"Rooaar—"
A dragon roar expressing pure joy echoed through the blue sky. The coiling, vigorous giant dragon carried the young man toward the Sky Pillar.
The black and gold cloak fluttered loudly in the wind. The young man, who had just finished his journey in Kalos, gently patted Rayquaza's head beneath him, taking the wind as his friend and the clouds as his companions.
However, this beautiful and poetic atmosphere didn't even last for two minutes before it was completely ruined by the big, silly dragon showing its true colors.
[Roar! Little Lorze! Those little candy cubes, hehehe...]
Lorze couldn't help but burst into laughter with a "pfft". This world is just one giant foodie—the most universally relatable episode ever!
Fortunately, he had come fully prepared, so he poured all kinds of Pokéblocks straight into the giant dragon's mouth.
[Roar, roar, so delicious, so delicious...]
While happily twisting its long body, Rayquaza began to casually chat with Lorze.
[Didn't we agree that you'd bring delicious food to the Sky Pillar after a while? You really left me starving these past few days!]
Who would have thought, who would have ever thought, that you, the fierce and majestic Rayquaza, were actually just an empty-nester.
[So, where exactly did you run off to during this time?]
"You know about the Kalos region?"
Rayquaza shook its head. The massive movement almost threw Lorze off, but fortunately, his telekinesis was no longer what it used to be. He exerted his power to grab onto the dragon's horn, as steady as an old hound.
"Anyway, it's just a new place. I even got into a fight with the local god there. I almost died; it's really great to be alive..."
What!?
Rayquaza snorted dismissively, the powerful airflow immediately blowing away the surrounding clouds: [Tsk, tsk, tsk, is that guy as strong as me?]
"If you transform using Dragon Ascent, you'd probably be stronger. If you don't transform, I'm afraid that guy is still stronger."
"Rooaar!!!"
Rayquaza didn't reply, but instead let out a long, loud roar as if expressing its intense dissatisfaction—
Only then did Lorze belatedly scratch his head: Did those words just trigger its competitive spirit...?
The atmosphere became a bit awkward after that. Rayquaza carried him silently all the way to the Sky Pillar. The giant dragon flicked its head and tossed Lorze off, while the latter used telekinesis to land steadily on the ground, kicking up a cloud of flying dust.
It really is angry, isn't it?
Coiling around Lorze, Rayquaza lowered its dragon head and glared down at the young man.
[Listen here, human! You'd better not just die on me so casually! If you encounter such a dangerous situation again next time, find a way to call me over! But I suppose I can't just go anywhere, so I want you to fight me again right now. Consider it a training session!]
Eh?
But as if suddenly realizing something, Rayquaza reached out its short front claws and scratched its head.
[And it's absolutely not because I wouldn't have any good food if you died, got it!]
Lorze smiled and shrugged. He wouldn't dwell on that for now. Since it was a friendly sparring match... it was exactly what he wanted!
Because he also wanted to know what kind of performance he could put up against the Sky Dragon again after his journey in Kalos.
"Everyone, come out and stretch your bodies!"
Elegantly tossing a handful of Love Balls above his head, Mewtwo, Latias, Gardevoir, Braixen, and Meowstic landed one after another, making Rayquaza's eyes widen.
One, two, three, four, five...
Last time he came, it seemed he only had three. One of them seemed to have evolved, and the other two hiding behind that guy were... newly caught?
The three older wives were fine, as they had already exchanged blows with Rayquaza last time. But it was tough for Braixen and Meowstic—because the oppressive aura emanating from the Sky Dragon was simply too terrifying.
Braixen drooped her large fox ears, a deep sense of despair tightly wrapping around her neck and bringing a feeling of suffocation: Why is it that after following this Trash Master, all our opponents are such monsters!!
"Since this is just a sparring session, everyone doesn't need to worry about danger, but we still have to show our true strength!"
[Yes!] Even the utterly terrified Braixen and Meowstic replied in unison along with the other three girls.
But Rayquaza didn't give them any time to chitchat. From its massive mouth, it suddenly blasted out a purple, dragon-shaped pulse!
"Waaah!?" "Meow!?"
Before they could even react, the cat and the fox were tucked under Lorze's arms with the help of his telekinesis. With a leap of faith, he landed on Latias's back—
"Whoosh!"
