"Rooaar!"
With Groudon's awakening, Team Aqua's island was instantly swallowed by endless magma. When it collided with seawater and rapidly cooled, new land began forming out of thin air, giving birth to a growing continent.
At the same time, Kyogre, having sensed Groudon's presence, was charging straight toward the island.
Along its path, Pokémon in the sea, in the sky, and on land all trembled as they gazed toward the place where the two ancient gods were about to collide. Terror filled their eyes.
They could feel it—
If Groudon and Kyogre fought, the world itself would be overturned.
Seeing his carefully built base destroyed in an instant, Archie, the leader of Team Aqua, was furious beyond words. He glared at the sea of magma and wished he could tear Groudon apart.
Unfortunately, he was nowhere near strong enough.
No matter how enraged he was, Archie knew one thing:
If he wanted to deal with Groudon, he had to rely on Kyogre's power.
"Just you wait, you bastard," Archie snarled.
"Once I control Kyogre, I'll make sure you die!"
At that moment, the executive Courtney thought for a moment before speaking.
"Boss, if Groudon is moving toward an unknown destination, then based on what we know… it should be heading to meet Kyogre."
"In that case, if we follow Groudon, we'll be able to find Kyogre!"
Archie's anger instantly turned into excitement.
"Hahaha! You're right, Courtney!"
"Summon all Team Aqua members at once—follow Groudon and witness the power of our Ocean God!"
"Kyogre will definitely destroy Groudon!"
As he spoke, Archie pulled out the Blue Orb, his eyes glowing with villainous glee, and rushed after Groudon.
Meanwhile, Maxie, Tabitha, and the rest of Team Magma—who had barely escaped—hovered in the air on their Pokémon, helplessly watching Kyogre disappear into the ocean.
Maxie smashed his fist against his Skarmory in fury.
"Courtney from Team Aqua… how did she infiltrate us?!"
"All of you are useless! So many people and not a single one of you could stop her!"
The Team Magma members remained silent.
After a long pause, Maxie took out the Red Orb. Feeling the warm, pulsing energy inside it, madness flashed in his eyes.
"Groudon… has awakened."
"Tabitha, summon everyone at once. Head southwest."
"Groudon is awake, so Kyogre will definitely go to confront it."
"That means both Legendary Pokémon will be in the same area!"
With that, Maxie urged his Skarmory forward, rushing toward the southwestern sea.
As Team Magma and Team Aqua both raced toward the battlefield using their Orbs…
The awakening of Groudon and Kyogre caused extreme weather to erupt.
In Petalburg City, what had been a clear blue sky suddenly turned into torrential rain—then blazing heat—then both at once.
Sweltering heat and violent storms swept across the city.
Sensing something was wrong, Norman, the Petalburg Gym Leader, gathered his Pokémon and contacted Officer Jenny, reporting the anomaly to the Hoenn League.
Similar events erupted in Littleroot Town, Mossdeep City, Mauville City, and everywhere else.
Even in Pallet Town in Kanto, Professor Oak felt something was terribly wrong.
The skies were changing.
After receiving Norman's report, the Hoenn League quickly realized the entire region's climate had gone mad and immediately informed Wallace, the Hoenn Champion.
At the same time, Gym Leaders across the region received a message from League headquarters:
Kanto's new Champion, Lance, had confirmed it.
Team Magma and Team Aqua had revived Groudon and Kyogre.
The two Legendary Pokémon were heading toward battle, causing catastrophic weather.
Upon hearing this, Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, and even Steven, Hoenn's former Champion, all rushed toward the disaster zone.
No one understood the destructive power of Groudon and Kyogre better than Hoenn's strongest trainers.
If the two collided, the entire region might be wiped out by their clash.
How could they stand by?
Before anyone else arrived, Lance had already ridden his Dragonite to the edge of the storm.
Looking at the massive forms of Kyogre and Groudon, even a powerhouse like Lance felt a chill.
"Come out… Dragonite!"
As his strongest Pokémon emerged, Ash and the others—riding on the Red Gyarados—looked at him nervously.
"Mr. Lance, are you going to stop them?" Ash asked.
Lance smiled faintly.
"Stop them? That may be impossible."
"But as a Pokémon G-Man and a Champion, I can't just watch Hoenn be destroyed."
He ordered the Red Gyarados to protect Ash and the others, then rode Dragonite straight into the raging storm.
Seeing this, Gyarados grew anxious.
Ash looked at Pikachu, and they grinned at each other.
"Pikachu, how could we stay out of this?"
"Gyarados, please take us with you—we're going to help Mr. Lance!"
May, Brock, and Max all nodded without hesitation.
At that moment, Kyogre burst from the ocean, its colossal body sending the sea exploding outward.
A massive tsunami surged across the water.
In response, Groudon fired a terrifying Solar Beam, instantly evaporating the hundreds-of-meters-high wave.
The two ancient gods stared at each other from afar, eyes filled with hatred—and caution.
"ROOOAR!"
"KYAAAA—!"
The clash of legends had begun.
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