Hearing that Natsui was willing to trade the Orb, Maxie felt a surge of joy, though he kept his expression neutral.
"A traitor like her obviously has no place in Team Magma," he said indifferently. "She's of no use to me now. If her life can buy back the Orb, then it's simply a matter of finding a use for trash!"
Maxie's words were the ultimate assist for Natsui.
It was a perfect reflection of his personality. Since he had already branded Courtney as a traitor, he felt nothing but disgust for his former subordinate. He wanted her dead, so he couldn't bring himself to say anything kind or even fake a sense of mercy.
Natsui remained calm and turned to Courtney. "Did you hear that? You no longer belong to Team Magma. Your Leader said so himself. Once the trade is finished, you'll belong entirely to me—completely!"
Courtney looked up at him, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
She truly hadn't expected Natsui to trade the Orb for her. As they had discussed before, her life was insignificant compared to the fate of the entire Hoenn region. She hadn't harbored any hope for her own safety, but now...
Pushing all other thoughts aside, only one realization remained. She looked at Natsui, a faint smile touching her lips, and nodded at him with bright, clear eyes.
"I understand."
Natsui turned back to Maxie, his voice steady. "I agree to the trade. But how do I know you won't go back on your word once you have the Orb?"
Maxie snorted. "You don't have a choice."
"That won't work," Natsui said, shaking his head. "Your character isn't exactly trustworthy. This deal needs to feel safe for me."
"Then what do you propose?" Maxie shot back.
"Let's find a middle ground," Natsui said without hesitation. "Have that stocky guy there take Courtney to the center of the clearing and let her go. As she walks toward me, I'll throw the bag with the Orb over."
Maxie pondered the suggestion for a moment.
It sounded a bit risky, but it wasn't unacceptable. With Tabitha right there, they could ensure Courtney stayed within their reach. If anything went wrong, Tabitha could grab her immediately.
More importantly, Maxie didn't have a better option. Natsui was no fool; if the terms weren't favorable, he might refuse the trade entirely. Maxie couldn't allow that. The opportunity was right in front of him—Groudon and Kyogre were locked in battle, and the Orb was right there. If he missed this, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
"Fine. I agree. But I'm warning you: don't try anything funny!"
"Relax. I'll put the Orb in your hands."
Maxie gave Tabitha a look. Tabitha nodded and led Courtney toward the center of the field. As they moved, Natsui held up the bag containing the Orb in full view of Maxie.
Maxie watched his every move intently. The bag was definitely the one he had brought from the submarine, and it had the distinct, rounded shape of the Orb inside. He felt a bit more at ease.
Good. It seems he isn't playing games after all!
Once Tabitha and Courtney reached the center, Natsui and Tabitha exchanged a look. Tabitha let go of Courtney, allowing her to walk toward Natsui. Simultaneously, Natsui tossed the bag to a spot slightly away from Tabitha.
With a final glance at Natsui, Tabitha rushed over to pick up the bag while Courtney safely reached Natsui's side.
"I..."
Courtney opened her mouth to speak, but Natsui waved her off. "It's not over yet. We can talk later."
Perhaps afraid that Natsui would launch a surprise attack, or simply wary of his Pokémon, Tabitha didn't open the bag immediately. He felt the outside of it, confirming the hard, round object was inside, and then sprinted back to Maxie's side.
As Maxie took the bag into his hands, he couldn't help but laugh.
What a fool. To actually hand over the Orb for a woman.
So what if you staged a defection and an ambush? In the end, the Orb is back in my hands!
With the Orb back, he just needed an opening to control Groudon, and his ultimate dream would be realized. He gave Natsui a triumphant look and turned to leave.
Right then, Natsui spoke up.
"Oh dear..." he said, his voice dripping with mock surprise. "It seems I've made a mistake."
"What!?"
Maxie whipped his head around.
Natsui held up another bag from behind his back with an apologetic smile. He reached inside and pulled out a glowing red sphere.
Wait...
The Red Orb!?
Maxie's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. If the Red Orb was still in Natsui's hand, then what was in the bag he was holding?
He frantically tore the bag open. Instantly, an indigo light illuminated his twisted, furious face.
The Blue Orb!?
How did this... no! How does this man have the Blue Orb!?
Maxie was completely out of the loop. He knew Team Aqua had stolen the Blue Orb earlier, but he didn't know it had fallen into Shelly's hands, let alone that she had given it to Natsui when she jumped off the sub. He had never imagined Natsui was carrying both Orbs!
And he certainly never imagined Natsui would give him the "wrong" one.
"You tricked me!!!" Maxie screamed, his eyes practically spitting fire.
"Trick you?" Natsui laughed and shook his head. "I promised to trade an Orb for her safety, but I never said which Orb I would use. How is that a trick?"
Maxie wanted to argue, but he realized Natsui was right. Natsui had promised "the Orb," but he had never specified the Red one.
But... but I didn't know you had two Orbs!
He had been played. And what use was the Blue Orb to him? Was he supposed to try and control Kyogre? He wanted Groudon!
Natsui wasn't done "reminding" him, though. He turned toward the battlefield and looked at Archie.