Accompanied by the sound of a jet plane slicing through the air, the three of them flew out of the Dragon Pulse's area of effect under the dragon sister's full horsepower. Meanwhile, Lorze, as if animation-canceling his ending lag, raised his arm, making Mewtwo, Latias, and Gardevoir all become enveloped in the iridescent light of Mega Evolution.
Mewtwo also used Teleport to escape her original spot, but Gardevoir failed to get away in time!
Rayquaza's expression was incredibly gloomy: It certainly didn't think a human could defeat powerful Pokémon from other regions, but was abandoning his companion to run away really the only thing he learned from that bitter battle!?
But it had clearly misunderstood.
Because after the pale purple Dragon Pulse swept past, that black-skirted Pokémon used telekinesis to clear away the dust, standing there proudly and completely unscathed!?
The majesty of a queen instantly manifested. Gardevoir lightly raised her hands, and a bright pink Moonblast blasted out with a bang. At that same moment, Mewtwo teleported right above Rayquaza's head, unleashing a surging Ice Beam!
Together with Latias attacking from the flank, the group of four formed a pincer attack, completely flanking Rayquaza!
Just the first round of their exchange made the giant dragon's eyes light up. Setting their tacit coordination aside for a moment... it felt that their combat style was vastly different from the first time—and not just in terms of raw power.
It couldn't exactly put a finger on what it was yet, so... it needed more observation.
Such teamwork was indeed brilliant, but it wasn't enough to make it impossible to handle. Enveloped in an emerald green glow, Rayquaza suddenly accelerated, shooting out of the encirclement of skills like a straight arrow, and then turned around with lightning speed, charging straight at Gardevoir!
"Sou~"
Gardevoir revealed a calm, teasing smile. The moment she clasped her hands together, she teleported away from her spot, causing Rayquaza's Extreme Speed to hit nothing but thin air!
She had actually appeared on Latias's back, hugging Lorze from behind. Her round, magnificent twin peaks continuously pressed against the young man's cloak, while the fox and the kitty were being held in front of Lorze.
"Fufu, Gardevoir-chan is here too~"
But the dragon sister voiced her protest: [I have a problem with this, big brother Lorze!!!]
Because Latias's Mega Evolution made her body a size larger, she could barely accommodate Gardevoir as well, but having three Pokémon plus Lorze sitting on her back was still incredibly cramped, not to mention the weight was significantly heavier...
She had never carried so many people at the same time before, and inevitably felt a bit inadequate for the task.
"Come on, Latias, you can definitely do it!"
After her neck was stroked by Lorze's large hand, Psychic-type energy was transmitted from the young man's body to the dragon sister: Latias then mustered her determination and soared through the sky at full horsepower, dragging a long contrail behind her tail—
The giant dragon spiraled straight up along the ruined pillars to pursue Latias, but was intercepted halfway by Mega Mewtwo Y's Psystrike.
The psychic energy slammed heavily onto its head. Even Rayquaza felt a wave of dizziness as Mewtwo's female voice entered its ears.
[Your opponent is me.]
Very familiar words. It seemed she said the exact same thing last time, but so what?
Rayquaza was just about to spit out a taunt, but froze when it saw the overflowing murderous intent radiating from Mewtwo.
I understand, I understand.
It now knew why fighting Lorze felt different from last time: there was an added level of aggression in them, a desire to put their opponent to death. Based on this, their behavioral strategies and aura would naturally be completely different.
And this point was vividly demonstrated in the petite figure standing before it, who had shrunk due to Mega Evolution.
Accompanied by the giant dragon's roar was its anticipation for the direction of the upcoming battle: [It seems you've gotten stronger too? Heh. Then... feel free to come and try!]
[Your opponent... is me!]
Surging telekinesis released outward with Mewtwo at the center, eventually forming an aura-like structure that collided head-on with Rayquaza's overwhelming pressure!
—A physical manifestation of the Pressure ability.
Mewtwo hovered above Rayquaza, glaring down at it with icy eyes. Her petite body formed a stark contrast with the massive giant dragon. The two confronted each other, neither recklessly making the first move.
