Ten warships departing from Slateport City were breaking through the waves, speeding toward Rustboro City.
When that familiar fish-like shadow swept past, the Elite Four members and Gym Leaders on the warships all looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
The memory of Primal Kyogre forcefully sweeping them away not long ago was still fresh in their minds.
Facing the consecutive combo of Origin Pulse followed by another Origin Pulse, it was absolutely impossible to say they weren't breaking out in cold sweat.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
Standing on the deck, Wallace had already taken out his Poké Balls.
Milotic, Tentacruel, Wailord...
After receiving treatment at the Slateport City Pokémon Center, his Pokémon had regained the ability to continue fighting.
And since this was a group brawl, he didn't bother agonizing over battle tactics, directly opting to deploy the human-wave crushing tactic.
However, to their surprise, this 'fat fish'—which had been incredibly arrogant just a short while ago—did not launch an attack. Instead, it merely shot them an indifferent glance before sinking down and completely disappearing into the depths of the ocean.
Directly opposite them, Primal Groudon raised its head, reluctantly gazing at the sky where the seven-colored meteorite had vanished. Then, as if making some sort of firm decision, it left everyone with a lonely silhouette journeying far away at the edge of the coastline.
The battle between the Dual Gods of Hoenn was not a fight to the bitter end.
Without that Legendary Giant Rock, continuing to fight was completely meaningless. It was better to just go back to their respective homes and sleep.
Wallace, who had arrived late to the party, naturally didn't know what these two were thinking.
His gaze shifted from Primal Kyogre's spot to the retreating back of Primal Groudon, his brain instantly freezing for a moment.
"What? They just ran away like that..."
Recovering his senses, Wallace still found it a bit hard to believe.
He had been fully prepared to go all out, even expecting a grueling three-day and three-night battle.
But in the end, after he rushed over with a massive group of people, these two super-ancient Pokémon just directly chose to run away?
Such a plot twist undoubtedly exceeded this Contest Master's expectations.
"Yeah, because the Legendary Giant Rock they were fighting over was intercepted and stolen by those Team Aqua bastards. Plus, seeing that we had strength in numbers, they probably didn't want to keep fighting and chose to leave..."
Steven flew over on his Skarmory, explaining the specific details of the recent battle to Wallace, who was still trying to grasp the situation. Afterward, a relieved smile couldn't help but spread across his face.
To be honest, he had also originally prepared to fight fiercely for a while longer. He just didn't expect Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre to be so decisive, choosing to retreat mere moments after the Giant Rock vanished, directly skipping the battle phase entirely.
"I see..."
Pondering for a moment, Wallace first furrowed his brow slightly, but then revealed the exact same smile as Steven.
The matter of Team Aqua and Team Magma was indeed a bit tricky.
Relying on that Submarine Explorer 1, the League would be completely unable to track them down in the short term. Moreover, they had now stolen the Legendary Giant Rock possessing immense energy, and their true purpose was still unclear.
The League was in the open, while the enemy was in the dark. Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
Of course, no matter what, being able to repel the two super-ancient Pokémon right now was undoubtedly a good thing.
"We really owe this interception battle to you, Hakuya."
Recovering from the joy of the battle ending, Steven turned his head and heavily expressed his gratitude to Hakuya.
Toward the black-haired young man before him, whose looks were not inferior to his own in the slightest, Steven's heart was currently filled with nothing but immense gratitude.
If his previous impression of Hakuya was limited to the rather superficial aspects of being handsome and incredibly strong, then after this battle, he had gained an even deeper understanding of him—passionate, selfless, and possessing the courage to forge ahead even when facing unsolvable predicaments.
For a moment, Steven had already started calculating what kind of rewards he should give Hakuya later.
The person who saved the Hoenn region and its ordinary citizens deserved, and absolutely should receive, proper commendation.
"It's not entirely my credit. Being able to repel Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre relied on everyone's collective efforts."
Hearing Steven's thanks, Hakuya, who had just cradled Alcremie in his arms, simply shook his head gently.
Although he was indeed the main vanguard of the battle, that didn't mean the others were unimportant.
It was because everyone worked together as one that Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre were forced to retreat.
