Carl stood, shaking off the dampness from his clothes. He planned to relax in the hot springs and change into something dry afterward.
As he stepped into the bath, he was startled. "What are you three doing here? Groudon, Kyogre, why are you so small, like Mew's size? Did you sneak out?"
The scene was indeed surprising: a red and a blue creature floating in the hot springs, with a pink one lounging on Kyogre's back. Kyogre soaking was understandable, but Groudon? Despite being unfazed by magma, seeing it enjoy the hot springs was unexpected.
The issue was their drastically reduced size. Groudon was less than six feet tall, Kyogre was significantly shorter, and Mew fit snugly on its back.
Groudon explained, "Roar~ (It's more convenient to soak like this.)"
Kyogre chimed in, "Hum~ (Same here.)"
Carl couldn't help but twitch at the corners of his eyes. Their excuses were just too flimsy. Although the hot spring was only half the pool, with a radius of about thirty feet, would these creatures, who usually flaunted their size, willingly shrink?
"Roar~ (Can you stop copying me?)" Groudon glared at Kyogre.
"Hum~ (Agreeing with you is wrong?)"
"Roar (Mindless sibling, don't just parrot everything!)"
"Hum~ (As the older one, I should let you win, silly sibling!)"
"Roar~ (All you say is 'me too,' you're the silly one!)"
"Hum~ (You don't understand, the younger one should always give way to the older...)"
"Roar~ (Are you looking for a fight?)"
"Hum~ (Bring it on!)"
"Roar! (Take my Precipice Blades!)"
"Hum~ (Taste my Origin Pulse!)"
The two creatures exchanged fierce glares, with Groudon making the first move.
A one-meter-high rock suddenly floated up in the hot spring, lightly bumping Kyogre's belly, who barely flinched. "That tickles!"
Before Kyogre could finish, it launched Origin Pulse, sending a rush of water towards Groudon. Groudon didn't budge, instead, it closed its eyes contentedly. "Thanks, just what I needed to cool down."
Carl crossed his arms, eyeing them sternly. "So, you've tried escaping, haven't you?"
Silence fell over the hot spring. Groudon and Kyogre shrank back, not daring to breathe loudly. They had indeed attempted to escape, only to find their powers even more sealed. Soaking in the hot springs, pretending to behave, was Mew's idea, but they hadn't expected Carl to catch them.
Mew rolled on the grass, laughing. She was smart enough to see through Carl's intentions.
"So, how should I punish you?" Carl mused, rubbing his chin.
Groudon's tail twitched nervously. Facing Rayquaza didn't faze her, yet she stammered, "No... no need to be so serious, right?"
"Exactly, we're already punished," Kyogre quickly agreed.
"One crime, one punishment!" Groudon blurted, trying to be clever.
Carl almost chuckled. "Oh, you know the law?"
"Here, you listen to me," he said, feigning sternness.
The two creatures wore frustrated expressions, feeling more trapped than they had in thousands of years.
Mew laughed even harder. After her recent ordeals, she thought it might be time to involve more friends in this experience.
She had taught all the legendary creatures a lesson, bringing them back to the same starting line. Having gone through tough times herself, she now watched as her fellow legends tasted the same medicine.
At this moment, she was nothing short of a nightmare incarnate.
Thinking of her handiwork, Mew was pleased.
But she didn't notice Groudon and Kyogre eyeing her. Even Carl couldn't help but glance at her, perplexed by her joy.
Is watching others face misfortune that amusing?
Groudon and Kyogre exchanged knowing glances, ready to team up like never before.
Kyogre spoke first, "Hum~ (Human, I admit my mistake. I want to confess and report!)"
Groudon was skeptical, "Roar (You're not plotting against me, are you?)"
Kyogre reassured, "Hum~ (No worries, I mean someone else.)"
Groudon was curious, "Roar (Who?)"
Kyogre pointed, "Hum (It's Mew!)"
Mew looked bewildered.
Groudon asked, "Roar (What did she do?)"
Mew nodded vigorously, emphasizing her innocence. Kyogre continued, "Hum~ (She knew but didn't tell us. Isn't that wrong?)"
Groudon protested, "Roar~ (That's not hiding anything; Mew also doesn't communicate directly with Carl.)"
Mew quickly supported Groudon, promising to help against Kyogre in the future.
Kyogre insisted, "Hum~ (What I meant was she didn't tell us we couldn't leave.)"
Groudon was puzzled, "Roar~ (Does that really need saying?)"
Kyogre replied confidently, "Hum~ (Carl didn't say, so naturally, we didn't know we couldn't go.)"
Carl watched them silently, thinking how smoothly they shifted the blame.
Groudon realized, "Roar~ (But Carl didn't say we could leave either.)"
Kyogre responded immediately, "Hum~ (He assumed Mew would make us understand.)"
Groudon was more confused, "Roar~ (Why would he think that?)"
Kyogre pointed at Mew again, "Hum~ (It's all because of Mew!)"
Mew was infuriated, jumping in anger, vowing to make the sea disappear the next time Kyogre woke up.
Carl shook his head at the spectacle. These two creatures were like a comedy duo.
Yet, he found it quite entertaining, casting a meaningful look at Mew.
Mew quickly defended herself, "Mew~ (They're framing me!)"
Kyogre changed the subject, "Hum~ (Then let's talk about you letting me go to test Carl.)"
Groudon joined in, "Roar~ (This needs explaining!)"
Mew hurriedly explained, "Mew~ (I was helping Carl test you!)"
Carl slapped his forehead, surprised there was some truth to it.
Kyogre took the opportunity to shift blame, "Hum~ (I only left because of Mew's advice.)"
Groudon echoed, "Roar~ (Same here!)"
Kyogre continued accusing, "Hum~ (She not only hid the truth but used us as experiments!)"
Groudon nodded, "Roar~ (Exactly!)"
Kyogre concluded, "Hum~ (We admit our small mistake, but shrinking is our punishment.)"
Groudon added, "Roar~ (Mew is the real mastermind!)"
Amused by their antics, Carl stood by, enjoying the performance.