Xerneas indeed wore a puzzled look. If memory served, Rayquaza were supposed to be green.
After all, Rayquaza occasionally appeared in Kalos, and Xerneas had seen them before.
That black Rayquaza was clearly a shiny, no doubt about that. But the red one… Alright, let's call it a mutation.
But now, as the battle went on, green scales were starting to show beneath the red?
Xerneas was utterly confused.
Meanwhile, Little Rayquaza hadn't yet noticed how much of its "paint" had chipped off. It remained fixated below, watching nervously.
That combo just now had dealt serious damage, but it probably still wasn't enough to completely take down Black Rayquaza.
"Rayquaza!!"
Sure enough, a furious roar soon pierced the sky.
Black Rayquaza soared upward, glimmering with white light—Extreme Speed!
It barreled into Little Rayquaza, sending it flying with a pained grunt.
At high altitude, Black Rayquaza opened its jaws wide. Pure dragon energy surged, forming a massive sphere that glowed like a miniature cosmos.
Draco Meteor.
"Blizzard!" Dylan commanded as he spotted the attack.
The Draco Meteor rose to its apex like a dazzling firework, then exploded. Dozens of meteor-like energy bursts began falling like shooting stars.
Shiny Mewtwo stretched out its arms and unleashed a howling Blizzard of ice and snow.
Black Rayquaza had just launched its Draco Meteor and couldn't defend in time—it immediately pulled back, trying to evade.
"Eternabeam!"
Dylan wasn't about to let it get away.
Eternatus's massive body reared up, six crimson points lighting up on its claws.
A heavy, oppressive aura blanketed the battlefield. Black Rayquaza looked up at the six glowing lights, its eyes narrowing.
Even with its mind under control, it could feel the dread emanating from above.
The Draco Meteor's glowing comets rained down at blistering speed. Little Rayquaza dodged out of the impact zone first.
But Shiny Mewtwo had just cast Blizzard and couldn't escape in time. It threw up a Barrier, bracing for impact.
BOOM! BOOM!
One after another, the comets struck. The Barrier trembled under the blows. It wasn't perfect defense—especially not against a full-power Draco Meteor.
By the third hit, Mewtwo's Barrier cracked and shattered. The next comet struck its body directly, blasting it away in a smoking arc.
At that moment, Eternatus finished charging.
Six crimson death rays descended—Eternabeam, its strongest move!
Time seemed to freeze. Black Rayquaza could see only those six blinding red lights.
It threw up a Protect shield as the beams closed in.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The world was swallowed in crimson light. Winds howled like demons. No one could even keep their eyes open.
Black Rayquaza's green barrier was utterly engulfed.
One second. Two. Three. Four…
Five full seconds later, Eternabeam's residual glow still lingered, but Rayquaza's Protect had begun to fracture.
The shield finally gave out. Rayquaza tried to summon a Dragon Ascent, but too late.
The beams tore into its body directly, and pain surged through every nerve.
CRAAASH!!
The impact drove Rayquaza back to the ground, and the earth shuddered like an earthquake had struck.
A deafening shockwave followed as Eternabeam detonated across the desert floor.
"Whoa!!"
Even from far away, the overwhelming red light stunned Leaf and the others.
"That Eternabeam… it's way stronger than the one in Galar," Lillie said, stunned.
Back in Hammerlocke, Eternatus had also used Eternabeam, and it was impressive. But this…
That one might as well have been a bigger Dynamax Cannon in comparison.
"Well yeah, Dylan's trained it since then," Leaf added, tongue clicking. "Still, the power gap is nuts."
"Rayquaza's probably done for," Ilene murmured.
After all, Eternabeam was Dragon-type—and Rayquaza had taken the full blast.
Even if it wasn't knocked out, it had to be critically wounded.
Seconds ticked by. As the glow faded, the battlefield revealed a massive crater.
At the bottom, Black Rayquaza lay bruised and battered, breathing heavily.
The red in its eyes was all but gone. It hadn't fainted… but couldn't even lift its head.
It tried, trembling—then gave up, letting its head drop again.
