For a moment, the atmosphere grew tense.
Only Drake stood there with his arms crossed, quietly laughing to himself. This time, he was determined to make a strong start with the wild Pokémon riot in Lilycove City and completely suppress both the Joy and Jenny families.
Buzz!
The communication device vibrated again.
Drake casually pulled it from his pocket and answered the call, but within only a few seconds, his expression changed.
"Elite Drake! Team Magma has suddenly launched a large-scale operation. They are heading toward Littleroot Town. We suspect their target is Professor Birch!"
"Damn it..."
Drake hung up even faster this time. He clenched his fist until his fingers turned pale.
That idiot Birch always had to cause trouble at the worst possible moment!
How did Team Magma find out about Birch? Did someone leak the information, or did they have some special method...?
Drake's face darkened as he struggled with growing anxiety.
On one side was Lilycove City. On the other was the Red Orb, which could potentially cause an even greater disaster.
"Shiro! Help me with Lilycove City!"
After saying that in a hurry, Drake threw out a Poké Ball and released Flygon. He then flipped onto its back and flew south.
Shiro was also stunned and hesitated for a moment. Should he follow Drake south to take a look, or should he head to Lilycove City first and stop the rampaging Water-type Pokémon?
It was truly a difficult choice.
"Professor Shiro!" Sterling seemed to have heard Drake's voice. He spoke with some excitement, "You heard that Elite Drake himself asked for your help..."
"Chairman Sterling, you have shares in Devon Corporation, right?" Shiro asked calmly.
Sterling hesitated for a moment. "You want..."
"What do you think, Chairman?" Shiro urged impatiently. "If Lilycove City really gets swallowed by a tsunami, it will become the biggest scandal since the League was founded, and it will happen on your watch. What do you think Chairman Goodshow will..."
"I understand!" Sterling seemed to have thought of something terrifying and hurriedly agreed. "I only have ten percent. I'll give you half!"
Shiro sneered and threw out a Poké Ball before flipping onto the back of Corviknight.
"I want all of it. Drake really does have an urgent matter right now, Chairman Sterling. You have no other choice."
* * *
Lilycove City.
Team Aqua Base.
"Reporting to the boss. We've found the traces of the Sea God."
A deep and slightly hoarse voice came through the communication device.
Archie stood inside his transparent ocean-themed bedroom, but there was not a trace of a smile on his face.
Right in front of him, one Water-type Pokémon after another, which should have been docile by nature, had become as violent as those lowly Fire or Ground-type Pokémon. They gathered together and repeatedly slammed their bodies against the transparent glass.
There were countless Water-type Pokémon. It did not matter whether they were the weak Wishiwashi, Crawdaunt, or Starmie, or whether they were Seadra or Remoraid. One after another, they crowded together like a mass of writhing worms, surging and squeezing through the waters along the edge of Lilycove City.
Only when intense knocking came from outside did Archie finally come back to his senses.
"Is that Shelly? Come in."
The door opened. Led by a tall, dark-skinned beauty, a group of Team Aqua members crowded inside. They quickly formed a relatively orderly line in front of Archie, but fear filled every one of their faces.
"Boss Archie! The Water-type Pokémon outside are rioting!"
"It happened right after we found the god!"
"It must be the will of the god! The will of the Sea God... We should do this..."
"Shut up!"
Shelly turned around and shouted angrily. Her eyes swept over the few members who were yelling about the will of the god, and their voices immediately fell silent.
As one of Team Aqua's three executives, Shelly had considerable authority, and it wasn't simply because she was beautiful.
As for Archie, he silently stood at the front without saying a word.
He was still wondering who had created this entire mess.
A riot of Water-type Pokémon.
And it was happening right beside Team Aqua's base, right next to Lilycove City.
It was perfect. Not only could this attack Team Aqua, it could also affect the League. Once everything was over, Team Aqua's base, located right beside Lilycove City, would certainly not escape the League's purge and retaliation.
Was it that petty bastard Maxie?
Although Archie faintly felt that Maxie was behind this, a Water-type Pokémon riot of this scale was far beyond what Maxie and his group of lowly Fire and Ground-type trainers could accomplish.
There had to be another force pushing things along behind the scenes.
Was it that Lord of Sootopolitans?
Archie couldn't figure it out.
But the situation before him didn't give him enough time to do so.
"Boss! Someone is framing us. We need to move the base immediately!"
Shelly anxiously stepped forward and waved her hand as she urged him, "We should temporarily move the base back out to sea. If this situation gets worse and the League's higher-ups arrive, it will be too late for us to leave!"
Archie seemed to wake from a dream. He glanced at the chaotic Team Aqua members, then reluctantly looked back at his transparent ocean-themed room. However, when he saw the Water-type Pokémon writhing outside, he could only sigh.
"Fine! Everyone, follow Shelly's orders. We'll move the base immediately!"
Shelly immediately shouted, "The Sea God is helping us! It has sensed our dream and wants to turn the land into an ocean ahead of time. Lilycove City is the first step!"
"Now, we must respond to the Sea God's wishes and move our base back onto the sea. This is a major step toward creating the ocean!"
After she finished speaking, the Team Aqua members quickly became orderly.
Following Shelly's instructions, they began evacuating in an organized manner. Another one of Team Aqua's three executives, Amber, had already prepared outside to receive them.
Once they left the base, they could see five pirate ships lined up across the sea.
The Team Aqua members, who were sailors and pirates to begin with, rushed aboard.
Only Archie, who was at the very back, could not hide his worry. He lowered his voice and asked Shelly, "Matt is still in the League's hands. If we leave Lilycove City now, what about the plan to rescue him...?"
"It's already too late!" Shelly's voice was firm. "We can only confirm that Matt may be at the League headquarters in Ever Grande City. We don't have the strength to rescue him right now. Unless... we can awaken the Sea God ahead of time."
"For now, our top priority is to return to the sea and find the Red Devil executive responsible for this matter. Boss, let's go!"
Archie stood on the reef and looked out over the waters of Lilycove City. With only a brief glance, he could see the countless Pokémon moving together across the sea. He could only sigh before releasing his Pokémon and having it swim toward the ships.
**
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