Ruby, Emerald, and Ultima fly on the backs of their Pokémon as they follow Drake and the S.S. Tidal to Meteor Falls. Latias notes that the glittering Pokémon on Latios's back is called Diancie, while the mysterious Pokémon that is following Emerald is called Hoopa. When Ruby is about to explain to Emerald what he has been up to the last few days, Emerald reveals that Latias has already used her powers to show him. Ruby wonders aloud if Meteor Falls is where the village of the Draconid people is located, and Drake tells him that it is common for Dragon-type specialists to gather there.
The group heads inside to eat dinner with Mr. Briney. Ruby asks Ultima why she wanted to tag along, and she reveals that it was because she is interested in the scroll that Ruby stole from Zinnia. She reveals that the scroll is like an ancient TM, capable of teaching Dragon Ascent to a special Pokémon who is referred to as the "Dragon Lord." Ruby deduces that Dragon Ascent must be the key to stopping the meteor from destroying the world, which is why Zinnia had taken it in the first place.
At Sea Mauville, Mr. Stone stares sadly at the Absorber as he accepts that the world will come to an end without the dimensional shifter. An idea suddenly comes to Steven, and he announces that it is still possible to save the world, since Hoopa has simply transported the device to another location. Steven realizes that they can use their technology to detect the dimensional shifter, and Mr. Stone commends him for his determination.
Steven takes a call from Professor Cozmo, and is shocked to learn that he has the dimensional shifter in his possession. Professor Cozmo reveals that Sapphire is staying with him to protect the rocket, and also that journalists are swarming the Mossdeep Space Center after a news story aired about the meteor. Steven and his father head for Mossdeep City, departing on Metagross.
On the S.S. Tidal, Emerald is awakened by Ruby, who is filming Diancie and Hoopa as they play together. When Diancie creates a jewel for Hoopa, Hoopa shows off by using its rings to summon even more jewels. Emerald is surprised to learn that the rings can both absorb objects, and have them taken out of them.
Amber and Blaise continue to spy on Hoopa on the shore of a small island. Amber has his Gorebyss send out one droplet into the water. The single droplet charges up into a powerful attack, blasting water at Hoopa. Blaise orders his Slugma to signal their location, causing Hoopa to use its rings to transport itself there. Gorebyss then attacks it with another blast of water, and Blaise has Slugma create an illusion of a strong Pokémon through the ring. Determined not to lose to the illusory Pokémon, Hoopa summons both a Groudon and a Kyogre.
Inside the ship, Mr. Briney sleeps through a radio report about a Red Orb and a Blue Orb being stolen from a laboratory in Kanto. Riding on a speedboat, the orbs are seen to be held by Maxie and Archie as they their way to Hoenn.
