(Note: Scenes will switch frequently back and forth between Ash/Zinnia and everyone else dealing with Chi; scene switches will be denoted by a hyphen (-))

"Let us begin."

Zinnia held her key stone tightly in her hand as she knelt by the altar and closed her eyes, completely focused. Ash looked on with his arms crossed. Sure, he trusted Zinnia at this point, but what she was doing was easily the most important part of their mission. If this didn't work, well...

Ash turned his eyes to look at his partner, who was perched on his shoulder. As if sharing the same brain, Pikachu looked over to his trainer at the same time. Both seemed concerned, if not a little skeptical. "Whaddya think, buddy? Think it'll work?"

"Pika..." Pikachu shrugged. They were above the clouds, but the thunderstorm had gotten so massive and fierce that it looked like it might engulf them in dark clouds if it continued to grow.

-

"I won't ask again." Chi shrugged. "Not like you can do anything with them anyway. It's hopeless as it is now. So you might as well just hand them over."

Dawn squinted. "What do you mean? Can't Wallace undo the reversion at least?"

"Even if he could, Groudon and Kyogre are far too enraged now for it too be easy. I doubt you've been keeping track, but..."

Chi smirked as the ground shook once again and they heard two deafening roars back to back. "They aren't exactly in a good mood anymore. While you've been out and about with your 'heroics', the battle between those two has been escalating. Now that they've undergone Primal Reversion, those two are at a stalemate."

His grin grew wider, almost psychotically. "It's almost as if our god intended this! No matter how much they battle, neither Groudon nor Kyogre can actually defeat the other. Their battle will continue to escalate until the world is reverted to how it was at the very beginning, when Groudon created land and Kyogre created the seas! It shall come to pass!"

"That's insane!" Brock countered. "That's what Shadow was after all along??"

"Such is the desire of a true researcher!! What better way to observe and collect data about something that is so far in the past than to go through the necessary steps to make the past become the present?!"

-

"Hear me, o' king of the sky. In the eye of the storm, may the heavens descend upon us to pierce the sky, and may the shining light of hope disperse the darkest clouds."

Zinnia looked up, holding her Key Stone up high. "Come forth, Rayquaza!"

... a pause. Ash raised an eyebrow.

-

"And what could you possibly do now?! There is nothing that you rats can do to calm the storm!! Nothing you can do to end the chaos!" Chi shouted, his eyes growing even wider and his speech becoming even more erratic.

The others looked on as Chi let out a psychotic laugh. Dawn looked back at Wallace, pushing the orb she held toward him. "Hey, you've got to try to do your thing with these!"

Serena looked at the Contest Master as well, her eyes showing her fear and determination. "Dawn's right, please try!"

"Yes sir, please do." Brock agreed, pushing the orb he carried toward Wallace as well. "We'll hold them off."

"Right! Leave it to us!" Mallow chimed in.

"Y-yes! We need you to do all you can to stop this, sir!" Lillie added, her voice shaking slightly.

Wallace looked at all of the younger trainers' fearful, yet pleading eyes. He smiled reassuringly, accepting the two orbs. "Alright, if you all insist. But I will leave with you help before I go."

The Contest Master tossed two Pokéballs in the air, which revealed his Walrein and Milotic. Wallace called out to his partners, his tone serious. "Walrein, Milotic! Please assist these young trainers in battle while I'm gone, if you please!"

Chi fumed. "How dare you turn your backs on me... prepare to fight!"

"Sir!" The grunts all called out in unison as them and their Pokémon prepared to go to battle.

At this, and as Wallace vanished into the Cave of Origin, the others turned back to Team Sigma, their determination renewed.

"Don't forget guys, Ash is still out there, and I know he's doing everything he can to help Zinnia. Let's give this all we have, too!" Serena attempted to rally a bit, though soft enough to make sure their opponents couldn't hear her.

Dawn gave her a confident grin. "You're right, Serena. Let's do this, everyone!"

"Yeah!"

"The flames of Wela Volcano are burning inside of me!!"

-

Ash tapped his foot impatiently. He dared not speak so as to avoid potentially screwing up the 'ritual'... though a remarkable amount of nothing seemed to be responding to Zinnia's call.

Ash whispered to Pikachu. "I don't think she knew what she was doing..."

