Daniel glanced at Carl, who simply shook his head, showing no interest. While a Lapras might catch his attention, a Sobble just wasn't his cup of tea. Its final evolutionary form held no appeal for him. Observing this, Wayne Ryder discreetly breathed a sigh of relief. Compete with Carl in an auction? He didn't have the nerve for that.
The two stepped aside, whispering amongst themselves. Wayne, looking conflicted, finally gave a reluctant nod.
Meanwhile, Ray Blitz, unfazed by their exchange, looked into the distance and wondered aloud, "Why hasn't the stone monument opened yet? Are we still being tested?"
"What are you thinking?" Duke City chimed in, unable to hold back his thoughts. "The Pokémon tests are getting increasingly powerful, with their talent levels rising too. After a champion-level Kecleon, the next must be a pseudo-legendary. If that's the kind of challenge we're facing, it means the secret realm's level must exceed S-class."
"In that case, unless everyone pools their resources and works together, passing it would be impossible. We might even need outside help!"
Just as Duke finished speaking, another energy storm gathered. An intimidating Salamence appeared, roaring with a deafening sound. Everyone present gasped in shock. Following the Ground and Water types, now a Dragon and Flying type appeared. This not only implied that the realm's level far exceeded S-class, but also suggested its core attributes were likely Dragon and Flying!
Daniel trembled with excitement, while Matt and the others prepared to call for backup, just in case. If this was indeed a Pokémon secret realm beyond S-class, the local league couldn't handle it alone. However, before taking action, they all instinctively looked to Carl, knowing he was the real pillar of strength. But what they saw was Carl, his expression serious, gazing intently at the sky.
"What's wrong?" someone asked. The group looked up to witness a bizarre scene: a fierce wind raged over the river, yet abruptly halted at a certain point, as if hitting an invisible wall. On the other side, the sun appeared magnified a thousand times over. Dark clouds and the sun starkly divided the sky, each influencing its environment in distinct ways.
"It's coming," Carl said softly.
"What is?" someone else asked in confusion. Suddenly, an island emerged from the river, accompanied by a massive rumbling sound. The earth cracked open, spewing hot magma. Amidst the swirling flames, a towering thirty-meter red figure loomed, partially obscured.
As the magma hit the river, it solidified into land, expanding continuously. The red figure finally became clear. It was a bipedal giant beast, its body covered in red scales with a grey belly. Blue spikes protruded between its scales, and its head, trunk, and tail bristled with sharp ridges, especially the tail's end, which resembled the teeth of a bulldozer.
Its massive forearms bore four sharp claws each, while its hind feet, blending with the earth, had three toes with black markings. It was none other than the legendary Ground deity, Groudon. With a thunderous roar, magma erupted from the gaps in Groudon's scales. The sunlight suddenly intensified, rapidly dispersing the clouds.
Just as the clouds were about to vanish, countless blue-purple lightning bolts exploded. A small figure leaped from the river, swelling in size instantly. It was a deep blue, whale-like creature with wing-like pectoral fins, each with four white rectangular structures at the tips. Suspended serenely above the water was the legendary ocean god, Kyogre.
The now-expanded Kyogre coldly eyed the dispersing clouds, a hint of displeasure in its golden eyes. With a long, resonant whale song, its body markings began to glow. The sky, which was clearing, was once again shrouded in clouds, and rain poured down in torrents. Curiously, the rain and sunlight were divided by an invisible boundary, creating a stark contrast.
Two powerful auras clashed fiercely in the sky, but upon reaching a certain range, they mysteriously dissipated without a trace. The trainers near the Buried Tower noticed the unusual weather but remained unaware of the divine presence above. All this was thanks to Carl's special domain.
Whether it was coincidence or fate that brought them here, it was now working to Carl's advantage. His goal this trip was to prevent the two deities from clashing and harming innocents. The aftermath of a battle between such powerful beings was something ordinary people simply couldn't withstand.
Carl had devised three plans for this situation:
The worst-case scenario involved asking Rayquaza to intervene, but even a brief skirmish between the three could spell disaster for the city. If necessary, he'd have to seek assistance from Mew and Mewtwo.
A slightly better plan was to have Mew directly relocate the deities, but that required their consent, and deities locked in battle weren't exactly open to negotiation.
The ideal scenario was to shift the battlefield into his domain, but that required immense luck and courage. He had been contemplating how to lure Groudon and Kyogre to his domain, only to find that luck was on his side as their battleground conveniently fell within his realm.
This would make things much easier.
"Mr. Carl, is something wrong?" Daniel's voice brought him back to reality.
"Nothing much," Carl replied casually. "I just didn't expect this secret realm to put on such a show, even affecting the weather."
In truth, he knew full well that Groudon and Kyogre were in a test of strength against each other. But there was no need to reveal that now.
"It is quite peculiar," Daniel remarked, glancing at the sky and then pointing to the distant Salamence. "Are you interested in the reward this time, Mr. Carl?"
Daniel's own ace was a champion-level Salamence, so he immediately recognized the pseudo-legendary strength of the one before them.
There are two kinds of pseudo-legendaries: those whose strength has surpassed the champion level but haven't mastered the divine domain, and those who haven't reached that strength but have gained domain abilities early. Both count as pseudo-legendaries, with no clear superiority between them, as both ultimately achieve god-level status.
The Salamence responsible for the test, though lacking self-awareness, had already reached a third-level god's strength. Even if all of them combined forces, they might not be its match. Of course, Carl might be an exception.
Daniel's question was cleverly phrased, asking if Carl was interested in the reward rather than if he could win. If Ray Blitz could speak as well as Cloud, he might not find himself in such awkward situations.
"This is our Havenport's secret realm, so outsiders should steer clear," Carl said calmly.
Carl's words instantly thrilled Daniel and his group. Their eyes gleamed with anticipation. Could he be about to display power beyond the champion level?
The thought excited everyone immensely. Even Ethan Cross, hidden in the sky, couldn't suppress his curiosity. It seemed the rumors from the Kanto League were true—Carl was about to take action.