Cynthia's matter was set aside for the time being.
After a while, Rustboro City appeared before them.
This place had the best Pokémon Trainers' School in all of Hoenn.
Of course, Grey had not come here for the school this time.
He had come with Steven to Devon Corporation to get a few Mega Stones.
"Grey, aside from Gallade's and Heracross's Mega Stones, is there anything else you want?"
Steven felt that giving only two stones seemed a little too stingy.
"It's fine. I'll take these two for now. If I want any other Mega Stones later, I'll ask you for them."
Grey waved a hand.
Seeing that, Steven did not say anything more.
He entered the company, quickly packed up the Mega Stones, and handed them to Grey.
"These two are the Mega Stones. Do you have any ideas about where to go next?"
Steven asked.
"Not really. But isn't your Champion handover supposed to start soon? Or are you just doing a transfer ceremony?"
Grey thought of the Champion transfer between Steven and Wallace.
But since he had not seen any so-called title match, he was wondering when they were going to battle.
"Oh, that? There won't be one. Wallace's strength is up to standard, and he defeated all four Elite Four members in one go. I don't really feel like battling either, so when the time comes, we'll just let him become Champion directly."
Steven waved a hand. "But if you have any interest in becoming Champion, Grey, I can mention it to Wallace."
The current situation between the two of them was that they each took turns serving as Champion for a period of time.
When the time came, they would switch.
If Grey was willing to share the Champion position with them, then the amount of time each of them had to serve would be spread out even more.
"There's no need for that. Steven, you're way too casual about this. I'm currently an Honorary Elite Four member of Kanto, so it's better not to let me get involved in things like that. Otherwise, if someone with an agenda heard about it, they could easily twist it into a problem."
Grey gave an awkward smile.
It was still the same point.
If he had been willing to become Champion, he would have done so long ago. There would have been no need for others to keep yielding the position to him.
In a situation like this, Grey simply did not have the will or energy.
Right now, he wanted to coast through life as a Gym Leader whose Gym was closed three hundred and sixty days out of three hundred and sixty-five.
Just like Blaine of the Cinnabar Gym.
He could collect a monthly retirement payment of five hundred thousand and occasionally fish at the pier.
That kind of laid-back life would be the comfortable one!
No…
He needed to set himself a goal before he started coasting.
He also had to learn from Mustard, buy a small island, then collect retirement money and slack off!
Mm!
The harder you worked, the luckier you got!
The effort he put in now was all for the sake of slacking off better in the future!
…
Hoenn region, Terra Cave.
The churning lava lake dyed the entire cave a dark red.
This was the sleeping place of Groudon, creator of the land.
The air was filled with the thick smell of sulfur. The rock walls, baked by high heat year after year, gave off faint cracking sounds. Every breath carried a scorching sting.
Zinnia and Giovanni stood side by side at the edge of a burning stone platform, gazing down at the slowly flowing river of lava below.
"Giovanni, this place is really stuffy. Aren't you hot wearing so much? Why not take off the disguise?"
Zinnia joked with Giovanni.
Giovanni did not answer.
They stood before that primitive and magnificent scene, falling into a long silence.
After a long while, Giovanni's low voice echoed through the cave. "It is time. Zinnia, take it out."
"Oh."
Zinnia took the Red Orb from her clothes. Under the glow of the lava, the magnificent crystal shimmered with a blood-like luster.
The Red Orb contained the natural power needed for Groudon's Primal Reversion.
At this moment, it was being used to awaken it.
The instant the Red Orb appeared, the entire lava lake suddenly boiled!
Pillars of fire shot into the sky one after another, and scorching waves of air swept through the entire cave, carrying the smell of sulfur with them.
Glug, glug!
From within the surging lava, a mountain-like back armor slowly rose. Dark-red rocky armor pierced through the surface of the molten rock, and the towering body of a colossal beast slowly emerged from the flames of the earth's depths.
Lava flowed along the patterns on its body. Every breath this colossal beast took seemed to carry the rumble of the land itself, deafening and heavy.
The creator of the land, Groudon!
At the same time.
Hoenn region, Marine Cave.
A giant whale-like Pokémon trembled slightly within the deep-blue water.
"Groudon… You have actually awakened…"
It suddenly opened its eyes. With a slight sweep of its tail fin, it stirred up an undercurrent, and the entire cave trembled with it.
As if sensing the primal call coming from the distant land, this overlord of the sea broke through the curtain of water and rushed toward the outside world…
By flying.
…
In a café in Rustboro City, Steven had just lifted his coffee and was about to discuss something with Grey when an emergency League communication cut into his headset.
