Chapter 377: Pursuit
~Third POV~
[Sevii Island, Sevel Island – Trainer Tower]
The salty, humid air of the Sevii Islands was usually invigorating, but today, it felt thick with the residue of psychic energy and spent combat. Below the monolithic presence of the Trainer Tower on Seven Island, Azure was meticulously helped by Green, gently leaning his back against a rough stone wall.
Azure's breath hitched slightly. His usual calm eyes were clouded with deep exhaustion from the battle against Giovanni. Only two members of his elite team remained active and alert: Gengar, staying inside Azure's shadow, and Eevee, nestled against Azure's hip, vibrating with protective concern for him.
The rest of his potent lineup—Pikachu, Scizor, Arcanine, and Dragonite—were safely withdrawn into their Poké Balls and fainted after the recent brutal encounter with Giovanni. It took nearly all he had to defeat Giovanni.
Mewtwo sat nearby, an imposing shadow carved from pure psychic force, its gaze fixed toward the horizon where the echoes of Giovanni's escape still lingered. Green's voice was laced with worry, "Are you alright, Azure?"
She fussed over the visible exhaustion on his expression as she continued, "You pushed yourself too far. That man... and Deoxys... they're another level."
Red, perpetually earnest, clenched his fist as he declared bitterly, "We failed to stop him again. He just warped away with the real Deoxys before we could break through that shield."
Blue, ever the pragmatic strategist, crossed his arms as he calmly stated, "Your Pokémon was impressive, Azure, holding the line against Giovanni, but even you look completely spent. Green's right; you need to lie down."
Azure shook his head, a wry smile touching his lips as he replied tiredly with a determined expression, "Not yet."
He pushed himself upright, ignoring the sharp protest of overworked muscles as he continued, "Not as long as Giovanni has Deoxys. And besides, I'm not down yet. I still have some cards left to play."
The trio exchanged confused glances. Azure reached into his coat and produced a sleek, unfamiliar Poké Ball—darker, richer, crowned by a distinct letter M. It was the twin to the device he'd used months ago to tame a primal force in the Hoenn region.
Blue stated flatly, his intellectual curiosity momentarily overcoming his tactical concerns, "You already used one Master Ball. Where did you…?"
Azure merely shrugged with a knowing grin as he stated, "Let's just say I made sure I was properly equipped before I started chasing Legendary Pokémon. The score between us isn't settled just yet."
He raised the second Master Ball high. The air immediately grew heavy, charged not with psychic power, but with raw, atmospheric dominance…
*POP*
The ball expanded, and with a flash of brilliant emerald light and a sound that rattled stone, the legendary Sky High Pokémon materialized. Rayquaza roared, "GRAOOO!!!"
The magnificent figure, coils of jade green and glowing gold, unfurled itself above them, instantly dwarfing the Trainer Tower and silencing the nearby waves. Red stumbled back, awestruck.
Green gasped, clutching her hands to her chest. Red stammered, "Hey… hey! You've had something like this hidden!"
Blue stared, jaw slightly agape, as he muttered in disbelief, "You battled Giovanni, held back the entire time, and had Rayquaza as backup?"
Blue sounded less impressed and more mildly offended that Azure hadn't deployed these forces earlier. Azure smiled faintly as he explained sheepishly, "If I had deployed Rayquaza, then Giovanni would've reacted differently. It's best to keep my aces hidden."
Rayquaza lowered its massive head, its powerful eyes regarding Azure with ancient respect. Azure moved forward and swiftly mounted the serpent's neck. Azure said calmly, adjusting his grip, "My apologies, but this is a solo mission now. My team is out of commission for high-speed tracking except for Rayquaza, and your guys' flyers aren't exactly up to the task of chasing a warp-speed psychic alien."
The Kanto Dex Holders flinched, knowing the bitter truth. Their faithful partners, while powerful, could not match the scale of power of Rayquaza, along with the fact that they battled waves and waves of enemies and wasted energy on the Delta Shield; their Pokémon were exhausted.
Azure assured them, patting Rayquaza's emerald hide, "Don't worry. I'll finish this fight. It'll give me some time to rest before the final encounter."
Rayquaza began to rise, the wind screaming around them. Just before they shot into the stratosphere, Azure looked down at his friends, his expression serious as he said, "All that I ask of you guys is this: return to Kanto soon. Head to Viridian City. Giovanni will reach Viridian City soon. Trust me on this."
