Hit Count for "The Path of the Aura: Intertwining Crossroads": 16,812.
Hit Count for "The Path of the Aura II: Brothers in Arms": 8,344.
Hit Count for "The Path of the Aura III: Bonds of Blood": 3,676.
Hit Count for "Diverging from The Path of the Aura": 690.
Hit Count for "The First Immortal: Or how I Learned to Create the Pokémon Universe": 1,355.
Total Hit Count: 30,877.
Phew... I actually was mildly tempted to postpone this chapter another week, for a few reasons.
First reason: There's a bit of an overdue heat wave going on where I live and it's brutal. A potential record breaker in some nearby cities actually.
Second reason: This is technically and actually the 100TH chapter in the Path of the Aura trilogy!
Third reason: I BOUGHT A BIRB! A mostly grey cockatiel to be exact. He's gonna be named Ash and he was born May 8th, so six days off from my own birthday.
..."Birbday"!
Chapter LXXXIX (89): Land, Sea, and Sky
"I try to avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward." —Charlotte Bronte
100.1: Rude Awakening
Location: Sky Pillar
Date: April 6th, 2019
Time: 10:03 AM
The highest point in Hoenn was created not to view the world below, but to venerate a Legendary Pokémon that saved Hoenn from almost certain destruction on more than one occasion. On this iconic landmark, a landmark which is considered sacred and off-limits to all but a select few individuals during important moments in time, one Legendary Pokémon sees it as a home away from home from the Ozone Layer that it almost always flies across in its never ending feast of falling meteors that rain down the planet in one size or another.
This Legendary Pokémon saved Hoenn, and subsequently prevented a great calamity over the remainder of the Pokémon world, by preventing two other similar Legendary Pokémon from fighting each other which would've resulted in the world either flooding, or boiled away all water from harsh sunlight.
That Legendary Pokémon is Rayquaza.
(National Pokédex entry #384: Rayquaza, the Sky High Pokémon. It is a Dragon-Type Pokémon and a Flying-Type Pokémon that measures in at a lengthy 23' 00" and weighs in at remarkably lightweight 455.2 lbs. Rayquaza lived for hundreds of millions of years in the Earth's ozone layer, never descending to the ground. This Pokémon appears to feed on water and particles in the atmosphere. Its existence had been completely unknown because it lived so high in the sky. A Pokémon that flies endlessly in the ozone layer. It is said it would descend to the ground if Kyogre and Groudon were to fight. Its flying form looks like a meteor. It cannot be seen from ground level since it lives far up above the clouds in the ozone layer. Until recently, no one had ever seen it. Legends remain of how it put to rest the clash between Kyogre and Groudon. It flies forever through the ozone layer, consuming meteoroids for sustenance. The many meteoroids in its body provide the energy it needs to Mega Evolve. Never would've thought a Pokémon could surpass Arceus…until the inevitable Diamond/Pearl remake.)
For a Pokémon that spends what is considered for most life forms to be several lifetimes by simply flying across the sky, Rayquaza hardly ever returns back down to ground to rest. And when it comes time for Rayquaza to rest, its location of choice is Sky Pillar. A locale that is seldom explored by man, and has shown some wear over the generations by the gales that erode away at the walls and foundation over time. Rayquaza prefers to rest here because it's also safer. And even though Rayquaza is regarded as a Lord or even as a Deity, especially by the Draconids which have more or less gone into hiding or have dispersed or something over the years, there was always the risk of an evil organization to attempt to capture him, or a child with a Poké Ball and an exemplary party.
But up here, the greatest risks are a sunburn and a lack of acclimation. But Rayquaza's emerald scales don't singe or even bleach from sunlight, especially if Rayquaza has been slumbering up here for thousands of years at a time. And a diminished oxygen quality did nothing to diminish Rayquaza's life. So, outside of a deafening draft that Rayquaza has adapted to millions of years ago, the Sky High Pokémon has its greatest slumbers on the summit of Spear Pillar.
During these slumbers, Rayquaza's body enters a deep state of hibernation. Its metabolic rate slows to a crawl. Its elongated three-chambered heart rarely beats in double-digits throughout the day. Its breathing usually comes from the gales that whistle through its nostrils, rather than by its own power. And the meteors that it has ingested during that time provide it with more than enough cosmic power to not only provide Rayquaza great strength, but also great longevity. After all, Rayquaza is one of only a few Pokémon that can claim to have seen the meteor that led to the extinction of the dinosaur-like Pokémon.
