Super-ancient Pokémon

The super-ancient Pokémon (Japanese: 超古代ポケモン super-ancient Pokémon)"This defies belief... A super-ancient POKéMON... Its power is unbelievable. It has upset the balance of nature..." - Archie/Maxie (Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Versions)"GROUDON and KYOGRE, the two POKéMON wreaking havoc here, are considered to be super-ancient POKéMON. But there aren’t just two super-ancient POKéMON. There is one more somewhere. Somewhere, there is a super-ancient POKéMON named RAYQUAZA." - Wallace (Pokémon Emerald Version)The Super-Ancient Pokémon Awaken! Pokémon Omega Ruby & Pokémon Alpha Sapphire: Super Music CollectionBattle! (Super-Ancient Pokémon) (Pokémon Masters EX Version) Jukebox (Masters) is a term that describes to the three ancient Legendary Pokémon from Hoenn legend—, , and . This trio has historically been called the weather trio by fans.
Starting in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Groudon and Kyogre can undergo Primal Reversion to become Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre, and Rayquaza can Mega Evolve into Mega Rayquaza.
==Design==
The three super-ancient Pokémon all have some physiological similarities, with similar symbols on their bodies as well as yellow eyes.
===Abilities===
Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza all have . In their debut appearance in the Generation III games, their Abilities were exclusive to them (although has the same effect as Rayquaza's Ability). Upon undergoing Primal Reversion or Mega Evolution, Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza gain new exclusive Abilities, which are enhanced versions of their original Abilities.
Groudon and Kyogre have and , which create harsh sunlight and rain, respectively. From Generation III to V, these Abilities created weather that lasted for the remainder of the battle—this contrasts with the moves and , which only create weather for 5 turns. This was changed in Generation VI, so that these Abilities also only create weather for 5 turns.
Rayquaza's Air Lock Ability removes the effects of any weather as long as Rayquaza remains in battle, allowing it to remove the effects of the Abilities of Groudon and Kyogre.
Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, and Mega Rayquaza have the Abilities , , and , which create the special weather conditions extremely harsh sunlight, heavy rain, and strong winds, respectively. These weather conditions last as long as they remain in battle. Extremely harsh sunlight and heavy rain are enhanced versions of harsh sunlight and rain, having all the same effects as the base weather, but providing additional benefits and being harder to remove. All three weather conditions cannot be replaced by other weather conditions while a Pokémon with the corresponding Ability remains on the field, except each other.
===Origin===
The three Pokémon represent separate elemental spheres: Kyogre having dominion over the , Groudon over the , and Rayquaza over the . These roles are reflected in their types. The three Pokémon could be references to creatures from Hebrew myth: , a sea monster; , a land beast; and , a giant bird. 
==History==
===Mythology and ancient history===
The super-ancient Pokémon's history was first revealed in the Hoenn Generation III games and expanded upon in . The Draconid people kept recorded history of the trio through mural paintings at Sky Pillar.
Thousands of years ago, during the Hoenn region's primal age, the world was overflowing with natural energy. Primal and Primal fought over that energy in long clashesZinnia: "Thousands of years ago, in the primal age long lost, the world was overflowing with natural energy. Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre fought over that energy in endless, furious clashes." (Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire), creating natural disasters in the process. The Hoenn region was created from these clashes. In the face of their great power, people could do nothing. But intervened, and its power overwhelmed that of the two primal Pokémon, ending their conflict and returning peace to the world. 
A thousand years later, a meteoroid hit the earth, creating what would become Sootopolis City. This impact caused cracks in the ground that unleashed natural energy, causing Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre to battle each other again for 20 days, threatening to destroy the world in the process.| The Legends of Hoenn Continue Humans had a collective memory of how Rayquaza saved their race long ago, and their wish for this to happen again combined with the power of the Meteorite allowed Rayquaza to Mega Evolve for the first time and calm the other two Pokémon. Stripped of their primal forms, Groudon and Kyogre entered a deep slumber in their respective homes while Rayquaza returned to the sky.
Sky Pillar was then created by the Draconid people to honor and preserve the super-ancient Pokémon's history. They also prepared for the day when Rayquaza would be needed again upon the eventual appearance of the Grand Meteor Delta. The Red Orb and Blue Orb were created in case Groudon and Kyogre returned, with the power to calm down the two of them without the aid of Rayquaza.
==Similar movesets==
The following are the super-ancient Pokémon's level-up movesets from .
 	 	/ 	
 	 	 	
