[What kind of joke is this? Jirachi's power is mine!]
[The Pulse of the Stars? What is that…? The voice of the stars? Isn't Jirachi the only one that can hear it?]
Deoxys Belial stared at the light rising from the starship. Sound could not be heard in space, so every conversation was transmitted either by telepathy or through the internal communication devices used by the "astronauts."
That light was the light released when Jirachi's [True Eye] opened. Just as before, it was the light used to receive the Millennium Comet.
The jet-black Rayquaza had been struck by a move with thousands of points of power. Deoxys Belial was about to immediately shift into Speed Forme and pursue the starship to seize that starlight, but in the next instant, the black dragon's tail lashed out like a whip and wrapped tightly around it.
Bind. Using a long body, vines, or similar means, the user constricts the target for four to five turns, putting it in a bound state. A Pokémon in a bound state takes continuous damage and cannot be switched out.
[What? You took a hit like that and still weren't knocked away?! You… this is—]
[Mega Evolution!]
The jet-black Rayquaza Mega Evolved.
"Gaaaaah!"
Although it had been severely wounded, it still had a little strength left. A mental resonance formed between it and Brendan, who was riding on its head.
Mega Evolving at low health could, in theory, be criticized as bad play. But for this special black Rayquaza, once it Mega Evolved, it would lose the Nomad Ability. That meant it had to fully stack its energy before then.
In other words, it could not play properly unless it was at low health.
[You almost killed me with one move! Good thing my Nomad power was strong enough! Hey, you really are a cosmic monster. In five hundred years, I've never seen anything as absurd as you! Is this the power of that comet?]
[Come to think of it, I never paid attention to that comet. So it had power like this… After all, I was friends directly with the Creator God! Get away from the starship!]
The cosmic monster:
[So that is it. You used Endure. How annoyingly persistent!]
Deoxys Belial changed into Defense Forme and blocked the Dragon Pulse spat out by the black Rayquaza.
The sun gradually rose. With sixteen cycles of day and night passing, time was flowing quickly. Sunlight shone upon a block of ice in space, and then an intense surge of rock power rose from the frozen Fiore Rayquaza.
Ancient Power!
The four types that countered Ice were Fighting, Fire, Steel, and Rock.
Rayquaza itself lived by devouring meteorites. After developing the mikado organ, it could store that energy inside its body, and thus it learned a new move.
It attacked with ancient power from primordial times. Sometimes, it raised all of the user's stats. That powerful energy was transformed into stone.
Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed rose by one stage.
All stats +1!
Fiore's Rayquaza let out a breathless roar, though it could not be transmitted through space.
Don't look down on me. I'm not some stepping stone! After Mega Evolution was completed, there were now three Mega Rayquaza in this universe!
This was an unprecedented battle in the heavens. How could it make such a pathetic exit here? If it was taken down by one Mirror Coat and one Ice Beam, that would be far too humiliating.
"Roooaaaar!"
How could I, famous for my little tricks, be killed so easily?
["Cough."]
Zinnia's communication recovered. When she had been frozen, she could not move at all. She could only sink into the dark universe together with Rayquaza. But as the starship rose, all three Rayquaza seemed to undergo a new change.
That had to be Jirachi's power.
And the sun and moon rose and fell. Day and night cycled.
When they had still been on the ground, the time had been the dawn of the sixth day.
There was still a full day and two nights before the seventh long night.
However, after reaching outer space, the sun's rise and fall had accelerated.
It had set once, then risen again. In other words, on the scale of outer space…
It was already the seventh day.
[The long night is coming… That's it. After entering outer space, every one and a half hours is a day-night cycle! From daylight to sunset, then to sunrise again—now it's already the seventh day!]
[Before the night of the seventh day arrives!]
Deoxys Belial also realized this all at once. Looking at the rising sun, it understood that after Jirachi ascended into space, Jirachi's judgment of time had begun to follow the standards of the universe.
Of course, after seven days and seven nights, it would fall asleep. Or rather, that was a fixed span of time calculated by the planet's method of measuring time.