And during these deep slumbers, unfortunately, Rayquaza hardly ever dreams. And when Rayquaza does dream, the dream are often bittersweet.
Memories of days where Rayquaza swears the sky was a lot less blue than it was today, as was the water of the ocean. Memories where Rayquaza would often play third wheel to the oddball couple that was Groudon and Kyogre. Memories where Rayquaza would often watch as he would see them almost never stray farther from beaches and peninsulas, as those are areas where land and sea border. Memories where he would see the unusual harmony between two polar opposites.
But as time passed, those fond memories wouldn't last. Neither did Rayquaza's brief dream, as it eventually found itself awakening from its prolonged slumber.
At first, Rayquaza's green eyelids weighed heavily and the physical act of blinking was comparable to making a statue suddenly dance. But its eyelids eventually withdrew back behind its eye sockets, revealing a pair of groggy black spheres with yellow dots in the middle. And Rayquaza's massive jaws were as equally stiff as its mouth was forced open for a massive yawn, one that made the sunlight glimmer off of teeth that could cut clean through space rock like a hot knife to butter.
"*Yawn* I was having one of the most pleasant dreams." Rayquaza spoke to no one but itself, as there was no one around the area but itself. "I relived the glory days with Groudon and Kyogre. I watched our chance encounter become a friendship trinity that eventually blossomed into a romantic couple between both earthbound deities."
Rayquaza unhinged its jaws to stretch them to the sides of its mouth in an otherwise unconventional manner. Also, Rayquaza craned and coiled its upper body back, feeling the hundreds of vertebra running down its spine crick one after the other. Then, Rayquaza rolled its shoulders and flexed its fingers, feeling the joints crack and find comfort in having some use after what felt like an eternity.
"But nothing ever lasts forever in life." Rayquaza knew as absolute fact. "Nothing ever really does."
After stretching its entire body, Rayquaza chooses to remain on the ground–of Spear Pillar's summit–instead of hovering above it. With its snake-like body, Rayquaza slowly slithered to the edge, stopping just a couple of feet short in order to see the view at its fullest.
Up here, on a structural monument that easily towers over all of Hoenn and looks down on the clouds themselves, Rayquaza could gaze over the entire Region. And with an eyesight so keen that the Sky High Pokémon can detect an individual human being while flying across the ozone layer, looking at every single superficial detail of Hoenn was extremely easy.
"Millions of years of longevity hasn't robbed me of my eyesight just yet. I can still see perfectly fine." Rayquaza continued mumbling to itself. "Although, I'm not exactly old to begin with. I'm not exactly young either…"
Rayquaza did as it often does when it finds itself awakening from a deep slumber: glance over the world to see if anything has changed. And considering the fact that Rayquaza has only been asleep for several years this time, a nap basically, the world hasn't changed much.
There still are significant differences across Hoenn though. There cities are either significantly larger or marginally taller, as new buildings line the sides or continue to reach for the sky. One of these is a revamped space center at Mossdeep City, a building that Rayquaza can't help but marvel at because people have created space shuttles that can rival its speed and heights…until they take a HYPER BEAM across the hull, as it has been guilty of doing once in its life.
But none of these buildings took Rayquaza's breath away as significantly as the smoldering remains of Ever Grande City.
"That building…" Rayquaza found its voice growing soft, almost nonexistent to the gales that suddenly intensified in an apparent response to the change in tone that it is experiencing. "It was burned recently. Smoke still billows from its ashes, and that same smoke… I can smell it from here."
Rayquaza's absurdly sensitive sense of smell, that allowed it to detect the smoke that was partially blowing in its direction from a city that was several miles away from its present location, granted the Sky High Pokémon a wide array of different scents. None of them were pleasant.
"I smell…flesh…of man and Pokémon." Rayquaza assessed, finding it a bit difficult to inhale nasally as the scent began to grow repulsive. Fortunately, it was nowhere near enough to make it vomit, but Rayquaza's imagination was doing wonders in making it comes close at times. "What could've happened at Ever Grande City? What did I sleep through that occurred there?"
Rayquaza's speculation, based on past events in its life, almost immediately made it believe that humans were responsible for that carnage. After all, humans tend to display a savage nature when they enter what they call "war". And they're the dominant species of the planet, almost entirely because of their keen intellect that makes the most of what they have and what they can find. Pokémon, while almost infinitely more powerful than most man, tend to be passive and focus on survival rather than ambition. But Rayquaza has seen ambitious and Powerful Pokémon in its life, two of them being what it hopes are still its best friends.
