Theo still remembered the plot from the anime in his previous life, Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys. In that story, Deoxys entered the ozone layer along with a meteor and was discovered by Rayquaza. As the ruler and guardian of the skies, Rayquaza regarded it as an intruder into its territory, and in their first battle, it shattered Deoxys completely.
If he remembered correctly, their first battlefield had been within a glacier. Could it be that this very fragment was part of the meteor that carried Deoxys down to Earth back then?
Theo stared intently at the meteor fragment, trying to extract more information from the system panel, but no matter how he checked, only that single line of text appeared.
"You're interested in this stone?"
Liza noticed his gaze and explained,
"This was discovered by a research team in the Arctic two years ago. They detected some unknown energy fluctuations inside it, but after studying it for a long time, they still couldn't figure out what it was."
Tate also leaned in and added,
"If you like it, you can just take it. It's only here for display anyway."
Theo paused in surprise.
"Is that really okay?"
"What's not okay about it?" Tate waved his hand dismissively. "Whenever Young Master Steven comes here and sees a stone he likes, he just takes it. Besides, every time a rocket returns, it brings back new samples. All the data on these old ones has already been recorded."
Liza nodded as well.
"It's fine. We'll make the call and give it to you. Dad isn't here today, so we're in charge. If you see anything else you like, you can take one or two more."
"No need, this one is enough. Thank you so much."
Theo quickly expressed his gratitude. A fragment contaminated with Deoxys' core residue might not have a known use yet, but keeping it was definitely the right choice.
As a gesture of thanks, Theo took the initiative and said,
"Do you want to see Metagross Mega Evolve again?"
Liza and Tate's eyes lit up immediately as they answered in unison,
"Of course!"
In an open experimental area, Theo released Metagross and once again took out the Mega Stone and the bracelet.
"Metagross, Mega Evolve!"
With the familiar burst of white light, Mega Metagross appeared once more, its overwhelming presence instantly filling the area with pressure.
Liza and Tate watched without blinking, their eyes filled with envy.
"So amazing…" Liza murmured softly. "It's a pity that according to the League's current data, our Solrock and Lunatone can't Mega Evolve."
"But it's not all bad," Tate added, "my Alakazam and my sister's Gardevoir both have Mega forms. Once we get the Mega Evolution tools, we're definitely going to battle you again!"
"I'll be ready anytime," Theo said with a smile.
After that, Liza and Tate continued to show Theo around, taking him to see the rocket launch simulator, the high-energy radiation telescope, and more.
Standing before the telescope, Theo even saw images of distant galaxies. The shimmering stars felt almost within reach, making him sigh at the vastness of the universe.
Before he knew it, the entire day had passed.
As he left the Space Research Center, the setting sun painted the white building in golden hues. Liza and Tate stood at the entrance, waving.
"Once we get our Mega Evolution tools, we have to battle again!"
"Deal. But I won't go easy on you," Theo replied with a smile.
"As if we need you to!" Tate lifted his chin confidently. "Who wins isn't decided yet."
After saying goodbye to the two of them, Theo carried the special meteor fragment and a head full of thoughts about Deoxys as he made his way back to the hotel.
Once back in his room, Theo began planning his next steps.
Larvesta was still holding a grudge from the centrifuge training earlier in the day. Now fully recovered, it had not forgotten Deino's laughter. At this moment, it was using its plump body to pin Deino to the ground, giving it a thorough beating, while Deino struggled desperately to flip it over.
Nearby, Ice Vulpix and Fire Vulpix watched the commotion, letting out cheerful cries as they cheered them on.
Theo paid no attention to their antics.
Instead, he used Steven's account to access Devon Corporation's top-secret internal database and pulled up detailed information about Sootopolis City.
On the three-dimensional map, a city surrounded by deep blue ocean slowly rotated. Its terrain, formed from a volcanic crater, was clearly visible.
At the center of the city lay a massive sapphire-like lake, occupying nearly two-thirds of the entire area.
This was Hoenn's most famous ocean city, Sootopolis, and also Theo's next destination.
He had three main goals for going there.
First, to challenge the Sootopolis Gym and obtain his seventh badge.
Second, to participate in the upcoming fifth Contest, which would be the most important competition before the Grand Festival. Theo had been preparing for this for a long time. His Tyrantrum had been undergoing intensive training every day under his remote supervision.
Training alongside Krookodile that specialized in sandstorm-based tactics in Unova's Village of Dragons, Tyrantrum's control over sandstorms had improved dramatically. Once Theo arrived in Sootopolis, he would call it back.
This Contest would feature a final combination performance between Tyrantrum and Larvesta before Larvesta evolved, one of Theo's most carefully planned ultimate stage routines.
His third goal was to witness the upcoming Water Festival in Sootopolis.
The Water Festival was one of the most renowned celebrations in Hoenn, held annually on December 12.
On that day, the entire city gathered on beautifully decorated boats, assembling on the vast central lake that connected to the ocean floor, offering their most sincere prayers and rituals to the guardian of the seas, Kyogre.
Yes, one of Hoenn's three legendary guardian Pokémon, Kyogre.
Just as the Johto region had the Bell Tower to worship Ho-Oh and the Whirl Islands' Sea Temple to honor Lugia, these legendary Pokémon stood like twin stars safeguarding Johto.
In the seas near the Kanto region, Shamouti Island also held ancient ceremonies dedicated to the three Legendary Birds. With Fire Island, Lightning Island, and Ice Island as sacred grounds, they worshipped Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno, praying for favorable weather and peaceful seas.
Naturally, Hoenn had its own guardian legends as well.
Rayquaza, ruler of the skies. Groudon, god of the land. Kyogre, god of the seas.
These three legendary Pokémon governed the domains of sky, ocean, and earth, protecting the Hoenn region.
Corresponding to them were the three most ancient descendant groups in Hoenn: the Draconid People, the Sootopolitan, and the long-lost Volcanic Descendants.
Among them, the Volcanic Descendants were the oldest. Legend said they could communicate with Groudon through rituals, but they had vanished completely a thousand years ago, leaving behind only fragments of myth.
Some speculated that they were wiped out during a catastrophe caused by Groudon's awakening, while others believed they had retreated deep into volcanic regions, disappearing from the world forever.
(End of Chapter)