Pokemon: A New Path

Steven Requests for a Meeting[450]

[Shocking! Team Magma and Team Aqua Are Operating in the Hoenn Region—But Why?]

After typing out the headline, Naoki began crafting the details of his post.

The situation in Hoenn wasn't particularly complex—Team Magma and Team Aqua were direct rivals, each with opposing goals. This rivalry created an opportunity for him to analyze and predict their next moves.

Additionally, the Rotom in his Rotom Phone provided a signal-shielding function, ensuring that no one could track his location through his network activity.

Since the Pokémon world didn't require real-name registration for online forums, even if someone wanted to trace him, they wouldn't be able to.

Satisfied with that thought, Naoki's fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed at lightning speed:

[As a pure passerby, I'd like to discuss the recent controversy surrounding Team Aqua, whose actions provoked the Hoenn League just a few days ago. Based on historical evidence and logical deduction, I've formulated a theory about Team Magma and Team Aqua's real objective.

As many people know, Hoenn is steeped in ancient myths and legends. I did some re

Ren wasted no time—he immediately shared the post in the Legend Lovers Association's group chat.

Within minutes, the group chat was exploding with activity. Some members searched for the post on the forum, reading through the details themselves. Others left comments, asking the original poster for more information. The theory spread from one person to ten, then ten to a hundred.

Before long, it reached Officer Jenny, who had been investigating both criminal organizations.

After reading the post, she immediately forwarded the intel to the Hoenn League.

And that's when it landed in the hands of someone very important.

At that moment, Steven Stone was at his mansion in Mossdeep City As the Champion of Hoenn—and the eldest son of the Devon Corporation's president—Steven had no shortage of responsibilities.

However, he still made time for his true passion: researching rare stones and ancient Pokémon. When his phone vibrated with an urgent notification, he instinctively glanced at it.

At first, he assumed it was just another forum post about Mega Evolution or rare stones.

But then…

His sharp blue eyes locked onto the headline.

"[Shocking! Team Magma and Team Aqua Are Operating in Hoenn—But Why?!]"

"…What?"

Curious, Steven clicked on the post.

And the more he read, the deeper his frown became.

During a recent interrogation of a captured Team Aqua grunt, the League had learned that the organization was searching for something—but the grunt had refused to reveal what.

At the time, Steven had his suspicions. Now, after reading this post those suspicions had just been confirmed.

"They're after Groudon and Kyogre…"

Steven's grip on his phone tightened.

This wasn't just speculation. It made perfect sense. And what truly shocked him was how accurately the original poster had predicted their movements.

The Weather Institute… Slateport Shipyard. If the theory was correct, Team Aqua was likely planning to steal a submarine.

Suddenly, a memory surfaced—one that had seemed insignificant at the time.

A few days ago, Steven's father, Mr. Stone, had mentioned that a package from Devon Corporation had gone missing.

That package contained critical submarine parts—meant for a collaborative project between Devon Corp and the shipbuilders in Slateport City.

They had been developing an advanced deep-sea exploration vessel, the Submarine Explorer 1.

At first, Steven didn't understand why someone would steal submarine components.

But now It all made sense.

After deep contemplation, Steven Stone clicked on the profile of the forum user who had made the shocking post.

His fingers hovered over the keyboard for only a moment before he sent a direct message.

[Hello, I am Steven Stone, the current Champion of the Hoenn region. I'd like to speak with you about your post. Can we meet?]

The message was sent. Now, all he could do was wait.

...

Meanwhile, at Team Magma's Base…

In a dimly lit underground command center, Maxie sat before a massive screen, his fingers lightly resting on the table.

The room was silent, save for the quiet hum of machinery. A single lamp cast shadows over his sharp features and reflective glasses.

A Team Magma admin stood beside him, holding a tablet.

"Boss," the admin said, voice hesitant. "We have a situation."

Maxie barely moved.

"Go on," he said, his voice composed as always.

The admin turned the tablet around, showing Maxie the now-viral forum post. His scarlet eyes skimmed through the text, absorbing every detail.

Team Magma. Team Aqua. Groudon. Kyogre. Their exact movements… all exposed.

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the faint tapping of Maxie's gloved finger against the table. Then, he adjusted the frame of his glasses with calm precision.

"Is this person… an undercover agent?" he muttered.

It was unlikely. Yet, the accuracy of the post was uncanny. Someone out there knew far too much.

Maxie exhaled sharply through his nose and spoke.

"Initiate Project Alpha."

The admin straightened immediately.

"Yes, sir!"

Without another word, he turned on his heel and hurried off to execute Maxie's orders.

Meanwhile, at Team Aqua's Base…

Unlike the dim and disciplined halls of Team Magma's hideout, Team Aqua's headquarters was lively—but right now, the atmosphere was tense.

Archie—leader of Team Aqua—stood with his arms crossed, staring at his phone with a deep scowl.

"Who the hell is this guy?!" he barked.

The grunts standing nearby flinched. Archie rarely lost his temper like this—but this? This was different.

Someone had exposed their entire operation. One of the Aqua grunts nervously spoke up.

"Boss, there's no way any of us would betray you! You've been too good to us!"

Another grunt nodded eagerly.

"Yeah! If I ever find out who this guy is, I'll personally teach them a lesson!"

Archie growled, eyes still locked on the screen.

"He dares to interfere with Team Aqua?"

His fist clenched.

"Boss," a high-ranking admin finally asked, "what's our next move?"

Archie exhaled, rubbing his chin in thought.

Then, a sharp grin split his face.

"The plan moves forward as usual," he said. "Our contacts at the Slateport Shipyard say the Submarine Explorer 1 is nearly finished."

His voice dropped into a low chuckle.

"When the time comes, we'll sneak in and take it for ourselves."

He tilted his head, flashing a wicked smirk at his subordinates.

"And once we have it? No one will be able to stop us."