Nowadays, with Pokémon Trainers catching and raising Pokémon into battle-hardened albeit people-friendly forces of nature, the destruction that man and Pokémon can make together sometimes startles even Rayquaza.
"The question here isn't if either man and Pokémon were responsible for destroying that building, and the bodies surrounding it." Rayquaza pondered. "The question here is wondering why both man and Pokémon did what they did, and for what purpose."
Eventually, the smell of death became a bit too unpleasant for the Sky High Pokémon to be downwind of. Rayquaza decided to look straight up and spontaneously ascended into the air, slithering straight upward as it defied both physics and gravity by flying without wings. And once Rayquaza reached the ozone layer, where the sky above gave way to the blackness of space, the world below broadened in area, allowing Rayquaza to look at where it intends to fly next.
"If I'm to assume the worst at Ever Grande City, then I need to prepare myself accordingly." Rayquaza planned. "I must fly to Sinnoh, where I hope a pair of close friends of mine still reside."
100.2: Journey to the Center of the Earth
Location: Mt. Chimney
Time: 11:22 PM
The benefit of having a powerful trinity of Psychic-Type Pokémon is that they can TELEPORT to practically any corner of the planet in the blink of an eye…or anyone they need to. The more willing the target, the better.
This is how Regigigas was transported from Sinjoh Ruins to Hoenn's Mt. Chimney in an instant. Otherwise, the Colossal Pokémon would likely take days to reach Hoenn, and most likely draw unnecessary attention because of its enormity of strength and status as a Legendary Pokémon.
And immediately after Mew, Mewtwo, and Silver Lugia transported Regigigas to Mt. Chimney's base, the Pokémon goliath made like an Excadrill and tunneled underneath the earth with nothing more than its bare hands.
Underneath here, Regigigas felt oddly at home. This is the environment that Regigigas was composed out of anyway, what with humans labeling both it and its three companions as "Legendary Golems". And golems, by their definition, are living beings that are brought to life from inanimate materials. Regigigas was given the gift of life by Arceus, and Regigigas in turn gave that same gift of life to Regirock, Regice, and Registeel.
It was also down here where Regigigas knew that the best way to occupy its mind while its body was burrowing under the ground at triple-digit speeds was to recollect on the past. On Groudon in particular.
"(I still remember the first time that I met Groudon)." Regigigas began to ponder, as its arms were spiraling so fast that they were nothing more than a pair of buzz saws. "(I was at my prime, where my Slow Start ability was practically nonexistent. I actually did do as my lore speculated, by towing the world's continents with ropes. Although not with physical ropes, like those made by man, regardless of the material they're constructed out of. Energy ropes, which won't break, regardless of the physical strain. Of course, those kind of ropes break under a weak will, which I don't have.)"
The memory of Regigigas slowly walking across the broad oceans, a speck of mostly white in a vast landscape of blue, towing behind him a mass of land that stretches above and far beyond the horizons, all under its own colossal power, still feel fresh within its mind and physical stature.
"(Groudon creates land, and I tested my strength by moving it.)" Regigigas continued "(As a result, the mass of land formation that humans once named 'Pangaea' is now a diverse and widespread collection of continents and islands that both man and Pokémon live in and diversify in. If I were to attempt to move those continents again, there would understandably be a bounty on my head, as I'd be altering the global ecosystem and likely killing millions upon millions of lives that live on those continents. I don't need to again and anymore. My strength is proven.)"
At the thought of the word "strength", Regigigas attempted to feel the rock that its arms was drilling clean through as it continued to make its way down the Earth's crust. Regigigas felt no resistance whatsoever, and not because the Colossal Pokémon's nervous system is ludicrously unresponsive, which in turns helps it endure the absolute worst punishment that is thrown its way. Regigigas is just plain powerful enough to compact solid steel with its mere fingers.
Inevitably, the crust gave way to the mantle, which Regigigas basically swam through, in order to reach one of the many chambers that Groudon like to rest within. And Regigigas opted for the one beside Mt. Chimney because Hoenn is the Region where Groudon has the largest history in. Groudon did narrowly destroy Hoenn after all, when the Continent Pokémon was clashing with Kyogre, the Sea Basin Pokémon.
