At the dock, the weather had nearly stabilized, and it was possible to reach New Island, but the Kanto League issued an order forbidding anyone from going there.
So even though the weather had begun to clear up, the ships at the dock still couldn't set sail, and no one at the dock could proceed to New Island by any means.
To prevent anyone from smuggling themselves there, the Kanto League even sent Gym Leaders from two nearby cities—Vermilion City and Celadon City.
With two Gym Leaders stationed there, those with sneaky thoughts dismissed their ideas and chose to watch the commotion at the dock instead.
Since the League wouldn't let anyone go to New Island, something must have happened there. The strongest trainer competition reaching the League's ears was also an embarrassment to them.
Maybe the League had already sent people over to arrest the organizers, and once they returned, they'd definitely come to the dock first, providing quite the spectacle.
However, the trainers at the dock saw nothing, except for an explosion, which they witnessed clearly and distinctly!
A giant mushroom cloud rose above the sea. New Island looked like an insignificant dot compared to it, and the mushroom cloud was even larger than the island.
The previously calm ocean suddenly became turbulent. Terrifying waves swept directly toward the dock, causing the trainers waiting around for the spectacle to retreat in shock, only to be drenched like drowned rats by the waves.
"What's going on? Why did it suddenly start surging again?"
"Yeah, wasn't the weather supposed to be fine? These waves are even bigger than when the storm hit earlier!"
"Did you see it just now? There seemed to be a mushroom cloud over New Island. Could it be an explosion there that caused the waves to reach us?"
"Don't be ridiculous! If waves from an explosion at New Island reached here, the explosion must have been huge!"
"Exactly, even if it didn't completely destroy New Island."
"Uh... agreed, but how do you explain the mushroom cloud over New Island?"
"... Wow, that's something to think about too~"
The group, soaked to the skin, discussed at the edge of the dock, and Erika and Lt. Surge exchanged a glance after hearing their conversation.
As the ones sent by the League to guard the dock, they knew a bit of the inside story.
Apparently, there was something on New Island that even the League was quite wary of, and they had sent the Elite Four to deal with it. If it were a battle at the Champion Level, reaching its peak could potentially destroy a small island!
But if the mushroom cloud from just now on the island were indeed an explosion, even a Champion Level wouldn't cause such commotion. A hint of unease crossed both of their minds.
Could it be... that a Divine Domain Level being is on New Island? And that being unleashed a tremendously powerful move, destroying New Island completely!
...
At this moment on New Island—
No, it shouldn't be called New Island anymore; it was now an expanse of ocean!
A few remnants floated on the sea's surface, but the entire island was nearly obliterated in the recent clash, those remnants being all that was left of it.
On the sea, an 'iceberg' quietly melted away, revealing the figures of those inside.
Misty and the Elite Four of Kanto were all within the several-meter-tall iceberg, each showing a visage of lingering fear, including Lance.
If he hadn't instructed all his Pokémon to use Protect simultaneously, and if Lorelei hadn't ordered his Pokémon to create an ice barrier utilizing an Ice Type Move immediately, and Lapras using Sheer Cold as the final protective net, they would have suffered the same fate as New Island!
Even so, they survived only by sheer luck, with Lapras's Sheer Cold being the last remaining defense.
Lance's Pokémon outside bore the brunt while using Protect, sustaining considerable damage. Lance had to swiftly recall them into the Pokeballs one by one to prevent them from falling into the sea.
Lorelei's Pokémon faced the same situation.
Once all defenses were breached and only the final Sheer Cold was left as the ultimate line, the aftershock finally dissipated as Sheer Cold was about to shatter. So, their survival was indeed quite miraculous.
Agatha and Bruno even regretted not having deployed their Pokémon. Agatha only had Gengar guarding from the shadows, while Bruno didn't deploy any Pokémon at all.
As a result, they were virtually useless during the explosion.
Had they not been so lucky, they might have been lost.
"Where's Ash? Where's Mewtwo?" After coming out from Sheer Cold and recovering for a moment, Lorelei thought of Ash and Mewtwo first.
Compared to them, those two were in the explosion's epicenter without any protection. Even being at the Divine Domain Level, their outcome wouldn't necessarily be favorable.
If they fell into the water, things would get even worse. The explosive waves stirred the ocean violently, potentially sweeping them thousands of meters away within seconds.
Unless they coincidentally floated to another island, otherwise... their odds were grim.