 	 	 	
 	 	 	
 	 	 	
 	 	 	
 	 	 	
 	 	 	
 	 	 	
 	 	 	
 	 	 	
 	 	 	
 	 	 	
 	 	 	
 	 	 	
 	 	 	
Moves in bold are . Moves in italics do no damage. Moves in bold italics are only STAB for Primal Groudon, which is not present in Scarlet and Violet.	Moves in bold are . Moves in italics do no damage. Moves in bold italics are only STAB for Primal Groudon, which is not present in Scarlet and Violet.	Moves in bold are . Moves in italics do no damage. Moves in bold italics are only STAB for Primal Groudon, which is not present in Scarlet and Violet.	Moves in bold are . Moves in italics do no damage. Moves in bold italics are only STAB for Primal Groudon, which is not present in Scarlet and Violet.
==Base stat comparison==
===Primal/Mega Evolved forms===
==In the core series games==
===Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire===
In these games, both Kyogre and Groudon appear in the Cave of Origin in their respective games, and after entering the Hall of Fame, the can encounter Rayquaza at rest on the topmost floor of the Sky Pillar.
===Pokémon Emerald===
In the enhanced version of Ruby and Sapphire, Kyogre and Groudon both appear in alternating caves after entering the Hall of Fame: Marine Cave (on , , , or ) for Kyogre and Terra Cave (on , , , or ) for Groudon. Rayquaza appears atop the Sky Pillar after calming Kyogre and Groudon in Sootopolis City, and is obtainable before entering the Hall of Fame.
===Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver===
All three super-ancient Pokémon can be obtained in the Embedded Tower after is defeated and has the National Pokédex, Kanto first partner Pokémon, and respective Orbs. Kyogre is obtainable in HeartGold, and Groudon is obtainable in SoulSilver. Once both a Kyogre from HeartGold and a Groudon from SoulSilver are in one game, the player gets an opportunity to catch Rayquaza.
File:Embedded Tower Kyogre HGSS.png|Kyogre
File:Embedded Tower Groudon HGSS.png|Groudon
File:Embedded Tower Rayquaza HGSS.png|Rayquaza
===Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire===
In the remakes, both Kyogre and Groudon appear in the Cave of Origin just like in the originals. However, when the player faces them, they are in their Primal Forms. Rayquaza is obtained during the Delta Episode atop Sky Pillar, which occurs after the player become the Champion and is granted access to Sky Pillar by Wallace. Rayquaza must be caught when encountered; if the player runs away from it or defeats it, they will have to battle it again until it is caught.
===Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon===
In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, all three members of the super-ancient Pokémon can be encountered in the Ultra Space Wilds through Ultra Warp Ride. can be encountered in the Cave World through a yellow warp hole. can be encountered in the Water World through a blue warp hole. can be encountered in the Cliff World through a red warp hole, as long as both Groudon and Kyogre are in the player's party.
===Pokémon Sword and Shield===
In The Crown Tundra DLC, the super-ancient Pokémon be found at Max Lair during Dynamax Adventures. can be found in Sword, while can be found in Shield; however, the player can get the other Legendary by participating in other players' Dynamax Adventures.
===Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl===
In , the super-ancient Pokémon can all be encountered at Ramanas Park after capturing the legendary giants, Legendary beasts/Legendary birds and Eon duo. The trio is located at Oceanic Room, Tectonic Room, and Stratospheric Room respectively. Each room needs either Oceanic Slate, Tectonic Slate, or Stratospheric Slate to unlock the encounter.
===Pokémon Scarlet and Violet===
In The Indigo Disk DLC, the super-ancient Pokémon can be obtained via snacks from Snacksworth. Groudon can be found in Scarlet, while Kyogre can be found in Violet. The player can get the other Legendary by participating in Blueberry Quests through the Union Circle online. Rayquaza can be obtainted through the exclusive online group quests.
A Rayquaza was made available in a limited Poké Portal News event called Shiny Rayquaza Appears. This event lasted from December 19, 2024 to January 5, 2025. During the Tera Raid Battle event, the Shiny Rayquaza can be caught once per save file.
==In the spin-off games==
===Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series===
