[4. Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza now appear at specified locations]
John stared at this message and pondered for a moment.
This was essentially the equivalent of New Game Plus.
Now that he had entered the post-game content, he could go catch the legendary Pokemon.
John had always suspected that the dungeon mode was what prevented him from using the Master Ball to capture legendary Pokemon during the main story.
The specified locations where the legendary beasts resided varied depending on the game version.
Since he was playing Emerald, he remembered that Kyogre was in the "Marine Cave," but this Marine Cave wasn’t fixed, it would randomly appear on waterways 105, 125, 127, and 129. He’d have to visit the Weather Institute to ask the director about current weather patterns to determine where the Marine Cave would manifest.
Groudon’s location was the "Terra Cave," which operated under the same random mechanics as Kyogre’s Marine Cave.
As for Rayquaza, if there were no surprises, it should have returned to rest at Sky Pillar by now, the same place where he had awakened it during the main storyline.
However, what he was playing was obviously not an ordinary Emerald version, and John wasn’t entirely sure about the positions of the three legendary titans.
"Whether I can throw the Master Ball or not, let’s try to catch them directly. It’s worth confirming their locations first," John decided.
He headed downstairs from his room.
Both his mother and father Norman were there.
[Norman: I heard that you became the champion of the Hoenn Region. You truly are my son!]
Norman stepped forward and gave the protagonist a big hug.
[Norman: Since you’ve become champion, you should take on the responsibilities that come with the title. Remember to visit the Pokemon League. There are many issues that only you, as champion, can resolve.]
[Norman: By the way, do you know Mr. Scott? He recently built a Battle Frontier facility in Hoenn. If you’re interested, you should check it out.]
[Acquired item: Battle Frontier Pass]
After speaking, Norman turned and left.
With the pass in hand, the Battle Frontier was now accessible.
John waited for a while, but his mother seemed to have nothing particular to say to him. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel{f}ire.net
"Isn’t there supposed to be a post-game plot here where I choose between Latias and Latios?" John frowned, manipulating the protagonist to talk to his mother and investigate the TV.
In the original game, his mother would have him watch TV and then ask questions to determine whether the Pokemon appearing in the Hoenn Region would be Latias or Latios.
He tried talking to his mother and checking the TV, but the results were all irrelevant dialogue.
Obviously, the game wasn’t giving him a chance to catch the other "Guardian of Alto Mare."
Not that it mattered, he already had one guardian, so he didn’t need the other.
Coming out of the house, Professor Birch was waiting for John. He led John to the laboratory to upgrade the Pokedex.
John’s Pokedex was now the National Pokedex.
That’s right, it was the National Pokedex, recording all Pokemon from regions John had visited. There weren’t many records about legendary Pokemon, except for Zeraora and Latias that John had captured. The legendary Pokemon that hadn’t been captured were numbered as shadowy silhouettes, waiting for John to capture them in the future and complete their entries.
[Professor Birch: I hope you can truly complete this National Pokedex. This is also my lifelong wish. Please, I’m counting on you.]
Professor, what you’re asking sounds simple, but please leave it to me.
To complete this National Pokedex, I’d have to catch every legendary Pokemon.
John silently accepted the Pokedex and left the laboratory.
He used Fly on Salamence to reach Fortree City, then headed to the Weather Institute.
It was the same place where he had once repelled Team Aqua and obtained a Castform.
He went to the second floor and asked the director of the Weather Institute.
To John’s surprise, the director didn’t tell him about any weather changes in the Hoenn Region, giving only mechanical and meaningless responses.
"So, the locations of Groudon and Kyogre are different from the games I played in my previous life, which means I can’t determine where they are from the Weather Institute."
"Or maybe they’re just not available yet, and I’ll need to come back to the Weather Institute director after some time?"
It seemed that the search for Groudon and Kyogre would have to be put aside for now.
Let’s check on Rayquaza first.
John flew to Sootopolis City and approached Sky Pillar from the waterway.
Entering Sky Pillar this time wasn’t in dungeon mode, but regular Gameboy mode, allowing him to climb all the way to the roof.
Rayquaza wasn’t there either, but a cloud staircase had appeared at the end of the rooftop path. John tried to interact with it, and a dungeon prompt appeared.
[Enter dungeon "Soaring Sky Ladder"? Yes/No]
[Dungeon recommended entry level: 85]
[Note: Rayquaza is not currently in this dungeon, and access to this dungeon is restricted]
Rayquaza wasn’t home, and the dungeon wasn’t open...
He couldn’t find any of them in Hoenn, and Rayquaza didn’t seem to have a permanent residence. It appeared he’d have to abandon the idea of catching them for now.
John decided to head to the Hoenn Region Pokemon League first.
Whether it was the Hoenn Region champion cape or his father Norman’s words, they both indicated that after becoming Hoenn champion, he had additional responsibilities.
This was completely absent from the original game.
He should check it out to see if there was anything new.
Using Fly on Salamence, he reached Ever Grande City Pokemon League, where John had challenged the Elite Four.
Entering the Pokemon League, all the staff members saluted John one after another.
With the champion cape equipped, these people spoke much more respectfully.
After interacting and investigating one by one, John finally found his "mission board" in the corner.
[Recently, a large number of berserk Pokemon appeared on Route 108. According to investigation, the source of the Pokemon’s rage is an abandoned ship. Because there are numerous powerful Pokemon in the area, investigators cannot approach safely. Request Elite Four and Champion assistance to eliminate the source of the Pokemon rampage.]
[Team Rocket members have been frequently spotted in the waters near Dewford Town. Investigators approached but found nothing. It’s speculated that this may be caused by Pokemon abilities. Request Elite Four and Champion investigation into the situation.]
[On Route 107, a strange and unknown island was discovered. When investigators approached, the unknown island disappeared. It was confirmed that it wasn’t a mirage, and no immediate danger was detected. Request additional personnel to investigate the situation.]
These were incidents that the lower-level investigators in the Pokemon League couldn’t solve, or situations with suspicious circumstances.
When they couldn’t resolve these issues, they reported them to the Pokemon League for the Elite Four and champion to handle.