Twenty-four hours after the calamity had subsided,
the Hoenn Region welcomed a peaceful afternoon.
Li Wei, Lance, Cynthia, and the others arrived one after another at the Devon Corporation, where Steven was waiting.
Only Alain had left ahead of them with Mairin to report back to Professor Sycamore.
The television was broadcasting the news.
In the desert along Route 111, the once-churning lava had solidified into savage black scars across the earth,
telling of the changes this battle had wrought.
Some Pokémon could already be seen returning to Route 111, resting beside the rocks with their eyes closed.
On the screen, Regigigas's mountain-like figure had disappeared. Having fulfilled its mission, it had returned to slumber, as had Primal Groudon and Kyogre.
Only the enormous footprints left in the desert proved that the struggle against Groudon had been no illusion.
Cynthia gazed toward distant Lavaridge Town, where Pokémon League transport planes were already taking off and landing,
carrying yet another wave of residents returning home, along with supplies for reconstruction.
Watching Lavaridge Town gradually regain its vitality on the screen, and the residents of Rustboro City returning home beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows...
Mu Jin said softly,
"They've come back. Thank you for everything you did to stop Groudon and Kyogre."
Mu Jin expressed his heartfelt respect for them. "You're Steven's friends, and you will always be friends of the Devon Corporation, Rustboro City, and the entire Hoenn League."
"What we can do now is heal this land's wounds as quickly as possible, so they can return without fear."
"So I'll leave you here. I need to oversee the recovery efforts."
Beneath that same sunlight,
the scene on Route 128 was entirely different.
Chunks of ice, large and small, floated on the sea, refracting dazzling light in the sunshine.
They had been