In outer space, Jirachi could obtain even more power and break through the condition that it must sleep after seven nights. It was said that Jirachi had also come from a distant world riding a meteor. Only after falling to the ground in the form of a star crystal and spending a thousand years there could it be born.
["It's said that in a distant world, Jirachi has the power to judge the lifespan of stars and planets."]
["It can even rewrite the history of the world. It has the setting that any wish can be granted, though sometimes that wish appears in a distorted form."]
Hikaru spoke through the communicator to Brendan, Zinnia, May, and Ash, who had gone into space with him aboard the rocket.
By a distorted wish, he did not mean the Earthen Monster, nor using Teleport to take someone else's candy.
In Explorers of Sky, within the Mystery Dungeon world…
The appearance of Darkrai, the destruction of the future world, the time-space explorer protagonist getting lost and transforming into a Pokémon in a daze, Darkrai's attack, and more—
All of those involved the power of Jirachi's wish.
Bidoof of Wigglytuff's Guild had originally wanted to become the greatest explorer. But the moment he met Jirachi in Star Cave, he realized that success gained through a wish had no meaning. So Bidoof made another wish instead.
He wished for the guild to recruit new apprentices, so that he could properly guide them.
And so Jirachi granted Bidoof's wish. All the events of Explorers of Sky occurred as a result.
Of course, "Star Child" did not refer only to Jirachi. In later generations, Cosmog was also called the Star Child. But compared to Jirachi, which could grant any wish, Cosmog could only open Ultra Wormholes, so it was more likely to bring disaster instead.
["Brendan!"]
May saw the boy riding the jet-black Rayquaza. Although she could not see his face through the space suit, she had already learned from the communication just now that it was Brendan.
In the end, he had still returned when Hoenn fell into crisis.
That guy always appeared at the last moment of a crisis, then turned the tide. May's heart finally settled down. But when she saw the state of that jet-black Rayquaza, her heart began to pound again.
So, unconsciously, she made a praying gesture, then began to sing softly.
She had no Pokémon capable of fighting in space. The only things she could do were pray, and…
"Sing, May." Shikana's voice sounded through the communicator. It came through Hikaru space suit.
May: ["…Miss Near Shore, can my song reach them?"]
Shikana: "The songs of the stars—whether the Meteor Lament or 'Make a Wish,' the song passed down in Littleroot Town—are all songs connected to the stars. So as long as you sing, the stars will surely hear."
"Although I don't understand what the Pulse of the Stars really is."
"But if the song can help Jirachi, that is enough."
"Everyone will hear your voice."
["What about me?"] Ash looked at the ghostly girl. Shikana smiled.
"The boy whose heart is connected to the Star Child… I think all you need to do is hold it."
Hikaru : ["Then… make a wish. To convey your wish to Jirachi, make it at the instant the True Eye on its abdomen opens. Ash, this moment is eternity."]
["Have Celesteela protect you and keep moving closer to the Millennium Comet. You will command Celesteela in battle. On my side, I need to take Near Shore away for a short while."]
Hikaru had been doing something the entire time the rocket was ascending, and now, it was complete.
The second Galaxy Ball.
["Away?!"] Ash, inside his space suit, was shocked. He held Jirachi in his arms, May's song rang through the communicator, and then he saw an emerald star appear in the direction of the sun.
The Dragon God had returned.
Mega Rayquaza delivered Steven onto Fiore Rayquaza's body. Zinnia set the exhausted Steven down. The latter weakly patted his chest, and only then did Zinnia discover that the Key Stone on Steven's chest was gone.
Had the Dragon God taken the seven Key Stones?
["The substitute's work… is done."]
Steven's voice was extremely weak. In the weightless environment, he only wanted to relax and drift forever, to stop thinking entirely.
This feeling of being close to death was just like the strange dream he had once had. Only in that dream, he had died on the battlefield where Groudon and Kyogre clashed. Now, he was in space, about to become stardust.
Perhaps drifting like this would not be so bad. Everything else… could be left to the others.
["If Celebi really did bring me to some other world… could it have been the power of a wish that let me see all of that?"]
["Zinnia… I'm sorry."]
