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Hoenn region, Ever Grande City.
This was a paradise accompanied by flowers, the sea, and Pokémon.
It was also the location of the Hoenn League.
Ever Grande City was naturally divided into two parts by a mountain range. Under normal circumstances, one needed to use Surf and Waterfall to enter, making it a utopia within the Hoenn region for a long time.
In most cases, to enter the League itself, one first needed to obtain eight Gym Badges and acquire the Waterfall TM in Sootopolis City at the very end.
Departing from the south side of Ever Grande City and passing through a section of complex terrain known as "Victory Road," where it was extremely easy to get lost, one finally arrived at the last stop of a rookie's journey.
Logically speaking, the Victory Road of the Hoenn region should have already ended.
But today, the Hoenn Champion Steven and Wallace actually made a rare simultaneous appearance inside the League, waiting at the intersection early on.
"Why isn't Teacher Azure here yet? Should we go pick him up?"
Wallace checked the time; it was already 3 PM.
"There's a time difference between us and the Kalos region after all, he should be here soon."
Steven beside him wasn't surprised by this.
Since Aiden said he would come, he probably wouldn't stand them up.
Probably—
And just as the two were talking—before the detection machine at the front of the League, a pink wooden door suddenly appeared out of thin air, and was then pushed open from the other side.
"Yo, sorry to keep you waiting."
Aiden, who seemed to have just woken up and looked incredibly refreshed, walked out from the other side, appearing right in front of the two out of nowhere.
Steven & Wallace: ?
The two subconsciously looked at each other, silently opening a team communication channel with their eyes.
[Wallace: What kind of move is this from Teacher Azure? Does the other side of that door really connect to Kalos?]
[Steven: I think I heard him mention it before, something called an "Anywhere Door"—]
[Steven: After all, Teacher Azure is the Envoy of Arceus and seems to have a great relationship with the God of Space. Probably only a deity could create something like this.]
[Wallace: How about I go over and beg him to teach me this move? This is seriously practical; next time you disappear, I can just teleport over and catch you!]
[Steven: —]
The team voice chat ended quickly.
Steven's mouth twitched. When he turned his head to look at Aiden again, he immediately waved at him.
"Teacher Azure, long time no—actually, it hasn't been that long, has it?"
"Let's skip the pleasantries. I came to Hoenn this time, commissioned by someone to handle serious business."
Aiden waved his hand and walked straight toward them, while asking curiously, "So, is the intel true?"
He was referring to the intel he had revealed to Steven in advance on the PokéNav.
Since Hoenn had two very powerful Champions, he could safely leave things to them and only make a move when the meteor shower that could cause profound impact fell.
So, this trip to Hoenn could also be a slacking-off session~
Upon this topic, Steven immediately showed an expression of disbelief.
"Teacher Azure, you— how exactly did you do it?"
"Leaving aside the fact that you predicted the giant meteorite that might appear next, you even know the exact locations of Team Magma and Team Aqua's bases?"
As a Hoenn Champion, although he really didn't manage much on a daily basis, he should at least know more than Aiden, an outsider who had never been to Hoenn before—
But the intel that their Hoenn League had failed to obtain, Aiden just casually spilled out.
That was a bit ridiculous!
Aiden raised an eyebrow, also showing some surprise.
"So, you're telling me—"
"Team Aqua's base was really in that abandoned factory opposite Slateport City, and your Hoenn League actually didn't know until now?"
He was actually stunned.
He wouldn't pick on them regarding Team Magma; after all, what normal person would think a base was built inside an inconspicuous foot of a mountain?
When he played the Ruby/Sapphire series as a kid, without a guide, he really couldn't find it—
But Team Aqua almost built their "home" right at the gates of Slateport City, and you League people never caught on?
Being retorted by Aiden, Steven's face instantly turned awkward.
"Uh— well, that place has been abandoned for a long time. As soon as the tide rises, the entrance gets submerged. What normal person would go in there?"
"No wonder there were often people training Wailmer for Contests over there, so they were all Team Aqua members—"
Aiden was speechless.
What can I say?
But these weren't the main points.
Whether it was Team Magma or Team Aqua, their combat power was considered quite lacking among villain organizations across generations. Aside from borrowing the power of Legendary Pokémon, they had almost no presence the entire time.
