Rustboro City—a coastal hub where nature and science intertwine.
It is home to the Rustboro Gym and the headquarters of the Devon Corporation.
Outside a seaside café, a purple-haired boy and a black-haired girl relaxed in the salty breeze, sipping cold drinks.
"Ahhh~ so good! The creamy milk and tea blend perfectly—this milk tea is amazing!"
Akari held her cup with both hands, eyes shining in bliss.
"The orange juice from Petalburg City isn't bad either." Paul remarked after a sip.
"One day, I'm going to try every kind of drink in this world!" Akari declared with fiery determination.
Paul gave her a flat look. "You sound more fired up now than you did when we entered the Spear Pillar."
"How could I have been fired up then? Just not running away was already an achievement! What, you think it's a video game or something?"
Akari rolled her eyes. Challenging the almighty Arceus itself—if you didn't know the truth, fine, but if you did and still dared to sass it, who else in the world could do that?
"Anyway, Paul, you sure we don't need to look for that so-called 'Legendary Giant Rock'? Aren't we skipping the quest?"
Uneasy, Akari pulled out her phone to double-check the mission screen:
Quest: Origin of Mega Evolution — The Legendary Giant Rock
Description: The origin of Mega Evolution resurfaces. Will it bring ruin—or rebirth? Unknown.
Objective: Guard (or recover) the Legendary Giant Rock.
Reward: One Rotom–smartphone fusion attempt or +50m storage space (choose one).
Penalty: The "Map" function will be deleted.
"What must come, will come." Paul said calmly, taking another sip of juice as he turned toward the endless sea.
Truthfully, neither reward mattered to him. His Rotom had already fused with his device, and his space pack was more than sufficient.
"I'm nervous! We have to succeed this time, Paul!" Akari's eyes gleamed with envy at the quest reward.
Ever since she saw Paul's Rotom merge with his phone, she had been desperate for her own. But no matter how many Rotom she caught, none could fuse.
Now at last, a chance had come. She wasn't about to waste it.
"We'll succeed." Paul said, unfazed.
Against something like the "Super Hoopa" incident (Hoopa and the Clash of Ages), sure—things would be risky. But this? Not nearly as bad.
The Hoenn Trio of Land, Sea, and Sky.
The Sinnoh Trio of Time, Space, and Dimension.
And in the worst case… couldn't they just fall back on Hisui's battle-tested strategy?
With Arceus sealed in Akari's Poké Ball as a last resort, Paul had no fear.
"You're certain the Giant Rock will show up here?" Akari asked again. She trusted Paul—but still, they had crossed into this world and landed right here.
And Paul's idea of guiding her as a newbie?
Taking her out for a seaside breeze and cold drinks.
If she didn't know better, she'd have thought he'd lost his mind—or had ulterior motives.
But could their quest target really just… wander into their laps without them moving an inch?
"High probability."
Other movie or special episode details might've been hazy, but this one Paul knew well.
He'd watched this special before crossing over—many times. The setting was clear: the offshore waters near Rustboro City, home to Devon Corp.
As for why he wasn't running around searching ruins through heavy fog, trying to snatch the stone right out of Rayquaza's jaws?
Simple. He had no idea where those ruins even were.
And Hoenn was vast. Better to conserve strength and wait for the prey to come to them.
"Trainer, powerful energy detected nearby."
Paul's Rotom Phone left basking in the sun on the table—suddenly hovered up, and its screen displaying a special map.
Two red dots streaked toward Rustboro's offshore waters at terrifying speed, hundreds of kilometers collapsing in moments.
"Here we go." Paul murmured.
He didn't even need to check. Kyogre and Groudon—drawn by the Giant Rock's pulse.
But unlike the old days, when they were forcibly awakened by Team Aqua and Team Magma, this time the fools carried their own Orbs, and with Primal Reversion regained their true, devastating might.
"They're really coming… how did you know?" Akari gasped.
"Guesswork." Paul replied casually, draining the last of his orange juice.
He stood, eyes on the horizon.
"It's about time. Let's move."
As the Primals surged closer, the sea churned violently, a strange low pressure blanketed the city, and the skies twisted into unnatural colors.
Citizens poured toward the shore, staring wide-eyed at the unfolding phenomenon.
"No problem!" Akari called back, already releasing her partner.
"Grrooo!"
"Caww!"
Paul's Metagross and Akari's Braviary emerged together, lifting their Trainers onto their backs and soaring toward the epicenter of the surge.
Not far behind, another "Paul" had just arrived in Rustboro. He had planned to visit Devon Corp. and consult Steven Stone. But before he could act, he saw two figures streaking over the ocean.
"That man… he appeared again."
His fists clenched. Plans changed. He released his Garchomp and gave chase.
Even mounted on one of the fastest aerial Pokémon, he could only just keep pace.
Off Rustboro's coast, a faint light formed in the skies—the Giant Rock manifesting.
From the west, Primal Kyogre surged forward through the waves, wings beating against the sea.
From the east, Primal Groudon stormed across the surface, each colossal step birthing rivers of molten magma behind it.
No attacks were needed, its body alone radiated heat so intense it could incinerate ordinary Pokémon instantly.
Kyogre's approach was obscured beneath the waves, but Groudon… Groudon was a spectacle. International in scale.
Several aircraft circled overhead: reporters desperate for footage, and others like Steven and Alain, drawn by duty and crisis.
But Groudon ignored them, too focused on its true goal. Flying pests were nothing. Miss the Giant Rock, and nothing else mattered.
At last, the glowing Giant Rock solidified before it. At the same time, Kyogre burst from the deep.
The ancient rivals locked eyes.
No words, no hesitation—battle began at once.
