After Mewtwo slowly pushed itself up from the ground, Nathan's sharp gaze immediately locked onto Mewtwo's chest.
On its chest, the scales of Rayquaza's scale armor bore several deep and clearly visible claw marks.
"What an incredibly strong attack… but unfortunately, its luck wasn't that great."
Seeing those scars, Nathan couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
He knew better than anyone just how strong the defensive power of Rayquaza's scales was.
If someone could leave behind marks on that armor, then it was something that absolutely couldn't be accomplished without overwhelming, terrifying strength.
And now, Yveltal had actually managed to do just that.
If that very same attack had landed directly on Mewtwo's flesh and blood body, without the protection of the armor, the result would without doubt have been a wound so deep that the bones would be visible.
But unfortunately for Yveltal, what it struck was the legendary Rayquaza's scale armor.
"Yveltal, give up. You cannot win. Victory is impossible for you."
Nathan exhaled lightly and said this toward Yveltal.
From the very start of this battle until now, it was true that his side had also sustained injuries.
But when compared to Yveltal's current condition, the difference was like night and day.
Victory for his side was no longer in question—it was merely a matter of time.
"Impossible! I will never, ever lose to the likes of you!"
Yveltal let out a chilling roar, its voice full of defiance.
In its eyes burned nothing but savagery, ferocity, and madness.
Nathan, seeing Yveltal's unyielding will and refusal to admit defeat, abandoned the idea of further persuasion.
As expected, a being that could stand as the eternal nemesis of Xerneas would naturally have a wretched and twisted personality.
"Volcarona, use Fiery Dance!"
"Mewtwo, unleash Hyper Beam!"
"Xerneas, strike with Megahorn!"
Since Yveltal had no intention of surrendering, Nathan had no reason to show it any mercy either.
All three Pokémon charged at Yveltal. But Yveltal's body was already battered, riddled with serious wounds.
Had its claws not been injured by that earlier exchange, perhaps it might still have retained some ability to resist.
After all, with its claws, it could directly absorb the life force of its opponents to restore itself.
But now, without that advantage, its ability to counterattack had been completely stripped away.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three successive impacts thundered across the battlefield.
Attacks of different attributes struck Yveltal's body in three separate places simultaneously.
The destructive force behind the combined blows was overwhelming. Yveltal fell—defeated.
Even if it was a legendary Pokémon… even if it carried the concept of death and destruction, even if it could be called immortal—it could still lose.
And this time, its defeat was not unjust.
"Fall back, quickly!"
The very moment Yveltal was finally subdued, Xerneas cried out urgently.
Mewtwo and Volcarona reacted instantly, retreating backward without hesitation.
Xerneas itself grabbed hold of Nathan and leapt backward as well, carrying him several hundred meters away.
Only after retreating all the way to what could be considered a safe distance did Xerneas finally stop.
"Hah… as expected of the Pokémon that represents destruction and death. Even in defeat, it can still unleash one last round of devastation on its surroundings."
Nathan looked off into the distance as he spoke with a wry expression.
They waited for about ten minutes before he and Xerneas cautiously made their way back to the site of the battle.
Volcarona and Mewtwo stood vigilantly at Nathan's sides like two personal bodyguards.
And when Nathan's gaze fell upon the massive, ominous Cocoon of Destruction lying before them, a headache instantly welled up inside him.
Leaving such a thing here was far too dangerous.
If someone stumbled upon it, and—worst case—if Yveltal were to be awakened once again, they would have to endure yet another exhausting and brutal battle.
"Hey, can this thing be stored inside a Poké Ball?"
Nathan took out one of his Poké Balls and turned to ask Xerneas.
Xerneas shook its head gently. If it were truly so easy, the world would not be plagued with so much trouble on Yveltal's account.
"Can't put it into a Poké Ball, huh? Then… what about moving it elsewhere?"
Nathan asked again.
Leaving the Cocoon of Destruction in this place was absolutely out of the question.
This mystic realm had only just been discovered. It was still brimming with potential and could bring enormous benefits.
But with this Cocoon here, it was essentially no different from a ticking time bomb.
If the realm were sealed off entirely to prevent others from entering, then all of its opportunities and profits would be wasted.
But if it remained open, then at any moment, this hidden bomb could detonate.
"It can be moved… but if you move it, where exactly do you intend to take it?"
Xerneas asked him back.
The moment Nathan heard it was movable, he instantly felt relieved.
As long as it could be moved, everything else could be figured out later.
