As one of the Unova Elite Four, Caitlin naturally held the Twin Dragons of Truth and Ideals in the highest regard.
Even if Lugia was one of her beloved Psychic-types, Zekrom and Reshiram were her faith! In her heart, their status was equal; she had no intention of "downplaying" anyone.
Thus, Caitlin provided an objective judgment. Is Lugia strong? Extremely! Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to suppress Unbound Hoopa and repeatedly blast it away with Sky Attack, even if the actual damage dealt was minimal.
But are the Unova Dragons weak? Of course not! In previous rankings, she had seen the world-shaking power of the Black and White Dragons at full throttle—collapsing mountains and parting seas. Even if they were slightly below Lugia, the gap was marginal.
The real question was: Why did Unbound Hoopa, who once toyed with the Unova Dragons and Regigigas, now seem to be struggling against Lugia?
[Cynthia: It's likely because this Unbound Hoopa is weaker.]
[Alder: Weaker?]
[Cynthia: Precisely. This Unbound Hoopa doesn't possess Hoopa's full power. Don't forget, the original "Confined" Hoopa is still with Ash!]
The realization hit everyone instantly. While the Shadow possessed the majority of the power, it was an incomplete existence.
Only by merging could they reach the "Transcendental" strength seen at the start of the ranking, where the giant shrugged off ultimate moves from three Legendaries without flinching.
In the Footage—
Back on the battlefield of Dahara City, small Hoopa panicked as its primary defender, Lugia, was forcibly sent away. Fortunately, Ash gave him a pep talk.
"Hoopa! Don't lose to the Shadow! Didn't you say you wanted to live in harmony? If you lose now, there is no future!"
"…Right! Hoopa will fight!!" Determination flared in the little imp's eyes.
"Great! We need to buy time for the Prison Bottle to be remade. We must avoid a direct head-on clash. Hoopa, I need you to summon Pokémon with incredible flight speed!"
"Leave it to Hoopa!!"
Flying speed? Normally, one might think of Groudon... (wait, no).
"Come on out!!"
Small Hoopa tossed three golden rings into the air. They glowed with Red, Blue, and Green light. From the red and blue rings emerged two jet-like Pokémon: the Eon Duo, Latias and Latios!
And from the green ring... a jet-black dragon descended. It had twin horns, three-clawed hands, and piercing yellow-and-black eyes. The supreme deity of Hoenn—a Shiny Rayquaza!
"Latias, Latios, and Rayquaza!" "Surprised you!" "Yeah! Totally surprised!" Ash grinned. He only asked for speed, but Hoopa delivered the Eon duo and a Black Rayquaza. With 3-on-1, they had a chance!
Latios flew to Ash, affectionately nuzzling his cheek. "Latias... are you the Latias from Alto Mare?!" Ash asked. The Pokémon nodded gently. "Haha! Long time no see! But we've got a big problem to handle first!"
Ash hopped onto Latios's back, while Pikachu jumped onto Latias. (Ash still remembered nearly falling off Latias years ago, so he chose the steadier Latios this time).
[Steven Stone: A black Rayquaza... a Shiny?! Hoopa can even summon a Shiny variant of the Sky High King? Incredible!]
[Wallace: This confirms that more than one Rayquaza exists, though only the green one likely holds the true 'Authority' over the ozone layer. Can this one beat the Shadow?]
[Drake: Look at those black scales and that aura! As the pride of Hoenn, I trust Rayquaza won't let us down!]
In the Footage—
"Let's go, everyone!"
With Ash's shout, the three flyers took to the sky. Unbound Hoopa gave chase immediately. Ash's priority was to lead the Shadow away from the tower where Baraz was working. However, the Shadow's speed was terrifying; in seconds, it cut them off.
The Shadow unleashed six rings, summoning massive black tornadoes that engulfed the sky, turning day into pitch black.
"Latias, Latios, Psychic!"
The two Eon Pokémon countered with immense mental pressure, turning the black storms blue and reflecting them back. As the mist cleared, Unbound Hoopa deployed its six rings in a circular formation.
Each ring began to glow with a different, ominous color: light blue, deep purple, pitch black, dark blue, crimson, and ice blue.
From the portals, six titans emerged. A blue dinosaur and a purple one (Dialga and Palkia). A gold-and-black centipede-like dragon (Giratina). The "Strongest Dragon," Kyurem! And finally, two familiar titans from the start of the ranking, but their forms were... different.
[Cynthia: No way... Dialga, Palkia, and even Giratina?! The three masters of Sinnoh summoned at once? How does he dare?! Isn't he afraid they'll gank him?]
[Alder: Look at the Unova representative... Kyurem! He even pulled the Ice Dragon!]
[Steven Stone: The Hoenn duo... they've changed. Look at the glowing patterns and the sheer energy... That is Primal Reversion!]
[Steven Stone: Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre—their true forms from the super-ancient era. Groudon expands the land with every step, and Kyogre's presence alone floods the world. They are the true sovereigns of Earth and Sea.]
The audience was paralyzed. Seven Primary Legendaries—Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Kyurem, Primal Groudon, and Primal Kyogre—all stood with blood-red eyes, completely under the Shadow's control.
[Diantha: Lance, remember to train that Pidgeot to Elite Level~]
[Lance: ...]
[Lorelei: A jinx of legendary proportions. How is Ash supposed to handle seven gods? This is beyond human capability.]
[Steven Stone: All he can do is run. Even Rayquaza, who normally rules the duo, will struggle against their Primal forms. This is a battle for the fate of the world.]
Unova Region - Team Plasma HQ:
Ghetsis was speechless. First, Hoopa toyed with the Unova dragons, making his life's work look like a joke.
Now, the Shadow had summoned Kyurem and forced it into submission. Colress, the brilliant scientist who prided himself on his "Reshiram Control Device," felt his resolve crumble.
"Gods are gods, after all... how can humans ever hope to surpass them?" Colress muttered. Then his eyes drifted to the screen—to the young boy sitting on the back of Latios, facing seven deities with a fearless grin.
If anyone in this world can prove that humans can transcend the power of gods... It's that boy, Colress thought. He is the proof.
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