"(When I encountered Groudon, it was by chance. And as the two of us got to know one another, we learned of each other to the point where we knew each other as well as we knew ourselves.)" Regigigas continued contemplating as it swam through molten rock like an Olympic swimmer through water. "(We learned of each others' abilities, from Groudon's manipulation of sunlight and my own ability to create golems. Groudon seemed to take a special interest in my ability to create life out of nothing. And if I knew what they were going to be used for, I never would've agreed with him.)"
Regigigas suddenly found itself questioning its forward progress, but didn't allow it to impede its forward momentum.
"(No. I shouldn't be thinking that about Groudon.)" Regigigas shook its head to get the dark thoughts out of its mind and allow them to burn away in the lava. "(Groudon isn't an evil Pokémon with ambitions of making more land over the planet. All it did was act in response to Kyogre's ambitions of spreading water across the world. Naturally, one force conflicts with the other, which destroyed their romantic relationship in favor of their…primal instincts.)
"(And what was my role in this?)" Regigigas continued recollecting. "(Like Lugia's mother, I was Groudon's hands, much like the golems I could create out of rock, ice, and steel. But Groudon treated them as disposable, which ultimately led me to abandon Groudon. I could only assume that Kyogre had a similar resignation with Silver's mother and the Winged Mirages. The only difference is that they're not as…replaceable.)"
Within this sea of red, Regigigas never had to worry about the quadruple-digit heat or a lack of air. Regigigas' body could endure the surface of the sun, and it had no need for breathing oxygen when it had no lungs to speak of. And with whatever passes on its body for a set of eyes, the Colossal Pokémon eventually located the underground pocket within this magma, a cave of sorts that led directly to Groudon.
Regigigas swam to its entrance, proceeded through it, swam upward and could feel both the pressure and the heat begin to incrementally decrease. And when Regigigas broke through the surface, its body glowed red as it looked at the underground cave it was now inside.
Despite being several miles underground, if Regigigas were to suddenly wake up and find itself in a cave similar to this one, it wouldn't believe that it was underground. The walls were too thick and assuming that no monumental earthquakes or other disturbances occur, this cavern can hold itself for several million years. The rivers of lava on the floor were no different underground than on a cave on the surface.
There were also geodes lining the walls, which humans would no doubt make a fortune out of through their corrupted senses of greed. But Regigigas paid little to no attention to them, only seeing them reflect light well enough to illuminate the cavern.
And at the center of it all, Groudon resided.
(National Pokédex entry #383: Groudon, the Continent Pokémon. It is a Ground-Type Pokémon that measures in at a towering 11' 06" and weighs in at an earth-shattering 2,094.4 lbs. Groudon has long been described in mythology as the Pokémon that raised lands and expanded continents. This Pokémon took to sleep after a cataclysmic battle with Kyogre. Groudon has the power to scatter rain clouds and make water evaporate with light and heat. It came as a savior to people who had been suffering from terrible floods. Groudon has appeared in mythology as the creator of the land. It sleeps in magma underground and is said to make volcanoes erupt on awakening. This Legendary Pokémon is said to represent the land. It had been asleep in underground magma ever since it fiercely fought Kyogre long ago. Groudon is said to be the personification of the land itself. Legends tell of its many clashes against Kyogre, as each sought to gain the power of nature. Through Primal Reversion and with nature's full power, it will take back its true form. It can cause magma to erupt and expand the landmass of the world. The addition of Fire-Type as Primal Groudon certainly adds to this Pokémon from a competitive standpoint.)
Regigigas was correct in assuming that Groudon would reside here in Hoenn. There were several other places Groudon could choose to slumber, but Groudon frequently favored this spot the most. It was the only volcano in Hoenn, first off, and was therefore a welcome source of heat that the Continent Pokémon could sleep comfortably within.
And Regigigas knew that Groudon was fast asleep, as the ancient Pokémon bizarrely loses all color when it enters such a comatose state of being.
Regigigas looked directly at Groudon, almost as though it was the first individual to discover Groudon. The Colossal Pokémon harbored no fear of the Continent Pokémon, and simply stepped closer, feeling and hearing each of its steps echo and reverberate across the underground cave.
"(It's been eons since we've last seen one another.)" Regigigas continued thinking to itself, only this time imagining that its thoughts reached Groudon into a feigned conversation. "(I only hope that, during that time, you've pondered what it is that you've done wrong in your longevity, and have come to understand why I chose to abandon you when I did.)"
Once Regigigas was within touching distance of Groudon, the gem-like structures resembling eyes on its body began to illuminate in an alternating, seemingly nonsensical pattern. The seven dots on Regigigas' face illuminated as well, as Regigigas appeared to be mustering up some form of power to forcibly awaken Groudon from its slumber.
