Pokemon: Radical Redux

Chapter 581 581: Groudon and Kyogre are here

Ash flew through the air. He had already called Green and Gary, and they were unsurprisingly already moving to save as many people as they could and try to find the source. He wasn't surprised at all.

But anyway, after them the next person he called was actually Norman, and he told him about the situation and asked what was happening on his side. While he was worried for his kids, Ash told him that he trusted them, and nothing would happen to them as long as he was still breathing.

Norman explained his plan, that he was to get to the Sky Pillar, but first he had to make a pit stop, and he even offered that if Ash wanted, he could go with him. It would make things easier.

Ash explained how he had other things to prepare, but when he had it ready he'd teleport to him. But there was someone that he could take, and Ash explained the plan, which Norman seemed shocked that he would suggest, but after a bit he understood this might be the best-case scenario.

As for who that is, or what the plan is, well you'll learn that soon enough. Right now Ash hung up the phone and flew down on Charizard, landing on Route 128. Ash went ahead and put him back into his Poké Ball since he would not like what was going to happen, and Ash put Pikachu and Vee into their Poké Balls already since he explained what he was gonna do.

Instead, Ash pulled out his Swampert. Now you might wonder why Ash was here on Route 128 after making some calls. Well, it's because this was the path to get to the Seafloor Cavern. He didn't have a submarine so he would have to use Swampert, that Ash had spent quite a bit of time teaching how to use [Dive].

The reason was simple, since Team Magma and Aqua weren't moving through Hoenn yet, that meant that they might be hiding down there, and if they were down there then this couldn't be stopped.

If he could get down there and beat Maxie and Archie now to stop this, that would be better. Again, Ash did have contingency plans, it's just not all of them always played out how he wanted them to. But since he got the gang to play their part he might be able to do this.

So Ash jumped onto Swampert's back and put on a rebreather, then he patted Swampert's back, "Lets do this, use [Dive]."

Swampert immediately jumped up and dived into the water, and they began swimming to the bottom of the ocean.

—

{At Slateport City}

Captain Stern was on his boat, gathering people in Slateport to get them out of the flooding city. The water levels had only been going up and based on how it was going, if this went on for a day the entire city would be underwater.

Just then as he was helping another family onto the ship, he heard someone calling for him, "Hey, that's Captain Stern!"

Stern turned his head and saw that in the water, on a small little boat, he saw two reporters he had met before, Gabby and Ty. They were paddling toward him.

Of course Stern had seen them before. He was a famous researcher, so Gabby and Ty had tried to get an interview with him before.

Stern raised his hand to stop them, "Sorry, I don't have time for an interview at the moment, things are too chaotic around here."

When they got close, Gabby shook her head, "Oh, I'm not here to interview you today, I just wanted to ask you for some advice. The group in the red uniforms who stole the submarine, and the group in blue who stole that special device, usually these two organizations seemed to be in opposition, but recently they teamed up."

"What?" Stern blinked in shock.

"Submarine Destroyer 1 wasn't complete without the special device, but now it is. We heard them talking about heading to the Seafloor Cavern! I don't know what they're after, but they're clearly up to no good. Captain Stern, is there any way anyone can go after them?" Gabby explained.

Stern looked down and bit his lip, "No, I don't know of a way to get people down there. Maybe we can get one or two, but if what you said is true then there is no way we can get to them down there." Stern looked up, "Get on, we need to tell everyone. Maybe we can find a way to stop this!"

Gabby and Ty nodded and jumped onto the ship to get to the radar and radio attached to Stern's ship.

—

When Wattson and Flannery arrived at the edge of the Hoenn islands on the south of the region, massive waves crashed against the rocky shoreline hard enough to shake the cliffs themselves, while dark storm clouds swirled overhead unnaturally fast. Rain poured in sheets so thick it almost looked like a waterfall falling from the sky.

Flannery looked out at everything happening, "This is insane…" she muttered.

Even Wattson wasn't smiling anymore as he muttered, "This isn't natural at all."

Flannery quickly pulled out her PokéNav, "Let me call the Chairman," she said.

Wattson nodded while scanning the coastline carefully.

Flannery tapped the screen and after a moment the call connected, "This is Gym Leader Flannery of Lavaridge Town," she said quickly, "Me and Wattson just arrived at the location, what are we looking for?"

