The decisive battle that would change Hoenn's fate took place in Slateport City, which was known as 'the land where earth ends and sea begins'...
Team Magma and Team Aqua had joined forces, bringing Groudon and Kyogre to push the Hoenn forces, which were led by Steven and Wallace, into this final stand.
The sky poured with torrential rain.
Magma erupted from the earth.
Steven's handsome face was illuminated by flashes of lightning as he stared at the distant figures of Groudon and Kyogre, a deep sense of despair rising in his heart...
Just minutes ago, his Mega Metagross had been knocked out under the relentless assault of Groudon and Kyogre.
Wallace had suffered the same fate.
Maxie and Archie wore triumphant smiles as they gazed at the two figures that seemed so insignificant amidst the storm.
Maxie sneered, "Is this the justice you cling to? Is it worth sacrificing your life and your Pokémon's lives for it?"
Steven snorted coldly but didn't respond. He clenched his fists in frustration: 'Is this really how it ends?'
Archie rolled his eyes impatiently and waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Enough talk. Let's finish this quickly. We still have other cities to deal with! Kyogre, Origin Pulse!"
Maxie followed, "Groudon, Precipice Blades!"
"ROAR!"
The two ancient Pokémon let out stiff, unnatural roars, their eyes glowing an eerie crimson.
Groudon stomped the ground violently, causing the earth to tremble as a surge of raw, violent energy erupted from below, coalescing into a massive blade of pure tectonic force.
Kyogre levitated into the air, its body radiating a dazzling light amidst the downpour. In an instant, countless beams of blue-white energy rained down from the sky, crashing toward the ground.
Steven slowly closed his eyes... His silver hair shimmered under the glow of Origin Pulse, reflecting a brilliant metallic sheen.
At this moment, time itself seemed to freeze.
In these final seconds before death, Steven's life flashed before his eyes... Receiving his first Pokémon, training, competing, becoming Champion, searching for fossils, studying them…
They said that before death, a person's life would replay in their mind. Steven hadn't believed it before. But now, he understood.
'Is this really the end? What about dad? What about Hoenn? What about the world?'
These thoughts raced through his mind. But strangely, the expected pain never came.
Ten seconds passed… then thirty…
Confused, Steven cautiously opened his eyes.
Amidst the curtain of rain, a young man holding an umbrella stood before him, as if he had appeared out of thin air.
The man was too tall, and the umbrella too small to cover him, leaving his lower half completely drenched.
"Who…?" Steven's brain short-circuited for a few seconds.
Then the young man turned to him and said casually, "Sorry about that. The rain was too heavy, I had to stop and buy an umbrella. That's why I was a little late..."
Steven: "??"
He opened his mouth but found no words.
The young man didn't wait for a response, but turned back to face the battle. Only then did Steven realize that this man had blocked both Precipice Blades and Origin Pulse for him!
Caleb had no idea what Steven was thinking. When he arrived, he had seen Groudon and Kyogre charging their attacks, so he'd simply had Mimikyu intercept Precipice Blades while Mewtwo reflected Origin Pulse with Mirror Coat.
Caleb inspected Mimikyu's slightly damaged armor, relieved to see it had only lost one layer of its Disguise without any real injury.
"Good work," he praised.
Mimikyu patted its chest with its claws, signaling it was ready for more!
Caleb chuckled, saying, "No need. Leave the rest to me."
With that, he pulled out the Red Orb and Blue Orb he had plundered from the previous timeline.
"Who the hell are you?!" Archie barked, his alarm skyrocketing as he watched this stranger effortlessly block their ultimate attacks.
Maxie didn't waste time with questions. He roared, "Groudon! Again, Precipice Blades!"
But the command fell on deaf ears. Groudon didn't move.
Maxie's heart dropped, "Groudon?!"
Slowly, Groudon turned, its movements no longer stiff, and fixed Maxie with a piercing golden glare.
And then... Groudon used Precipice Blades, swiftly ending Maxie.
Watching his ally die instantly, Archie's face twisted in horror.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" he roared.
Caleb raised his hands innocently and replied, "I didn't do anything~"
All he'd done was use the Orbs to free Groudon and Kyogre from their control.
"The Orbs!" Archie suddenly remembered, then frantically reached into his coat only to find nothing, "No– where are they?! Where are my Orbs?!"
At that moment, Mewtwo stepped forward, holding two glowing Orbs in its hands.
After reflecting Origin Pulse, it had swiftly stolen the Orbs from Maxie and Archie, erasing their memories of the theft in the process.
Caleb took the Orbs from Mewtwo and shamelessly stuffed them into his inventory, declaring solemnly: "If something shouldn't exist, then it's best to remove it from this world."
'Two sets of Orbs, double the fun! Yay!' he celebrated inwardly.
He glanced at the four round treasures in his inventory, then winked at Mewtwo.
Mewtwo turned away, pretending not to see...
Now freed from enslavement, Kyogre turned its wrath on Archie and used Origin Pulse.
Archie perished.
The storm ceased instantly... The dark clouds over Slateport parted, revealing a clear blue sky as a single golden sunbeam shone through directly onto Caleb.
At that moment, Steven and the surviving Hoenn forces felt as if they were witnessing the descent of a saint. The sheer divinity of the scene made them want to kneel in reverence.
Caleb turned around just in time to see a sea of people bowing deeply to him.
Caleb: "Huh? What just happened?"
No one answered.
Finally safe from certain doom, the crowd hugged their Pokémon and wept with joy.
Baffled but not questioning it, Caleb focused on the final task at hand...
Groudon and Kyogre stood side by side, their gazes locked onto Caleb who was bathed in 'holy' light, refusing to even glance at each other.
One look at their eyes, and Caleb understood that just like Dialga and Palkia, these two also retained their memories of the previous timeline...