Chapter 1273: Turbulence From The Sea
The Krokorok climbed to its feet, glaring at the Mienfoo who had knocked it down with a single punch. Its attention now fully focused, it realized that this was the true culprit behind its ruined dream.
Mienfoo ignored Krokorok's piercing gaze. With a sudden burst of speed, it appeared directly in front of Krokorok, launching a Drain Punch again aimed at its head.
Krokorok tilted its head to the right, narrowly dodging the punch. Twisting its body, it countered with Iron Tail, striking Mienfoo and sending it flying.
When Mienfoo landed, it fell painfully to its knees. Frogadier, seeing its companion in trouble, wanted to rush to help. But as soon as it moved, the other Krokorok and Sandile surrounding them also shifted into action, forcing Mienfoo to quickly stop Frogadier.
After rising back to its feet, Mienfoo's eyes glimmered with fighting spirit as it locked gazes with Krokorok. For a moment, Krokorok was startled, but soon its own battle spirit was ignited.
Both Pokémon charged at each other simultaneously. Mienfoo swung with Drain Punch, while Krokorok retaliated with Shadow Claw. Their attacks collided with a resounding impact, forcing both Pokémon to retreat from the sheer force.
After this intense exchange, they seemed evenly matched. Krokorok slammed its fist into the ground, unleashing Sand Tomb. Mienfoo immediately felt its feet being swallowed by the shifting sands.
Undeterred, Mienfoo activated its Force Palm move, striking the soft sand with both hands in quick succession. Ripples of blue energy spread through the sand, and using the rebound force generated, Mienfoo launched itself out of the trap, freeing itself from the clutches of Sand Tomb.
Krokorok's eyes lit up with admiration as it witnessed Mienfoo's clever escape. A flicker of respect for Mienfoo appeared in its gaze, as if it had forgotten it was supposed to be seeking revenge.
Breaking free from Sand Tomb wasn't an easy feat; most victims only sank deeper the more they struggled. But Mienfoo's deft use of the counterforce from Force Palm allowed it to escape effortlessly.
Landing a short distance away from Krokorok, Mienfoo pushed off with its legs once more, leaping forward at lightning speed. It aimed a Drain Punch directly at Krokorok's head.
Krokorok quickly retreated, narrowly evading the attack. Its tail lashed out in a swift Iron Tail counterstrike. Mienfoo crossed its arms defensively, using Force Palm to absorb the impact. Still, the blow sent Mienfoo flying.
Mienfoo knelt on the ground, raising its head to meet Krokorok's gaze. At that moment, Krokorok looked back, and their eyes locked. A fierce, unspoken camaraderie bloomed between them, their fighting spirits surging. By now, they had completely forgotten the original reason for their conflict; all they wanted was to enjoy a good, intense battle.
Frogadier and Wartortle couldn't understand the shift in their companions' minds. Seeing Mienfoo injured, they grew increasingly anxious, but they couldn't step in to help and could only fret helplessly on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, the Feebas in Wartortle's arms rolled its eyes mischievously, clearly plotting something. Since it was the reason they'd come to the Desert Sub-Ecopark in the first place—and the cause of the trouble with Krokorok—Feebas decided it needed to resolve the mess.
The battle between Mienfoo and Krokorok continued fiercely. They exchanged blow after blow, evenly matched and unable to gain the upper hand. Both Pokémon eventually exhausted themselves, panting heavily as they stared at one another. Mutual respect and admiration filled their gazes, and a shared desire to become friends sprouted in their hearts.
At that moment, a Gliscor flew overhead, leading a group of Gligar across the sky. Spotting them, Feebas's eyes sparkled with an idea. With a flick of its tail, it leaped out of Wartortle's arms and fired a Dragon Breath at the last Gligar in the group. Wartortle tried to stop it, but it was too late.
Dragon Breath was one of Feebas's inherited moves. Due to its low level, the attack wasn't usually very powerful. However, by sheer chance, this time it triggered the move's secondary effect: paralysis. The struck Gligar stiffened midair and plummeted straight to the ground.
The paralyzed Gligar twitched helplessly for several moments after landing.
Frogadier, Wartortle, Mienfoo, and all the Sandiles and Krokoroks felt an ominous premonition the moment they saw the Gligar drop from the sky.
Feebas, however, was secretly delighted, thinking smugly: If the Gliscor and Krokorok gangs start fighting, we can take advantage of the chaos and escape.
At first, things seemed to go as Feebas had predicted. The Gliscor and Gligar, enraged at their comrade being attacked, launched a furious and indiscriminate assault.
Ever since the Flygon clan moved to the Dragon's Den Sub-Ecopark, leaving the Desert Sub-Ecopark, the Gliscor clan had become the dominant force in the desert. Up-and-comers like the Krokorok clan couldn't compare, which had made the Gliscor clan increasingly overbearing.
Now, with one of their own attacked for no reason, the Gliscor leader wasn't about to let it slide.