Steven's sigh through the communicator gradually faded. It was unclear whether he had fainted or fallen asleep. Perhaps there was no difference.
Zinnia raised her head.
She looked toward the direction in which the Dragon God was flying.
The starship was getting farther and farther away. But one could also say it was getting closer and closer.
["Near Shore… I will pray for you."]
["Fighting and roaming through the universe together with the Dragon God—that has always been your wish. I know that half of my wish has already come true. Now only the other half remains."]
["You possess the power of a Lorekeeper, but you do not have the grass-green orb. The person of the Divine Gate possesses the orb, but lacks the power of a Lorekeeper. So the true child of the meteors should have been two people joining together. That is the correct form."]
["A single Lorekeeper alone might have easily solved the problem of the giant meteorite. But the current situation has far exceeded the limit of what even the Dragon God can bear. That is why we have no choice but to go deeper into space."]
["I knew I could not compare to you. But long ago, after you passed away, I made up my mind to take your place. So I am also a substitute. And yet I am incredibly happy."]
["Do you remember, Near Shore?"]
["Ever since we were children, you and I would look up at the sky like this."]
["It is the same now. Whether in sorrow or laughter, forever."]
Near Shore's voice came through the communicator.
["Thank you, Far Shore."]
["I am very happy that I can meet you again and fight beside you. Once, there were two of us. Now, there are also two people who will stay at the Dragon God's side."]
["I think I may already understand why the Dragon God took me to the Embedded Tower, and why someone once saw a falling meteor and made a wish to another Jirachi. This too was caused by a wish."]
["Someone once wished for Pokémon and humans to keep smiling forever, and Jirachi granted that wish for him."]
["And so, twelve years ago, the Little Litleonid meteor shower, which only comes once every thousand years, appeared once ahead of time."]
["Stars are friends. I cannot understand why, but perhaps they are not as sorrowful as we believe. Falling stars bring disaster, but some falling stars also bring hope."]
["In the universe, perhaps—no, certainly—there will be stars that belong to us. I will be with you too, until the very last moment."]
Deoxys carried Hikaru into the dark universe. Amid the brilliance of daytime, they flew in the direction of the Dragon God and completed the handoff.
On Celesteela's side, the commander had been replaced. The young lady did not know Ash, and she was clearly terrified of the cosmic monster's attack.
["Steel and Flying type, huh? The data's here!"]
Ash opened his Pokédex and discovered that the serial number was [???], not included in the Pokédexes of the first three regions.
When the rocket had been ascending, Mr. Hikaru had imported part of Celesteela's data into the Pokédex. But Ash's Pokédex version was too outdated, so it could not display all of the information.
["The Hoenn Pokédex is the newest Pokédex I've got, and it still can't display everything! Actually, it's because Mr. Hikaru Pokédex is too advanced, isn't it?"]
Ash naturally did not know that the Pokédex had been upgraded with a special program. A National Pokédex-level system was indeed far above ordinary Pokédexes and regional Pokédexes.
Deoxys Belial—or rather, the cosmic monster.
It broke free from its predicament during its fierce battle against the jet-black Rayquaza. Seeing the starship rapidly rising, it hurriedly fired a Hyper Beam.
["Thrusters! Celesteela, turn the thrusters sideways! To… to your left!"]
["Eeeeeh?! Flying sideways? That's reckless!"]
Celesteela urgently adjusted the direction of her thrusters. With that powerful propulsion, the Hyper Beam scraped past the starship and vanished into outer space.
["Good, it missed. Let me see… Celesteela's greatest feature is the energy hidden inside its body. It stores a large amount of flammable gas within itself and can release it from its huge arms. Mainly used during flight and battle…"]
["This is it! Celesteela, fly however you want. Charge Hyper Beam inside the thrusters, compress the energy all at once during the Flamethrower burst, strengthen your propulsion, and make yourself fly faster!"]
Using Hyper Beam as propulsion—what kind of move was that?
It was not a move. It was Ash's sudden inspiration.
[It is actually using Hyper Beam's recoil to accelerate?!]