But Rayquaza's opponents were not just Mewtwo; there was also an approaching threat from the other side. It didn't have much time left, and the arrow was already on the bowstring...
Then, strike first!
"Boom!"
Despite looking like a slender dragon tail, the sound of it breaking the sound barrier was like a vigorous broadaxe, chopping downwards toward Mewtwo with tremendous force!
But she dodged nimbly. Her ghostly figure turned and flipped in mid-air. Her petite yet graceful posture, along with that long, irregularly whipping neural organ, was simply dazzling.
Mewtwo's speed was so fast that it even left blue afterimages. Even Rayquaza found her somewhat unpredictable.
Psystrike, Ice Beam...
"Haaah!"
The pink-purple energy waves and ice-blue beams constantly tore open wounds on Rayquaza's body like precise acupuncture strikes. Mewtwo didn't get greedy for a single massive hit, but instead focused on high-frequency attacks.
Waves of pain continuously came from various parts of its body. Even if each individual strike wasn't fatal, it couldn't withstand the accumulation of so many wounds.
What the hell is wrong with this woman... Is she crazy?
Exactly what did they go through to cause Lorze's entire team, and even himself, to undergo such a metamorphosis? What exactly did that great battle it knew nothing about bring him? All of this made Rayquaza increasingly curious.
But for now, it had to face the battle with 120% focus!
At least in this instant, Mewtwo thoroughly suppressed Rayquaza with an absolute speed advantage. The power she displayed forced even the Sky Dragon to go all out!
The methods to break the deadlock against a high-speed enemy were nothing more than two choices: responding to motion with stillness, or bringing out an even higher speed...
A vigorous green light enveloped Rayquaza's body, and its speed broke past its limits in a split second—Extreme Speed!
"Clang!"
Mewtwo, who had opened a Protect barrier, was repeatedly knocked backward by Rayquaza's Extreme Speed. But unlike before, this time she cleverly redirected the force, did a front flip onto the dragon's back, and used Ice Beam to carve a frozen wound onto Rayquaza's spine!
"Rooaar—"
The four-times super effective Ice Beam landed solidly on a vital spot, causing the giant dragon to let out a roar of pain...
And all of this was seen by Lorze, who was riding Latias not far away: For this brief moment, big sister Mewtwo was like a god of war, even capable of suppressing base-form Rayquaza.
Now this... is what a true god looks like! Big sister Mewtwo is so cool!
Of course, she was just as cute as before.
As for why there was such a leap in her strength, Lorze was well aware: after all, they had survived the great battle with Yveltal. Experiencing such a life-and-death struggle is the best way to make someone grow, whether human or Pokémon.
However, even if she could suppress Rayquaza for a short time, it didn't mean big sister Mewtwo could truly defeat it. The gap in stamina between the two sides was simply too vast; this burst-style fighting method couldn't be sustained for too long.
Not to mention that old bastard hadn't even used Dragon Ascent to Mega Evolve yet. That form was the one true god.
In the gap where Latias was carrying everyone and charging toward Rayquaza, Mewtwo was still engaged in a fierce battle with it. Even though her eardrums throbbed in pain from the roars, and even though blood trickled from the corner of her mouth due to internal injuries, Mewtwo still didn't stop her bodily movements, simply clearing her mind and operating as precisely as a killing machine.
If she had to say, perhaps she was influenced by Lorze; her previous self had been a bit too lax when it came to battles.
But the battle with Yveltal awakened certain instincts etched into her DNA. The latent energy in her body could always fully erupt in critical moments.
That battle was like a race against the Grim Reaper, and thankfully, together, they had won the race.
After scraping by and surviving the battle against the Y-God, she had also achieved a monumental leap in growth.
—There was no need to discard her cruel and cold nature; she just needed to save her love and gentleness for her family.
However, even so, Mewtwo was already panting heavily right now. The blue afterimages from her high-speed movements gradually faded away. Her stamina could no longer support such a high-intensity battle like before.
Fortunately, Mewtwo wasn't the only one who grew from that battle. Since they were a family... everyone would fight together with a united heart and mind!
"Gardevoir-chan, Moonblast! Braixen, Dazzling Gleam!"
Gardevoir thrust out her palms, and Braixen raised the Tree of Life wand, turning surging Fairy-type energy into physical attacks!
