The thunderous stomps of Rhyperior's hooves shook the battlefield, like a war drum pounding relentlessly.
With the force of a tank, Rhyperior charged into Groudon, slamming its massive body into the legendary Pokémon and toppling it back into the pit. The ground trembled under the impact, echoing a resounding boom.
Steven stood stunned, his gaze fixed on the sight of Rhyperior taking down Groudon. Comparing Giovanni's capabilities to his own, he came to a startling realization—Giovanni might actually be stronger than him.
"Are all Kanto's Elite Four this powerful?"
There was Lance, who was hailed as the strongest Elite, then the youngest Elite, Luo Yuan, and now Giovanni, recently promoted from Gym Leader to Elite Four, showing such astonishing strength...
Kanto was truly a land of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
Giovanni, however, wasn't concerned with Steven's thoughts.
When he decided to become part of Kanto's Elite Four, he had no intention of hiding his strength. His sights were set on becoming Kanto's Champion.
Demonstrating his power now was merely laying the groundwork for his future ascension.
Meanwhile, Groudon, though knocked into the pit by Rhyperior, wasn't seriously injured.
Giovanni's sequence of attacks had achieved their intended effect—not to defeat Groudon, but to restrict its movements.
As for why he didn't try to take down Groudon completely?
First, Groudon had recently replenished its energy at Mt. Chimney and wouldn't be easily subdued. Second, Giovanni and Team Rocket aimed to reap the benefits once Groudon and Kyogre clashed, biding their time to swoop in.
As Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni had no intention of making things more difficult for himself at this stage.
With their attacks complete, Rhyperior, Dugtrio, and Rhydon all returned to Giovanni's side.
On the other side, Groudon emerged from the pit, its rage boiling over.
However, it quickly realized that these humans were no ordinary adversaries.
Though it was confident in its power, Groudon understood it couldn't afford to waste energy on these trainers—not when it had an impending confrontation with Kyogre.
Its sharp gaze swept across the group, lingering on Wallace long enough to make him shudder.
Finally, Groudon chose to avoid Slateport City, taking a detour toward Sootopolis City to meet Kyogre.
As Groudon's massive figure disappeared into the distance, Steven exhaled deeply, the tension in his chest easing.
Turning to Giovanni, whose expression remained composed, Steven couldn't help but feel both grateful and impressed by his calm demeanor.
"It seems the next Champion of Kanto will undoubtedly be Mr. Giovanni," Steven thought to himself before quickly shaking off the distraction.
"Wallace, contact Winona. Let her know the evacuation is no longer necessary. Also, inform the command center in Mossdeep City that Groudon is detouring toward Sootopolis. Tell them to keep a close watch on its movements."
"Understood!" Wallace nodded, rushing to carry out the instructions.
Meanwhile, the disguised "Luo Yuan" continued to lay low, avoiding unnecessary involvement.
As Steven prepared to head to Sootopolis City to handle the impending clash between Groudon and Kyogre, the communicator at his waist buzzed suddenly.
Answering the call, Steven's expression, along with Wallace's, turned grim at the news.
"The Pokémon Association headquarters has been attacked? When did this happen?"
---
Luo Yuan soared through the sky atop Dragapult, idly examining the Emerald Orb he had just acquired from the Pokémon Association.
Calling it an "orb" was a bit of a misnomer—it was more of an octahedral crystal.
As he toyed with the Emerald Orb, Luo Yuan probed its structure with psychic energy. Through the orb, he could faintly sense a connection to Rayquaza, which was sealed inside its Master Ball.
Of course, this connection wasn't exactly friendly.
While his raid on the Pokémon Association might have lessened Rayquaza's resentment toward him, it had hardly won the legendary Pokémon's trust.
After all, to Rayquaza, captivity was captivity—whether by the Association or by Luo Yuan. The difference was that while the former had resorted to underhanded methods, Luo Yuan had defeated it in an honorable, albeit overwhelming, battle.
Luo Yuan fully understood Rayquaza's thoughts.
He couldn't blame the dragon for its fury. If someone barged into his home, tore it apart, and dragged him away, he would've scattered their ashes to the wind.
For Rayquaza, its anger was understandable.
Its current restraint, Luo Yuan figured, was thanks to his superior strength and the calming influence of his Viridian Power.
For now, he felt confident Rayquaza would fight under his command when needed. As for strengthening their bond, that would take time and a steady supply of his Viridian Power.
Focusing his energy, Luo Yuan continued channeling the soothing aura of Viridian Power toward Rayquaza as Dragapult sped toward Sootopolis City.
While Luo Yuan headed toward Sootopolis, Steven arrived at the Pokémon Association headquarters, having received the alarming news.
Before even entering the building, he noticed a gaping hole in one of the walls.
Inside, he found the chairman, his expression heavy with frustration.
From him, Steven learned the grim news:
"The Tech Hunter has reappeared and has taken the Emerald Orb."
Combining this with the earlier report from Fortree City about the destruction of Sky Pillar, Steven realized the Tech Hunter likely had Rayquaza under his control.
This was disastrous for the Hoenn League, which was already struggling to handle Groudon and Kyogre.
They had hoped to locate Rayquaza and use its legendary ability to quell the clash between Groudon and Kyogre.
But now, with Rayquaza in the hands of a fugitive wanted by Hoenn, Steven couldn't even dream of the dragon aiding them.
His only hope was that the Tech Hunter hadn't yet fully tamed Rayquaza.
If the fugitive succeeded in controlling Rayquaza and decided to interfere in Sootopolis, Hoenn would face not two legendary Pokémon, but three.
The thought of confronting Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza simultaneously sent shivers down Steven's spine.
The chairman tried to reassure him, explaining that Rayquaza's temper was notoriously volatile and the Emerald Orb was only a prototype, unlikely to give the Tech Hunter complete control.
While this comforted Steven slightly, the weight of the situation still pressed heavily on him.
Bidding farewell to the chairman, Steven left the damaged headquarters, where repairs and damage assessments were already underway.
Letting out a long sigh, he turned to Giovanni and the disguised "Luo Yuan."
"I have a difficult request..." he began.