The cosmic monster was also greatly shocked, but it quickly realized the other side had done it on purpose. It had used Hyper Beam, so now it would be stiff for a short while. Meanwhile, the enemy had used Hyper Beam's "secondary propulsion" to fly directly into higher space.
They had completed acceleration outside the atmosphere and delivered the payload into the intended orbit.
Was this guy an astronomer?
[The light of the meteors has appeared beyond… At the moment the True Eye opens… on the seventh night…]
The cosmic monster stared at the rising starship. It had to shoot them down at all costs at the instant they made their wish.
Fine. For now, it would let them open the eye and approach the comet. But the final result would certainly be its victory. The Millennium Comet's altered orbit could no longer be changed. All it needed to do was confirm that fact.
The cosmic monster glanced at the two Mega Evolved Rayquaza.
[Even if you use Extreme Speed to pursue me, it will be useless! My Speed Forme is top-class in speed. Whether in level, stat changes, or Speed itself, none of you have priority over me!]
[Grant my wish, Jirachi!]
Halfway through its flight, it was stopped by three Deoxys. Its eyes immediately glared at them with fury.
They were nothing more than a group of creatures it had already crushed.
[How pathetic. In the end, you are all lower-class warriors!]
[And you—tell me what the Pulse of the Stars is!]
Hikaru Deoxys stared at the cosmic monster, took out a Tera Orb, and Terastallized itself.
The shining rock light made the cosmic monster narrow its eyes.
Deoxys Zoffy:
[The Pulse of the Stars is a power that raises all of one's stats. It comes from the depths of space!]
[The Pulse of the Stars is drawing near. The true power that awakened us… the voices of the stars gathered from across the entire universe!]
[Then witness the ultimate beam technique of the universe. Meteor Beam after Special Attack +6! Terastallization… Rock!]
The cosmic monster: [A shining jewel… What is that?! Your type changed!]
Another pile of strange Tera Shards appeared out of thin air in Deoxys Zoffy's hands. It looked toward the other two of its kind and whispered to them.
If they blasted these Tera Shards into the enemy's body, they could alter one of the enemy's traits.
But the cosmic monster did not know what those shards were. It entered a fierce melee against the two Rayquaza and the three Deoxys.
Then, suddenly, it heard something.
When it gazed up into the deep black night, all the stars seemed to be blinking, watching it like countless eyes.
[What are they doing?! What are those things doing?!]
At the same time, May's song seemed to be heard by the cosmic monster and the Deoxys, who could use telepathy.
Or perhaps that was the call of the stars—the voice that originally only Jirachi could hear.
I quietly watch over a tiny life.
A sleeping face.
When I see your brow gently furrowed, if you are having a nightmare,
Please wake up soon.
And then, little by little, I return to childhood.
Singing a love song I do not even understand.
On the day I was praised.
I looked up at the sky, and my voice filled everything.
You, too, within the softly rustling wind,
Begin to drift and dance.
I can hear that voice.
It shows me the path I must follow.
Standing in the softly rustling wind,
I am singing.
When flying at ultra-high speed or launching a surprise attack, Rayquaza assumes a posture known as "bullet flight."
[The voice of the stars… I hear it! What is this? It is not only a voice—there is a pulse too!]
Mega Rayquaza saw the meteor shower. Those speeding blue stardust trails, once they fell into the world, would become comet shards or Star Pieces.
Of course, some of the stars seemed to contain strange power. Merely touching a little of it would cause an unbelievable change.
Mega Rayquaza: […Is that the power? I need to eat them, correct? Devour these meteors that contain power!]
Hikaru : ["No, those are Wishing Stars. Ah, I don't mean Jirachi. I mean stones that contain mysterious power. At special energy spots, those stones can trigger the Dynamax phenomenon. They also come from space."]
They looked like things shaped like Apocalymon.
In truth, they were objects that had traveled from the same cosmic world as Eternatus and would resonate with Eternatus's power.
So that was it. Not only [light], but [the Darkest Day] had come too.
There were truly quite a few things returning with the Millennium Comet. Could there be even more? For example, new Mega Stones born under the bombardment of high-energy radiation?