The Gliscor leader and its clan launched an indiscriminate attack on everyone below, including Mienfoo, Frogadier, Wartortle, Feebas, and all the Sandiles and Krokoroks. Things quickly spiraled out of Feebas's control.
Because Mienfoo and the others were standing alongside the Krokoroks, the Gliscor clan automatically assumed they were all in cahoots.
The combined numbers of the Gliscor and Krokorok clans, along with Mienfoo's group, seemed roughly even. Feebas had calculated that they wouldn't suffer too much. However, Feebas had grossly underestimated the strength of the Gliscor clan, whose levels far surpassed those of the Krokoroks and Mienfoo's team.
Particularly fearsome was the Gliscor leader, whom even the combined efforts of Mienfoo and the strongest Krokorok could not defeat.
Mienfoo and the Krokorok partnered up seamlessly. Through their earlier battle, they had developed mutual respect, silently putting their grievances behind them.
This should have been the end of the matter, but Feebas's unnecessary meddling had escalated things.
The Gliscor leader dove down with a powerful Cross Poison, while Mienfoo and the Krokorok countered with Drain Punch and Shadow Claw, respectively, aiming for its massive pincers. But the Gliscor leader deflected their attacks with ease, sending both flying.
Feebas kept urging Wartortle to gather Frogadier and Mienfoo to flee in the chaos, but the Gligar above had them completely surrounded. Escape was impossible.
Ultimately, neither Mienfoo's group nor the Krokoroks could avoid a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Gliscor clan. Furious, the Krokoroks turned on Feebas as soon as the Gliscor left, ready to give it a beating. However, the Krokorok that had battled Mienfoo stopped them.
Feebas curled up in Wartortle's arms, pretending to be as meek as a mouse.
Mienfoo and the Krokorok leader exchanged a glance, and a budding friendship sparked between them.
The news of the chaotic skirmish between the Gliscor and Krokorok clans quickly reached Yuga, who only then realized that Frogadier and Wartortle had evolved.
Although the matter wasn't particularly serious, Yuga sternly reprimanded Feebas for its scheming and then had a talk with the Gliscor leader.
Yuga had already noticed that the Gliscor clan had grown somewhat arrogant since the Flygon clan left the Desert Sub-Ecopark. He had assumed the Gliscor leader would handle the situation, but to his surprise, it had done nothing.
Following Yuga's intervention, leadership of the Gliscor clan changed hands. The leader's position was given to the strongest among its many offspring—a younger Gliscor with remarkable potential.
This younger Gliscor, with its blue potential, far outclassed its father in all aspects. Its level had long surpassed the former leader's, and its reputation within the clan grew stronger by the day. Yuga believed that this younger Gliscor was far better suited to lead the clan.
The former leader had no objections to stepping down. With the clan's younger generation becoming stronger and more numerous, it had felt increasingly overwhelmed in managing them. Now was the perfect time to pass on the mantle.
Although the former leader had not been particularly competent, its determination to see the clan grow stronger surpassed anyone else's.
Ever since Mienfoo and the Krokorok formed their unlikely bond through battle, Mienfoo had taken to visiting the Desert Sub-Ecopark regularly. The two Pokémon's friendship grew stronger with each meeting.
Initially, Mienshao secretly went to visit the Krokorok, keeping it hidden from Frogadier and Wartortle, its two close companions. After the previous fight, Frogadier and Wartortle held a grudge against the Krokorok and weren't fond of them.
Eventually, as Mienshao's visits became frequent, Frogadier and Wartortle naturally noticed. They were upset with Mienshao for quite some time over this. The fight had originally started because Mienshao accidentally stepped on Krokorok, dragging Frogadier and Wartortle into the mess. Mienshao, feeling responsible, wanted to mend the relationship between the two sides.
Through persistent efforts, Mienshao managed to gain Frogadier and Wartortle's forgiveness for its sneaky visits to the Krokorok. This led to a visit to the Desert Sub-Ecopark once more. However, this time, they didn't venture deep into the desert. Instead, they met the Sandile at Oasis No. 1.
The thoughts of Pokémon are simple, and once everything was discussed openly, they all became good friends who could talk about anything.
Meanwhile, at the border between the Hoenn and Sinnoh seas, there existed an island. Beneath this island lay the Sea Ruins, home to a giant Milotic.
The giant Milotic coiled its long body while a small, lively Manaphy swam around it, holding a fragment of a rainbow-glowing stone.
This Manaphy wasn't the one Yuga and May had sent to the Temple of the Sea in the past but rather a much older Manaphy.
"Manaphy~"
Manaphy chirped joyfully, hugging the stone fragment while its body absorbed the energy radiating from the fragment.
The fragment was a piece of a larger Giant Rock that Manaphy had found at the bottom of the sea. Absorbing its energy could enhance the Legendary Aura of a Legendary Pokémon, making the stone immensely precious to Manaphy.