"(The Red Orb may awaken you from your sleep, and hold the means to unleash your true power, but you taught me how to awaken you from your slumber should the need to ever arise.)"
As though the gems and dots on Regigigas' body made an incantation through their seemingly nonsensical pattern, Regigigas suddenly found its right hand emanating an ancient red energy, the likes of which would suffice in awakening Groudon with a mere touch. And by merely putting its right palm to Groudon's forehead, the same red energy would transfer to Groudon.
Regigigas slowly stepped back to give Groudon some space in awakening, as it knows that the Continent Pokémon has been known to stir and thrash in awakening. They've been around each other long enough to learn everything about themselves, right down to their individual tendencies and subconscious actions.
Fortunately, Groudon came awake as calmly as possible. At first, Groudon's color returned to normal from the greyscale it set over itself. Then, Groudon stretched its massive arms before opening its eyes. And naturally, the first thing that Groudon looked at was Regigigas, staring directly into its yellow eyes…with whatever passes for eyes.
"…" Groudon squinted at first as it inspected the blur of white standing before it, in order to allow the shape to focus before its freshly opened eyes. "…Regigigas? Is that you?"
"YES, IT'S ME." Regigigas spoke to Groudon with masterful authority, knowing that it'd require preventing Groudon from seeing it as the Continent Pokémon's bitch. "I'M ASSUMING THAT YOU'D NEVER THOUGHT TO SEE ME A–"
Before Regigigas could finish, Groudon closed the distance between the two of them, at speeds that Regigigas honestly wasn't prepared to see the Continent Pokémon moving at. The Colossal Pokémon suddenly found itself hoisted off of the ground by Groudon's imposing arms, before being pressed tightly against Groudon's superheated chest.
At first, Regigigas thought that Groudon was attempting to crush the life out of it. But a hearty laugh and some playful shaking made Regigigas quickly lose all thoughts of attempting to "convince" Groudon to accompany it by force. It would've been possible too, as Regigigas has defeated Groudon in battle before, but only because time worked in Regigigas' favor.
"It's been eons, Regigigas!" Groudon continued heartily, swinging Regigigas left and right without letting it go from its bear hug. "I've always known that I'd see you again!"
This greatly perplexed Regigigas, as he was expecting hostility towards his last actions against Groudon. Not this jubilance that comes with friends who haven't seen each other in a long time. "EVEN AFTER I TOOK MY LEAVE WHEN YOU NEEDED ME MOST?"
All of a sudden, Groudon's shaking stopped, but it didn't exactly let go of Regigigas. Not immediately anyway. Regigigas initially believed that Groudon's friendly façade had melted away and is true intentions would be unleashed, most likely in the form of Regigigas' trademark CRUSH GRIP attack, one that would make a Bewear's bear hug look like a broken toothpick between two fingers.
But when Groudon slowly put Regigigas down onto terra firma, and when Regigigas looked up to meet Groudon's stare, the Colossal Pokémon only continued to assume hostile intent from it.
"I'll admit, I initially spited you for leaving my side, right when I needed you the most." Groudon recollected. "But my time in deep slumber allows me to contemplate why you chose to do what you did."
"I COULD NO LONGER TOLERATE THE THOUGHT OF USING MY GOLEMS AS YOUR SOLDIERS." Regigigas stated outright, to save them both some time and to keep the conversation as straightforward as possible.
"Exactly!" Groudon responded merrily, considering the subject and his memories regarding it. "I created land, but I suppose I lost sight of the life that wishes to live on it."
"WELL, IT'S A PLEASURE TO KNOW THAT YOU UNDERSTAND MY REASON FOR DEPARTING FROM YOU, MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO." Regigigas spoke warmly, and smiled if it could.
"Yes. Yes I do." Groudon understood as well, before immediately changing the subject. It stalwartly slapped Regigigas behind the back and turned its body to give Regigigas a sideways hug. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you again after all this time?"
"I ASSURE YOU, IT'S NO PLEASURE." Regigigas sobered.
"Hm. Must be gravely serious if even you find yourself staring at the earth between your feet." Groudon knew for certain, still recognizing Regigigas' physical mannerisms. "So, what's threatening the world this time?"
The way Groudon still seemed to look at the positives of even the most world-ending of crises was a reassuring comfort to Regigigas. And as it collected its thoughts about what Mewtwo explained to it, Regigigas was ready to share this same information with Groudon.
