Chương 172: Look at this, this is the real champion!

"Click! (A crimson jewel... This is truly the worst news imaginable...)" Lu Sha tapped the desk with her paw and sighed unconsciously.

It's difficult, extremely difficult.

How come it's so easy to run into legendary events when I'm with these main characters?

The Regirock and Azelf that I encountered in Sinnoh before were already enough of a headache.

This time, the strength has been doubled, and it's even paired with Groudon!

Lu Sha now has a strong urge to turn around and leave immediately.

"So, what exactly is this crimson jewel?" Karuni asked, completely bewildered.

"Click! (A Mega Stone.)"

"? There are Mega Stones in the Hoenn region too?" Karen looked surprised.

But even if it's just a Mega Stone, Lu Sha and the others already have many. There's no need for them to show a troublesome and wary expression, right?

Moreover, the photo of the Crimson Orb in this research note looks quite different from traditional Mega Stones.

"Crack! (That's no ordinary evolution stone; it's a super evolution stone that can bring a god back to its origin.)" Lu Sha took a deep breath, his tone unusually solemn.

"Back to basics? Mega-evolving legendary Pokémon?"

Upon hearing this, Karuni was not afraid at all; instead, her eyes lit up.

The idea of a legendary Pokémon Mega Evolving was something she had never heard of before, and a strong urge to see it for herself immediately welled up inside her.

"Not a legend, but a god!"

Cattleya walked over, her cool voice carrying a hint of complexity.

She understood far better than Karuni what the god Lu Sha spoke of truly meant.

Legendary Pokémon are merely mythical creatures, mentioned only in mythology. Some exist in multiple forms, varying in strength.

The weaker legendary Pokémon don't even have the strength of an Elite Four member.

"Gods? Do you mean the real deities in myths and legends? Or the legendary Pokémon of the first generation who held power over the world?"

Karuni's pupils contracted slightly.

After all, she was a well-informed trainer, so she couldn't possibly be completely ignorant.

In the myth of Carlos, there are also terrifying beings capable of destroying the world.

"It should be Groudon from the three Hoenn mythologies."

After briefly reviewing the information, Gadriya quickly made a judgment.

The fact that Lu Sha could show such an expression of complete unwillingness to get involved indicates that this thing's danger level far exceeds that of an ordinary level three god.

Fire-attribute energy, a red appearance, and the location of Hoenn can only be related to the creator of the earth.

"Groud, the Earth God? This... this really doesn't seem like something we can get involved in..."

Karuni swallowed hard; all she wanted to do was quickly retract her impulsive outburst.

Groudon!

That was a legendary being, absolutely no less than Xerneas and Yveltal.

Beings of this caliber are so formidable that even a mere severance in a direct confrontation could result in utter destruction.

"Click! (Makes a phone call to call for backup!)" Lu Sha tugged at the young lady's white dress; he was incredibly calm at that moment.

If he were to reach level 90 now, and the young lady had fully grasped the complete domain, he would definitely dare to continue investigating, and might even dare to challenge Groudon.

But now? There's absolutely no need to throw your life away!

Groudon's Crimson Orb is definitely being closely watched by both Team Magma and Team Aqua.

Not to mention that once Groudon and Kyogre awaken, the first thing they'll look for is the person who possesses the orb.

This is a hot potato that they can't handle with their current strength.

As for Lily's parents' whereabouts? It's obvious they were kidnapped.

It's either Team Magma or Team Ocean; there's absolutely no third possibility.

In this situation, the best course of action is to quickly call in reinforcements and let the local bigwigs of the Hoenn Alliance handle this mess.

Otherwise, even if they manage to resolve the situation by sheer luck, they will definitely get themselves into a lot of trouble afterward.

However, this time, Cattleya did not heed Lu Sha's advice.

She casually put down the documents in her hand and looked intently at Lu Sha: "You told me that Groudon is a Ground-type."

"so what?"

Therefore, the Crimson Orb, as its original item, should greatly help improve your control over Ground-type moves and your proficiency with them.

That makes a lot of sense, but this is a difficult situation! Leaving aside where we'd even find someone, what if Groudon just shows up at our door via the internet?

Lu Sha spread his hands.

He didn't want to cause trouble. He wasn't a hot-blooded protagonist. Wouldn't it be better to just quietly level up and develop his character?