In this battle, everyone held an important position; no one was dispensable...
If Wallace and the others hadn't desperately blocked it at Lilycove City, Primal Kyogre would have met up with Primal Groudon much faster. By then, before the Legendary Giant Rock could even take form, they would have been directly defeated by the pincer attack of the two super-ancient Pokémon.
If it weren't for the assistance of Steven, Lance, and Zinnia, relying solely on Floragato and the others, Hakuya wouldn't have been able to fight both Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre simultaneously and hold out for such a long time...
Even in a sense, Team Aqua, Team Magma, and Team Flare, who came to reap the rewards amidst the chaos, deserved some credit.
Without their recovery operation and energy shielding system, Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre would have ultimately fought tooth and nail over the Giant Rock's energy. By then, even if Wallace arrived with the Elite Four and Gym Leaders, they wouldn't have been able to stop their actions.
"Hakuya, you're simply being far too modest."
High in the sky, Lance crossed his arms over his Dragonite's broad back, his leather cape snapping loudly in the sea breeze.
He looked at Hakuya, his eyes filled with an admiration he couldn't conceal.
As the Johto Champion and the League's Chief G-Man, Lance naturally didn't place much importance on things like fame and fortune.
The reason he chose to help intercept Groudon and Kyogre was, on one hand, because he happened to be stranded here due to work recently and rushed over upon hearing Steven's call for help. On the other hand, his strong sense of justice made it impossible for him to stand idly by and watch two super-ancient Pokémon potentially ravage the cities.
Therefore, Hakuya's outstanding contribution during the interception battle, and his refusal to claim credit—instead attributing the success to everyone's united efforts—undoubtedly won massive affection from this Dragon Master.
"If we hadn't just gone through a massive battle, I would definitely invite you to a match right now."
Amidst his admiration, Lance suddenly shifted the topic, exposing his true nature as a battle maniac.
After witnessing Hakuya's strength with his own eyes, this ultimate battle maniac could finally no longer suppress his burning desire to fight. Even though they had just finished an arduous battle against the super-ancient Pokémon, he couldn't wait to issue a challenge to Hakuya.
"Definitely next time we get the chance."
"Alright, then it's a promise! Next time you come to Kanto, we'll have a true showdown!"
Completely failing to hear the awkwardness and brush-off in Hakuya's words, Lance patted him on the shoulder with great satisfaction, in a wonderful mood.
"Battling different, powerful Trainers around the world is the life creed I strictly abide by!"
"Right..."
Hearing this, the corners of Hakuya's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
High EQ: Trainers from the Kanto region are the prime examples of being flush with martial virtue.
Low EQ: The old saying is absolutely right—poor lands and treacherous waters breed unruly people. The Trainer tradition of making eye contact and instantly starting a battle originated from the Kanto region and was ultimately popularized by them.
But speaking of battles, the ones who deserved the most thanks were the Pokémon who went all out.
Whether it was Latias, who acted as the main vanguard against the two super-ancient Pokémon the entire time; or Alcremie, who utilized her Wonder Guard advantage to minimize the impact of the battle's shockwaves; or Floragato, who unleashed that highly intimidating Petal Blizzard, successfully forcing Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre into mutual suspicion—they all made contributions to this battle that could not be ignored.
Hakuya looked down at Alcremie, who was curled up with her eyes closed against his chest, a gentle smile blossoming on his face.
Even with the augmentation of the Wonder Guard ability, after consecutively tanking so many attacks from Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre, Alcremie's stamina was completely exhausted. In just a short moment, she had curled up and fallen asleep in his arms.
"Thank you for your hard work just now."
Hakuya reached out and gently stroked Alcremie, softly expressing his gratitude verbally.
"Nai~"
Feeling the affectionate stroke of his palm, the sleeping Alcremie let out a cute murmur.
Her petite and adorable figure, her motherly personality, coupled with the cute aura she occasionally exuded—every time he saw her, it couldn't help but bring a wave of joy to his heart.
"Meowha~"
Floragato looked at Alcremie in her Trainer's arms, her face full of envy.
Ever since she evolved from Sprigatito into her current form, her Trainer had never held her in this posture again...