"Volcarona, go and call over the members of the Pokémon Squad."
Nathan instructed his trusted partner.
In this world, there were countless mystic realms.
Finding some unimportant one and tossing the Cocoon inside with guards assigned to watch it—that was a simple enough solution.
Once the Pokémon Squad arrived, Nathan explained the situation about the Cocoon of Destruction.
Crane didn't even hesitate. He immediately agreed.
However, he requested that Nathan personally accompany them during the transport.
"That's fine. First, get in touch with headquarters. See what instructions they have from above."
Nathan nodded in agreement.
After all, he had already accomplished the seemingly impossible task of defeating Yveltal. Escorting the Cocoon was hardly a problem compared to that.
Crane quickly mounted his Pokémon and rushed out of the mystic realm to send a report.
It was more than two hours later when he finally returned in a hurry.
"The location has been arranged, and a transport plane is already on its way. Should we begin moving now?"
He said upon returning.
"Good. This needs to be handled immediately—it's delaying too many other matters. But… what about this guy?"
Nathan pointed at Draco, who stood off to the side as motionless and stiff as a wooden puppet.
Truth be told, after the battle ended, Nathan had nearly forgotten about Draco entirely.
The man's presence was so faint and unremarkable that he could be overlooked even in his own catastrophe.
If the members of the Pokémon Squad hadn't reminded him, Nathan might have left the realm without ever remembering there was still this "extra baggage" trailing behind.
"Take him. From the looks of it, those six dead Trainers earlier were all killed under his orders. Yveltal only acted because of him."
Crane shot a cold glance at Draco. For someone like this, there was no need for mercy.
With those words, Draco's fate was basically sealed.
Whether it was ordering the slaughter of innocent Pokémon or the killing of Trainers, both were grave and unforgivable crimes—made worse by the fact that he had done so multiple times.
There was no way the League would allow him to walk free.
Poor Draco—he had thought that by gaining Yveltal's power, he would rise to become the strongest Trainer in the world.
But reality had dealt him a ruthless blow, crushing his arrogance and ambition in an instant.
He was the perfect example of someone who barely managed to climb to prominence, only to be immediately cut down by Nathan with a single strike.
Mewtwo picked up the jet-black Cocoon of Destruction in its arms and followed Nathan and the others toward the mystic realm's exit.
At the exit, a large crowd had already gathered.
But the entire area was cordoned off by strict lines of security, preventing anyone from drawing near.
From above, a military transport plane slowly descended, its presence drawing even more speculation and curiosity from the onlookers.
What on earth had happened inside this mystic realm?
It had only just been opened, yet already corpses had been discovered within.
All of the Trainers who had entered were escorted out, and now a military aircraft had arrived.
Such circumstances were unprecedented. Never in history had any mystic realm incident played out like this.
The moment Nathan stepped out from the mystic realm, the entire crowd erupted with gasps of astonishment.
The Pokémon Squad followed behind him, and the exclamations grew even louder.
But when Mewtwo finally emerged—carrying the eerie, jet-black cocoon—the entire place instantly fell silent.
Every gaze was fixed in stunned silence upon that object in Mewtwo's arms.
Even without being told, they could all feel the evil aura radiating from it, as though it were some kind of egg that nurtured a slumbering demon.
"Instructor, shouldn't you at least explain to the people what happened inside?"
Crane whispered into Nathan's ear.
Nathan gave a slight nod, stepped forward, and spoke clearly.
"Everyone, Draco Lein brought an evil Pokémon into the mystic realm and used it to kill six Trainers and countless Pokémon. That evil Pokémon has now been taken care of by me and my companions."
"Once we depart, the mystic realm will continue to remain open as usual. However, I urge you all to remain vigilant. Inside, there are packs of wild Pokémon that are unusually aggressive. If you encounter them, do not fight—immediately retreat."
After finishing his explanation, Nathan boarded the transport plane.
Mewtwo, still holding the Cocoon of Destruction, followed closely behind him.
The plane's massive propellers roared to life, and with a deafening rumble, it slowly lifted into the sky.
Only once the aircraft had fully disappeared from view was the security line finally taken down, allowing the crowd to disperse.
Inside the transport plane, Evelyn sat slumped in her seat, her expression full of disappointment and gloom.
"…Nathan, you promised me you'd take me to find some good resources, remember?"
She turned to him, speaking with a tone of blame and frustration.
Truly, this guy was nothing but trouble.
He had said he'd take her treasure hunting for valuable Pokémon resources—
(End of Chapter)