Rayquaza. A Legendary Pokémon hailed as one of the strongest in the world. Even among god-level beings, very few could stand alongside it. According to Champion Ash in the Chat Group, a Mega Evolved Rayquaza had no rivals except for a Mega Evolved Mewtwo at god-level Peak. Even among Legendaries, its power was in a tier of its own.
But normal Rayquaza were green. The one currently protecting Ash was black. A Shiny Rayquaza.
He hadn't expected the Green Orb to summon a Shiny. That was far beyond anything Ash had anticipated.
This Rayquaza was here because Ash had called it. The moment he saw Giratina, Ash had used his Aura to communicate with the Green Orb in his backpack, activating its power.
Champion Ash had explained the Green Orb's purpose back in the Chat Group: one function was as a token to challenge Rayquaza, similar to the Rainbow Wing.
The other was to summon it. A summoned Rayquaza would unconditionally do one thing for the summoner, as long as it wasn't something unconscionable.
Ash had activated the Green Orb as insurance the moment Giratina appeared. And at the critical moment, Rayquaza had finally arrived.
Saturn felt his heart skip a beat.
Its entire body was as black as ink, with golden markings flowing slowly across its skin like magma. Its golden pupils reflected Giratina's figure, and just that gaze alone caused Giratina's form to tremble slightly.
Yveltal's phantom let out an uneasy whimper. Most of the Power of Death wrapped around its body had been shattered by the aftermath of Rayquaza's emerald strike, and even without true consciousness, it trembled faintly in the dragon's presence.
The pitch-black dragon head lowered slowly, its golden slit-pupils looking down at Saturn with absolute condescension.
Charon completely lost his composure. His mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out.
"Rayquaza." Saturn's voice trembled for the first time. "A Shiny Rayquaza."
The Sky Dragon. A Legendary Pokémon born from the ozone layer. A being that controlled weather phenomena and calmed conflicts between Groudon and Kyogre. And a black Rayquaza was a Shiny individual with only scattered records in the most ancient literature.
Why would it appear here? How could it possibly appear here? Could it be because of Ash?
Even Cyrus, Team Galactic's leader, had only barely managed to subdue Giratina using the Griseous Orb combined with Team Galactic's most advanced technology. Even then, there was a constant risk of Giratina's consciousness fighting back.
Controlling an absolute top-tier Legendary through human strength was already an incredible feat. Commanding it at full power was another thing entirely.
But on Ash's side, Rayquaza didn't seem to be under any force or strain at all. Its golden pupils bore the majesty and pressure of a Legendary acting under its own will. This Rayquaza possessed its own consciousness. It was not being controlled.
How? How could one kid have two god-level Pokémon answering to him?
"Are you alright, Ash?" Mewtwo's figure appeared beside him, its voice echoing in Ash's mind with undisguised concern.
This was the first time Mewtwo had felt so shaken. In that moment just now, it had truly experienced despair. If Ash had actually died under that attack, then Mewtwo would have made Team Galactic pay in ways they couldn't imagine.
"I'm fine. Rayquaza's power shielded us." Ash's voice was weak but steady. "Mewtwo, bring Gardevoir and the others over. I'll recall them into their Poké Balls. It'll be too dangerous once the real fight starts."
Mewtwo nodded and waved its hand, using Psychic to bring over the Pokémon that had been blown away by the shockwave. Gengar and the others were in bad shape. That final attack had completely exhausted them along with Ash.
Gardevoir was holding the fast-asleep Molly in her arms. During the clash between Oblivion Wing and Rayquaza's Dragon Ascent, Ash himself could barely stay conscious, let alone protect Molly. In the end, Gardevoir had squeezed out the last of her mental strength to create a barrier around the girl. Without that, Molly's fragile body wouldn't have survived the aftermath.
After confirming Molly was fine, Ash let out a sigh of relief. He thanked Gardevoir and recalled every Pokémon except Mewtwo and Pikachu back into their Poké Balls. Molly rested in Ash's arms, protected by the last of his Aura.
"That Yveltal absorbed all of the Unown's power." Ash's eyes gleamed faintly as he used Aura Sight to read Yveltal's condition. "The Unown, drawn by Molly's willpower, are all inside that phantom's body now. That's why it was able to materialize. We need to find a way to pull the Unown out."
Mewtwo's brow furrowed. "I'll handle it. And you, take care of yourself. Instead of wasting energy worrying about other Pokémon, worry about staying alive. What time do you think it is to still be burning Aura?"
Mewtwo's voice carried blame, but Ash just smiled and didn't argue.
Then Mewtwo turned its gaze to the massive black dragon behind Ash. "You used the Green Orb?"
Aside from the Chat Group, Mewtwo knew about nearly everything Ash carried, including the Green Orb. When Ash first obtained it, he'd even mentioned that someday he might need Mewtwo's help to battle Rayquaza in order to capture it.
Now Rayquaza had appeared out of nowhere. Obviously it wasn't just passing by.
"Yeah." A very forced smile tugged at the corners of Ash's mouth. "If Rayquaza had come any later, you'd only be seeing me in the next life."
"Human. Return the Green Orb to Us, and We shall eliminate the two enemies before your eyes." A majestic voice echoed in Ash's mind. Rayquaza's telepathy.