In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, as well as their remake, Rescue Team DX, Groudon and Rayquaza serve notable roles in the story. Groudon awakens after the player has visited Mt. Freeze and spoken with . After Team A.C.T. and another team have failed to defeat it, the player's team must travel to Magma Cavern to stop it. Rayquaza, meanwhile, serves as the final boss of the main game. The player and their partner must climb to the top of the Sky Tower in order to ask Rayquaza's help in destroying a giant meteor that's threatening the planet. While Rayquaza initially attacks them due to them intruding on his territory, it sees reason at the last second and uses to destroy the meteor just before it can hit.
During the post-game, each of the super-ancient Pokémon can be recruited by defeating them on the final floor of a dungeon. Kyogre resides at the bottom of the Stormy Sea, while Groudon and Rayquaza can be found in the same dungeons as during the main game. In the remake, Kyogre and Groudon will undergo Primal Reversion while being fought, while Rayquaza will Mega Evolve.
In and , the player and partner encounter a Groudon at the end of Steam Cave, though after it is defeated, it turns out to have been just an illusion created by to protect the Time Gear of Fogbound Lake. During the post-game, each of the super-ancient Pokémon can be found in a dungeon, protecting one of the Seven Treasures and needing to be defeated in order to obtain them.
In , Rayquaza makes several brief appearances during the main game, fleeing the planet in fear of the Dark Matter, though it eventually returns to prevent the Dark Matter from taking the Tree of Life away from the planet, teaming up with to do so. Though the Dark Matter turns both of them to stone soon after, they're restored to normal following Dark Matter's defeat. During the post-game, each of the super-ancient Pokémon serves as the boss of a dungeon, appearing in their alternate forms.
===Pokkén Tournament===
In Pokkén Tournament, Mega Rayquaza appears as a Support Pokémon in the Switch version of the game alongside .
===Pokémon Masters EX===
All three of the super-ancient Pokémon appear in Pokémon Masters EX, forming recruitable sync pairs with various Trainers associated with them in the core series games.
|}
==In animation==
===Pokémon the Series===
All three super-ancient Pokémon have appeared in .
====Destiny Deoxys====
Rayquaza first appeared in Destiny Deoxys, where it defended its territory from a .
Primal Kyogre, Primal Groudon, and a Mega Rayquaza all made a major appearance in Hoopa and The Clash of Ages. Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon were summoned by a dark entity of 's form, along with the Pokémon of Myth and , and were controlled by the evil shadow in order to terrorize Dahara City. It was revealed that long ago, Kyogre and Groudon engaged in a battle with Hoopa in its Unbound form to entertain the citizens of Dahara City, but this ended when Hoopa's power was sealed by Ghris. Mega Rayquaza was summoned by Hoopa along with and in order to stop the entity of Hoopa's Unbound form from terrorizing Dahara City.
========
Kyogre and Groudon both debuted in Gaining Groudon. Kyogre had been captured by Team Magma, who was also in possession of the Blue Orb. Groudon was in Team Aqua's possession along with the Red Orb. The two teams were planning on swapping Groudon and Kyogre, but Kyogre was released by Shelly, who had infiltrated Team Magma. Archie then proceeded to take control of Kyogre using the Red Orb. In the following episode, Archie threatened to use Kyogre's power to flood the island both teams had met at. At this time the now awakened Groudon came and began to battle with Kyogre. During this time, , , and managed to snap Archie out of the Red Orb's possession. Now free from the Orbs' possession Kyogre and Groudon retreated into the ocean and a volcano, respectively.
====Mega Evolution Specials====
Kyogre and Groudon make prominent appearances in the Mega Evolution Specials of .
In Mega Evolution Special II, Rayquaza appeared after Alain and used their Mega Ring and Mega Stickpin, respectively, to open one of Hoenn's ancient ruins and reveal the legendary Giant Rock. The energy emitted by the rock not only brought Rayquaza to the ruins, but it also awoke Groudon and Kyogre from their slumbers. Rayquaza, in a fit of rage, began attacking the people responsible for unlocking the Giant Rock. Seeing that, Alain and Steven sent out and to stop the , but to no avail. Rayquaza destroyed the ruins by using , disintegrating the Giant Rock in the process before returning to the ozone layer.