*WOOOOSH*
With a nod that acknowledged their shock, Azure and Rayquaza vanished, accelerating into the upper atmosphere until they were nothing more than a green streak against the azure sky. Unaware of the Kanto trio, Azure had made one final, crucial move.
Before mounting Rayquaza, he had communicated telepathically with the stoic Psychic Pokémon sitting nearby. Azure's thought resonated clearly, 'Mewtwo. Giovanni will try to shift Deoxys's form for added power. Go to Five Island, specifically the Rocket Warehouse. Obtain the Ruby and Sapphire Gems hidden there. They are the key to Deoxys changing forms. We cannot let him access them…'
*SWF*
Mewtwo acknowledged the command with a silent, heavy nod. In a blinding flash of blue light, the Genetic Pokémon executed Teleport, disappearing instantly toward the secluded Five Island, a shadow operation underway to strip the enemy of his potential power.
/////
[Kanto Region, Meanwhile, Viridian City]
Meanwhile, far away in the Kanto region, the day was bright and ordinary, save for the distinct, heavy silence that had settled over Viridian City since Red had temporarily left his post as Gym Leader.
"Hold up, Chuchu!"
Yellow, the Gym Trainer of the Viridian Gym and Forest, sped up, trying to catch her racing Pikachu. Chuchu, always bursting with energy, skidded to a halt in front of a familiar, large wooden door: the Viridian City Gym.
Yellow caught up, breathing hard, her signature straw hat slightly askew. She adjusted it and looked up at the structure. She murmured to Chuchu, "Do you think Red has come back to Pallet Town yet? If he's back, then surely Blue and Green are, too. I hope they've had a chance to rest."
She pushed open the heavy door and stepped inside. The gym was cavernous and unsettlingly empty. The training area was pristine, the battlefield unused.
Red's presence was always vibrant, full of potential energy, but now, only dust motes danced in the light shafts. Yellow's heart sank slightly.
She scanned the room, her gaze falling upon the heavy, imposing stone bust mounted near the back wall—a crude memorial to the gym's previous leader. Yellow noted, her voice low, "He hasn't even taken down the bust of Giovanni. Red always said he'd get around to it, but he hasn't been home long enough."
She started to turn, deciding to come back later, when a movement caught her eye. Someone was approaching the Gym from the main street.
Yellow initially assumed it was a challenger, eager to test its mettle against the famous Red. But as the figure drew closer, Yellow recognized the sharp, proud profile and the distinctive scarlet hair.
It was Silver. Silver was accompanied by a sleek, menacing Pokémon—a newly evolved Weavile, its claws already glinting dangerously in the sunlight. Silver stopped a few feet away, surveying her.
Yellow, known for her gentle nature and powerful empathy, felt a flicker of recognition in the taller boy's eyes. Silver stated, his voice flat and deliberate, "Yellow. The trainer from the Kanto region who had the Rainbow and Silver Wings. You use a Pikachu, right?"
Yellow replied shyly, adjusting her hat nervously, "S-Silver… The boy… the boy Green grew up with."
Silver nodded curtly. His gaze was intense, analytical.
He reached into his coat and pulled out a modern Rotom Phone, its screen glowing softly. He typed something quickly, then frowned, looking back up at Yellow. He muttered, "Hmm… According to this, despite your height, you are a year older than I am. That's a surprise."
Yellow blushed slightly, used to being underestimated based on her slight frame, as she replied, "Well, yes. I was born right here in Viridian City, actually."
Silver's focus sharpened instantly as he asked calmly, "That's why you're here? You're returning home?"
Yellow said calmly, as she eyed Silver, "In a way. But what about you, Silver? You don't usually travel so far into Kanto."
Silver lowered the Rotom Phone. His expression became intensely private, betraying a flicker of vulnerability rarely seen in the proud young man.
He admitted, gesturing vaguely toward the city center, "I came here to find out where I was born. Green is likely having a reunion with her long-lost parents. It's time for me to do the same."
He didn't need to elaborate. Both understood the meaning.
Silver knew Giovanni was his father, but he needed to walk the ground, to unearth the history, and understand the origins of the man he was destined to confront. Silver finished, his voice hard, "I want to learn more about the man I'll one day face…"
Yellow's natural compassion took over as she said hopefully, "I can help, Silver. Please, let me. If there's anything I can do to find what you're looking for."
Silver hesitated, then gave a slight, reluctant nod. If anyone could uncover hidden history, it was the psychic girl from Viridian Forest.