With the Hoenn League's strength, as long as they knew the base locations, they should easily be able to wipe them out.
So, the key point was the meteorite from Olympia's prophecy!
"When will the meteorite fall? Do you have a more precise result?"
Aiden asked again.
This time, Steven frowned and nodded heavily.
"Yes, our Space Center has already observed the exact location of that meteorite, and it is indeed heading towards Earth at full speed."
"According to trajectory predictions, it will land in the sea area between Mossdeep City and Sootopolis City in about sixteen days."
Aiden nodded.
Although Hoenn was a region that appeared relatively early in the games, its technological level was not backward at all. In fact, it possessed the most advanced rocket technology in the entire League currently.
It could be said to be the earliest region preparing for the "cosmic expansion."
Of course, the underlying reason might have a lot to do with the legends left behind from ancient times.
"The time matches the prophecy left by the Draconid perfectly; perhaps this isn't just a coincidence."
Wallace, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke up.
He was a trainer from Sootopolis City, and also a descendant of the long-standing "People of the Water" bloodline.
Both the People of the Water and the Draconid were groups with long-standing traditions, still holding a sense of awe for what happened thousands of years ago.
"That seven-colored meteorite coming from deep space very likely contains the Infinity Energy you mentioned, Teacher Azure, which will awaken the two slumbering deities of Hoenn."
"So—"
Wallace stopped halfway, then suddenly smiled.
"I remember the legends say Rayquaza feeds on meteorites. How about you summon that black Rayquaza again, Teacher Azure, for an all-you-can-eat buffet?"
"Don't mess around. This is a procedure left behind by Arceus; interfering randomly will only make things worse."
Aiden rolled his eyes and immediately rejected his unreliable idea.
Especially after the several battles in the Kalos region, he now had a very profound understanding of the "balance of Yin and Yang."
If there was no energy brought by the falling meteorite, the Hoenn region wouldn't have Infinity Energy and Mega Stones.
Groudon and Kyogre certainly gained power, but Rayquaza, who was specifically designed to counter them, gained it too. As long as the overall balance was maintained, it was fine.
Anyway, their battlefield was in the ocean; no matter how huge the impact, it wouldn't matter much. In fact, after this fight, Hoenn wouldn't have to worry about earthquakes and tsunamis for over a thousand years.
One could only say that things humans didn't think of, the Creator had already considered when making the world.
Being able to maintain the operation of countless parallel universes while keeping the main world constantly stable—Arceus was truly too broken.
"Indeed, even without the meteorite, those two deities are very likely to awaken in the near future. This is unavoidable."
Steven also agreed with Aiden's view and nodded.
"So there's only one thing we need to do—"
"Prevent them from causing destruction to the Hoenn region as much as possible!"
After speaking, he looked at Wallace again.
"I remember the People of the Water and the Draconid have guarded the Sky Pillar for generations. Perhaps we should also let Rayquaza know what's about to happen so it can prepare in advance."
Speaking of this, Wallace immediately understood, but quickly showed a troubled expression.
"That's always been the case in the past."
"But the current generation's Draconid have lost contact with us for a long time."
"If we go to the Sky Pillar without a Draconid, it's very likely to anger Rayquaza."
Hearing this, Aiden couldn't help but chuckle.
According to the normal plot, the Sky Pillar was indeed not open to the public, and Hoenn's Rayquaza was not a deity with a good temper.
But that was assuming there was no interference from him—
After all, in this world, the Rayquaza recuperating at the Sky Pillar wasn't the only one.
In terms of fame alone, our Paldea's guardian deity, the black Rayquaza, was the international top tier, the real A-list superstar!
Not even a Shiny, what a low-tier sprite!
"How about I make a trip?"
So Aiden followed their intentions and proactively offered what seemed like the optimal solution at the moment.
At the same time, he was inwardly roasting Steven and Wallace.
These two sly dogs really needed to polish their acting skills; how come they could barely hold back their laughter as they talked?
They might be able to fool others, but in front of Teacher Azure, they were too easy to see through.
But there was nothing he could do; who told Teacher Azure to be kind-hearted?