You said Groudon wouldn't awaken anytime soon. Give me three years; I want to test the power of this so-called god.

Cattleya refused to budge, her emerald green eyes stubbornly fixed on Lu Sha.

She was not unaware of the dangers involved, but she felt that it was entirely worth taking the risk for Lu Sha to grow up faster.

There's not much she can do to help Lu Sha, so she cherishes every opportunity, even if it means taking some risks.

But she had thought it through; she was the one taking the risk, and Lu Sha would be fine.

Even if something unexpected happens, she can definitely lock Lu Sha inside the ball and put her in the safest place so that she won't be affected in any way.

Besides, the risk this time might not be that great.

At worst, once they get their hands on the item, they'll never set foot in Hoenn again.

What? Groudon can cross the vast ocean and swim all the way to Sinnoh to get revenge?

Lu Sha had sworn that Groudon couldn't fly!

Even if it really wanted to cross the ocean to Sinnoh, and wasn't killed by Kyogre along the way, it would definitely be taken down by the Sinnoh Dragons once it arrived.

At first, Karuni was confused, but when she saw Gadria and Lu Sha staring at each other in silence, she suddenly realized that they were communicating mentally and wisely stepped aside.

In any case, she was only there to help out in this round.

This kind of battle between gods is something she, a weak and incompetent ordinary trainer, has no right to interfere with.

"Alright! If we can really get our hands on him, then our trip to Hoenn won't have been in vain. But the problem is, can you find any clues? Without asking the Hoenn League for help, we're afraid we won't even be able to find him. After all, he's been missing for three days already."

Lu Sha eventually gave in.

After all, many of Cattleya's bold ideas were instilled in her through his subtle influence. He naturally understood the young lady's personality better than anyone else.

And upon closer reflection, what the young lady said does indeed make sense!

If Groudon manages to steal the Crimson Orb and bring it back to Sinnoh, does that mean it can sprout wings and fly over there to cause trouble for them?

This risky business might actually work!

"Let's go, let's send off the sacred mountain!"

Cattleya directly stated the coordinates of the destination.

"Click? (Sending off the sacred mountain? How do you know the thing is there?)" Lu Sha was stunned for a moment.

Although the crimson orb is indeed enshrined on Mount Sending God in the anime, special episodes, and game versions.

But this is the real world, and who knows if the butterfly effect might cause the orb to change its position.

Besides, he never mentioned this part of the game's storyline to the young lady.

"Um... it seems the information says that the two precious pearls are currently being kept by the guardians of Mount Songshen, but we don't know if they've been stolen yet."

Karuni held up the documents in her hand and weakly interjected.

"Huh? (Two jewels? And the indigo jewel too?)" Lu Sha was even more speechless.

"Beneath that document is another research record about the Indigo Pearl. Lily's father was a researcher on the Crimson Pearl, and her mother was a researcher on the Indigo Pearl," Cattleya explained calmly.

"Click! (Good heavens, so this couple's research projects are even on opposing sides? I seriously suspect Lily's father is with Team Aqua, and her mother is with Team Lava.)" Lu Shaka exclaimed in amazement, "This plot is getting more and more interesting!"

The couple is incredibly audacious to be studying two precious pearls that could trigger a cataclysmic disaster.

Even if they weren't kidnapped this time, they would be doomed sooner or later anyway.

Why bother researching anything else but these forbidden things that easily offend the gods?

Although the couple probably didn't know exactly what Baozhu was.

"Let's not delay, let's go check out the situation at Mount Song first," Karuni suggested enthusiastically.

"Click! (You're going too?)" Lu Sha followed Gadriya out of the study, looking at Karuni, who was also preparing to leave, with a hint of helplessness in her eyes.

"Am I not going?" Karuni asked, somewhat confused.

"Click! (Do you know where Mount Songshen is?)"

"Isn't it enough that you know?" Karuni replied matter-of-factly.

"Click! (Big sister, we are now in Kanazon City, the westernmost city in the Hoenn region, while Mt. Kami is next to Lilycove City, the easternmost city in Hoenn. It's a full 2, 400 kilometers away! How are you going to get there?)" Lu Sha patiently explained the geography to her.

He actually really hoped that Karuni, a powerful fighter, could go along and act as a meat shield.

