The wide, rubble-strewn cave was perfect for Raikou's fighting style.
Despite being outnumbered by Team Magma and Team Aqua's Pokémon, Raikou expertly used the complex terrain to maneuver. Since it was fighting alone, it didn't need to worry about hitting allies, which gave it a clear advantage.
Seeing that so many of them couldn't take down this one Pokémon, Shelly and Courtney both frowned.
They could see it wasn't that their subordinates were weak; this Pokémon was just too strong. Even its ordinary Thundershocks seemed to have far greater destructive power than those of a typical Electric-type.
Courtney was the first to lose her patience. She tossed her Poké Ball.
Her Pokémon was a tall creature with long, orange-red fur, a head somewhat like a donkey's, the body of a camel, and two rock-like humps on its back.
It was the Ground/Fire-type Pokémon native to hot regions—Camerupt!
The Camerupt stood nearly two meters tall. The moment it appeared, its presence was completely different from the other Pokémon.
At Courtney's command, Camerupt slowly walked toward Raikou, opened its mouth, and unleashed a scorching Flamethrower.
On the other side, Shelly, seeing Courtney release her Pokémon, was about to release her own. But she suddenly felt something was wrong. She paused, her eyes carefully scanning the battlefield.
Unlike Courtney, who was a former scientist and now an admin, Shelly was Team Aqua's chief strategist and had a better grasp of the bigger picture. Although she dressed boldly, she was very meticulous and known for her sharp intellect, second only to the team leader in authority.
Because of this, the sudden appearance of the Electric-type Pokémon made her think things weren't as simple as they appeared.
And as she scanned, she indeed found something!
On the edge of the battlefield, two figures, one large and one small, were stealthily approaching from behind her. Looking closely, she saw they weren't Team Magma grunts, but a strange man and a teenage girl she had never seen before!
Huh? Who are they? Where did they come from?
Her gaze sharpened, and she shouted, "Stop! Who are you!?"
Shelly's shout not only exposed Natsui and Misty but also drew Courtney's attention.
Courtney looked at the two, realized they had snuck up from behind her own team, and knew they had been followed.
Her eyes filled with hostility.
As for Natsui, he wasn't too surprised at being discovered. In fact, given the cave's environment and the chaotic battle, he was surprised they had managed to get this close.
Seeing both women's eyes fixed on him, he immediately shouted, "Now!"
Before anyone could understand what was happening, a Gengar burst out of the ground in the very center of the battlefield. With a bone-chilling "Gegege" laugh, it appeared holding two Shadow Balls, which it hurled into the crowd.
Bang! Bang!
BOOM! BOOM!
The Shadow Balls exploded among the grunts. It all happened in a split second, far more surprising than Raikou's sudden appearance. The members of Team Magma and Team Aqua were caught completely off guard and sent flying.
At the same time, Raikou unleashed its full power. It roared, gathered energy in its mouth, and after a moment, a cannon-like beam of dazzling electricity shot out, splitting the battlefield in two!
It was the ultimate Electric-type move—Zap Cannon!
Although not the highest-damage Electric move, it still had the power to end a battle.
The coordination between the two Pokémon instantly took down more than half of the nearby grunts and their Pokémon. Even Courtney and Shelly were caught in the blast!
The shockwave hit them, knocking both women backward onto the ground.
Taking advantage of this moment, Natsui and Misty ran to the man called Professor Cozmo, cut the ropes binding him, and pulled him back the way they came, fleeing the scene.
The electricity and Shadow Balls had shattered most of the rocks, and the entire cave was trembling.
Amidst the flying dust, Shelly and Courtney covered their mouths and noses. Only now did they realize the strange Pokémon had indeed been acting on someone's orders.
And its trainer, needless to say, was one of the two who had just taken Professor Cozmo.
By the time the dust settled and they looked again, the intruders were gone.
Not just the man and the girl, but the strange Pokémon and the Gengar had also vanished.
"Damn it!"
Courtney shouted angrily. She got up, about to lead her men in pursuit, when she heard Shelly laughing nearby.
"What are you laughing at?" she asked coldly.
Shelly laughed for a long time, so hard that tears almost came to her eyes.
She said with a smile, "I'm laughing at how you plotted and schemed, followed us all the way here, and in the end, it was all for nothing—someone else walked away with the prize!"
Courtney's eyes narrowed as she glared. "Aren't you in the same boat? Don't forget, you put far more effort into this than we did!"
"I don't care," Shelly said, shrugging. "Our main goal has always been the ocean. Finding the meteorite was just a bonus. Whether we get it or not doesn't matter to us. But seeing you all upset? That's the best part."
As expected of two organizations that were like oil and water. Seeing one side fail made the other happier than winning themselves.
Although Courtney knew she was just trying to provoke her, she couldn't help but get angry.
Team Magma had indeed planned this for a long time, mobilizing forces and monitoring Team Aqua. They thought they would deal a heavy blow, but in the end, someone else benefited. How could she not be angry?
She had no time to argue with Team Aqua. She waved her hand, regrouped her men, and chased after Natsui in the direction he had fled.
Seeing them leave, a Team Aqua grunt helped Shelly up and asked, "Boss, what should we do?"
