Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!

As soon as Steven began to speak, Giovanni and Matori had already guessed what he was about to say.

Sure enough, Steven continued, "Both Groudon and Kyogre are headed to Sootopolis City for their final showdown."

"According to legend, their battle is for control of Hoenn's natural energy—the very balance that creates the region's climate."

"If either of them wins, that balance will be broken. Under the control of those two fanatics, Maxie and Archie, Hoenn will be completely destroyed."

"So, as the Champion of Hoenn, I have to make an unreasonable request: I need your help to save the region."

Steven truly felt it was a tall order.

Giovanni and Luo Yuan (or rather, the disguised Matori) were technically representatives from Kanto and Johto, sent to assist Hoenn. But their mission certainly hadn't included directly confronting Groudon and Kyogre—beings so powerful that even Steven had little confidence in stopping them.

The risks involved were enormous.

Yet, to Steven's surprise, neither Giovanni nor Luo Yuan hesitated in the slightest.

"Of course," Giovanni answered smoothly.

The readiness of their response left Steven questioning reality. Wasn't he asking them to fight Groudon and Kyogre, not just a group of Team Magma or Team Aqua grunts?

To be sure, Steven repeated his request.

Their answer remained unchanged.

"No problem."

The calm certainty in their tone left Steven baffled and doubtful.

From his perspective, their nonchalance was incomprehensible. But for Giovanni and Matori, this was no big deal—it was all part of Team Rocket's grand plan.

While Groudon and Kyogre were immensely powerful, their strength depended on the opponent. Against ordinary trainers, even Champions and Elite Four members, their power was overwhelming. But when facing Mewtwo, Deoxys, or even Rayquaza, they fell short.

For Giovanni and the disguised Matori, this was little more than a sightseeing trip—an opportunity to bolster their resumes.

With such confidence, there was no reason to hesitate over Steven's "unreasonable request."

Steven, still puzzled, decided to set the matter aside. What mattered most was that they had agreed. Now, the priority was to stop the battle between Groudon and Kyogre.

The key to this lay with their handlers, Maxie and Archie.

Moments ago, Mossdeep City's Space Center had reported sightings of both Maxie and Archie in Sootopolis City.

"Let's go!"

Steven led the team toward Sootopolis City.

---

Sootopolis City, southeast of Slateport, was an ancient city nestled within a caldera.

There were two theories about the city's origin.

One suggested that it had formed when an underwater volcano erupted, creating the landmass where Sootopolis now stood.

The other posited that a massive meteorite struck the ocean a thousand years ago, creating the crater that eventually became Sootopolis.

Both theories were officially recognized, but Luo Yuan believed the latter.

Why?

Deoxys had sensed the remnants of the meteor's energy here. Additionally, Luo Yuan had asked Rayquaza directly.

Though Rayquaza remained irritated with Luo Yuan, it begrudgingly relayed the information telepathically.

"The meteor struck the ocean, unleashing a surge of natural energy that drew Groudon and Kyogre into conflict," Luo Yuan muttered as he flew above Sootopolis on Dragapult, surveying the city below.

In ancient times, Groudon and Kyogre weren't as they were now. The world was brimming with natural energy, and Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre waged an endless war to claim it.

When the energy vanished, both fell into slumber, until the meteor's impact awakened them once more, igniting their rivalry anew.

"Thankfully, there's no natural energy left. Otherwise, dealing with Primal Groudon and Kyogre, let alone capturing Rayquaza, would have been far more complicated."

Speaking of Mega Evolution, Team Rocket's research on Mewtwo's Mega Stone had reportedly made significant progress. Luo Yuan estimated it wouldn't be long before he could obtain it.

---

By now, Sootopolis City had been fully evacuated.

All residents had been safely removed, leaving only a small, elite defensive force of League trainers.

"The stage is set. Now it's time for the stars of the show to appear," Luo Yuan murmured, his gaze shifting toward the horizon.

On one side, Groudon advanced through the sea, its massive body cutting through the waves. The raging ocean couldn't budge it, and the waves crashing against its fiery hide evaporated into billowing steam.

On the other side, in the ocean's depths, a vast shadow moved silently. Unlike Groudon's brazen advance, Kyogre, the embodiment of the sea, exuded a quiet, abyssal terror.

As Groudon and Kyogre closed in on Sootopolis, Steven and his team arrived in their aircraft.

The city now held almost all of Hoenn's top-tier trainers.

While anxiously awaiting the arrival of the two titans, the League forces scoured Sootopolis for Team Magma and Team Aqua members.

Steven believed that capturing Maxie and Archie—and obtaining the Red and Blue Orbs—might be the key to stopping the battle. But the League's search efforts were met with fierce resistance.

It was then that Groudon made its dramatic entrance.

In the northwest, the skies above Sootopolis suddenly cleared as if pushed aside by an invisible hand. Sunlight poured through, scorching both the land and sea.

At the same time, bubbles surged to the surface of Sootopolis Bay. The water swelled into a massive mound before parting violently, revealing Kyogre's massive head as it breached the ocean's surface.

Unfazed by the waves that toppled nearby buildings, Kyogre opened its maw and unleashed a torrent of pressurized water at Groudon.

Groudon retaliated with a stream of Flamethrower.

The two attacks collided mid-air, producing an explosion of steam that blanketed Sootopolis.

The superheated steam quickly spread across the caldera, rising into the atmosphere. As it cooled at higher altitudes, it condensed into freezing rain, which fell in cold, heavy droplets, splattering against the faces of the trainers watching from a distance.