Several researchers in white lab coats crowded around a massive display screen, their faces etched with panic.
"Meteor trajectory confirmed!" One of them rushed over to Cynthia the moment she arrived, his words tumbling out in rapid succession. "Based on our calculations, this meteor will strike the Hoenn region within a week! If we don't stop it, the consequences will be catastrophic!"
"We need Rayquaza's ultimate power to destroy it," the captain added, brow furrowed deeply. "But the problem is, Team Magma is also after that final meteor fragment..."
Rayquaza.
The moment she heard that name, Cynthia's pupils contracted sharply.
The legendary Lord of the Skies, the hero who had lived in her childhood memories.
The New Game Plus storyline actually involved Rayquaza?
Back in her first playthrough, she had witnessed the great three-way battle between Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza in Yancy's city. The earth-shattering power she had seen that day still sent a chill through her heart.
And now... Rayquaza was about to appear again?
"What?! The fragment is here?!"
Just then, a commotion erupted at the entrance to the hall. A group of Team Magma grunts burst in, led by an admin, weapons glinting coldly in the light.
"Ha! Looks like we arrived just in time!" The Team Magma admin cackled, his greedy eyes locking onto the data tablet in the researcher's hands. "We'll be taking that fragment! Just you wait and see!"
With that, they snatched the fragment and vanished into the crowd like ghosts before the guards could respond.
One of the researchers cried out in alarm.
"Champion, we can track the fragment's location. They seem to be heading toward Meteor Falls!"
Meteor Falls, one of the most mysterious and breathtaking waterfalls in the Hoenn region.
Deep inside a darkened cavern, a massive waterfall plunged from above, filling the air with mist. Cynthia guided her character forward, battling her way through Team Magma grunts who tried to block her path one after another.
Finally, at the very heart of the falls, she spotted May, surrounded on all sides by Team Magma.
May looked roughed up. She clutched the Mega Bracelet tightly in her hands, but under the oppressive pressure of Team Magma's leader Maxie, her body trembled uncontrollably.
"Hand over the bracelet and the fragment!" Maxie fixed her with an icy stare, his eyes burning with fanaticism. "That meteor belongs to us! We'll use its power to fully revive Groudon, expand the landmass, and dominate this world!"
"You have no idea what you're doing!" May ground out through clenched teeth. "That will destroy everyone!"
"And what does that matter? Let our souls bear witness to the birth of a new world!"
Maxie waved his hand, and his Golbat and Camerupt behind him lunged savagely toward May.
At that critical moment, a figure stepped in front of her.
It was Cynthia.
The battle screen flashed open instantly.
Facing Maxie's Pokemon, Cynthia held nothing back.
Her fully developed ace team unleashed overwhelming force. Whether it was Victini or the rain duo, they swept through Maxie's Pokemon one by one like a storm tearing through dry leaves.
"Damn it... I lost to you..." Maxie stared at his fallen Pokemon, biting down on his frustration, and finally retreated with his subordinates in disarray.
The battle over, May sank to the ground and gulped down air in ragged breaths. She looked up at Cynthia, the hostility in May's eyes gradually fading, replaced by something far more complicated.
"Damn it... beaten by Cynthia..." May murmured, then held out the Mega Bracelet. "Here. Take it back. The Elder always said that only someone with a pure heart can resonate with Rayquaza... I thought I could do it, but I was too impatient."
She raised her head, meeting Cynthia's gaze, and a hint of genuine acknowledgment entered her expression.
"The Meteor Shrine is above. The Elder who tends it lives up there. Go find him. Maybe... you're the one who was chosen."
The chat started rolling in.
["Looks like May isn't actually a bad person, just way too eager."]
["The story has real depth. Everyone's got their own conviction."]
["Cynthia really is the chosen one. The bracelet is back!"]
Cynthia accepted the bracelet, tucked it away in her bag, gave May a small nod, and turned to head up toward the top of the falls.
The Meteor Shrine was an ancient, solemn structure.
A bald elder sat cross-legged at its center with his eyes closed, as though he had long anticipated Cynthia's arrival.
"So you've finally come." The elder opened his eyes slowly, his voice aged and profound. "The meteor crisis, the ultra wormhole... all of this is the work of fate. Only Rayquaza's ultimate power can destroy that meteor of destruction."