Silver commanded, pointing toward the Gym as he explained, gesturing to Weavile, "Weavile. Sneasel spent some time here before its evolution. See if you can remember anything significant."
Yellow moved closer to Weavile, placing a gentle hand on its sleek fur. She closed her eyes, focusing her power—the ability to draw on the memories and feelings of Pokémon.
She felt a faint image pulse through her mind: cold stone, the smell of dust, and a specific shadow. Yellow whispered, opening her eyes, "It's faint. I think that's because Weavile has been away from here for a long time since evolving. But I'm sure it was drawn to Viridian City for a reason."
She tried again, pushing her psychic energy, drawing out the deeper, more repressed images in Weavile's mind. Slowly, a coherent picture began to take shape—a vivid, recurring memory from Sneasel's time in the Gym. Yellow quickly sketched the image on a notepad, detailing the scene as she saw it in the Pokémon's memory.
Yellow continued softly, stepping over the threshold, "The location seems to be inside the Gym…"
Silver followed, Weavile trailing him closely. Yellow pointed to her hastily drawn sketch. It showed the interior of the Gym... and the bust of Giovanni.
Yellow murmured, looking at the stone face, "Weavile, why were you thinking about the bust of Giovanni?"
Yellow studied the bust of Giovanni, tracing the memory drawn from Weavile's mind. The drawing showed the stone bust, and behind it, a faint, almost invisible crack. Yellow realized, her eyes wide, "There's something behind this. Weavile wasn't thinking about the man, Silver. I was thinking about what the man hid here."
Silver, recognizing the intensity in her voice, stepped forward, his Weavile shifting into a defensive posture, prepared to scratch through the stone.
The two young trainers, unaware of the aerial armada closing in, were about to discover the final, devastating secret of the Viridian Gym—the legacy Giovanni had left behind for his successor.
/////
[Kanto Region, Meanwhile, Team Rocket Airship]
Miles above the Kanto region, shrouded by cloud cover, the massive Team Rocket airship sliced through the atmosphere, its engines growling faintly. Inside the command center, Giovanni stood before the controls, his formidable presence radiating authority.
He was flanked by the three remaining members of his Team Rocket faction: the boisterous Orm, the calculating Carr, and the icy, focused Sird.
Deoxys, suspended in the air beside Giovanni, pulsed with an unnerving, contained energy. Giovanni commanded, his eyes fixed on the holographic map that showed their trajectory toward Kanto, "Progress report."
Orm chimed in, eager to please as he stated bluntly, "Almost at target coordinates, Boss. Kanto airspace is clear. No interference from the League."
Giovanni ignored the obvious. He pulled a small, worn textile from his pocket—an old, simple handkerchief, slightly embroidered with a faded initial: S. He extended it to Deoxys as he commanded, "Use your abilities. Is its original owner still alive? Where is he?"
*SHIII*
Deoxys accepted the cloth, its crystalline core beginning to glow violently. Psychic energy flooded the air, manifesting as a swirling vortex of lavender light. Deoxys was tracing the genetic and psychic signature embedded in the artifact across the entire region.
A moment later, the light stabilized. Deoxys projected a precise geographic coordinate overlaid on the Kanto map.
—Viridian City. Inside the Gym structure.
Giovanni's eyes narrowed, a deep, complex emotion swirling momentarily beneath his usual mask of ruthless ambition as he finally uttered, "He is alive. And he is waiting in my former stronghold."
He handed the handkerchief back to Deoxys and turned to his subordinates, ordering, "Set course for Viridian City. Prepare for immediate landing. I will see my son."
Orm beamed, cheering the directive. Sird maintained her neutral, professional expression. Carr, however, watched the exchange with mounting suspicion.
Carr lingered back, waiting until Giovanni was conferring quietly with Orm. He subtly caught Sird's attention, pulling her away toward the rear observation deck.
Carr hissed disdainfully, holding up an identical handkerchief—this one slightly cleaner—which he had discreetly pilfered from Giovanni's private quarters earlier, "Did you see that? This belonged to the Boss's long-lost son. The boy he was searching for in Johto, the boy Green stole from him."
Sird looked at the cloth, her expression unmoved as she stated bluntly, "Yes. Our mission was to retrieve the boy and his father's Deoxys specimen. We are succeeding."
Carr scoffed, shaking in anger, his voice laced with venom, "Succeeding? Did you hear him? 'I will see my son.' He didn't say, 'I will bring him back to be trained to lead Team Rocket.' He's going to groom him. He'll make him the next Boss."
