"It seems it won't wake up even if we attack it."
Wallace looked very frustrated and hot. Cynthia spoke in a polite and careful way.
"That is right. Water is strong against Ground. So what should we do? Should we keep attacking?"
Leon completely agreed.
Wallace had shown them something. Groudon had a small reaction to Milotic's strong Hydro Pump.
Maybe Groudon would wake up if they used even stronger moves.
"But if we do that, Groudon will be very angry, right?" Giovanni spoke after thinking silently for a moment.
"It is sleeping very deeply now. Mr. Wallace's attack showed that. If we keep attacking it to wake it up, it might lose control and attack everything."
Giovanni shared his guess.
"Yes, that is possible." Cynthia looked at Giovanni.
"Then what do we do? It is a shame. We do not have the Orbs."
Nemona sighed. Groudon was right in front of them, but they could not do anything.
In that case, would all their hard work be for nothing?
"There are two other ways."
Giovanni spoke while he thought. Everyone looked at him.
"First, we bring Team Rocket here and fight near this area. The noise of battle and Kyogre's energy might wake Groudon up."
Leon and the others thought about this.
"The idea is possible, but the problem is, how do we bring Team Rocket here?"
Steven frowned. If they fought near the cave, it would work. But it was hard to lead Team Rocket there.
Team Rocket was an evil group, but Damian and his people were smart. It was very difficult to make Team Rocket attack the Hoenn Alliance.
Finding Team Rocket was already hard. Leading them to this place would be even harder.
Cynthia agreed. Trying to lead Team Rocket to this place would be very difficult.
"Then the second way: catch Groudon right here!" Giovanni said in a deep voice. He took out a Poké Ball.
"What?!"
"Huh?"
"Senior, do not act without thinking!"
Steven and the others were surprised. They tried to stop Giovanni.
"Leader Giovanni, Groudon is a Legendary Pokémon. Even if we put it in a Poké Ball now, it might break out once it wakes up. A Poké Ball cannot hold it."
Steven spoke to Giovanni. He thought catching Groudon was too dangerous.
Many strong Pokémon are not held by Poké Balls. A powerful legendary like Groudon would be even harder to keep inside.
If it woke up and saw a human caught it while it slept, it would be very angry. It might attack the Trainer.
"This is the only way. If we put Groudon into a Poké Ball, we can take it away."
Giovanni's eyes were sure. He had decided.
"This action is too risky, Leader Giovanni." Cynthia frowned.
"That is right. If someone must risk catching Groudon, it should be me! Leader Giovanni, you..." Steven said with a heavy voice.
He was the Hoenn Champion. He felt he should be the one to do everything for Hoenn.
He thought he should be the one to catch Groudon. If Groudon woke up, Steven would take the risk.
"Damian is my son. If a son is not good, it is the father's fault. He is like this now, and it is my responsibility. No matter what..."
Giovanni's voice was very low. His eyes looked sad and stubborn.
"I must defeat him! I must make him change back, no matter what it costs!"
Giovanni's voice was very firm. Steven and the others were surprised by his strong feelings.
"So, let it be me! I will take all the risks alone."
"For the Alliance and for Justice!"
Giovanni's voice was very loud and powerful.
Giovanni's words made Steven stop talking. He did not say anything more.
"Then we will leave it to you, Leader Giovanni."
Wallace spoke sincerely. When Giovanni first arrived, Wallace did not trust him fully.
Giovanni's son was a leader in Team Rocket. It was normal to be suspicious of the father.
But now, Wallace felt bad for doubting him. He felt he was a bad person for doing that.
He asked himself how he could doubt Leader Giovanni.
"Groudon..."
Giovanni walked two steps forward. He looked at the red giant sleeping in the magma. He smiled slightly, but the others could not see it.
This was the legendary creator of the land. Giovanni felt they would work well together.
At this moment, Giovanni's back was toward the others. His smile was full of bad intent.
He threw the Ultra Ball at Groudon.
Damian told him that a sleeping Groudon would probably not resist. This was why he wanted to catch it now.
This was the best chance.
This was the Overlord of the Earth. Steven might also try to catch it to move it later.
So, Giovanni wanted to do it first.
It was better for Giovanni to do it than an Alliance Champion. Steven, Cynthia, and Leon were very good. They might get Groudon's respect.
So, Giovanni took this risk.
The Ultra Ball flew through the air and hit Groudon. Immediately, Groudon's big body turned into red light. It was pulled into the Ultra Ball.
It went in! Everyone wondered if it would work.
Steven and the others looked nervous.
Nemona was very excited. She stared at the Poké Ball in the air.
Beep~
The Poké Ball shook once in the air.
Ding~
Then the ball made a sound and stopped moving.
The capture was successful!
Leon and the others were very surprised. It worked easily.
Beedrill flew and brought the Ultra Ball back to Giovanni.
Giovanni took the ball. He had a happy smile on his face.
He was happy, but he knew this was only the first step. He knew the situation from what Damian told him.
"It was a success, everyone."
Giovanni turned around and smiled at Steven and the others.
"Congratulations, Leader Giovanni."
Steven's feelings were a bit complicated.
The three legendary Pokémon were part of Hoenn's history. But Kyogre was with Damian, and Groudon was now with Giovanni. Only Rayquaza was left.
"That is amazing, Senior! This is Groudon!" Nemona was very excited.
It was her first time seeing someone catch a Legendary Pokémon.
She decided to look for Legendary Pokémon when she returned to Paldea. She was very interested in them now.
The battle in LaRousse City showed her the big difference between normal Pokémon and legendary ones. They were scary but amazing.
"It is only in the ball for now. A Poké Ball cannot hold Groudon forever. If I do not get Groudon's respect, it is not truly caught."
Giovanni shook his head and acted calm.
"True. But the first step is finished. If Groudon is not too angry, you might have a chance to truly catch it."
Leon agreed. He thought Giovanni had a good chance.
He also wanted to throw a ball at Groudon, but it was not the right time.
He thought about the risk. If Groudon broke out of the ball while Giovanni was sleeping, Giovanni could die.
That would be scary.
"Champion Steven, our next task is to find where Damian is."
Giovanni looked at Steven and spoke in a deep voice.
"Alright!"
Steven nodded. He knew it was urgent.
The more time passed, the more dangerous it was for Giovanni.
...
At Caitlin's villa in Lilycove City.
Damian smiled when he saw a message on his phone.
"What is it? Is there good news?"
Caitlin put a fruit plate on the table. She sat down next to Damian and asked.
"My father caught Groudon. The Hoenn Alliance is looking for us," Damian said with a smile.
Giovanni had sent him the news.
Caitlin smiled slightly.
"The Hoenn Alliance is truly being tricked by you and your father."
Caitlin drank some water and smiled.
The Alliance did not know that Giovanni was part of Team Rocket. They had no hope of winning.
Also, without the Red Orb, Groudon could not beat Primal Kyogre anyway.
If Giovanni betrayed the Alliance during the battle, they would be in big trouble. But Caitlin knew Giovanni would not do it yet.
The Hoenn Alliance had no chance of winning from the start.
"It is not that big of a deal. I did not expect Steven would give the chance to my father."
Damian crossed his legs. He wanted to see what happened.
He wanted to know how Giovanni took the chance from Steven.
Steven was the Champion, so he should have been the one to catch Groudon.
"Should we respond now?"
Caitlin peeled a grape and gave it to Damian. She asked softly.
"Of course~" Damian opened his mouth and ate it.
Caitlin felt her fingers touch Damian's lips. She blinked her eyes.
"It is time to show them true power." Damian smiled.
"And I can also finish the matter with Zinnia."
The battle between the sea and the land would be the right time for Zinnia to call Rayquaza. He hoped Zinnia would succeed.
"When do you want to do it?"
Caitlin peeled another grape and looked at Damian.
She felt happy when Damian ate the grape.
"The Millennium Comet arrives tonight. Let's see if Jirachi wakes up."
Damian looked at the purple crystal on the table. He was interested in Jirachi.
"Mm~" Caitlin nodded.
It would be hard for the Alliance to find Damian if he did not want them to.
Night came. It was the day the Millennium Comet arrived. They were on a hill near the sea in Lilycove City.
Damian and the other two sat there. They had a picnic mat. Jirachi's crystal was on it.
"The legend says a beautiful song can wake Jirachi. Lillie, please do it."
Damian looked at the white comet in the sky and smiled at Lillie.
"Mhm~ Leave it to me!"
Lillie was confident. She took the Sun Flute out of her bag. A Pokémon nearby looked a bit upset.
It thought the flute belonged to it.
Lillie put the flute to her lips.
The sound was very beautiful and clear. It made people feel good.
The sound spread through the night sky. The comet was very bright. White energy fell from the sky and went into the crystal.
The stone started to glow and float.
"It really worked!"
Lillie saw the change and stopped playing. She was very happy. This was the legendary Wish Star!
The light became very bright. A small yellow and white Pokémon appeared from the stone. It opened its big eyes.
"So cute~!"
Lillie's eyes lit up.
Jirachi was very small and cute. Its head looked like a star. It had three green tags on its head. It had ribbons that looked like wings.
Its body was white with a line on its belly. Its arms and legs were very small.
"Mmm Damian!"
As soon as Jirachi woke up, it looked for Damian. It saw him and smiled. It floated toward him.
It hugged Damian's neck. It was very affectionate, like a kitten.
Lillie and Caitlin thought it was very soft and cute. It was also a Pokémon that could grant wishes.
"Damian, Damian~ I am awake!"
Jirachi spoke in his mind. Its voice sounded like a child.
It was very close to Damian. He talked to it and gave it energy when it was sleeping.
"Congratulations, Jirachi." Damian smiled. He held Jirachi up high.
Jirachi looked at Damian innocently. It was very cute.
Then, the Wish Star said its first wish.
"Damian~ I want to ride the big fishy."
"Huh?"
Damian was surprised. He was not sure if Kyogre would like that.
"What is wrong? Damian, you promised me." Jirachi tilted its head.
"I want to ride the big fishy. Someone told me that riding the big fishy feels very great." Jirachi said seriously.
"Who told you that?" Damian was very surprised.
"Manaphy told me."
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