He rose to his feet and pointed to a Flygon standing nearby.
"Ride it to the summit of Sky Pillar. That is where the Lord of the Skies slumbers."
The scene shifted. Cynthia rode the Flygon up through layers of cloud and mist, returning once more to that towering spire that pierced the heavens.
During her first visit, she hadn't paid close attention to Sky Pillar's exterior. Coming back now, she was struck by how ancient and immense it felt.
She climbed steadily upward. This time, there were none of the crumbling floor tiles that had blocked her before, and she reached the summit with little difficulty. Howling winds swept across the platform as the sea of clouds churned below.
And there, at the very center of the platform, May stood before Rayquaza, looking impossibly small.
"I tried..." May turned around, her face heavy with disappointment. "Rayquaza won't respond to me. It refuses to answer my call." She stepped aside and looked toward Cynthia.
"Your turn, Champion."
Cynthia walked forward and looked up at the legendary creature before her.
Rayquaza.
We meet again.
She took a slow, deep breath and pressed the interaction button.
[You touch Rayquaza's scales.]
[In that instant, a strange sensation wells up inside you, something that feels like... resonance.]
As though breaking through the boundaries of time and space, two powerful souls collided in that single moment.
Rayquaza let out a low, rumbling roar, and for the first time, the coldness was gone. In its place was a trace of recognition.
Then a blinding green light erupted from Rayquaza's body and shot straight up into the sky.
A system notification appeared:
[Rayquaza has joined your party!]
[You have forged an Ultra Bond with Rayquaza!]
[You have obtained Ultimate Power!]
Brilliant green radiance flooded the screen as the chat went wild.
["Holy crap! Those effects are insane!"]
["She really can't forget her Rayquaza, can she?"]
["Ultra Bond — what's that? Is Rayquaza going Mega?"]
Armed with its ultimate power, Cynthia returned to the Space Center in Fallarbor Town.
The facility was a flurry of activity, every engineer working furiously on final launch preparations.
"Everything is ready!" The captain looked at Cynthia, barely containing his excitement. "The ship can launch! Take Rayquaza with you. We're going into space to stop that meteor!"
Cynthia made her way to the rear of the Space Center, where a massive rocket stood waiting. Guided by the crew, she boarded the ship with her team. As the countdown reached zero, a thunderous roar shook the earth.
The rocket blasted out a column of orange flame and, under tremendous thrust, broke free of gravity and soared into the vast expanse of space.
The scene cut to a first-person perspective.
Cynthia looked at the screen and let out a quiet sound of wonder.
So this was space.
Against a deep black backdrop scattered with countless brilliant stars, the blue Earth hung in the distance, beautiful and fragile. A massive meteor drifted in the void, its surface churning with fire, trailing a plume of debris that stretched across the void like a scar, bearing down on the Earth at terrifying speed.
["It's so beautiful..."]
["The 3D visuals are way too realistic. Is this actually a Pokemon game?"]
["That meteor is massive, holy. If that hits, all of Hoenn is gone."]
["The atmosphere just got incredibly heavy. It actually feels like we're saving the world."]
Just as Cynthia maneuvered the ship closer to the meteor, something went wrong.
The light on the meteor's surface suddenly warped, and a surge of purple energy burst outward, rapidly coalescing into a bizarre, humanoid creature.
It had a body of purple crystal, an inverted-triangle head, long spindly limbs, and a glowing red core on its chest.
This mysterious Pokemon from outer space let out a piercing shriek, a sound that seemed to cut straight through the soul and send an inexplicable shudder down the spine.
The battle screen appeared again, and above this Pokemon's head was a golden symbol, identical to the one that had appeared above Regirock.
Lv. 85.
"What Pokemon is this?" Cynthia's brow furrowed slightly.
Clearly, this was another unknown one.
["It looks so cool! What kind of alien Pokemon is that?"]
["It's so unsettling. Feels even more ominous than the legendary Pokemon from before."]
["A Lv. 85 boss? Cynthia's team is also 80+. This is going to be a fight."]
