After flying for over ten kilometers, Natsui left the mainland behind once again and reached the vast, open ocean.
Because they were traveling by air, they didn't need to detour around various islands. This saved a lot of time, and combined with their extreme speed, it took less than an hour to catch up with Maxie.
The massive orange Camerupt-shaped submarine was submerged, but because it wasn't very deep, its silhouette was clearly visible from the air. From the side, the shadow cast by its enormous hull might have been hard to spot, but from this height, it stood out like a sore thumb against the sea.
Finding Maxie allowed Natsui to breathe a sigh of relief.
He knew that as long as they were on the same route, catching up was only a matter of time, but he couldn't truly relax until he saw them. Now that they had arrived, he had a chance to stop them from awakening and controlling Groudon. Even if he couldn't reclaim the Orb, he had to at least sabotage their operation.
Courtney's expression, however, was far more complex.
She had ultimately led the enemy right to her Leader. She didn't dare think about what would happen next, nor could she imagine the look on Maxie's face when he saw her with Natsui.
Would it be anger? Shock? Disappointment?
Natsui sat in front, so he couldn't see her face or know her thoughts. However, even if he did, he would only have offered a knowing smile.
Still thinking about Team Magma?
It's too late.
Things had already reached this point; there was no going back for her. When Maxie saw her with him—just as it happened with Archie—he would surely conclude that she had betrayed Team Magma and him.
When that happened, no amount of explaining would save her. Even if Maxie realized it was a setup, it wouldn't change anything. Even if he chose not to punish her, a crack would form in their relationship. Could he ever trust her again? Would he ever dare to give her another mission?
Once she was sidelined or removed from her position as an Admin, the fallout would be undeniable. Courtney would naturally feel the distance, and her own feelings would shift.
This was Natsui's open gambit. It was an impossible choice for them, designed to force a wedge between Courtney and Team Magma to weaken their forces. Unless Maxie was incredibly generous and trusted her completely—but given his personality, was that even possible?
Natsui smiled as he guided Dragonite to soar right over the submarine. He didn't stop, flying straight toward their destination instead. Since he had found them and confirmed their route, there was no need to trail them anymore.
He planned to give Maxie a surprise. Maxie likely never dreamed that even though Natsui was supposed to be trapped at the base, he would not only beat them to the site but would do so with Courtney at his side.
This would only further confirm Maxie's belief that she had betrayed him.
The two flew on in silence, lost in their own thoughts.
After another half-hour of flying, around four in the afternoon, they finally reached a cluster of islands. This was a remote group of volcanic rocks—about eight or nine small islands. The largest was only about the size of two or three football fields. There was no vegetation, no visible volcanic craters, and the highest point was barely five or six meters above sea level. It was the kind of place that looked completely unremarkable at a glance.
If Courtney hadn't been so certain that this was the place, nobody would have guessed that the legendary Hoenn Pokémon, Groudon, was hiding here.
Suddenly, Natsui received another message from Shelly.
Sootopolis City was somewhat far from the Hoenn mainland, but the distance wasn't that great—only about fifteen minutes away. After pushing her vessel to its limit, Shelly had entered the range of the volcanic islands.
After agreeing on a meeting point, Natsui guided Dragonite down onto the largest island in the group.
When Natsui climbed down from Dragonite, he looked around. Aside from the crashing waves and the whistling wind, there wasn't a sound to be heard. He didn't see a single Pokémon; it felt like a dead island.
He looked at Courtney as she jumped down and asked in surprise, "Are you sure Groudon is hidden here?"
Courtney nodded. "We haven't pinpointed its exact location, but we've confirmed it repeatedly with our instruments. Groudon is hidden somewhere deep beneath our feet!"
Natsui found it strange. "Maxie sure is patient. If he knew Groudon was here, why didn't he try to capture it sooner? I'm sure with all your people, you could have done it even without a Master Ball."
Courtney was silent for a moment before answering. "It wasn't that we didn't want to. We only found Groudon a few days ago. Plus, after the last battle with you, many of our Pokémon were injured and haven't recovered yet. Because we weren't a hundred percent sure we could stop it from escaping, we didn't want to rush the capture."
Natsui arched an eyebrow and laughed. "So it was partly my fault? I guess I sabotaged you without even trying!"
Perhaps because of Groudon's presence, Natsui could feel that even the ground beneath his feet was hot. It was no wonder nothing grew here.
Right then, the sea surface broke as Shelly's Sharpedo-shaped submarine surfaced nearby. Within seconds, the sub pulled close to the island, the hatch opened, and Shelly leaped out.
She jumped nimbly across the rocks and landed in front of them. After a quick glance at Natsui, her eyes locked onto Courtney.
Courtney immediately went on edge, her body tensing instinctively.
"Well, well," Shelly teased with a smirk. "I never thought I'd see the day we'd meet like this!"
She turned her gaze to Natsui and added mockingly, "What's the matter? Am I not enough for you? Have you set your sights on her too?"
That simple joke made Courtney stare at Natsui in total shock.
Do he and Shelly have that kind of relationship!?
