Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!

Norman raised his camera, snapping photos of the destroyed Sky Pillar. He sent the images back to the Mossdeep Space Center for analysis.

After tidying his clothes, he prepared to enter the ruins to conduct a more detailed investigation, hoping to uncover even the smallest clue.

The scene had been devastated, leaving little chance of finding anything useful.

Still, no lead—no matter how insignificant—could be ignored.

At the very least, he had to figure out who had captured Rayquaza.

---

While Norman searched the ruins for clues, Luo Yuan and Matori had returned to Team Rocket's airship.

Pushing open the door to the command room, they found Giovanni standing by the window, gazing out through the floor-to-ceiling glass.

"Boss Giovanni, Rayquaza has been successfully captured," Luo Yuan announced.

He held up the Poké Ball containing the legendary Pokémon to show Giovanni.

Giovanni nodded, his expression calm, as if he had expected nothing less.

"Good. With Rayquaza in our hands, our plans can proceed even more smoothly."

According to Hoenn's ancient legends, only Rayquaza could stop the battles between Groudon and Kyogre. Having Rayquaza meant Team Rocket now held the upper hand.

"All that's left is to wait for those two fools, Maxie and Archie..." Giovanni began, but his words were cut off by a loud roar from the ocean below.

The sea beneath the airship churned violently, as if boiling. The entire expanse of water trembled, sending towering waves crashing in every direction.

"Boss Giovanni, there's been an undersea earthquake!" a Team Rocket researcher reported, rushing in.

No one responded—there was no need.

Anyone with eyes could see the dramatic scene unfolding below. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"It's finally started," Giovanni murmured, his eyes gleaming.

From their high vantage point, the airship provided an unobstructed view of the ocean's turmoil.

About thirty minutes later, a massive submarine surfaced, water cascading off its sides as it emerged. After a brief pause, it sped toward the Hoenn mainland.

Behind it, soaked Team Aqua grunts clung to Water-type Pokémon as they followed their leader, Archie.

The Team Aqua members cursed loudly at the departing Team Magma forces but soon turned in the opposite direction, racing to execute their own plans.

As the two teams went their separate ways, the weather over the ocean underwent a sudden and drastic transformation.

One side erupted into a tempest—howling winds, torrential rain, and lightning-filled skies unleashed towering waves as if the world itself would be consumed by floods.

The other side was a stark contrast: cloudless skies and an oppressive dryness as the air's moisture was sucked away, leaving an arid wasteland.

"So this is Kyogre and Groudon..." Matori muttered, staring at the surreal scene.

Wasn't Rayquaza supposed to be the strongest legendary Pokémon in Hoenn? Yet the chaos from capturing Rayquaza hadn't come close to this scale.

Even Giovanni couldn't help but click his tongue.

As worldly as he was, this was the first time he had witnessed such an extraordinary phenomenon.

After all, Kanto and Johto's legendaries—Ho-Oh and Lugia—had no such destructive rivalry. Hoenn was on another level entirely.

Luo Yuan, however, remained calm. Having anticipated this moment from the storyline he knew, he was unfazed.

Within the Master Ball, Rayquaza stirred, its dormant consciousness agitated by the awakening of Groudon and Kyogre.

"What's our next move?" Matori asked, turning to Luo Yuan and Giovanni.

With Kyogre and Groudon now awake, it was time for the next phase of their plan.

Giovanni glanced at Luo Yuan. In matters like this, he had grown accustomed to seeking Luo Yuan's advice first.

Luo Yuan, while channeling his Viridian Force to heal Rayquaza through the Master Ball and build rapport with it, replied casually:

"The Hoenn League is probably waiting for us."

In other words, the real show was just beginning, and it wasn't yet time for them to make their move. For now, it was better to maintain their guise as reinforcements from Kanto and Johto, upholding the illusion of their roles as League allies.

After all, Groudon and Kyogre weren't going anywhere. Their inevitable clash would buy Team Rocket the time they needed.

Giovanni agreed wholeheartedly with Luo Yuan's assessment.

Moreover, it was indeed time for them to head to the Hoenn League.

With that, Giovanni turned to Matori.

"Matori, Luo Yuan and I will head to the Hoenn League. In the meantime, you'll stay here and monitor Groudon and Kyogre. Report any changes to us immediately. I'll leave Mewtwo to assist you."

Leaving Mewtwo served two purposes: Giovanni's public identity made bringing it along inconvenient, and it was a precaution in case anything unexpected occurred in their absence.

As for Giovanni's personal safety, he trusted Luo Yuan's abilities implicitly.

"Let's move."

Ten minutes later, a helicopter departed the airship, heading toward the Hoenn mainland.

---

At the Mossdeep Space Center, now serving as the Hoenn League's temporary command center...

"What's the situation?" Steven Stone demanded, his expression grim as he faced a large screen displaying a map of the Hoenn region.

"Using satellite imaging, we've roughly pinpointed Groudon and Kyogre's locations," a researcher reported. "Groudon is heading toward Mt. Chimney, while Kyogre is moving toward the southern seas."

"According to ancient records and legends, this is the precursor to a confrontation between land and sea," the researcher continued.

"In terms of climate, this manifests as extreme drought and flooding." He pointed to the screen.

The map showed Route 123 as the dividing line.

To the west, severe drought had caused water bodies to evaporate rapidly. Rivers and lakes were drying up, leaving Water-type Pokémon struggling to survive.

But the east presented a far greater danger.

There, Kyogre's influence brought torrential floods, submerging vast areas of land and buildings. Thanks to Luo Yuan's discreet tip, the League had evacuated residents in advance, avoiding catastrophic loss of life.

"Winona, any news on Team Magma or Team Aqua?" Steven asked through gritted teeth.

Both groups were the root cause of this chaos. Had they not awakened Groudon and Kyogre, none of this would be happening.

Winona, one of Hoenn's Gym Leaders, shook her head.

"Not yet," she admitted, before adding, "but we do have some good news."

"What is it?"

"Reinforcements from Kanto and Johto have arrived."