"Those two really went straight for the kill."
Rayquaza's gaze seemed to pierce through the clouds as it watched the battle raging below.
Perhaps because the Giant Energy Stone was at stake, Groudon and Kyogre were fighting at nearly full strength from the very beginning.
Visible shockwaves spread outward one after another.
The aftereffects alone were enough to throw the entire sea into chaos.
Chen Shi, meanwhile, looked miserable.
"Hey, could you put me down first? Being held like this is seriously uncomfortable."
Rayquaza snorted.
"Oh, so now you know what 'uncomfortable' feels like? Then why did you take the Giant Energy Stone out of Meteor Falls?"
There was no way Rayquaza wasn't angry about what Chen Shi had done.
The situation had escalated this far, and in the end, it was still Rayquaza who had to clean up the mess.
It was only because Chen Shi had helped it before that Rayquaza was being this restrained.
If it had been anyone else...
They probably would've been dead already.
"How was I supposed to know things would turn out like this? My intentions were good, at least," Chen Shi muttered quietly.
Rayquaza ignored him.
It loosened one claw, releasing Dragapult, then placed Chen Shi back onto its body.
"There's no point talking about it anymore."
"The Giant Energy Stone is too important. This battle won't end anytime soon, so go do whatever you need to do."
Chen Shi nodded.
He lifted his white robe and checked underneath.
Jirachi was still clinging tightly to his waist and seemed perfectly fine.
Only then did he relax.
"If I leave, what about you?"
"I'm obviously staying here to keep watch," Rayquaza replied calmly. "I can't let either of those two actually take the Giant Energy Stone."
"I'll let them exhaust some of their strength first. Then I'll make my move."
Chen Shi subtly rolled his eyes.
He hadn't expected Rayquaza to be such a sneaky bastard.
It was actually planning to sit back and reap the rewards.
"Your scheme is so obvious you might as well slap it across their faces."
"Groudon and Kyogre both saw you just now. Do you really think they don't know you're hiding up here watching them?"
Rayquaza sneered.
"What do you know?"
"The Giant Energy Stone isn't only useful to those two. Plenty of Legendary Pokémon would love to possess it."
"The moment you took it out of Meteor Falls, many Legendary Pokémon undoubtedly sensed it."
"But look around."
"Do any of them dare come and take it?"
Rayquaza snorted.
"They know I'm here, so they don't dare make a move."
"Do you think Groudon and Kyogre somehow don't know that?"
"Those two idiots came anyway because they were already prepared to face me."
"That's why they went all out from the very beginning."
"They want to defeat the other as quickly as possible and secure the Giant Energy Stone first."
"Once one of them has it, as long as they absolutely refuse to hand it over, there isn't much I can do."
"Uh..."
Chen Shi gave an awkward chuckle.
He suddenly didn't know what to say.
People always called Hoenn's three great Legendary Pokémon the "Three Hoenn Idiots."
Their combat strength was absurd, but supposedly none of them had much of a brain.
Yet judging from today's events...
These three weren't that stupid at all.
They had plenty of schemes.
Groudon and Kyogre both knew Rayquaza was waiting in the shadows for them to exhaust each other before swooping in and dealing with them both.
But they were gambling on defeating the other first and seizing the Giant Energy Stone.
Once one of them had it, what could Rayquaza do?
If they absolutely refused to hand it over, was Rayquaza really going to kill them?
"Enough. You should leave."
Rayquaza glanced at him irritably.
"This battle is going to last a long time."
"If you see Groudon and Kyogre undergo Primal Reversion, come find me immediately."
"Why are you so desperate to get rid of me?" Chen Shi asked helplessly.
"Aren't you human?"
"When Groudon came over here, it looked like it passed through quite a few human territories."
"Don't you need to go back and check on them?"
"What?"
Chen Shi froze.
He immediately turned toward the direction Groudon had come from.
Across the mainland near Meteor Falls, an enormous charred path stretched all the way from inland to the sea.
Scorching magma flowed freely across the earth.
The once lush forests had been mercilessly devoured by flames and reduced to ruin.
"Holy shit!"
Chen Shi couldn't stop himself from swearing.
He hadn't expected the land to be devastated this badly just from Groudon passing through.
There were quite a few tribes living around there!
Could any of them even survive something like this?
Chen Shi immediately grew anxious.
He might not care much about the other tribes, but the Draconids were different.
In a sense, he was basically one of their ancestors.
"Jirachi! Quick, take me back to the tribe!"
"Huh?! Oh, okay!"
Jirachi blinked, then immediately teleported Chen Shi toward the settlement.
In the blink of an eye, they arrived back at the tribe.
But the Draconid settlement was now in complete chaos.
Shouts filled the air, mixed with the cries of frightened children.
The residents were visibly panicked.
Carrying bundles large and small on their backs, they were hurriedly fleeing the settlement under Shate's direction.
Seeing that everyone was frightened but at least still alive, Chen Shi finally relaxed a little.
Thank goodness.
The tribe was far enough away from Groudon's path that it hadn't suffered too much damage.
If something had happened to the Draconids, Chen Shi genuinely wouldn't have known what to do.
He quickly walked up behind Shate.
"Is everyone okay?"
Hearing that voice, Shate froze.
For a moment, he seemed unable to believe his ears.
Then he spun around, his face lighting up with surprise and relief.
"Lord Qiu! You're back?!"
The instant he saw Chen Shi, Shate seemed to find his pillar of support.
A sense of security immediately washed over him.
But his expression quickly became anxious again.
"Lord Qiu, we just saw an incredibly terrifying magical beast!"
"Look! The forest over there has already been destroyed!"
"It was horrifying!"
"We need to escape immediately. If we wait any longer, I'm afraid it'll be too late!"
As he spoke, Shate pointed toward the devastated forest not far from the settlement.
The fear on his face was still clearly visible.
Groudon's passing had left an enormous impression on them.
In all his years, Shate had never seen a magical beast that powerful.
Chen Shi sighed.
"Stop running."
"Where do you think you can even run to like this?"
"Go gather everyone together and tell them not to panic."
"I'll take all of you somewhere safe."
"Huh?"
Shate's face immediately lit up.
"Yes! Of course! I'll go right now!"
He turned and ran back toward the fleeing villagers, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Everyone, stop running!"
"Lord Qiu is back!"
"He said he'll take us away! Everyone, stop for a moment!"
"What? Did Shate just say Lord Qiu is back? Is that true?"
"I heard it too! He said Lord Qiu is going to take us away!"
"It's true! It's really him! I can see Lord Qiu!"
"Quick, let's go back! As long as Lord Qiu is here, we'll definitely be safe!"
"Yes, yes! Hurry!"
Hearing Shate's shouts, the fleeing residents of the Draconid tribe immediately stopped.
Then, one after another, they hurried back toward Chen Shi.
...
Snorlax
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