They can hide in the depths of the sea, so far down they are but a speck of dust in the expanse of the abyss. But eventually, they have to come up for air. Eventually, their hunger for chaos is too strong to ignore. That is when they will find them. Their sibling, their God. [break][break]

AIR LOCK seizes the skies and an unfathomable pressure is placed on the sea deity’s powers. Their DRIZZLE dwindles into nothing and the raging winds calm the seas. Their wild golden eyes hone in on the dark shadow. The emerald serpent bursts through the light gray clouds like a streaking comet.

There’s one roar that challenges that of Kyogre’s. Rayquaza’s is equal in power, two fold in ferocity. It’s dominating, as it should be. They are the equilibrium that will maintain the balance.

SUBMIT

An unspoken command between two ancient beings. The cetacean squirms beneath the pressure, defiant as ever. History dictates they will eventually submit.

Rayquaza recognizes Andrea Vaneau as an ally and settles behind her and the Hydregion like a coiled Arbok. A warning clicks from their throat as their claws flex. Pale yellow sparks alight their eyes.

SUBMIT

Kygore responds by preparing an ORIGIN PULSE. Never.

---

Andrea Vaneau

Andrea’s amethyst eyes widened. “L-lord Rayquaza?!”

The arrival of the emerald serpent brought the torrential rain to an abrupt stop. The two super-ancient Pokémon stared each other down with great intensity. Mortals were insignificant compared to these primordial titans. The smartest move was to get out of their way. And yet…

“Rayquaza is our friend! We can’t let him fight alone, right Chomper?” The draconic cosplayer BRAVELY declared. Her Hydreigon roared affirmatively, returning Rayquaza’s reptilian gaze.

Strengthened by his trainer's Sygna Suit, the Brutal Pokémon ascended ever higher, summoning a Draco Meteor from the cleared up skies in order to counter Kyogre’s imminent Origin Pulse.

But would the might of a pseudo-legendary be enough to stand up against the wrath of an actual legendary?

Eva Morales //mission thread

☉

The empowered Hydregion’s DRACO METEOR may not have been enough to disperse the ORIGIN PULSE, but when combined with a god’s it is sufficient. Ryaquaza unfurled, casting its draconic power into the sky. A volley of amethyst meteors rained down alongside Chomper’s. The thick trunk of the ORIGIN PULSE dispersed in smaller beams, scattering around them. One aimed straight for Andrea Vaneau and the Hydregion was blocked by a flick of Rayquaza’s tail.

The Titan smacked the surface of the churning sea with their mighty tail. A frustrated roar bellowed from their belly. Dragons. It wasn’t the first time they had to deal with them.

Frost sparkled at the edge of their lips and Rayquaza lunged in front of their allies. The air shimmered as a red hot FIRE BLAST violently collided with the incoming ICE BEAM, the distraction leaving Kyogre momentarily vulnerable.

---

Andrea Vaneau

It quickly became apparent that they'd bitten off more than they could chew. Without Rayquaza's assistance, the two would have turned into whale dinner by now. As the sky deity shielded the duo from the vestiges of an Origin Pulse, the young cosplayer nodded in gratitude. "Thanks!"

They needed a different strategy. Subsequent Draco Meteors were going to be weaker. Chomper was a physical attacker, but getting physical with that leviathan risked getting close enough to get mauled by its gigantic teeth. Unbeknownst to Andrea, MATIAS SILPH had found that out the hard way.

"We need more special moves! Go, Mecha-Chomper!" The girl sent out Chomper's paradoxical twin made up of metal and machine parts. The Iron Jugulis wasted no time targeting a prone Kyogre, the cataclysmic rain boosting the accuracy of its Hurricane attack.

Eva Morales //mission thread

☉

Rayquaza growled, smothering this distaste for the release for the abomination of a pokemon. The metallic alien was a product of the world’s distorted boundaries, a reminder of the instability they strove to correct. Now was not a time for extermination, their sibling’s submission took priority.

The Iron Jugulis whipped up a powerful HURRICANE that churned the seas and distorted the air. Large waves rose and fells, smacking the titan with their own element. Rayquaza stood like a pillar amongst it all, unphased by the lashing torrent of winds around them.

SUBMIT

Never.

The titan’s storm turned against them, dark, ominous clouds building above their heads. Pale yellow sparks crackled across the sky. A deafening crack electrified the air as a thick THUNDERBOLT descended to strike the titan.

---

Andrea Vaneau

The dragon god's growl of utter distaste made Andrea feel as if she was a child being scolded by the teacher. Was Rayquaza angry at them? Before she could ponder about it further, an Ice Beam courtesy of the Sea Basin Pokémon froze the robotic Hydreigon solid.