In Mega Evolution Special III, Alain and Steven were monitoring the area around Rustboro City when they noticed that Groudon had awakened and was seemingly moving towards the coastline. Steven wondered if Kyogre could also appear, and just at that moment, they received footage of the . Lysandre then commented on the possibility of the Pokémon world being destroyed, scaring Mairin. After that, Steven explained to her that there is a legend in the Hoenn region that has been told since ancient times. According to Steven, the legend says that in the prehistoric era, Primal Groudon expanded the continents and Primal Kyogre expanded the seas. The two Legendary Pokémon were locked in a fierce struggle to obtain a source of enormous energy. That struggle shook the land and the skies, nearly destroying the world in the process. He also added that some people believe the energy source they were searching for was the Giant Rock.
Steven and Lysandre soon discovered that both Groudon and Kyogre were following an energy similar to that of the Giant Rock. Suspecting the rock would materialize in the place Groudon and Kyogre were headed, Lysandre ordered Alain to protect it from the super-ancient Pokémon. After that, Alain and Steven flew over the area on a plane and, when the two Primal Pokémon started fighting for the source of energy, they sent out their Charizard and Metagross to prevent them from consuming the rock's energy. However, Charizard and Metagross had trouble fighting against the Legendary Pokémon, but their combined efforts protected the Giant Rock long enough for Rayquaza to step in and put an end to the conflict between Groudon and Kyogre, causing them to return to their regular forms. After that, Lysandre's employees appeared to take away the Giant Rock, blocking its energy and placing it in a submarine. With the rock away, all three super-ancient Pokémon retreated.
===Pokémon Horizons: The Series===
A Shiny Rayquaza known as the Black Rayquaza plays a major role in the series. It was once owned by the Ancient Adventurer Lucius, contained in an that eventually wound up in Roy's possession. He initially thought the Poké Ball was empty, until The Ancient Poké Ball, where it reacted with Liko's pendant and opened to reveal Rayquaza, which subsequently flew away, setting up Roy's dream to follow and find it.
Rayquaza next appeared before the Rising Volt Tacklers in Lapras's Feelings for its Friends. In the following episode, Amethio fought against Rayquaza, but was quickly defeated by it. In The Plan to Capture Rayquaza, the Explorers conducted an operation where to summon and capture Rayquaza, but were foiled by the Rising Volt Tacklers, who proceeded to battle Rayquaza in the next episode, but were defeated.
==In the manga==
===Pokémon Adventures===
All three super-ancient Pokémon have appeared in Pokémon Adventures.
========
Kyogre and Groudon are awakened by Team Aqua and Team Magma, causing massive devastation across Hoenn and necessitating Norman to awaken Rayquaza in order to help stop them.
========
While the actual super-ancient Pokémon do not appear in this arc, Guile Hideout uses 's wish-granting powers to summon a sentient mass of sea water in the shape of a Kyogre to sink the into the ocean.
========
The three super-ancient Pokémon are awakened once again, this time to help stop the world from being destroyed by a giant meteoroid, gaining the access to their ultimate forms for this purpose. Kyogre and Groudon expend all of their energy in stopping just a fragment of the meteoroid, leaving it up to Rayquaza and the humans of the world to stop the main body of the meteoroid.
==Artwork==
Masters Villain Arc Hoenn Part 1 artwork.png|Super-ancient Pokémon artwork for Villain Arc Hoenn (Part 1)
Masters Villain Arc Hoenn Part 2 artwork.png|Super-ancient Pokémon artwork for Pokémon Masters EX Villain Arc Hoenn (Part 2)
Masters Villain Arc Memories Hoenn.jpg|Artwork for Pokémon Masters EX Villain Arc Hoenn Memories
2020 Legendary Pokemon Gen III.jpg|Crown Tundra wallpaper (Hoenn) by Tomokazu KomiyaTweet by @poke_times
==Trivia==
* The term "super-ancient Pokémon" has previously been attributed to Fossil Pokémon in the Japanese version of the .
* The colors of the three super-ancient Pokémon are the .
* The super-ancient Pokémon are the only Legendary trio in which all of its members are in different habitats — is in the Sea habitat, is in the Rough-Terrain habitat, and is in the Rare Habitat.
==In other languages==
==References==
==Related articles==
* 
* 
* 
Category:Groups of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon
de:Wetter-Legenden
es:Trío ancestral
fr:Pokémon ancestraux
it:Trio Meteo
ja:超古代ポケモン
zh:超古代宝可梦