Did he save me because he has other motives besides stopping the Leader!?
"Don't listen to her. She's joking," Natsui said quickly, waving his hand as he saw Courtney's reaction. He frowned at Shelly. "Don't say things that are so misleading. People will get the wrong idea!"
"Did I say something wrong?" Shelly huffed. "You've made sure both of us ended up like this. I can't imagine your motives are purely innocent."
Natsui could feel that Shelly's attitude toward him had been very strange lately. Even though she came when called and didn't try to run away even when he wasn't looking, she still had a sharp tongue and loved to tease him. He didn't know what she meant by it, but he could only assume it was her last bit of resistance. If the day ever came where she stopped talking like that, her defiance would probably be gone for good.
"I think you should be thanking me for the way you are now," Natsui replied with a dry look. "Thank me for saving you both from a miserable end."
He didn't give Shelly a chance to keep confusing Courtney and got straight to the point. "Enough small talk. Let's figure out how to stop Maxie from controlling Groudon."
Shelly quieted down immediately when Natsui glared at her. However, hearing him talk about business, she couldn't help but add, "What's there to discuss? Isn't this what you're best at? Just send out those Pokémon of yours. What could possibly stop you?"
Natsui rubbed his chin and shook his head. "That won't work this time. We are hidden, and they are out in the open. If we reveal ourselves too early, Maxie might just take the Orb and run. We can't stay here forever, and we can't guard every inch of this place."
Courtney stood by, looking like she wanted to say something. As a Team Magma Admin, she had once shared the organization's glory and its losses. Listening to these two talk about how to take down her Leader and her team right in front of her felt incredibly uncomfortable.
Natsui and Shelly didn't notice her expression and kept talking.
"So what do you want to do?" Shelly asked.
"I'm asking you," Natsui said, looking at her. "Everyone says you're the smartest person in Team Aqua. This is the time to come up with a plan."
Typical...
Now he remembers me!
Shelly cursed him silently, seeing his "of course you should help" expression. Still, she had to think about how to stop Maxie and steal the Orb at the same time. She was indeed brilliant; after a few moments of thought, a plan began to take shape.
She took a deep breath. "Fine. Here's what we'll do..."
She whispered her plan into Natsui's ear. Natsui frowned as he listened, weighing the options for a while. "Isn't that... a bit too risky? If things go wrong, it might backfire."
Shelly looked indifferent. "If you think it's too risky, don't do it. The choice is yours."
This girl...
Natsui thought about it for a moment and decided to trust her. The worst-case scenario was Maxie escaping, but as long as he didn't control Groudon, the mission would still be a success.
After setting up their earpieces for communication, Shelly returned to her submarine and submerged. As the final safety net for the plan, she would remain hidden. If Maxie somehow managed to escape, she would track him so Natsui could launch a second strike.
Once the sub vanished, Courtney walked to the other end of the island and hid behind a pile of rocks.
Natsui didn't expect her to help. In fact, if she just stayed there, watched the situation, and didn't interfere, that was help enough! This was the challenge Natsui had set for her: would she let her old loyalties take over and help Maxie, or would she believe the warnings in her head and Shelly's advice and choose the truth?
Looking at her back, Natsui shook his head.
I hope she makes the right choice...
Suddenly, Gengar popped out of his shadow. It had seen everything from the darkness. Now that Shelly and Courtney were gone, it asked, "Is it really okay to trust those two women?"
"Who knows," Natsui shrugged. "A person's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea—impossible to read. But I do know one thing: whether they like it or not, there's no turning back for them now!"
Once Shelly and Courtney were in position, Natsui knew he had to move. Maxie would be arriving soon; time was running out.
He reached for a Poké Ball and released his Pokémon. With a roar, Tyranitar appeared on the island!
Natsui pointed at the highest pile of volcanic rocks in the center of the island. "Let's flush him out. Go, Tyranitar! Tear it down!"
At his command, Tyranitar roared again. Energy began to gather in its mouth before it unleashed a massive Hyper Beam!
The powerful beam shot out, striking the rock pile and blasting it into dust instantly. But Tyranitar wasn't finished. It turned its head, sweeping the Hyper Beam across the island and tearing into the ground.
Explosions echoed everywhere. Rocks were reduced to fragments that rained down from the sky.
To Natsui's surprise, after the Hyper Beam ended, the island beneath his feet remained still.
Hmm?
Still didn't wake Groudon?
Feeling a bit surprised, Natsui waited for Hyper Beam's recharge to end and immediately gave another order.
This time, Tyranitar used Earthquake!
A shockwave radiated from Tyranitar's feet. The earth shook and the mountains trembled. Volcanic rocks collapsed across the island, and the surrounding sea began to churn violently. The entire island seemed to vibrate in an instant!
The shaking was so intense that Natsui nearly fell. Gengar quickly pulled him into the air.
Just as Natsui reached the safety of the sky, a massive force threw aside a pile of volcanic rocks in the distance. A giant red figure rose from the earth!
At that exact moment, Shelly's voice crackled in his earpiece.
"Radar has detected a suspicious target. Be careful—they're here!"
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