Shikana stood on Rayquaza's head, gazing at the meteors shining in space. If one got close, they would discover that those things were merely stones. But…
Seen from far away, they really were beautiful.
The seven Key Stones released pure light. Shikana glanced at them.
Each night corresponded to one Key Stone.
"The voice of power the Dragon God hears… I hear it too. My consciousness must also sink into this long universe together with the Dragon God…"
She began to sing a sorrowful, strange melody. Because she was a spirit, space around her should have been silent. And yet it seemed as though an ancient song truly was turning and echoing there.
This time, the stars answered. It was Jirachi's wish coming true. The moment the seventh long night arrived, it would be fulfilled.
Shikana did not know what would happen, but she believed in the person of the Divine Gate, believed the Dragon God would surely resolve the disaster, and believed in herself, because Far Shore believed in her too.
Meteorites emitted special magnetic field lines. Those magnetic field lines had the same power as other Mega Stones. The swallowed meteorites crystallized again inside the body…
Mega Rayquaza charged toward one shining meteor. Once it drew close, it swallowed it in a single bite.
No one knew exactly what would happen. But devouring these meteors brought back by the Millennium Comet and storing their energy could not be wrong.
["When the gathered stars become one, a new bond will illuminate the future and become a radiant path of light… the light of evolution."]
Shooting Quasar Dragon?
So-called Mega Evolution required a person's life, wishes, and bonds. Was that not essentially the same thing as Synchro Summoning?
["Near Shore, you love Far Shore, and you love the Dragon God too. This is not romantic love, but a more sublime love that crosses the stars."]
["The Pulse of the Stars began thirty years ago."]
Hikaru began telling Shikana a story that had never been revealed.
["Once, an alien descended into our world alongside the light of the sun and moon."]
["The stardust of sun and moonlight turned into Solrock and Lunatone."]
["Solrock is said to be the sun's avatar. Solar energy is the source of its power."]
["Lunatone was first discovered forty years ago at the site of a meteorite impact. Though it is not the moon's avatar, it comes from even farther out in space."]
["That alien who fell from the sky was granted a special power by Solrock and Lunatone. Its name is the Pulse of the Stars. It is also called O-Power."]
["The Pulse of the Stars can sense the flow and state of the stars, and it possesses sixteen special categories of power. That alien passed the power of the stars to five young people in Hoenn, turning them into aliens as well."]
Shikana blinked and quietly listened to this wondrous story.
"The true Draconid people?"
Hoenn's Draconid people were an ancient tribe founded through the worship of Rayquaza. After establishing a bond with Rayquaza, they passed down history and myth from generation to generation.
But now, there were actually humans in space who had fallen alongside the stars?
"So there are other humans in the universe too."
["Of course there are."] Hikaru laughed softly. ["And so, starting thirty years ago, the five people of Hoenn have continued sharing O-Powers, dreams, hope, and similar energies with the people of Hoenn."]
["Until now… Thirty years later, they have become old men. So they began searching for inheritors of their power. After these five people share their lives with their successors, they will disappear and become one in heart and body with their successors."]
["As for the alien who first taught them the Pulse of the Stars, because he divided all his power among them, he lost his memories. He wandered the desert for over thirty years, unable to remember who he was or where his home was."]
An alien visitor from thirty years ago.
Among players, there was a theory that the so-called "Pulse of the Stars" was actually an homage to Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam III: A New Translation from 1985.
Its name was:
["Love Is the Pulse of the Stars."]
["And this is precisely the key to Mega Evolution."]
Near Shore loved Far Shore, and Far Shore loved Near Shore.
May and Brendan also had feelings for each other.
AZ had come to Hoenn in pursuit of the Floette he loved and planted the second Eternal Flower.
In Hoenn's story, sublime love could be found everywhere.
["The uneasy night will no longer come. If we can walk on forever, then from now on, let us always stay together."]
As Hikaru explained, Shikana understood everything.
So that was it.
Emotion was the most direct thing. All she needed to do was express the wish in her heart.
Shikana said, "Thank you, elder brother of the Divine Gate."
