Sweeping his gaze over the rubble, Archie was the first to spot the Blue Orb.
To his ecstasy, the glowing sphere was within easy reach. A few quick strides and it would be his!
With a manic grin, he lunged forward, bending down to snatch it. But the moment his fingers grazed its surface, the orb seemed to float away on its own!
What!?
He looked up, stunned, only to see a Gengar materialize in mid-air, clutching the Blue Orb in its hands with a mischievous smirk.
"Geng-geng! This shiny stone is mine now!" Gengar cackled, floating back to Natsui's side, orb securely in its grip.
"Damn it!!"
Archie roared in fury, hurling a Poké Ball to the ground. In a flash of light, a Muk materialized in front of Natsui.
Before Natsui could even react, an unbearable stench assaulted his senses, stinging his eyes and making him gag.
Coughing violently, he finally managed to focus on the Sludge Pokémon.
There was a rumor among trainers: the more pungent a Muk's stench, the more powerful its toxins.
While scientifically unproven, Natsui was inclined to believe it. This Muk's odor was unparalleled—easily the foulest he had ever encountered.
"Muk, use Sludge Bomb!!"
Reaching into its amorphous body, the Muk pulled out a glob of toxic sludge and hurled it straight at Natsui's face!
However, Gengar was ready. A Shadow Ball intercepted the attack mid-air.
The collision caused an explosion of purple sludge and dark energy, scattering debris in all directions like a grotesque firework display.
Seizing the opportunity, Natsui scrambled backward.
Just as Archie prepared to give chase, a low, resonant cry—like the song of a whale, but infinitely more powerful—echoed through the cavern!
Kyogre had awakened.
Disturbed from its ancient slumber by the noise of battle, the Sea Basin Pokémon opened its eyes. It gazed upon the intruders in its domain not with curiosity, but with ire.
Whether out of territorial instinct or simple annoyance at being woken, Kyogre was displeased.
And when a super-ancient Pokémon is displeased, the world trembles.
Without even launching an attack, Kyogre simply shifted its massive body. The movement caused the entire cavern to quake violently, the water churning as if boiling.
Everyone present froze, realizing with dawning horror that they had provoked the living embodiment of the sea.
Stalactites began to rain down from the ceiling, crashing into the water and the stone platform. The sheer volume of falling debris made dodging nearly impossible.
Seeing a massive boulder plummeting toward Natsui, Gengar acted instinctively. It floated directly above its trainer, using its own body as a shield!
Panic erupted as everyone scrambled for safety.
Misty and Shelly were in the danger zone as well, but with Gardevoir's Psychic powers creating a barrier, they remained unharmed.
The other Pokémon did their best to protect themselves and their trainers.
As for Archie and his elite grunts, Natsui didn't spare them a second glance.
Another rock fell, and Gengar took the hit again.
However, this boulder was massive. Upon impact, Gengar let out a pained groan. Its grip on the Blue Orb faltered, and the precious item tumbled from its hands, rolling across the stone floor.
As luck would have it, the orb rolled directly to Shelly's feet. With quick reflexes, she snatched it up.
The shaking ceased as abruptly as it had begun. The stalactites stopped falling. Kyogre, seemingly uninterested in the insignificant humans, turned its massive body and dove deep into the water, disappearing into the abyss.
"No!!!"
Seeing his prize vanish, Archie screamed in despair. His eyes, burning with a mix of fury and madness, snapped toward Shelly. "This is all your fault! Give me the Orb!!"
The leader of Team Aqua looked wretched. Bruised from the falling rocks, his signature bandana gone, he was a shadow of his former imposing self.
"I'm sorry..." Shelly took a step back. Her expression was pained, but her voice held firm. "I cannot watch you drag Team Aqua—and all of Hoenn—into ruin!"
"Traitor!!"
Archie bellowed, commanding his Pokémon to attack Shelly without hesitation.
Seeing Shelly frozen, seemingly still trying to reason with a madman, Natsui signaled Misty. He then grabbed Shelly's wrist and pulled her toward the exit.
"Run!"
He didn't attempt to arrest Archie then and there for two reasons.
First, Shelly's allegiance was still murky. She was clearly conflicted. Even though Archie had branded her a traitor, she hadn't raised a hand against him. If Natsui attacked Archie, Shelly might instinctively defend her leader, turning this into a two-front battle.
Second, the structural integrity of the cave was compromised. A full-blown battle could bring the ceiling down on all of them, burying them in a watery grave.
With Kyogre gone and the Blue Orb secured, retreating to formulate a new plan was the only logical choice.
Being dragged by Natsui seemed to snap Shelly out of her stupor.
It was understandable that she had lost her composure. Everything she believed in was crumbling around her. Even the sharpest minds falter when their world is turned upside down.
Under the cover of their Pokémon's attacks, the trio sprinted back toward the submarine dock.
The Team Aqua grunt who had stayed behind looked up anxiously. Seeing Shelly return, his face lit up, but his relief turned to confusion as the three hurried into the sub without a word, recalling their Pokémon as they went.
He didn't know what had happened, but seeing an Admin in such a panic was unnerving.
