In the sea, undercurrents surged. The first group of people to approach the blue crystal had already been swept away by the currents or crushed by the water pressure, leaving no remains behind. A splash of crimson emerged, standing out vividly against the blue seawater.
As soon as this crimson drifted past, it was as if a battle horn had been blown; the members of the Hoenn League and Team Aqua immediately clashed. At the same time, the Team Aqua members did not forget their mission, promptly sending people to deliver the news and request reinforcements.
The rest was simple enough. No matter how fierce the Hoenn League's assault was, they eventually missed a detail, allowing one Team Aqua member to slip away. Even though he was dealt with immediately, he had already managed to send the intelligence out.
It was an old trick, but a classic one that never failed. Facing intelligence obtained at the cost of so much blood, Archie did not question its authenticity. Since being heavily damaged by the Hoenn League last time, Team Aqua had been suffering under the dual pressure of the League and Team Magma.
If this trend continued, Team Aqua would eventually dwindle away, even if they weren't completely eradicated. They might even become nutrients for Team Magma, allowing their rivals to grow further. Therefore, in Archie's view, after mobilizing so much power, this intelligence had to be true!
Archie's orders were issued, and the prepared Team Aqua members immediately accelerated, providing support at the highest speed. While the League and Team Aqua clashed, a Team Magma squad was also ambushed by the Hoenn League in the forest.
The Hoenn League knew their two old rivals all too well. While concentrating their strength on Team Aqua, they never lowered their guard against Team Magma. Consequently, they had already stationed personnel along the mandatory paths leading to the site. Furthermore, the League would track these people during the battle.
If they could find Maxie's location, the Hoenn League wouldn't mind fighting on two fronts to wipe them all out in one go. After all, the Hoenn League already possessed the strength, and with the support of the Kanto League, their confidence was even greater.
Amidst the chaos, Gu Yuan did not rush to show himself; instead, he observed carefully. With the system's detection function, he didn't need to join the naval battle to know if Archie had arrived. For this primary objective, he naturally set aside a portion of his attention.
However, since he was free anyway, Gu Yuan felt he could take action against any stray Team Magma members to help relieve some pressure for the Hoenn League. Soon, he locked onto a suitable target.
"You two, this road is closed. If you want to pass through here, you'll have to pay a toll."
In the forest, Gu Yuan's voice rang out abruptly. Hearing this, the two Team Magma members glanced at each other before simultaneously releasing their Pokémon. The moment they threw their Poké Balls, an invisible force seized them, leaving them unable to move.
This was a war, after all. As long as he could deal with the opponent quickly, Gu Yuan didn't mind what methods he used. His appearance was merely a bait to create an opening for Alakazam. With a churn of psychic power, the two became corpses and fell to the ground. After locking and taking their Poké Balls, Gu Yuan left their bodies behind and began looking for the next target.
In the sea, the battle continued. Within the aftershocks of the combat, the blue crystal continued to emit a dazzling light. According to specialized detectors, Team Aqua discovered that the blue crystal contained extremely high energy. This made them even more convinced that this crystal was the key item for summoning Kyogre.
To this end, Team Aqua invested more and more strength. Little did they know that their ability to persist this long was entirely intentional on the Hoenn League's part, aimed at eliminating as much of Team Aqua's active force as possible.
As the commotion of the battle grew louder, two hidden forces gradually began to lose their composure. Team Magma was the first to act. Having already gathered many people, they deployed a large number of elites once they confirmed the news.
"It's finally time for us to act."
"According to the plan, while eliminating them, try to leave one or two survivors to find Maxie's location."
"Now, move out!"
As an order rang out, the hidden Hoenn League members immediately struck.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Abruptly, a series of explosions echoed as the Team Magma elites clashed with the League Trainers.
"I didn't expect the Hoenn League's acting to be so convincing that even the Hunter's Guild was lured out."
"Or perhaps, the Hunter's Guild's original goal has always been the legendary Pokémon of each region?"
Leaning against a tree trunk, Gu Yuan—who had been striking from the shadows—quickly identified the figures sneaking into the forest as members of the Hunter's Guild. While reporting his discovery to the Hoenn League, he also speculated about the guild's true objective.
Based on their behavior, their most likely targets were indeed those legendary Pokémon. After all, by definition, the Hunter's Guild was not composed of good people. If they didn't want to be eradicated by the League one day, they had to possess formidable strength.
However, even with their special systems, a hidden organization could not compete with the long-established League. Therefore, the only power capable of turning the tide of war would be those legendary Pokémon capable of destroying heaven and earth.
The more he thought about it, the more plausible this theory seemed to Gu Yuan. If that were the case, the reason the Kanto branch of the Hunter's Guild had completely vanished might be that they had already obtained what they wanted. Unlike unique Pokémon like Kyogre, there were quite a few of the Legendary Birds; who knew if the Hunter's Guild had captured several in secret.
Thinking of this, Gu Yuan found Agatha's number and sent his hypothesis over. As for what to do next, he would leave that to the Elite rank officials while he focused on the matter at hand. Using Teleport, he began rushing toward the seaside.
By the time he arrived, the surface of the sea looked as if it had been stained with a layer of crimson. The sea breeze carried a scent of blood in addition to the saltiness. Under the impact of the battle's aftershocks, the blue crystal could no longer release its power steadily and gradually drifted to the surface.
The moment the blue crystal floated up, the entire battlefield seemed to freeze for a split second. In the next heartbeat, everyone abandoned their opponents and rushed toward the crystal. Meanwhile, Gu Yuan, who had just reached the shore, vanished silently from his spot.