Hoenn Region – Mossdeep City Harbor
After ending the call with Lucas, Nemona turned to Paul and Shizuka behind her with a smile. "Let's go. There's less than a month left until the Grand Festival begins. We need to pick up the pace."
"Got it."
Paul and Shizuka nodded gently, solemn expressions appearing on their faces.
In the official recommended order for challenging Gyms in the Hoenn region, the Sootopolis Gym was listed as the final eighth Gym.
Whether it was Juan, who had stepped down but occasionally acted as a substitute Gym Leader, or Wallace, the current Hoenn Champion who also ran the Sootopolis Gym—both trainers were incredibly powerful and well-known. Wallace, in particular, was the Hoenn League Champion.
It was said that the "Wallace Cup," which he personally organized, was currently being held in Sootopolis City. The chances of encountering him during a Gym challenge might increase dramatically.
Opportunities to battle a Champion were rare, so they had to prepare thoroughly… Wait a second.
A hint of hesitation suddenly appeared on Paul's usually expressionless face.
The Champion… wasn't she traveling with them right now?
She dragged them into battles every single day, delaying their travel progress quite a bit. If this continued, that idiot Ash would catch up to them.
Paul and Shizuka, who had thought of the same thing, exchanged a glance and suddenly felt much less nervous.
Still, the short-term training they had planned in advance had to continue.
To prepare for the Sootopolis Gym, which specialized in Water-types, they indeed needed to find a suitable spot among the countless star-like small islands scattered across Hoenn's vast waters for specialized Water-type training.
That was why they had specifically come to this harbor to rent a boat and head out to sea.
Renting a boat was actually quite expensive, but luckily their team had a little rich girl. Even though Paul and Shizuka had initially felt a bit embarrassed about taking advantage of Nemona, after enduring her tireless and relentless battle invitations at every opportunity…
The two of them had an epiphany—just treat it as compensation for the mental and physical torment they suffered.
After confirming that all supplies were prepared and nothing was missing, the three of them headed to a corner of the harbor where their reserved boat was docked.
Although they had already grown sick of riding boats in Hoenn, they actually had very little open-sea experience. They would have to rely on the hired old sailor.
Once the three boarded, the sound of the propeller churning the seawater rang out, and the boat slowly set sail.
After sailing for about half a day, Nemona's group quickly selected an island based on the sailor's suggestion.
Although it was far from the harbor, the surrounding waters had an exceptionally rich ecosystem of Water-type Pokémon, and the island itself had a healthy natural environment.
More importantly, it was still within Mossdeep City's signal coverage. Training here meant they wouldn't have to worry about being unable to return.
"Then it's settled. I'll come pick you up again in three days."
The bold sailor uncle waved at them and sailed away.
The three immediately began dividing tasks with practiced coordination.
Paul shoved his hands into his pockets and headed toward the interior of the island. "I'll find a spot to set up camp."
"Then I'll prepare lunch," Shizuka said with a sweet smile, planning to cook right by the wide beach.
"I'll go battle— I mean, help clear out any potentially aggressive wild Pokémon!"
Nemona's eyes lit up. Like a cheerful little pony, she ran toward the forest on the island.
She only slowed down after a few steps, beginning to pant heavily.
This was the trio's everyday travel routine.
The calmest and most collected of them, Paul had absorbed plenty of wilderness knowledge and was extremely reliable—a true outdoor know-it-all.
Shizuka, the former Nurse Joy, had top-tier logistics skills.
Nemona had high combat ability, money, and could eat!
Last year, Nemona's traveling trio with Arven and Eri had been quite similar to their current setup.
The well-coordinated team quickly finished preparing their overnight camp on the island and finished lunch as well.
Next came training time.
"Torterra, Skeledirge, Ursaring, Snorunt, Lairon, Ninjask! Come on out!"
Paul used a Poké Ball throwing technique that even Nemona greatly envied, tossing all six red-and-white balls into the air at once.
Six red beams shot onto the beach, and the figures of six Pokémon appeared simultaneously.