"Boom!"
The dust and smoke from the explosion billowed out from the middle section of Rayquaza's body. The furious giant dragon, acting almost out of reflex, blasted out a Dragon Pulse with zero casting delay!
The pale purple dragon-shaped pulse roared out, and its target was... big sister Mewtwo!?
"Latias, Mist Ball!"
The pink energy ball exploded the moment it hit the giant dragon, consequently generating a massive amount of mist-like feathers!
The effect of Latias's signature move, Mist Ball—lowering the opponent's Special Attack.
At this very moment, the natural barrier formed by those mist-like feathers reduced the power of the Dragon Pulse. Then, the streamlined dragon sister "whooshed" past, allowing Lorze to catch the heavily panting Mega Mewtwo Y.
The petite loli-like big sister curled up in the young man's embrace, breathing heavily, but she was still very stubborn verbally.
[Lorze, I can still fight...]
"It's okay, big sister Mewtwo! Take a rest. Or rather, there's another task here: although it's not as intense as direct combat, its importance is no less than that..."
After hearing Lorze explain his plan, Mega Mewtwo Y smiled, straightened her body, and nodded.
[Mm, alright, I'll listen to Lorze then!]
From the beginning of the battle until now, Lorze hadn't given Meowstic any attack commands, but the little catgirl wasn't idle. She just concentrated intently with her eyes closed, extending her two cat paws and scattering specks of pink energy light wherever Latias flew past.
And now, Mewtwo also joined this task, so the frontline battlefield was handed over to Latias and Mega Gardevoir.
Under Lorze's command, moves like Draco Meteor and Dragon Pulse were neutralized one by one. Sometimes they would even intentionally charge toward the center of the storm. Even though the process was fraught with danger, they always managed to pass through safely in the end.
This courage to face death head-on made Rayquaza admire them, but it stopped there. In its eyes, they were just meaninglessly playing guerrilla warfare. Although they were also constantly inflicting major and minor injuries upon it, compared to the intensity of Mewtwo earlier, it paled in comparison.
However, the accumulation of scars was still very real, and it was about time to put a stop to it. If it let them continue this dogfight, it might also...
Then it would use Extreme Speed combined with Dragon Rush to end the battle!
A vigorous green light enveloped its whole body. Rayquaza was just about to unleash Extreme Speed, but it found that it surprisingly couldn't exert any strength throughout its entire body!?
What's going on!?
"Haven't you noticed yet, Rayquaza? This patch of sky has already been set up with Psychic Terrain by Meowstic and big sister Mewtwo!"
And under Psychic Terrain, priority moves are ineffective!
The giant dragon's pupils suddenly enlarged: What!? No wonder his attacks always felt like mere tickles. To think he endured until now just to set up Psychic Terrain!? The situation seemed to be single-handedly guided by Lorze. That is to say, the sky here was no longer its home turf, but his...
A sense of crisis flooded the giant dragon's mind. Intuition told it that it had to evacuate this Psychic Terrain immediately.
But it was too late, because the ultimate moves meticulously prepared by the Psychic Elite Four were already coming its way!
"Latias, Draco Meteor! Gardevoir-chan, big sister Mewtwo, Braixen—Expanding Force!"
These were all their strongest ultimate moves at this moment. The destructiveness of the Psychic-type Expanding Force was brought to a whole new level under the boost of the Psychic Terrain!
And at the very, very end, the young man and the little catgirl performed an awkward dance together—the necessary prerequisite to activate a Z-Move!
The mutual Z-Crystals linked their bond, and a massive amount of energy flooded into Meowstic's body.
The cloak-wearing young man leaped with a leap of faith while holding Meowstic, smashing the ultimate mega-move right onto the giant dragon's forehead!
The Psychic-type Z-Move under Psychic Terrain—Shattered Psyche!
"Meow!" (This is the blood-boiling combo move between me and my Hubby meow!)
The energy of all the ultimate moves, along with the Z-Move, was madly injected into the giant dragon's body. Smoke puffed from the top of Rayquaza's head as it rolled its eyes back and plummeted rigidly straight down toward the Sky Pillar—
Eh, eh!? Bro Rayquaza, how did you fucking die!?