Chapter 158: You Want to Challenge Me? The Me Who Has Kyogre?
The massive Kyogre came gliding forward on great wings, an azure radiance shimmering across its body like something divine.
Leon, Cynthia, Nemona, and Giovanni watched its approach with grave faces — and the young man and Caitlin riding on its back.
Kyogre slowed to a stop above them. Its eyes settled on Giovanni — or more precisely, on something Giovanni was carrying.
It could sense it. That irritating presence.
A tangible, crushing pressure spread outward. The very air seemed to grow heavy.
"Mammon!"
Giovanni's expression was severe as he looked up at the dark-haired young man above.
"Hey there~ Everyone, fancy meeting you again."
Mammon tilted his head slightly with a radiant smile.
"I was taking a perfectly good nap, and suddenly I'm hearing someone's attacking our base."
He yawned and stretched lazily.
"Honestly. Leave it to you people to start trouble. Where are Teacher Steven and Teacher Wallace, anyway?"
Mammon glanced around. The two most entertaining people weren't here — that was unexpected. He'd sent Kagura ahead, but he hadn't expected Steven to actually let himself get drawn away by her. He was genuinely curious what had happened to make Steven leave the group for a solo match with Kagura.
"Mammon — it's not too late. Leave Team Rocket. There's still time to turn this around."
Cynthia's expression was serious.
"Oh? Cynthia — where exactly does that confidence come from?" Mammon raised an eyebrow. "And speaking of — saying something like that to me, are you hoping to take more couples photos?"
Cynthia: "…"
She forced herself to hold her composure. But whatever she did, the fact that Mammon had brought up the couples photos in front of everyone made her face burn even at this moment.
She had been deeply troubled lately. Almost everyone who had her contact information had been asking about the photos making rounds online.
Including family members, who had been calling to ask who the young man was, and whether she thought it was appropriate to be seeing someone who looked barely of age.
It was genuinely difficult to keep a straight face.
She'd had to come up with excuses. Because telling her family "he's a member of an evil organization and I was coerced into taking those photos" was hardly an option.
"That line should be coming from me." Mammon grinned down at the four of them.
"Take a look at this." He patted the fat fish beneath him.
"You actually had the nerve to come start trouble with someone who has Kyogre on his team. Is your life really going that well?"
Mammon's tone was pure mockery.
Kyogre lifted its head with considerable arrogance, its presence swelling.
"Mammon! Did you think having Kyogre made you invincible?" Giovanni said quietly.
"Of course not~" Mammon's voice was airy.
"I wouldn't claim invincibility. But dealing with the four of you? That's not really a problem. So — "
He folded his arms and looked down at them with a teasing smile.
"You want to challenge me? Challenge the me who has Kyogre?"
Uuunn~
Kyogre let out another low rumble, blue radiance flaring.
Audacious.
The sheer brazenness that washed over them nearly made Nemona's breath catch. She stared up at the young man sitting on Kyogre's back and felt her ears ring.
Oh my god.
How could anyone in this world be this insufferably smug?
Cynthia and Leon both had their brows pressed hard together.
"Mammon!" Giovanni took a slow breath.
"The world is vast. Did you really think we had no answer for you?"
Giovanni produced the Ultra Ball that had been trembling in his grip.
Kyogre's eyes went sharp.
"Oh?"
Mammon's interest sharpened.
"Come out!"
Giovanni threw the Ball open.
A flash of white light. A crimson colossus crashed down into the sea, the water rising to its knees.
Groudon.
As if sensing a familiar presence, Groudon's tightly closed eyes snapped open. Its head came up immediately, fixing on Kyogre.
That damned fish.
"ROOAAR!!"
Groudon let out a furious roar, red light blazing across its body.
Its frame began to rise — or rather, the earth beneath its feet began to rise, a mass of land pulling itself upward to lift it.
The sky overhead cracked open in blazing sunlight, scorching heat pouring down, temperature spiking rapidly.
Groudon's ability: Drought!
Uuunn~
Kyogre was completely unfazed. It bellowed right back at Groudon, and on its side of the sky the light began to die.
Seeing this land-locked smelly lizard, Kyogre felt something hot behind its eyes.
Heavy storm clouds built in layer after layer, darkening fast.
Kyogre's ability: Drizzle!
Patter, patter~
A drenching downpour fell, blanketing the world in an instant.
Groudon and Kyogre's abilities both activated simultaneously, dead against each other.
The result: the sky split neatly in two.
That was right — two. One half blazing sunshine, one half torrential rain.
(Per game canon — this is exactly how a Groudon/Kyogre standoff resolves.)
"That's actually a thing?"
Leon stared up at the sky in complete disbelief. On his side he could feel it clearly — scorching sunlight pressing down on his skin.
But just a few meters away, rain was falling in sheets, clearly audible.
This completely broke his understanding of how weather worked.
"Is this what happens when two legendaries clash like this?" Cynthia's brow furrowed.
Normally, weather abilities followed clean rules. If your side released a Politoed with Drizzle first and rain fell, and your opponent then sent out a Ninetales whose Drought triggered, the sunshine would simply override the rain. Only one weather condition remained active — determined by whichever Pokémon was stronger.
Even with two weather-ability Pokémon on the field simultaneously, triggering at the same time, only one weather would dominate — the one belonging to the stronger Pokémon.