However, given Karuni's current abilities, she simply cannot get there in a short time and can only obediently buy a plane ticket and take a flight.

With the young lady's current telekinetic flight speed, even with him, a 200-kilogram accessory, she could easily make a round trip in a day.

"You're planning to fly there directly? Don't you need to buy plane tickets?" Karuni was shocked.

A distance of 2, 400 kilometers, can you just fly there with your bare hands?

If her Gardevoir were to teleport or fly with her continuously, Gardevoir would probably collapse from exhaustion halfway through the flight.

"We're in a hurry, and flying would be too time-consuming. You should stay here; it'll be better if we can look after each other."

Cattleya casually dropped a flimsy excuse, then took Lu Sha and transformed into a streak of light, soaring into the sky and speeding towards the eastern horizon.

She believed she could handle this situation on her own.

Before coming to Hoenn, Lu Sha had already gathered information for her.

Even before she mastered the Domain, the only person she needed to be wary of in the entire Hoenn region was Genji, the leader of the Elite Four.

Apart from that, no one is her match.

Now that she has one foot in the door of this field, she feels even less that there will be any fatal danger on this trip.

"I hope everything goes well for them..."

Watching Cattleya and Lu Sha disappear into the horizon, Karuni hesitated for a long time before finally closing the ticket booking app on her phone.

Given her abilities, she might only make things worse if she went; it would be better for her to stay in Kanaz City and wait for news.

They went out as a couple with a shark, but when they returned to the hotel at sunset, only Karuni was left all alone.

As soon as she entered the hotel lobby, she saw Mikoli, who looked somewhat tired and seemed to have been waiting there for a long time.

"How's the investigation going over there? Any leads on the little girl's missing parents?"

As soon as Mikoli saw her, he quickly walked over and asked her with concern.

Now that he knows about this, given his personality, he will definitely investigate it thoroughly.

He absolutely could not tolerate standing idly by while a child lost both parents on the land of Hoenn, which he loved so dearly.

"We've found some clues. Gadalia and the others have already gone to Lilycove City to investigate further." Karune shook her head.

"They left in such a hurry that they didn't even take any of their other Pokémon with them. I plan to use the teleportation device to send them the Pokémon once they arrive in Lilycove City."

"Why are they in such a hurry? Are they catching the last flight to Waterloo City today?" Mikoli was taken aback.

Suijin City!

That's a long distance that spans the entire Hoenn region.

Imagine sending an academy student competing in a world-class tournament to investigate a case involving a completely unknown family across an entire region.

To be honest, this made Michael, the host, feel very ashamed.

This was originally the responsibility of the Hoenn League!

"She didn't take a plane; she flew there using her superpowers. I originally wanted to book a ticket, but they said planes are too slow and might delay the trail," Karuni explained softly.

"You flew there directly?"

Michael's eyes widened in shock, then a deep respect welled up in them: "Indeed, they are the true destined champions..."

He knew he hadn't misjudged the person!

Whether it's Cattleya or Dai... cough cough, let's forget about Daigo, that bastard who's always thinking about slacking off and messing with his brothers!

In Mikkuri's mind now, only those with a strong sense of justice like Cattleya are truly worthy of the title of champion.

Look at their level of awareness!

To investigate the disappearance of an ordinary couple, he completely disregarded the world-class competition he was participating in and went without hesitation.

For this magnanimity and courage to save the weak, Mikoli was completely impressed!

"Forehead..."

Seeing Mikoli's deeply moved and admiring expression, Karuni felt that the other person seemed to have... committed some serious misunderstanding.

If nothing unexpected happens, the reason why Gadriya is so eager to go to Lilycove City is probably, likely, perhaps... because of Groudon and those two orbs, right?

However, on the other hand— Listening to Mikuri's endless musings, recalling how responsible and dependable Cattleya and Lusa were back at Lake Risshiden in Sinnoh.

Karuni was starting to feel insecure.

Could it be that she really thinks too much of people as pragmatic?

Perhaps... they really did want to rescue Lily's parents as soon as possible, so they used the excuse of wanting the pearl to cover up their kindness?

That makes perfect sense!

So this is the lofty awareness that future champions must possess?

In comparison, I realize that I only see the surface and there's still a lot I need to grow in.