That Night
Riku went to bed around 10 PM.
Anyway, there was no TV on the small island. May had brought over a few books before, and Riku had almost memorized all of them.
"Roar..."
Suddenly, a roar rang out, startling Riku—who had just fallen asleep—and making him jump out of bed.
Quickly leaving the small wooden house, he found the three silly birds also looking up at the distant night sky.
A gigantic black shadow was confronting an airship that had appeared out of nowhere.
May had just reminded him during the day. Riku paused slightly, instantly recognizing the scene—it was Team Magma's airship, and that enormous black shadow had to be the legendary Pokémon.
At the thought that he was fortunate enough to witness such an existence, Riku's excitement completely drove away any trace of sleepiness.
Thanks to his good eyesight, he could already see, by the moonlight, swarms of Pokémon flying toward the dragon-like legendary Pokémon.
Sensing a great battle was about to erupt, the hairs on Riku's body stood on end.
He had thought that under the siege of so many flying Pokémon, even a legendary one would be flustered.
Unexpectedly, the legendary Pokémon simply swung its arm, and a huge palm struck the group of flying Pokémon, scattering them in disarray.
Riku glanced at the swarms. Even with his meager Pokémon knowledge, he could recognize them all.
They were Zubat and Golbat.
He had heard that these bats were found all over the world, especially in caves. The Orange Archipelago should also have many Zubat and Golbat.
But the large bat with four wings was something Riku had never seen before.
Now that he knew a bit more about Pokémon, he realized this must be Golbat's evolved form.
"Roar..."
The legendary Pokémon might have gotten a bit impatient. It suddenly let out a roar that shook the heavens—and that roar stunned Riku.
Looking more carefully again, even in the darkness, he found the legendary Pokémon's silhouette somewhat familiar.
However, Riku immediately dismissed the thought that had flashed through his mind.
That was absolutely impossible!
One was a legendary Pokémon that could fight hundreds at once, sending dozens flying into the sea with a single claw and as large as a mountain.
The other was a Pokémon that couldn't even find food, which May had mistaken as disabled.
The difference was like heaven and earth.
The existence before his eyes couldn't possibly be his Red Shrimp!
"Zappy, where's Red Shrimp?"
Even though he dismissed the idea, Riku still looked around. When he saw that Little Red Shrimp was indeed missing, he lowered his head and glanced at Zapdos.
"Riku!"
Before Zappy could respond, a familiar voice called out.
Looking up, Riku saw May rushing toward him.
Zappy and the other two birds, upon seeing May arrive, exchanged glances and quickly flew into the night sky.
"It's so late—why did you come over?"
"I was worried about you! What if the island gets flooded because of this battle? You don't have any Water-type Pokémon; you wouldn't even be able to escape!"
Then, May quickly explained the situation to Riku.
"So this is the legendary Lord of the Land—Groudon!" Riku exclaimed.
"The ancient book you gave me mentioned it briefly, without much detail. I've learned something new today."
May said anxiously, "This isn't the time to talk about that! We need to be careful. If things don't look right, you must stay by my side!"
Saying this, May took Riku's hand.
Only then did he notice her face was pale, and her palms were sweaty.
"Roar..."
Groudon's roar once again drew their attention.
Team Magma's flying Pokémon were fearless in the face of death. Even as they were swatted into the sea in droves, they continued their assault on Groudon.
But whether it was Tier 1 or Tier 2, a Legendary Pokémon's power and physical endurance were simply beyond comparison to ordinary Pokémon.
Their attacks were like mild itches. Groudon's red scales were still bright and undamaged, not a single scratch on its body.
Its roar was simply a sign of frustration.
Groudon could sense that Riku was watching, but without activating its powers, it would take time to eliminate these annoying pests.
Meanwhile, on Team Magma's side, seeing that the situation was deteriorating, even their leader stepped out.
"Leader, be careful!"
Courtney, an Admin wearing a red cloak, anxiously advised, "You've already sent out Crobat. That should be enough."
"Enough?" Maxie said angrily.
"Look over there! Our Team Magma Pokémon are getting completely routed!"
"If this keeps up, we'll return empty-handed again!"
Another Admin, Tabitha, also in red, said helplessly, "Leader, this happened because of the terrain—"
"Don't make excuses!" Maxie roared.
"Our top priority now is to lure the Lord of the Land to the island!"
"Otherwise, our flying Pokémon can't endure this much longer..."
"Kyogre..."
Suddenly, a deafening roar rang out.
A black shadow, even larger than the airship, surged from the sea.
Groudon's entire body shuddered, its eyes blazing with fire.
"Stinky fish!"
"You despicable fish actually teamed up with humans?"
"Today, I'm going to beat you into a dead fish!"
---Support with power stones