Rayquaza let out a furious roar. Its body tensed as a green aura flared around it, and then it charged forward.
Bang!
The ground cracked open instantly from the force of the impact, splitting the battlefield into two halves.
"Roar!"
Lugia understood at once and flew toward the other side of the battlefield, ready to face Dark Kyurem, Groudon, and Kyogre.
Meanwhile, Rayquaza turned to face Hoopa Unbound and the three phantom dragons summoned with it.
[I no longer care whether you live or die.]
"As you wish," Steven replied.
A sharp roar echoed through Desert City. The green shadow of the giant dragon shot straight up into the sky.
"For Hoopa... attack!" Hoopa Unbound raised a single finger toward the sky, and Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina surged upward together.
Rayquaza changed direction at once and dove toward the three dragons below.
Dialga opened its jaws wide. The gem on its chest blazed with light, and a wave of blue energy shot forward.
Roar of Time!
Palkia raised its right arm slightly. The gem on its shoulder plating glowed, and with a swing of its arm, it hurled a crescent-shaped blade of blue and pink light.
Spacial Rend!
Rayquaza's eyes lit up with excitement as it flew straight into the attack.
Dragon Ascent!
Boom!
Smoke filled the air in an instant, but Rayquaza tore through the black cloud, its speed hardly slowed at all.
"Watch your flank!" Steven shouted.
[Do you really think I need reminding?]
The green aura around Rayquaza's body shifted to blue and purple, gathering around its tail.
Rip!
A black portal tore open beside Rayquaza, and Giratina emerged from it, its body pitch-black and its eyes burning red.
Shadow Sneak!
Bang—
Rayquaza swung its tail and struck Giratina hard across the face, knocking it straight back into the Distortion World.
"Roar!"
Rayquaza opened its jaws, gathering flecks of blue-purple energy inside.
A Dragon Pulse blasted out and struck Dialga. Its head swung sideways from the impact, and the wave of energy carried through, knocking both Palkia and Dialga to the ground together.
Buzz!
Six glowing rings suddenly appeared around Rayquaza, and Hoopa Unbound's six arms burst out from within them.
Hyperspace Fury!
Rayquaza vanished in an instant, and Hoopa Unbound's fists collided uselessly with one another, missing their target completely. A moment later, Rayquaza reappeared right in front of Hoopa Unbound.
"Hoopa?!" Hoopa Unbound cried out in surprise, and a Dark Pulse burst from its chest.
Rayquaza opened its mouth and fired a Dragon Pulse of its own. The two attacks collided at close range and exploded together, the shockwave throwing both Pokémon backward.
Elsewhere, a burst of scorching flame shot toward Lugia, but it flapped its pure white wings and dodged with ease. Then, with a powerful sweep, it sent a storm of Aeroblast wind blades tearing into Kyogre.
An embodiment of the sea, reduced to this?
It was still being controlled!
Lugia looked up sharply toward the sky above. Dark Kyurem's arms crackled with blue lightning, and it swung both arms forward, sending two whips of electricity lashing toward Lugia.
Fusion Bolt!
Boom!
Lugia was struck and let out a pained cry. At once, a blue aura surrounded its body, and it slammed itself into Dark Kyurem in return.
Then Lugia shook itself, and specks of starlight shimmered across its body as its wounds healed in an instant.
Recover!
Lugia lowered its gaze to study the three Legendary Pokémon below. It had once lived a quiet, peaceful life deep in the sea, staying away from conflict. Aside from strange weather and shifting ocean currents, it rarely ever appeared before others.
It had not expected this. Were these Legendary Pokémon simply too weak? Or were they somehow unable to use their full strength? After all, it still had not seen Groudon use its signature move even once.
Lugia stopped wondering and spread its wings wide.
Aeroblast tore into all three Legendary Pokémon at once!
While Lugia fought with calm and precision, Rayquaza on the other side of the battlefield was growing wilder by the second.
What, is that your strongest move already?
Fine then, I'll take it head-on — and give you something back in return.
What?! You haven't even used your real power yet?
Then I really will have to knock some sense into you!
Rayquaza's fighting style burned through energy fast, but it felt incredible. If a battle wasn't thrilling, what was even the point of fighting at all?
Steven noticed the illusions of the three Sinnoh dragons growing faint — they were the first to run out of strength.
"Finish them now!" he shouted.
[Do I really need you to tell me that?]
Rayquaza spun rapidly with Dragon Dance, combining it with Delta Stream to whip up a violent storm. The three dragons' attacks tore gaps into the swirling wind, but the storm closed each gap almost instantly.
Rayquaza stopped at the center of the storm, looked up, and let out a furious roar.
Detonate!
Blue-purple light burst from Rayquaza's body and spread into the storm around it — then it all exploded at once. The three dragons, caught at close range, had no time to escape and were swallowed by the blast.
Rayquaza had used everything in that single burst, and before it could even catch its breath, Hoopa Unbound's Hyperspace Fury struck.
Bang—
Six heavy punches slammed into Rayquaza one after another, sending it crashing hard into the ground and throwing up a cloud of dust and debris.
"Hoopa is the strongest!" Hoopa Unbound bared its sharp teeth at the fallen Rayquaza and let out a loud, booming laugh.
But those words seemed to strike a nerve. Rayquaza's eyes snapped open, a smirk still curling at the corner of its mouth.
You just called yourself the strongest, didn't you?
"Rayquaza, are you all right?" Steven stood back up, resting a hand on one of Rayquaza's horns.
Rayquaza dug its claws into the ground and launched itself back into the air.
[I was born to turn so-called "strongest" Pokémon like you into a joke!]
A sudden roar cut through Hoopa Unbound's laughter. It looked down just in time to see Rayquaza already standing right in front of it.
Bang—
Rayquaza slammed Hoopa Unbound headfirst into a nearby building, then opened its jaws and fired a Dragon Pulse that sent Hoopa Unbound flying hundreds of meters away.
Lugia glanced back and saw the massive shape hurtling toward it, quickly rising to avoid the collision. It looked at Hoopa Unbound lying motionless on the ground below, a little stunned.
That fight ended so fast?
Rayquaza swept past Lugia, leaving behind only a single word.
[Switch.]
With that, it left the fallen Hoopa Unbound to Lugia and turned instead to face the three Legendary Pokémon on Lugia's side of the battlefield.
[Human, are you afraid of dying?]
Rayquaza looked down at the three Pokémon below with disdain, still finding a moment to ask Steven the question.
All the color had drained from Steven's face — a paleness even he hadn't expected. And yet, strangely, his mind felt clearer than ever.
Was this what people meant by a final surge of strength before the end?
"Just enjoy it while it lasts," Steven said, managing a light laugh.
Hearing this, Rayquaza let out a loud, delighted roar.
[Human, I...]
Its whole body dove downward in an instant, and its unfinished words kept echoing through Steven's mind.
[...acknowledge you!]