Pokemon Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza lore explained

The super-ancient Pokemon Rayquaza, Groudon, and Kyogre debuted in the Generation III Pocket Monsters games and have a major connection to the legends and culture of the Hoenn region. They've remained some of the most popular legendary creatures in the entire franchise, but what is the story behind these three titanic Pocket Monsters and their influence on their world?

Plenty of information surrounding the super-ancient Pokemon is still not readily known. By examining their lore crafted in the core series of games, particularly the Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald games in Generation III, fans might be able to glean a little more about this Pocket Monster trio.

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Breaking down the lore of Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza in the Pokemon series

The super-ancient trio as seen in official artwork (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Thanks to the murals on Hoenn's Sky Pillar, the ancient Draconid people were able to keep a significant amount of history documented surrounding Rayquaza, Groudon, and Kyogre: the masters of the atmosphere, the lithosphere, and the hydrosphere, respectively. According to the Draconid people and the Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire games, this trio existed even before Hoenn did.

Countless years before the Hoenn region had even formed, Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre already existed in the area, battling for control of natural energy reserves. The battles between the two caused the land to shift and the seas to ebb and flow, ultimately resulting in the creation of the Hoenn region itself. However, this power of creation was also a massive danger to other living things.

The clashes between the two Pokemon continued and threatened the budding Hoenn region and its inhabitants. However, before devastation was inflicted on too large of a scale, Rayquaza emerged from the ozone layer due to an "appetite to do what is right". Its power overwhelmed Groudon and Kyogre even in their Primal Forms, calming the two creatures and placing them in a long slumber.

Things were relatively peaceful between the super-ancient Pokemon for generations until a meteoroid struck Hoenn, creating what would eventually become Sootopolis City. The fissures from the impact caused a resurgence in natural energy, and it wasn't long before Primal Groudon and Kyogre awakened to battle for the resource once again.

Mega Rayquaza is considered the strongest of the super-ancient trio in series lore (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Thanks to manifested wishes of humanity and the power of the meteoroid itself (as Rayquaza feeds on meteoroids), Rayquaza was able to Mega Evolve and bring an end to the conflict between Primal Groudon and Kyogre once more by calming them and even stripping them of their Primal forms. Once again, Groudon returned to its subterranean home, Kyogre to the deep seas, and Rayquaza to the skies.

The Draconid people would proceed to construct and inscribe the history of the super-ancient Pokemon upon Hoenn's Sky Pillar after they took notice of what came to be known as the Grand Meteor Delta. Knowing that the meteor would one day strike and awaken Groudon/Kyogre again, the Draconids created the Red and Blue Orbs to help calm the two creatures without Rayquaza's help.

Unfortunately, during the story of Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald, the villainous deeds of Teams Aqua and Magma resulted in the Red and Blue Orbs being used to awaken Groudon at Jagged Pass and Kyogre at the Seafloor Cavern. This resulted in a showdown between the monsters at Sootopolis City as the weather raged out of control between harsh sunlight and immense rain.

Brendan in the animated trailer for Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (Image via The Pokemon Company)

A young trainer named Brendan/May (the canon names for the male/female player characters in Pokemon Emerald) was ultimately tasked by the Cave of Origin's protector Wallace with traveling to the Sky Pillar and awakening Rayquaza. After battling their way to the top of the Sky Pillar, Brendan/May manages to awaken Rayquaza, who travels to Sootopolis and restores balance to nature once more.

In the "Mega" universe where the Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire remake games occur, the story is roughly the same as it was in Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald, but when Groudo/Kyogre is awakened, it makes its way to the Cave of Origin in Sootopolis where it undergoes its Primal Reversion. Fortunately, Brendan/May enters the Cave of Origin and defeats/captures the creature to calm the weather.

After becoming the champion of the Hoenn region in the "Mega" universe, Wallace unseals the Sky Tower for Brendan/May so they can reach its apex along with the Draconid lorekeeper Zinnia to prevent Grand Meteor Delta from striking the world. At the top of the pillar, Brendan/May's meteorite in their bag restores Rayquaza's full energy, allowing it to Mega Evolve to prevent the meteoroid strike.

Official art of Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire's final chapter known as "Delta Episode" (Image via The Pokemon Company)

After battling and capturing it, Brendan/May takes the Sky High Pokemon into space where Mega Rayquaza destroys the oncoming meteoroid. However, a small triangular object remains that then breaks apart, revealing the presence of Deoxys, Rayquaza's nemesis. The two do battle, and Brendan/May either defeat Deoxys or capture it, ending the threat posed to the world for the time being.

Since those events, Rayquaza, Groudon, and Kyogre have appeared sporadically in other core series games and generations, but typically don't influence the games' ongoing story and are considered bonus or event encounters that don't contribute to the trio's overall lore in the way that the Generation III games and their remakes did.