A Team Rocket Hideout?
John speculated that this had to be the follow-up to Lake of Rage.
Listening in on Orm and Carr's conversation, he heard them mention Ariana one of Team Rocket's four top executives. In the organization's hierarchy, she ranked just below Giovanni.
In Mahogany Town, Team Rocket had used their hideout as a power source to broadcast high-frequency sound waves, making Pokemon in the area—including those in Lake of Rage—go berserk. The forced evolution experiments? That was all Ariana's doing.
Lance had deliberately let Orm escape just to track down their hideout. Who would've thought the base was right in Mahogany Town? After all, the Rockets had fled in the opposite direction.
It was almost certain now—the final boss of this dungeon was Ariana herself.
John, however, didn't step inside. The recommended level for this quest was LV 70, while his team was only averaging LV 56. That was too much of a gap. Better to wait until his Pokemon hit at least LV 65 before diving in.
Not even an ounce of curiosity made him want to scout ahead.
Besides, in just a few days, the Volcano dungeon in Hoen would be refreshed.
For now, it was time to head back to Fortree City in Hoenn.
After making sure Jasmine hadn't returned yet, John took a direct flight to Hoenn.
[Would you like Flygon to use Fly to travel to Hoenn Region - Fortree City?]
Flying back to Hoenn took less time than before.
John had leveled up Flygon once, and just as he suspected, it shaved off almost an hour from the journey. This confirmed what he had theorized—the speed of a Pokemon determined travel time.
Unfortunately, his shiny Gyarados, despite having the Flying type, couldn't actually use Fly. Otherwise, with its sheer speed, the trip would've been even shorter.
"Yes," John clicked confirm.
A Pokeball snapped open, and Flygon emerged. Without hesitation, it lifted him into the sky and shot southwest.
The scene shifted to the protagonist soaring over the ocean, riding Flygon. A countdown appeared on the screen:
[Countdown: 74 hours, 31 minutes, 7 seconds (Special events will trigger an automatic alert.)]
"Special events? Guess I'll have to keep this thing on me." John tucked his Gameboy securely against his side.
Three days until he returned to Hoenn.
Calm Lake, Draconia E-Class Dangerous Zone
Early that morning, the local police station received multiple calls—all reporting the same thing.
A wild Gyarados had appeared in Calm Lake.
The station wasted no time dispatching their strongest officers to handle the situation, while also alerting the region's gym leader.
However, when the officers arrived, there was no Gyarados in sight. Instead, they found something else—something so strange that they immediately locked down the entire lake.
Not long after, the Draconia military and national search officers took over the case.
A military-green tent was set up at the lake's entrance. Inside, a group of high-ranking officials sat watching a video recording.
Click. The footage ended. A soldier paused the screen at the final frame.
"What's the latest news on the Team Magma investigations?" the old chief asked, turning to one of his officers, Liam.
At the mention of Team Magma, Liam frowned. "Last time I took the case, I checked the national database first—found nothing. So I went to the World Police Organization, applied for access, and dug through their records. Even asked a few senior search officers."
He exhaled sharply. "There is a group called Team Magma, but they're just some small-time environmental activists protecting volcanoes. Their entire history, leadership, and activities are crystal clear. They're not the ones we're looking for."
A heavy silence filled the tent.
A powerful organization—one trying to awaken Groudon, no less—should have left some kind of trace. But Interpol's database had nothing.
Two explanations made sense. Either this group didn't exist at all...
Or they were so good at covering their tracks that even Interpol couldn't find them.
The second option was unsettling. Could an evil organization really hide under Interpol's nose without leaving a single clue?
Then again, the video didn't lie. Team Magma members spoke in Draconia's language.
Could it really be a parallel world?
That theory only existed in novels and anime, yet here they were, watching proof unfold before them.
But if they submitted their investigation report , the higher-ups would lose their minds.
The old chief sighed. "Forget Team Magma for now. Focus on this new problem."
He pointed at the paused video. "That organization in the footage—Team Rocket. They're using sound waves to force Pokemon to evolve. Their members are even stronger than Team Magma's. Sure, they were defeated in the end, but we need a full investigation."
Liam nodded. Tracking criminal organizations was his specialty. No need for the chief to tell him—he was already on it.
Unlike Team Magma, Team Rocket was reckless. They wouldn't be able to keep a low profile for long.
That left one last detail.
The trainer who defeated them.
Liam narrowed his eyes, rewinding the footage slightly. His gaze fixed on a blurry figure in the video.
Something about the trainer felt familiar.
Like the young man who had taken down the Team Magma with his Blaziken.
But he shook his head, dismissing the thought.
The video quality was too poor. His face was indistinct, his body just a vague outline. There was no way he could recognize someone like that.