The desperate efforts of Team Magma and Team Aqua to obtain the two Orbs demonstrated the immense significance they placed upon them. In the end, both Archie and Maxie chose to abandon the majority of their subordinates to secure the Orbs. Even executives of Elite Four caliber were considered expendable, so long as they were not the absolute highest ranking members. This revealed the depth of their determination. Had they truly been stopped by the League and completely prevented from escaping, Archie and Maxie would have been driven to madness. At that point, had they retaliated with total disregard for the consequences, they could have caused the deaths of numerous League members alongside them; a outcome that even Steven and Norman would have been powerless to prevent. While Team Magma and Team Aqua might have faced annihilation, the losses suffered by the League would have been truly devastating. The current outcome was, therefore, the best possible scenario. Archie and Maxie had paid an enormous price to escape, and the League had successfully dismantled the majority of both Team Aqua and Team Magma's operational forces. It was believed they would be forced to lie low for a considerable length of time. The sole remaining potential threat was the fact they had successfully taken the two Orbs with them. Groudon and Kyogre, slumbering for an unknown number of years, might soon be awakened. To prepare for their eventual awakening, the League needed to make advance preparations. The first step was to deal with all the large and small factions that had emerged throughout the Hoenn region during this period of turmoil. The Hunter's Guild could not be tolerated, nor could those various other small local factions!
"There is no use discussing this further for now," Steven stated. "Tally the casualties, then restrain all the captured Team Magma and Team Aqua members and transport them back! Perhaps we can learn the whereabouts of Archie, Maxie, and the others from them."
Immediately, people moved to carry out his orders. Everyone became busy once more, though this activity had little to do with Aoki directly. He slowly walked over to Dr. Soarans, who still appeared somewhat dazed, and patted his shoulder reassuringly, signaling that he need not be nervous. The League would not take action against him, understanding that he had only been acting under coercion from Team Magma and Team Aqua. His technical talent had been clearly demonstrated during this incident, and it was possible the League might even attempt to formally recruit him.
Aoki squatted down to examine the pit from which the Indigo Orb and Red Orb had been excavated. He carefully employed his psychic powers to slowly clear away the remaining soil from the cavity. Given the profound importance of the Indigo Orb and Red Orb, it was unlikely they had been simply buried in the earth. If he were an ancient person, he would have constructed a special container or an altar for such artifacts. Slowly, Aoki's psychic powers touched upon something relatively solid. His interest was piqued, and he halted his broader movements to focus his psychic senses further. Soon, he was able to perceive a rough outline. It was a special structure resembling an altar, though it was unclear whether its deformed and melted state was due to immense age or the intense heat generated when the meteorites fell upon Meteor Falls. This location might have originally been a special relic site where the ancients had interred the Red Orb and Indigo Orb, only to be struck by an extraterrestrial meteorite, resulting in its current ruined appearance. The large cavern they were now in might have been the space excavated by those people at the time, with the altar subsequently becoming buried by falling boulders and earth. Aoki's psychic powers vaguely detected some special patterns on the altar, possibly writing or symbols, but they were now completely deformed and unidentifiable. However, while the entirety of the altar was deformed and weathered, one particular item remained completely undamaged. Aoki reached down and slowly felt for the item. Its texture was reminiscent of touching jade. With a focused thought, he enveloped it completely with his psychic powers.
"This is..." Aoki was stunned after clearly perceiving the object's appearance. It was a piece of jade-like material, intricately carved with patterns. The altar had melted and deformed, yet this jade-like object had remained perfectly intact. The carving upon it was incredibly lifelike.
Rayquaza!
The object was crafted into the shape of Rayquaza. This sculpted Rayquaza had its claws spread flat, one on the left and one on the right, resembling two trays. The Red Orb and Indigo Orb must have originally been held within Rayquaza's claws. What could this mean? Could it be that only Rayquaza was capable of suppressing the Indigo Orb and Red Orb? Aoki touched the jade-like sculpture but did not extract it from the dirt immediately; instead, he transferred it directly into his storage space. This item could be studied thoroughly after returning home.
Afterward, Aoki, accompanied by his Florges and a group of Nurse Joys, began treating the injuries of the people and Pokémon present. Those who received Aoki's treatment looked upon him with expressions containing not only gratitude but also a deep sense of reverence. Bonnie directed the remaining staff to perform the final cleanup operations. This effort was not confined solely to this cave; the strongholds previously used by Team Magma and Team Aqua also contained many items they had not had time to take with them. Furthermore, the Alliance's own camp held many supplies that had been left unattended when the alarm was raised and everyone rushed to Meteor Falls. There were also the captured members of Team Magma and Team Aqua to process; their Pokémon and storage items were confiscated, and each individual was securely restrained, ready to be transported back to the League for interrogation. In addition to the living people and Pokémon, there were many who had lost their lives. Numerous Pokémon and a significant number of people had perished. In this kind of war-like group combat, casualties were an entirely normal, if tragic, occurrence. The conflict had been directed at the trainers themselves, regardless of whether they were with the League or the villainous teams. Everyone understood that neutralizing the trainer was the most effective way to neutralize their Pokémon.
While the cleanup at Meteor Falls was ongoing, Adams received Steven's message immediately. The primary matter was concluded, but the Hunter's Guild and the various other local forces remained unaware that the situation there had been resolved. If Steven, Norman, and Bonnie were to join the main battlefield against the Hunter's Guild as a surprise reinforcing force, they would undoubtedly achieve miraculous results. Not only these three, but even Aoki and Wallace possessed the power to completely alter the outcome of that battlefield. Consequently, Adams instructed them to leave the reorganization efforts at Meteor Falls to the remaining Elite Four-level trainers. Everyone else was to immediately rush to the battlefield against the Hunter's Guild, aiming to catch their enemies completely off guard.
"Allow me to handle the transportation," Aoki said to Steven and the others as they prepared to depart. Steven had initially intended for his Salamence to carry everyone there. However, Aoki felt that traveling via his Slowking's Teleport would be both faster and more covert. This method would be significantly more effective in achieving total surprise against the Hunter's Guild. No one objected to Aoki's suggestion. Leaving Bonnie to manage the aftermath at Meteor Falls, the group vanished from their location, enveloped by the shimmering aura of Slowking's potent psychic powers. The battlefield between the Hunter's Guild and the League was located within the forest situated between Oldale Town and Mauville City. Aoki had previously visited the area, and Slowking had established psychic coordinates there, allowing them to reach their destination almost instantaneously.