Want to read ahead. You know where
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The meeting room fell silent, so silent that the sound of a pin dropping would have echoed.
Everyone's gaze was locked on Wallace, who stood before the projection screen.
The usually elegant Champion of Hoenn looked grim, his expression drained of its usual calm.
Around the long table sat the region's strongest: Asha, Winona, and Roxanne, three of Hoenn's female Gym Leaders, along with Drake of the Elite Four.
Even Cynthia, the Champion of Sinnoh, had traveled here for this emergency.
No one spoke. No one even dared to breathe too loudly.
Cynthia's face had gone pale, her fists clenching unconsciously against the polished surface of the table.
The air was thick with tension.
In this world, the Pokémon Regions might be separated by oceans, but nature itself was one vast, connected web.
A disaster in one region could ripple outward, changing everything.
If Hoenn fell, the rest would soon follow.
Sam sat quietly beside Cynthia, his sharp eyes sweeping across the room.
He could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on everyone.
Gently, he reached out and patted Cynthia's hand, giving her a calm look, a silent message: Stay steady. We'll find a way.
Then he leaned forward slightly and asked, "How long until the meteorite makes impact?"
Wallace turned toward him.
"According to our calculations… three days."
The room grew even quieter.
Sam's gaze drifted toward Mr. Stone and Steven Stone, Hoenn's former Champion.
His tone remained calm as he asked, "Then I assume there's already a plan to deal with it?"
"Yes."
Wallace nodded, motioning toward Stone.
"President Stone will explain the details."
Stone adjusted his glasses, nodding slightly before pressing a button on the control panel. The lights dimmed, and the projector flared to life.
A colossal meteorite filled the screen, a jagged mass of death hurtling through the void, burning with a dull red glow.
Stone's voice was steady, but heavy.
"In response to this global threat, we've developed a plan. Our scientists are preparing an energy bomb, a high-powered explosive. Once completed, it will be launched into orbit and directed straight at the meteorite."
He paused, letting the gravity of his words sink in.
"If it detonates upon contact, it may destroy the meteorite entirely… or at the very least, divert its trajectory away from the planet. Even if that fails, the explosion should break it apart enough to lessen the damage to Hoenn."
For a long moment, no one moved.
The projection flickered on the faces of the gathered trainers, each reflecting the same grim understanding.
Finally, Steven spoke up, his calm voice breaking the silence.
"We've called everyone here today to decide whether to approve this plan. If anyone has a better idea, now's the time to speak."
For the first time in hours, a faint sense of hope stirred through the room.
At least there was a plan.
Drake, the grizzled veteran of the Elite Four, rose to his feet.
"I agree with this plan," he said firmly.
"Seconded!" came another voice.
"Seconded!"
One by one, the Gym Leaders followed, hands raised in agreement.
The tension began to ease, giving way to cautious determination.
As the vote passed around the table, Wallace turned his attention toward the pair seated quietly at the far end.
"Sam, Cynthia," he asked, "what about you two? Any suggestions?"
Cynthia straightened in her chair.
Though she was a Champion herself, this wasn't her region.
She knew it wasn't her place to interfere too deeply in Hoenn's affairs, not without a clear alternative.
Her golden eyes flickered toward Sam briefly before she raised her hand.
"I have no objections," she said.
Her voice was calm, but her expression betrayed the unease beneath.
"I have no objections either," Sam said casually, leaning back in his chair.
He kept his tone calm, but his mind was far from at ease.
The plan sounded good on paper: a high-powered explosive launched into space to intercept a meteorite, but could this world's technology really handle something that precise?
A part of him doubted it.
The Pokémon world's science had always been… quirky.
One moment, they had teleportation and Poké Balls that defied physics; the next, they struggled to build simple machinery without help from Electric-types.
Still, every Champion and Elite in the room had already agreed.
Raising objections now would only complicate things.
Wallace caught his nod and quickly finalized the decision.
The operation was officially greenlit.
Time passed quickly.
Two days later, Sam and Cynthia returned from Ever Grande City to find the entire Hoenn Region shrouded in unease.
The news of the impending meteorite had been made public.
Panic rippled across the region like wildfire.
The once-lively cities of Hoenn had fallen silent, their people gathering in front of televisions and outdoor screens, praying that the Alliance's plan would work.
And at the center of it all, Slateport City.
The usually bustling port town had turned into a military zone.
Streets that once overflowed with tourists and sailors now stood empty, replaced by armored trucks and scientists in white coats.
The Hoenn Alliance had chosen Slateport as the launch site for the rocket.
Devon Corporation engineers worked day and night, setting up a temporary base on the city's outskirts.
To calm the public, the Alliance broadcast everything live.
Cameras zoomed in on the towering rocket, a hundred meters of steel and promise, surrounded by floodlights and technicians scrambling like ants.
The anchor's voice echoed through every screen and radio.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we're coming to you live from Slateport City! Behind me is the launch base built by the Hoenn Alliance and Devon Corporation!"
"This massive rocket, standing at one hundred meters tall, is filled with powerful explosives designed to intercept the incoming meteorite!"
"Experts have confirmed that the launch will take place in just thirty minutes!"
Excitement and fear tangled in every word.
The reporter turned, microphone in hand, as Wallace approached, dressed sharply in his Champion's attire, though his eyes carried exhaustion beneath the surface.
"Mr. Wallace!" the reporter called.
"Can you tell us how confident you are that this operation will save the Hoenn Region?"
Wallace paused, taking a slow breath.
Even through the camera, his presence was commanding.
He gave a firm nod.
"This operation has been carefully calculated by the best minds in Hoenn and beyond," he said.
"We have full confidence that this rocket will destroy the meteorite before it reaches our atmosphere. Everyone, please remain calm. We will overcome this crisis together!"
Applause erupted from the gathered crowd, but the sound felt hollow, forced.
No one truly knew if the plan would work.
Behind the scenes, away from the cameras and cheering, Cynthia stood beside Sam near the edge of the launch site.
The bright lights of the base reflected off her pale hair, her expression unreadable.
"Sam…" she said quietly, her voice barely audible above the noise of engines and shouting engineers.
"Do you really think this will work? That rocket… can it really destroy something that big?"
Sam didn't answer right away.
His eyes followed the rocket, the crude design, the hurried assembly, the countless workers running around with tools and cables.
It had only taken them two days to build something meant to save an entire world.
He sighed softly and shook his head.
"Honestly? I don't know."
Cynthia turned toward him, concern flickering in her golden eyes.
For once, the Champion of Sinnoh felt powerless.
All they could do now was wait.
At the command center, countdown clocks flashed on every monitor.
The rocket stood tall under the starlit sky, surrounded by the hum of machines and the flicker of spotlights.
Technicians called out readings.
The air vibrated with tension.
"Fuel check complete!"
"Navigation system stable!"
"Target coordinates locked!"
Wallace stood near the control platform, his expression calm for the cameras but tight at the edges.
Steven Stone stood beside him, silent, eyes fixed on the display.
Everyone knew, if this failed, Hoenn might cease to exist.
And somewhere beyond the clouds, the meteorite burned brighter, inching closer with every heartbeat.
Cynthia watched the countdown begin.
Ten minutes left.
Her fingers brushed against Sam's sleeve unconsciously.
"If it fails… what will happen to us?"
Sam smiled faintly, not mocking, but gentle.
"Then we'll do what trainers always do," he said.
"We fight to the end."
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then she nodded, the faintest spark of resolve lighting her eyes.
Above them, the sky rumbled faintly, as if the heavens themselves were holding their breath.