Shelly's smile vanished, her eyes flashing with anger. "We chase them too, of course!"
She had just been putting on an act for Courtney, pretending not to care about Professor Cozmo.
Team Aqua had spent weeks on this. How could she not care?
Now, she wanted to see who was brazen enough to offend both of Hoenn's largest criminal organizations at the same time.
And this time, she would follow Team Magma's example and be the one waiting to snatch the prize.
She regrouped the scattered Team Aqua grunts and led them in pursuit of Natsui and Team Magma.
...
Inside the complex cave system, Natsui, Misty, and Professor Cozmo ran back the way they came, towards Meteor Falls.
When they reached the waterfall, Natsui was about to enter the other tunnel when Professor Cozmo stopped him.
"Wait! This way!"
Seeing the professor waving at him from another cave entrance, Natsui didn't hesitate. He and Misty changed direction, following him into a narrow opening that only one person could squeeze through at a time.
Just as they entered, they heard footsteps. Courtney and her team had arrived at the waterfall.
They had been right behind them, but that slight delay was enough for them to lose Natsui's trail.
Looking at the hundreds of cave openings by the waterfall, any one of which could be hiding them, most people would have been helpless. But Team Magma, if nothing else, excelled at moving underground and had unique tracking methods.
They released several Houndoom. These fierce Pokémon, used to caves and magma, sniffed the air and then all ran towards the same narrow tunnel Natsui's group had entered.
A spark of excitement flashed in Courtney's eyes. "There! After them!"
Hearing the commotion, Natsui looked back and saw them on their trail again. He shook his head helplessly.
They just never give up...
Makes sense. To follow Team Aqua for so long without being detected, those 'dog noses' must be indispensable. Impressive.
One group fled, while the other pursued.
Professor Cozmo clearly knew the cave well, leading them on a winding path deeper and deeper inside.
But even so, they couldn't shake Team Magma. The distance between them grew shorter. Natsui could almost hear their heavy breathing.
Just as Natsui was thinking of stopping to fight, he heard the sound of a rock falling from above.
He looked up and saw a giant boulder fall, landing behind them and blocking the passage completely.
Before they could react, a girl's voice came from a high ledge.
"This way!"
A vine was thrown down, landing right in front of them.
Natsui looked up. It was too dark to see the person's face clearly, but the voice was crisp—clearly that of a young woman.
Professor Cozmo, at the front, didn't hesitate. He grabbed the vine and scrambled up. Seeing this, Natsui recalled Raikou, and he and Misty also climbed the vine up to the ledge.
Only then did Natsui get a clear look at the girl.
She looked about seventeen or eighteen and was very pretty, with black hair cut just below her jaw. She wore a cape over a black T-shirt, shorts that bared her thighs, and a strange anklet. There was something mysterious and wild about her beauty.
But the most eye-catching thing was the strange, scale-like choker around her neck.
Such a distinct outfit made Natsui recognize her almost instantly.
It was Zinnia—a major character from the games!
At Zinnia's feet was a round, pink Whismur with large ears. The boulder from before must have been pushed down by this Whismur.
Before Natsui could say anything, Zinnia quickly pulled up the vine and said to them, "This isn't the place to talk. Follow me."
With that, she turned and walked into a deep cave behind her. Just then, the sound of Team Magma violently breaking the boulder echoed from below. Natsui and Misty stopped hesitating, following Professor Cozmo into the cave.
This cave was just tall enough for one person, and long and dark. But strangely, Zinnia seemed able to see in the dark. She didn't use a flashlight but still moved quickly.
After walking for a long time and crossing another underground river, Zinnia finally came to a stop.
Natsui looked around. They were in a stone chamber, furnished with stone beds, cabinets, and other items, suggesting someone lived here.
She lit an oil lamp on a stone table, and the chamber brightened.
She looked at Professor Cozmo first and shook her head. "I can't believe you got caught by Team Aqua. So careless."
From that one sentence, Natsui knew Zinnia and Professor Cozmo knew each other.
Professor Cozmo sighed, said nothing, and turned his gaze to Natsui and Misty.
"Thank you for saving me just now. May I ask who you are?"
Natsui said, "I'm Natsui, and this is Misty. We're trainers who were passing through Meteor Falls. We saw you being kidnapped and followed you—that's how all this happened."
"I see."
Professor Cozmo thanked them again. If Natsui and Misty hadn't intervened, he would have been forced by Team Aqua or Team Magma to excavate the meteorite.
Just then, he seemed to remember something. He pushed up his glasses and asked excitedly, "Mr. Natsui, was that the Legendary Pokémon Raikou from the Johto region?"
It seemed that Professor Cozmo, being a Pokémon professor, was more knowledgeable than the grunts from Team Magma and Team Aqua. Although it was a question, his tone implied he was already certain.
Zinnia, hearing the name Raikou, also looked at Natsui curiously.
"Yes," Natsui nodded. Since he had already shown Raikou, there was no point in hiding it. "It is indeed the Legendary Pokémon Raikou. It's my Pokémon now."
Hearing confirmation that it was Raikou, and that this man had captured a Legendary Pokémon, not only did Professor Cozmo look at him with newfound respect, but even Zinnia couldn't help but size him up.
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