So Lorelei suggested departing for Asia Island immediately, seizing every moment to reduce the likelihood of Cynthia encountering any unforeseen events.
"Yes, I've already had Pidgeot sent over from Professor Oak. Miss Lorelei, you and Serena can ride on Pidgeot, while Misty and I will go on Charizard," Ash said, throwing two Pokeballs, from which the mighty Charizard and Pidgeot appeared on the open ground.
With a definite destination in mind, traveling leisurely on Lapras was no longer an option. Flying through the sky was undoubtedly the fastest route, so Ash decisively had Pidgeot sent over.
"Alright, then what about her?" Lorelei raised her snow-white chin towards Mars. The four of them had their transportation sorted, but there was still an extra person here.
To reach Team Galactic's base, Mars was indispensable. Without her guidance, even knowing that the base was near Asia Island wouldn't prevent them from wandering in the dark for who knows how long.
"As for her... just tie a rope and have Pidgeot carry her. Don't worry, my Pidgeot can handle it."
"Hey, hey, hey!! Is this how you treat captives? Can't you treat me a little better? You still need me to guide you!" Mars rolled her eyes, complaining in discontent.
It's not about whether your Pidgeot can carry me, it's about whether I'll be 'comfortable' being carried!
No, according to Ash, it's not even considered 'sitting,' it's being tied up and flown, really just abusing a captive!
Is this what you call acting righteous?!
"For someone like you, there's no special treatment. Do bad things and you'll face the punishment!!" Misty retorted unceremoniously, hands on her hips, confronting Mars.
That night, they were all frightened by this person. Who would have thought she was just a complete weakling... though perhaps calling her a weakling is a bit too much. Compared to them, Mars was overwhelmingly strong, but against Ash, she was undeniably weak.
Without even a Champion-level Pokemon, it was impossible to harm Ash a bit when he was prepared, as the images Mewtwo projected in their minds that night clearly showed.
Even so, they were quite scared at the time, and now they're in no mood to show Mars any goodwill.
Now they're just having Pidgeot carry her, not even bothering to fly her low over the sea and soak her in seawater, which is already merciful!
Ash and Lorelei completely ignored Mars's words, continuing their casual conversation and planning their entrance into Team Galactic's base.
For someone like Mars, showing her any goodwill could just go to her head, so the best approach now was to ignore her, ensuring she behaves, as they'll need her help inside the base later.
If not now, when else to discipline her?
Mars's mouth twitched, knowing her protest was in vain. Now she could only suppress her inner rage and wait for the right moment to turn the tables.
...
On Little Orange Island, the battles between trainers were as intense as ever, but no one knew that Ash and Lorelei had already left. Upon leaving, Ash specifically asked Mewtwo to use its superpower to mask their departure, making it utterly undetectable.
They wanted the island's inhabitants to believe they were still there, creating a smokescreen while they infiltrated Team Galactic's base unnoticed.
The Team Galactic branch in the Orange Archipelago had two leaders: apart from Mars, one of the four major leaders, there was another guy named Pluton.
Judging by the name alone, Pluton sounds much more intimidating than Mars, but in reality, Pluton's strength was far inferior to Mars. The reason he was one of the four major leaders was because he was... a scientist!
He had researchers matching his title, and in terms of knowledge, few, even within the alliance, could rival him.
Professor Oak might not lose in terms of knowledge and might even surpass him, yet Pluton's strength lay not only in knowledge but also in his horrifying research and development capabilities.
Professor Oak was merely a professor, not a scientist. Scientists are a different breed from ordinary researchers.
Pluton's terrifying reputation was well-known within Team Galactic, apparent from his ability to fuse Yveltal's power into Little Lugia, as well as utilize Palkia's residual power to create a spatial barrier even Cynthia couldn't break.
Although he and Mars were both leaders in the Orange Archipelago branch, according to Mars, she obeyed Pluton most of the time. Whether it involved Lugia or setting traps to capture Cynthia, all were his ideas.
Even her pretending to be an innocent little girl was Pluton's idea.
That guy's mind was on a different level entirely. If not dealing with Ash, even a Champion might unknowingly fall into his traps.
Pluton was also Ash and his companions' greatest adversary this time.
That night, around Asia Island—
The wind howled, waves surged, and there were nearly no boats or creatures in the sea at this time. Even Water Type Pokemon dared not surface in such conditions, lest they be swept into the waves, with the sea roaring and frothing, a grim fate even for Water Type Pokemon.
Not only on the sea but also in the sky due to the howling wind and frequent thunderstorms, flying Pokemon were almost nonexistent, yet two exceptions appeared: an orange-red figure and a brown-white figure traversed the storm.
No matter how intense the weather, resembling a Category 13 typhoon, it couldn't hinder Ash and company.
A transparent shield rose around Charizard and Pidgeot, minimizing the storm's impact.
"This storm, it's related to the Divine," as they stepped into Asia Island's vicinity, Mewtwo's voice resonated in Ash's mind.
These seemingly natural disasters were actually influenced by divine forces rather than naturally formed.
"Is it Lugia?"
"Probably not. I can sense two Divine Domain-level powers mingling in the weather, about on par with me in strength."
Being on par with Mewtwo meant being at the Primary Divine Domain Level, while the Sea God's reputation and lore suggested Lugia had at least a high-level domain power.
This indicated that the forces affecting the area weren't Lugia's but belonged to two distinct divine beings, both at the Divine Domain level!
When did Divine Domain levels become such a common occurrence?
Ash suppressed his doubts, deciding to retrieve Cynthia first before dealing with these two entities, prioritizing locating Team Galactic's base.
"According to Mars, Team Galactic's base is below. Ash, can Mewtwo scout it out below?" Lorelei asked, gazing at the churning waves below.
"I'll give it a try… Mewtwo says it's found it. There is a large submarine-like base below, and it carries the aura of the divine," Ash replied within seconds.
Mars hadn't lied; a massive submarine-like base lay a hundred meters beneath the surface, its structure carrying the divine aura, which, if Mars's intelligence was correct, should be the space prison formed by Palkia's power.
Cynthia was inside that thing!