But before she could get a response, the entire ocean moved and bulged upwards as a colossal blue shape erupted from the water, sending entire walls of ocean crashing into the sky.

Flannery and Wattson watched in shock as they saw it now, Kyogre.

Once Kyogre was out of the water it let out a roar into the sky, and Flannery muttered, "Oh you have to be kidding me…" she said as she slowly ended the call. It was kinda obvious what was making those energy signatures now.

Flannery clenched her fists tightly, "…This is really bad."

Wattson nodded once, "Yup."

Then the old man grabbed a Poké Ball from his belt, "But standing around panicking won't help anyone now, will it?"

Flannery blinked, then sighed, "Heh...yeah." She reached for her own Poké Ball, "Guess we're doing this."

Wattson nodded as his hand tightened on his Poké Ball, "Yeah, if we want to save Hoenn, we have to subdue Kyogre."

—

At the same time in North Hoenn, Roxanne and Brawly got to the coordinates they were given. The area itself was completely dried out. If they didn't know this route they might think they were in the desert, but they weren't. This place used to have lots of trees and plants with ponds, but all of that had dried up.

And what's worse, the area around them was getting hotter.

Roxanne wiped sweat from her forehead as she stared at the ruined landscape around them.

Brawly pulled on the collar of his shirt and grimaced, "This is getting ridiculous," he muttered, "It feels like we walked into an oven."

Then another earthquake hit as the ground beneath them rumbled violently and cracks spread across the dried earth.

Roxanne stumbled slightly before catching herself on a rock while Brawly widened his stance to stay balanced.

"What in the world…" Roxanne whispered.

But Brawly slowly turned his head toward the mountain nearby, "Uh, Roxanne?"

The ground exploded. An enormous eruption of dirt, stone, and magma burst into the sky as something colossal forced its way upward from beneath the ground as a red figure burst out. It was Groudon.

Groudon, now that it was free, roared into the sky.

Roxanne's eyes widened as her hands shook, "…No way…"

Even Brawly had gone pale, "That's...Groudon?"

The legendary Pokémon stood there towering over the landscape as the clouds above them began to split apart and sunlight poured down unnaturally bright and harsh as the temperature immediately skyrocketed even higher. The drought was spreading.

Roxanne looked around in horror as more plant life began shriveling almost instantly from the heat, "…This is bad," she whispered, "This isn't a level 8, this is level 9!"

Brawly clenched his fists tightly, "No kidding."

Groudon seemingly saw them but also thought they were so insignificant, and it began trying to move. But as it started walking away, Roxanne immediately grabbed her Poké Ball.

"We have to stop it before it reaches a town!"

Brawly nodded and grabbed one of his own, "We've got to protect everyone!"

And so they got ready to fight Groudon themselves.

—

May was the first one to get to her spot on Route 123. For a bit she didn't know what she was looking for. She knew Ash told her this was the center of Hoenn, but again she didn't really know what that meant, or what she was supposed to do in this situation.

And what's even worse is first it was too hot, but when she flew over the route one second it was too hot, now she was cold and wished she kept her jacket, and it started raining, only for the next second the rain to stop and it to get hot again.

"This is ridiculous!" May shouted over the wind.

Altaria cried out uneasily beneath her, struggling to stay steady as violent gusts whipped around them from every direction. The clouds above twisted unnaturally, dark storm clouds colliding against massive openings of blinding sunlight.

Altaria let out another nervous cry

"I know…" May whispered softly, patting her partner's neck, "I'm scared too."

There was another earthquake that shook the ground, but May heard something. She looked out toward the water and her eyes widened slightly, "…Wait."

Out in the distance she saw the edge of the water, except it wasn't the edge, and it was getting closer to her. May's eyes widened in horror as an absolutely colossal wall of water rose upward in the distance. It was a tsunami.

And it was heading straight toward her, "ALTARIA MOVE!!"

Altaria instantly screeched and banked hard to the side just as the gigantic wave came roaring forward like a moving mountain.

The force of the wind alone nearly knocked May off.

"AHHHH!" May clung desperately to Altaria's neck as they dove downward, the massive wall of water barely missing them and falling into the lake that was there.

Altaria flapped desperately, weaving through violent winds and debris while May's heart hammered in her chest.

