"Steven!!!"
"Metagross, shift five degrees to the left!"
The Mega Metagross, dashing at full speed in the air, suddenly twisted its body, narrowly dodging the Precipice Blades stabbing up from the ground, and drastically changed direction to dive into an open field.
Clinging tightly to Metagross's arm which he was using as a handrail, Wallace let out a breath of lingering fear.
"Phew—"
"The pressure of fighting a Legendary Pokemon is way too high!"
"How did Teacher Azure manage to fight on par with those three deities of Sinnoh back then—"
"I'm not sure, but we need to find a way to pin down Groudon."
Compared to the pale-faced Wallace, Steven's expression appeared much calmer.
"After all, this can be considered an early practice run for us. Perhaps in the near future, we will face the wrath of those two deities again."
"I get the logic, but this Groudon's power is just too terrifying!"
After speaking, Wallace immediately turned his head to look at the God of Land behind them, who was chasing them with all its might, its eyes full of rage.
After Primal Reversion, Groudon's power was indeed quite terrifying. Once it was separated from Kyogre by a certain distance, any Water-type move would quickly evaporate as soon as it got close to it, making it completely impossible to fight head-on.
For Wallace, whose team consisted almost entirely of Water-type Pokemon, this was a hard mechanical counter.
Because of this, he had become a burden that would drag Steven down—
"It's fine, our goal this time isn't to defeat it, we just need to stall for time."
Steven didn't mind this at all. He just smiled and then gave another command.
Actually, he still had a trump card, it was just that— "Metagross, Agility!"
"Meta!"
Another fireball shot over like a cannonball. When it brushed past the accelerating and turning Metagross without touching it at all, burn marks actually immediately appeared on its steel claws.
"Wallace!"
"Yeah, I know!"
"Milotic, Aqua Ring!"
"Roar—!"
"Careful, Glaciate again!"
Lance's shout from the air prompted the three trainers on the ground to immediately prepare to counter.
"Centiskorch, Inferno!"
"Turtonator, use Trap Shell to block it!"
"Machamp, show our spirit, Cross Chop!"
Kabu, Raihan, and the others each displayed their skills, intercepting the bone-chilling air sprayed out by Kyurem.
"Dragonite, form up with Dragon Pulse!"
Seeing this, Lance in the air waved his hand, pushing aside his rain-soaked cape.
The Dragonite and Dragonair guarding him formed a triangle. The power they accumulated with all their might was unleashed all at once, making Kyurem cry out in pain with another roar.
"Tch—This guy is way too tanky. Even Lance's Dragon Army can't dent it."
Bruno wiped the rain off his face and casually flicked away the frost left after physically blocking Glaciate.
"—Bruno, are you really okay?"
Kabu next to him was almost dumbfounded.
"Oh, it's nothing, it doesn't affect my movements."
Bruno waved his hand dismissively.
"The first time I fought Lorelei, I was almost turned into an Ice Person by her. That time was actually more dangerous."
"Fighting with her for so many years has its perks after all."
"Lance, me, and our Pokemon are now basically maxed out on our Ice-type resistance."
Kabu, whose mouth was wide enough to fit an egg, exchanged a glance with some of the others.
As expected, the legend that the Indigo Plateau produces monsters is true!
"Ha!" "Fu!"
"Saa—!"
At the center of Rose Plaza, the two Urshifu, a Mienshao, and a shirtless Mustard leaped up one after another, repeatedly harassing the clearly impatient Primal Kyogre.
"Roar—!"
Kyogre gathered power from the rain again. The zero-frame startup Origin Pulse spread outward in a ring toward the ground.
However, its attack was easily dodged by the "little ants" underground.
"—"
"Hiss—"
After dodging the Legendary's ultimate move with a backflip, Mustard's face suddenly stiffened. He trembled and grabbed his side.
"Dear, take it easy, you're not young anymore!"
Honey's concerned voice came from behind, but Mustard suddenly burst into laughter and stood straight up as if nothing had happened.
"Just kidding, actually I didn't—"
Poke poke.
"Hiss—it doesn't hurt!"
"You, at your age, you still like to act tough."
Honey retracted her hand, helplessly holding her forehead.
"Since you've already pulled a back muscle, just take a rest for a bit. I'll take over commanding the two Urshifu for now."
"—Can you let me play for five more minutes? This is way more exciting than playing games!"
"No, you go rest!"
"Urshifu, prepare to use Aerial Ace!"
"Urshifu!"
When its gaze focused on the two humans below with a huge age gap—
For some reason, Kyogre inexplicably felt very annoyed.
It felt like it was a giant third wheel.
This isn't fun. Fighting with Groudon is definitely more interesting.
"Careful, the second wave of attacks is coming!"
"Lugia, wake up!"
"As the God of the Sea, have you already forgotten your duties?!"
Professor Oak's vigorous voice echoed across the Blue Plaza.
However, the Dark Lugia in the sky turned a deaf ear, continuing to recklessly gather power and blast an Aeroblast toward the ground.
"Why are you wasting your breath on the enemy? Win first, then figure out how to purify it!"
