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"Skreee!!"
Moltres carried Liam through the air above the ocean, letting out a long, piercing call as it flew at incredible speed.
It wasn't long before the two arrived at the location where the airship had sunk earlier—but now, only a few giant pieces of wreckage floated on the surface. Everything else had completely vanished beneath the waves.
Although Liam was still worried about Giovanni and Miyamoto, at this moment he had no choice but to trust they were alright. The most urgent concern was still the Masked Man. Liam had chased him this far, yet still hadn't seen a trace of him. Anxiety had already begun to gnaw at him.
"Skreee!!"
Moltres continued onward. After nearly three hours of flying, Liam finally saw the outline of Silver Rock Isle in the distance.
Just from this flight alone, it was clear that Moltres's stamina far surpassed Aerodactyl's. Although Aerodactyl had exhausted itself after Mega Evolution, Moltres—despite flying for hours—didn't show even the slightest hint of fatigue.
As the island came into clear view, Liam rose slightly on Moltres's back, scanning the distant horizon. What he saw made him frown.
The coastline of Silver Rock Isle was covered in massive fields of ice stretching out from the beach. Explosions thundered continuously from atop the ice—clearly, a fierce battle was underway!
"Moltres! Hurry over there!"
"Skreee!!"
The battle on the ice had already caught Liam's full attention. He directed Moltres toward the source of the explosions.
Moltres swooped low over an immense wall of frozen waves. As Liam emerged over the ice field, the scene became clear:
On the frozen sea, Harribel—who had stayed behind on Silver Rock Isle—was kneeling on one leg atop her Mantine's back. Mantine flapped its large wings rapidly, unleashing torrents of Bubble Beam toward several Ice-type Pokemon that were continuously freezing the ocean surface!
"Baga!!"
The Ice-types on the frozen sea—Delibird, Mamoswine, Dewgong, and Cloyster—were clearly the Masked Man's Pokemon. Completely ignoring Mantine's attacks from above, they relentlessly fired Ice-type moves, freezing the sea at an alarming pace.
"Harribel! What on earth is going on? What happened here? Did you see the Masked Man?"
Liam scanned the battlefield but saw no trace of the Masked Man. Yet his Pokemon were clearly here. Confusion tightened Liam's brow. He ordered Moltres to fly closer and shouted down.
Harribel had noticed him the moment he appeared above the glacier. After glancing with mild surprise at the Moltres beneath him, she answered expressionlessly:
"I haven't seen the Masked Man. But while patrolling earlier, I found these Ice-types freezing the sea. They'd already done this much. It was suspicious, so I attacked to stop them—but they don't seem interested in responding to me."
Her brows tightened slightly as she looked toward the still-freezing Ice-types.
"I recognize these Pokemon—they all belong to the Masked Man. If his Pokemon are here, then he must be nearby. They're freezing the sea under his orders. Harribel, restrain them. I'll search the area for the Masked Man!"
Without waiting for a reply, Liam directed Moltres along the frozen coastline, searching for clues.
Harribel's eyes flashed coldly. She turned her gaze to the Ice-types and threw out two PokeBalls. With an icy command, she shouted:
"Feraligatr—Hydro Pump! Starmie! Mantine—Bubble Beam!"
Since she now knew these Pokemon were enemies, she had no reason to hold back.
Meanwhile, Moltres carried Liam across the coast, but he found nothing. This only deepened his confusion—where had the Masked Man gone?
But just as Liam's doubts mounted, far beneath the distant waves, a faint blue glow drifted downward toward the seafloor. And as the depth increased, that eerie glow grew brighter and brighter…
"Mmm… I know, Glacial. We're already deep, but still within my limits. Don't worry—I know what I'm doing."
The blue light illuminated the surroundings, revealing a Lapras and a man beneath the sea—the very man Liam was desperately searching for.
The Masked Man.
This time, he had clearly come prepared. His equipment was fully waterproof, and even at this crushing depth, he seemed largely unaffected.
Crack!
Well—almost unaffected.
A sharp cracking sound echoed through the water. A thin fissure appeared across the surface of his mask. Seeing this, the Masked Man stopped descending.
"Oh? This is the limit? Even with the Great Sea Spirit Sapphire's protection… the deep sea truly remains a forbidden zone for humans?"
He touched the crack gently, muttering to himself.
"Wuu!"
Lapras cried anxiously, lowering its head to nudge him, trying to push him back toward the surface.
But he stopped it with a gentle hand.
The Masked Man rested his palm on Lapras's head, and—shockingly—spoke with a soft, tender tone completely unlike his usual coldness:
"How many years have we worked to reach this point? We can't turn back now. We're at the final step. For you… and for me… I must continue."
"Wuu… wuu…"
Lapras whimpered, tears floating away into the dark water.
"Heh… it's alright. If I can't descend any further… then I'll just gamble here. I dislike gambling—but just this once… I'll take a chance."
He gently pushed Lapras's head aside and stared into the pitch-black abyss below. A flash of madness crossed his eyes.
He raised the Great Sea Spirit Sapphire scepter, gripped the Gem embedded within it—then with a violent twist, tore the gem free.
The glowing gem pulsed with deep-blue light.
Then he hurled it down into the abyss.
Crackle—CRACK!
Almost instantly, without the Great Sea Spirit Sapphire's protection, the Masked Man's diving suit collapsed under the tremendous pressure.
A chorus of snapping and bursting sounded as blood gushed out from cracks in the suit.
"Wuu!!"
Lapras screamed in horror. The Masked Man's body began to sink lifelessly toward the abyss.
Panicking, Lapras lunged forward, bit onto his clothing, and turned sharply toward the surface—racing upward with all its strength.