100.3: 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
Location: Seafloor Cavern
Time: 12:11 PM
One of the greatest perk about living underwater was that Silver Lugia has learned to hold his breath for at least a few hours. And the primary reason for Silver's ability to hold his breath is because he's capable of reaching the bottom of the ocean and back up to the surface in roughly that same spectrum of time.
Whether it's to dine on the fish-like Pokémon that line the ocean floor, or the kelp that lies closer to the surface, swimming in the water, regardless of its depth, felt as natural to Silver as flying over it. Despite not being a Water-Type Pokémon, Silver knew that it could still consider the ocean as its home.
Not just home, but also his suppressor.
It is commonly believed through mythology and lore, as well as rare sightings over the years, that a single flap of a Lugia's wings is enough to cause unrelenting storms that last for forty days and forty nights. And based on what Silver has seen his mother do at times, those myths are entirely true. In fact, it's precisely because of that that the Lugia species as a whole–which only consists of a few Lugia, as far as Silver knows–prefer to reside at the bottom of the ocean, or within the water in general. Remaining above sea level for a Lugia, especially a juvenile Lugia or a neophyte that can't yet control its powers, carries the risks of causing abrupt changes in weather and destruction by simply flapping their wings.
This is why Silver Lugia wears a Macho Brace, and is still wearing it as he's swimming across Hoenn's tropical waters, straight down Route 128, and towards the Seafloor Cavern where Kyogre is said to reside.
As the water began to grow dimmer, Silver Lugia's keen sense of sight became more and more adaptive to the reduced sunlight shining through the ocean's surface. He possessed no form of bioluminescence and therefore couldn't use FLASH to light his way across the ocean. But he did possess stellar ESP and utilized that to look ahead of what his eyes could eventually no longer see.
So as Lugia continued swimming down, and the darkness of the water became seemingly impenetrable to the naked eye, Silver's mind's eyes transcended the darkness as though it didn't exist. As a result, the Seafloor Cavern entrance might as well have been illuminated with neon signs upon being sighted.
In entering the cavern, Silver noticed traces of past human activity here. Evidence of somewhat impressed sea floors that were ovoid in shape, most likely from a submarine that was used to reach this cavern. The impression appeared darker than usual, and Silver didn't even need to use ESP to determine that.
There was light shining down from above.
Upon looking up, Silver could see the light bending over the water's surface. It swam up to meet this same light, and breached the water headfirst as a result. And upon feeling water become fresh air, Silver let out the breath he'd been holding, in order to resupply himself with oxygen.
"(I always found it fascinating how pockets of air like this can exist underwater.)" Silver thought as he swam back down, only to breach the water with a mighty leap and land on the beach-like sand of the Seafloor Cavern. "(There's always something new in the ocean to be seen. Never a dull moment when I'm exploring it.)"
Once Silver hit dry land, the Diving Pokémon shook and ruffled his feathers to remove the saltwater off of his waterproof down. And after briefly preening himself into a more presentable state, Silver began to waddle further into Seafloor Cavern, remembering its layout well.
The reason for that was because his mother psychically inculcated this memory into his mind. The only side effect to this was a wrongfully placed sense of déjà vu that Silver needed to disregard. That feeling persisted as he made his way through interweaving passages, currents that altered his direction underwater, and even a boulder "puzzle" that required the use of STRENGTH once again.
In getting through all of that, Silver was rewarded with reaching the lowest floor of Seafloor Cavern, where the air was thick with a white mist. And in wandering further in, wondering where the dense fog was originating from, the source became apparent at the center of this floor.
A slumbering Kyogre, lacking all color as it was in its deep sleep.
(National Pokédex entry #382: Kyogre, the Sea Basin Pokémon. It is a pure Water-Type Pokémon that measures in at a gigantic 14' 09" and weighs in at a belly-flopping 776.0 lbs. Kyogre has the power to create massive rain clouds that cover the entire sky and bring about torrential downpours. This Pokémon saved people who were suffering from droughts. Kyogre is named in mythology as the Pokémon that expanded the sea by covering the land with torrential rains and towering tidal waves. It took to sleep after a cataclysmic battle with Groudon. Kyogre has appeared in mythology as the creator of the sea. After long years of feuding with Groudon, it took to sleep at the bottom of the sea. It is said to have widened the seas by causing downpours. It had been asleep in a marine trench. A mythical Pokémon said to have swelled the seas with rain and tidal waves. It battled with Groudon. Through Primal Reversion and with nature's full power, it will take back its true form. It can summon storms that cause the sea levels to rise. Kyogre is said to be the personification of the sea itself. Legends tell of its many clashes against Groudon, as each sought to gain the power of nature. Imagine if SeaWorld had a Pokémon like this.)
