"You… were involved in this matter too?"
Steven's face was stern as he looked at Lucas, his voice low and heavy.
That shouldn't be possible.
For the past two days, he had been with Lucas almost the entire time. How could Lucas have had the chance to meddle in this incident?
"No, no, don't get the wrong idea. I didn't manipulate anything." Lucas still wore his usual faint smile. Hearing Steven's question, he shook his head.
"But there was a young lady whom I happen to admire. She wanted to stir up some trouble… so naturally, I could only support her a little."
As he spoke, Lucas shrugged his shoulders, his tone helpless, though the curve of his lips made the expression look more mocking than anything else.
To be fair, he really hadn't done much. All he did was hand the indigo orb to Zinnia.
Yes. That was all.
"As I thought… you've teamed up with Zinnia."
Steven instantly understood who the "young lady" Lucas referred to was. His expression grew heavier. "Lucas, Groudon should never be allowed to awaken!"
He drew out a Poké Ball and clenched it tightly, his eyes fixed on Lucas.
Now was not the time for arguments he was in a hurry. Maxie had already been inside far too long. Every second wasted here gave him more time to rouse Groudon.
"It's already too late, Steven. Haven't you noticed the changes in the weather?" Lucas's smile deepened. He shook his head lightly, then pointed upward toward the sky.
"What do you mean?" Steven frowned. Of course, he had noticed the torrential downpour that had suddenly begun, but he hadn't connected it to anything.
"The one heading for Team Aqua's base should be Wallace, right? He failed. Primal Kyogre has already awakened, and this storm is the proof of it."
Steven's eyes instantly sharpened.
"That's why it's already too late. Without Primal Groudon's emergence, how could you possibly stop Primal Kyogre?"
Lucas sighed with false pity. Primal Kyogre wasn't some ordinary high-tier Legendary. Steven and Wallace had no hope of containing it alone.
Steven bit his lip, his jaw tight, his face alternating between light and shadow. Was it… already too late?
"No. Even so, I will never allow Groudon to awaken and make things worse. That would only be adding fuel to the fire, making the situation even more impossible to stop!"
Yet his tone only grew more resolute. If Wallace had already failed, then Steven had no room to fail.
One Primal Kyogre alone was already a catastrophe. If Groudon awoke as well… then Hoenn would truly be doomed.
It must be stopped.
As for how to handle Primal Kyogre afterward he would think about that later.
As for Lucas's so-called "solution," to awaken Groudon to counter Kyogre?
What a joke. Did he think he was talking to a three-year-old?
If those two behemoths really fought, would there be anything left of Hoenn?
"…So it really comes down to fighting, doesn't it?"
Lucas raised a brow. Steven's unwavering eyes and tone made it clear he would not stop until his goal was achieved.
"Then I suppose I'll entertain you a little, former Champion of Hoenn."
"Go—Tyranitar. Prepare for battle."
With a casual flick, Lucas hurled out a Poké Ball. Since Steven insisted, then he could only "educate" him a bit.
A burst of white light flashed. With a deafening roar, Tyranitar landed heavily before Lucas, its savage eyes locking onto Steven's Metagross.
"Metagross, steel yourself."
Steven's gaze was sharp, his tone cautious.
This Tyranitar… was terrifyingly strong.
And what was worse, Metagross's Psychic-type powers were completely nullified by Tyranitar's Dark typing. Before the battle had even started, he was already at a disadvantage.
But even so, surrender was not an option.
As the two men squared off, the defeated Magma grunts nearby were left utterly dumbfounded.
"That man… he's the same one from before…"
Courtney's watery eyes were fixed on Lucas's strikingly handsome face—it was far too distinctive to mistake.
She instantly recalled the scene on Mt. Pyre just days ago.
But something felt wrong. At that time, hadn't Steven and this man been on the same side?
How was it that after only two days, they were fighting each other?
Tilting her head in confusion, Courtney thought about it. But in truth, this was the best outcome she could have hoped for.
At the very least, it meant Maxie would have more time to awaken Groudon.
Meanwhile, outside.
The torrential rain fell in sheets, an unrelenting deluge. The whole sea was cloaked under storm clouds.
Inside the Seafloor Cavern, Archie and Shelly were racing toward the exit. As he ran, Archie pulled out his communicator and made a call.
"Boss, it's Matt!"
On the other end, a rough voice came through. But if one listened carefully, there was a tremor hidden in the words.
"What's the situation on the surface?" Archie asked urgently.
He already had a very bad feeling in his heart.
"It's terrible… we're finished…"
Matt stood on a small island, his whole body trembling as he stared at the sight before him.
Endless black clouds stretched across the sky, suffocating in their oppression. Rain poured down in torrents, the sea whipped into monstrous waves. Waterspouts rose like pillars, connecting sea and sky. The sheer wall of water was enough to crush one's soul.
Countless Pokémon shrieked in panic, fleeing wildly through the air.
The scene was nothing less than the end of the world.
"Boss… Kyogre is going to drown the whole world. Nothing will remain…"
The burly, fearless Matt now shook with pure terror. Everything before him screamed despair.
Archie froze where he stood, the communicator slipping from his numb fingers and clattering to the ground.
Behind him, Shelly turned her head aside, closing her eyes in grief.
"It's over, Boss Archie. Completely over."
"Our so-called ideal world… is now at the bottom of the sea."
Her voice was heavy with sorrow. Primal Kyogre's power was utterly beyond human control.
They had been wrong. Catastrophically wrong.
They had wanted to create a world of ocean paradise, but not one where the seas swallowed everything.