But then suddenly again the air got hot, and in front of them they saw all the water from the tsunami start to evaporate.

The massive floodwaters began shrinking rapidly as clouds of steam exploded upward into the sky.

"Altaria, higher!" May shouted immediately.

Altaria beat her wings, flying above the steam so they could still see. With Altaria flapping her wings, the steam also parted and they could see the ground. All the water was evaporating.

The flooded area and the pond were drying up almost instantly.

And then May saw them, dozens of Water-types flopping helplessly across the drying ground. There was a Magikarp, a Chinchou, a few Tentacool, even a tiny Lotad desperately trying to stay wet.

May's eyes widened in horror, "Oh no, they're stranded!"

May immediately had Altaria fly her down, and when she got to the ground she jumped off and began quickly picking up the Water-types and putting them on Altaria's back, "Come on, I'll get you back to the sea right away!"

When May thought she got all of them, she looked over one more time and saw something flop. She didn't see it before because it camouflaged with the rocks, but it was moving, so she ran to it.

"I've got you too!" But she stopped when she saw it.

It was a Relicanth. She thought these guys were only at the bottom of the sea. This one must have been pulled from there, especially because it was visibly hurt while on the ground.

May immediately went into her bag and pulled out a Sitrus Berry, then put it to Relicanth's mouth, "Here, quick eat this. You're hurt really bad, just how bad is this storm…" May muttered.

She was so distracted though that she didn't see that a second wave was coming, and she made the mistake of not watching it so it was coming directly at her, and she couldn't get out of the way in time.

May's heart beat loudly in her chest as she did the only thing she could at the moment. She hugged the Relicanth and hoped things would be okay.

But then before the water hit her, she heard a command.

"Masquerain, [Silver Wind]!"

A small Bug Pokémon flew in front of May and shot a blade of wind at the wave, slicing it in half so that it didn't hit them directly.

Then in the next moment, before May could process what was going on, she felt the talons of an Altaria grab her by the back and fly up with her while she was still hugging the Relicanth. She knew it wasn't her Altaria because hers was flying next to them.

She looked up and saw who it was, "Winona!" May cried out in relief.

"You're May," Winona nodded as she flew them to a safe spot and landed, "What are you doing out here? That was dangerous."

"Sorry," May rubbed the back of her head, then she remembered the Water Pokémon. She looked around and thankfully there was another body of water nearby so she quickly dumped all the Water-types in there, "I just saw all these guys stranded. I couldn't just leave them there."

Winona watched May do that with a helpless look on her face, because admittedly she would have probably done the same thing.

"Fine, but why are you here? In Route 123 specifically? Shouldn't you try to get to Mauville City for safety?"

Then she looked around, "And where are your friends Ash and Brock?" She remembered May wasn't really the strong one of the group yet she was here.

May looked up at her seriously, "We are trying to help. Ash and Brock are at other places and I'm here. We're not just gonna sit by and do nothing."

Winona stared at May for a moment, clearly surprised by the determination in her voice. She was gonna try to shut her down, but the look in May's eyes stopped her, and with everything going on around them she couldn't say no. Especially because in the area they were at, if she sent May off on her own she could get hurt, and she couldn't afford to escort May out herself, so for better or worse she was stuck with her.

Winona clenched her fists slightly, "You kids really are insane," she muttered.

May blinked, "Huh?"

Winona sighed before giving a small nod, "Fine, we are spread thin. Stick with me closely alright, and do as I say."

May nodded and gave a salute, "Okay!"

Winona nodded and just as she was gonna say something else to fill May in on the plan, her phone began to ring. She quickly answered it since only Gym Leaders and the Chairman of the Association had this number.

"Winona speaking."

Wattson's voice came through, "Ah Winona! It's Wattson!"

"Wattson! How are things over there?" Winona immediately said.

"Well, we are fighting Kyogre at the moment, and remember the Abandoned Ship? Kyogre has completely destroyed it!"

"Wait wait wait, slow down," Winona said in shock, "Did you just say Kyogre?!"

"A-and the Abandoned Ship was destroyed?!" May said in shock, "D-did you see anyone get off in time?" she cried out since she still remembered her little friends, the Plusle and Minun that lived on that ship. She really hoped they were okay.