But what she was watching right now — sunshine and rain each occupying their own half of the sky — she had genuinely never seen this. It defied all logic.
"ROOAAR!!"
Groudon roared at Kyogre. What a terrible way to open your eyes. First thing it saw — this wretched fish just floating there.
Floating in front of it, specifically. Did Kyogre not understand how much it despised things hovering in front of it?
This fat fish had earned its beating.
Uuunn~
Kyogre looked sideways at the land-locked creature with unmistakable smugness in its call. It had caught itself.
That was right — it shouldn't be letting this non-flying thing rattle it. It was the Kyogre that had beaten the black Rayquaza.
???
Groudon stared, completely baffled. What was this salty fish bragging about now? Was it broken in the head?
It thought it had beaten Rayquaza? That was hilarious.
Groudon concluded this fish must have slept so long it had damaged its own brain.
"I see. You came prepared."
Mammon glanced down at Groudon and clicked his tongue.
"I'll give you credit — actually finding where Groudon was sleeping, that must have taken some effort."
"That's none of your business, Mammon. Groudon is more than a match for your Kyogre. Which means you're on your own against the rest of us."
Leon said it with quiet authority.
"Is that so?" Mammon smiled.
"That's what you're thinking? But did it occur to you that even Groudon might not be a match for my Kyogre?"
Giovanni shook his head without hesitation.
"Impossible. Groudon is Kyogre's equal!"
He said it with absolute conviction, voice carrying.
Groudon heard this and looked at the human with considerable satisfaction. Of course it wasn't weaker than that fat fish. That was absurd.
Obviously.
"ROAR!"
Groudon had heard enough talking. Its right claw lit red, and it brought it down hard against the newly-risen earth beneath it.
Cracks split open across the ground. Red-hot magma poured through.
Enormous blades of rock and lava erupted from the earth and swept rapidly toward Kyogre.
Precipice Blades!
Uuunn~
Kyogre spread its great wings, and four shimmering orbs of water crystallized — four crossing beams of blue-white light shot out.
Origin Pulse!
KRAAAASH!!
The Origin Pulse and Precipice Blades collided with devastating force, the thunderous impact reverberating until it ached in the ears. The shockwave blasted outward in all directions.
The wind surge rolled through them like a wall. Leon and the others had to throw their arms up to shield their faces from the direct blast.
"It's working! Groudon can fight Kyogre!"
Nemona's face lit up. That first head-on exchange had made one thing very clear.
Groudon's strength was absolutely Kyogre's equal.
Groudon let out another roar at Kyogre and began to advance, one heavy step at a time.
Today it was going to knock the stuffing out of this fish. Waking up to this thing hovering right in front of it had put Groudon in a terrible mood, and someone was going to answer for that.
"Kyogre."
The smile on Mammon's face deepened. He patted Kyogre's back.
Uuunn~
Kyogre raised its head and called out. A deep-blue divine radiance blazed up and flooded the rain-darkened sky.
The ghostly shape of an α flashed —
Then: larger. Body enormous, eyes transformed into the merciless golden gaze of a primordial beast, blue light and gold light blazing in tandem.
Primal Kyogre spread its wings.
Groudon's advance stopped dead.
It looked up at Primal Kyogre, took in the overwhelming, crushing presence bearing down on it, and swallowed.
Involuntarily, it stepped back.
…Are you serious.
Primal Kyogre called out again.
The sky darkened at visible speed. Storm clouds black as ink churned and stacked.
"The sun… it's gone." Nemona looked up, blankly.
The sunlight Groudon's Drought had carved into the sky — swallowed entirely by the black rain clouds.
Even more ferocious rain now blanketed the world. The sea churned and heaved, massive waves rolling across it.
Primal Kyogre's ability: Primordial Sea.
The rain poured down and soaked everything — Leon and the others, and Groudon too.
"Shall I explain?" Mammon looked at Giovanni and the others with a pleasant smile.
"This is Primal Reversion — Kyogre's true form."
"I really do have to compliment you. Actually thinking to bring Groudon to counter my Kyogre — that was clever."
"But you seem to have made one small mistake." His voice stayed easy. "A Groudon without its Red Orb — in front of Primal Kyogre — has no meaningful threat to offer."
Giovanni and the others went completely silent.
So did Groudon.
The non-flying type, now drenched from head to tail, fixed Giovanni and the group with a stare capable of burning holes through stone.
…Are you people serious?
You wanted to fight the fat fish? I'm happy to fight the fat fish. I'm delighted to fight the fat fish.
But you could have at least brought my Orb.
You're asking me — Groudon, without its Red Orb — to fight Kyogre, who has its Blue Orb. You are trying to get me killed.
"Um… Groudon — if you don't have your Orb, is there any chance you could force a Primal Reversion anyway?"
Nemona felt the atmosphere had gone a bit too stiff and decided to lighten it. And besides — if Primal Reversion was Groudon's true form, maybe pushing it a little would inspire a miracle?
Groudon was so thoroughly exasperated it almost found it funny. It wanted to hit this human girl with a Precipice Blades right now.
But then Groudon turned its head and saw Primal Kyogre's expression — the increasingly dangerous gleam in its eye, and the blue water energy already beginning to glow.
Groudon panicked. It connected directly to Giovanni's telepathy.
"HUMAN!! Get me back in the Ball!! RIGHT NOW!! THIS INSTANT!!!"
(End of chapter)
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