"What?! Kyogre has appeared? And both the leaders of Team Aqua and Team Magma were sighted nearby?!"
Edward stared at his phone in disbelief. He hadn't expected that this so-called "umbrella" experiment would end up creating not only an extreme weather anomaly but also something seemingly connected to Kyogre itself.
Kyogre, one of the three legendary Pokémon of the Hoenn region. A being of immense power that, upon appearing, automatically changes the weather to heavy rain. In the games, its ability and move set make it a key Pokémon for specific weather-based tactics. But this wasn't a game. This was reality.
Edward knew all too well what kind of destructive power those legendary Pokémon possessed. The previous appearance of the space-time duo and Groudon had nearly brought disaster upon Sinnoh.
Even though Groudon's manifestation had been brief, it still caused extreme droughts and intense sunlight across the region. If it had lasted any longer, the entire Sinnoh region might have suffered catastrophic droughts.
When Groudon appeared back then, it brought not only scorching sunlight but also intense heat, evaporating vast amounts of water at terrifying speed. And now, it was Kyogre's turn to stir up trouble.
"Wait a second didn't Maxie and Archie lose all of their Pokémon?" Edward frowned, finding the situation utterly absurd. "How could they possibly awaken Kyogre without any Pokémon at hand? Aren't they afraid of being smashed into paste by an angry god? Don't tell me they have some kind of Master Ball who can catch Kyogre with a single throw?"
"Yeah, about that…" Steven's voice came through the phone. "They did have a backup plan. But it doesn't matter now. Kyogre already dealt with them both of them were hit by a massive Surf and sent flying into the ocean. They've vanished."
Steven's voice was calm but laced with concern, clearly, he was watching a live feed of the disaster as it unfolded. Edward's mouth twitched slightly. Sure, the two madmen had been swatted away… but what about Kyogre itself?
Just as Edward's stomach began to knot with anxiety, he suddenly felt one of the Poké Balls at his waist tremble violently. The entire ball was shaking uncontrollably. Edward's expression hardened — that Poké Ball contained Groudon.
Apparently, Groudon had sensed Kyogre's presence and was trying to burst out, eager to challenge its eternal rival. Edward rubbed his temples in exasperation.
If Groudon went out there, things were going to get very interesting. Hoenn would probably fall into that bizarre alternating weather pattern, scorching sunlight one moment, torrential rain the next just like in the games. And given what had happened before, Edward couldn't rule out that the same phenomenon might occur here, in reality.
Should he… call upon Rayquaza?
After all, Rayquaza was the only one known to subdue both Kyogre and Groudon.
Then Edward suddenly remembered that small stone statue of Kyogre he kept at home, carved in exactly the same style as his old Groudon one. A thought flashed through his mind. If I throw a Poké Ball at it, would it react… like it did last time?
"Brother, I just remembered something." Edward ended the call and immediately contacted their family butler. Within minutes, the elderly man arrived on a Flying Pokémon to pick him up, and they took off toward Edward's mansion.
Flying like this without clearance definitely meant a fine, but Edward didn't care — not now.
Once home, he rushed to the Kyogre statue and hurled a Luxury Ball at it.
Clack! The ball hit the statue but there was no reaction. Edward frowned deeply. Why? It worked before… what's different this time?
Before he could think further, his phone rang again. It was Steven. The League needed Edward's help.
Without hesitation, he gave his coordinates. Moments later, Steven arrived, accompanied by two League officers. Together, they flew straight to the site where Kyogre had last appeared — Sootopolis City.
"Kyogre showed up here," one League officer explained grimly. "After defeating Archie and Maxie, it dove back into the ocean. But the storm it caused hasn't stopped — this extreme weather is spreading fast."
The man's expression darkened. The League knew this disaster was their fault, if they hadn't let Archie and Maxie escape, none of this would've happened. It was a colossal blow to the League's credibility.
Edward understood perfectly what they meant. Their greatest fear was that Kyogre would simply stay underwater, never surfacing. If that happened, there'd be nothing the League could do against the endless storm. The ocean covered most of the world — it wasn't something they could just "fight." Especially since powerful Legendary Pokémon truly resided within it. The last thing they wanted was to enrage one of them.
"I understand," Edward said quietly. "But I'm not sure if Groudon will even listen to me."
He rested his hand on the Luxury Ball at his waist, the ball trembled more violently than ever. Everyone around him was watching closely.
The entire population of Sootopolis had already been evacuated. Only League members remained including Steven, who stood by his younger brother with visible worry. He cared about Hoenn, but more than anything, he cared about Edward's safety.
Nearby, both Archie and Maxie had been found and detained by the League, handcuffed and soaked, staring hopelessly into the rain. Even Archie, the man who once dreamed of expanding the ocean, now looked utterly defeated. He'd never wanted to destroy Hoenn — just to enlarge the seas, to bring more prosperity to fishermen. But now…
No one spared them another glance. Their judgment would come later. Right now, the only thing that mattered was stopping the storm.
Edward took a deep breath and threw his Poké Ball.
With a thunderous roar, Groudon emerged, towering over the trembling earth. The sky shifted instantly — the rain clouds evaporated under the sheer power of its sunlight. In mere moments, the endless rain turned into a blazing, cloudless day.
"ROAARRR!" Groudon's deafening roar shook the heavens.
Almost immediately, the sea began to churn. From beneath the raging waves, Kyogre surfaced, its eyes locking onto Groudon's.
