such a widespread attack, Natsui couldn't just stand there. He released Gardevoir, ordering it to put up a barrier to shield himself and Shelly. He also signaled Raikou, Suicune, and Tyranitar to fall back toward the center of the shield.
Despite the chaos, he refused to let Maxie go. He commanded Gengar to keep up the pressure on the Magma leaders even through the falling shells.
Smoke and dust soon swallowed the island. Because the attack was so sudden and widespread, Natsui lost sight of Courtney. He hoped she hadn't been caught in the crossfire.
As the smoke thickened, even the silhouettes of Groudon and Gengar vanished from view. All Natsui could do was huddle with Shelly under the psychic do and wait for the barrage to end.
But Groudon wasn't about to play the victim. It roared in fury as shells detonated against its armored hide. Gathering energy in its maw, it fired a massive Hyper Beam through the smoke.
The beam tore across the island and the sea, traveling hundreds of ters in an instant before slamming into the port side of Team Aqua's submarine.
CRASH!
The hit was direct, and Team Aqua's cannons fell silent as the massive vessel rocked violently. Archie was thrown to the deck but managed to scramble to his feet, his eyes burning with rage as he looked at Groudon.
"Everyone is getting in my way! Fine! Since you want to go down first, I'll take you out before I deal with that brat and the traitor!"
He looked down at the hatch and shouted an order.
"Deploy everyone! Wipe them all out!!"
Dozens of speedboats sward out from the submarine's lower bays, their engines roaring as they sped toward the island. The grunts on board wore their signature bandanas, their eyes wild as they brandished Poké Balls, looking like modern-day pirates. They weren't using cutlasses or muskets, but their Pokémon were just as dangerous.
Behind them, Archie and Matt jumped into their own speedboat and headed for the shore. Team Aqua had co prepared with personnel and heavy gear, ready for a decisive battle.
The smoke on the island began to clear. Natsui and Shelly looked up just as the first boats reached the shore.
Natsui didn't focus on the new arrivals yet. He looked toward where Maxie had been retreating.
Archie's morale was at its peak, and fighting him would be a brutal slog. Maxie, on the other hand, was vulnerable. If Natsui could secure him now...
But as he looked, he saw a problem. During the bombardnt, Gengar had been caught in a nearby blast and knocked aside. Maxie and Tabitha had used the opportunity to scramble back into their own orange submarine.
The Magma leaders didn't flee imdiately. Instead, seeing an opening, they ordered their remaining crew to attack. The massive drill at the front of the Magma sub began to spin with a deafening whine, slamming into the island in an attempt to tear the rock apart.
Maxie had realized that the situation was slipping out of his control. Between Natsui and Team Aqua, he was surrounded. He couldn't let Groudon fall into their hands. If he couldn't have it, nobody would. He would turn the island into a chaotic warzone.
In the center of the island, Natsui sighed. In just a few minutes, the situation had turned into a nightmare. He was surrounded by enemies on all sides.
The only silver lining was that Groudon had stopped targeting him, focusing its fury instead on the Magma submarine and its annoying drill.
The ancient beast began to stomp toward the Magma sub. Even without the Red Orb's control, its rage had reached a breaking point. It wanted to crush the noisy machine into scrap.
anwhile, Team Aqua's grunts reached the shore. They leaped from their boats, releasing their Pokémon and charging toward Natsui.
The chaotic lee was about to begin.
Natsui and Shelly exchanged a look and released their respective teams. The operation had spiraled far beyond their control. Both Team Magma and Team Aqua were desperate, fighting with a "do or die" intensity.
Natsui held both Orbs, and he could have easily retreated to safety, but he couldn't leave yet. Courtney was still missing. He had finally managed to shake her loyalty to Team Magma; if he abandoned her now, all that effort would be for nothing
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