As Julian continued flying toward Groudon, the distance between them had narrowed to less than a hundred kilometers, and the air temperature had already soared to a hundred degrees Celsius.
At such temperatures, without the protection of Pokémon or some special ability of their own, a person would have been roasted alive long ago.
Eighty kilometers.
Fifty kilometers.
Thirty kilometers.
Ten kilometers.
One kilometer.
Three hundred meters.
Finally, they came to a stop with Moltres about three hundred meters away from Groudon.
Groudon had already created a stretch of land on the sea surface and was standing on it, its golden pupils fixed directly on Julian.
A terrifying wave of pressure from a First-class Legendary surged toward him.
"Tres!"
Moltres immediately released its aura in an attempt to resist, but compared to a First-class Legendary, Moltres's aura was a joke and was instantly crushed.
"Meta!"
Metagross appeared.
Its own aura barely managed to withstand Groudon's pressure, but Metagross was forced to take several steps back.
If Metagross didn't possess Gold-grade potential, it wouldn't have been able to withstand even that.
This was the power of a First-class Legendary. Even though Metagross, back when it was a pseudo-Elite, could defeat Elites, and as a Pseudo-Champion could defeat Champions, crossing tiers as easily as playing a game—
No matter how far it crossed, it still belonged to the realm of the "mortal."
And Groudon was considered a god. The gap between god and mortal was a vast, uncrossable chasm.
Only by crossing that gulf could one earn the right to stand against such beings.
From another perspective, the fact that Metagross could even resist Groudon's pressure was already an extraordinary feat.
"Meta!"
Metagross looked at Groudon with difficulty. Since its debut, this was the first Pokémon that gave it a sense of being undefeatable and unconquerable.
A god—that was what a First-class Legendary was.
Yet instead of feeling discouraged, Metagross's fighting spirit burned even hotter.
Such an opponent was exactly what it yearned for.
Crack!
Unseen energy boiled within its body, and its level rose from 92 to 93.
A flicker of surprise crossed Groudon's eyes—it could sense something unusual about this Metagross, a faint trace of divinity, akin to that of a First-class Legendary, within it.
Having lived for who knows how many years, this was the first time Groudon had ever seen such a thing.
It turned its gaze toward Julian. This human—the one who had slain its vassal. Though it didn't care much for that puppet, it was still a slap in its face.
"Human, why do you carry the aura of three First-class Legendaries?"
When Groudon looked at Julian, it noticed that there were three auras of First-class Legendaries emanating from him—all of them friendly, not hostile.
Could it be that this human had gained the friendship of three First-class Legendaries?
"Groudon, since you're already aware, could you do these three First-class Legendaries a favor and retreat?" Julian asked.
To be honest, he really didn't want to fight Groudon. It would be a pure waste of Mewtwo fragments, so avoiding a battle was preferable if possible.
"Are you also a First-class Legendary?"
Groudon shifted its gaze to Jirachi, who was nestled in Julian's arms, ignoring Julian's question.
"Mm-hmm! Groudon, give me, Jirachi, some face and don't fight, I—"
"What a weak First-class Legendary."
Before Jirachi could even finish speaking, Groudon's words cut it off—and enraged it instantly.
"Julian, hurry up and hold me back! It called me weak! If you don't stop me, I'm gonna lose it and teach it a lesson!" Jirachi fumed.
It was a First-class Legendary—but one in charge of being cute, not fighting.
Julian looked at it speechlessly. This little one had definitely been corrupted by TikTok.
After calming Jirachi down, Julian fixed his gaze on Groudon and said seriously, "Groudon, are you sure you really want to fight?"
Groudon sneered, "Human, do you really think I'd be afraid of you just because you carry the aura of First-class Legendaries?"
'Aside from that big green caterpillar, I'm not scared of anyone.'
It silently added in its mind.
"Fine then."
Julian pointed at Groudon and shouted, "Today, I'm going to take down this flightless First-class Legendary!"
"ROAARRR!"
"Human, you're seeking death!"
Julian's words had thoroughly struck a nerve with Groudon.
Among all known First-class Legendaries, it was the only one who couldn't fly. Even that big-headed fish could use its two fins to soar through the air.
Only Groudon walked on its own two feet, truly embodying the phrase "keeping it grounded."
Oh, right—Xerneas couldn't fly either, but it could leap, and leap incredibly far at that.
At this moment, satellites around the world suddenly blared with shrill alarms.
---
[Alert: Detected immense energy fluctuations—suspected to be from a First-class Legendary.]
[Location: Groudon's coordinates.]
[Energy signature rising rapidly from the ocean depths.]
---
Just as Julian was about to summon Mewtwo to teach Groudon how to be a proper First-class Legendary, a massive dark shadow emerged from the sea below.
Soon after, a Pokémon resembling a giant whale surfaced on the water.
Kyogre: "Julian's right—you can't even fly. What, can't people even say the truth now?"
People around the world watched the sudden appearance of Kyogre, the Sea God, on their screens, their jaws nearly dropping in shock.
Meanwhile, the citizens of Drakoria felt their hearts sink into despair.
Was this heaven punishing Drakoria?
Just Groudon wasn't enough—now Kyogre had arrived as well.
At this moment, even those who had faith in Julian felt their confidence hanging by a thread.
Two First-class Legendaries—how could anyone possibly fight against that?
Western nations, of course, watched with gleeful schadenfreude, eagerly hoping for Drakoria to face greater chaos.
---
> What do we do? What do we do? Is it too late for me to leave the country now?
> What about the Champions? Don't we have seven Champions? Why is only Julian there? Where are the others?
> Use nuclear weapons! Nukes can definitely defeat them!
> My husband is the best in the world—he'll definitely handle this!
> You brain-dead fan! You are still here? Your husband is about to die! You should just jump off a cliff with him!
> Why is everyone panicking? The nation will definitely have a solution. Besides, take a closer look at Champion Walker's expression—has it changed at all?
> It really doesn't seem to have changed. Why does he look so calm?
> I'm one of Brother Walker's Junior. Let me tell you—if he wasn't confident, he wouldn't even be there.
---
At this moment, Luis, Dalton, Shen, and other classmates and juniors of Julian were defending him online against keyboard warriors from all sides.
Across Drakoria, the vast majority had lost faith in Julian's ability to defeat two First-class Legendaries. Only a very small number of people never wavered in their belief in him.
In Conference Room No. 1 of Drakoria.
With Kyogre's appearance, the atmosphere in the room instantly became extremely tense.
"Why has Kyogre appeared?" the Second Elder asked, his voice filled with anger.
"It probably sensed Groudon's presence and came because of it," replied William, the Grass-type Champion.
The last time Kyogre attacked Haitian City, their strongest Champion, Duke, nearly lost his life to it. To Drakoria, Kyogre was undoubtedly a hostile First-class Legendary.
*****
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