"I will make my wish here."
"For the Far Shore I love, for the Dragon God I revere, and for everyone who ascended into space this time."
"Please grant us the true power of Mega Evolution."
The seven Key Stones became light and embedded themselves.
Space was utterly silent. The fierce battle near the planet was still ongoing. The sun began to set rapidly, and thus the final long night arrived.
The light vanished. Darkness covered the heavens.
But the Millennium Comet's light shone even brighter, and a pulse came from it.
The weakened Jirachi slowly opened its eyes aboard the starship, then gradually closed them again.
Then the True Eye on its abdomen opened.
A powerful beam of light bloomed. At the same time, Jirachi's voice sounded in Ash's heart.
"May's song connected me to the stars. I really like all of you… I can feel it. So many happy feelings…"
"Ash, please make a wish."
"Say your wish. The stars are calling me. No matter what kind of wish it is, it can come true."
["Can you hear me, Jirachi? My communicator—"]
Ash spoke aloud at first, but then immediately realized that this wish was not being made out loud, but in his heart. Space was silent. So Ash held Jirachi tightly and silently made his wish.
On the battlefield beyond the planet, the cosmic monster shifted into Speed Forme, surpassed its three kin, and charged toward the starship in a frenzy.
[Three wishes belong to me! Make the Rayquaza disappear! Give me infinite power! Make me the king of Planet Plasma!]
It was extremely fast. The starship was gradually being caught. The energy shot toward the Millennium Comet stirred ripples through space. All the stars flashed.
And what returned from among the stars was—
Mega Rayquaza, its whole body radiating golden light.
The cosmic monster:
[You came back! The Dragon God, is it? But even if you ate some meteorites, what does that matter? What is that tiny bit of energy worth? What difference does a slightly changed appearance make? Unless you swallowed the Millennium Comet! But that is impossible!]
[The great comet is going to destroy this place!]
[Psycho Boost!]
The cosmic monster always had its overwhelming +6 aura, so even after using Psycho Boost, its lowered Special Attack would recover again the moment it dropped.
That light wave of eighteen thousand damage, like a planet-destroying beam, blasted toward the returning Dragon God.
However, the Dragon God twisted through space. In the next instant, emerald power surged over its golden mantle of light, and it crashed into the star-piercing attack with a suicidal charge.
Even the cosmic monster froze for a moment.
Such a reckless sacrificial charge. Did it think Dragon Ascent alone could—
The cosmic stardust and dust clouds were suddenly torn apart. The Psychic light became a vortex, and the emerald Dragon God blasted out from within with unstoppable force.
Only one hit was needed.
"[Dragon Ascent]!"
Mega Rayquaza's Dragon Ascent struck the cosmic monster squarely in the crystal on its chest.
[Ugh! My beam… Why did it have no effect? How was my aura pierced?!]
[The aura… the aura shattered. Nature Power: Draco Meteor!]
The cosmic monster used Nature Power. In space, it became endless meteors that bombarded the Dragon-type Rayquaza. But this time, every meteor was broken through. Rayquaza's Dragon Ascent struck a second time.
[What is going on?!]
A sharp pain came from the cosmic monster's chest, and cracks appeared across its crystal.
Hikaru : ["The hidden power of Mega Evolution… Its name is Awakening."]
["When it lands a critical hit, it ignores any stat boosts unfavorable to our side. Any states affecting attack and defense are ignored completely."]
Before Jirachi granted the wish, Hikaru had not known what would happen either. But Jirachi had said that wish would definitely come true.
Even if it had not succeeded, Hikaru had other ways to solve the problem.
Still, this result truly was unexpected.
The cosmic monster: [You said… Awakening landed a critical hit?]
Hikaru : ["You observed Hoenn for so long and know every facility so well. Shouldn't you understand?"]
["There is a place in Hoenn called the Cave of Origin. It is in Sootopolis City. It was formed by volcanic activity caused by a meteorite impact long ago. It is also a place where a meteor fell. Its so-called 'origin' refers to awakening the true forms of the great beasts of land and sea. Powerful natural energy is hidden within the cave."]
