Chapter 229: Call

The crisis on the eastern front had been temporarily resolved, but Julian did not leave. Instead, he stayed with the officials to help escort the evacuees.

As the sky gradually darkened, the stars were obscured by thick clouds, and the salty sea breeze stirred up sand and dust on the ground.

"That's strange. The weather today doesn't suggest it should rain tonight"

An old fisherman muttered, puzzled by the unusual conditions.

Julian checked the time. There were thirteen minutes left before Kyogre arrived.

The ominous changes in the sky were a sign of Kyogre's imminent approach.

In thirteen minutes, the legendary Pokémon—the Sea God Kyogre—would arrive in Haitian City.

"How many people have not been evacuated yet?"

Julian asked one of the officials beside him.

"Over five million, many elderly people have difficulty moving, and there are countless patients in the hospitals. Their families are unwilling to leave them behind," the official said with a bitter face.

Haitian City had a population of over eight million, and evacuating everyone in such a short time was an impossible task.

Even though more than two hours had passed since the evacuation order was issued, the majority of the population had yet to leave.

The sudden evacuation order, combined with the attacks from Water-type Pokémon, had thrown the entire city into chaos.

"May I ask what exactly is happening in Haitian City?"

The official, noticing the solemn expression on Julian's face and the towering, fearsome Aggron standing beside him, summoned his courage to ask.

What could Julian say?

Should Julian explain that in just over ten minutes, Kyogre would arrive in Haitian City, and with a single Surf, the legendary Pokémon could obliterate the entire city?

Julian didn't respond. He didn't know how to answer.

Right now, the priority was to locate whatever was attracting the swarm of Water-type Pokémon—and Kyogre.

With only a few minutes left, there was no way to relocate five million people in time.

Although the president of the Drakorian Trainers Association and the nation's strongest Champion, Duke, was on his way.

He was still too far from Haitian City.

Kyogre would reach the city a full twenty minutes before Duke, more than enough time to devastate the city dozens of times over.

Even trainers like Wade and others with peak Elite-level strength would be no match for a first-class legendary Pokémon. To a being like Kyogre, even a peak Elite trainer was merely a slightly bigger ant.

The immense power of a first-class legendary Pokémon was beyond the scope of ordinary human understanding of Pokémon.

Most ordinary citizens in Haitian City had no idea what was happening.

However, some of the local noble families had managed to glean bits and pieces of the truth through various channels.

---

The Miller Family Estate

Derek was attempting to calm a small blue Pokémon confined within an isolation box.

The Pokémon's fragile and innocent gaze stirred a powerful urge in Derek to release it.

Erick had just finished a call. As he hung up, his face was filled with disbelief. He walked over, staring blankly at the small blue Pokémon confined in the isolation box.

"What's wrong, big brother?"

Derek asked, noticing his brother's unusual expression.

"Kyogre is coming to Haitian City," Erick said absentmindedly.

Derek froze for a moment before his face mirrored his brother's shock. Realizing something, he suddenly turned his gaze to the small blue Pokémon.

"Big brother—you're not saying—"

"Yes," Erick nodded. "Kyogre must be coming for it."

This unassuming little Pokémon had somehow managed to attract the attention of the legendary Pokémon, Kyogre.

Though it appeared so weak, it had drawn countless Water-types, and now even Kyogre was on its way.

"What do we do now, big brother?"

Derek panicked immediately, this was Kyogre they were talking about—a being so powerful that even champions would flee in its presence. How could the Miller Family possibly stand against it?

"We keep it of course, if Kyogre truly is here for this Pokémon, then it must be incredibly important to Kyogre. If—if—we could seize this opportunity, perhaps we could control Kyogre."

Erick's originally absent-minded eyes suddenly burst into a wild, ambitious gleam, his sudden madness making the small Pokémon in the isolation box shiver.

'He's lost his mind. Big brother has gone mad!'

This was Kyogre, a first-class legendary! The very thought of controlling it was insanity.

One sneeze from Kyogre could obliterate the entire Miller Family.

Watching his brother's crazed expression, Derek was too frightened to speak.

It wasn't until Erick's expression gradually calmed, though his eyes still burned with ambition, that Derek cautiously asked.

"Big brother, are you serious about this?"

Erick abruptly turned to him, his composed face sending a chill down Derek's spine.

"Third Brother, do you want the Miller Family to remain nothing more than a stepping stone for families like the Walker and Drakes?"

"I've had enough of this. Enough! The deaths of your son and my son—they caused it. Have you forgotten that hatred?"

"Kyogre—this is Kyogre we're talking about! If we control it, the Walker and Drake families will be nothing. Even Drakoria itself, no—the entire world—will bow to the Miller Family!"

Erick's heart was consumed by hatred, anger, and a thirst for power.

Derek's reasoning, however, remained intact. Though the mention of his son stirred a deep hatred in his heart, his rationality suppressed it.

A first-class legendary might just be controllable, but if they failed, it wouldn't just be the Miller Family that faced destruction—it would be all of Haitian City.

Though Derek wasn't exactly a good man, he couldn't ignore the fate of the millions living in Haitian City.

Above Haitian City

Julian held the Dowsing Machine in his hand, scanning the area in hopes of finding the cause of Kyogre and the countless Water-types' unusual behavior.

Perhaps the cause of their movement was a certain treasure.

If it was some kind of treasure, the Dowsing Machine should be able to locate it.

The screen displayed ten red dots, but none of them were particularly large.

For something capable of attracting Kyogre, the treasure would have to be incredibly rare and precious—something the tiny dots on the Dowsing Machine couldn't possibly match.

The range of the Dowsing Machine was fifty kilometers, so he would need to sweep around Haitian City multiple times to complete a thorough search.

While nothing significant had been found yet, Julian remained hopeful that the next area might reveal something.

There were six minutes left before Kyogre arrived.

The rain begun to fall, and the winds were growing stronger.

"Jiggly... puff..."

Julian's phone rang.

"Hey, Dad"

"Julian, get out of Haitian City immediately!"

His father, Jake, ordered with a mix of sternness and worry.

A second later, his mother, Tina, took the phone.

"Little Julian, please come home! Mom's begging you, come back!"

"sob...sob.."

Her voice trembled before dissolving into sobs.

Julian fell silent.

A first-class legendary was a force even champions couldn't stand a chance against, let alone Julian, who was not even an Elite.

For Jake and Tina, the fate of Haitian City was secondary. Although they were trainers, they were parents first. And to any parent, their child's safety came above all else.