Ever since catching Ash mid-fall, Rayquaza had been studying him from the corner of its eye. It hadn't expected the one who obtained the Green Orb to be this young. A kid this age should have been someone who'd just set out on a journey, and obtaining the Green Orb should have been pure accident.
Or so It had initially thought.
Upon sensing the power within Ash's body and the Pikachu beside him, Rayquaza instantly discarded that assumption. This human child was fathomless. It actually felt power belonging to a deity on this youth. Rayquaza checked its own perception several times before finally confirming that the problem wasn't with It. The problem was with the boy.
His current depleted state was clearly the result of exhausting his strength for some reason. Otherwise, he would have had plenty of power to dodge or block that earlier attack on his own. For the Green Orb to fall into the hands of someone like this wasn't surprising at all.
But regardless, the Green Orb had to be returned. So Rayquaza proposed a condition: resolve the two enemies before Ash's eyes, in exchange for the Green Orb's return.
Ash had no intention of keeping the Green Orb in the first place. The top priority was stopping Giratina and Yveltal's phantom. Compared to that, the Green Orb was nothing.
Just as Ash was about to nod, Mewtwo cut in.
"I recall that after acquiring the Green Orb, it can only be returned after fulfilling two requirements. One is to unconditionally do one thing for the holder. The other is to accept the holder's challenge." Mewtwo's voice was level, almost conversational.
"If Ash returns the Green Orb just like that, where will he go to find you for a challenge later? Besides, once you absorb the Orb, your power will reach a higher level, making the challenge even harder for him."
Rayquaza's golden pupils shrank sharply. Not because Mewtwo's negotiating tone displeased It, though there was a bit of that. The main reason was that Mewtwo could actually intercept the telepathic conversation between It and Ash. Only now did Rayquaza begin to take Mewtwo seriously, and upon closer inspection, the pressure emanating from Mewtwo actually made It feel faintly threatened.
What was the origin of this Pokémon? Among the deities It knew, there was no Legendary with this form.
"Our Sky Dragon clan does not deal in bad faith. We can promise that when you come to challenge Us, We will not use the Green Orb's power. Furthermore, We will leave behind a token. You may use the token to summon Us at any time."
Rayquaza paused.
"However, the token can only be used once. After it is used, whether to request help or issue a challenge, the token will lose its effect. Unless you can find Us in the vast world on your own, you will not have another chance."
This time, Rayquaza's voice echoed in both Mewtwo and Ash's minds simultaneously. No need for Mewtwo to eavesdrop.
Mewtwo's expression relaxed slightly. Even in a situation this severe, it had still fought to secure Ash's interests. It could afford to negotiate because the immediate threat had passed. Mewtwo had broken free from Giratina's hold, and the Distortion Space that had trapped Ash was already shattered by Rayquaza's Dragon Ascent. Ash was no longer in danger.
If his safety had still been at risk, Mewtwo would never have wasted time on terms.
Rayquaza also gave Ash and Mewtwo genuine respect. Partly because this was Its duty as the Green Orb's covenant required, and partly because their strength warranted it. A human with god-level power, and a Pokémon capable of threatening Its current form. One day in the future, they would surely stand before It and issue a challenge.
Rayquaza looked forward to that day. But for now, the rules still needed to be settled. A token could be given, but it would fail completely after one use. Otherwise, It would just be a free mercenary to be called upon and dismissed at will.
"No problem. Here." Ash agreed without hesitation and handed the Green Orb over.
This decisiveness made Rayquaza pause. Holding the Green Orb, fully knowing its importance to the Sky Dragon clan, and he could still hand it over without a second thought. From this youth's eyes, Rayquaza did not see a trace of greed.
"My view of humans has changed slightly. That there are still pure ones like you among your kind shows there is still hope."
The Green Orb floated up from Ash's hand and slowly merged into Rayquaza's body.
Then It turned its eyes to the two figures watching from a distance. Compared to Ash, the malice emanating from those two was unmistakable. And beyond them...
"Giratina was controlled. Human methods have truly evolved. And that thing, a fake created using the origin of the god of death, yet its strength actually reaches one-tenth of the real thing. Impressive, in a revolting sort of way."
"Please, Rayquaza. Shatter that phantom and help Giratina break free."
"We will do what We can."
Rayquaza set Ash and Pikachu down, then let out a long roar into the sky, soaring straight upward as a brilliant seven-colored light burst forth from its entire body.
Charon and Saturn, who had still been calculating their options regarding Rayquaza, saw that seven-colored light and their expressions turned ugly simultaneously.
Mega Evolution. Nobody had told them Rayquaza could Mega Evolve.
Rayquaza was already a top-tier existence among Legendaries. And now it was Mega Evolving. How were they supposed to fight this?
As the light dissipated, Mega Rayquaza appeared. Its body length, already terrifying when coiled, surged again. On its streamlined black body, every scale burst with magma-like gold patterns.
On both sides of its lower jaw, two backward-curving black blades had grown, with bright yellow gems embedded at their roots. Golden ribbons extended from its twin horns and jaw blades, adding a touch of divinity to its already overwhelming form.
To resolve two god-level threats in one go, Rayquaza held nothing back.