Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several flashes of white light burst forth in rapid succession.
Scizor, Aggron, Skarmory, Lucario, and Empoleon materialized onto the battlefield!
At the same moment, Cynthia's Pokémon appeared as well!
A storm of attacks rained down on Regigigas from every direction!
Boom!
Regigigas, which had only just struggled back to its feet, was knocked to the ground once more. Its enormous body hit the earth with a thunderous crash, sending a great cloud of dust billowing into the air.
"Om…"
The last two gray dots on Regigigas's body flickered — and then lit up completely.
A crushing, oppressive force swept outward, blanketing the entire area in an instant.
"Slow Start has ended," Steven murmured quietly to himself.
Bang!
Regigigas drove both of its massive arms into the ground. The immense power it unleashed traveled beneath the surface, invisible but devastating — like the fin of a great predator slicing silently through water, it tore across the earth beneath their feet.
"Lucario!" Steven called out sharply.
The shockwave tore through the ground, hurling shards of rock and loose stone in every direction as it surged toward the group.
Lucario bent its knees and launched itself forward. In a single instant, it became a streak of white light — Extreme Speed — and snatched Mikoto up, carrying her clear of the airship.
The shockwave struck the vessel a heartbeat later, reducing it to wreckage in an instant. At the same time, the fissures in the ground cracked open even further, splitting the earth like a wound torn wide open.
"Skarmory, use Iron Defense!" Steven called upward to where Skarmory circled above.
"Yo!"
Skarmory understood at once. It spotted a jutting rock formation nearby and landed upon it, steeling its body and sharpening its defenses. Its feathers — only recently regrown — gleamed in the dim light.
Last time, it had been unable to help its companions. This time, it intended to do its part.
Skarmory fixed its gaze on the colossal creature before it. Not a single trace of fear showed in its eyes.
"Diancie, please look after Cynthia," Steven said, glancing toward the far side of the battlefield, where the group had been split apart.
Brandon, Cynthia, and Diancie had been pushed to one side. Steven had ended up on the other — alone.
"Steven! Leave it to me!"
Diancie's voice rang clearly in Steven's mind.
"It sounds like you think I need someone to protect me," Cynthia said with a quiet huff, then raised her hand and commanded:
"Lucario, use Aura Sphere!"
"Luca!"
Cynthia's Lucario gathered a sphere of vivid blue energy between its palms and hurled it toward Regigigas.
"Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Steven called to his own Lucario across the field.
"Luca." His Lucario set Mikoto down gently, gave her a brief nod, then turned and condensed its own Aura Sphere before launching it forward.
The two orbs of blue light arced through the air, crossing paths before converging together on Regigigas.
Bang!
Regigigas swung one arm in a wide, brutal arc and batted both Aura Spheres apart.
"Kaaah!"
Aggron slammed its tail against the ground. With a fierce roar, thick stone pillars erupted from the earth — Stone Edge — driving upward beneath Regigigas's feet!
Bang!
The pillars caught Regigigas beneath its soles and heaved it upward, throwing its balance off. For a moment it seemed as though the titan might topple.
But Regigigas bore down with tremendous force, crushing the rising pillars beneath its weight. The impact sent a violent tremor rippling through the ground. Small cracks began to web outward from the edges of the great fissure.
"Regirock! Registeel! Hold it in place!" Brandon waved his arm, signaling the two Legendary Pokémon to move in.
Regirock and Registeel both rushed forward, wrapping themselves around Regigigas's legs. Rock and steel surged up from the ground around its feet, locking the giant in place.
"Metagross, use Hammer Arm!"
"Garchomp, Brick Break!"
"Steven! Wait—" Brandon began, but cut himself off. He hadn't expected the two of them to act so quickly. They had already seized the opening without any word from him.
With its legs immobilized, Regigigas could only swing its arms in an attempt to block the incoming attacks.
Bang! Bang!
Two bursts of blue Aura energy detonated against Regigigas's arm joints, and three Hydro Pumps struck from different angles at once, drenching Regigigas's face and clouding its sight — slowing its reactions just enough.