"Kyogre! Please stop this storm!" the League officers shouted. But their voices were useless — Kyogre didn't even acknowledge them. With an enraged cry, it launched its attack — an overwhelming tidal wave surged forward. The League forces scrambled to defend themselves, but their attacks were futile.
Kyogre and Groudon clashed, turning Sootopolis into their battleground.
Watching the two titans fight, Edward silently pulled out a small, glowing Mega Stone, the same one that once linked him to Rayquaza. If anything could stop this, it was that dragon.
He didn't hesitate. "Rayquaza… hear my call."
And at that moment, the entirety of Hoenn descended into chaos — half the skies were searingly bright, the other half drowned in thunder and rain. The world itself seemed split in two.
Then — a streak of emerald light tore through the heavens.
"Stop them! We have to stop them! Otherwise, the entire city of Sootopolis will be wiped out!" League officers roared, sending out every Pokémon they had. Even Steven charged into the fray.
But it was useless. The divine energy surrounding the two legendaries nullified every attack.
Then — both Kyogre and Groudon abruptly froze. Their gazes turned upward. Everyone followed their eyes.
Steven's lips curved into a faint smile. "I knew it. My brother never lets me down."
From the sky descended Rayquaza, its serpentine body wreathed in green light. It let out a piercing cry that split the air. Both Kyogre and Groudon immediately recoiled in fear, their massive forms retreating as they whimpered in submission.
"ROAAAAR!!!"
Rayquaza's roar made Edward's heartbeat race uncontrollably. He couldn't help but laugh helplessly. Even after subduing them, you still want to show off your power by Mega Evolving? You really don't hold back, do you, Rayquaza…
A blinding light enveloped the sky as Rayquaza Mega Evolved.
Instantly, the scorching sun and torrential rain both vanished, replaced by calm skies and powerful gusts of wind.
"Edward! Are you okay?" Steven rushed over, worried. He knew how much energy a Mega Evolution could drain from the trainer.
"I'm fine, bro." Edward waved him off, smiling wearily. It wasn't his first time performing a Mega Evolution with Rayquaza. Exhausting, yes — but manageable.
With Rayquaza's overwhelming power radiating through the skies, Kyogre dove back into the ocean. Groudon bellowed in protest but was promptly smacked back into its Poké Ball by Rayquaza's tail.
The dragon then glanced around proudly, uttered one last triumphant cry, and soared back into the heavens — vanishing into the clouds.
The crisis that had engulfed all of Hoenn was over almost as quickly as it began. Everyone present was left in stunned silence had they not witnessed it with their own eyes, they would've thought it was a dream.
"Hey, bro," Edward said, grinning as he pocketed Groudon's Poké Ball. "Do you think I'll earn the Medal of Valor again for this one?"
"Without a doubt," said the Hoenn League Chairwoman with a smile. "You'll have it in two days."
The Luxury Ball that had held Groudon was still lying on the ground. No one dared to pick it up not with Steven standing nearby. Everyone knew that Pokémon could emerge from their Poké Balls on their own if provoked.
Edward was beaming. The Medal of Valor was the rarest and hardest to earn in the entire League and now he would have two. At this point, as long as he didn't do something suicidal, the League would never touch him again. Not that they'd want to — they had no reason to.
After resolving the crisis, Edward was treated to a celebratory dinner by the League. He gladly joined them, and afterward, he returned to Rustboro to continue his filming work.
"Chairwoman, isn't this the first time anyone's ever received two Medal of Valor?" asked her secretary later that evening at the League headquarters.
The chairwoman slipped off her shoes and reclined comfortably in her chair. "Then how do you think we should reward Edward?" she said casually, chatting with her secretary.
She had originally assumed the battle would last far longer after all, it was Kyogre, not some minor Pokémon. The level of danger should have been unimaginable. Yet, it ended so swiftly.
Hearing her question, the secretary fell silent. Truly, there wasn't much the League could offer Edward anymore. As the president of Devon Corporation, he had wealth, influence, and status. Within the Pokémon League system, that meant there was hardly any problem he couldn't solve.
Satisfying someone like Edward was a real challenge. The Medal of Valor, rare as it was, served more as a symbol of recognition than a source of new privileges. So, giving him a second one was, in fact, the most fitting choice.
"Besides," the chairwoman added with a smile, "that kid might be young, but he knows his limits. I rather like that about him."
Devon Corporation's massive scale wasn't just wealth, it provided countless jobs and paid huge taxes.
And Edward's films had been incredibly profitable for the League. His "Tree-Chopping Tournament" had even become a recurring revenue event. Naturally, the Hoenn League was pleased with him.
"Yes, Mr. Edward is indeed quite capable," the secretary said with a laugh. "Though… his horror films are a bit too terrifying for my taste."
The chairwoman chuckled as they chatted, taking the chance to unwind. But when she later glanced at a document on her desk, her expression darkened.
It hadn't even been long since the crisis, yet people were already whispering — fretting over whether Edward Stone might "threaten the League's authority," or whether "the Stone family has grown too powerful."
"Pathetic," the chairwoman muttered coldly, tossing the report straight into the shredder.
Such paranoia wasn't new, the Stone family's vast wealth and influence had always drawn jealous eyes. People were constantly scheming to get a slice of the pie.
And now that Edward had risen to prominence alongside his brother, Steven as Champion even more vultures were circling. But the chairwoman paid them no mind. These people were short-sighted fools, hoping to profit from League suppression. The League wasn't that stupid.
"Oh, and one more thing," she added. "About Archie and Maxie handle their punishment quickly and thoroughly this time. If they escape again, we'll all just resign together."
(End of Chapter)