Did the boss fight Kyogre? Why is only Shelly back?
Before he could ask, Shelly had already engaged the engines and submerged. Moments later, Archie and his elites stumbled into the dock.
"Where is Shelly!?" Archie roared.
"She... she just left in the sub, sir."
"What!?" Archie's face twisted. "Why didn't you stop her!?"
"I... why would I stop an Admin?" the grunt stammered.
Ignoring him, Archie shoved his way into the remaining submarine. Only once they were all aboard did the grunt learn the shocking truth: Shelly was a traitor.
"That... that's impossible, isn't it?" he muttered, unable to process the information.
Shelly was the backbone of Team Aqua. He would sooner believe the sky was green than believe she had betrayed them.
"Shut up and drive!" Archie barked. "After her! And contact Matt! Tell him to intercept that traitor at all costs!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
The grunt patched the communication through to Matt's device.
"Leader?" Matt's eager voice came through. "Did you control Kyogre?"
Archie exploded.
"Forget Kyogre! Intercept that traitor immediately!!"
"Traitor!?" Matt sounded bewildered. "What traitor? Who?"
"Shelly!" Archie screamed into the mic. "She betrayed me! She betrayed Team Aqua! She brought that Natsui brat here and stole the Orb! Don't let her escape!"
"What!?"
Matt was stunned. But unlike the grunt, his loyalty to Archie overrode his confusion. If Archie said Shelly was a traitor, then she was a traitor.
"Understood!" Matt signaled his team, and they scrambled into their own submarine.
...
In the narrow underwater tunnel, the tension inside Shelly's sub was palpable.
She piloted with mechanical precision, but her mind was a whirlwind.
Why did it come to this?
Why am I the traitor?
Behind her, Natsui didn't need to be a psychic to sense her turmoil.
Glancing out the viewport into the dark water, he spoke calmly. "I know what you're thinking. But if you keep spacing out, Archie will catch us in no time."
Natsui's voice pulled Shelly back to reality.
She stiffened, then after a few seconds of silence, let out a cold huff. "I know."
The submarine surged forward, the engines humming at a higher pitch as she pushed the throttle.
However, the delay had cost them. Archie's sub was closing in, its searchlights illuminating their stern.
The communication console lit up.
Shelly hesitated, her finger hovering over the button, before finally pressing it.
Archie's voice, distorted by rage and static, filled the cabin.
"Shelly! You dare betray Team Aqua!? I'll tear you apart with my own hands!!"
"I didn't! Archie, please listen to me—"
The connection cut dead. Archie had hung up.
Natsui shook his head. "It's useless. You can't reason with a man who's lost his mind. Besides, maybe this is for the best. They kicked you out. You're free of them now."
"I am not a traitor!" Shelly snapped, glaring at the console. "This is all your fault!"
"My fault?" Natsui rolled his eyes. "You do realize that if not for me, Archie would have forced Kyogre into Primal Reversion? Tell me, between drowning the world and being called a traitor, which option do you prefer?"
Shelly fell silent, unable to refute his logic. Frustrated, she turned her focus entirely to piloting.
The tunnel widened as they approached the exit to the open ocean. But just as they cleared the cave mouth, a shadow loomed in the water.
Another submarine was waiting in ambush.
Only Shelly's lightning-fast reflexes saved them from a head-on collision. She jerked the controls, sending their sub into a sharp dive just as the other vessel lunged.
"It's Matt," Shelly hissed through gritted teeth.
They had escaped the pincer maneuver, but now they had two subs on their tail. Archie and Matt were relentless, and the gap wasn't widening.
"They're going to chase us to the ends of the earth," Natsui noted, looking back. "Does this thing have weapons?"
"Only harpoons and two forward-firing torpedoes," Shelly replied grimly. "Useless when we're running away."
"Great," Natsui muttered. "So we're sitting ducks."
"Don't underestimate me," Shelly said, her voice regaining its confident edge. "I'm the best pilot in Team Aqua. They won't catch me."
Suddenly, Natsui's Pokégear rang.
He checked the caller ID. It was Anabel.
"Finally," he breathed, answering the call.
"Thank goodness I got through," Anabel's voice was tight with relief. "I'm on a Coast Guard vessel in the vicinity. What's your position?"
Perfect timing.
"Sending coordinates now. We've stopped Archie, but we're being pursued by two hostile subs. We need support, fast!"
Natsui hung up and relayed the news to Shelly.
To his surprise, she didn't look relieved. She looked disgusted.
"You called the police?" Her tone dripped with disdain. "We are Team Aqua. We don't cooperate with the authorities, and we certainly don't need their protection!"
"Oh?" Natsui raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. "I seem to recall you getting expelled by your leader about ten minutes ago. Are you really still 'Team Aqua'? Right now, you're just a rogue agent with nowhere to go."
Shelly opened her mouth to retort but found she had nothing to say.
Natsui was right. Even if she didn't want to admit it, she was on her own.
"Even so," Shelly narrowed her eyes, her pride flaring up, "I don't need help from the cops! Even if they blow this sub to pieces, I'll shake them off myself!!"
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