At last.
Two hours later.
Kyogre, which had been relentlessly pursuing them, and Groudon, which had been led by the League toward the ocean, finally met.
They confronted each other over a sea covered by thick layers of ice — precisely the area the League had prepared as the final battlefield between Groudon and Kyogre.
It was far enough from Hoenn's mainland, with no inhabited islands nearby, allowing them to fight without restraint.
To create those massive layers of ice, Juan had ordered the Ice-type Elite Four member, Glacia, to work together with every trainer in the League's special task force who had Ice-type Pokémon.
They had practically transformed the ecosystem of the entire marine region.
Once the battle between Groudon and Kyogre ended, all that ice would have to be removed; otherwise, the ecological balance of the area would be severely affected.
In the blink of an eye, the place had turned into a glacial world.
Cain and Drake, riding atop Salamence, led Kyogre there. On the back of the legendary Pokémon stood Archie, while beside Groudon was Maxie.
Both appeared to be mere puppets, holding the Blue Orb and the Red Orb, completely devoid of consciousness — their bodies controlled by the orbs, which glowed with a constant, eerie light.
Kyogre and Groudon — natural enemies since time immemorial — were finally face to face once again.
Kyogre stopped chasing Drake's Salamence and surfaced, staring at Groudon, who stood on the ice. In turn, Groudon ceased following its lurers and fixed its gaze upon its eternal rival.
Fate seemed to be repeating itself with terrifying precision. The only difference was that neither of the two legendaries had yet regained their full power.
However, as they faced each other, their bodies began to radiate an ever-growing pressure; the energy around them became wild and uncontrollable.
Even the sky split into two completely opposite scenes.
Above the sea where Kyogre resided, the sky darkened with heavy black clouds and lightning bolts that illuminated the raging waves. Meanwhile, the ice beneath Groudon melted visibly, as heat and steam emanated from its body; above it, the sun blazed with a scorching light so intense that it was hard to keep one's eyes open.
Both Pokémon stood firm, overflowing with power.
In the air, dozens of trainers hovered atop their Pokémon. All of them were members of the League; none below the Elite level, since approaching any closer would have been far too dangerous.
Besides the trainers, several helicopters and special aircraft filled the skies, carrying journalists broadcasting the scene live so that the entire world could witness this destined clash.
Drake and Cain, mounted on Drake's Salamence, flew over to where Juan was commanding the entire operation.
When Cain saw the Pokémon standing beneath Juan's feet, he was left speechless.
Latios!?
Since when had Latios and Latias become so common that one could just stumble upon them everywhere?
It hadn't been that long since the last time he'd seen one, and now it was already the second. Though neither of them was the "divine" Latios or Latias of the ancient legends, they were still descendants carrying divine blood — their talent and base stats were at the very pinnacle, impossible to ignore.
Juan saw Drake and Cain approaching, and for the first time, his serious face revealed a smile, especially upon recognizing the Salamence they were riding.
"Good work," Juan said with a grin.
Fortunately, Hoenn still had people like Drake — reliable, overwhelmingly strong. Juan knew that Salamence very well; they had fought side by side more than once in the past.
Drake smiled as he looked at Juan's Latios. Clearly, he was already familiar with it.
"You're stepping in personally this time? You even brought Latios?" Drake said, a bit surprised.
Juan sighed with a faint, resigned smile. "I had no choice. I was planning to subdue Groudon by force while it hadn't yet regained its full strength. But this young man, Cain, convinced me to abandon that idea. Actually, I wanted to test whether a Master Ball could catch a Pokémon of this level."
As he spoke, Juan pulled a Master Ball from his pocket. The lower half was white, the upper half purple, with two raised red ovals and a large white "M" in the center.
Cain's eyes sparkled.
A Master Ball!
In the Pokémon world, it was the most advanced type of Poké Ball in existence, except for certain experimental variants designed for specific captures. If there was a sphere with a real chance of capturing a first-rank legendary, it was that one.
"Besides," Juan continued, "you brought your old partner too. So I don't see any problem in letting Latios stretch its wings a little, don't you think?"
Drake's expression darkened slightly. "Latios's body... has it recovered?"
Juan's face also turned serious. "It's been a long time. It can fight, but a full recovery... that's nearly impossible. Luckily, during Takashi's stay here in Hoenn, he helped me with a special treatment. Without that, Latios would need a long rest after even a single battle."
Hearing their conversation, Cain immediately understood.
Latios had suffered a severe injury long ago and had yet to fully recover.
Cain's mentor, Matsuda Takashi, had recently helped treat it, allowing Latios to fight again.
Cain activated his analysis system and scanned Latios's data:
Pokémon: Latios (Dark Purple) (Injured)
Gender: Male
Level: 93
Types: Dragon / Psychic
Ability: Levitate
Held Item: Soul Dew
Egg Moves: None
Basic Moves: Memento, Helping Hand, Heal Block, Psywave, Safeguard, Protect, Dragon Dance, Stored Power, Refresh, Heal Pulse, Dragon Breath, Luster Purge, Psycho Shift, Recover, Telekinesis, Zen Headbutt, Power Split, Psychic, Dragon Pulse
Learned Moves: Draco Meteor, Snore, Trick, Wonder Room, Tailwind, Water Pulse, Laser Focus, Outrage, Defog, Shock Wave, Ally Switch, Icy Wind, Magic Coat
TM Moves: Dragon Claw, Psyshock, Calm Mind, Ice Beam, Hyper Beam, Thunderbolt, Earthquake, Shadow Ball, Aerial Ace, Steel Wing, Energy Ball, Shadow Claw, Dream Eater, Surf
"Wow..."
Cain couldn't help but marvel.
The power, the moves, the held item — everything about that Latios was pushed to the absolute limit.
Juan truly deserved his position as President of the Hoenn League.
With his power and resources, it wasn't surprising that he could raise a Latios of that caliber as his trump card.
After all, until not long ago, Juan had also held the title of Champion of the region.
His strength was, without question, among the very highest in all of Hoenn.
And it was no wonder he had so much confidence in being able to restrain a Groudon that had not yet regained its full power.
(End of chapter)