"Champion Steven! Extreme drought and rain disasters have appeared in the eastern and western parts of Hoenn, and they are rapidly spreading toward the center!"
Listening to the abnormal data reported by the weather department, Steven frowned.
His fingers tightened, and tiny cracks immediately appeared along the rim of the white porcelain cup.
"Grey…"
Steven set down the cracked coffee cup, but before he finished speaking, he froze in place.
Grey had already stood up and was looking out the window, his hair lifting slightly in the sudden gale.
"Reshiram sensed it. The oldest will of this land is awakening. If I'm not wrong, it should be Groudon."
Grey frowned as he looked toward the north of Rustboro City.
That was the direction where Terra Cave was located, behind Meteor Falls.
However.
Grey had not expected Zinnia and Giovanni to move so quickly.
Still, if only Groudon had awakened, then before it joined up with Kyogre and started fighting, relying on Reshiram and Kyurem should be enough for him to handle it.
He strode out of the café and released Reshiram.
After leaping onto the dragon's back, Reshiram spread its wings and turned into a white rainbow shooting straight toward Terra Cave.
…
Outside Terra Cave, the blazing sun rose high.
The air twisted from the intense heat.
Zinnia and Giovanni were leading Groudon toward the coast when a command suddenly cut through the air.
"Reshiram, Blue Flare!"
Scorching blue flames swept over like a river of heaven pouring down, melting a bottomless trench in front of Groudon's feet.
"He's here."
Giovanni slowly raised his head, the hem of his suit fluttering in the heat wave.
Reshiram's pure-white wings covered the sunlight. Grey sat at the base of its neck, lowering his gaze to look down at the two people on the rocky ground.
Blue flames flowed around its entire body, forming a sharp contrast with the geothermal steam rising from Groudon's back armor.
"What a grand entrance."
Giovanni gently stroked Persian's back with his fingertips, but his gaze was as sharp as a blade. "But do you think the number of Legendary Pokémon alone can reverse the course of natural law?"
Grey sneered. "I'd like to ask instead, what exactly are you trying to accomplish by waking Groudon?"
Their gazes collided in the air.
But more than that, it was the clash between the presences of Reshiram and Groudon.
The pressure of the Legendary Pokémon made the surrounding air freeze in place.
Rumble!
Just as Grey and Giovanni faced each other, waves of tearing sound suddenly came from the sky. Countless burning meteors ripped through the clouds and poured down toward Reshiram.
Zinnia rode Salamence into the sky, its blood-red wings beating continuously as Champion-tier pressure surged toward them.
"Don't even think about interfering with our plan!"
She shouted and swung her right hand. Light from Dragon Pulse gathered in Salamence's mouth.
Draco Meteor and Dragon Pulse wove together into a dense web of firepower, trying to block Grey's next move.
Whoosh.
Reshiram beat its wings and climbed higher, weaving through the rain of meteors and avoiding Draco Meteor completely.
Grey sat steady, his gaze still locked onto Groudon, who continued advancing below.
At that moment, Groudon also noticed Grey.
It raised its head, covered in rocky armor, and locked its gaze onto Reshiram's white figure.
But most of its attention was still on Reshiram itself.
When it saw Reshiram's spread dragon wings easily cutting through the sky, an inexplicable fire surged inside the chest of this god of the land.
This thing…
Why was it flying over its head like a fly?!
"Graaah!!!" Don't fly in front of me!!!
With a roar that shook the earth, Groudon slammed its front claws down.
In an instant, countless giant stone blades wrapped in lava broke out of the ground and stabbed toward the sky.
Each Precipice Blades attack carried molten rock with it, dyeing the clouds an ominous dark red.
"Roar!"
Reshiram cried out and climbed sharply. The air currents stirred by its dragon wings brushed past the scorching stone blades.
It skillfully wove through the forest of jagged stone spears, its pure-white feathers reflecting the light of the lava like a white butterfly dancing among thorns of death.
"Kyurem, take the chance now. Glaciate!"
The Timer Ball Grey threw opened in midair.
Kyurem's majestic dragon body descended onto the battlefield with a burst of biting cold.
It spread its damaged wings, and extreme cold surged out like a tide. Even the churning lava instantly solidified!
Groudon's massive body was immediately covered in thick ice, and its movements noticeably slowed.
However, how could the wrath of the god of the land be suppressed so easily?
When Groudon saw another winged Pokémon descend, fury filled its body. It released a heaven-shaking roar, and the patterns on its back armor suddenly lit up with scorching red light. The frozen lava began flowing again.
