The awakening of Groudon went completely unnoticed by the world. The eruption of the dormant volcano in the Northern Ocean, which had been inactive for years, was observed only by a handful of geologists.
While some found it strange, no one conducted further investigations, as the eruption of a dormant volcano was not considered particularly unusual. Moreover, since it occurred in the remote depths of the Northern Ocean, it attracted even less attention.
Inside the secret chamber, Eric's eyes emitted a faint red glow, flickering subtly at the same frequency as the Red Orb in his hand.
"Huff… huff… huff!!!"
The next second, Eric abruptly withdrew his hand from the Red Orb, his face filled with terror. His chest rose and fell violently as he gasped for air.
"Groudon… I saw Groudon," he muttered to himself, though his tone carried a hint of doubt, as if uncertain whether he had truly seen it or merely imagined it. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself.
"ROAR!!"
But the moment he shut his eyes, the image of a red colossal beast surfaced in his mind—a beast traversing through subterranean magma, its golden eyes radiating overwhelming pressure and dominance.
Terrified, Eric snapped his eyes open.
"It really is Groudon… It's coming," he whispered, his gaze shifting back to the Red Orb, a mix of fear and greed tangled in his eyes.
The terror of a First-class Legendary, mixed with an insatiable hunger for its unparalleled power.
How many trainers could resist the temptation of a First-class Legendary? Even if they could command it for just ten seconds, countless trainers would flock to the opportunity.
"The Red Orb…"
Eric placed his hand on the orb again. Strangely, the burns on his left hand from earlier had completely healed.
"Groudon is mine—no one can take it from me," he sneered coldly, returning the orb to the safe in the secret chamber.
As he locked the safe, the Red Orb inside suddenly emitted a radiance even more dazzling than before.
'Hmm!?'
At the Gardevoir Hotel, Julian, who was having dinner, noticed that Jirachi had stopped eating its duck neck and was now staring solemnly toward the north.
"What's wrong?" Julian asked curiously.
After a moment of silence, Jirachi replied, "A First-class Legendary has awakened in the north."
Most First-class Legendaries chose to sleep through their eternal yet monotonous lives. A single nap could last a century or even a millennium, and they did not wake without reason.
And now, Jirachi was telling him that a First-class Legendary had awakened.
"It must be Groudon."
Julian wasn't surprised; instead, he directly identified the awakened First-class Legendary.
The Drakorian government was actually unaware that Eric had obtained the Red Orb at first, but the moment the Red Orb was activated, anomalies appeared at the Sky Pillar in Drakoria, directly revealing the orb's location: Victoria.
Similarly, the Adamant Orb in Celestria and the Lustrous Orb in Volkaria also showed unusual activity.
It was highly likely that both countries now also knew that the Red Orb was in Victoria.
However, they had no intention of seizing it—not because they didn't want it, but because they didn't dare.
Their nations already possessed the means to summon a First-class Legendary. Acquiring another would not serve as a double insurance but rather a suicidal move.
First-class Legendaries were extremely proud. If you already had one and still sought another, the best-case scenario was that the first would just abandon you. Worst case, it would beat you up first and then go fight the newcomer—right on your own land.
So Celestria and Volkaria did not dare to covet the Red Orb. But Drakoria was different, if it were any other First-class Legendary, Drakoria wouldn’t risk it either.
But this time, it was Groudon.
Rayquaza, Groudon, Kyogre—sky, land, and sea.
What was the relationship among these three?
According to records in a certain Drakorian Ruin, Rayquaza was like the elder brother of Groudon and Kyogre.
In ancient times, Groudon and Kyogre fought, shattering continents, reversing ocean currents, and causing immense casualties among both humans and Pokémon.
Finally, humans prayed at the Sky Pillar, and Rayquaza descended, subduing both Groudon and Kyogre, ending the apocalyptic disaster.
This secret was known only to a handful within Drakoria.
Therefore, if Drakoria were to obtain the Red Orb, Rayquaza wouldn’t mind—after all, Groudon was considered its "little brother."
[T/N: Yeah, I don't think so.]
By the time the Elder Council learned that the Red Orb was in Victoria, it was already activated. In that state, bringing the orb into Drakoria might directly summon Groudon there.
This made the Elder Council hesitant to retrieve the Red Orb themselves. Instead, they sent the information to Julian, knowing that he had ambiguous ties with First-class Legendaries like Mewtwo and Mew.
Even the new Pokémon in his arms, which Drakoria’s strongest Champion Duke could not see through, was said to be anything but simple.
"Groudon? I don’t know it," Jirachi shook its head.
Although it was a First-class Legendary, since it only awakened for seven days after a millennia of slumber to grant wishes, it had never encountered another First-class Legendary apart from itself.
The only reason it could sense Groudon was because they were both Pokémon of the same tier.
"Commander, what about Groudon?"
Ella—though unable to understand Jirachi’s words—became curious when she heard Julian mention Groudon.
"Nothing much, it just woke up, and most likely it’s heading toward Victoria," Julian said calmly.
"Cough, cough—"
Hearing such explosive news, Ella nearly choked on her own saliva, staring at Julian in disbelief.
'How can you deliver such major news with such a flat tone?'
"Can you sense how long it will take for it to reach Victoria?" Julian asked.
In fact, he wasn’t worried. Even without Jirachi, he still had Mewtwo. With the number of Mewtwo fragments he currently possessed, it would be more than enough to send Groudon packing.
"Probably about half a month," Jirachi replied somewhat uncertain.
"That long?"
Julian was taken aback but then quickly realized, "Well, that makes sense. After all, Groudon can't fly. Walking would naturally be slow."
Groudon: 'Thanks… I feel insulted.'
Ella: 'So you’re complaining that it's too slow?'
Although she didn't understand why Julian showed no panic upon learning Groudon was coming, his calm demeanor helped settle her own frantic heart.
On the other hand, Celebi was a little scared, saying, "Julian, if Groudon is coming, shouldn't we run away before it arrives?"
Julian gave it a disdainful look and said unhurriedly, "What’s there to panic about? If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up."
'Wait—come to think of it, that tall one seems to be me…'
*****
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