There was a loud crash of thunder through the communicator before Wattson answered.

"We did!" Wattson shouted over the roaring wind, "The Pokémon living there escaped before Kyogre sank the place completely! Some Wingull and Pelipper helped evacuate the smaller Pokémon!"

May let out a shaky breath of relief, "Thank goodness…"

"But the situation here is still a nightmare!" Wattson continued loudly, "The ocean's gone completely mad! The rain keeps getting heavier every minute, and the waves are getting taller! Me and Flannery can barely keep Kyogre from moving forward!"

In the background they could hear roaring water and explosions, "Flannery! Left side!" Wattson yelled away from the communicator.

"Don't tell me where it is, I CAN SEE THE GIANT WHALE!" Flannery shouted back.

Another deafening roar echoed through the call, making May flinch.

"We really could use some assistance!" Wattson admitted, "We've got no idea how we're supposed to beat this thing!"

Then suddenly they heard Flannery scream through the communicator, "WATCH OUT!"

A massive crashing sound exploded through the speakers, water splashed violently and static burst through the call.

"Wattson?! Flannery?!" Winona shouted.

For a second all they could hear was interference and distant roaring, then finally the communicator crackled back to life.

"We're fine!" Wattson shouted quickly, breathing heavily, "We're still holding our own for now!"

Behind him they could hear Flannery coughing, "I hate water…" she groaned somewhere in the background.

Winona clenched her fist tightly, "You need to stop it from going any further," she said seriously, "If Kyogre reaches another coastal city—"

Then May suddenly blinked and looked upward, "…Wait."

Winona glanced at her, "What is it?"

"It might be my imagination, but if this is the center, then why does it look like more land is appearing? And also," May pointed toward the sky, "doesn't it look like there's less rain now?"

Winona frowned and looked up. At first she didn't notice it, but then she realized May was right. The storm clouds above them were slowly thinning apart, not because the storm was calming down, but because massive sunlight was beginning to force its way through the clouds. And the temperature was rising fast.

"You're right!" Winona said, then she realized something. If what was causing the rain was Kyogre then that meant…

"I'll call you back. Stop Kyogre!" Winona said into the communicator one more time before hanging up, then she started dialing Roxanne and Brawly.

After a few seconds she heard it connect and she nearly shouted, "Roxanne! Brawly! Can you hear me? It's Winona, please answer me!"

Brawly answered his phone first, "Hey Winona, ha glad you decided to call but we are a bit busy."

As he spoke Winona could hear the sounds of stone breaking and a roar, and she quickly asked, "What are you fighting? Tell me!"

There was a loud explosion through the phone before Brawly yelled back, "GROUDON!"

Winona's eyes widened immediately while May froze beside her, "You found Groudon?!" Winona shouted.

"Yeah and let me tell you this thing is NOT friendly!" Brawly yelled as another shockwave blasted through the communicator, "Me and Roxanne are trying to slow it down but it barely even notices us!"

Then Roxanne's voice suddenly came through in the background, strained and panicked.

"Brawly MOVE!"

A deafening roar exploded through the call followed by the sound of rock shattering.

"WHOA—!" Brawly shouted.

The line crackled violently before stabilizing again.

Winona clenched her fist tighter, "Listen carefully!" she shouted, "Kyogre is active too!"

There was silence on the other end for half a second, "…What?" Roxanne asked weakly like she was about to cry.

Winona looked toward the dark horizon where the sunlight and storm clouds were violently colliding together, "Kyogre is active at the coast. Wattson and Flannery are fighting it right now."

Then Brawly let out a strained laugh, "Okay! Cool! Great! So Hoenn's just ending today huh?"

"Brawly this is serious!" Roxanne snapped, though fear was obvious in her voice.

"I KNOW IT'S SERIOUS!" Brawly shouted as another explosion echoed in the background, "I'm coping! I can cope can't I?"

Another roar from Groudon shook the call.

Winona quickly spoke again, "Listen to me carefully, if both Groudon and Kyogre are awake at the same time—"

"The weather gets worse…" Roxanne finished quietly.

May looked between them nervously, "Wait...you mean this isn't even the worst part yet?"

Winona didn't answer. She just yelled back, "Keep stalling it, I'll send backup soon!"

"Please hurry," Roxanne pleaded as the call ended.

