"Yveltal, the embodiment of destruction and ruin!"
Looking at the massive crimson bird that appeared in the sky, Aven's expression grew solemn. Although this was not the first time he had faced an existence of such a level head-on, the overwhelming pressure it exuded still bore down on him with terrifying force.
"Lilli—Gant~!"
On the battlefield, Lilligant gazed straight at the figure in the sky. It could clearly sense the deathly aura that was completely different from its own nature. It knew that all of nature was crying out under this aura of death. Now was the time to end everything and allow nature to return to its original state!
"Lilligant, begin!"
Upon hearing Aven's words, Lilligant nodded swiftly. Immediately afterward, grass energy, natural energy and life energy surged throughout its body, causing it to directly merge into the surrounding natural world. In an instant, a faint green glow flickered throughout the entire space as streams of life energy poured in endlessly, intertwining with the power emanating from Lilligant.
Vaguely, Lilligant seemed to disappear. If one relied only on the naked eye, it was as though Lilligant had completely vanished. Or rather, this entire stretch of nature had become a part of Lilligant's body—nature was Lilligant, and Lilligant was nature. There was no longer any distinction between the two.
Around Lilligant, Froslass, Gardevoir, Rhyperior, Naganadel, Heatran, Darkrai, as well as the Forces of Nature Trio and the three Regis, stood quietly in a circle, each of them radiating powerful energy fluctuations. Gradually, all the Pokémon present on the battlefield began to continuously merge into this natural world, returning to the most primordial form of energy.
In particular, the Forces of Nature Trio and the three Regis, since their power itself originated from nature—whether it was thunder, raging winds, the force of the earth, or the stabilizing power the three Regis exerted over the Region, all were fundamentally inseparable from nature. Now, they returned these powers, powers born from nature, back to nature itself. As a result, lightning and gales would sweep through the area from time to time, ice and flames would interweave in turns, and the land would suddenly lose its vitality before rapidly falling into decay once more.
Almost in an instant, countless natural environments appeared one after another. Vast energies influenced this space incessantly, pouring into nature itself. The power surged unceasingly, gradually transforming into a dense and majestic force of nature.
"Lilli!"
Lilligant's figure floated quietly in midair. At this moment, it had completely completed its union with nature, continuously sensing every change within the natural world. In the end, all the power rapidly converged toward its body, allowing every gesture and movement to stir natural energy—lightning, fierce winds, ice, snow, and flames alternated endlessly.
Its gaze lifted toward Yveltal, which had appeared alongside darkness in the sky. Raising one hand, it pointed upward, and terrifying energy instantly pressed down toward Yveltal in the heavens!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
High above, natural energy collided violently with dark energy. Amid the deafening explosions, Yveltal slowly opened its ghostly blue eyes and cast its gaze toward Lilligant below. As it spread its wings, the massive claws upon them, along with the five talons on the wide outer edge of its tail, opened simultaneously. The Dark Aura churned violently around it.
Crack—crack—crack~
Suddenly, a series of shattering sounds rang out in midair. Under the Dark Aura's influence, lightning, ice, snow, and flames all froze at once before being petrified outright, turning into countless fragments of stone dust that scattered down from the sky.
Rustle—rustle—rustle!
It was as if the heavens themselves were collapsing, ash continuously drifting down from above. At this moment, Yveltal—the embodiment of destruction and death—had fully awakened. Its furious shriek carried boundless madness, intent on dragging this world back into endless darkness!
"Lilli!"
Seeing this, Lilligant's gaze grew even more resolute. It could feel the power of nature withering away, as though the entire world was sinking into silence under Yveltal's deathly force. Even so, Lilligant had no intention of retreating. Instead, its eyes hardened with determination. At this moment, it was nature itself, and it would defeat Yveltal and restore vitality to the natural world!
Behind it, the other Pokémon wore equally grave expressions. One by one, they continued to pour their energy into nature, allowing it to become a part of Lilligant's body and constructing a special Natural Domain to contend with the Dark Aura!
"Lilligant, use Energy Ball!"
Standing calmly behind Lilligant, Aven spoke in an even tone. Lilligant nodded, raising its head as it gathered all the natural energy into its hand, condensing it into a single Energy Ball that it hurled forward.
At the same time, Yveltal opened its mouth and fired a beam of energy. The dense power of death even petrified the air itself as a silver-gray energy beam swept across the sky!
BOOM!
In midair, the two energies collided violently. Yveltal roared endlessly, its fury only growing stronger. Being forcibly awakened from the Cocoon of Destruction was already enough to enrage it. Now, these insignificant beings dared to stand in its way—an unforgivable offense!
It began to mobilize all of its power. Even though it had not fully recovered due to being awakened prematurely, it was still not an existence that ordinary beings could hope to oppose. With another powerful beat of its wings, the Dark Aura spread outward once more, engulfing everything in death—no matter if it was matter or energy, nothing could escape annihilation.
Terrifying deathly power spread across the battlefield. The land rapidly turned to stone, trees and vegetation instantly lost their vitality, and everything around was transformed into a realm of death. The natural energy Lilligant had gathered dissipated just as quickly, and even Lilligant itself—merged with nature—seemed on the verge of being extinguished.
"REGI!"
At this critical moment, the three Regis stepped forward. In their hands, they condensed the powers of rock, ice, and steel, continuously infusing them into the natural world. These three forces represented humanity's three eras and possessed the power to suppress all things, rapidly stabilizing the natural domain.
At the same time, the Forces of Nature also took action. Lightning and gales converged endlessly upon Landorus. The mighty earth bore everything, bringing life and hope to all living beings as natural power gathered ceaselessly once more.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In an instant, natural energy collided with dark energy again. The two forces annihilated each other repeatedly, entering a renewed stalemate.
"As expected of the destruction Pokémon—its strength truly is terrifying," Aven murmured as he looked up at Yveltal. Under his command, the Pokémon on the field joined in the assault. Their tremendous power fused with natural energy, transforming into lightning, storms, and more, relentlessly bombarding Yveltal and continuously shattering the Dark Aura it had formed.
Yet even so, Yveltal itself remained unharmed. By constantly absorbing life energy, its injuries recovered rapidly. The Dark Aura pressed down once more, eroding the surroundings and causing the land—once lush and vibrant—to wither again.
"Still not enough…?"
"It seems we can only use our final power."
With that thought, Aven slowly walked to Lilligant's side as golden light began to radiate from his body.
"Lilligant, take my power as well!"
Lilligant was momentarily stunned when it looked at Aven, but then it nodded solemnly.
"Lilligant—this is true Mega Evolution!"
As Aven's voice rang out, a powerful emotional energy known as bonds surged forth from his body, constructing a true bridge between him and Lilligant. Countless golden, special waves of energy appeared around him and continuously merged into Lilligant's body, causing it to shine with golden light as well.
In that instant, Lilligant trembled. It closed its eyes, feeling its consciousness stretch outward endlessly—stretching across the entirety of the Sinnoh Region. As its awareness expanded, the natural energy it could command expanded limitlessly as well, as though it had merged directly with the Region itself and could wield the power of the entire land.
(End of Chapter)