Besides the two veterans he had caught in Paldea and his starter Torterra, he had also successfully filled out the rest of his team during his travels in Hoenn.
Snorunt had been caught at the end of last year, but it required a high level of training to evolve. Paul planned to save up money to buy a Dawn Stone, so it had not evolved yet.
Lairon and Ninjask had been caught during this return trip to Hoenn.
Lairon had evolved from Aron, which had hatched from a Pokémon Egg gifted to him by an old man in Lavaridge Town.
Ninjask had been caught in its evolved form directly, so there was no accompanying Shedinja.
Paul had once heard Lucas talk about the mysterious Pokémon Shedinja and considered catching one if the chance arose.
But Paul had taken a liking to Ninjask's superior speed compared to others of its kind, as well as its outstanding perseverance for a Bug-type. Combined with his team's current lack of a fast attacker, he had successfully caught this Ninjask after some effort.
Seeing Paul release his Pokémon, Shizuka refused to be outdone and tossed out five Poké Balls. "Chansey, Porygon2, Venusaur, Skarmory, Quagsire! It's activity time~"
The Poké Balls opened with soft pops, and five reliable-looking Pokémon appeared on the beach with their backs to Shizuka.
Shizuka had caught fewer Pokémon. Even though they were about to challenge the final Gym, she was still one short.
This was because she wanted to find a Pokémon that matched her pace and truly clicked with her.
Skarmory had been caught at the end of last year in a canyon in Hoenn, on Lucas's suggestion.
Quagsire, like Paul's, had hatched from an Egg forcefully given by an old lady during the Lavaridge Gym challenge.
However, Wooper evolved quite quickly once properly raised, leaving Shizuka a little regretful that she could no longer hug the cute little Wooper.
—Actually, Nemona had also received a Pokémon Egg like the other two.
It had hatched into a little Dunsparce brother.
It looked ugly-cute. Although its evolved forms had not yet become well-known in Hoenn, it had already been confirmed in Paldea to have an evolution line.
After picking up the scattered Poké Balls, the two did not start sparring directly on the beach. Instead, they began searching the shoreline for traces of Water-type Pokémon.
They had also prepared inflatable dinghies that could float in nearshore waters. If needed, they could row further out to battle wild Water-types in deeper areas.
They had heard that the Sootopolis Gym used a Water battlefield with only floating platforms of various sizes as footing.
Training like this was necessary to adapt to that style of battle.
The two paid no attention to where Nemona had run off to on the island.
After all, with Nemona's strength, there were almost no wild Pokémon that could give her trouble.
She was probably happily challenging wild Pokémon on the island right now. No need to worry.
Training time always passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, the dusky sun had already overlapped with the horizon, and the sky was filled with twilight.
Paul and Shizuka, who had temporarily stopped to rest, were preparing dinner. Wisps of cooking smoke rose from the small island.
While gently stirring the curry in the pot, Shizuka frequently glanced toward the forest behind them. "Why hasn't Nemona come back yet?"
Paul, who was silently setting out bowls and chopsticks, paused slightly. With an expressionless face, he said, "She's always like this. If it really comes to it, I'll have Ninjask call her later."
"Alright."
Shizuka sighed and refocused on her cooking.
After all, she was the oldest among the traveling companions and had already worked at a Pokémon Center. Compared to Paul, who liked to save time by eating dry rations, and Nemona, who had never cooked for herself since childhood, this task naturally fell to her.
At that moment, Paul finished arranging the bowls and chopsticks. He was just about to call Ninjask over to go into the forest and fetch Nemona for dinner.
But from the corner of his eye, he noticed sudden waves rising on the previously calm sea surface.
"…What is that?"
Paul frowned slightly, his full attention focused there.
—Then he saw it.
In the vast, boundless sea, a massive deep-blue submarine emerged completely from underwater amid splashing waves.
On the surface of the submarine, a huge white symbol was boldly painted. Paul recognized exactly what that symbol represented.
—Team Aqua.
That giant submarine was a Team Aqua submarine!