Agatha beside him slammed her cane into the ground.
"Gengar, Protect!"
"Ge-hehe~"
"Kangaskhan, block the attack together with Gengar!"
"Roar—!"
The two Pokemon stood in front simultaneously. Using their Protect barriers, they actually managed to block a strike from a deity.
"I understand, it's just—"
Professor Oak looked up at the sky. The pained expression on the Dark Lugia made his expression very complex.
More than heartache, what he felt was fear.
"I never imagined that a human would actually modify a Legendary Pokemon like this."
"But, Agatha, you're right. Only after completely calming its anger will we have the right to communicate equally with a deity."
"So—"
"Dragonite, use Blizzard!"
"Regi—!"
The Regigigas descending from the heavens smashed a fist into the earth. The shockwave from its landing directly caused the surrounding buildings to start shaking.
"Garchomp, dodge carefully!"
"Gar-roar!"
After reminding Garchomp, Cynthia, sitting on its shoulder, looked down.
The Regigigas of Sinnoh legend, said to be able to move continental plates—
If it hadn't been suddenly awakened from its slumber and was still in its warm-up phase, perhaps its power and speed would be even more exaggerated.
Truly terrifying—
She also didn't know how Aiden had convinced it to go to Paldea back then.
But, at least one thing was certain—they absolutely had to be careful of the instant its warm-up finished, otherwise they might not react in time and suffer a massive loss.
Cynthia was narrowing her eyes in thought when she suddenly heard a familiar voice from above.
"Cynthia, I'm here to help!"
Looking up, Caitlin sitting on Sigilyph, and Shauntal grabbing the ribbons of a Drifblim, appeared before her.
"Since Aiden isn't here, the heavy responsibility of protecting you falls to me!"
"The wrath of gods is not something humans can endure, but there will always be countless brave souls who shoulder the mission, offering a song of courage to the deities!"
"You guys—"
Cynthia originally hadn't planned to let Caitlin get dragged into this battle against the deities either.
However, upon noticing Caitlin's incredibly confident and caring expression, she suddenly smiled gently.
Unknowingly, Caitlin had also grown into a very reliable person.
Next year, there would definitely be a spot for her among the Unova Elite Four.
"Yeah, we'll fight side by side."
After Cynthia finished speaking, she turned to look at the Regigigas below, looking up at her.
"Garchomp, Mega Evolve!"
"Miss Caitlin! We're already far from the Lumiose City area!"
"Very good, launch the counterattack here!"
"Be careful not to touch any of its moves!"
"Yes!"
In the outskirts of Lumiose City, the Champion and Elite Four of the Kalos region had gathered together.
And behind them was Yveltal, spreading its red and black wings, unreservedly pouring out its energy.
The plants affected by its aura of death quickly began to wither and rot, as if all their vitality had been completely drained, leaving only eternal death echoing in the world.
This power was overwhelmingly strong, and its area of effect was massive.
If they recklessly intercepted it within Lumiose City, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Fortunately, Caitlin had successfully drawn its attention. After a long chase, they finally arrived at an open area where it wouldn't cause any impact on the environment or humans for the time being.
"Whatever you do, don't be reckless. Try to pin it down!"
"Yes!"
After Caitlin spoke, the Elite Four—Wikstrom, Drasna, Siebold, and Malva—heavily nodded.
Their only goal now was one thing!
Pin the most troublesome guy in place, and wait for Teacher Azure's side to decide the victor!
Boom
"Hoopa—is the strongest!!!"
After all the Legendaries summoned by Hoopa were split up, the remaining Hoopa Unbound naturally couldn't just squat in the back and watch the show anymore.
After several attempts to use "Hoopa Pulls" to summon more goons, only to be interrupted by that purple Pokemon every time, the enraged Hoopa had lost its reason. Using its massive size advantage, it closed in.
Little Hoopa might rely more on psychic powers or that magical Hyperspace Ring to solve problems.
But for Hoopa Unbound—
Its six massive arms were the best interpretation of power!
There was no ultimate move called "Hyperspace Hole" that ignored Protect and Substitutes and could attack consecutively; it was purely that this thing just had way too many hands, making it completely impossible to defend against!
"Pon—!"
"Sala!"
"Vee!!!"
"Gar-roar—"
"Mmm?"
"Luca!"
The six arms swinging with full force were barely blocked by Aiden's Pokemon, each using their ultimate moves.
And in the gap when Hoopa Unbound retracted its hands, Aiden suddenly spoke up—"Mewtwo!"
"Use Gravity!"
The size-shrunk Mega Mewtwo Y suddenly narrowed its eyes. After synchronously raising its two small arms, it clenched its hand in the void toward Hoopa Unbound's direction!
Boom—!
The powerful psychic power that erupted in an instant made the caught-off-guard Hoopa Unbound's body suddenly sink. It plummeted straight to the ground, smashing a deep pit fully three meters high into the earth.
"Roar—!"
The Hoopa, pinned to the ground by psychic power, let out a roar. After breaking free of its restraints with all its might, it looked up and fired a Dark Pulse at extreme speed toward Mewtwo.
