If they went out through the opening above, they could leave the cave and get back to the surface right away. But if they did that, it would ruin the reason they came here in the first place.
Misty clearly thought of this too. She was about to discuss it with Natsui, but before she could speak, she saw Natsui approach her, holding a finger to his lips.
Misty stopped moving, not sure what was happening. Natsui quietly pulled her behind a rock and pointed far away.
Looking closely, she saw a group of people in blue and white uniforms on the other side of the waterfall, over a hundred meters away. They were shoving a man in glasses, dragging him toward a cave entrance.
Misty's eyes widened. She immediately realized it was a kidnapping.
She was about to ask Natsui what to do, but when she turned, she saw his brow was furrowed, as if he recognized those people. The words on her lips changed. "Natsui, do you know those people?" she asked.
Natsui nodded. "They're Team Aqua."
"Team Aqua?"
"They're an organization in this region, like Team Rocket. But they aren't necessarily evil, and they don't want to steal other people's Pokémon."
"Huh?" Misty raised an eyebrow. "So they don't really seem like bad guys, then."
Natsui looked at her and shook his head. "Their ultimate goal is to expand the ocean, believing it's the source of all life and that they are reclaiming habitats lost to human greed. They want to restore the ocean and build an ideal homeland for Pokémon."
"Ah?" Misty's mouth fell open. "You mean..."
"That's right," Natsui said coldly. "To put it bluntly, these people want to control Kyogre, one of the super-ancient Pokémon, to flood the land and expand the sea."
Misty finally understood. Team Rocket wanted to rule the world with strong Pokémon, but Team Aqua had a different goal. They wanted to change the balance of nature and make a new world.
Sigh, really, why is every organization such a headache...
As she was thinking, she saw the Team Aqua members enter the cave. Not long after, another group, wearing matching cloaks, stealthily followed them into the same cave.
"Who are they?"
"They're Team Magma," Natsui said. He told her about his encounter in Rustboro City. "They're the other organization on this continent. But they're the opposite of Team Aqua. While they also want to control a super-ancient Pokémon, their target isn't Kyogre, but the master of the land—Groudon!"
"Another super-ancient Pokémon," Misty said dryly. "Their goal isn't the same as Team Aqua's, is it?"
"That's right," Natsui said, giving her a thumbs-up. "Team Magma wants to make more land for humans. They think people should develop the land, and that people and Pokémon can't really live together. Because Team Magma and Team Aqua want different things, and they are both in Hoenn, they always fight—like fire and water."
Misty rubbed her temples.
Honestly, this was all too complicated. If she could choose, she'd rather deal with Team Rocket than with these big problems.
"Do you know the man who was just captured?" she asked.
Natsui shook his head. He hadn't been in Hoenn long and didn't know many people. He had forgotten some of the plots from the anime and games, and couldn't clearly recall everyone who had appeared.
But regardless, for Team Aqua and Team Magma to appear simultaneously in a remote cave like this, something big was happening.
Even if it wasn't to save the world, Natsui couldn't just watch and do nothing. He needed to keep himself safe too.
He waited a moment longer. Seeing no one else appear, Misty summoned her Starmie. The two entered the water, and with Starmie's help, they quickly and silently swam across the pool to the other side of the waterfall.
The sound of the waterfall was loud. It covered the small noises they made.
Arriving at the entrance Team Aqua and Team Magma had used, they peeked inside but saw no trace of them.
Team Aqua didn't expect to be followed. And Team Magma, thinking they were the hunters, had no idea they were about to become the hunted.
Natsui recalled his nearby Pokémon and sent out Gardevoir, also calling Gengar out.
They entered the cave. Natsui and Misty proceeded cautiously, not even using flashlights, relying on Gengar to scout ahead. Before long, they spotted the sneaky Team Magma members hiding behind some rocks.
Further ahead were the members of Team Aqua.
They could hear Team Aqua saying something to the kidnapped man, but they were too far away for Natsui to make out the words.
Natsui signaled Gengar. Understanding, Gengar immediately sank into the ground and moved closer.
However, before Gengar could get near, things changed.
Perhaps Team Magma grew impatient and felt the time was right. They burst out from their hiding place and attacked the Team Aqua grunts.
It was definitely a successful surprise attack.
The Team Aqua grunts, not expecting an ambush, were thrown into chaos. Before they could mount an effective resistance, several of them were already taken down.
Natsui and Misty took the chance to move forward to where Team Magma was hiding. From there, they could hear the sounds of fighting and people talking.
Only now did they get a clear look at the members of both teams.
There were about a dozen people on each side, with the grunts in uniform. Only the two leaders looked different.
On Team Aqua's side, the leader was a tall woman in her late twenties. She wore a bandana, a short top, and pants that showed her outer thighs. Her long, curly black hair went down her back, and her skin was a little tanned. She possessed a sharp, wild beauty, looking both smart and strong.