Its injuries were far too severe.
"…Mom."
Little Rayquaza's voice was soft. Seeing its mother like this—heartsick didn't begin to cover it.
"Let her rest for now," Dylan said gently. "Once Hoopa is defeated, she should return to normal."
He turned his eyes back to the battlefield.
Dawn Wings Necrozma had taken out Dialga—now lying beside its twin, Palkia.
Stellar Terapagos had defeated Primal Kyogre, who could no longer fight.
Black Kyurem had just dealt a finishing blow to Complete Zygarde—too injured now to keep going.
That left only Origin Giratina and Unbound Hoopa.
Dylan glanced at Calyrex, who had taken noticeable damage by now.
"Rayquaza, Mewtwo—go help Calyrex."
He ordered Little Rayquaza and Shiny Mewtwo to assist against Giratina.
That Shadow Sneak technique was too troublesome. He didn't want to deal with it himself.
And besides, the time had come to end this chaotic, glorious battle.
"Ugh, fine…" Mewtwo groaned, glowing blue and soaring toward Giratina.
Little Rayquaza dragged its wings reluctantly—still aching from earlier.
Dylan rode Reshiram toward Unbound Hoopa, followed by his remaining legendaries.
"Whew~ Dylan, you're the best!" Confined Hoopa cheered, floating beside him.
"Of course," Dylan chuckled, giving its cheek a playful squeeze.
This battle? It had been amazing. He wouldn't forget it.
"Necrozma!"
Dusk Mane Necrozma crashed into Hoopa once more. Hyperspace Fury and Sunsteel Strike collided, sending both reeling.
But Necrozma had backup now.
Hoopa… was out of options.
It glared toward its last "ally"—Origin Giratina—its face contorted in rage.
"You've lost, Hoopa. Don't you think so?" Dylan asked calmly.
Unbound Hoopa floated between its six golden rings, its crimson eyes cold and furious.
"I know you hate this child—but it wasn't its fault. Resentment won't help."
Hoopa's hatred for Confined Hoopa was understandable.
It had been sealed in the bottle for over a hundred years, left in darkness and forgotten.
Meanwhile, Confined Hoopa had never tried to reclaim its power.
No, it had never even found the bottle—nor could it leave the Valley of Creation early on.
"…"
Confined Hoopa looked down, conflicted.
"Disappear!! Disappear!!"
But Unbound Hoopa didn't care. It shrieked in fury, its red eyes locked on Confined Hoopa.
Its favorite words had always been the same: "Disappear."
Golden rings spun outward, dark fists emerging.
Hyperspace Fury!
"Stellar Cluster."
Dylan simply shook his head.
Terapagos glowed at the crown, releasing a hail of star-shaped energy blasts.
They clashed with Hoopa's incoming fists.
BOOM!
The fists shattered several stars—but there were too many. The assault overwhelmed them.
The fists retreated.
"Sunsteel Strike."
Necrozma blazed like a miniature sun and charged.
Hoopa tried to counter, summoning a pulsing Dark Pulse.
BOOM!
Necrozma tanked the hit and slammed directly into Hoopa.
"AAARGH!!"
Hoopa shrieked, electricity crackling across its body.
"Power Gem."
Dawn Wings Necrozma unfurled its wings, launching radiant gem-like blasts.
CRASH!
The impact drove Hoopa back, its massive body beginning to teeter.
Strong as it was, it couldn't handle the combined onslaught of three heavyweights.
This was the weakness of being ganged up on—no time to react, only to suffer.
"Bug Buzz."
Terapagos shimmered green, emitting a piercing hum.
BZZZ—
Waves of sound crashed into Hoopa. Its pained groan echoed as it slammed into the ground.
Bug-type Bug Buzz. Four-times effective.
It was a critical hit.
"Dylan… maybe we should stop…"
Confined Hoopa tugged on Dylan's shirt, pleading for mercy.
At this rate… they might actually kill it.
It still resented Hoopa, sure—but watching its other half suffer like this?
It hurt.
(End of Chapter)