"Pika." He answered back softly with a nod. Zinnia sweatdropped, hearing Ash whispering behind her.

"So, uh-"

Ash's thought was interrupted by a deafening roar from the sky. The wind picked up a bit, and Ash held on to both Pikachu and his hat as he looked up, his eyes wide.

The obvious tension in Zinnia's body seemed to melt away. The clouds and sky above them seemed to open up as a giant, green, snake-like creature descended to the peak of the tower and stopped just off the edge of the tower and a few meters above them, before righting itself and letting out another roar. Ash, Pikachu, and Zinnia flinched and covered their ears in response.

"Rayquaza... it really showed up." Zinnia said in awe, staring up at the Sky High Pokémon.

"Huh... it did work." Ash commented, grinning. He turned to Pikachu. "It's impressive every time, isn't it, buddy?"

"Pika..." Pikachu agreed, staring in awe.

"Rayquaza!" Zinnia stood up, holding out her Key Stone. "I am a descendant of the Draconid people! Please use my power to Mega Evolve and stop Groudon and Kyogre!"

Rayquaza seemed to pause for a moment, as if evaluating Zinnia. It stared right into her eyes, with no evident expression on its face. Zinnia's face was stern, determined. She was unmoving in her request. After a moment, Rayquaza's eyes seemed to clear up, and it roared once again, as if signifying that it had accepted her request.

Zinnia grinned wide, ecstatic. Her eyes sparkled. "Really? You have my gratitude! Thank you!"

Ash and Pikachu waved. "Thank you!"

Rayquaza looked to Ash and his partner, almost seeming to recognize the boy. It nodded, then looked back to Zinnia, who took a deep breath and held her Key Stone tightly.

"Respond, Key Stone! Let my feelings reach Rayquaza and ascend to new heights! Mega Evolve!" Zinnia called, holding her Key Stone high. As she spoke, it lit up, sending waves of energy flowing into Rayquaza. The process seemed to be working, as Rayquaza's body flashed with a bright multi-colored light and changed into its Mega form. With this transformation, the wind picked up even more; almost like it had started to give way to Rayquaza. It was such a strong wind that it seemed that a hurricane was coming. It roared one final time, as if finalizing the transformation.

"Mega Rayquaza..." Ash stared in awe. "Now that's awesome."

"Pika..." Pikachu agreed.

Zinnia stared as well, her eyes sparkling again. She had actually been able to pull it off. She was happy and extra relieved, not to mention proud of herself. She smiled excitedly at Rayquaza in its new form. She nodded at it. Rayquaza nodded back, and it turned around and began to fly toward Sootopolis City. As it did so, the wind seemed

Zinnia let her breath out, brushing a hand over her forehead in relief. Ash walked up and placed a hand on her shoulder, grinning. "Nice work. I thought you whiffed it there for a sec."

"Thanks, I did too, honestly." She grinned sheepishly back at him.

"So, let's follow it!"

Zinnia nodded. "Right."

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Just as the fight was about to break out, everyone heard a powerful roar come from the sky in the distance.

"What could that be??" Sophocles called out, panicked.

"As if we needed more trouble!" Kiawe's eyes went wide.

"It doesn't sound good..." Lana agreed.

Serena's head seemed to jolt very slightly, as if she'd gotten an idea. "Hold on, guys. Maybe it isn't bad."

Dawn looked at Serena as if she were insane for an instant, before she realized what she meant. "You don't think-"

Just then, another powerful roar seemed to pierce the sky itself. Everyone, still frozen in place, looked around to find the source, but found nothing. A moment later, they heard another roar, though it was softer.

"Commander! It seems like whatever that is coming from the sky has the attention of Groudon and Kyogre! The battle has momentarily stopped!" Chi's earpiece rang out.

"What?!"

"Leader Shadow seems to be wondering about it as well now. It looks like he's stopped taking notes."

"Rayquaza..."

"Leader! What did you say??" Chi called, panicking.

"It seems those children were more capable than I'd imagined. I never imagined they'd be able to pull off something like this. However... even this is an opportunity... to learn."

"What?"

"Chi! Fend them off for as long as you can. I want no further interruptions..." Shadow spoke into the earpiece again.

"As you wish, sir."

Brock turned to his friends. "Did anyone hear that?"

"I thought I heard 'Rayquaza'..." Mallow answered.

"For real?" Sophocles questioned.