Team Magma's leader was also a woman, but she was younger—about eighteen or nineteen. She wore a red hood like the other Team Magma members. Her face was pretty and her hair was light purple. She wore a short red dress and tall boots, which made her look both cute and like a leader.
Although the two leaders belonged to rival factions, they clearly knew each other. While their grunts fought, they just stood there, staring coldly at one another.
The young, hooded girl said to the tall woman, "Surprised to see us? Team Magma's intel network isn't just for show. Don't think you're the only ones who found this clue!"
The tall woman was unfazed. "You certainly caught us off guard," she said lightly. "But do you really think that's enough to stop us? How naive. Let me tell you, we scouted this place a week ago. We know where every tunnel leads. If we want to leave, no one can stop us."
"Leave? Not so easy!" the young girl said. "Cut the crap and hand over that man!"
The man she referred to was, of course, the one in glasses. Hearing this, Natsui looked at him. He was in his forties, with messy hair and a vest—a typical scholar.
He was currently tied up, standing behind the tall woman, looking flustered, as if he didn't understand what was happening.
The tall woman looked at the younger girl and smiled. "Keep dreaming. We worked hard to bring Professor Cozmo here. Why should we give him to you? Courtney, I know what you want. You just want the meteorite to start the volcano, for your silly dream!"
"You think we're silly?" Courtney said with a frown. "Shelly, you're the silly ones! Why do you want the meteorite if not for your own dream?"
"What did you say!?"
"What did you say!?"
The two traded barbs. While they got to vent, Natsui and Misty, hiding nearby, overheard everything clearly and understood the situation.
It seemed there was a meteorite with wondrous powers here. The kidnapped professor must be an expert in the field, and both sides wanted to use him to find it and achieve their own ulterior motives.
The battle in the cave was raging. The two teams were clashing, and Pokémon were falling. Team Magma clearly had the upper hand, while Team Aqua, after their initial panic, had stabilized and were fighting as they retreated towards a side passage.
Natsui and Misty looked at each other.
Misty asked quietly, "Natsui, what's your plan?"
"Isn't it clear?" Natsui smiled and took an Ultra Ball from his bag. "Neither of these groups wants to do good things. We're going to use the chaos to surprise them."
Misty's gaze lingered on the Ultra Ball. "Huh? You're using a Legendary Pokémon already?"
She knew Natsui very well. She also knew that, besides his strong Pokémon, he kept his Legendary Pokémon in Ultra Balls. When she saw it, she understood his plan.
Natsui nodded. "We've already fought them before, so I'm not afraid of offending them further. Might as well give them a big one."
With that, he quietly opened the Ultra Ball. A blue light flashed, and his Raikou appeared.
Upon appearing, Raikou shook its head, seeming unaccustomed to the darkness.
Natsui touched Raikou's head, said a few words to it, and pointed ahead. Right away, Raikou ran very fast, like a flash of lightning, toward Team Magma and Team Aqua.
The flash of golden electricity immediately caught Courtney's and Shelly's attention.
"Who's there!?"
Both shouted at the same time. They looked up and saw Raikou, crackling with electricity, arriving in an instant.
"Is that... a Pokémon...?"
The two women frowned, not recognizing it at first.
It was not their fault. They were in Hoenn, and Raikou was a Legendary Pokémon from Johto. Even people from Johto did not see it often, and people from other places almost never saw it. Even if they had heard of Raikou, they might not know it right away.
In that brief moment of hesitation, Raikou was upon them.
It suddenly unleashed a blinding electric discharge. The current spread out, and with a 'ZZZT,' the unprepared grunts and their Pokémon from both teams were struck.
This development was completely unexpected.
The team members from both groups saw Raikou and were surprised by how special it looked. They thought it was a rare Pokémon. No one thought it would attack them right away.
"Damn it, we're being attacked?"
Courtney and Shelly simultaneously looked in the direction Raikou had come from, but it was dark, and they saw nothing.
Huh? No one?
Could it be a wild Pokémon? Did we intrude on its territory?
But we've never heard of such a Pokémon existing near Meteor Falls!
When Raikou appeared, everything changed. Team Magma lost their advantage immediately.
Because they were closer, Team Magma took the brunt of Raikou's first attack and suffered heavy losses. But Raikou's attack was indiscriminate. With a second discharge, many Team Aqua members and their Pokémon also fell.
Perhaps realizing the power of this unknown Pokémon, Courtney and Shelly shouted almost in unison, "Don't just stand there, catch it!"
Both sides stopped fighting each other and turned their attacks on Raikou.
Fortunately, Raikou was extremely agile, and its electric attacks were immensely powerful. The grunts' Pokémon were no match for it. The moment they engaged, they suffered even more losses.
Taking advantage of this moment, Natsui and Misty quietly moved towards the battlefield.
And in the chaos, no one noticed two dark figures approaching Professor Cozmo.
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