"Dad, Mom, what are you thinking? I left Haitian City ho. Kyogre's ing—how could I not leave?"

  "Your son isn't the type to py hero. Let someone else take that role."

  Oher end of the line, Julian's mother, Tina, sounded unsure.

  "Really? You're not lying to me?"

  "No, Mom. Think about it—the Walker family's legacy is waiting for me to i. How could I risk staying in Haitian City?"

  After calming his parents with a few more reassurances, Julian ehe call.

  "Huuh..."

  He exhaled deeply, the smile on his face fading into a heavy seriousness.

  A hero? That wasn't a title he aspired to. Throughout history, in movies, books, and pys, how many heroes had ever met a good end?

  But leaving now? He couldn't do it.

  His teachers and cssmates were still on the western front, holding off the Pokémon making ndfall. Abandoning them to be a coward? That wasn't something Julian could stomach.

  And then there were the five million people in Haitian City who hadn't been evacuated. Not five hundred—five million. That staggering number weighed on him, leaving him with no excuse to walk away.

  Because of the call, there were now only three minutes left until Kyogre's arrival.

  Julian gazed out toward the o. Somewhere beyond the horizon, he could feel the presence of an enormous being making its way toward the city.

  The thiinous storm clouds on the horizon were pressing down on Haitian City, radiating a suffog aura.

  "Three minutes... Dragonite, keep searg the city."

  Julian took a deep breath.

  He didn't want to be a hero, nor did he want to be a deserter. If, after trying his best, the situation still became irreversible, then he would leave.

  But for now, it was time to give it everything he had.

  Sensing its trainer's ay, Dragonite's speed became even faster.

  At this speed, the falling rai like stones pelting Julian's face, each drop stinging sharply. But he gritted his teeth and endured.

  Three minutes.

  Two minutes.

  One minute.

  Thirty seds.

  From the west, north, and south, all the Water-types suddenly stopped their assault. They stood silently, motionless. Even the wild Elite-level Pokémon had ceased their movements.

  While Oliver and the other trainers were still trying to figure out what was happening, an immense pressure desded from the o.

  Unlike ordinary pressure, this one pierced directly into their souls.

  In the depths of their minds, they saw a colossal, godlike figure looming before them. They could only e their necks to look up, yet evehey couldn't see its face.

  Uhe shadow of this presehey felt unimaginably small—less than ants, utterly insignifit.

  Most trainers dropped to their knees on the spot. Though they didn't lose sciousness, their faces turned deathly pale, as if they'd just witnessed something utterly horrifying.

  On the western front, Wade stared ahead in shock. A kilometer away, the seawater parted of its own accord, revealing a deep-blue Pokémoly moving its pectoral fins.

  "Gulp"

  Wade swallowed hard. Even though he had mentally prepared himself for the possibility of fronting the first-css Legendary, actually seeing it made him realize how woefully ie his preparations were.

  Kyogre was surrounded by tless Water-type Pokémon. As Wade took a closer look, his eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets.

  No way... Every single one of them was at least pseudo-Elite level! And the o the very front... Champions—actual Champion-level Pokémon!

  The o was teeming with Water-types, so it wasn't unheard of for there to be Champion-level Pokémon among them. But to see so many gathered here was beyond prehension.

  "Human, hand over Manaphy, and we will leave."

  A voice echoed in Wade's mind.

  He froze for a moment, then looked toward Kyogre and quickly uood—it eaking to him directly.

  "Kyogre, there must be some misuanding. We don't know anything about Manaphy," Wade responded hastily.

  So that was it. Both the Water-types and Kyogre had e for Manaphy.

  But Wade had never even heard of this name before. Judging by its seemed to be a Pokémon, but what kind of Pokémon could possibly draw a Legendary like Kyogre to act?

  Wade's response seemed to irritate Kyogre. Were it not for the deterrent presence of certain powerful entities in the Drakoria region, Kyogre wouldn't have bothered exging words with what it sidered mere is.

  A single Surf would have obliterated the city, leaving it to find Manaphy amidst the ruins.

  Kyogre lightly spped its tail against the o's surface. Instantly, the seawater surged, and to the horror of everyog, a t wave hundreds of meters high—and stretg as far as the eye could see—rose behind Kyogre.

  "Manaphy is iy behind you. You have thirty minutes. If I do not see Manaphy by then, this city will no longer o exist."

  Wade was silent. If it weren't for the fact that he stood no ce against Kyogre, he would have argued ba kind. That tone of superiority... Oh, how he wao say something.

  At that moment, several other Elite trainers arrived at Wade's side.

  Kyogre's words hadn't just reached Wade; everyone in Haitian City, as well as the trainers along the coastline, had heard its message.

  Now everyone uood why Kyogre had e.

  As they stared at the colossal wave looming behind Kyogre, emanating an aura of pure destru, a chill ran down their spihat wave wouldn't just destroy Haitian City; it threateo erase them all.

  The power of a first-css Legendary wasn't just unfair—it was a reminder of the insurmountable gulf between gods and mortals.

  "Kyogre, Haitian City is enormous. Could you give me a more specific location?" Wade asked after a moment of silence.

  Trying to locate a never before seen Pokémon in such a sprawling coastal city was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

  "Manaphy is isoted," Kyogre replied. "I only sehat it is within this city. Its exact location is up to you to find."

  Its words caused Wade and the other Elite traio feel a sinking sense of dread.

  If even Kyogre couldn't pinpoint Manaphy's location, it likely meant that someone had deliberately cealed it.

  Someone had goo great lengths to isote Manaphy in a specific location while iionally provoking Kyogre, likely with the sole aim of destroying Haitian City.

  If they attempted to interfere—whether they succeeded or not—casualties would be iable.

  What made the stakes even higher was the presence of the try's most elite students gathered here for the national petition. If something happeo them, it would spell disaster for Drakoria.

  The nation would face a severe loss of talent, leading to a potential gap in its development and strength.

  Such a sario would undoubtedly cause Drakoria's iional standing to plummet.

  This pn wasn't just cruel—it was calcuted and insidious, desigo cripple Drakoria from within.

  High above the city, Julian listened ily to Kyogre's words, a look of realization dawning on his face.

  'Manaphy'

  Of course—it had to be Manaphy. He should have guessed it earlier. A Pokémon capable of attrag tless Water-types and even a Legendary like Kyogre could only be Manaphy.

  But how did someone mao capture Manaphy and isote it? More importantly, how had they acquired the knowledge that it could lure Kyogre here?