Baraz wasn't entirely sure how powerful Unbound Hoopa truly was, but from the spectacle earlier, it was clear that it was extremely strong.
That was why Baraz was reluctant to take risks. He knew the Prison Bottle was dangerous.
After all, in a world where travel was a major trend, even if they hid the bottle in a remote, untouched location, there was no telling when some wandering trainer might stumble upon it by chance.
Worse, the evil consciousness inside the Prison Bottle might even be capable of controlling other Pokémon.
But all of that was hypothetical. Right now, if they released whatever was sealed within that bottle, Hoopa could be in immediate danger.
So Baraz hesitated—and so did Meray.
"Hoopa, what do you think?" Dylan glanced at the siblings, then turned to Hoopa.
"Do you want to reclaim your power, or keep it sealed in the Prison Bottle?"
Hearing this, both Baraz and Meray looked at Hoopa.
Regardless of their concerns, they still wanted to respect Hoopa's choice. Since they had decided to return its power, it was only right to ask for Hoopa's own opinion.
"Ugh… but that thing is really strong."
Hoopa scrunched up its little face. Just thinking about the flood of malice and darkness earlier still made it shiver.
But to give up its power forever? That was hard to accept. After all, that was its power!
How unfair—its own strength was trying to devour it!
"You don't think I can handle it?" Dylan raised an eyebrow.
"Umm… well, now that you mention it..."
Hoopa froze for a moment, then its eyes lit up.
Right—Dylan had so many legendary auras on him. There was no way he couldn't deal with that thing!
Hoopa had always believed itself to be strong—but not so arrogant as to think it was invincible.
Even Hoopa knew it couldn't take on that many powerful legends alone. Besides, it didn't believe the evil spirit could fully utilize its own power.
"If it's you, Dylan, then it'll be totally fine!"
Hoopa's mood brightened. If Dylan was willing to help it get rid of that evil consciousness, that would be perfect!
"Good, as long as you agree." Dylan turned to the siblings.
"Since Hoopa's willing, we'll give it a try—but if anything seems off, we'll stop immediately."
Baraz let out a sigh and gave a serious nod.
"Of course. Just be careful. I still don't know how powerful you are."
He really didn't know who Dylan was—after all, those from the Valley of Creation lived in seclusion. Baraz had no idea about Dylan's identity.
Frankly, he even doubted whether Dylan could actually deal with the evil spirit.
Still, Hoopa wasn't a fool, even if it was mischievous. If it trusted Dylan this much, there must be a reason.
"No rush. If we do this in Desert City, it could endanger the whole place. Let's wait until the fish bites the bait."
Dylan smiled faintly.
He definitely wouldn't release the evil Hoopa here.
Because once the fight broke out and the shadow Hoopa realized it was at a disadvantage, it would definitely summon legendary Pokémon.
The real world was nothing like the anime. In the movies, even massive legendary clashes barely damaged anything.
But Dylan knew the truth—when real legendary Pokémon fought, they became walking natural disasters.
Whether Desert City would even remain standing afterward was a real question.
He was genuinely looking forward to this battle. In the movie, the evil Hoopa had summoned Giratina, Palkia, Dialga, Kyurem, Primal Groudon, and Primal Kyogre.
But now Kyurem was already on his team—there was no way the shadow Hoopa could summon that same lineup. So who would it summon instead?
Or would it call forth an entirely different legendary set?
Dylan was very curious.
"Fish?"
Baraz and Meray both blinked in confusion.
The next day came quickly. The Prison Bottle remained sealed underground and quiet.
By noon, with the intel confirmed, Dylan had Shiny Mewtwo use psychic power to control the Prison Bottle, and together with Baraz and the others, returned to the canyon where they had placed Yveltal's Cocoon of Destruction.
At the same time, Lysandre and the members of Team Flare also arrived at the canyon.
They had traveled in a large truck—hence the delay.
Once parked at the canyon's entrance, Lysandre immediately led his team inside.
"That really is the Cocoon of Destruction!"
Lysandre's gaze locked onto the black object at the bottom of the pit—its resemblance to the legendary cocoon was unmistakable.
His eyes burned with intensity. There was a 90% chance he was right!
He had finally found Yveltal. Still, he kept his composure and sent a group of subordinates to examine the cocoon.
They needed to confirm it was the real thing—and wake it up, too.
A squad of Team Flare grunts approached the pit, pulling out scanning devices to inspect the cocoon.
But before they could begin, the cocoon began to emit a faint red glow—unnervingly ominous.
The glow spread outward from the cocoon in all directions.