"(So this is the Pokémon that my mother faithfully served under.)" Silver recollected on the stories she would frequently tell her before he'd go to sleep every night. "(Well…until Kyogre went too extreme with its feud with Groudon, to the point where it was doing more harm to the world than good.)"
Silver knew that he didn't possess the fabled Blue Orb that'll not only awaken Kyogre from its slumber, but also give it the natural power necessary for the Sea Basin Pokémon to unleash its Primal Form. But what Silver possessed was a stalwart psychic prowess, and has been well-versed by his mother in the art of mental infiltration.
Kyogre had no mental defenses against ESP, especially from a natural Psychic-Type Pokémon. And with Kyogre still fast asleep, probing its mind would serve as the best form of awakening it. The only problem with this is that Kyogre's mind is…turbulent.
"(Well, I suppose I'm going to see what Hell on Earth looks like.)" Silver swallowed, hoping the process is brief.
Silver Lugia simply sat down and closed his eyes in order to concentrate on infiltrating the mind of another Legendary Pokémon. The process was relatively easy with him, because his mother had trained him well in utilizing his psychic abilities diversely. All he had to do was implant his very being into the will of another Pokémon. And depending on how mentally stalwart the "victim" is, the next process is either a cakewalk or demands a bit more mental persuasion.
Fortunately, with Kyogre sleeping, there was next to no resistance in infiltrating its mind. The challenge would come in navigating through Kyogre's memories, and searching for Kyogre's consciousness within them.
Shortly after closing his eyes, the darkness that comes naturally through it was almost immediately replaced with a realistic and interactive illusion of Kyogre's memories. And as expected, there was nothing but turbulent storms over land and sea alike. Flashes of lightning, some of which narrowly struck Lugia out of the sky or at sea as he was either swimming or flying through this mental realm, served as the only form of reliable light to navigate through, as the storm clouds overhead completely blocked all sunlight.
The most consistent source of light, as Lugia soon discovered by flying and swimming forward, is through the explosions that resulted from Groudon's and Kyogre's clashing energy beams.
Silver almost fled from the sight of their colliding shockwaves unleashing earthquakes and tidal waves that ground the land and churned the sea to the point where both practically lacerated the storm clouds above. But the realization that the pain that Silver may potentially experience within Kyogre's mind was all in his mind. After all, his body was elsewhere.
From the distance between two of the three Weather Trio and Silver Lugia, a distance that was rapidly dwindling as he continued moving closer to them, Silver contemplated how he would shock Kyogre into waking up.
And only one idea stood out.
"(Hope I don't get electrocuted…)" Silver swallowed before steeling himself and soaring straight up.
If Groudon and Kyogre couldn't see Silver Lugia approaching their general vicinity, they certainly couldn't do so once Silver flew directly into the storm clouds. Within this hurricane, Silver saw nothing but grey clouds that were briefly illuminated by streaks of lightning, some of which flew right past his face. The rain pelted over Silver's body, feeling as though hundreds of thousands of slender needles were prodding his skin. But he paid the rain no mind, and fought valiantly to pay the lightning no mind either. Because if Silver suddenly found himself struck out of the sky, he would awaken back at Seafloor Cavern, unaccomplished and having to repeat the process of waking Kyogre up again.
But upon detecting the hurricane's calm spot, the eye of the storm where the sunlight shined through the middle, Silver immediately homed into it. And after successfully doing so, all Silver had to do was clear the weather and descend down to stand between Groudon and Kyogre.
From the perspective of Groudon and Kyogre, with Kyogre in particular because the Groudon in this picture is simply a mental illusion, they stopped fighting altogether when the rain suddenly stopped. The rays of sunlight began to stab through the storm clouds like holy swords from heaven through earthbound darkness. Two of these columns of lights enveloped over Groudon and Kyogre, freezing them in place as they squinted their eyes from the light and looked up at the sky to see what could've possibly disturbed their epic clash.
Only Kyogre's eyes widened when he saw Silver Lugia descend from the shrouding dark clouds above. And Groudon was nowhere to be seen once Kyogre's attention was directed exclusively at Silver.
"My name is Silver, Kyogre." Silver Lugia introduced himself to the Sea Basin Pokémon. "I'm the son of your most favored subordinate. And when you wake up, I need your help."
