"Cold, cold raindrops, slapping recklessly on my face~..."
Luo Yuan's singing suddenly echoed in Matori's mind, nearly causing her disguise as "Luo Yuan" to falter.
"...…"
Watching the clash of the two legendary Pokémon had everyone, including her, on edge. Yet Luo Yuan still had the nerve to sing. Matori didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Still, his humor eased some of her tension.
"How's it going on your end?" Luo Yuan asked casually, using the lighthearted moment to check in with Matori, all while keeping his gaze fixed on Groudon and Kyogre's battle below.
"Steven is organizing his people to hunt down Maxie and Archie. He hopes to use the Red and Blue Orbs to control Groudon and Kyogre," Matori replied, dodging behind cover as a shockwave from the battle tore through the area.
Luo Yuan chuckled softly.
"He's dreaming if he thinks two little orbs can stop this now."
"Can't the orbs control Groudon and Kyogre?" Matori asked, confused.
After all, both Rocket and Hoenn records suggested that the orbs could indeed control the two titans.
"Oh, they can. But it's all relative," Luo Yuan explained patiently. "The orbs serve as a bridge, a central control mechanism. Humans can use them to command Groudon and Kyogre. But in turn, Groudon and Kyogre can also use the orbs to control their wielders."
"Then my guess was right," Giovanni's voice interjected suddenly.
Matori jumped at his unexpected addition to the conversation, realizing only now that Giovanni had joined the "chatroom."
"Exactly," Luo Yuan replied with a grin. "It's likely that Maxie and Archie have already become Groudon and Kyogre's puppets."
Below them, Groudon and Kyogre clashed once again.
Groudon's Mega Punch met Kyogre's Iron Head. The resulting shockwave scattered the clouds overhead, forcing Luo Yuan to reposition himself to stay concealed.
The sheer destruction unleashed by the two Pokémon was staggering. In just minutes, nearly a fifth of Sootopolis City had been reduced to rubble.
"Legendary Pokémon are never easy to control," Giovanni said, his Aggron bracing against the gusts sweeping through the battlefield.
As someone who had spent an immense amount of time and effort subduing Mewtwo, Giovanni spoke from experience. Few understood the difficulty better than he did.
If anyone in Team Rocket could wield the orbs to control Groudon and Kyogre without being overpowered, Giovanni reckoned Luo Yuan was the only one capable of it.
He himself might barely manage, given his iron will, and perhaps Sabrina with her psychic abilities.
"So, what's the plan now?" Matori asked.
"We wait," Luo Yuan and Giovanni said in unison.
"Wait?"
"Yes," Luo Yuan confirmed, his gaze piercing through the clouds below. "We wait for the wind to rise."
---
By now, the battle between Groudon and Kyogre had reached a fever pitch.
Groudon unleashed a massive Fire Blast, met by Kyogre's surging Muddy Water.
As their attacks collided, the two titans charged into close combat.
Kyogre used Whirlpool to trap Groudon, attempting to drag it into the ocean, while Groudon countered with Heat Crash. Its blazing flames evaporated the water and shattered the vortex.
Meanwhile, the conflict's effect on the weather created an eerie scene above Sootopolis.
On one side, the sky was a clear, blazing sunlit expanse. On the other, dark storm clouds loomed, pouring torrential rain. At the boundary, water vapor billowed from the intense clash of heat and rain, a testament to the balance neither side would cede.
Ancient rivals since the dawn of time, Groudon and Kyogre were locked in yet another ferocious stalemate.
Below, the Hoenn League trainers stood powerless, unsure how to intervene in the gods' battle.
Even Steven hesitated. He sensed that interfering would only draw the wrath of both titans.
"Still no sign of Maxie or Archie?" Steven muttered, frustrated. He had pinned his hopes on the Red and Blue Orbs.
Just as he prepared to join the search personally, he heard Drake's voice, laden with an unusual mix of emotions.
"Steven... Maxie and Archie have appeared."
Steven didn't catch the tone in Drake's words. Following the direction Drake pointed, he looked toward a tall building at the midpoint of Groudon and Kyogre's battle.
There, Maxie and Archie stood side by side, gazing at the battlefield.
But they were not as Steven had imagined.
Neither wielded their respective orb to command Groudon or Kyogre. Instead, both men had crimson eyes and the vacant expressions of puppets.
Their sleeves had been torn to shreds, and glowing patterns identical to those on Groudon and Kyogre now adorned their arms.
If Steven didn't understand what had happened by now, he didn't deserve to be Champion.
"They've been possessed…"
Groudon and Kyogre had turned the tables, using the orbs to take control of Maxie and Archie. The whereabouts of the orbs themselves were likely tied to this grim development.
Steven's feelings were mixed.
On the one hand, he found their fate satisfying—a fitting punishment for their arrogance. On the other hand, it left him uneasy.
Because now he faced a grim reality:
If even the Red and Blue Orbs can't control Groudon and Kyogre, what can I possibly use to stop them?
The battle raged on, its aftershocks tearing through Sootopolis. The League trainers below awaited orders, but their Champion was at a loss.
Meanwhile, high above, Luo Yuan's face broke into a smile as he sensed the tension in the air.
"It's time."
Recalling Dragapult, Luo Yuan let his body float mid-air, held aloft by psychic energy. He removed the Master Ball from his belt, caressed it briefly, and then hurled it downward.
Boom!
A flash of white light illuminated the battlefield.
"Roar!"
A deafening dragon's roar echoed across Sootopolis, turning all heads skyward.
From the clouds emerged Rayquaza's imposing figure, its serpentine body slicing through the air.
Perched atop its head, clad in a black mask, dark armor, and a flowing black cape, was Luo Yuan.
With one hand resting on Rayquaza's horn, he descended to the heart of the battlefield.