"That's gotta mean Ash and Zinnia did it, right?" Dawn asked, her mouth slowly forming a smile.

"I guess so!" Mallow agreed, nodding.

They saw a flash of light in the distance that shone through the clouds, followed by one final piercing roar. No less than a moment later, from the direction of the Sky Tower, they saw it: a flash of green flying through the clouds, bringing with it a fierce wind. It was almost majestic, with the way it flew through the sky.

"No way..."

"Is that Rayquaza, too???"

"How?! How did it get here?!"

The Team Sigma grunts seemed to be disoriented after seeing Rayquaza in the sky. This had certainly not been a part of their original plan.

"Remain calm! It is but a distraction. We have a mission from the leader. Let's annihilate these pests." Chi refocused the team.

"It's huge..." Sophocles commented.

"What an amazing Pokémon..." Lillie added.

"No kidding..." Mallow agreed.

The Sky High Pokémon soared over their heads, likely heading to the battle between the two legends. As it did so, a powerful wind hit them, causing them to cover their faces and hang on to each other to keep their composure. The storm clouds seemed to want to give way to Rayquaza, but they persisted. The storm had died down noticeably, but remained present, still pouring rain.

After the wind died down slightly, Serena spotted two smaller figures flying their way from the same direction Rayquaza had come from. She pointed. "Look!"

As Ash and Zinnia flew in the direction of the city on Garchomp and Salamence. Ash looked at his friend. "We've gotta find the others! They're probably back by now!"

Zinnia nodded. "You're right. I suggest we check by the Cave of Origin. Assuming they were successful, I'd bet that's where they must be."

Ash grinned and nodded. With Pikachu holding on tight, their flight continued. As they approached the back end of the city, the dragon Pokémon descended slightly so their riders could see the ground more clearly. Ash spotted a crowd of people, and a small group with their backs to the entrance of the cave. He noticed the very obvious color differences in their outfits, as well as specific hairstyles and hair colors, even from high above them. "That's them! Lower, Garchomp!"

Garchomp and Salamence descended toward the ground, until they were just a few meters above it.

"It's Ash!" Serena called out, a huge smile on her face.

"They made it back!" Lillie exclaimed, excited as well. Mallow hugged Lillie in excitement and squealed a bit.

Ash waved to his friends, grinning. "Hey guys, glad to see you're all in one piece!"

Brock smiled. "You too, pal!"

Still a few meters above the ground, Ash jumped off of Garchomp to the ground. "Let's do this, buddy!"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, jumping off of Garchomp with Ash.

As Ash hit the ground, he seemed steady but he slid a few feet forward and fell backward, losing his feet from under him. He splashed into the mud on his back as his friends watched on, sweatdropping.

"Ash... the ground is wet..." Serena said, unimpressed.

"It's literally raining." Dawn added, shaking her head.

Mallow had to stop herself from cracking up laughing. "I see what you were going for, though!"

Even Lillie giggled a bit.

"Oh, get off my case! I thought it was gonna look cool." Ash complained, his face slightly red in embarrassment.

"Stop fooling around! Can't you see we're about to be clobbered?!" Kiawe motioned to the dozens of Team Sigma grunts across from them. They all blinked in confusion. Even Chi seemed to be clueless.

Salamence landed and Zinnia dismounted, sighing. "You had that one coming, Ash."

"Buzz off!"

Regaining his composure, Ash stood back up and trudged over to his friends. Serena met him and draped a towel over his shoulders, smiling in spite of herself at his antics. Ash smiled sheepishly. "Thanks."

"No problem." She smiled lovingly back. "Not your best entrance, but it was certainly very you."

"Yeah... guess you're right."

'Goofball.' Serena thought, drying him off a bit with the towel. She couldn't help but giggle to herself. After all, he was the goofball she'd fallen for all those years ago.

Ash took a breath, then glared directly at Chi, who spoke up.

"Enough of this nonsense!" His eyes began to look red with anger. "Now it's serious! You've disturbed our plans for the last time!"

Ash grinned confidently. "We'll see about that, wise guy. I may be all muddy and a little exhausted, but you'd better believe I ain't backin' down now!"

Ash took a brief look at all of his friends before looking back at Chi. Ash's confidence seemed to be infectious as his friends shared his confident smile. "If you think you're gettin' past us, you're dead wrong! Get ready to mop the floor!"