And yet… that was exactly what they had unleashed.
"That woman… she was never truly with Team Aqua. She only wanted you to awaken Kyogre, to bring calamity to the world."
"Archie, we… we've truly become sinners of the world."
Shelly's voice was bleak. If they couldn't understand it now, then they really were fools beyond salvation.
The blue orb given to them by that mysterious figure, it was nothing but Pandora's Box.
They had opened it.
And by being the ones to awaken Kyogre, to restore it to its primal form, they had doomed themselves as the greatest sinners of the age.
Primal Kyogre's Primordial Sea would only keep spreading… until it swallowed all of Hoenn, and then the entire world.
Archie's face was blank, his pupils shrinking, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. His dream… his ideal…
Now shattered into nightmare.
From the raging sea, a submarine burst forth. Archie and Shelly rushed onto the deck.
"Kyogre…"
Archie stared at the colossal figure in the distance, its body swaying, two massive waterspouts whirling at its sides.
This was the legendary he had once longed for, the being that would have secured his ideal world.
But now, Primal Kyogre had become his nightmare.
"Kyogre! Kyogre!! Obey my command! Stop at once! Kyogre!!"
Archie shouted desperately, his voice hoarse. How could it be like this?
It was he who had awakened Kyogre. But the world Kyogre desired was not the same as his.
He would not allow it.
Archie was a fool, but his goals had always been tied to his ideals. He was not a lunatic who wanted to destroy the world.
So now, he wanted to pull back. He wanted to stop Primal Kyogre from spreading the Primordial Sea further.
But at that moment, the ancient Pokémon hovering in the sky finally turned its cold, golden eyes toward him.
Its massive body twisted. With a single flap, it plunged downward, rushing straight for Archie and Shelly.
"No!"
Their faces turned pale as death as Primal Kyogre charged.
With a thunderous cry, the monster swooped low—only to veer upward at the last moment.
The generated shockwave sent towering waves crashing down. The submarine pitched wildly.
Then, from above, Primal Kyogre opened its enormous maw, descending upon Archie and Shelly.
"No! Stop! Kyogre!!"
The crushing pressure bore down. Their hearts seized as though gripped in a vice. Even their breathing faltered.
All they could do was stare up in terror.
But then—
A flash of white appeared beside them, sweeping them away in an instant.
BOOM!
The next second, Primal Kyogre smashed the submarine to pieces.
The white figure carried Archie and Shelly through the air, setting them down on a small island nearby.
It was a Togekiss.
And standing gracefully upon the shore, clad in a black dress, golden hair flowing, face breathtakingly beautiful was none other than Cynthia.
Yes—Cynthia!
This was the aid Hoenn League had requested. Hoenn and Sinnoh were not too far apart. Originally, the Hoenn League chairman had also contacted the Indigo League, but…
Indigo was still busy dealing with Team Rocket. Word was that Lance was away on a mission as well.
Although Logi had promised to send support, Indigo had yet to dispatch anyone.
Instead, it was Cynthia who arrived.
"Although you two committed an unforgivable mistake, the League will not stand by and watch lives be lost. Be grateful."
Wallace's voice was cold as he glanced at Archie and Shelly. He had no sympathy for the ones who had awakened Kyogre.
And yet Cynthia had still saved them. That was the League's creed: life above all.
Unfortunately, the other Aqua members aboard the submarine… could not be saved.
"Kyogre's power is overwhelming. I fear we cannot defeat it."
Cynthia's brows knitted tightly as her eyes followed the vast, swaying shadow of the ancient beast in the distance.
The crushing aura of despair radiating from it… She even felt that this Primal Kyogre was stronger than Dialga or Eternatus, which she had once faced on Mt. Coronet.
And unlike those two…
This Kyogre was not merely a presence—it was actively unleashing catastrophe.
"I don't know how Steven is faring now… but so far, only Kyogre has awakened. If Groudon rises too…"
Wallace's head pounded. Only by standing so close could one truly understand the terror of Primal Kyogre.
But what worried him most was Steven. If a Prima; Groudon awoke as well…
The clash of those two titans would be unimaginable.
And then—
Cynthia's eyes narrowed suddenly. She had noticed something strange.
Far in the distance, a patch of sky had cleared.
She raised her telescope to confirm. It was no illusion. The dark storm clouds were gone in that spot, replaced by blazing sunlight.
Even Kyogre itself, which had been "dancing" in triumph at its return, paused and turned its golden eyes toward the distant light.
"Groudon… has awakened too?"
Wallace's expression darkened completely.
There were few things that could draw Kyogre's attention. Combined with the strange phenomenon Cynthia described…
It was highly likely Groudon had risen as well.
"If we truly have no other choice… then we'll have to go to Sky Pillar. I just don't know if the old legends are true…" Wallace muttered, his frown deep.
The situation was only getting worse.
If nothing else worked, he would have to unseal the Sky Pillar, praying for Rayquaza to descend.
But he didn't even know if the story passed down was true. Would Rayquaza really come?
"Wallace, we cannot simply stand here and watch!"
Cynthia's tone was firm as she looked at Primal Kyogre, which now seemed ready to move.
No matter what was happening with Groudon, they could not allow the two to meet.
Hoenn's myths were very clear: Groudon and Kyogre were eternal rivals.
If the two clashed again, it would be no trivial battle.
"I understand." Wallace nodded gravely.
They had no choice but to fight, even if it meant throwing their lives away.
Like warriors charging into certain death, Cynthia and Wallace launched themselves forward—
To face Primal Kyogre head-on.
(End of Chapter)