Sato's capture of Skarmory went very smoothly.
After employing a combination of carrot and stick, and with both of them caught in a perilous situation, Skarmory quickly recognized reality and obediently followed Sato's orders, carrying him toward the northwest.
Groudon had evidently awakened completely. Under its control, its weather domain expanded rapidly in every direction. The countless clouds that had filled the sky quickly dissipated, leaving behind a vast, cloudless heaven.
The sun hanging overhead also seemed to grow much more intense, as though it had moved closer to the Earth itself. Its scorching rays became almost unbearable. Within a radius of thousands of kilometers, the concentration of Fire-type energy rose dramatically, while Water-type energy rapidly diminished.
At the same time, the volcanoes throughout the Mt. Chimney volcanic range erupted in full force. Endless magma surged out through volcanic craters and newly formed fissures in the earth, swallowing everything on the ground.
In less than half an hour, the area surrounding Mt. Chimney had become a living hell. Rivers of lava flowed across the land, spreading rapidly in every direction.
As a result, vast forests burst into flames, while countless panicked wild Pokémon and ordinary animals fled desperately for their lives.
Once Groudon had fully awakened, it climbed out of Mt. Chimney's main crater. After stretching its massive body at the foot of the volcano—an act that shook the surrounding land violently—it finally began to move.
For some unknown reason, Groudon was heading northwest.
Its movements appeared slow, but its colossal body made every step enormous. A single stride covered nearly half a kilometer. After only a dozen or so steps, it had already drawn alarmingly close to Fallarbor Town in the northwest.
Most terrifying of all, with every step Groudon took, the earth itself seemed to erupt in fury. Violent earthquakes shook the land while torrents of magma burst from newly opened fissures, reducing everything nearby to scorched wasteland.
Thanks to Skarmory's flying speed, Sato successfully reached the airspace above Fallarbor Town's outskirts.
Yet there wasn't the slightest trace of joy on his face.
First, he discovered that Groudon was actually moving in his direction.
Second, the utter chaos engulfing Fallarbor Town filled him with sorrow.
Thanks to modern communication networks, news of Groudon's sudden awakening had already spread through social media posts made by Trainers who happened to be in the Mt. Chimney area.
As a result, villages and towns near Mt. Chimney had descended into complete panic—especially Fallarbor Town, which stood directly in Groudon's path.
The people of Fallarbor had already spotted Groudon from afar and witnessed the catastrophic destruction it left behind. Countless ordinary civilians, unable to evacuate quickly, had already fallen into despair.
And despair inevitably gave birth to madness.
People, believing death was imminent, began acting recklessly. Before long, the entire town had descended into complete disorder.
"This... this is unbelievable. Just by its own power, it can reshape the landscape into something this horrifying. No wonder people throughout history have gone to such lengths to keep Groudon and Kyogre asleep. If those two super-legendary Pokémon ever fought across the continent... there wouldn't be any survivors."
"Where are the League reinforcements? At this rate, Fallarbor Town will disappear from Hoenn's map before long!"
"Damn it! Who woke it up? What kind of idiots would awaken something capable of causing natural disasters like this?"
Hovering high above the ground, Sato looked back toward Mt. Chimney.
His gaze fell upon the ever-expanding inferno of lava that spread wherever Groudon walked, creating a scene worthy of hell itself. Then he scanned the skies in every direction.
The League's true forces still hadn't arrived.
His heart sank.
In reality, League reinforcements had already appeared—but they were nothing more than a hastily assembled, miscellaneous force. Compared to Groudon, a being capable of wielding the power of natural catastrophe, they were insignificant.
Nearly half an hour had passed since Groudon emerged from Mt. Chimney, and naturally the League hadn't spent that time doing nothing.
In fact, less than a minute after Groudon first appeared from the volcano's main crater, a mandatory regional emergency mobilization order had already been transmitted through the League's communication network to every League Trainer near Mt. Chimney.
Because of that order, large numbers of League Trainers had rushed toward the disaster zone. At this very moment, the skies above Mt. Chimney were crowded with Trainers riding Flying-type Pokémon as they hurried in to reinforce the area.
Unfortunately, after witnessing Groudon and the apocalyptic destruction surrounding it, most of those Trainers turned deathly pale.
The courage that had driven them there quickly evaporated.
Many unconsciously stopped advancing and abandoned any thought of confronting Groudon directly, choosing instead to remain at a safe distance and observe.
Even so, quite a few hot-blooded Trainers still sent their Pokémon forward to challenge Groudon head-on.
Most of them came from Fallarbor Town.
To protect their hometowns and loved ones, these League Trainers completely disregarded their own lives. They continuously deployed Flying-type Pokémon to harass Groudon, hoping to slow its advance and buy precious time for the townspeople to escape.
Sadly...
How could mere courage compare to a super-legendary Pokémon that had lived for countless ages and possessed the power to destroy the world?
Faced with their harassment, Groudon couldn't even be bothered to use a move.
With nothing more than a thought, enormous pillars of lava erupted from the earth.
The attacking League Trainers immediately suffered devastating casualties.
One after another, every Trainer brave enough to confront Groudon vanished—
like moths flying into a blazing fire.
"That alone will never stop Groudon. If anyone wants to stand against a monster like that, only Champion-level Pokémon have any chance—and they must be capable of flight. Otherwise, with the terrifying terrain this monster creates so effortlessly, who could possibly stand on the ground and fight it?"
Watching Groudon erase one League Trainer from Fallarbor Town after another as casually as crushing ants, Sato felt nothing but shock...
followed by an overwhelming sense of heaviness and helplessness.
At the same time, his thirst for greater strength burned hotter than ever.
"Youths, do not be afraid! Remember, behind you stand countless people who need your protection. As members of the League, this is the moment for you to step forward!"
"Listen carefully! You must delay Groudon's advance! We cannot allow it to approach the nearby cities! Anyone who retreats or holds back during this battle will be held accountable afterward!"
"Rest assured! As long as we can buy a little time, the League has a way to return Groudon to its slumber!"
Just as most people began shrinking back after witnessing Groudon's terrifying might, a powerful, commanding voice echoed across the sky.
The moment those words rang out, the hearts of the assembled League Trainers trembled.
They immediately turned toward the source of the voice, and their fighting spirit surged once more.
An elderly man dressed in a captain's uniform was flying toward them atop a majestic Salamence.
Behind him followed a large force of League personnel, all dressed in identical uniforms and riding Flying-type Pokémon. At the same time, numerous League airships slowly approached from the southeast.
By then, Sato had already ordered Skarmory to hover in midair and quietly blended into the ranks of the League Trainers who had come as reinforcements.
Seeing these newly arrived League forces, much of the anxiety and restlessness in his heart finally eased.
"Being one of the Elite Four really isn't easy for the old gentleman. Wherever there's a crisis, he's always the first to arrive."
Sato shifted his gaze to the elderly man standing atop Salamence.
He noticed that the old man's back seemed slightly more stooped than before and couldn't help sighing inwardly.
The person leading the League reinforcements onto the battlefield...
was none other than Hoenn's highly respected Dragon-type Elite Four member, Drake.