Dawn dropped her fighting stance a bit, her face twisting slightly. "Wait, what?"

"You know, 'cause we're gonna gonna mop the floor with them." Ash just confused himself. "So, that means, we're using them... to mop the floor...?"

Serena put a finger to her chin, thinking. "I think that makes sense?"

"We'll go with it." Dawn decided. Everyone brought out Pokéballs, finally ready for battle.

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"There it is... Rayquaza..."

Shadow stood on a levitating platform that he could fly through the air that allowed him to see all sides of the Pokémon he was researching; specifically useful here due to these particular subjects being... larger than average. And plenty angry. He watched as Mega Rayquaza snaked its way through the sky, eventually hovering above Groudon and Kyogre, placing itself between the two and forcing them to give it their attention. It roared again, as if asserting its dominance over the other two.

Shadow flew back to observe the whole scene. He watched as Rayquaza seemed to control the wind stream; it was so powerful that it slowed the speed of the rain, and began to slowly disperse the storm clouds completely. Kyogre and Groudon had completely ceased their attacking by this point, seeming to hit a roadblock at Rayquaza's power after Mega Evolving.

"What a magnificent creature..."

But it didn't seem like the Continent and Sea Basin Pokémon were going to falter without fighting back. Their rage seemingly returned, they both unleashed powerful moves up in the direction of Rayquaza in the form of Precipice Blades and Origin Pulse, both of which Rayquaza gracefully evaded. It proceeded to loop itself backward in the air and descend upon its opponents at a terrifyingly high speed, surrounded by a bright green light.

"That move... it must be Dragon Ascent."

Rayquaza collided into Groudon, and then Kyogre, with sheer force and incredible power. It flew above them again, righting itself, and roared again, as if to say that it would not give Groudon and Kyogre any more chances.

With the wind slowly calming the storm at the point where it was strongest, and their anger now directed away from each other and having taken significant damage, Groudon and Kyogre's rage seemed to be fading steadily.

Inside the Cave of Origin, Wallace had put the Red and Blue Orbs on small altars inside the cave, and held his hands out toward them. He could feel Groudon and Kyogre's energy and feelings through them. He was tense, as if he was being synchronized with the legends, and feeling the uncontrollable rage they felt. However, after a moment, he felt their rage begin to fade away. He figured something big must've happened to disturb their battle.

As keeper and protector of the Hoenn legends, he was familiar with the legends of Primal Reversion, and was prepared to do whatever was necessary to quell the rage of the legends. With this role being passed down to him, he possessed the knowledge and ability to lightly tinker with the energy of the orbs, as well as connect with them; and therefore, connect to Groudon and Kyogre.

"I see... that must be Rayquaza's Delta Stream." Shadow commented.

At the scene, the wind was still fiercely blowing across the water and through the sky, giving way to Rayquaza and it ascended into the clouds, dispersing them as well as the storm itself, little by little.

Groudon and Kyogre seemed to be recovering from the damage slightly, still feeling the anger from being forcefully awoken, which was only heightened by being thrown in their reverted forms. Again, they directed their attention to Rayquaza, as if preparing to launch another attack.

"How incredibly fascinating that despite being polar opposites, when Rayquaza shows, Groudon and Kyogre can only seem to focus on it, forgetting about battling each other..." Shadow mumbled aloud. "Though its power is incredible. It is obvious why it supposedly rules the sky."

Wallace, still connecting with the energy of the two orbs, could feel the energy necessary to revert Groudon and Kyogre diminishing, but their rage building once again. "Come on, I need just a little more leeway..."

At the scene, Rayquaza saw its opponents preparing to attack, and quickly let loose a powerful Draco Meteor before they could proceed with their onslaught. The attack was incredibly powerful with a wide range, raining down repeated hits on both Groudon and Kyogre. They both seemed to reel in pain as they were bombarded with the relentless assault by the Sky High Pokémon.

"Rayquaza seems to be attempting to weaken them so as to force them out of their rage-induced states... perhaps it affects the Primal Reversion forms as well."

Wallace, inside the cave, once again felt Groudon and Kyogre's energy fall dramatically. His body once again seemed to relieve itself of the tension it had been storing up, and he let out a breath. "That's enough."