Boom—
Metagross and Garchomp's blows connected, staggering the colossal Pokémon from side to side.
But its legs held firm in the grip of Regirock and Registeel. It did not fall.
"Regice, Ice Beam!" Brandon shouted.
Regice brought its hands together, and a winding ray of ice-blue light shot forth.
"Empoleon!"
"Awooo!"
I know.
Empoleon had only just finished firing its Hydro Pump. Now, a sphere of icy energy condensed in front of its beak. A second Ice Beam launched forward, crossing with Regice's in the air before both struck Regigigas together.
Combined with the water still clinging to Regigigas's surface from the earlier Hydro Pump, the ice took hold rapidly. The frozen layer spread from its face outward toward its limbs, consuming more of its enormous form with every passing second.
Even so, freezing a creature of Regigigas's size entirely was no small task. The two Ice Beams continued uninterrupted for seven or eight seconds before a complete shell of ice had encased the titan.
Regirock and Registeel, still gripping its legs from below, were encased as well.
Crack… crack… crack…
No one had time to exhale. Fracture lines were already spreading through the towering ice sculpture, dozens of meters tall.
Clang!
Regigigas shattered the ice from the inside.
Regirock and Registeel, caught beneath its legs, were hurled backward with tremendous force.
The dots on Regigigas's body pulsed in rapid, rhythmic flashes.
The giant paused — two full seconds of silence. It seemed almost as though it was observing. Perhaps even thinking.
"Om… om…"
A deep, resonant sound rose from within Regigigas's body, heavy and ancient.
Om!
The dots on the faces of Regirock, Registeel, and Regice flared crimson all at once.
Regirock and Registeel — despite their injuries — immediately moved to Regigigas's flanks, standing in close formation on either side. Regice moved forward and took position directly in front.
It was as though three loyal knights, long dormant, had stirred at the call of their king. Whatever memories slept within them had reawakened.
"This is exactly what I was hoping to avoid," Steven said quietly, letting out a slow breath.
He had wanted to warn them. But by the time he could have, Regigigas had already broken free from the ruins. There simply hadn't been a moment to spare.
"Come back!"
Seeing that the situation had shifted against them, Brandon acted quickly. He pulled out three Poké Balls and snapped them open in sequence.
Three beams of red light shot out — and bounced back.
The Poké Balls had been repelled. He couldn't recall them.
"The recall function can't override Regigigas's power at this level," Steven said, a faint frown crossing his face.
His gaze dropped to the Z-Ring on his left wrist.
He was in good condition. He had only used Mega Evolution on Metagross so far. He might be able to manage the strain of his exclusive Z-Move — but only just. If he pushed too hard and his body gave out, he would need to rely on Cynthia to carry the rest of the fight.
Steven assessed the state of Metagross and his other Pokémon. They were holding up well.
He gritted his teeth and decided to hold the Z-Move in reserve for now.
"Om…"
Regigigas lifted one massive foot, stepping forward over Regice's head. Then it lowered itself slowly, driving its fingers deep into the earth.
Golden energy wrapped around its hands like a shroud.
Crack…
Its fingers curled inward with terrifying, deliberate force — as though it meant to crush the very ground itself.
In an instant, with Regigigas at the center, the earth fractured outward. The ground within a thousand-meter radius shattered all at once. Something vast and powerful, buried deep below, had been awakened — and it was about to erupt.
"Get into the air — now!" Steven shouted the warning to everyone around him.
He recalled all of his Pokémon into their Poké Balls in rapid succession, keeping only Metagross and Skarmory out. Metagross used Psychic immediately, lifting Brandon and Mikoto off the ground and carrying them upward into the sky.
Cynthia, meanwhile, climbed onto Garchomp's back, with Diancie secured beside her. Mega Evolution had reshaped Garchomp's silhouette entirely — its fins had become long, curving blades, and controlling its flight required far greater precision than before.
Boom!
In an instant, blinding white light erupted from every crack in the ground within a thousand meters of Regigigas, flooding upward in a great, searing column—
…