The moment he realized this, Paul's first reaction was to turn and shout at the resting Ninjask, "Use Gust! Blow away the smoke and flames!"
Ninjask didn't understand why, but it immediately obeyed its trainer's command.
Under Shizuka's dazed expression, Ninjask vibrated its transparent thin wings at high frequency even faster. The gust of wind directly scattered the flames and rising smoke from the campfire.
Even that wasn't enough for Paul. He had Snorunt use Icy Wind to completely freeze the extinguished campfire pile.
"…Let's go!"
After doing all this, Paul directly grabbed Shizuka's clothes and headed toward the forest.
All the Pokémon followed. As for the pots, bowls, benches, and tables that couldn't be packed in time, Paul simply abandoned them.
Once they reached the forest, Paul, who had finally breathed a sigh of relief, pointed in that direction and explained to Shizuka why he had suddenly done all that.
"…Team Aqua!?"
Shizuka covered her mouth, letting out a surprised sound.
Hiding behind the trees, she cautiously peeked in that direction.
Sure enough, the submarine bearing the Team Aqua emblem was still floating quietly on the sea surface, ready to submerge and vanish at any moment.
The three of them had been traveling in Hoenn for some time now.
Naturally, they had heard of the infamous names of the two evil organizations in the region: Team Aqua and Team Magma.
To think that a Team Aqua submarine would appear here…?
Shizuka finally understood why Paul had immediately extinguished the campfire that could attract attention and then pulled her away without hesitation.
Indeed, on this remote sea island far from land, exposing their presence to what might be an evil organization's base was not a good idea and could very likely bring trouble.
It had nothing to do with strength.
Paul immediately sent Ninjask to find Nemona, while he and Shizuka kept a close watch on the submarine's movements in the distant sea.
If the other side noticed the items they had left on the beach or showed any sign of approaching the island, they would immediately retreat deeper into the forest.
However, since the submarine showed no unusual activity, it seemed they had not noticed the situation on this side.
…
Meanwhile, inside the submarine.
Zinnia, who had disguised herself and already infiltrated Team Aqua, looked at the screen where she had deliberately erased the footage. The corners of her mouth curled upward slightly.
"Seriously, you guys are really unlucky. To run into the submarine surfacing like this."
"Good thing I noticed in time. Otherwise, with Team Aqua's current tense atmosphere, they probably would have searched the entire island."
She muttered to herself while glancing at the two Team Aqua grunts she had knocked out beside her.
She could use a phone and accepted new things more easily than other Draconid People.
But that didn't mean she was a computer expert.
So, her solution to the problem was quite simple and crude: knock out the person monitoring this area. Once the submarine submerged again, the issue would be resolved.
Anyway, it wouldn't be long until the transaction between Team Aqua and Team Magma. Zinnia didn't care if she got exposed.
"Team Aqua has already sent spies to infiltrate Team Magma's submarine to release the captured Kyogre. That saves me some effort. Next, I just need to release Groudon."
…
Hoenn Region Outskirts – Near Kanto Waters
After relaxing comfortably for three days in Lavaridge Town, Lucas had flown here on Moltres.
Because Lavaridge Town was deep inland in Hoenn, if he wanted to meet Lugia and the giant Dragonite without causing panic, this was the only place he could do so.
By the way, this sea area was in the completely opposite direction from the waters where Sootopolis City, Mossdeep City, and the Grand Festival area were located.
The aftershocks from the upcoming battle between Groudon and Kyogre would not affect this side at all, nor could they.
After all, that would mean the entire Hoenn region had been devastated.
—But was that even possible?
Not to mention the shiny Rayquaza that might not have gone far, the Hoenn Rayquaza was currently in its active period. If the two big guys went too far, it would naturally appear to stop them.
Thinking this way, Lucas, high above the sea, touched the Silver Wing on his chest without any psychological pressure and called for Lugia's descent!
Perhaps because the distance was very close.
He did not have to wait long before a massive creature began to rise from beneath the calm sea surface.