"Regenerated again…" Dr. Lund muttered under his breath.
"What an unbelievable healing ability…" Yuko's voice trembled with shock.
Rayquaza watched warily, eyes narrowing at the sight before it.
"Vrrrm!"
Suddenly, Deoxys lifted its head. Its four tendrils pulsed with light, rapidly condensing into a massive, prismatic energy sphere—then launched it straight toward Rayquaza.
Hayato looked up, heart tightening.
If his memory was correct, in the movie that attack—Psychic—had struck Rayquaza head-on, sending the Sky High Pokémon plummeting to the ground.
That was the moment Rayquaza's humiliation had begun.
But now…
This black Rayquaza surely wouldn't collapse as pitifully as the green one from the movie, right?
The thought flickered through Hayato's mind like lightning.
The next second, reality struck harder than any blow.
The black Rayquaza was slammed by Psychic. Its colossal body tumbled like a kite cut from its string, spiraling down toward the earth.
Hayato: "..."
And by sheer misfortune, the trajectory of its fall was aimed directly at the expedition team's temporary camp.
Rayquaza's head crashed dangerously close to where Hayato stood. The dragon twisted its body, trying to take flight again—only to look up and spot a familiar figure atop the icy ridge.
Rayquaza froze.
Hayato raised his hand and greeted it casually: "Hey, we meet again."
Rayquaza: "..."
At that moment, Deoxys swooped down again. Its body shone with blinding white light mid-flight.
When the glow faded, its form had completely changed.
—Attack Forme.
In this vicious shape, Deoxys dived upon Rayquaza, its four tentacles coiling tight around the dragon's neck before violently shoving it backward.
It was then that Hayato understood.
Rayquaza wasn't weak.
This Deoxys, descending from beyond the stars, was simply too strong.
To freely switch between multiple forms…To regenerate at impossible speed…To overwhelm even Rayquaza in brutal close combat…
And even beyond that—the very same Deoxys that, in the movie, had raised a psychic barrier to engulf the entire city of LaRousse.
Every aspect of its existence screamed its terrifying might.
Rayquaza was hurled down once again. Its enormous frame slammed into the frozen mountainside, the impact shattering ancient permafrost and ice. The tremors rippled outward, collapsing sections of the expedition's encampment and leaving chaos in their wake.
Amid the flurry of ice shards and choking dust, Dr. Lund frowned deeply. He cast a glance at the fallen black leviathan, then shouted to the team: "Everyone, evacuate at once!"
This level of battle was far beyond anything they could interfere with.
That was Rayquaza—the god of the skies itself!
"Yes, sir!"
The researchers wasted no time. Fully aware of their own helplessness, they retreated as fast as they could.
Just then, Tory and Brendan arrived back at the scene.
Relief swept through Dr. Lund when he saw them unharmed. He turned toward Hayato, who had yet to move, and called out urgently: "Hayato!"
But before he could say more, calamity struck.
A blazing meteor fell from the heavens, its fiery tail ripping through the sky. It crashed upon the icy plains with a deafening roar.
And then—like a switch being flipped—the skies filled with falling stars.
Hayato looked up. One meteor in particular grew larger and larger in his eyes, plummeting straight toward him.
…
"Pii pii pii pii—!!" (Ahh! We're going to hit someone! Quick, steer away!)
Inside the meteor, a group of Clefairy scrambled in panic, channeling Moonlight's power to steer their spacecraft.
The problem was, a strange meteor they had encountered earlier had severed their link to the Moon Stones powering their ship, throwing it into a tailspin.
Throughout their uncontrolled descent, they had frantically tried to reconnect.
And now…
Seeing the lone human standing below, all of them shared the same dreadful thought.
—It's over.
But just then, one Clefairy's cry rang with sudden joy.
In the very next moment, the entire ship jerked violently, veering off course. Instead of crushing the human, it scraped across the ice, leaving a deep scar across the frozen plain.
"Hisss…"
The meteor's flaming shell, seared by its plunge through the atmosphere, hissed furiously against the ice. Steam billowed in great white clouds, smothering the flames until they died away.
The Clefairy sighed in collective relief.
…
"Danger!"
Dr. Lund had shouted the warning, only to freeze as the meteor miraculously diverted itself.
Hayato was equally stunned. At his side, Cramorant tilted its head dumbly, staring at the dissipating mist with the same vacant curiosity as its trainer.
From within the veil of steam, pink shapes began to emerge one by one.
They leaned against the fallen meteor, faces etched with relief.
As the fog thinned, Hayato finally saw them clearly.
Just then, one Clefairy lifted its head. It spotted him, and its eyes widened in joyous recognition.
"Clefairy!"
The others followed its gaze. The moment they recognized the human, a chorus of delighted cries erupted.
Hayato: "???"
What in the world? Why were there Clefairy here of all places?
For a second he was baffled. Then, a daring thought flashed in his mind.
Could it be… those Clefairy he'd once seen rummaging through trash cans back in Pewter City?
Their enthusiastic response confirmed it.
Hayato stood frozen, dumbstruck.
Above, Rayquaza and Deoxys clashed in ferocious combat.
Across the icy plain, meteors cracked open one after another—and more Clefairy tumbled out, shivering violently in the cold. They huddled together, sharing warmth as their plaintive cries echoed.
"Clefairy…" they whimpered pitifully.
Their original destination had been Mt. Moon. But along the way, disaster had struck.
Hayato: "..."
He glanced skyward at the dueling legends, then gave Cramorant a solemn command: "Stop them from fighting!"
"Gyaah," Cramorant croaked vacantly. Yet it spread its wings and flapped toward the raging titans.
Meanwhile, Hayato used Gengar's telepathy to question the Clefairy: How many of them had come? Were there Clefairy in every meteorite?
Not far off, Dr. Lund's group watched, utterly dumbfounded.
What on earth was happening anymore?
"Doctor!" Yuko suddenly cried out, pointing skyward. "Look!"
Dr. Lund followed her gaze—and his jaw nearly hit the ground.
A single, clueless-looking bird Pokémon had flown into the gap between the god of the skies, Rayquaza, and the cosmic powerhouse, Deoxys.
That bird… was Hayato's Cramorant.
A Pokémon native to Galar, known for swallowing Arrokuda whole.
An ordinary bird, common in its homeland—yet now, with its small body, it dared to wedge itself between two gods.
"What… what is it doing?" a researcher stammered, unable to comprehend.
An absurd thought flashed through her mind.
Could it be… that Cramorant was trying to stop Rayquaza and Deoxys from fighting?
No—that was impossible. Too ridiculous!
Every researcher knew well that Pokémon species had natural limits. No matter how perfectly one trained a Cramorant, it could never hope to oppose two beings that had existed since the dawn of time itself.
Yet among them, only Brendan's eyes burned with excitement and hope.
His fists clenched tight, every cell in his body roaring in exhilaration.