"BZZZ!! EUUS!!"
The moment Liam released Deoxys's tentacle, Deoxys immediately withdrew it, then let out a sharp, furious cry toward Rayquaza in the sky!
And then—
Whoosh!!
With a piercing sound breaking through the air, the Deoxys that had just been standing before Liam instantly shot into the sky like a streaking shadow!
Flying at incredible speed, Deoxys rushed straight in front of Rayquaza, glaring angrily at the massive dragon whose head alone was larger than its entire body.
Rayquaza likewise stared coldly at Deoxys.
The two Pokémon locked eyes with one another… and the instant their gazes met…..
"ROOOAR!!"
"EUUS!!"
Almost simultaneously, both Pokémon launched their attacks!
Rayquaza opened its massive jaws, unleashing a roaring blue-violet Dragon Pulse!
Meanwhile, Deoxys rapidly twisted its four tentacles together, releasing a powerful psychic disturbance that condensed into a pink beam of light, colliding head-on with Rayquaza's Dragon Pulse!
BOOM!!
The collision of the two attacks exploded violently in midair, black smoke rapidly spreading through the sky!
And the instant the smoke obscured Deoxys's vision—
"ROOOAR!!"
Rayquaza completely ignored the lingering explosive energy inside the smoke! Its black body transformed into a gigantic spear of darkness, shooting forward like black lightning toward Deoxys!
"Buzz! EUUS!!"
Rayquaza's Extreme Speed struck amidst the chaos, arriving in an instant!
But Deoxys reacted just as quickly!
The moment Rayquaza burst from the smoke, Deoxys's body suddenly began shifting shape at high speed. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a round-headed, broad-bodied form—
Its Defense Forme!
BANG!!
The newly transformed Deoxys collided head-on with Rayquaza!
The clash of the ultimate spear and ultimate shield ended with neither able to overpower the other. Though Rayquaza slammed Deoxys backward through the sky, the four flattened tentacles protecting its body absorbed almost all the damage.
"ROOOAR!!"
After the attack ended, Rayquaza realized its assault hadn't broken through Deoxys's defenses at all. Furious, it roared again, opened its massive jaws wide and bit down violently!
Because it had shifted into Defense Forme, Deoxys's speed had dropped considerably. Unable to dodge in time, it was caught by Rayquaza's jaws, which clamped onto two of its tentacles on one side of its body!
Although Rayquaza's bite still couldn't seriously injure Deoxys in this form, it successfully restricted its movements!
And then—
"ROOOAR!!"
Growling angrily through clenched jaws, Rayquaza twisted its body and spiraled upward, carrying the struggling Deoxys with it out of the underground cavern!
Liam: "..."
Seva: "..."
The people of the Draconid Tribe: "..."
As Rayquaza and Deoxys vanished into the sky, Liam and the gathered Draconid people could only stare blankly at the enormous opening overhead, speechless for a moment.
Until—
"That was—the Sky Dragon God! Ha! Did you all see it?! It was the Sky Dragon God! The Dragon God has descended upon our Meteor Village once again! The great Sky Dragon God has not abandoned us!!"
"OOOOHHHHHH!!! Sky Dragon God!!"
"Sky Dragon God!!"
Seva was the first to recover, turning around and shouting excitedly toward the crowd below.
Immediately, deafening cheers echoed throughout the cavern!
Many members of the Draconid Tribe even dropped to their knees, worshipping their faith with utmost devotion.
But at that moment—
Liam frowned deeply.
"This is bad. Rayquaza must've been drawn here by the aurora earlier! Damn it! How did I forget something this important?!"
"No good! Deoxys just woke up—it probably still isn't Rayquaza's opponent! Aerodactyl!"
"ROAR!!"
Muttering to himself, Liam flipped onto Aerodactyl's back.
"Elder Seva! I'm going after them to see if I can stop this battle! Aerodactyl!"
"ROAR!"
After shouting to Seva, Aerodactyl let out a low roar and shot upward into the sky, rapidly flying through the opening!
"..."
Seeing Liam chase after them, Seva paused slightly.
Then, instead of following, she directed her Charizard back down to the ground.
"Hm? Elder! Why aren't you going after them to take a look?"
The moment Seva landed, an elderly tribesman asked in confusion.
"The first rule of our tribe forbids us from leaving the Land of Meteors. Are you asking me to violate our laws?"
Seva glanced coldly at the elder.
"U-uh! N-no... of course not..."
One sentence was enough to frighten the elder into a cold sweat. He hurriedly bowed and retreated.
Watching him leave, Seva slowly turned her gaze upward toward the moonlit opening above and sighed softly.
"...The Sky Dragon God has appeared, but Zinnia is still too young... Will the prophecy truly arrive on time...?"
"ROAR!!"
At that moment, while Seva gazed toward the sky, Aerodactyl carried Liam upward through the opening as well.
And then Liam saw—
"EUSS!!"
"ROOOAR!!"
Deoxys, still in Defense Forme, had been carried high into the sky by Rayquaza's spiraling ascent!
But suddenly, a surge of purple defensive energy erupted from Deoxys's body! The energy slammed into Rayquaza's jaws, forcing them open!
Seizing the opportunity, Deoxys immediately twisted its body again, instantly shifting into another form—
Its Attack Forme, with sharp horn-like protrusions on its head!
Then—
"EUSS!!"
With a piercing cry, Deoxys swung its four tentacles rapidly!
As they moved, countless pink psychic blades materialized and slashed toward Rayquaza's still-open mouth at high speed!
"ROOOAR!!"
The psychic blades of Psycho Cut were about to fly directly into Rayquaza's mouth—
But at that moment.. not only did Rayquaza not close its mouth defensively.. it opened it even wider!
Then a powerful sonic shockwave erupted outward!
BOOM!!
Rayquaza's Hyper Voice collided head-on with Deoxys's Psycho Cut at point-blank range!
A thunderous roar mixed with an explosive crash echoed through the heavens as smoke once again engulfed the sky!
"EUSS!!"
But just as the smoke spread outward, Deoxys suddenly retreated backward, rapidly distancing itself from the cloud.
At the same time, Rayquaza spiraled out from the smoke, its golden eyes blazing with fury as they locked onto Deoxys.
Then—
"ROOOOOOOAR!!!"
Rayquaza threw its head back and unleashed a furious roar!
Immediately afterward, a golden-red glow appeared deep within its throat!
Liam then watched as Rayquaza suddenly opened its mouth toward the heavens, launching a sphere of golden-red light high into the sky!
And finally—
BOOM!!
The golden-red sphere exploded high above!
The next instant.. the entire sky was engulfed beneath an endless rain of meteors!!