"This is bad! Mecha-Chomper, return!" The draconic trainer recalled her Iron Jugulis. Watching another attack being fired towards the emerald serpent, her eyes widened. "Lord Rayquaza, watch out!" She shouted in WORRY.

Chomper (the non-robotic variant) quickly intercepted Kyogre's attack. Andrea's Sygna Suit gradually healed his wounds, but the Dragon-type had still taken a hefty amount of damage.

Eva Morales //mission thread

☉

The dragon’s eyes flashed in unregulated fury as the attack crashed down on Chomper. Kyogre’s rampaging needed to come to an end. It made the sea dangerous and unpredictable and had brought harm to too many of their precious charges.

Andrea Vaneau’s WORRY slowly healed the damaged Hydregion, but Rayquaza wasn’t about to let any critical harm fall on their allies. They sprang forward like a loaded trap. Their thick body curled around the pokemon enthusiast and their dragon as another ICE BEAM rocketed towards them.

The guardian roared in agony as the harsh ice coated their scales, freezing and burning all at once. A deep growl rumbled through the air and the shadow that fell on Andrea and Chomper quickly receded as Rayquza shot forward with EXTREME SPEED at their counterpart, disappearing beneath the waves as they forced them down into the depths.

---

Andrea Vaneau

"Lord Rayquaza-!" Cried Andrea, feeling utterly helpless. They could hardly protect themselves from Kyogre's wrath, and now their scaly, slithery friend had paid the price for their incompetence, being struck by a super effective attack meant for them.

The two titans resumed their epic clash underwater, where Chomper could not reach them. "We can still help... I know we can! Go, Whiskers!" The draconic trainer sent her shiny Gyarados out--one of her few aquatic Pokémon. "They can't have gone that far! Go after them!"

The red-scaled serpent plunged into the depths with a huge Splash, following the trail of sea foam left by Rayquaza's speedy descent. Once a struggling Kyogre had entered her line of sight, Whiskers swung her entire body like a hammer... a Dragon Hammer to be precise.

Eva Morales //mission thread

☉

Ask Whiskers descended after the foam trail of the two titan’s fall, the dark mass in the depth would soon take shape. They would find Rayquaza curled around Kyogre like an Arbok, keeping them from bolting away deeper where they could not follow. A dark trail of crimson leaked out from where the serpent sank their fangs into the whale’s fin. Unfortunately, Rayquaza wouldn’t be able to hold their breath forever, especially after exerting so much energy to submit their brethren.

The Gyarados’ DRAGON HAMMER struck true, seemingly slowing down the titan enough for Rayquaza to loosen their grip and dash towards the surface for a breath. They would break back into the sky in a plume of water, their emerald scale glistening brilliantly off the now high Hoenn sun.

It would remain a mystery what exactly occurred, but silently, the wounded titan was able to slip away into the depth, blending with the element and disappearing where none could follow.

An exhausted Rayquaza floated near Andrea, their golden gaze lost in the bending waves of the blue sea. Eventually, the forced an exhale through their nostrils, expelling what remained of the singing salt water. Kyogre was lost, but Andrea was safe and the rampage was over - for now.

Their head arched over to the dragon rider, bending low to gently nudge the girl’s shoulder in gratitude for fighting alongside them.

---

Andrea Vaneau

"W-what's going on down there?!" A confused Andrea blurted out, part of her feeling disappointed, but also worried that she could not see what transpired underwater between the two feuding legendaries. For all she knew, she might have just sent Whiskers to her death, and there was nothing she could do about it.

In the end, both her red Gyarados and the sky deity emerged from the abyssal depths safe and sound, much to the young woman's relief. The Sea Basin Pokémon's fate was left uncertain, but something told her that if Kyogre had actually died in the scuffle, the consequences would have been immediately felt throughout Hoenn.

As Rayquaza bent down towards her, the dragon enthusiast tentatively outstretched her hand in an attempt to touch the giant serpent's snout. "Thank you for saving Hoenn again. Sorry I got you hurt. I promise to be a better friend next time..." She vowed, getting teary-eyed.

Eva Morales //mission thread

☉

The dragon didn’t flinch, allowing the girl’s open palm to rest on the warm scales between their nares. Gratitude sparkled in the legendary’s golden eyes that blinked back at her. A warm puff of air expelled from them in a huff before they withdrew. They almost seemed dismissive of the idea. None of it was Andrea’s fault.

They cast one more forlorn look over the settling sea rolling beneath them. The calmer nature of the water itself told them all they needed to know: Kyogre had retreated. Next time. They wouldn’t let their rampages continue.

The dragon’s lips parted and a bellowing roar marked its departure. The air around them hummed with energy and when they shot towards the sky with EXTREME SPEED a soft wave of residual power rolled over the surface.

---

Andrea Vaneau