Cynthia didn't underestimate it. A boss battle meant special mechanics, just like the Regirock encounter before. "Let me probe its typing and moves first."
She led with the most well-rounded member of her team: Victini.
She gave the command decisively and went with V-create, her strongest move, to test the waters.
But just as V-create was about to connect, the opponent's body suddenly transformed.
[Deoxys has switched to Defense Forme!]
Its previously slender limbs thickened, its head and body rounded out, and the crystals on its surface became far denser, turning it into something resembling an impenetrable fortress.
The flames slammed into it and barely produced a spark. The damage hadn't even taken down a fifth of its health bar.
["Deoxys? Forme changing? Defense Forme?"]
Cynthia immediately began to analyze.
This thing's special mechanic was clearly Forme switching, similar to Rotom.
Defense Forme would be extremely defensive, but its offensive capability should be limited.
Then, in the next moment, the core on Deoxys's chest lit up with an eerie glow.
[Deoxys used Mirror Coat!]
A blast of fire energy even more powerful than the original V-create reflected back and slammed directly into Victini.
Victini's HP bar emptied instantly. One-hit KO.
["What? Mirror Coat?!"]
["The boss can reflect damage? That's absolutely brutal!"]
["It has that much bulk? Even tankier than Regirock. Less than a fifth of Deoxys's HP lost on a reflected hit, and Victini is just gone."]
Cynthia watched the screen, her gaze growing colder and more focused.
"I see. It can switch Formes at the start of a turn to counter incoming attacks. It shifted to Defense Forme just now, which has sky-high Special Defense, so it used Mirror Coat as a special counter..."
She ran through the situation rapidly.
"If it can reflect special damage, I'll try physical attacks."
She sent out Dracovish, her hardest physical hitter.
"Use Fishious Rend!"
Dracovish lunged forward with its massive jaws, a torrent of water surging alongside it toward Deoxys.
Yet Deoxys transformed again.
This time, its body grew sleek and streamlined. Its limbs became extremely thin, like a purple bolt of lightning: Speed Forme. The instant Dracovish launched the attack, Deoxys's silhouette blurred into motion.
Deoxys swung one of its slender arms, and a streak of white light carved through the air.
[Deoxys used Thunderbolt!]
A massive, dazzling surge of electricity wiped Dracovish's health bar clean. Another instant KO.
["You've got to be kidding."]
["Bet there's an Attack Forme too..."]
["Stop shifting formes everywhere! This is outrageous!"]
Two Pokemon down, yet Cynthia showed no signs of panic. She was completely locked in, long accustomed to this feeling.
"Speed Forme... not only is it fast, but its offensive output looks solid too."
This thing was practically a perfect battle machine.
She took a slow breath and sent out Rotom.
Before she could give the command, Deoxys transformed a third time.
Its muscles surged outward, its body bristled with razor-sharp spines, and it radiated explosive, concentrated power: Attack Forme.
A Hyper Beam fired from its mouth with terrifying speed, giving Cynthia no time to react whatsoever.
Rotom didn't even get to move. It was wiped out in an instant.
["The damage output is insane!"]
["One-shot KO! That attack stat is absolutely terrifying!"]
["How are you supposed to fight this? Three Forme switches, all kinds of counters, there's no way to play around it!"]
Three key team members were down in a row. The tension in the stream spiked sharply. But Cynthia wasn't rattled. Her mind was running at full throttle.
"Attack Forme hits like a truck, but its defenses must have dropped. And the Forme switching seems to be evaluated at the start of each turn..."
She scanned her remaining three Pokemon and her gaze settled on Pelipper and Ludicolo.
If brute force wasn't working, she'd fall back on her most familiar strategy.
"Pelipper, let's go!"
The moment Pelipper took the field, rain began to fall in the middle of space — impossibly, defiantly, gloriously — and somewhere in the stream, someone typed ["only in Pokemon."]
[Pelipper's ability triggered. It's started raining!]
Deoxys was locked in post-recoil stasis from using Hyper Beam and couldn't attack, giving Pelipper an opening to fire off a Hurricane.
But even in that frozen state, Deoxys still managed to shift into Defense Forme before the hit landed, leaving Hurricane's damage nearly negligible.
۞۞۞۞
~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones