"What do we do now?" James asked.
Caleb pressed his lips together, stepping forward to place his hand gently on the fallen Dialga's forehead.
A surge of vibrant green energy burst forth, but it could not flow into Dialga's body.
There was only one explanation for this... the target was already dead. The Viridian Power could mend wounds, but it could not bring back the dead.
Caleb withdrew his hand and moved to Palkia, attempting the same.
The Team Rocket trio stood silently nearby, watching without a word.
After a moment, Caleb pulled back and shook his head.
Jessie stared at the ground, asking, "Then… what about Arceus?"
Caleb recalled the plot of 'Arceus and the Jewel of Life'...
He did not possess the Jewel of Life's blessing, so he couldn't tell whether the Arceus beneath them was dead or merely in eternal slumber.
The Temporal and Spatial Duo had turned to stone, and Arceus' fate was unknown, so the last path forward had suddenly become a dead end...
'Do I really have to build my own faction from scratch and purge every villainous gang city by city?'
But right now, aside from that path, every other route seemed impossible.
The Resistance was barely hanging on...
The Tree of Beginning had petrified...
Mew and Ho-Oh were nowhere to be found...
Dialga and Palkia were dead, and Arceus' condition was unknown...
Aside from Dialga, the only Pokémon in this world capable of time travel was Celebi... But Celebi was a rare Pokémon that only appeared in peaceful times.
In this nuclear-wasteland era, the chances of finding Celebi were slimmer than the sun rising in the west.
Caleb stared at his inventory interface.
With this world's Mewtwo gone, the heart-shaped item had also dimmed.
The Escape Rope and Special Attack Enhancer had been used up, and the Soul Dew had been given to Latios and Latias.
Now, all that remained were useless items:
- Rotom Bike
- Travel Tent
- Clefairy Doll
- Super Rod
- Forest Medallion
- Warp Beacon
- Book of Answers...
And one last SSS-rank item fragment.
'The Infinite World wouldn't give players an unbeatable Scenario. There has to be something I'm missing!'
Taking a deep breath, Caleb said, "Let's get out of here first."
The Team Rocket trio nodded, and the group retraced their steps to the surface. Just as they were boarding the airship, the ground suddenly trembled violently..
Meowth broke out in a cold sweat, steadying himself with his claws, "What's going on, nyaa? An earthquake?"
Jessie shook her head, indicating she didn't know either.
The 'earthquake' lasted only ten seconds before stopping.
James exhaled in relief and quickly returned to the airship, lifting off.
At that moment, Jessie's wristband received a breaking news alert. Her expression turned grim as she read it, "I don't think that was just an earthquake."
Meowth and James looked at her.
Jessie pulled up the news report, which read:
<..BREAKING NEWS! Maxie and Team Magma Enter Sinnoh, While Archie and Team Aqua Occupy Kanto! What Are Their Plans?..>
At the mention of Team Magma, everyone immediately thought of one thing.
"Groudon!" Meowth exclaimed.
Jessie nodded, "Team Magma is currently in Oreburgh City at the mountain's base."
"What a coincidence," Caleb murmured.
He still needed two more SSS-rank fragments... one from Groudon and one from Kyogre.
James and the others looked at him questioningly.
Caleb explained, "Let's head to Oreburgh. This is the perfect chance to free Groudon."
Jessie hesitated, "But… can we even fight Groudon?"
Caleb shrugged, "No idea."
Jessie: "…"
James studied Caleb's expression and guessed, "You already have a plan, don't you?"
Caleb nodded, saying, "We don't need a direct fight. We just have to kill Maxie and take the Red Orb used to control Groudon."
"How do we do that, nyaa?" Meowth asked.
After a brief pause, Caleb outlined his plan, "I'll need your help."
"Of course," James agreed, "We'll give it everything we've got!"
Meowth unsheathed his claws and offered, "I can help with Fury Swipes, nyaa!"
Caleb shook his head, "We don't need that many people. You just have to distract Maxie for me."
After explaining the details to Jessie and James, the group set off toward Oreburgh City...
Caleb released Dragonite and Mimikyu, then gently stroked their heads, saying, "Your priority is to stay safe. If you're spotted, retreat immediately, got it?"
"Wuu!"
Dragonite and Mimikyu floated on either side of Caleb, nodding firmly...
....
~Oreburgh City~
Maxie stood in the central plaza, surveying the terrified citizens before him with a smirk as he addressed them:
"Team Galactic is finished. From today onward, Sinnoh belongs to Team Magma." He gestured to the four-meter-tall Groudon beside him, then added, "As for what happens to those who resist… well, I don't need to explain, do I?"
The crowd shuddered, recalling how rebellious gang leaders had been incinerated by Groudon's flames.
Countless buildings had collapsed into rubble under Groudon's Earthquake. This was the power of the Ancient Pokémon, the Continent Pokémon, Groudon...
Satisfied, Maxie turned to leave, delegating the rest to his subordinates.
But as he turned...
*BOOM!*
A blinding red light erupted in the sky.
The temperature skyrocketed as countless flaming meteors materialized overhead.
It looked like the apocalypse.
*CRASH!*
The Draco Meteor barrage slammed into the ground with terrifying force.
Panic erupted as people scrambled for their lives.
Maxie frowned as he scouted the scene. Just as he was about to speak up, a purple Weezing floated directly above him.
*Poof!*
A thick purple smog burst from Weezing's body, engulfing Maxie and his surroundings.
"Cough! Cough!"
Violent coughing fits broke out as chaos consumed the plaza.
Even Maxie couldn't open his mouth to command Groudon.
"Mimikyu, go!" Caleb, who was riding Dragonite above, gave the order.
Mimikyu nodded as nanoparticles surged from its chest reactor, forming a red-and-gold armored suit around its small body. Blue jet engines flared to life on its back, propelling it forward like a fighter jet at full speed.
In the blink of an eye, it dove into the smog.
Thanks to the nano-armor, Mimikyu was immune to the poison. Its glowing eyes locked onto Maxie, who was clutching his nose and stumbling blindly.
*Shing!*
A Shadow Claw slashed through the air, followed by Maxie collapsing. The Red Orb tumbled from his grasp.
Jessie, who was blended into the crowd, scooped it up unnoticed and slipped away.
James gave a thumbs-up to the sky.
Caleb nodded, and Mimikyu swiftly returned to his side...
"Good job." He patted Mimikyu and Dragonite before regrouping with Jessie.
"Here." Jessie handed him the glowing Red Orb.
The moment Caleb touched it, two notifications appeared:
[Congratulations, Player Caleb Chase! You have obtained the Mythical Item: Red Orb!]
[Congratulations! You have successfully liberated Groudon! Quest Progress +1!]
[Reward: SSS-rank Item Fragment x1!]
At the same time, the smog finally dissipated.
The Team Magma members gasped as they saw Maxie's lifeless body, with a gaping hole in his chest.
But before they could react...
*ROOOOAR!*
Groudon bellowed in fury, its golden eyes blazing with rage. With a single motion, it unleashed Precipice Blades.
Caleb simply stashed the Red Orb in his inventory, refusing to use it to control Groudon.
Now free, Groudon attacked indiscriminately.
*BOOM!*
The earth split apart, gaping chasms spreading like spiderwebs.
Scalding magma erupted from below, turning Oreburgh City into a literal hellscape...