["That natural energy was struck out by the great meteorites three thousand and two thousand years ago."]
["According to legend, the first seven-colored stone was the origin of Key Stones and was also called a divine body. It released rainbow light."]
["And in a distant universe, there is a similar stone. Its true name seems to be [Lapis]."]
["If a Pokémon that uses Lapis can Mega Evolve, then it will Mega Evolve. If it can undergo Primal Reversion, then Primal Reversion will occur."]
["And Pokémon that cannot Mega Evolve will enter the Awakened state!"]
["A Pokémon awakened in this state will not take any frontal damage!"]
["At the same time, linked moves are guaranteed to hit and guaranteed to land critical hits. Even when an Ability or type matchup is disadvantageous, it can forcibly deal normal one-times damage!"]
Invincibility from the front, guaranteed critical hits, guaranteed move accuracy, and Tinted Lens.
Of course, this was not an ability from the main series. If this kind of power appeared in official competitive battles, it would only turn into Rayquaza wars, just like how Rayquaza cannot Mega Evolve when holding a Z-Crystal. But now, with Lapis, even Rayquaza had obtained Awakening.
This was a special item and setting from the Mystery Dungeon world.
["It cannot be passed by Baton Pass, cannot be removed by Defog, cannot be removed by Heal Bell or Aromatherapy, cannot be removed by Rapid Spin, cannot be blocked by Safeguard, cannot be blocked by Magic Guard, and cannot be blocked by Substitute!"]
["At the same time, because of the Pulse of the Stars, all of Rayquaza's stats have risen by three stages. And by all of them, I mean not just Attack, Defense, and Speed, but also critical-hit rate and accuracy."]
["Furthermore, when using the Pulse of the Stars—or rather, O-Power—it can benefit not only the user, but also grant O-Power to nearby people so that they benefit as well. This is the power of aliens."]
["In other words… everyone will be strengthened!"]
The cosmic monster: [Damn it! You… are you an alien?! How is this possible? My aura was erased. The stars are responding. Even the Millennium Comet is consciously answering you! Just what are you?!]
Hikaru : ["From your perspective, aren't the people on this planet aliens too?"]
["Let me greet you using the everyday greeting from the place where the Pulse of the Stars first descended. After all, I am also… one of them."]
["The power being granted, the power responding to the seven Key Stones, is the Little Litleonid meteor shower. The voices of stars from across the entire universe, gathered here once in a thousand years!"]
["The stars float through the universe like islands floating in the ocean. Therefore, the sea of stars is also a sea, and meteors are also islands. The Island Kahuna greets you."]
["Alola!"]
After that came the usual damage-stacking routine.
Dragon Ascent, with Flying-type same-type attack bonus, was equivalent to a move with 180 base power.
This was not official competitive battling, so items could be used without restriction. That was the convenience of a wild battle.
Sky Plate increased the move's power by 1.2 times. The ancient Flying Gem increased the move's power by 1.5 times.
Sharp Beak increased the move's power by 1.2 times. Life Orb increased the move's power by 1.3 times.
The Space-Time Orb doubled the move's power.
Then came a two-times modifier and a guaranteed critical hit.
Helping Hand boosted the power by another 1.5 times.
The cosmic monster: [Even with all that, it should be impossible—ugh, what? What is happening? Why are crystals appearing on my body?!]
Hikaru Deoxys changed into Normal Forme and once again threw out a boosted Tera Orb with its palm.
However, this time, it was not using it on an ally, but on the enemy.
Deoxys Zoffy: [This is the benefit of an unrestricted battle system. Terastallization does not have the same stone or bond limitations as Mega Evolution. You can use it however you want!]
[Especially a boosted Tera Orb, which can be used infinitely.]
[The Tera Shards we blasted into you earlier were Grass-type Tera Shards! Therefore, your hidden Tera Type was changed to Grass! Grass type is weak to Flying type by two times!]
[Belial, in the darkness of the universe, repent and mourn!]
Hikaru said, "Power: 3,032. Two-times weakness."
"Maximum power: 6,065."