"Luca!"
Lucario violently threw a punch. The instantly erupted power scattered all that malicious intent.
"Hoopa—keep fighting!!"
Looking at the Hoopa Unbound in the pit below, now covered in dust and looking rather pathetic, Aiden suddenly felt it was actually quite pitiful.
If they followed the movie's setting, Hoopa itself didn't really have any malice. Its obsession with power was purely trouble caused by the villagers having nothing better to do—
However, since it had caused a massive impact on the world, they had to deal with it.
At the very least, it needed to calm down and be able to listen to reason.
Given Hoopa Unbound's stamina, it looked like it was going to be another grueling battle.
Aiden sighed. When he looked down at Hoopa again, his eyes were already full of fighting spirit.
What to do if they didn't have the Prison Bottle that could capture it?
Simple. I'll just beat it up and let it return to the right path under the "rehabilitation of love," wouldn't that work?
"Keep draining its stamina. Even for a Legendary Pokemon, its stamina can't be infinite. There will definitely be a time when it runs out of energy!"
He managed to rally their spirits, and his companions, who were lowered to the ground by Mewtwo's psychic power, all prepared to continue the battle.
However—sure enough, his side was still missing the most basic yet most crucial element.
The Dark/Psychic typing of Hoopa Unbound had excellent resistances. This was one of the reasons it could tank multiple attacks and still not lose momentum.
Even attacks from his Mewtwo and Indeedee could be tanked head-on by the bulky Hoopa Unbound.
Not having a Bug-type really makes a difference, huh?
"Buzz—"
Aiden was thinking this when he suddenly heard a high-frequency vibration by his ear. He turned his head in terror.
A black and yellow figure flashed by. Countless needles leaving afterimages distinctly attacked Hoopa Unbound.
At the same time, a brownish-yellow mythical beast in the sky followed up, violently whipping its tail against Hoopa, and then easily bounced back into the air using its elasticity.
Landorus, and—
A Mega Beedrill?
Taking zero seconds, Aiden immediately guessed who had arrived.
"You seem to be in a bitter struggle."
On the ground, the reliable figure of the middle-aged man in a black suit with a buzz cut appeared.
"Although I usually hate being a hero's partner, but—"
"I'll lend you a hand this time. Consider it returning a favor."
After speaking, Giovanni looked down at the Hoopa Unbound in the deep pit, which was being suppressed. His expression instantly turned murderous.
"The Demon God of legend said to have destroyed a kingdom—It's not a bad opponent."
"Giovanni of the Earth, has come to fight you!"
Aiden blinked and instantly breathed a huge sigh of relief.
With Giovanni's Beedrill and the "True Bug King" here, suppressing Hoopa Unbound shouldn't be a problem anymore.
But—even if they could beat it until it begged for mercy, there was still a more fundamental problem that hadn't been solved.
The Shadow was the malice split off by Little Hoopa. Its power essentially originated from that Little Hoopa; the two were of the same root.
If they wanted to completely resolve it, the Little Hoopa, who had become Anxin'er's partner, would probably also—
If there was any other choice, Aiden really didn't want the price of saving the world to be a cute little girl losing her friend.
So—how did they do it in the movie—
Did they really have to let Little Hoopa use love to move Hoopa Unbound?
Aiden was thinking this when he suddenly sensed a strange spatial fluctuation behind him.
"Uncle Aiden, Little Hoopa did it!"
Little Hoopa's voice arrived in this world first through a Hyperspace Ring.
Then, the Black Rayquaza, which had been tricked into an alternate timeline by Hoopa Unbound, poked its head out, its expression looking a little awkward.
Little Hoopa sat on its head, grinning at Aiden.
"This time, Little Hoopa is also a hero who saved the world!"
Aiden smiled and reached out to rub Little Hoopa's head.
"Good, good, Hoopa is the best."
"Hehe~"
Little Hoopa remained cheeky, showing a satisfied expression.
However—"Roar—"
The Black Rayquaza, with Little Hoopa riding on its head, suddenly let out a low growl. Then it shook its body, directly throwing Little Hoopa off, leaving it floating awkwardly in the air.
Aiden blinked and looked at the Black Rayquaza that had stopped in front of him.
He suddenly felt a surge of emotion—
Although he had seen this Dragon Guardian many times, this was probably the first time they had such close contact, right?
It was staring straight at him, its eyes full of fighting spirit, as if expecting something.
Aiden: ?
Even though he couldn't understand, he vaguely guessed what the Black Rayquaza was thinking.
So, under Hoopa Unbound's displeased gaze, Aiden placed his hand on the Black Rayquaza's head again.
"Thank you for your hard work this time too, Rayquaza."
"Roar"
Rayquaza let out another low growl, but this time it seemed to carry a bit of a spoiled tone?
Aiden couldn't understand, so he could only guess.
However, from the "testimonies" of Anxin'er and Hoopa, his future self and Black Rayquaza would probably fight side by side again, right?
So, their relationship might actually be better than he originally imagined?
Was it really acting spoiled just now—
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