The massive Kyogre beat its fins slowly as it approached, azure light shimmering faintly over its body like the glow of a sea god.
Leon and the other three stared solemnly at the incoming Kyogre—and at Damian and Caitlin riding on its back.
Kyogre hovered to a stop in the air above the sea before them, its gaze settling on Giovanni.
No—on a very particular spot on Giovanni's person.
It could feel it.
That aura it hated.
Crushing pressure rolled out in waves, so heavy it felt like even the air thickened.
"Damian!"
Giovanni's expression hardened as he looked up at the black‑haired boy astride Kyogre.
"Yo～ Long time no see, guys."
Damian tilted his head slightly, the smile on his face bright and carefree.
"Seriously, I was having a perfectly nice afternoon nap when I suddenly hear someone's attacking our base."
He yawned, stretching lazily.
"So it was you people with too much time on your hands. Speaking of which, where're Steven‑sensei and Wallace‑sensei?"
Damian glanced off into the distance, a little disappointed the two people most likely to be fun weren't here.
He had told Zinnia to head over first, but he hadn't expected Steven to actually get lured away by her. Damian was genuinely curious what had happened that made Steven "ditch him" to go solo Zinnia.
"Damian, you still have a chance. If you walk away from Team Rocket now, it's not too late to turn back." Cynthia's face was deadly serious.
"Oh? Cynthia, where do you even get that confidence from?" Damian raised a brow. "And you really dare say that to me? You want to shoot another set of couple photos with me or something?"
Cynthia: "…"
She forced herself to stay composed, but regardless, the fact that this guy was bringing up those couple shots out loud in public… even she could feel her face burning.
Those photos had been making her life hell lately.
Anyone who had her contact info had been asking about them.
Even her own family had come to ask who the boy in the pictures was, whether it was really appropriate for her to be dating a guy who looked barely of age.
Cynthia was hanging on by a thread.
She'd had to scramble for excuses; what was she supposed to say, that he was with an evil organization and she'd only taken those couple photos because he'd threatened her?
"That line should be my one." Damian's grin widened as he looked down at the four of them.
"Take a look at this." He patted the fat‑headed fish beneath him.
"You guys seriously decided to pick a fight with me—me, riding Kyogre. You just get bored of living or what?"
His mockery was razor sharp.
Kyogre lifted its head proudly, its killing intent flaring higher.
"Damian! You think just because you have Kyogre you're invincible?" Giovanni snarled.
"Of course～ not." Damian's tone was light, almost playful.
"I wouldn't go as far as calling myself invincible. But you lot? Yeah, I don't see any problem. So?"
He folded his arms, eyes glinting with amusement.
"You wanna challenge me? Challenge me, while I'm riding Kyogre?"
Ooo～!
Kyogre let out another low, resonant call, its blue radiance pulsing.
The sheer arrogance rolling off the scene nearly stopped Nemona's breathing.
She stared at the boy sitting on Kyogre's back, ears buzzing.
Holy shit.
How could anyone in this world possibly be this cocky?
Cynthia and Leon both frowned deeply.
"Damian." Giovanni drew in a long breath.
"This world is big. You really think we can't deal with you?"
He pulled out the Ultra Ball that had been trembling this whole time.
Kyogre's gaze sharpened.
"Oh?"
Now Damian was interested.
"Come out!" Giovanni hurled the Ultra Ball.
With a flash of white, a massive bright‑red beast slammed down into the sea, the waterline only reaching its knees.
Groudon.
Sensing a very familiar aura, Groudon's tightly shut eyes snapped open. Its head swung up toward Kyogre immediately.
That damned fish.
"Rooar!!"
Groudon bellowed, incandescent rage pouring out as bright red light flared across its body.
Its massive form seemed to rise—not because it grew taller, but because a slab of land rose up beneath its feet, lifting it out of the water.
Above, the sky blazed with harsh sunlight as the temperature soared.
Groudon's Ability—Drought.
"Ooo～!"
Kyogre clearly wasn't impressed, roaring right back at it as the sky over its side of the field rapidly darkened.
Just seeing that stupid lizard that couldn't even fly already had it seeing red.
Layer upon layer of heavy rainclouds rolled into place overhead—Kyogre's Ability, Drizzle.
Patter… patter…
Torrential rain came down in sheets, drenching the entire battlefield in moments.
Groudon and Kyogre's Abilities crashed together head‑on.
The result: the sky split creepily into two halves.
Yes—two literal halves.
One side blazing sunshine, the other a curtain of pouring rain.
(Game mechanics: when Groudon and Kyogre face off, that's exactly what happens.)
"There's no way this is real…"
Leon stared up in disbelief.
On his side, he could feel the heat of the sunlight clearly on his skin.
But just a few meters away, the rain was pounding down hard enough he could hear every drop.
This was insane. It was blowing his entire worldview apart.
"Is this… the power of legends at work?" Cynthia's brows knit.
Normally, the second weather Ability to activate would overwrite the first one.
Like: you send in Pelipper, it triggers Drizzle and brings the rain.
Your opponent switches to Ninetales next—Drought procs, the sun comes out, and the rain is gone.
Even if two weather Abilities were triggered at exactly the same time, only one weather would remain—the one tied to the stronger side.