By connecting to of the orbs, and in the legends' energy-reduced states, Wallace was able to separate the energy that causes Primal Reversion from both Groudon and Kyogre. As he did this, he felt the uncontrollable rage finally start to vanish completely. After he was done, he once again seemed to be free of the tension in his body, and he was sweating, seemingly having completed thoroughly challenging labor. However, he had noticed that the ground had stopped shaking, and the rain outside had become noticeably lighter.

By now, the storm was almost gone. Rayquaza's Delta Stream had finally cut through the clouds, and the rage of Groudon and Kyogre seemed to have been nullified. The yellow lines that glowed during Primal Reversion faded away, and the two legends' eyes returned to their normal white coloring. They acknowledged each other, then Rayquaza, who returned their gazes. Rayquaza's body began to glow as it reverted back into its normal form. The aggression between them all had vanished; the worst was over.

"Sir. Sensors indicate that Primal Reversion forms have been nullified. We predict that Kyogre and Groudon will now return to their extended slumbers. Any further interaction is not recommended."

"Hm... it seems we have lost this round." Shadow sighed. "Though, I suppose... it's about the journey, is it not? And what good is a journey without obstacles?"

"Leader, this is home base. We've succeeded in the production of Project 149C. It is ready for use, sir."

"Good, I shall return by the end of the day to inspect the results."

"Sir."

By this time, the storm had almost completely cleared away, and the sun had returned to the sky. Groudon and Kyogre were nothing more than gigantic figures in the water. Rayquaza roared one final time at Groudon and Kyogre, before disappearing into the distant sky.

Groudon and Kyogre faced each other one last time, before they both turned around and began to settle back down. Kyogre disappeared into the vast, endless ocean. Groudon retreated back into the Cave of Origin to once again find its home amongst the magma.

Shadow turned back toward Sootopolis. "Those children... they are no ordinary children, certainly. Such intense will and determination. As well as... something else."

Shadow seemed to zone out at his own thought. He frowned. "Bonds of friendship, perhaps?"

He smiled in spite of himself. "Though I wonder how far those 'bonds' can take them, hm?"

"I wonder... what holds more power? Emotion? Passion? Desire? Or is it..." Shadow paused, grinning menacingly. "Knowledge? Analysis? Skill?"

Shadow looked back toward the sun slowly starting to set in the direction of Sootopolis City. "Perhaps, one day, I'll know the answer."

"Until we meet again, young ones."

Shadow flew off in the other direction and into the distance.

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The storm had practically vanished from the sky. There was a clear rainbow above them as the sun returned into view, and the light reflected off the light the storm had left on the ground.

"Thank goodness!" Mallow spread her arms out under the sunlight.

Brock held his hands over his eyes. "Sure is nice to see the sun again."

"Perfect weather for some butt-kicking!" Dawn affirmed, grinning and punching the air.

"Never thought I'd miss the sun so much." Sophocles chuckled.

Lana let out a sigh of relief. "Rain is nice and all, but... not that much."

"I certainly feel better already!" Lillie agreed.

"Oh yeah, I feel the flames of Wela Volcano burning inside of me!!" Kiawe pumped himself up.

Serena closed one eye and smiled as she looked up at the clear sky, holding her hand above her eyes. She looked back at Ash, who was smiling confidently, as he usually did.

Chi growled. His earpiece rang. "Chi, I'm retreating back to home base. Those children were more worthy adversaries than I could've ever predicted. However, remember that this plan was simply a test run. We're scrapping this project and continuing on to the next one. I'll be headed to Sinnoh within the next few weeks. In the meantime... take care of business."

"Sir." Chi affirmed. He turned his attention back to Ash, scowling.

With everyone's Pokémon out and ready for battle, Ash grinned and brushed under his nose. He pointed right at Chi. "Let's end this! Right now!"

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Almost done! I hope you enjoy the goofy yet still heroic Ash I've written. This is how I've always imagined him a little older. I like to think that Ash's personality doesn't change from series to series, we just see different sides of him depending on when the "anime cameras" decide to capture him. But this makes the most sense to me.

I'll be writing the next chapter as soon as I can! I still need to work out exactly where I want to go with it, but I have the general direction in my head. Chapter 15 is like the de-facto end of the story, but Chapter 16 will wrap it all up nicely.

Song: "Hurricane" by I Prevail from their 2019 Album TRAUMA.