"Alright, alright. When we go back to the dorm to sleep later, I'll hold you to sleep exactly like this, okay~"
Beating the large cat to the punch before she could form any extreme thoughts, Hakuya wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and responded promptly.
"Meowhaha——"
Floragato's eyes instantly sparkled with crystal-clear light, and she happily pounced on him.
At her reaction, Hakuya didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
After the battle with Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre, he found that he now seemed able to better understand Floragato's feelings, as if an invisible spiritual bond truly connected them. But the price of this Bond Phenomenon boost was that Floragato's possessiveness over him seemed to have grown even stronger. She was gradually heading down a path of no return towards being a heavy, yandere girlfriend.
Anyway, it was useless for him to resist sleeping together; he'd still end up tightly bound by vines in the middle of the night.
Thus, to avoid being tied up by vines and falling into a passive state at night, Hakuya felt it was better to seize the initiative in advance.
As for Latias...
Hakuya glanced at the semi-invisible figure beside him and said nothing.
Well, she wouldn't need his invitation. This tsundere, losing-heroine little jet plane would end up sneaking into his bed by herself anyway.
"La-woo?!"
"You perverted Trainer! What the hell is that supposed to mean!!!"
Secretly reading his mind, Latias instantly puffed out her cheeks, voicing her extreme dissatisfaction.
For a moment, various psychic telegrams brimming with tsundere energy flooded over again, and the air was filled with a cheerful, lively atmosphere.
[Crisis of Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon resolved for the first time. Randomized Emerald Easter Egg Dungeon: Sky Pillar unlocked.]
[Note: Catch rate will be massively increased, and negative abilities such as Slow Start, Truant, and Defeatist will not appear.]
"Easter Egg Dungeon?!"
Hakuya blanked out slightly.
The randomized system directly linking with reality... this was a first.
Noticing the explanation below the dungeon prompt, Hakuya rubbed his chin with his hand, revealing a thoughtful expression.
"Catch rate massively increased... Does that mean through this dungeon, I can repeatedly refresh Rayquaza until the one with the exact ability I want spawns, and THEN throw the Poké Ball to catch it?!"
Although it was true that many Legendary beasts spawned in the randomized world, most of the overpowered monsters with perfectly matching abilities and high base stats spawned in the hands of NPCs to snipe them. The wild, unowned Legendary beasts they encountered often rolled garbage abilities.
Like [Lightning Rod] Miraidon, [Levitate] Tornadus, and [Illuminate] Necrozma... Their catch rates were already abysmally low because they were Legendary Pokémon. Combined with such useless abilities, Hakuya had absolutely zero desire to catch them.
But now, having a dedicated avenue to capture an overpowered monster was undoubtedly good news worth celebrating.
Besides this, another point also caught Hakuya's attention.
—Resolving a Legendary beast battle crisis in reality for the first time unlocks the corresponding Legendary beast Easter Egg Dungeon.
Then by analogy, didn't that mean participating in 'Mewtwo Strikes Back' could potentially unlock a Cerulean Cave Easter Egg Dungeon, and participating in 'Lucario and the Mystery of Mew' could potentially unlock a Mew or Legendary Titans Easter Egg Dungeon...?
"If that's the case, it looks like I really need to participate much more in real-world Legendary beast plots from now on."
Nodding, Hakuya temporarily set the matter of the Easter Egg Dungeon aside.
Although it was now past the time he could enter the randomized world, he had no intention of diving into the dungeon just yet.
On one hand, the method of entering the randomized world was physical transmigration; performing a human vanishing act in front of so many people was obviously a no-go. On the other hand, battling those two super-ancient Pokémon had exhausted far too much stamina. If he ran in there now, let alone fighting the in-game Rayquaza, even Caterpie and Poochyena jumping out of the tall grass could chase them down and beat them up.
Oh wait, knowing the randomizer's bullshit tendencies...
Rather than rolling Caterpie and Poochyena, Hakuya had a premonition that there was a much higher probability of rolling Genesect or Yveltal first. Just imagining that battle scenario made his scalp tingle with dread.
In short, he was better off honestly just slacking off and taking a break tonight.