I'll just help you out one more time!
After the three exchanged knowing smiles, they tacitly glossed over their probing just now.
"Then, we'll leave the Sky Pillar to you, Teacher Azure."
Steven's tone was sincere.
"Over the next few days, Wallace and I will head to Team Magma and Team Aqua's bases simultaneously and bring them all under control."
"That way, when the time comes, we can focus entirely on dealing with the fury of the two deities—"
Aiden nodded, but also sighed helplessly.
To be honest, the Flightless One and the Fathead Fish had fought for so many years, and it seemed like the result was always getting beaten back by Rayquaza.
If it were him—
Since he couldn't actually destroy the Hoenn region's landscape anyway, he probably would have just slacked off and gone through the motions!
The accommodation Steven arranged was located in Slateport City, a very luxurious bed and breakfast.
Although the decor was simple, it had a lot of Hoenn regional characteristics.
Sitting on the soft large bed, Aiden began to recall the details regarding Hoenn's major events.
Hoenn really didn't have any major crises; there was only Groudon vs. Kyogre, a super extreme event that could directly alter the landscape.
The other Legendary and Mythical Pokémon didn't have much presence.
Latios and Latias were probably still in Alto Mare; as local guardian deities, they naturally wouldn't cause any trouble.
Jirachi was probably still asleep. A wishing star that could only wake up for seven days every thousand years was actually quite pitiful.
Moreover, to awaken it required a sufficiently beautiful singing voice.
Wait—
Aiden suddenly raised an eyebrow.
Wasn't that describing me (crossed out) my Meloetta!
——
Meloetta, who was encountered in the Unova region and became friends with the female Indeedee, was socially anxious and didn't want to travel with him, so it temporarily stayed at the Sunshine Gym living with the other Pokémon.
If there was a chance, he would take it to meet Jirachi.
As for the other Legendaries—
The three golems created by Regigigas didn't need to be worried about. They seemed to have some connection with Steven, and at a critical moment, Steven could temporarily command them.
However, the price might be a bit steep. Since he was already here, it was better not to let Steven work himself to death like in the Pokémon Adventures manga——
Aiden shook his head.
Thinking about it this way, it seemed the only problem that needed solving in the entire Hoenn region was this meteorite incident.
In itself, it could even be considered a good thing.
Because Hoenn's Infinity Energy—also known as the ∞ Energy researched by Steven's family's Devon Corporation—originated precisely from cosmic meteorites.
It was just that this power could also be absorbed by Groudon and Kyogre, causing the intensity of their battle to far exceed usual.
And in the game's storyline, the biggest trouble was actually the missing Draconid, Zinnia.
Although her original intention was also to solve the problem, her overly self-centered methods were truly troubling, and in the end, she didn't even solve the problem—
The Draconid indeed left behind a "legacy" and knew how to make Rayquaza regain that supreme power above all else.
But Zinnia couldn't gain Rayquaza's approval, and she was missing the most crucial material.
Was it the meteorite shard obtained at Mt. Chimney?
Aiden recalled for a moment, then shook his head again.
Forget it, none of this was important.
It would be better if the local Rayquaza could help; if it couldn't, he had other experts who could solve the problem.
If the black Rayquaza also came to the Hoenn region with him this time, they might not even need the local one to make a move.
After all, the black Rayquaza, which had been secretly protecting him, was a ruthless character. Not only did it not need a meteorite to Mega Evolve on its own, but its strength was also unfathomable.
Puny Flightless One and Fathead Fish, eat my Dragon Ascent!
But after dealing with them, there was still a truly tricky problem—if that meteorite crashed directly into Hoenn, even if it hit the water surface, the destruction would definitely not be small.
So, they still needed someone to go to space with Rayquaza, shatter the meteorite before it entered the Earth's atmosphere, disperse its massive mass, and let it fall across Hoenn to be absorbed by the leylines.
Hmm—
If following the game's plot, they might also have to fight a space battle in the cosmos against a "cosmic virus," Deoxys.
This would be a wonderful adventure that Aiden had never experienced in both his lives.
It sounded quite interesting, so—wasn't it just a trip to space? He'd just treat it as going up there to teach his students some astronomical knowledge!
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