"Zinnia!"
Steven Stone looked up at the black-haired girl sitting on the Salamence. His expression was heavy and serious.
Zinnia, a Draconid. Steven had already learned about the grudge between her and his father from Joseph Stone.
"Champion Steven, how does it feel to lose your father?"
Zinnia looked at Steven calmly. Her smile became more and more wild.
"That guy Joseph Stone actually had some guts. He actually ran off to sit in a prison cell himself."
Although it sounded like she was praising Joseph Stone, anyone could hear the mockery in Zinnia's voice.
Cynthia and the others remained silent. It was hard for them to speak up about such a matter.
Morally speaking, this was entirely Joseph Stone's fault. Whether it was using machines to try and forcibly capture Rayquaza, or causing the death of the innocent Aster in battle, these were all serious crimes.
"Zinnia, I already know about that matter. You can rest assured. I will definitely get justice for your sister," Steven promised in a deep voice.
Even though Joseph Stone was his father, Steven understood. In this matter, Joseph Stone was wrong. He was very, very wrong.
"Justice? What justice do I want?"
Zinnia let out a cold laugh.
"I can accompany you to arrest every person who participated in that event one by one. But Zinnia, I want to ask you to quit Team Rocket."
Steven stared at Zinnia.
"I can understand your desire for revenge for your sister. But Team Rocket is absolutely not the right path."
"What can you understand?"
After hearing this, Zinnia couldn't help but laugh. It was a sarcastic laugh.
But immediately, Zinnia's eyes darted around. The curve of her mouth grew higher.
"Champion Steven, since you want me to quit Team Rocket and you want to help me... then help me do two things. If you do, I will agree to your request."
Zinnia crossed her arms. The malice at the corners of her mouth was exactly the same as Damian's.
"Tell me," Steven said. Although he sensed her malice, he had no choice.
Zinnia... in Steven's eyes, she was the most pitiful. She clearly should have had such a beautiful future.
With her talent, she could have had a very bright path ahead. But because of the actions of his father and some greedy people, she had fallen into the abyss.
Steven truly wanted to help her.
"Besides your father, Joseph Stone, the people involved in that matter also included the Berlitz Family of Sinnoh, the Pokémon Association of Johto, and Greater Mauville Holdings."
Zinnia's expression was very dark.
Hearing this, Cynthia's expression changed slightly. The Berlitzes?
"Greater Mauville Holdings already went bankrupt while competing with your family's Devon Corporation. But the Berlitzes and the Johto Pokémon Association are still around."
"Steven, didn't you say you wanted to help me? As long as you help me destroy these two powers, I will quit Team Rocket. How about it?"
The words of the Draconid girl echoed in everyone's ears. It made the expressions of Steven and the others shift.
"..."
Steven's face darkened with uncertainty. With his strength, if he wanted to destroy the Berlitzes and the Johto Pokémon Association, he could certainly do it.
But how could he do such a thing?
Why did he want to save Zinnia? It was precisely because he didn't want her to do something extreme and ruin her own future.
But if he did those two things, how would he be any different from the current Zinnia?
"Zinnia, if the Berlitz Family truly participated in this matter, I promise you in the name of the Sinnoh Champion. I will get justice for you."
Cynthia spoke to Zinnia with a serious expression.
She really didn't know about this. She had actually always had a good impression of the Berlitz Family.
She even thought very highly of the current young lady of the family, Platinum Berlitz, because she was a very talented and positive young girl.
But if the Berlitz Family had truly participated in the "Rayquaza Capture Project," she would definitely follow official procedures and investigate to the very end.
"As for the matter with the Johto Pokémon Association, I will also report it to the Kanto League. Kanto will definitely give you an explanation," Giovanni said in a low voice. But in his heart, he was already laughing.
If the corruption of the Johto Pokémon Association was exposed, never mind anyone else, those two "lunatics" Lance and Lorelei would definitely not let the Johto Pokémon Association go.
Maybe those two would do something extreme. Charles Goodshow would definitely have a headache.
"Hehe~" Zinnia gave two short laughs. She was originally just teasing these people.
"Help me send them to prison? I don't need that kind of help."
"As for you all..."
Zinnia looked toward Steven and the others. The corners of her mouth stretched wide.
"Damian said to give you all a warm welcome today."
"Salamence!"
Roar—!!
The roar of the Salamence shook the air. The rainbow-colored light of evolution flashed. Mega Salamence appeared.
The next moment, Mega Salamence swung its head. A beam of pure Dragon Pulse shot out.
"Flamethrower!"
Leon's Charizard flapped its wings and flew up. A powerful Flamethrower rose to meet the attack.
The Flamethrower and the Dragon Pulse collided heavily in mid-air. Then they exploded. A strong shockwave swept outward.
"Hmm?"
Zinnia narrowed her eyes slightly. Her ace, Salamence, was extremely strong after Mega Evolution.
Yet the Flamethrower from this Charizard actually blocked it directly?
"The Galar Champion, Leon, right? You're quite strong."
Zinnia looked at the young man with tanned skin. She hadn't seen him last time in Rustboro City.
So, that must be the Galar Champion, Leon.
