Want to read ahead. You know where
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Hoenn Region
Sootopolis City Town Hall, Conference Room
It was a gathering of stars.
Present in the room were Forr Champion Steven Stone and Present Champion Wallace, along with the Hoenn Elite Four.
But they weren't alone.
From distant regions, Unova's Champion Alder and Sinnoh's Champion Cynthia had arrived, summoned by the escalating crisis in Hoenn.
The situation had grown too dire to ignore.
Both Alder and Cynthia had responded imdiately after receiving reports detailing unusual activity and environntal shifts triggered by two legendary Pokémon.
They ca not as guests, but as reinforcents.
Suddenly, the heavy doors to the eting room creaked open again.
"Report!"
A scout entered briskly, voice tight with urgency.
"Groudon has passed through Hibiscus City. Estimated to reach Slateport in less than a day!"
Another rushed in close behind.
"Report! The teorological Research Center in Fortree confirms it, Kyogre is responsible for the extre storms developing around Route 127!"
Yet another followed, clutching a sheaf of data.
"After recalculating their trajectories, our latest estimate is clear: Groudon and Kyogre will converge in three days… in Sootopolis City!"
The tension in the room was palpable.
Each new report made the threat more real.
Wallace clenched his jaw, visibly stressed.
He rubbed his temples as if trying to push back a headache that had been building for days.
"To be honest," he muttered, "I used to think Groudon and Kyogre were nothing but myths... fairy tales passed down from the ancients."
He paused, his voice thick with frustration.
"If I'd believed in their existence from the beginning… maybe I would've intervened when the activities of Team Aqua and Team Magma started escalating. But I didn't. I thought it was all superstition. I allowed them to operate unchecked. That's on ."
His voice dropped low.
"This whole situation… I'm responsible."
Steven placed a steady hand on Wallace's shoulder.
"Don't do that to yourself," he said gently.
"None of us believed they truly existed. We all thought they were symbolic, not real threats. What matters now is how we respond."
Wallace t his old friend's eyes and nodded with a heavy breath.
"Yeah. You're right. This isn't the ti to dwell."
He turned toward Cynthia.
"Cynthia, has Professor Samuel arrived yet?"
She glanced down at her Pokégear and checked the ti.
"I spoke with him three hours ago," she said.
"Based on where he was then, his plane should've landed already. He should be here in… maybe half an hour, give or take."
"Good," Wallace said with a nod, the weight on his shoulders just a bit lighter.
Across the room, Professor Birch sat hunched over a stack of ancient texts, eyes half-hidden behind dark circles and thick-rimd glasses.
The man looked exhausted.
"Professor Birch," Wallace called over, "any progress?"
Birch looked up, sluggish and worn out.
"The language in these docunts…" he muttered, voice raspy, "is incredibly archaic. I've only managed to make out fragnts. A few nas, so locations. Maybe a warning of so kind."
He closed the to with a sigh.
"I'm afraid it's beyond . We need soone who specializes in this area. Soone like Professor Samuel."
Birch handed the book over to his assistant, a younger researcher nad Kecle, who had been patiently taking notes by his side.
"Go get so rest, Professor," Wallace said, his tone softening.
"You've done enough for now."
Birch gave a weary nod and stepped out, the door clicking shut behind him.
Wallace turned to Cynthia once more.
"This is moving too fast. And we're flying blind here. The only lead we've got is that ancient manuscript, and we're hoping it'll tell us how to stop two super-ancient Pokémon from destroying the region."
He exhaled sharply.
"Can you try calling Samuel again? See where he is now?"
"Of course," Cynthia said, already scrolling through her contacts.
"Or if it cos to it… We'll go et him ourselves."
Wallace let out a tired sigh and turned to Cynthia with a slight bow of apology.
"Sorry for the trouble, Cynthia."
"It's fine," she said calmly, already pulling out her Pokégear.
"I'll call him now."
But before she could dial, a startled voice cut through the tension in the room.
"Wait, what is that?! Is that… Lugia?!"
The voice belonged to Winona, the graceful yet sharp-eyed Flying-type Gym Leader from Fortree City.
Her expertise in aerial Pokémon gave her eyes sharper than most.
Everyone instinctively turned to follow her gaze out the wide windows overlooking the skies above Sootopolis.
High above the city, a majestic silver-white Pokémon was soaring through the clouds, rapidly descending toward them with grace and power.
"It's Lugia!"
Professor Birch shouted, standing up so fast his chair nearly tipped over.
"That's Lugia, the guardian of the seas!"
Gasps rippled through the room.
Lugia, the legendary Pokémon whispered about in folklore, had appeared in regions far and wide.
Known for its calm temperant and imnse power, it was said to rest deep beneath the ocean, erging only in monts of great crisis.
Many cities across the world had statues of Lugia as a symbol of reverence and hope.
Alongside Ho-Oh, it was considered one of the most iconic and widely recognized legends in the entire Pokémon world.
And now, here it was, approaching Sootopolis City.
As Lugia drew closer, its enormous wings outstretched, the details beca clearer.
Its smooth body shimred with a pale silver light under the sun, its eyes focused ahead with noble calm.
And then,
"Look closely!" Winona pointed again, squinting toward the figure atop Lugia's back.
"There's… soone riding it!"
Another wave of astonishnt passed through the room.
"No way…"
"Soone's riding Lugia?!"
"Has it been tad?"
"Can soone even do that to a legendary Pokémon?!"
The room buzzed with incredulous voices.
Even those who considered themselves experts on Pokémon had never seen anything like this.
A person using Lugia as a mount was unthinkable.
While the others speculated, Cynthia's expression softened.
She recognized the silhouette imdiately, the calm posture, the dark coat blowing in the wind, the confidence that didn't need to be declared.
There was no doubt in her mind.
"It's Sam," she said quietly.
"That's him."
Wallace turned toward her, stunned.
"Wait, what did you say?"
She looked back at him and repeated with a small, proud smile, "You asked when Sam would arrive, right? Well… there he is."
Wallace's mouth fell open.
"You're saying… the one riding Lugia is him?!"
The sheer disbelief in his voice echoed around the room.
All eyes were now on Cynthia.
She t their gaze without flinching.
"Yes. That's my fiancé. Of course, I know it's him."
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