Carr jabbed a finger at his own chest through gritted teeth, arguing, feeling betrayed, "We've done all the groundwork, Sird. Captured Legendary Pokémon. Built this airship. We are just disposable tools to him. Once the boy is grown, Giovanni will toss us aside and put his son in charge!"
His resentment, long simmering, had boiled over into dangerous conviction. Carr was not about to be relegated to the history books. Carr declared, his hand reaching for a Poké Ball, "We stop him now. We take the Deoxys, and we seize control before the Boss reunites with his prodigal son."
Carr didn't wait for Sird's reaction. He threw his Poké Ball, declaring, "Forretress! Explode the bridge!"
*Pop*
The Bagworm Pokémon materialized, instantly locking onto the airship's central controls with its metallic plating. Before Forretress could unleash its deadly attack…
*SHINNG*
… a sharp, piercing sound cut through the command deck. Deoxys, sensing the betrayal instantly through its heightened psychic awareness, aimed a devastating psycho-boost at the source.
*BOOOM*
Carr screamed as the force slammed into him, knocking him violently against the bulkhead. Forretress was instantly stunned by the shockwave, its protective shells cracking.
Sird moved with terrifying speed, seizing the opportunity. She was loyal to the mission, if not necessarily to Giovanni himself, and chaotic mutiny was unacceptable.
Sird muttered, retrieving Forretress's ball before the dazed Pokémon could be recalled, "Carr, you fool…"
*Beep*
She activated a hidden panel on the wall, revealing a large storage containment unit as she continued, "Your nuisance is concluded."
Using a combination of brute strength and a quick dose of Paralyzing Gas released from a cuff on her wrist, Sird hauled the reeling Carr into the storage room, sealing the door with a heavy, magnetic lock. Sird ordered, straightening her black uniform and stepping calmly back into line, "Orm, maintenance report. Minor structural instability in the cargo hold. Status report is green, Boss."
Giovanni, who had barely turned from the window, gave a slight nod, never questioning Sird's efficiency as he uttered, "Good. Maintain course. The reunion is near."
/////
[Kanto Region, Kanto Airspace]
High above the clouds, Azure and Rayquaza were moving like a green lightning bolt, already far past the Sevii Islands and streaking toward the mainland of Kanto. Azure held tightly, the wind whipping his cloak as he murmured, "I must trust that Mewtwo can get the gems. Hopefully soon…"
He looked down, catching sight of the familiar outline of Kanto's mountains. He knew Giovanni was closing in, but so was he.
*Zoooom*
Rayquaza was the fastest asset he possessed, and the legendary Pokémon responded with breathtaking velocity. The final confrontation was coming home.
*Swf*
Suddenly, a flash of blue light shimmered just ahead. Mewtwo materialized, hovering perfectly in the jet stream caused by Rayquaza's flight.
It extended a hand, and in its grasp were two glowing, multifaceted stones. The Ruby and the Sapphire, but in truth are the Blue and Red Orbs!
[Item: Blue Orb (Sapphire)
Rarity Item: -
Type: Key Item
Description: A shiny blue orb that is said to have a legend tied to it. It's known to have a deep connection with the Hoenn region. If held by a Kyogre, it allows it to undergo Primal Reversion and become Primal Kyogre upon entering battle.]
[Item: Red Orb (Ruby)
Rarity Item: -
Type: Key Item
Description: A shiny red orb that is said to have a legend tied to it. It's known to have a deep connection with the Hoenn region. If held by a Groudon, it allows it to undergo Primal Reversion and become Primal Groudon upon entering battle.]
Azure signaled Rayquaza to slow slightly. He carefully reached out, taking the two gems. They felt incredibly warm in his hands, radiating powerful, ancient energy.
Azure said excitedly, storing them in a specialized, lead-lined compartment in his bag, "Perfect timing, Mewtwo! With these, Giovanni won't be able to cycle Deoxys through its forms infinitely. We have the means to box him in."
He turned his attention back to the horizon. In the distance, the black, triangular shape of the Rocket Airship was now visible to the naked eye.
It was barreling toward the mainland. Azure declared, straightening his posture on Rayquaza's back, "The hunter has caught up to the prey. Get ready, team. We're going to intercept. Giovanni is about to face the consequences of messing with the balance of the world and taking things too personally. This is where we end this feud between us, before he can reunite with his son."
/////
A/N: Reach the goal of 100 PS to get a Bonus Chapter!