Archie was busy commanding his men against Natsui's Pokémon and hadn't noticed the exchange. Seeing him distracted, Natsui shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Archie! Take a look at what's in Maxie's hand!"
Archie instinctively looked over. He froze. There, in Maxie's grip, was the Blue Orb.
Archie's eyes widened. "Maxie!! Why do you have the Blue Orb!?"
"I..."
Maxie felt a thousand words clog his throat. Looking at Archie's murderous expression, he wanted to explain, but he didn't know where to start.
Should he tell him he'd been tricked? Besides, as a rival, why should he explain anything? Even if he didn't have the Red Orb, holding the Blue Orb meant Team Aqua couldn't control Kyogre.
If I can't have mine, you won't have yours either!
The thought made him feel slightly better. But Natsui continued to fan the flames.
"Be careful, Archie!" Natsui shouted. "The Orb isn't with me anymore. Who knows if Maxie will control Kyogre first and make sure you never get it back!"
Natsui was being truly devious. The two organizations were already sworn enemies. With this nudge, Archie realized the severity of the situation. There was no way he could continue attacking Natsui now.
Natsui was different from Maxie. Archie knew Natsui had no intention of controlling Kyogre; at worst, Natsui would just hide the Orb where Archie couldn't find it. But Maxie? That snake would use the Blue Orb to control Kyogre and use it to wipe out Team Aqua!
Archie couldn't let that happen. He might be a brute, but he saw the danger instantly. With a shout and a wave of his hand, the entire Team Aqua force changed targets and charged toward Maxie.
Maxie wanted to curse out loud, but he held it back. Words were useless now. Instead of wasting energy, he needed to get back to his submarine and find a way out.
Normally, with a full force, Maxie wouldn't fear Archie. They would just have a proper war. But right now, aside from Tabitha, he only had a few crew members left in the sub. They were no match for Archie's full unit.
Forced by the situation, he and Tabitha scrambled back toward their submarine.
Beside Natsui, Shelly watched the whole thing with her jaw dropped. The turn of events was so sudden that it took her a moment to process.
She looked at Natsui. "You are truly wicked. Throwing that hot potato straight to Maxie... but when did you swap them? I didn't even see you do it!"
Natsui gave her a smug look. "The moment you handed the bag to me, I realized things were going to get messy today. I swapped their positions in the bags then. Now, even though Archie is chasing Maxie, we can't let them have an easy time. We have to find a way to get the Blue Orb back too!"
He turned to Courtney.
"Can you fight?"
"I'm ready," Courtney nodded softly.
After being traded for the Orb, her mindset had shifted completely. Fighting Team Aqua—or even facing Maxie again—wouldn't bother her. She felt strangely calm.
Natsui looked at the two women behind him—one in blue, one in red. It was a bizarre sight. Who would have thought these two bitter rivals would be fighting on the same side under his command?
"Good. Let's drive these guys back into the sea!!"
Under his lead, their Pokémon launched a flank attack on Team Aqua.
Unlike before, they were now on the offensive. Team Aqua, caught between Maxie and Natsui's group, was suddenly being hit from two sides.
The tables had truly turned!
Without their Leader or Admins to direct them, the Team Aqua grunts at the rear couldn't hold the line. They began to retreat. At the other end, Maxie was being closed in on by Archie. He fought a retreating battle, slowly backing toward his submarine.
With the front and rear engaged, Team Aqua's formation was in shambles. But Archie didn't care about Natsui anymore; his only focus was reclaiming the Blue Orb from Maxie!
Matt squared off against Tabitha. Archie squared off against Maxie.
Tabitha and Matt were both action-oriented men of similar strength, and they traded blows back and forth. But Maxie was no match for Archie in a direct fight. Maxie was the "brain" of his organization; he could win any strategic battle, but in a physical brawl between men, he couldn't beat the massive Archie.
As the fight intensified, Maxie's heart sank. If this continued, he wouldn't just be unable to shake Archie—Archie would follow him right into the submarine! That submarine was his only way out, and he couldn't afford to lose it.
He grew desperate. Instead of retreating toward the sub, he led the Team Aqua forces toward the center of the island where Groudon and Kyogre were fighting!
If you want the Orb so badly, let's see if you have the guts to follow me!
If we're going down, we're going down together!
Natsui and Archie both noticed the change in Maxie's route immediately. Neither of them flinched. They kept up the pursuit, heading toward the heart of the island.
Since Maxie wasn't afraid, they had nothing to fear either. Especially in Archie's eyes—after fighting for so many years, he knew Maxie all too well. Maxie was a thinker, and thinkers valued their lives. Archie didn't believe for a second that Maxie would actually run into the path of Groudon and Kyogre if it meant certain disaster.
Archie figured Maxie was just bluffing to try and scare them off.
Hmph. I see through your little game. Let's see how you end this!
In the center of the island, Groudon and Kyogre were already seeing red. They ignored the human battle around them entirely. To them, the humans were insignificant. Their target was clear, and it had been each other from the very beginning.
Both were irritable after being woken up from their slumber. They wouldn't stop until one of them was down.
Amidst this chaos, Maxie, Tabitha, and the Team Aqua swarm were closing in on the center of the battlefield...
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