After venting its anger, Groudon turned its gaze toward Caleb and the others standing not far away...
It stared at Caleb with its golden pupils for a few seconds before letting out a gruff growl: "Grrr."
Meowth translated, "It's thanking you nyaa."
Caleb nodded at Groudon, then asked, "Do you want to come with us?"
If nothing unexpected happened, news of the events in Oreburgh City would soon reach Archie's ears. Snatching the Blue Orb from a prepared Archie would undoubtedly be much harder than dealing with Maxie.
Thus, he needed Groudon's help.
Groudon stared at him for a few seconds before nodding imperiously. It turned its head to the southeast.
That was the direction of the Kanto region, and it was also where Kyogre was...
Seeing Groudon agree, Jessie let out a sigh of relief. She glanced at her wristband and said, "Archie has already arrived in Viridian City."
Groudon joined the team as an ally.
After recalling it into a Poké Ball, Caleb immediately used the Warp Beacon to return to Pallet Town, airship and all...
....
~Viridian City~
Archie, who had been sitting in the mayor's office reviewing the situation in Kanto, suddenly received a report from a subordinate...
After listening, his brows furrowed deeply, "Maxie is dead?"
The subordinate nodded fearfully, "An hour ago, news came from Oreburgh City that Maxie and the rest of Team Magma perished…"
Archie's frown deepened. He quickly ran through the names of individuals capable of killing Maxie in his mind, but none seemed to fit.
Unable to come up with an answer, he asked directly, "Who did it?"
The subordinate shook his head, replying, "No one knows. According to eyewitness accounts, it seems to have been a large, well-organized group."
Hearing this, Archie suddenly had a bad feeling...
Cyrus was dead. Giovanni was dead. Now, Maxie has also died. So… who was next?
The events of the past few days had been far too bizarre.
Who could have imagined that Giovanni, who had been laughing and planning to invade another world just days ago, was now dead, with not even ashes remaining?
At that moment, an inexplicable thought rose in Archie's mind...
'Leave Viridian City. Leave Kanto.'
Realizing what he was thinking, his heart skipped a beat.
'Damn it, what's wrong with me?'
He looked at the dazzling Blue Orb in front of him and decided he was overreacting.
Archie steadied his mind, pinched the bridge of his nose, and said, "Understood. Have Shelly handle matters in Hoenn for now. You're dismissed."
"Yes!" The subordinate replied respectfully.
"Wait!" Archie suddenly called out.
The subordinate paused mid-step and turned back, his expression unreadable, "Boss?"
Archie's face showed confusion. He questioned, "Which department are you from? I don't remember seeing you before."
The subordinate lowered his head, his face shrouded in shadow, making his expression impossible to discern.
Seeing this, Archie's unease grew stronger.
"Look up!" he ordered sternly.
The subordinate's right hand that was hidden behind his back retrieved a Poké Ball from thin air.
A flash of white light later, a Lucario materialized in front of Archie.
"You– who are you?!" Archie exclaimed in shock, hurriedly grabbing a few Poké Balls from his pocket.
But before he could release his Pokémon, the man in front of him uttered a cold command: "Knock him out!"
Lucario blurred into motion, appearing before Archie in an instant. Its fist, carried a sharp gust of wind as it sent Archie flying.
His body slammed limply against the wall before he slumped to the ground, unconscious...
Caleb wiped the makeup from his face, picked up the Blue Orb, and tossed it into his inventory.
*Ding!*
[Congratulations, Player Caleb Chase! You have obtained the Mythical Item
[Congratulations! You have successfully liberated Kyogre! Mission progress +1!]
[Reward: SSS-grade Item Fragment x1!]
Kyogre had been floating motionlessly above Viridian City, serving as a deterrent to the local factions...
Now, with the Blue Orb's control lifted, Kyogre abruptly opened its eyes. Instantly, the skies darkened, and thunder rumbled in fury.
The ancient Pokémon's overwhelming pressure radiated outward from Kyogre, sweeping across the land.
Torrential rain began to pour.
Outside, Team Aqua members finally sensed something amiss and rushed upstairs, knocking frantically on their leader's door.
Caleb glanced down at the unconscious Archie.
He had already decided to establish his own faction to change this world step by step.
In this plan, Archie and Team Aqua were indispensable. Thus, unlike in Oreburgh City, where he had allowed Groudon to attack Team Magma freely, he used the Blue Orb to restrain Kyogre from attacking for now.
Displeased, Kyogre could only vent its frustration by intensifying the storm...
Caleb: "…"
Left with no choice, he took Archie and Kyogre back to Pallet Town via the Warp Beacon.
Before leaving, he found a group chat titled 'Viridian City Work Group' on Archie's wristband and left a message:
<..Stand by. I'm busy. I'll return soon..>
Whether the subordinates grew suspicious or not, Caleb didn't know. If persuasion failed, he'd resort to force and make them submit under threat...
....
~Pallet Town~
Jessie stood at the door, eyeing the man Caleb was carrying...
"So? How was my makeup skills?" she asked.
"Pretty impressive," Caleb admitted, wiping the powder from his face uncomfortably. Then, looking at Archie, he asked, "Are you sure you can make me look like him?"
Jessie crouched, tilting Archie's chin left and right for inspection.
"Nothing is impossible." she said, "Oh, by the way, the Resistance sent a video while you were gone. Reika said it might be helpful."
"Got it." Caleb nodded, handing Archie over to Jessie and James before heading to the bathroom to wash his face.
But after just two steps, he suddenly remembered something and turned around, only to see Kyogre floating behind him, its expression fierce.
Caleb negotiated with the Pokémon, "I mean no harm. I've freed you from control, but you can't attack anyone here. Deal?"
Kyogre quickly agreed.
Though furious, it wasn't an unreasonable Pokémon.
"Good." Caleb pulled the Blue Orb from his inventory, "Also, Groudon is here too. So, no fighting, got it?"
Freed from control, Kyogre stretched uncomfortably before turning toward the mountains.
No wonder it had sensed a familiar presence earlier...
>..Fine. As long as that guy doesn't provoke me, I won't start anything!..< Kyogre declared.
Caleb nodded and pointed to a clear stream nearby, "I've got things to do. There's water over there. You can hang out for a while."
Kyogre, the deity of the seas, glanced at the shallow creek that probably wasn't even as deep as it was tall: "…"