"Zinnia, I still hope you can wake up. Hatred cannot be ended. If you only want to solve the hate in your heart through extreme ways, your life will only fall into an endless whirlpool."
Steven still wanted to try his best to persuade Zinnia to turn back. In his view, hatred only brings more hatred, and it eventually becomes never-ending.
"Is it not enough to let them spend their whole lives repenting in a prison cell?"
"IT'S NOT ENOUGH!!"
What answered Steven was a "roar" from the Draconid successor that was so sharp it was almost ear-piercing.
The girl's voice, full of resentment, made Steven freeze.
Her eyes were red now. It was as if she were staring at Steven, and yet also as if she were looking at the Aster who died back then.
The ancient tower, the broken ground, and... the girl without any breath of life.
"My sister is dead! Why did she have to die!!!"
"ROAR!!"
Mega Salamence raised its head high. Pure dragon energy condensed into a sphere. A Draco Meteor, which seemed to contain all the stars in the universe, shot straight into the sky.
Boom!!
The Draco Meteor reached its peak and burst apart. Scattered dragon meteors trailing small tails of fire fell down. It looked like a brilliant meteor shower.
Boom! Boom!!
The Draco Meteor struck. The meteors falling onto the sea surface exploded continuously. This caused the originally calm sea to begin to wave violently. Waves rose up one after another.
Charizard continuously blocked the falling meteors, but it was still struggling to keep up.
Cynthia silently released her Garchomp to help. Otherwise, a few of those dragon meteors would definitely fall near them.
Nemona looked at Zinnia with a complicated, sympathetic gaze. To be honest, Zinnia's story made her feel very lost. She didn't dare to imagine what she would become if her own sister had suffered Aster's fate.
Nemona had never thought before that such things could happen in the world.
"Blood... must be paid for with blood!"
Zinnia's pupils refocused. Her cold gaze stared at the people below.
The last few dragon meteors were also intercepted by Charizard and Garchomp.
"I will make all of them regret what happened back then!"
The cold declaration from the successor made Steven take a deep breath.
"I'm sorry, Zinnia."
He was actually a bit lost too. Was Zinnia, who wanted to take revenge for her innocent sister, wrong?
Steven didn't know, especially since his own father was a participant in the event back then.
But what Steven did know was that today, he had to defeat Zinnia as a member of Team Rocket.
"Metagross!"
Steven threw out his ace, Metagross. His Key Stone sparkled. The light of evolution lit up on Metagross.
A moment later, Mega Metagross appeared.
"As expected, you've mastered Mega Evolution too?" Zinnia wasn't too surprised.
"Maybe you won't listen to anything I say right now. If that's the case, then let's settle this in a battle!" Steven said in a deep voice.
"I will defeat you, and then take you back to Ever Grande City!"
"Can you do it?" Zinnia sneered.
Mega Salamence roared at Mega Metagross. Mega Metagross stared at Mega Salamence with its cold eyes.
"Then let's begin."
Zinnia looked around the area. Her gaze settled on the nearby small island. She patted Mega Salamence.
Mega Salamence flew toward the island.
"Everyone, I'll leave things here to you for now."
Steven looked at Cynthia and the others.
"Don't worry," Leon replied solemnly.
"Champion Steven, do you need help?" Nemona felt she had to ask.
Zinnia's strength was very powerful.
"No need. As the Hoenn Champion... I am the one who owes her. No matter what, this is a responsibility I must carry. I will defeat her!"
Steven said in a heavy voice. He climbed onto Mega Metagross. Mega Metagross floated up and chased after Zinnia.
Watching the figures of Steven and Metagross land on the island, Nemona, for some reason, wanted to sigh.
Clearly, she had never had such complicated emotions before.
"Seniors, is Zinnia wrong?"
Nemona couldn't help but ask the three seniors beside her about the confusion in her heart.
Cynthia remained silent.
"Human hearts... are the most unpredictable. What a tragedy," Giovanni whispered with a sigh.
"She isn't wrong," Leon frowned. "But she isn't right either."
Leon shook his head. That was all he could say.
"The ones who are wrong are those who committed crimes for their own selfish desires. They... are not needed by this world."
Cynthia spoke in a low voice. Hearing the way Zinnia resentfully shouted "Why did she have to die," Cynthia didn't even know what her own emotions were.
The corners of this world were, after all, too dark.
"Champion Cynthia, watch your words," Leon warned her in a low, helpless voice.
Although he also felt a bit of that emotion right now, as a man, he was still more rational.
The Pokémon League promoted benevolent rule. But to be honest, Leon suddenly felt that maybe this wasn't entirely correct.
Cynthia fell silent.
Nemona's expression was still a bit confused. Giovanni glanced at the three of them out of the corner of his eye. The corner of his mouth twitched upward in a barely visible way. How interesting.
Wuu—!!
Just then, a low moan came from far away in the sky. It was a low moan that sounded as if it came from ancient times.
"It's here!"
Leon's eyes sharpened. He looked at the King of the Deep Sea flying across the distant sky.
Kyogre! It was here!
And almost immediately, Giovanni felt it. A certain Poké Ball on his person began to vibrate slightly.
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