The rising geothermal heat clashed fiercely against the extreme cold ice crystals, erupting into white mist that filled the sky. The restraints created by Glaciate were being rapidly broken down by the endless power of the land…
Buzz, buzz, buzz…
At that moment, a high-frequency wingbeat suddenly sounded beside Grey's ear.
The instant Grey tilted his head to dodge, a golden blur scraped past his hair.
Mega Beedrill hovered in midair, its twin needles gleaming with deadly cold light, its compound eyes locked onto him.
"This feast needs more participants, doesn't it?"
Giovanni walked closer with perfect composure, his suit still as neat as ever.
Persian sat elegantly beside his feet, its tail lightly sweeping over the scorching ground.
Beedrill slightly adjusted the angle of its poisonous needles, preparing to launch another attack, but Reshiram pulled away.
Seeing this, Kyurem immediately changed into White Kyurem form, turned, and flew in front of Grey to protect him, an icy-blue breath gathering in its throat.
Grey stood alone at the center of the battlefield.
Attacks from three sides surged toward him like waves.
In the sky were Zinnia and Salamence's interwoven dragon breaths. On the ground, Giovanni directed Mega Beedrill to launch constant surprise attacks. And the most troublesome one of all, Groudon, was still continuously releasing terrifying power that shook the earth.
Grey stood on Reshiram's back while White Kyurem circled around him, forming a defense line that looked as if it might collapse at any moment.
"Giovanni, looks like Kanto's strongest Gym Leader isn't as impressive as the rumors say."
Zinnia circled at low altitude on Salamence, her tone carrying mockery.
Giovanni, however, frowned slightly. His many years of battle instinct made him sense that something was wrong.
Besides, it was impossible for someone like Grey to lose this easily.
At that moment, Giovanni noticed that the flow of energy in the air was not quite right.
Within Grey's seemingly strained defensive posture, there seemed to be a hidden move he had yet to reveal…
In that instant, a chill suddenly shot up Giovanni's spine, and he immediately shouted, "Beedrill, Protect!"
Before his words finished falling, Mega Beedrill had already flashed in front of its Trainer, and a green protective barrier instantly unfolded.
Almost at the same time, a blazing Fire Blast crashed into the barrier. The exploding flames melted the surrounding rocks into red slurry…
Cold sweat seeped from Giovanni's forehead. If that attack had hit, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
"Giovanni!"
"Don't come down! Use Protect, now!"
Zinnia, who was about to dive down to support him, immediately patted Salamence hard after hearing the warning.
Hearing the command, Salamence spread its wings, and an emerald barrier instantly covered its entire body.
The moment Protect formed, a piercing Blizzard swept in from behind.
Countless ice crystals appeared, slamming wildly against the protective barrier and forming a thick layer of frost across Protect's surface…
Still shaken, Zinnia looked back, but she did not see any Pokémon there.
If Giovanni had not warned her in time, Salamence would have already been frozen in ice by now…
"Kyurem, Blizzard!"
The instant the protective barrier around Salamence disappeared, Grey's command cut through the air.
Kyurem's turbine tail roared, and an extreme cold storm swept across the battlefield once more. A wild gale carried ice crystals through the air as it howled toward Zinnia and Salamence!
"Groudon!"
Zinnia raised the Red Orb.
At the critical moment, Groudon slammed its front foot into the ground. Dozens of Precipice Blades wrapped in lava burst from the earth, forming a scorching stone barrier in front of the Blizzard.
Ice and fire violently steamed as they collided, and white vapor immediately covered the entire battlefield.
Blizzard was forcibly blocked by this sudden intervention, and Kyurem's attack was once again completely neutralized.
Groudon stood within the rising mist, the patterns on its back armor even more distinct.
"Human, in consideration of Reshiram and Kyurem, I am willing to owe you a favor."
Clearly, Groudon did not intend to let anyone interfere with its journey toward the sea.
"If this were any other day, I would gladly accept that favor."
Grey's voice passed through the rising steam and clearly reached Groudon's ears.
"But right now, you are being used by others to destroy Hoenn's balance."
"Hmph."
Groudon snorted through its nose, carrying the smell of sulfur with it. Its rocky armor gave off heavy grinding sounds as it moved. "Since you insist on blocking me…"
As its words fell, the patterns on its back armor once again lit up with terrifying red light.
"Then let me speak to you with the wrath of the land!"
Under the blazing sun, the dark-red patterns on Groudon's back armor suddenly shone bright.
A tidal wave of flames erupted around its body. Many meteors, carrying the force of a volcanic eruption, swept out in every direction!
The Fire-type move, Eruption!
"Tch, this guy really won't listen to reason."
Grey signaled for Reshiram to climb higher to avoid being caught in unnecessary damage.
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