Chapter 142: Mawile and Sableye
"Togekiss, Flamethrower," Lillie said.
Togekiss opened its mouth and blasted a stream of flames at Mawile. Mawile winked at Togekiss, and a wave of hearts shot towards it, striking before vanishing. Togekiss rolled its eyes dismissively: "I don't swing that way!"
Then, the Flamethrower hit Mawile directly, dealing heavy damage. The next second, an Air Slash slashed directly at Mawile. The disc-like blade spun rapidly, striking Mawile's massive jaw. However, Mawile had already activated Iron Head, giving its jaw a metallic sheen. The Air Slash had little effect on it.
But as it flinched, Mawile trembled and retreated. Lillie was sure not to miss this opportunity. Another Flamethrower hit Mawile, sending it limp to the ground, unable to battle.
"Go, Poké Ball," Lillie said, throwing the Poké Ball and successfully capturing Mawile.
Lillie picked up Mawile's Poké Ball, apologized to the remaining Mawile, grabbed Togekiss's feet, and flew up.
"Congratulations," Ryan said with a smile. "How does it feel to capture a Pokémon in your first battle?"
"It feels great," Lillie said, releasing Mawile. "Mawile, please take care of me from now on."
Ryan looked at N, who was frowning, and knew he was feeling a little uncomfortable. N squatted down and looked at Mawile, saying, "How does it feel to be captured by someone else?"
Mawile looked at N in confusion and called out to him twice. Ryan almost burst out laughing. Mawile's meaning was: Losing is just a matter of being weaker, and I'm not interested in males anyway.
Ryan secretly praised this Pokémon's personality. Looking at Mawile, who was getting along so well with Lillie, Ryan considered buying Lillie a Mawilite for Mega Evolution.
Perhaps inspired by Lillie, Sapphire scanned the dimly lit cave and spotted a Pokémon. Her eyes lit up, and she shouted, "Don't run! I'm going to capture you!"
Immediately, she chased after the Pokémon. Before anyone could react, Sapphire had already vanished from sight.
"Sapphire! Wait for us!" Ruby called anxiously. After all, the place was so interconnected, she might get lost. It was too dangerous for Sapphire to go alone right now!
Seeing Ruby chase after her, Ryan and the others shook their heads and hurried after them, fearing they would be separated.
During the chase, Ryan discovered the Pokémon Sapphire was after: a top-quality Sableye!
Ryan smacked his lips, marveling at the protagonists' good fortune. Any Pokémon they wanted to capture was usually either excellent or top-tier quality. For example, the Mawile Lillie had just captured was top-quality, and now they were chasing after a top-quality Sableye. Their luck was incredible.
Everyone was chasing Sableye, but Ryan felt a sense of familiarity in this situation. He and Lillie exchanged glances, and instantly, understanding dawned on them. They shouted simultaneously, "Everyone, stop!"
"Huh? Ah!" Everyone was still chasing, but they were startled by Ryan and Lillie's voices. The next moment, the rock beneath their feet shattered, and everyone screamed and fell.
"Splash!" With a crash, everyone fell into an underground river on the next level.
"Ptooey," Ryan surfaced, spitting out water.
Everyone else also surfaced, helplessly looking up at Sableye, who was laughing loudly above. Ryan, furious, used his psychic powers to slightly loosen the rock holding Sableye. Then, bewildered, Sableye fell, gulping down a few mouthfuls of water before sinking deeper into the underground river.
"Well, I hate being pranked, but I have to catch it anyway. I'll go save it," said Sapphire.
Then, with a sudden dive, she dove to the bottom, swimming like a nimble fish.
Ryan and the others reluctantly made their way to shore. Their clothes were soaking wet, so they decided to light a fire and change.
A moment later, Sapphire dragged the now-unconscious Sableye ashore. She then pressed on Sableye's stomach, creating a fountain of water. Then, she pulled out a Poké Ball and tossed it at Sableye, capturing it.
Everyone watched, sweating nervously, as Sapphire captured Sableye. Ryan asked, "Sapphire, is it really okay to capture it like this?"
"It's okay. We agreed on this back underwater. I saved its life, and it'll be mine. That press just now was just a way to vent my anger," Sapphire said proudly.
Ryan took out a large tarp to separate the area, and everyone cleaned themselves up and changed into dry clothes. After changing, Ryan said, "Let's continue on our way. I hear there's a mural here, and I'd like to see it."
"Yes, let's go too," Ruby said.
Seeing that they'd both made up their minds, the others couldn't refuse. Only N said, "I'm not going. I guess my escort will be here soon. Ryan, let's say goodbye here."
"So soon?" Ryan asked.
"My friend knows their scent all too well. They should be at the cave entrance. Zoroark has already sensed them," N said.
Zoroark nodded, confirming N's words. Ryan was silent for a moment, then said, "Then take care of yourself. I'll come to Unova as soon as possible."
"I'm looking forward to it," N said.
Then N and Zoroark turned and left, leaving Ryan and the three confused people behind him.
Ryan turned and looked at them, saying, "There are some things you're better off not knowing. I'll handle them myself."
"Call me if you need anything," Ruby said.
"Yes, I will," Ryan said.
While the path ahead was more complex, Ryan and his group were fortunate to have two Pokémon native to this region. Led by Mawile and Sableye, they finally came upon the massive rock mural.
The mural depicted two behemoths facing each other. Ryan immediately recognized them as Groudon and Kyogre. Groudon and Kyogre released streams of energy into the sky. Beneath them lay clusters of volcanoes and surging waves, and the sky was split in two by scorching sun and torrential rain. However, Ryan didn't see Rayquaza in the mural, which puzzled him.
"Could it be them?" Ruby asked, turning around.
Ryan nodded and said, "They are, but I need their power, and I have the power to stop them."
"That should be manageable," Ruby said. "I hope it won't come to that."
Ryan remained silent. He knew that without his intervention, Ruby's father, Norman, and many others would have perished in this catastrophe.
In the end, it was only thanks to Celebi's ability to reverse time, allowing the future in which everyone survived to become reality. But Ryan had experienced the time tunnel and knew how difficult it was to reverse time and space. That Celebi must have paid a huge price.
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01