However, Manaphy could only absorb the energy in small amounts at a time, as too much at once could harm its body.
The giant Milotic watched over Manaphy silently, without any desire to covet the megalith fragment in Manaphy's possession.
Suddenly, the water began to quake violently, and the entire underwater ruins seemed on the verge of collapse. The giant Milotic immediately became furious.
Boom!
The giant Milotic surged out of the water, only to find a humanoid Pokémon hovering in the sky. Its eyes glowed with intense light as it manipulated the sea with hand gestures.
Clearly, this Pokémon was responsible for the turmoil. If Yuga were present, he would instantly recognize this figure as none other than the artificial Legendary Pokémon, Mewtwo.
Mewtwo's target was, without a doubt, the Giant Rock fragment in Manaphy's hands.
"Milotic!"
The enraged Milotic unleashed a powerful Hydro Pump toward Mewtwo, but Mewtwo extended its arm, freezing the water jet in mid-air.
Boom!
Mewtwo clenched its outstretched fingers, and with an application of immense psychic power, the frozen water burst into countless droplets, scattering everywhere.
Milotic's pupils constricted as it watched this display.
Before Milotic could react, Mewtwo hurled an Aura Sphere toward it. The massive Milotic's head jerked to the side as it was struck, causing it to crash back into the sea.
Milotic's enormous body hitting the water generated tsunami-like waves. The surging waves slammed into the nearby island, terrifying the Pokémon living there and sending them fleeing in all directions.
"Zapdos!"
At that moment, a sharp avian cry echoed across the island, and a golden bird took to the skies—it was the Legendary Pokémon, Zapdos.
Seeing the giant Milotic toppled, Zapdos summoned a storm of lightning and directed it toward Mewtwo.
The current Zapdos has settled on the island, becoming a neighbor to the giant Milotic and Manaphy. They support and help one another, living in harmony. Now that its neighbor was being bullied by an unfamiliar intruder, Zapdos certainly couldn't stand idly by.
Golden lightning transformed into a massive dragon and surged toward Mewtwo. With a wave of its arm, a purple shield appeared around Mewtwo. The lightning dragon engulfed the shield, but Mewtwo emerged unscathed and retaliated by hurling two massive, translucent psychic blades at Zapdos.
"Zapdos!"
Zapdos let out a pained cry as it was struck by the two Psycho Cuts in succession, tumbling onto the shore of the island. The Pokémon on the shore trembled with fear, not daring to breathe loudly.
Unbeknownst to anyone, the giant Milotic had appeared behind Mewtwo. With a swing of its Aqua Tail, it whipped its massive tail—many times larger than Mewtwo's body—toward the intruder.
However, it seemed as though Mewtwo had eyes on its back. Just as the powerful tail was about to strike, Mewtwo abruptly turned around, freezing the tail mid-air.
Mewtwo extended its arm, its eyes glowing with an intense purple light. Using its psychic power, it lifted the massive Milotic, which measured hundreds of meters long, entirely out of the water.
"Milotic~"
Milotic's mournful cry echoed across the ocean as it writhed its enormous body, trying to break free from Mewtwo's psychic control. The water around it surged violently due to its struggles, creating massive waves that flung countless Water-type Pokémon out of the ocean, including the colossal Wailord.
Yet, as Mewtwo's glowing eyes flashed faster and faster, Milotic's struggles grew weaker. From its twisted expression, it was clear that the massive Pokémon was in excruciating pain.
Meanwhile, Zapdos silently appeared on the other side of Mewtwo, attempting to ambush it. But Mewtwo stretched out its other arm, and Zapdos was instantly immobilized, just like Milotic.
"Milotic~"
"Zapdos!"
Milotic and Zapdos cried out in agony simultaneously.
At that moment, a small blue figure suddenly shot out of the ocean like an arrow. It fired a yellow-green beam directly at Mewtwo, catching it off guard and sending it flying. Milotic and Zapdos were saved, both collapsing back into the sea.
The attacker was, of course, Manaphy. Compared to Zapdos and the giant Milotic, Manaphy's strength was even greater. Its Signal Beam severely injured Mewtwo.
The wounded Mewtwo glanced at Manaphy, then at the fallen Milotic and Zapdos, before vanishing from the sea in a flash.
...
Hoenn League Headquarters.
Steven was working in his office when one of his subordinates burst in, panic-stricken, and exclaimed, "Mr. Steven, a very strong energy fluctuation has been detected in the northern seas!"
"Let's go and take a look!" Steven immediately stood up from his chair.
Following his subordinate into a monitoring room, Steven saw a screen displaying four rapidly flashing red dots. Before long, one of the dots disappeared, and shortly after, the other three vanished as well.
"Is this the energy fluctuation of Legendary Pokémon? Send someone to investigate immediately!" Steven commanded.
"Yes, sir!" The subordinate quickly responded and left the monitoring room in a hurry.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone