Articuno

The Seafoam Islands consisted of an eastern and a western island. The collapsing peak stood on the eastern island and gradually began to sink, bringing down the mountains across the entire island. It was like the end of the world, the earth crumbling as though the whole of the Seafoam Islands would be utterly destroyed.

Gongping did not pursue Greninja and the Yin-Yang-Faced Freak. It was not that he did not want to, but that the situation before him left him no way to chase the Yin-Yang-Faced Freak.

Judging that the disaster before him could not be avoided, Gongping made an immediate decision and ordered Mega Salamence to unleash a Hyper Voice sonic wave. Its formidable sonic energy became a powerful shock wave, forcibly creating a distinct vacuum zone.

"Swampert, Claydol!"

Claydol, a clay-doll Pokémon, appeared and floated in the middle of the collapsing area. It drew in the endless sand and soil around it and spun at high speed. As the Ground-type move Drill Run spun rapidly, it actually formed a gigantic vortex around it.

Then the surrounding space began to distort. Claydol activated its Spatial Skill, continually slicing and combining space to control part of the mudslide.

Suddenly, a raging torrent surged from Swampert to one side. Swampert leaped above Claydol, and under the torrent's rampaging impact, the swirling mass of murky air became a mudslide vortex.

Swampert roared and brought down an Ice Punch, freezing the mudslide and giving Gongping and the other Pokémon a place to stand. Gongping then sent out more than a dozen Pokémon, positioning them in every direction.

All manner of elemental attacks blasted out, and thunderous rumbling sounded overhead. Many residents gathered at the foot of the island, and faced with the increasingly terrifying disaster, these trainers were somewhat at a loss.

Soon, however, sharp-eyed people in the crowd immediately recognized Sandstorm King Gongping fighting on the front line above.

"It's King Gongping! He's stopping the disaster."

"Thank goodness! With a League King here, everything will definitely be all right."

Hearing the people around him cheer without a single one attempting to help, Gary looked slightly anxious. He threw out his Poké Balls, releasing Blastoise, Arcanine, and Nidoking. "Don't just watch King Gongping act alone. Please help him!"

Gary's response brought apologetic looks to many local trainers' faces. Then all kinds of Poké Balls flew out, and the pressure on Gongping soon eased considerably. At least the trainers below were no longer sitting idly by, waiting to die as they had before.

Seeing Professor Oak's grandson so actively rallying the trainers to assist him, Gongping breathed a sigh of relief. Gary's quick thinking had certainly helped, but stopping the mountain's collapse was the priority now. With that thought, Gongping continued the effort to save the Seafoam Islands.

But no matter how hard everyone tried, the entire peak collapsed faster and faster. Even though Gongping exhausted every available method, he could not stop nature's merciless destruction.

The enormous, surging mudslide grew increasingly violent. Just as it seemed about to ruthlessly swallow the countless trainers below, Gongping led his Pokémon to hold the front line. Working together, Lileep and Tyranitar slowly constructed a wall of sand.

Glancing at the island's residents, Gongping spoke rapidly. "Retreat to the shore immediately. I'll have Mega Salamence use Hyper Voice to break through the airflow blocking the way, then you can use Water-type Pokémon to evacuate to the Western Island!"

Most residents of the Seafoam Islands actually lived on the eastern island, while the Western Island had a sparse population. The chaotic air currents this time had prevented the eastern island's residents from taking refuge on the Western Island.

In Gongping's view, his battle had caused the disaster before him, so he had to take responsibility to the very end. He immediately decided to cover the retreat and let everyone else leave first.

Seeing Gongping like this, Gary was about to step forward and dissuade him. "But-"

"Hurry, there's no time!"

Mega Salamence's Hyper Voice roared out, once again tearing apart and destroying the turbulent vortex before them. Gary and the many residents looked on with admiration as Gongping and his Pokémon painstakingly built a gigantic sand wall to block the increasingly terrifying collapse.

Gongping was struggling to hold on. To keep his efforts from going to waste, the residents of the Seafoam Islands began an orderly evacuation. Fortunately, from the black hole anomaly to the mountain's collapse, most people had remained gathered near the shore, so the evacuation proceeded very quickly.

Gary's Blastoise also carried six or seven people, slowly bringing them to the Western Island's shore. Watching the thunderous tumult in the distance and Gongping battling nature within it, Gary looked anxious.

Seeing that the residents had successfully evacuated, Gongping breathed a sigh of relief and recalled most of his Pokémon, sending them back to the Breeding Area using technology exclusive to the Pokémon League.

Just then, with a violent impact, the sand wall Tyranitar had created finally gave way and collapsed with a crash. The enormous mudslide roared down, rushing straight toward Gongping below.

Faced with the disaster, Gongping clutched his chest and stared fixedly at everything before him. Despite Tyranitar's objections, he finally recalled Tyranitar into a Poké Ball as well.

Suddenly, a clear cry rang out through the vast skies. A pale blue light shone before Gongping's eyes, and the surrounding mudslide instantly turned into countless chunks of ice that shattered into beautiful ice crystals.

Looking up, he saw a proud, blue-green figure slowly soaring in the air. Reflected in its magnificent blue radiance were extraordinary distinction and nobility.

It was the legendary Pokémon Articuno!

Compared with an ordinary Articuno, this one was larger. Its entire body gave off an intense blue glow, imparting a sense of sacredness and gentleness.

As legendary Pokémon of the Kanto Region, Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos had long been the subjects of many stories. Although many people thought little of their existence, the moment Gongping saw this Articuno, its whole body suffused with mystery, he realized something: perhaps their existence lay far beyond the understanding of ordinary people.

While everyone was dazzled by Articuno's magnificent appearance, it gave a clear cry and darted forward, swiftly seizing Gongping and soaring upward. Ice and snow swirled around its body, instantly carving an opening through the collapsing mountain, and then Articuno carried Gongping away from the Seafoam Islands.

Sitting on Articuno, Gongping felt no bitter cold. Instead, an indescribable cool breeze was healing the injuries on his body.

"Thank you, Articuno."

Ignoring Gongping's words, Articuno aloofly set him down on the Western Island. Then its wings slowly spread, and like a phoenix of ice and snow, it shot into the vast skies and vanished from everyone's sight.

"Mr. Gongping, are you all right?"

Just as Gary stepped forward and handed Gongping a towel, a discussion reached them from the distant crowd.

"Over on that shore, there's a strange corpse dressed half as a man and half as a woman. The blood has dyed the whole bathrobe red now. It's terrifying. Everyone says it's the work of a demon."

The Yin-Yang-Faced Freak's end did not surprise Gongping. Greninja's meaningful look before leaving seemed to have foretold how the story would ultimately end.

In Vermilion City, a cruise ship slowly approached the pier. Many trainers from other regions looked curiously at the Kanto Region before them, so full of nature.

"So this is the Kanto Region. I can't wait!"

"Kanto Region Pokémon League Tournament, here we come!"

Listening to all the bold declarations aboard the cruise ship, a blue-haired boy of about fifteen stretched and yawned. Then he raised his mechanical right arm and stared at it for a long time. "Gongping, you rascal, how are you doing these days?"