Just as Archie and Maxie were at a complete loss, starting to blame and argue with each other.
RUMBLE!
Above the cavern, the incomparably hard seabed rock layer suddenly let out a dull, massive roar.
Immediately after, a bone-chilling cold that was utterly out of place with the surrounding environment pierced through the crushing pressure of ten thousand meters of seawater and descended abruptly.
The solid rock layer was instantly frozen and torn apart by an unimaginable force of extreme cold, forming an enormous frost passage with mirror-smooth edges. Like a miracle, it pierced straight through the sea surface and stretched across the cavern tens of thousands of meters below.
Icy seawater surged wildly down the passage, yet the instant it touched the inner walls, it froze solid into thick layers of ice.
A figure stepped along the solidified ice stairs, walking out of the passage step by step like a monarch of ice and snow.
His hair and beard were completely white, his figure tall, clad in an enormous black robe, with a bizarre faceless mask covering his face.
At his side followed a Mamoswine with sharp eyes, radiating a piercing cold aura.
"Masked man?", Archie and Maxie sprang to their feet at the same time, staring in horror at the appearing Pryce as they exclaimed.
"You don't even have a submarine. How did you get here?"
"Hmph! Trash," Pryce snorted coldly, his icy gaze sweeping over the disheveled Archie and Maxie below, his voice like freezing wind scraping bone.
"We agreed to cooperate, yet before you were even prepared, you hastily ditched this old man and ran to the Seafloor Cavern."
"And yet… you don't even have the ability to approach the slumbering legendary beasts, and you still want to monopolize their power?"
Archie and Maxie's faces turned the color of pig liver. They had no way to refute him, and didn't dare to.
They had originally thought that by taking the submarine and leaving on their own, they could shake off Pryce and the Aether Foundation.
But from what Pryce had just revealed, the gap in strength between them was simply not on the same level at all.
Seeing that neither dared to retort, Pryce snorted again, directly ignoring those two pieces of trash, and cast his gaze toward the two colossal beings sleeping deep within the cavern.
"You want to reshape the rules. I also want to reshape the rules."
"Only by possessing absolute power can I reclaim everything I've lost. Awaken, and serve my long-cherished wish."
The moment his words fell, the Mamoswine beside him let out a low roar, the cold aura around its body surging explosively.
An extreme chill imbued with the concept of absolute zero surged forth like a white shockwave, ignoring the scorching magma and raging currents as it shot precisely toward the cores where Groudon and Kyogre lay sleeping.
This cold did not contain excessive energy. It was mainly formed from Mamoswine's icy will, attempting to forcibly awaken the ancient consciousnesses in slumber.
The surface of the magma beside Groudon instantly congealed into a thick shell of ice, and Kyogre's raging currents showed clear signs of slowing.
The massive bodies of the two legendary beasts trembled slightly. Beneath their tightly shut eyelids, dark-golden eyeballs seemed to begin turning.
A trace of fanaticism flashed through Pryce's eyes. Ever since encountering Axel, his horizons had gradually broadened, no longer limited like before to just Kanto and Johto.
If Axel could roam around capturing legendary Pokémon to build up his foundation, why couldn't Pryce do the same?
Once he became strong enough, he too could cross space and save his fallen Pokémon.
Meanwhile, at his side, Archie and Maxie stared at Pryce in terror, unable to understand how a human Trainer could possess such mighty power.
They couldn't figure out why someone with this kind of strength wouldn't conquer the world, but instead come here to cooperate with the two of them.
But very quickly, they understood.
Just as Groudon and Kyogre were about to be awakened, a deep, authoritative roar filled with unquestionable fury exploded through the cavern like thunder.
"STOP!"
As the shout rang out, the cold unleashed by Mamoswine shattered violently the instant it was about to touch the legendary beasts, as if it had slammed into an invisible wall.
At the cavern entrance, at some unknown moment, another figure had appeared.
His posture was upright, wearing his iconic black Zhongshan suit, his expression calm, his gaze sharp as a hawk's.
The leader of Team Rocket, the man of the earth, Giovanni.
He had not come alone. A spacecraft brimming with a sci-fi aura hovered behind him, countless gun barrels aimed at Pryce, Archie, and Maxie.
Within those barrels, boundless psychic power, Electric-type power, Poison-type power, and Ground-type power were condensed together. One could faintly make out figures like Sabrina, Koga, and other Kanto Gym Leaders.
A massive Beedrill radiating deadly pressure hovered at his side, its twin stingers flashing with dangerous cold light, its icy gaze locked onto Pryce.
But even more heart-stopping was the figure floating diagonally above Giovanni.
Its entire body was clad in silver-white armor, with a streamlined form and a long tail, its gaze cold and detached, as if a god looking down upon all living beings.
Without any action at all, merely by existing, it emitted a terrifying psychic field that caused the entire cavern space to warp and stagnate.
Team Rocket's artificial god, Mewtwo.
It was precisely his psychic power that had effortlessly dismantled the will-based power of Pryce's Mamoswine.
Seeing who had arrived, Pryce couldn't help but feel his balls ache.
'This bastard again!'
He didn't know when it started, but every time he carried out a critical plan, Giovanni would show up, either smashing his Gym or beating him personally.
In the past, Giovanni had only come with his Pokémon.
Now it was even more outrageous. He had actually brought half of Team Rocket with him.
Pryce sucked on his gums, letting out a helpless bitter smile, "Giovanni, what exactly do you want?"
"I've been exposed by the League for so long, yet I still haven't handed over your criminal evidence to them. Isn't that enough for you?"
Giovanni lowered his eyelids slightly, his tone unwavering, "I've said it before. Hand Silver over to me, and from then on we'll go our separate ways in peace."
"As for my criminal evidence, if you really have it, then feel free to submit it to the League."
"Our Team Rocket has plenty of people willing to die generously for me. When that happens, I'll have even more time to capture you, interrogate you, and find my son!"
Pryce: "..."
He was seriously baffled. Every critical moment, Giovanni would pop out talking about his son, and each time he brought more power than the last.
At the beginning, Giovanni couldn't fully suppress him, so he waited for a moment when Pryce's main force wasn't around.
Later, when Pryce's main force was present, Giovanni's Mewtwo had grown stronger.
Now that his Swinub had evolved, Pryce thought everything was foolproof, only for Giovanni to roll up with Team Rocket itself.
Right now, Pryce wanted nothing more than to hand Silver over to Giovanni.
The problem was, he didn't know where Silver had gone either. Why don't you ask Blue?
'Your son was abducted by that girl, alright!'
Pryce took a deep breath, "I've said it many times. I have no idea where your son is, and I've never seen your son."
"If you're just looking for an excuse, then please leave."
"If you want Groudon and Kyogre, these two legendary beasts, I can let you choose one first."
Giovanni sneered, looking at Pryce with mockery.
"You've never seen my son?"
"Then what's this recording about!"
As he spoke, under Pryce's dumbfounded gaze, Giovanni opened his chat window with Axel, and a powerful, indignant voice rang out.
["Silver? You actually dare to go looking for him!"]
["Fack your mother. When I see Silver, I'll brainwash him hard and make him kill you and Giovanni!"]
Pryce: "???"
He didn't remember ever saying that.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.