"Near Shore, please give Rayquaza the command."
He was not the one who shared a bond with Rayquaza. He was merely providing life force and support.
Although Near Shore and Far Shore both felt that he was the remaining other half of the "Lorekeeper," Hikaru did not think so.
The cosmic monster: [You… you creatures… How dare you… Just what are you?!]
[Wishing Star, Jirachi, ooooooh! Rewrite my wish! Destroy them all!]
The cosmic monster changed into Speed Forme and chased the starship at extreme speed. But a brilliant silver light appeared on the starship. That light resonated with the Millennium Comet, as if it were an attack transmitted through the comet itself.
Shikana said, "That is…"
Hikaru said, "[Doom Desire]!"
The comet's bombardment knocked the cosmic monster back down. It looked at the Rayquaza launching the attack—not only the Dragon God, but the other two as well.
Three. All three together.
Zinnia: ["Near Shore, I'm with you."]
Brendan patted the black Rayquaza. ["…"]
Mega Rayquaza: [Near Shore… bless me. To me, you are also one of the most important people in this long life. Every day I spent with you was truly happy. After you died, loneliness and grief nearly tore my heart apart. For me, with my long life, that was an unbelievable thing.]
[I had taken for granted that important things would always remain there, just like Groudon and Kyogre's struggle, unchanging forever.]
[But none of that is certain. Maybe one day, something suddenly disappears. Only after losing something important do you realize how important it truly was. The person who formed a bond with me and was deeply trusted by me no longer existed. But now, you have returned.]
[If the arrival of the Divine Gate is also the result of my wish, if all of this is the result of the wish once made by the man who summoned Kyogre, then it must have profoundly affected the history and life of the entire world.]
[So, upon the summit of Sky Pillar, I will be together with your soul forever! Next time, let us watch the stars in the night sky together. Together, we can also imagine the vast and endless universe.]
[Near Shore, I love you too!]
Shikana said, "Meeting you changed my life. But I do not regret it."
"I will remain by your side, forever and ever, until the end and limit of this universe. Lord Dragon God, I am your partner, and I am also a Lorekeeper. Because a wish was made, a descendant of the Divine Gate appeared, and that is why I can stand on your head like this. I want to become an emerald star together with you."
"Please use the final [Dragon Ascent]!"
The three Rayquaza roared at the same time. From three angles, they used Dragon Ascent, surrounding the cosmic monster that had been suppressed by Doom Desire. The latter let out a furious cry.
[It was not supposed to be like this!]
Even when the jet-black Rayquaza used Dragon Ascent, its body was surrounded by green energy. And when the three lights crossed, a wind that illuminated the world began to blow.
The light traveled into the very distant universe, reaching the far end of Ultra Space. In a certain dark metropolis, someone saw that light, and it triggered the roar and response of the Pokémon that had once been the sun.
In Alola, voices like those of a lion and a bat also seemed to appear.
Near the Oblivia region, a large bird Pokémon with rainbow-colored light gazed into the universe.
The crystal lost its light, shattered, and scattered. In the end, it became a [Heart Void].
The cosmic monster looked at its empty chest. In truth, the crystal had not been completely destroyed. A tiny piece remained. As long as it was given time, it could regenerate. As long as it escaped from here, as long as—
Tera explosion.
It tried to switch Formes, but agony overtook it. It could no longer control its body. In the end, it assumed Defense Forme, and the final thing reflected in its eyes was…
The Poké Ball thrown by that person of the Divine Gate.
It was a silver Poké Ball with DNA written on it.
It was the same one it had shattered before… No. Was this the second one?
A tiny Poké Ball, yet it carried the energy of the entire universe. It was like…
[A prison of the universe!]
"All living beings, in this cold long night, think long and hard."
The cosmic monster seemed to hear the voices of its kin from Planet Plasma, those glowing outsiders. Or perhaps those voices came from the three Deoxys.
When the seventh night arrived, the wish was destroyed.
You who defiled the Land of Light—
Be sealed inside the universe's prison, inside that Poké Ball representing the galaxy, and atone within it forever, until eternity.
(End of Chapter)
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