Chapter 1: Nothing I can do

Hey all! I'm Shadow of Phoenix, and welcome to my first story! If you seen this story before, welcome back! Chapters 1-8 have been edited/rewritten so hopefully it'll be easier to read and follow along than when I posted them originally. Fair warning, I'm not a full-time writer and probably can't claim to be a part-time writer ether. I write and post when I have time and inspiration so I uploads can range between days to months apart.

This is a story was originally rated 'M' for potential high violent battles and swearing but was moved to 'T' due to the content not quite reaching there yet. It may be moved back if necessary.

Feedback and criticism is much appreciated!

Oh, almost forgot, I do not own Pokémon...

*Yaawwwwwn* I woke up roughly inside my volcano resided near the edge of Hoenn. The pit of lava that served as my nest hissed softly as I rose to stretch my large red limps as I fought the drowsiness away. Mornings weren't kind to me, but regardless I began to make my morning patrols on my territory to search for any sign of unwanted Pokémon, or those two-legged pests called humans.

I am Groudon, legendary Pokémon of land. Ever since Team Magma has awakened me, my trust for humans has been slim. Now while I admit there are a couple of them out there that have proven worthy to see the glory of us gods, the majority of them out there are just greedy, filthy, smart asses that will try to abuse what power they possess to obtain more. Often they think that they are more superior to me and will attempt to capture me should I show as much as a claw out of the brush. Humph, as if they can control the power a Legendary possess.

But after the incident with both Team Magma and Aqua I tried to go back to my eternal sleep, but was denied by Arceus as she thought Kyogre and me would do better as part of the council in the Hall of Origin. That has been most, irritating. The meetings I can stand as I'm generally not included in most topics as there is no concerns with the land as there would be with time, space, whatever. The land is never changing, and it of itself while important, holds no value even to the greediest. The only time I ever been include was when I was asked for my opinion on something that typically was drwaed in the debate. What gets my goat about these meetings is the fact that Kyogre was forced to attend them with me.

Kyogre is the Legendary of the sea, and therefore my rival. In the ancient days the Sea and the Land would fight for dominance in this world, a battle that was left with no one victor nor loser. While things are officially resolved, our rivalry has escalated to the point that we fight many battles and continue to take land and sea from each other, inches at a time so not to cause conflict within Hall of Origin or our 'agreement'. Our battles lately have become one sided however. Kyogre has come to a conclusion that because she has an elemental type advantage over me, that she is more superior, and feels it is responsible to 'remind' me every time she sees me. Unfortunately, my rival is intelligent enough to make most fights appear as if I was the aggressor. She knows my stress buttons and can typically bring me to my limits to a point where I would be the one to make the first swing. Giving me the appearance as the most unruly and violent of the two of us.

I exited out of the cavern that was my entrance to the cave and instantly was pounded by a heavy storm that block the morning sky. I grunted in discomfort as the rain slammed into my ground-type body, before raising my arms and activating my 'Drought' ability. Instantly, the rain stopped and the clouds began to disperse away from where I pointed into the sky. But they remained pouring heavily over the ocean, signaling only one thing. With a low growl, I made my way towards the beach, cursing with my every breath as my body began to tense up for battle. The trees that surrounded the volcano weren't tall enough to conceal my body when it was upright so I find myself always crouching down while traveling about my island to keep myself as hidden as I can muster from any possible humans in the area. I stood upright once more when my foot touched the sand at the beach. The air was very humid with the combination of my drought ability's heat and the recent rain, and the air reeked with the stench of ocean water. Despite this, I took a deep breath of the corrosive air before unleashing a roar out towards the sea, where the being I despised the most likely was hiding.

Sure enough, Kyogre arose from the massive waves caused by her storm and swam her massive blue body as close to the land as she dared. Her fins broke the water's surface as she twisted them to an angle that would keep her anchored at her spot. Her golden eyes bore into mine as I confronted her.

"What brings you to my territory, Kyogre?" I growled lowly as I spoke, but she brushed it off and replied in a mocking manner, "I am not in your territory, Groudon." She spoke my name with a sneer, "As the ocean is my territory and land is yours, I haven't set fin on your precious land."

I gritted my teeth and snarled back, "Then why do you dare approach my home!?"

"Can't a girl go out on a swim every once and awhile?" She replied with a smirk. "Not when you're this close to my nest! Your unwelcomed here!" I snapped. Kyogre just rolled her eyes in responds and looked back at me with a bored look, "All now why do you have to be such a bully in our interactions? We may be opposites but that doesn't mean you should act like a Muk about it. You could be civil, especially since we both know who's the better between the two of us in these confrontations. You really need to work on controlling your anger management issues."

That remark pissed me off, we both knew she wasn't here to socialize and if she was just passing by my island wouldn't be effected it with the rain she brought unless she stayed in the area. She was here for trouble and being passively aggressive with me was waning on my already thin patience. I responded in kind by opening my mouth to and launching a fire blast in her direction. She manages to back up enough to dodge my attack and countered with a hydro pump. I leaped over it and landed in the shallow water with my claws reared back. She was close enough to the edge for a strike but being in deeper water, she moved faster than I anticipated and my claws splashed harmlessly in the ocean. I decided it was best to get out of the water and back to land where I had a better advantage.

The thing was that the wet sand under the water's surface and my large weight don't mix, and I quickly found my feet to be stuck. I pulled on them a few times before looking at Kyogre and seeing her eyes brighten when she figured out what happened to me. She then raised her fins creating a giant wave, which was then hurled towards me. Franticly, I tried to free my legs, twisting, turning, and pulling. But by the time I got one loose, the wave was already upon me. It crashed into my side and sent me tumbling back to shore and slammed me into the trees.

I weakly manage to get back onto my feet. I could hear Kyogre laughing in the distance as I retreated back into the forest. I had a slight limp on my right leg, the side that suffered the worst from the attack. My pride was once again shattered. I used to have an unbreakable sprite. I use to one of the strongest of the legendary. I used to be looked up to. But all that change these last few centuries. One little argument with my other turned into a fight. And that fight was one I lost due to being at an elemental disadvantage. But it open doors to Kyogre. She realized she could push me around, she realized she can win our arguments with force. And in due time she became cunning enough to pick fights with me and use her wits, timing, and circumstances to gain the support with the rest of the legendary in her favor in times of confrontation.

Not to say every fight was her fault, I did start my fair share, but with the outcomes all the same, I became downcast. I was not seen as of the strongest. My friends no longer support me and I'm seen as the bad guy in our disputes. My pride, and reputation all just withered away. I am now viewed as this out of control and very short-tempered beast. I pushed through more of the forest as I tried to get back to my volcano. But the more steps I took, the more I began to realize that I wasn't going to make it. The constant battles were taking their toll and my injuries found themselves building upon another rather than healing. Eventually, I collapsed in a random patch of dirt. The battle, however short, has left me exhausted and weak. I never get to fully recover from each encounter and was already weak before the fight started. The best thing I can do for myself is rest and try to heal up as much as possible before our next battle.

Nowadays its the only thing I can do for myself.