But this—sunny sky and storm clouds split down the middle—none of them had ever seen that before.
"Rooar!!"
Groudon roared at Kyogre.
Seriously, what a crappy omen. First thing it saw when it opened its eyes was that stupid fish floating in front of it.
And it was flying.
Did that overgrown mackerel not understand how much Groudon hated things hovering in front of its face?
This fish was really asking for it.
"Ooo～!"
Kyogre shot it a sidelong look, its call smug and self‑satisfied.
It'd remembered something.
Right—no way it should be losing its cool over some land‑bound lizard.
It was the Kyogre that had beaten a Shiny Rayquaza.
"??"
Groudon froze for a second.
What the hell was this fish babbling about? Had it lost its mind?
It fight Rayquaza?
Funniest joke Groudon had heard in a thousand years.
It decided this idiot had probably slept so long its brain had melted.
"So that's how it is. You did come prepared."
Damian gave Groudon a quick once‑over and clicked his tongue.
"Finding Groudon's slumbering spot must've cost you a lot of effort."
"That has nothing to do with you, Damian. Groudon is more than enough to handle your Kyogre. After that, you'll have to fight us yourself."
Leon's voice was like steel.
"You sure about that?" Damian actually laughed.
"So that's the plan in your heads, huh.
But did none of you stop to consider that even Groudon might not be a match for my Kyogre?"
His smile crinkled his eyes.
"Impossible." Giovanni shot back without the slightest hesitation.
"Groudon is not weaker than Kyogre."
His tone was absolute, the final word of a boss.
Groudon glanced approvingly at this human.
Now that was more like it. How could it possibly be weaker than this dumb fish?
What a joke—
"Roar!"
Groudon had zero interest in listening to them blather on. Its right claw glowed red as it slammed it heavily into the ground.
The earth split into jagged cracks, bright magma surging out from below.
Gigantic blades of molten rock tore up from the earth and surged forward in a field of searing fangs, racing toward Kyogre.
Precipice Blades.
"Ooo～!"
Kyogre's fins snapped wide. Four gleaming orbs of water formed around it, then shot out as four crisscrossing lines of blue light.
Origin Pulse.
Rumble!!
Origin Pulse and Precipice Blades collided head‑on. The roar of the impact rang in their bones as a violent shockwave rippled outward.
Wind and spray exploded in all directions. Leon and the others had to raise their arms against their faces just to keep from getting flayed.
"Nice! Groudon can actually stand up to Kyogre!"
Nemona's face lit up. You could already tell just from that exchange.
Groudon definitely wasn't weaker than Kyogre.
Groudon roared again and started tramping step by heavy step toward Kyogre.
It was absolutely going to smack the fish guts out of that thing today. First thing it saw when it woke up was that fish wobbling in front of its face—how could it not be pissed?
"Kyogre."
Damian's smile only grew as he patted Kyogre's back.
"Ooo～!"
Kyogre threw its head back, a deep blue divine glow tearing through the curtain of rain.
An α‑shaped sigil flashed above it as its body expanded, growing even more massive. Its pupils thinned to cold beast‑eyes as golden lines and blue light flared across its form—
Primal Kyogre spread its fins.
Groudon froze mid‑step.
It looked up at the overwhelming, regal pressure pouring off Primal Kyogre.
Its throat bobbed. It literally swallowed, then unconsciously took a step back.
You gotta be kidding me.
Primal Kyogre cried out again.
Clouds boiled overhead, the sky going dark at a speed you could almost see.
"The sun… it's gone…" Nemona whispered, staring blankly upward.
The formerly even tug‑of‑war between sun and rain had completely broken.
Groudon's half of the sky—the one Drought had lit up—was swallowed by churning black storm clouds.
The rainfall intensified into a deluge. The sea heaved in wild, towering waves.
Primal Kyogre's Ability—Primordial Sea.
Sheets of rain hammered down, soaking Steven and the others—and Groudon—through.
"Want an introduction? This is Primal Reversion—Kyogre's true form."
Damian beamed at Giovanni and the others, sounding almost cheerful.
"I really gotta hand it to you. You actually thought to bring Groudon out to fight my Kyogre."
"But there's one thing you seem to have missed.
Without the Red Orb, your Groudon poses zero threat to Primal Kyogre."
His words plunged Giovanni's group into complete silence.
Groudon went quiet too.
The land beast, drenched from head to toe, slowly turned a lethal glare on Giovanni and the others.
You people stupid or what?
You wanted it to beat the fat‑headed fish? Fine. It was down.
But could you at least be bothered to bring the Red Orb?
Sending a Groudon without the Red Orb to fight a fish with its Orb—
Were they trying to get it killed?
"Um… Groudon, without the Red Orb, can you maybe force a Primal Reversion?"
Nemona felt the air had gone way too stiff. She decided someone had to break the tension.
And hey, if Primal Reversion was Groudon's "true form," maybe pushing it at the right moment would squeeze out a miracle, right?
Groudon was so pissed it almost laughed. It seriously considered smacking this girl with a Precipice Blades.
Then it turned—and saw Primal Kyogre's gaze growing more and more dangerous, blue light glinting along its fins.
The flightless beast panicked.
It immediately opened a telepathic line to Giovanni.
"Human! Put me back in the ball! Right now! Immediately!"
~~~
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