Mt. Pyre summit.
Wallace landed gracefully at the peak.
"Are you... from the League?"
An elderly couple immediately approached Wallace, their voices urgent with concern.
"Yes, ma'am. Can you tell me what happened here?"
"First, a group of people wearing red uniforms arrived and stole the Blue Orb. Then, shortly after, a group in blue uniforms came and took the Red Orb."
Wallace's refined features tightened with concern.
"Team Magma and Team Aqua both came here and took the orbs..."
"Oh, wait!"
The elderly woman retrieved a card from her pocket.
"The person who stole the Blue Orb left this behind. I'm not sure what it is, but it might be useful to you."
Wallace accepted the card, examining it carefully. It bore only a mountain-like emblem.
The design was identical to the symbol on Team Magma's uniforms.
"Please, you must understand—the two orbs cannot be separated! They are meant to remain together!" The elderly woman clutched Wallace's sleeve desperately, her voice pleading.
"Don't worry, ma'am. I promise I'll retrieve both orbs." Wallace gently reassured the woman.
However, his furrowed brow revealed that he still had no clear plan of action.
"Wallace!"
Wallace's head snapped up to see a young man descending from the darkening sky on a Metagross.
Steven dismounted smoothly and approached Wallace's side.
"Who is this young man...?" The elderly woman regarded Steven with curious interest.
"This is my good friend, Steven. He's also a Trainer from the Hoenn Region."
Wallace provided a brief introduction before speaking seriously.
"Steven, Team Magma and Team Aqua have both stolen the orbs, one after the other. Team Magma left this card behind."
Steven accepted the card Wallace offered him. He couldn't quite recall what this item was called.
But it was likely needed to access Team Magma's base.
"Maybe some kind of identification card or keycard?" Steven suggested.
"They wouldn't just leave a business card lying around."
"Mt. Pyre serves as the final resting place for the souls of departed Pokémon..."
The elderly man, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke.
His words drew both Steven's and Wallace's attention.
"Your arrival here is no accident—it must be fate. The Hoenn Region holds an ancient legend from long ago.
Many ages past, the fierce conflict between the Primal Pokémon of the Land and the Primal Pokémon of the Sea nearly destroyed the entire world...
The Primal Pokémon of the Land raised mountains and shaped continents, while the Primal Pokémon of the Sea summoned massive tidal waves and carved out the oceans.
Their terrible battle raged endlessly. The entire world became a living nightmare, and relentless storms consumed the heavens and earth.
Finally, the Blue Orb and the Red Orb brought an end to the catastrophe.
Radiant light emanated from the orbs, and the two battle-maddened titans were calmed at last.
They retreated deep beneath the waves and vanished without a trace from that day forward."
"Piplup?! (´◑д◐｀)"
Destroy the entire world?!
Piplup's eyes widened dramatically, looking unusually attentive.
"Shh!" Steven quickly hushed his Pokémon.
Piplup immediately covered its small beak with its flippers, nodding obediently.
After hearing the ancient tale, Wallace finally had a lead to follow.
"The Legendary Primal Pokémon of Land and Sea..."
"Team Magma wants to expand the landmass, so they need the Primal Pokémon of the Land—the one who creates continents!"
Steven continued the thought. "And Team Aqua wants to expand the ocean, so they need the Primal Pokémon of the Sea—the one who shapes the seas."
"Both organizations want to reshape the world according to their vision."
Wallace nodded gravely. "Then their purpose in stealing the orbs must be to..."
"Awaken those two Legendary Pokémon!" Steven and Wallace locked eyes, speaking simultaneously.
If the orbs could calm the two battle-crazed Legendary Pokémon, then naturally, they could also awaken the two slumbering deities.
"Our immediate priority is preventing them from awakening either Legendary Pokémon."
Wallace pulled out his phone and began composing an urgent message.
These legendary titans possessed the power to create landmasses and carve out oceans.
Wallace couldn't afford to be careless—he needed to mobilize Hoenn's full strength to stop them!
"Then the locations they're heading to now must be where these Pokémon are sleeping." Steven's voice was grave.
"But the time it would take to search for their resting places... we simply don't have enough time." Wallace's brow remained deeply furrowed.
Steven also couldn't understand why the Blue Orb and Red Orb had been placed at Mt. Pyre's summit.
And why were they entrusted to an elderly couple for safekeeping?
Perhaps it was precisely because the two orbs were enshrined at Mt. Pyre's summit that the mountain was established as a sanctuary for departed Pokémon souls.
The Legendary Pokémon's... protection?
Even after they had nearly destroyed the world.
"Wallace." Steven spoke suddenly.
"What is it, Steven?"
"I think I might have a lead." Steven said quickly.
"In the legend, did both Pokémon dive beneath the ocean together, or was it only the Primal Pokémon of the Sea?"
"Think about it—if one is a deity that created land, what are the chances it would dive into the ocean?"
Wallace considered this carefully. "You're right. It's far more likely that only the Primal Pokémon of the Sea descended into the ocean depths."
Steven nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Then the most probable location for the Primal Pokémon of the Land would be..."
"Underground!"
"Wallace, do you remember Team Magma using meteorites at Mt. Chimney before?"
"You mean... the Primal Pokémon of the Land is beneath Mt. Chimney?!"
Wallace thought it through carefully. The theory was highly plausible.
"As for the Primal Pokémon of the Sea, the ocean floor is far too vast, making it extremely difficult to locate."
Steven's lips curved slightly. "But to reach the ocean depths, they would need a submarine."
"And it would have to be an advanced submarine!"
"As long as we deploy personnel in advance at locations with advanced submarines, we can prevent them from diving into the depths!" Wallace caught on immediately.
The situation wasn't spiraling beyond their control after all.
"Steven, calling you here was definitely the right decision." Wallace smiled, placing a hand on Steven's shoulder.
"We're not completely on the defensive anymore!"
Steven nodded slightly and asked, "What's our next move?"
Wallace's voice turned serious. "We'll head to Mt. Chimney first. If that card really is a keycard like you suggested, then we can intercept Team Magma there!"
"I'll request that the League dispatch Elite Four members and Gym Leaders to guard the various port locations with their teams!"
"I've also just requested helicopter support. We'll rest and recover here first."
Steven nodded. For now, that was their best course of action.
"The Gym Leaders closest to Mt. Chimney are Wattson from Mauville City and Flannery, the newly appointed Gym Leader of Lavaridge Town!"
"I'll inform them to deploy immediately. If they encounter any Team Magma members, they should detain them first and interrogate them for the exact location."
When Wallace was serious, his work style was remarkably decisive, which greatly impressed Steven.
Young in age yet already a Gym Leader and a Contest Coordinator, with the necessary composure and authority.
Perhaps Steven would develop similar qualities in the future.
A sense of maturity and reliability, even though they were only a year apart in age.
Yet they possessed different kinds of vitality and maturity.