Could this be a man-made island? Lusamine thought, recalling the construction of Aether Paradise.
No. Carl shook his head, a flash of excitement in his eyes. He recognized it as the Birth Island in the southern region of Kanto, a legendary place where a meteor was said to have fallen, home to the mythical Pokémon Deoxys.
This trip is worth it, he calculated to himself. Capturing this legendary Pokémon, said to rival Rayquaza, would significantly boost his strength. Even better, Deoxys was known for its obedience.
Deoxys could even summon its companions, making one as valuable as several. This deal was too good to pass up!
"Nicely done!" Carl couldn't contain his excitement and gave Lusamine a peck on the cheek.
Lusamine was momentarily stunned, thinking to herself, if I weren't sitting on your Dragonite's back right now, I'd push you off!
Meanwhile, Carl's villa had now been upgraded to a manor.
As soon as everyone left the front yard, Groudon and Kyogre, who had been battling, stopped in unison.
Their power suppressed to elite levels, their forms reduced to a few meters tall, they could only spar back and forth in the small open space.
Kyogre and Groudon exchanged glances, communicating silently.
Kyogre: "Are we just going to accept this?"
Groudon: "What else can we do? Any champion-level Pokémon could handle us right now."
Kyogre cast a disdainful look: "No wonder you can't fly, you have no backbone. Are you afraid of Origin Pulse?"
Groudon stomped its foot: "Wanna fight?"
Save it, Kyogre rolled its eyes, "With our current power, your attacks can't even scratch the house."
"As if your Origin Pulse could knock it down," Groudon retorted.
"Can we stop bickering?"
"Call me sister."
"Are you looking for a fight?"
The two legendary Pokémon bickered back and forth for five minutes.
Kyogre suddenly lowered its voice: "I'm done arguing. I'm thinking of trying to escape; do you dare?"
Ha, if you dare, why wouldn't I? Groudon raised its chin.
Kyogre plunged into the river, while Groudon slowly walked in the opposite direction. Though its pace seemed leisurely, the earth carried it swiftly.
Five minutes later.
Splash—
Kyogre leaped out of the river, its golden eyes glinting mischievously: "Surprised?"
It never intended to escape. Although Carl wasn't around, Mew was guarding the manor. If caught, even its teeth might not remain intact.
It planned to report Groudon's escape, hoping to earn some merit and put its rival in a bind. Maybe Carl would be so pleased he'd restore some power.
Think you can outsmart me? Kyogre swam triumphantly towards the backyard hot spring.
Mew! It barged into the hot spring room, just in time to see the pink creature lounging in the pool.
Before it could speak—
Boom!
Several boulders suddenly rose from the pool's bottom as Groudon slowly emerged.
Groudon and Mew were about to say something when they noticed Kyogre staring at them. The atmosphere became immediately awkward.
Mew opened its eyes, curiously observing the two.
"Roar—I heard this hot spring is nice, thought I'd see how it compares to magma," Groudon quickly spoke up.
"Sing—I also came to experience the difference between a hot spring and seawater," Kyogre hastily added.
In unison, the two legendary Pokémon exclaimed, "Sing Roar!" (Great minds think alike!)
Mew was puzzled. Since when did these two sworn enemies become so well-coordinated? Could it be that their reduced power made them timid?
Its eyes twinkled, and it whispered, "Mew?" (Want to try escaping?)
Escape? Kyogre and Groudon exchanged a look, shaking their heads vigorously: "Sing Roar!" (No way, no way.)
They knew Mew too well. It loved to play pranks and was likely setting them up. Groudon thought itself too clever to fall for such a trick, and Kyogre was equally wary—as the ocean's ruler, it wouldn't be duped by such petty games.
Mew was even more confused: "Mew?" (Are you really content to stay here forever?)
Roar—Groudon lazily replied, (The environment's not bad, perfect for a nap.)
Sing—Kyogre immediately echoed, (Same here!)
Mew was persistent, (Carl isn't home right now!)
Roar—Groudon yawned, (Maybe he'll let me go when I wake up.)
Kyogre nodded, "Sing~ (I think the same!)
Mew blinked, "Mew~ (What if Carl refuses to let you go?)
Groudon flicked its tail, "Roar~ (Then I'll just keep sleeping. In a hundred years, he'll be long gone.)
Kyogre quickly agreed, "Roar~ (That's my plan too.)
Mew was exasperated, whirling in the air: "Mew~ (My goodness! Are you two out of your minds?)"
This was what humans called 'letting the chips fall where they may.'
These two legendary Pokémon were actually planning to wait it out with their longevity, too lazy to even attempt an escape.
Where was the pride of legendary beings?
"Mew—(Forget it, I can't count on you two. I'll figure something out myself. When I succeed, I'll have a good laugh at your expense.)"
Mew had hoped to use them as a distraction. If the escape failed, it could always shift the blame.
But who knew these two would just lie down and give up.
However, Mew wasn't about to miss this rare opportunity.
"Mew~"
Waving its paw at the pair, Mew vanished from sight.
The hot spring edge fell silent, leaving Kyogre and Groudon eyeing each other.
After a while, Groudon spoke first: "Roar~ (I'm off to find a place to nap, we'll settle this later.)"
Kyogre retorted, "Sing~ (I'm going to rest too, I'll deal with you when I wake up.)"
With that, the two legendaries parted ways, one heading to the northern mountains, the other to the southern riverbank.
Ten minutes later, at a bend on the southern riverbank.
Groudon:
Kyogre:
"Roar~ (Fancy meeting you here, out for a stroll?)"
"Sing~ (Just stretching before a nap.)"
"Roar~ (Want to walk together?)"
"Sing~ (I'm in a good mood today, let's go.)"
The two legendaries strolled side by side, sensing something waiting for them ahead.
"Swish!"
Mew was rolling with laughter in the sky. Kyogre and Groudon had shrunk again, now only two meters tall. They continued glaring at each other, completely unaware they'd fallen into Carl's trap.
Mew chuckled triumphantly, thinking Carl must have a backup plan. But she wasn't going to fall for it. Sooner or later, Carl would need her help. But why wasn't he back yet?
Elsewhere, Carl and Lusamine landed on the triangular island. Under the moonlight, they quickly found the iconic triangular meteorite.
This is it. Carl couldn't hide his excitement. He'd learned many secrets from Mew over time, like how Arceus, a century ago, foresaw a crisis and merged the two worlds. All Pokémon benefited, except Arceus, who vanished.
"What is this?" Lusamine asked curiously. She could sense Carl's excitement, much like the bold kiss he'd given her earlier.