Winona lowered her communicator and muttered, "Both of them appeared...this is a level 9 emergency..." she bit her finger, "We have to do something. Flannery, Wattson, Brawly, Roxanne, just hold on for a bit more."

She looked at May, who was still holding the Relicanth, "We need to move. Are you gonna leave that Relicanth in the water here?"

May looked at Relicanth for a moment then shook her head, "I can't. Relicanth is hurt. If I leave it here then it won't be able to swim."

"Then catch it and lets move. We have to keep moving to try and stop this!" Winona said as she jumped on her Altaria.

May nodded and pulled out a Poké Ball, poking Relicanth with it. The ball rolled three times and closed. Yay, she caught it. This wasn't the time to celebrate though, so she put the ball on her belt and jumped up on Altaria too, and the duo flew off to continue.

—

Brendan arrived at Slateport City next. When he got there he was gonna try to look for whatever Ash was telling him about, but when he saw people flailing in the water he knew that took priority first, and thankfully he noticed there was a temporary base at the hospital.

So with Swampert he dived into the water, pulling people out onto small rafts and used Swellow to guide them to the hospital to get treated, before he flew off again. He did this a few times, but then he noticed there was a ship full of people.

Brendan immediately directed Swellow downward.

When he got closer, he saw an older man barking orders to sailors while two reporters helped frightened civilians aboard.

"Easy! One at a time!" Captain Stern shouted.

Gabby nearly slipped while helping an old woman aboard but caught herself, "Ty! Grab the kid!"

"I got him!" Ty yelled back, pulling a crying child onto the deck.

Brendan landed beside them on Swellow, splashing water everywhere. Everyone immediately turned toward him.

Captain Stern blinked, "A Trainer?"

Brendan hopped off Swellow quickly, "There's a temporary emergency base at the hospital!" he explained fast, "They're taking survivors there and organizing evacuations! Follow me, I can guide you through the safer streets!"

Stern's eyes widened slightly in relief, "You know a clear route?"

"Yeah!" Brendan nodded quickly, "At least...mostly clear."

"That's better than nothing," Stern said immediately, "All right everyone! We're changing course!"

The sailors quickly began steering the ship while Brendan jumped back onto Swellow.

"Follow me!" Brendan shouted.

Swellow cried out and flew ahead while the rescue ship slowly moved behind him through the flooded city.

For a moment things actually seemed manageable, but then the ocean behind them rose.

Brendan felt it before he even saw it. The pressure in the air changed completely.

Gabby slowly turned around, "…Uh guys?"

Everyone looked, and froze. A colossal tsunami wave towered behind the city like a moving mountain, easily hundreds of feet tall as it surged directly toward them.

People on the ship began screaming instantly,

"T-THAT'S NOT NORMAL!" Ty yelled in horror.

Captain Stern's face paled, "Everyone hold on!"

They knew they couldn't avoid it, but before it got to them, a calm voice called out, "Now that simply won't do."

Hovering above the floodwaters in a sleek red hover car was none other than Champion Wallace himself, looking over them all and the situation as his cape fluttered.

He flicked a Poké Ball down, and when it opened they all saw his Milotic land in the water, then with one graceful sweep of her tail, Milotic unleashed a massive [Surf] that matched the size of the tsunami wave.

They met and crashed against each other. Water exploded into the sky like a bomb going off as rain sprayed in every direction.

Brendan threw an arm over his face while the ship rocked violently beneath the impact, but eventually it stopped and they all realized they were okay.

For a moment everyone just stared speechlessly. Gabby's jaw hung open, Ty's hat fell off and he didn't bother picking it back up, while Captain Stern blinked in disbelief.

Then Wallace lightly rested his cheek against one hand while floating overhead.

"My my," Wallace sighed dramatically, "Hoenn truly does pick the worst possible days to fall apart."

Brendan stared up at him, "…Champion Wallace?"

"Yes, it's me. I came here to help," Wallace bowed, then looked over at them, "Now I don't suppose there is a nearby shelter to escort you all to, is there?"

Brendan blinked and shook his head, "The hospital. A lot of people are held up there, and it isn't flooded yet."

Wallace smiled, "That will do. Come on, I'll make sure you are all safe," he held his hand out as his cape fluttered in the wind.