Kyogre twisted its vast body, unleashing several radiant blue-white beams that lanced straight toward Groudon—
Origin Pulse!
The move's destructive force was unimaginable—if unleashed upon a mountain, the entire peak could have been blown apart in an instant.
And yet, standing in the heart of the End of Land, Primal Groudon ignored the Water-type attack entirely, not suffering the slightest wound!
"ROOAR!"
Groudon bellowed, molten heat radiating hotter than ever. It slammed its claws deep into the earth, and in the next moment, massive magma-coated stone pillars erupted upward like swords.
Precipice Blades!
Though Kyogre could soar, its altitude was too low to evade. From below, the blades pierced its body with crushing force.
"BOOM!!"
The violent explosion spawned a storm so fierce it flung nearby aircraft into the distance. Kyogre was blasted back into the ocean.
"ROOAR!"
Seizing the chance, Groudon converted its rage into raw power, hurling blazing boulders infused with lava.
Ancient Power!
Kyogre's eyes narrowed. With no time to dodge, it countered by unleashing a devastating burst of icy energy—
Sheer Cold!
Freezing winds clashed with molten fire in a cataclysmic detonation. The sea around them froze into towering icebergs, and even Groudon, standing atop the End of Land, was encased in absolute ice.
But magma surged within its body. Its core blazed hotter, the ice shattered, and Groudon emerged unharmed.
The two Primals paused briefly, staring each other down. Above them, the light of the Giant Rock shimmered like a radiant galaxy.
Just as their next clash was about to erupt—and Alain received orders to delay both "fools" from seizing the stone—a boy and a girl rode their Pokémon into the air, approaching the glowing Giant Rock.
"Danger! Get out of there!"
Steven Stone immediately broadcast from his helicopter.
But when Alain flung open the cabin door, he froze. He didn't just see the boy and girl—he also spotted another Paul, riding in on a Garchomp.
"Paul… there are two of him?!"
In that moment, Alain pieced it together. No wonder Paul pretended not to know him last time, they weren't the same person at all!
With Paul and Akari appearing, the situation grew dangerously complicated.
"This stone is mine." Paul declared coldly from atop his Metagross, hovering above the radiant Giant Rock. "Even Rayquaza won't change that."
His words sent shockwaves across the world.
'A mere human… dares to fight us for the Giant Rock? Courting death!'
Rage ignited in Kyogre and Groudon's eyes.
Origin Pulse—FIRE!
Precipice Blades—STRIKE!
From opposite directions, two cataclysmic attacks converged toward the intruders.
The assaults were so fast that even Steven and Alain couldn't release their Pokémon in time.
But then—
In a flash, Dialga and Palkia appeared at Akari and Paul's side.
Time itself froze. Both Origin Pulse and Precipice Blades hung suspended in midair.
Against powers of equal level, time and space alone might not be supreme—but fused together, they were absolute.
Paul: "Roar of Time!"
Akari: "Spacial Rend!"
"ROOAR!"
Dialga's furious roar ripped apart Origin Pulse as though it were nothing, blasting Kyogre clear from the sea and onto the shattered ice.
Palkia followed with a sweeping Spacial Rend, splitting Groudon's Precipice Blades into fragments that crashed down upon its chest, flipping the continent-shaker onto its back.
Neither deity held back, they fought with bloodline fury and unleashed forms. With a single exchange, both Groudon and Kyogre suffered serious wounds.
The two Primals, so enraged moments ago, now froze. Their gazes shifted—wariness replacing wrath.
Reason whispered: the time-space gods before them were far more dangerous than any two-legged pest who might swoop in at the last moment to steal glory. Tactical retreat would be wise.
But after slumbering so long, after reclaiming their Primal power, with the Giant Rock within reach—could they walk away now?
Their eyes met. Resolve hardened.
"RAAAAH!"
Kyogre plunged into the ocean once more, then burst forth, carrying a colossal tidal wave hundreds of meters tall. It surged forward with annihilating force.
Even the wave's backlash could level Rustboro City.
Not to be outdone, Groudon drove its claws into the End of Land. A towering volcano erupted upward, belching infernos and magma into the skies.
Tidal wave and volcanic eruption, two calamities greater than any natural disaster—were unleashed together.
This was no move. This was the raw power of primal gods unleashed.
From their helicopter, Steven and Alain could only flee higher, powerless to intervene.
But Paul and Akari, standing at ground zero, felt the full weight of impending apocalypse.
Even if they blocked the attacks, Rustboro City would still be obliterated.
"Distortion World—Twist!"
Dialga and Palkia shone brilliantly. Their powers of time and space merged, distorting reality itself.
The tidal wave collapsed into mist. The volcano's magma scattered like broken fireworks.
What remained of the backlash was effortlessly blocked—by none other than Mewtwo, who had emerged from its ball without a sound.
The crisis… was averted.
The wave dispersed. Only Kyogre remained above the waters, a glaring target.
For daring to summon a wave that could drown everything, Akari would show no mercy.
"Thunder!"
The already-darkened sky split open with a blinding bolt, summoned by Palkia.
Lightning swallowed Kyogre whole. For moments, its massive body writhed in the storm, then fell still.
The bolt ceased. Kyogre reverted from Primal form, belly-up, drifting across the ocean's surface.
"Go—Poké Ball!"
Almost by instinct, Akari hurled a Poké Ball.
In a flash of red light, Kyogre was drawn inside.
The ball rocked on the water—once, twice, three times, then clicked shut.
Kyogre was caught.
(End of Chapter)
(Author's Note: In the original animation, Groudon's fireball attack was never fully explained. If it were simply Flamethrower, it shouldn't have worked effectively against Kyogre. If it were Mud Shot, that would be a stretch. Here, I've standardized it as Ancient Power to preserve battle logic.)
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