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A̒̐Hͩ̓̿̿͆̔͂..ͦ͆̾.̅̐̂̒̽ ̾̎AN ̑̂ͨͤ̃A̅͂͑̀̋ͯN̉̽̓͑̽ĊͨÏĚͦͩN̔̏̌̂ͩͧ̇T ̏̽ͭT͗ͯ̿̿RI̿ͧ̽ͦNͩIͭ̏͗͆ͭT̔̅̆̃ͯ̀̌Yͣ̀̄ ̆͊̈OF̎ ͤ̓ͭP͛ͨ̾̚O̎̊͆ͧͧ͋̊K̿É̿̈̈Mͥ̿͊̓̃̐Oͩ͌N ̅ͣ̓ͣ̄T͑͛ͪ̐̄ͩH̃̀̽̾Á̓͊̄ͦT̆͛͐̉ ̀P̀̊̅̃̇̿A̽Ṡ͊͆̄͐Tͣ̃̎ ̆̃͛̾̈̉H̓ͭ̓̒͒ͪ̈UͥM̎̏̇ͣ͂Aͣ̑ͩͫ̂́̚N͛̍̂ ̒C͒U̅ͪ͒̓ͧͦ́L͂T̎̈́̑͆̓̔ͬUͭͤ̓̌͛RͯE͌͆ͮ̒ͨ̈ ͫ̋͂̓̈̈̔Rͮͤͣ̇͆Ĕ̇̍V̔̅ͦͧ̔͗ͯEͭR͊̌̊͆͐̅̚Ëͪͥ͆̄Dͫͣ ͥ́ͩA̒ͭ̑̌̋̚Sͦ͂͑̐ͫ ͪ͒̿ͦ̄ͫGͯ͂̓͊͗ͯŌDͦ̎ͤ͐̀̿͂S̓̅ͩ̔̆̊.ͩ̓̈́̓̐̏̆
01010111 01001000 01000001 01010100 00100000 01010111 01001001 01001100 01001100 00100000 01000011 01010010 01010101 01010011 01001000 00100000 01010100 01001000 01000101 01001101 00100000 01000110 01001001 01010010 01010011 01010100 00111111 00100000 01010100 01001000 01000101 01001001 01010010 00100000 01000001 01000111 01000101 00100000 01001111 01010010 00100000 01010100 01001000 01000101 00100000 01001101 01000001 01000111 01001110 01001001 01010100 01010101 01000100 01000101 00100000 01001111 01000110 00100000 01010100 01001000 01000101 01001001 01010010 00100000 01010011 01001001 01001110 01010011 00111111
Wͣ͑H͒̓͆̃̎Aͣ̌T̓̚ Ẁ̄ͥͨ̆ͭ̚IL͑Lͣ̈́ ̿͌̒C̆̽Rͣͬ͂U͗ͪ͊̓̿̚S̍̂̒́̉ͩHͬ ̏͊̇Tͤ̃̋ͧ͋ͧH́̀̏̓͐̔ͥEͦ͊̌ͩͥM̈́ ͒ͣͥͧ̈́͐F̎̒ͪ̔̈́̉̀Ĩ̀̿́̚RS̿T̂ͣ͆͋̔?͊ ̉̆TH̉̓̈̌ͯͭ̚E͂I͛̓ͥ̈́͛͐̔R̓͋̈̌͗ͮ̈ Aͣ͊͒̚G͐̌͌̊̔̊Ĕ͛ͩ͂ͪ̈ͤ ̍̂O̅͆̒͂͊͑Rͮͬ̓͆ͩ̅ ̿̇̃Tͪ̽̉H̓ͣ̅ͯͭE͛ ̑͛MͫÁ̂̌͊̒ͮGͦ̏͊͗̍ͫ̇N̈Iͨ̒̂̏ͤ̚T̂͂ͪ̏Ǘ̑ͤͦͦ̃Dͬ͛̀̌͆ͤE ̂͗̾ͮO͛̔͐͆͂ͦF͌ ̒̓̓̏͛̊́T̾͂̏̈͆H̐ͪͤẺ̎͐̐ͫIR̐̑̈̅̒ ̓ͨ̎͊́̃͊Sͤ̈̌I͐͒ͮ̈́̄͒̂NSͬ͂ͦ̈?ͭ̀ͩ̓͋
If I ever get a second cockatiel, I'mma name him Gary...or if it's a she, Misty.