"How could that be?"
Cairo quickly waved his hands. His task today was to receive Shiro, and if Shiro needed anything, even calling Devon Corporation to send over dozens of Flying-type Pokémon to carry their cars across Hoenn would be a small matter.
The group walked along the lake and soon returned to the car. The driver, who had been waiting for quite some time, immediately opened the door for them.
After turning around, the car set off toward Littleroot Town in the southwest, where Birch Research Institute was located.
* * *
Mt. Chimney.
On the uneven mountain road on the southern side, members of Team Magma stood ready in their red uniforms.
At the front stood a middle-aged man wearing a red coat. Facing Mt. Chimney, he stood straight and kept adjusting the frame of his glasses as he gazed into the distance. He was none other than Team Magma's leader, Maxie.
He calmly surveyed the area without showing any surprise. It was a barren mountain covered in red, scorched earth.
"Blaise, have you confirmed that it is sleeping here?" Maxie turned around and asked.
A long-haired man wearing a red hood stepped forward from behind and nodded firmly. "Yes, Boss. I saw it with my own eyes through the equipment. The god who created the land is inside this mountain."
Not long ago, Blaise had successfully escaped from Drake with the help of his Pokémon. Unfortunately, all the members of his team had died beneath the Draco Meteor. If he hadn't completed his mission, he would never have dared to return and report the matter in one piece.
After hearing his report, Maxie immediately led all of Team Magma here in secret.
"The deaths of those fifteen people contributed to our great ideal. Every piece of land we need will carry their mark… The god who created the land will awaken and help us turn all the oceans into land. Then, we will rule everything upon it!"
Maxie turned around and spoke in a deep voice. His words were both comforting and meant to strengthen their faith.
All the Team Magma members listened respectfully. Their faces were filled with fanaticism as they took in every word.
"Courtney, Tabitha!" Maxie's tone suddenly changed as he coldly ordered, "Go and take a look."
Blaise's body trembled slightly when he heard this. Even though he was absolutely certain that he had seen the Land God at the time, he couldn't help worrying when his leader looked at him with doubt and demanded verification.
"Yes, Boss!"
Courtney and Tabitha answered at the same time.
Courtney then took out a rectangular red device she had been carrying and released a Weezing. She had it carry the device in its mouth and fly toward the crater of Mt. Chimney.
She then handed an identical device to Tabitha, who released a Zubat and had it carry the device toward the crater as well.
To guard against any unexpected danger, they chose to have their Pokémon do the work for them. On the rugged and uneven mountain road, this was both safer and more convenient.
Maxie waited without expression.
Blaise lowered his head without saying a word. Cold sweat slowly appeared on his forehead from his anxiety.
It wasn't until Weezing and Zubat flew back one after the other that he finally relaxed.
Maxie took the device and stared at the majestic red figure displayed on its screen for a long time. Only then did he say with satisfaction, "Excellent! Blaise, you've done a great job!"
Blaise finally breathed a sigh of relief. Without drawing attention to himself, he used his hood to wipe away the sweat.
"Tabitha, how is the situation with Team Aqua?" Maxie asked again.
Tabitha was a chubby man with narrow eyes. He covered his stomach and gave a sly grin. "Team Aqua still hasn't found their target. Those water ghosts even ran into the Galar Champion while they were raiding Pokémon in Lilycove City."
Maxie's eyes shifted slightly. "Shiro, the new Professor who recently joined the League? He's come to Hoenn?"
Tabitha nodded with certainty. "I checked. His research institute is in Hoenn, in Fortree City. People from Devon Corporation went to pick him up, and they happened to run into Team Aqua..."
"Hahaha, there's no way they'll find that fat-headed fish anytime soon."
Maxie nodded repeatedly, clearly pleased. Even his usually stern face showed a faint smile.
According to legend, Groudon and Kyogre were like a pair of best friends. Whenever they appeared, they would almost always emerge at the same time and start a great battle. However, the times when they appeared were separated by ten thousand years, so their seemingly simultaneous appearances could actually be several years apart.
As long as Team Magma could awaken and control Groudon first, then eliminate Team Aqua, they could find a way to delay or even suppress Kyogre's awakening.
Without that damned fat-headed fish interfering, the god of the land would eventually descend upon the world.
"Hmph. Once you're behind, you'll always be behind. Team Aqua chose the wrong faith!" Maxie sneered disdainfully. "The ocean is far too vast. How could they easily find a sleeping Pokémon? The time, effort, and Pokémon energy they have to spend will inevitably be several times greater than ours."
"Even according to the world's natural order, this should be the time when Groudon awakens, creates more land, and covers the oceans."
"Next, according to what those people told us, we still need an orb that can connect with Groudon."
As he spoke, Maxie took out an ancient scroll. Drawn clearly on it was a deep blue orb, with the symbol "α" faintly visible in its center.
He had also wondered before why the orb containing Groudon's Primal power was this color. However, the people who had provided them with the information had never been wrong so far.
Whether it was the legend of the land and ocean fighting against each other or Groudon's possible habitat, everything had checked out.
The legend had already been confirmed by Researcher Alden of the Hoenn League, and Groudon itself had also been found.
Maxie was surprised that Alden, a man who did not look particularly impressive, had discovered the legend of the gods and even found that the two orbs could affect them.
The League had done a good job of keeping the information sealed, so he had not obtained the details of the research. He only knew about Alden himself.
Now, all Team Magma lacked was the orb capable of controlling Groudon and the ancient technology needed to use it. According to the rumors, people had attempted to control the God of the Land in ancient times. That was how a vast empire had been created, one that ruled the land for nearly a thousand years.
As Maxie imagined the future that seemed within reach, the gloom on his thin face eased somewhat.
However, he wouldn't blindly trust those people.
It was obvious that similar people had provided Team Aqua with the same information.
What if the two groups were actually working for the same side? What if the scroll in Team Aqua's hands depicted a red orb? What if that orb was the real one capable of controlling Groudon?
All of it was possible.
Maxie suppressed the doubts in his heart and quickly put away the scroll. He waved to the three commanders under him. "Within two days, Team Magma must establish a base here."
"Also, while searching for that orb according to the map, keep an eye out for similar orbs. It may very well be red."
Maxie paused for a few seconds before gently pushing up his glasses.
"I need someone to gather information on Team Aqua and find out whether they have information and maps similar to ours!"
**
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