"What happened?"
"Why is this happening?"
Diancie looked completely panicked.
She had no idea what was going on.
Diantha swallowed nervously.
The terrifying scene unfolding before her looked exactly like the stories she had heard as a child.
When the legendary God of Destruction awakened—
Death would rapidly spread across the land.
All life would perish.
Turn to stone.
And eventually sink into eternal silence.
Then she remembered what Chen Shi had joked about earlier.
Immediately, panic set in.
The God of Life, Xerneas, had awakened.
And now the God of Destruction, Yveltal, had followed.
It looked frighteningly similar to what had happened in Hoenn just days ago.
Could a catastrophic battle between Legendary Pokémon really be about to erupt in Kalos?
At the thought, Diantha's face turned pale.
Her heart pounded uncontrollably.
This was completely different from Hoenn.
Back then, Groudon and Kyogre had fought in the ocean.
Even so, the consequences had been enormous.
Sootopolis City had nearly been swallowed by the sea.
But this was the Winding Woods.
The very heart of the Kalos region.
Countless cities and towns surrounded it.
If these two Legendary Pokémon started fighting—
Diantha didn't even dare imagine the consequences.
Unlike Diantha's panic, however, Chen Shi remained remarkably calm.
The things he had said earlier were mostly meant to scare her.
After all, Zygarde had been watching over the Winding Woods the entire time.
There was no way it would allow Xerneas and Yveltal to start fighting.
The current scene looked terrifying.
But in Chen Shi's opinion, this was probably just Yveltal's unconscious influence after awakening.
Just as Xerneas had unconsciously released life energy when it woke up.
Overall, things hadn't reached the worst possible scenario yet.
"......"
Just as the Wind of Destruction was about to spread beyond the Winding Woods—
A majestic voice suddenly echoed through the sky.
"Enough, Yveltal."
"Do not force me to intervene."
The moment those words fell—
A miraculous scene unfolded.
The deathly black wind instantly stopped.
As though it had received a direct command.
Everyone immediately recognized the voice.
It belonged to Zygarde.
Unable to remain silent any longer, it had finally stepped in to stop Yveltal.
"ROAR!"
A deafening cry shook the heavens.
Yveltal spread its wings and soared into the sky.
For the first time, everyone saw its full appearance.
Its body resembled a massive bird.
Black and crimson covered its entire form.
Three extensions stretched outward where each wing connected to its body.
Five claw-like protrusions lined the edges of each wing and its massive tail.
It looked incredibly intimidating.
Yveltal first looked toward a distant direction.
There, its gaze met Zygarde's cold eyes.
Eyes filled with warning.
Then Yveltal turned toward Chen Shi and the others.
The instant it looked at them—
An overwhelming pressure descended.
Everyone felt their blood freeze.
Cold sweat streamed down their foreheads and backs.
Yveltal paid little attention to Cynthia, Steven, or Diantha.
However, when its gaze swept across Chen Shi, it paused briefly.
Clearly, it had sensed the numerous Legendary Pokémon auras surrounding him.
Then Yveltal shifted its focus.
Its eyes met Xerneas's calm gaze.
The embodiment of Life.
The embodiment of Destruction.
The two Legendary Pokémon silently stared at one another.
Invisible forces seemed to collide where their gazes met.
The atmosphere instantly became heavy.
Tense.
Oppressive.
Steven, Cynthia, and Diantha watched nervously.
Their hearts were lodged firmly in their throats.
None of them dared make a sound.
They feared that the slightest provocation could trigger a battle.
Yet to their complete surprise—
After that silent exchange, which seemed to contain countless unspoken words—
Yveltal simply spread its wings.
Then turned and flew away.
Its silhouette rapidly shrank against the horizon before disappearing completely.
The three Champions collectively let out a breath of relief.
As long as they didn't fight—
Everything was manageable.
"...Sigh."
A soft sigh suddenly echoed through the forest.
It carried countless emotions.
Regret.
Sorrow.
Helplessness.
Everyone turned toward the source.
Xerneas stood silently in place.
Its eyes slowly swept across every corner of the Winding Woods.
The forest was no longer lush and vibrant.
Aside from the small area surrounding them—
Everything else had been petrified by Yveltal's deathly wind.
It seemed as though Xerneas could hear the mourning cries of countless living beings.
The grief of life cut short.
The unwillingness of existence facing extinction.
Each cry pierced its heart.
Finally, Xerneas turned toward Mew.
Its voice remained as gentle as ever.
"I will sleep again."
"You should leave."
Mew didn't seem surprised at all.
Its lips twitched slightly.
[Big Deer.]
[You really haven't changed at all.]
Steven, Cynthia, and Diantha looked utterly confused.
Sleep again?
Didn't it just wake up?
Why would it immediately go back to sleep?
Soon enough, they found out.
Xerneas glanced toward the Beedrill behind it.
The Beedrill immediately turned its head away, refusing eye contact.
Xerneas said nothing.
Instead, it cast one final look over the Winding Woods.
Then—
Its magnificent antlers erupted with brilliant rainbow-colored light.
An endless tide of life energy exploded outward from its body.
Like an ocean flooding across the world.
Wherever the light touched—
Life returned.
Flowers.
Grass.
Trees.
Countless Pokémon that had been petrified by Yveltal's power gradually broke free from stone and returned to life.
But while restoring the land—
Xerneas itself rapidly weakened.
Its body began to blur.
Its majestic form slowly faded.
The God of Life was once again transforming into a tree.
Returning to slumber.
Like a hero who burned away every last fragment of strength to save others.
Everyone stood silently watching.
Their hearts were filled with indescribable emotions.
After a long time, Chen Shi finally spoke.
"True greatness needs no words."
A simple sentence.
Yet it perfectly expressed everyone's feelings.
Cynthia's voice was filled with admiration.
"Xerneas truly deserves the title of God of Life."
Its actions had perfectly embodied its devotion to protecting all living things.
Chen Shi sighed softly.
Then a smile appeared on his face.
Looking at Victini on his shoulder, he said:
"Little V."
"Shall we help her?"
Victini froze briefly.
Then nodded with all its strength.
"Vini!!"
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