A deep, oppressive aura settled over the grunts, making them uneasy as they stared at the strange light.
"Boss…"
Xerosic's expression turned grim.
"Haha… It's Yveltal, no doubt about it. Get Zygarde ready," Lysandre ordered, grinning.
"Understood." Xerosic turned and sprinted back to the truck.
The red light intensified, blindingly bright.
SKREEEEEE!
The Cocoon of Destruction rose into the air and began to shift, a violent screech tearing through the sky.
"Pull back!"
Lysandre began retreating. As much as he wanted Yveltal, he wasn't foolish. He knew it was dangerous.
And now, Yveltal was fully awake—surging with malevolent red light, its icy eyes scanning the humans below.
Its wings spread wide like claws, its tail curved upward, forming the iconic Y-shape.
Every Team Flare member in the canyon was trembling. Yveltal's aura was overwhelming.
Its eyes showed no emotion—as if everything it looked at was already dead.
SKREEEEEEE!
With another shriek, Yveltal folded its wings slightly. Its crimson glow flared—it was about to attack!
"Run!"
Lysandre felt a chill shoot up his spine. Every hair on his body stood on end.
He bolted for the canyon's exit, shouting at his subordinates to retreat.
Some smart grunts quickly threw out their Pokémon—no way human legs could outrun a legendary's wrath.
They released Pokémon like Liepard, Toxicroak, Mightyena, Golbat…
SKREEEEE!
A beam of crimson light rained down from the heavens—Oblivion Wing, Yveltal's signature move.
The light descended like judgment, freezing everyone in its path.
"Golbat, Protect!"
"Liepard, Sucker Punch!"
"Mightyena, Tackle!"
They tried to fight back—but it was useless.
The crimson beam devoured everything in its path, sweeping away all attacks. Desperation filled their eyes as it hit.
BOOM!
Explosions rang out as Oblivion Wing swept across the battlefield.
Yet those hit weren't shattered or burned.
Instead, every living thing—human, Pokémon, even plants—was turned into lifeless stone statues.
From above, concealed by Mewtwo's psychic barrier, Dylan and the others watched in horror.
The entire canyon… was a wasteland.
"They turned to stone…" Lillie whispered, her eyes wide.
"They had their life force drained. They're gone. Only Xerneas could revive them," Dylan said calmly.
That was Yveltal's terrifying power—it devoured life indiscriminately, restoring its own strength in the process.
Unless Xerneas used its life-giving energy, nothing could save those lost to Yveltal.
Such was the tragic link between Yveltal and Xerneas—one destroyed, the other gave life.
"..."
Lillie fell silent. She had never seen living beings die before—especially not in such a horrifying way.
SKREEEEE!
Yveltal wasn't satisfied. It turned toward the Team Flare members who had escaped the canyon.
Its crimson aura flared again—it wasn't done.
It would annihilate everything that disturbed its rest.
"Xerosic!"
Lysandre barked into his communicator, his face tense.
He had seen everything in the canyon. It was horrifying.
But at the same time, his eyes gleamed with fanatical awe.
Yveltal's power was incredible.
With that energy, he could activate the ultimate weapon—and succeed in his plan!
"Ready, Boss," Xerosic's voice crackled back.
The truck's back doors opened, mechanical arms lifting out a cage containing a green, worm-like Zygarde Core with a blue core in its belly.
Its eyes were glowing blood-red, its body trembling.
"...?"
High above, Dylan saw the Zygarde Core and raised an eyebrow.
"Humans..."
The cage opened—and the core leapt out, its crimson eyes flashing with growing intensity.
Humans… those wretched humans!!
Consumed by rage, it lost all reason.
ZEDOUUUUU!!
Black and red light engulfed the core. Beams of green light rained down like meteors from across Kalos.
Swarm Transformation!
The light exploded outward—Zygarde's 50% Forme emerged, snarling furiously.
Berserk Zygarde!
Yveltal froze, gazing at the ground. Its eyes narrowed.
It recognized Zygarde—but it also sensed something was wrong.
That berserk, destructive aura... even stronger than its own.
Was Zygarde joining its team of destruction?
"Tsk tsk~"
Dylan clicked his tongue, watching the black-and-red Zygarde below.
Just like the anime—the same corrupted form controlled by Team Flare.
Still…
"A classic ground-type that can't fly, going up against a flying-type. This should be fun."
He smirked, glancing between the berserk Zygarde and the furious Yveltal.
Yup—this was going to be good.
After all, Zygarde's 50% snake form? Couldn't fly.
(End of Chapter)