Later, under the bright morning sun.
Naoki rode on Koraidon, racing toward the eastern plains of Vale, with Victini at his side.
Back at the castle terrace, the old king and the past Victini stood quietly, watching them leave.
"Nini?" the younger Victini looked puzzled. It didn't understand why the old king had stopped it from going along. If it joined the battle too, their chances of success would surely increase.
But the old king simply placed a hand on its head, silencing the question with a calm gaze.
"I know my sons well. Once they set their minds to something, they never turn back."
"If what that young man said is true… and the energy of the dragon vein becomes unstable… this entire land could fall. We must stay behind to prevent that from happening."
"Nini!" the younger Victini panicked, its expression filled with worry.
If they stayed here, wouldn't that mean the king's life would be in danger again?
The old king smiled gently and patted Victini's head. "It's alright. I'm already an old man."
He turned his gaze to the town nestled below the castle.
Golden sunlight streamed across rooftops and cobblestone paths. A mother stepped out of her home carrying a basket. On a second-story windowsill, a small boy waved goodbye to her with a big grin.
Children chased each other playfully across the town square. Young adults bustled about with purpose. Wives waited for their husbands to return. Craftsmen worked hard repairing the city's outer walls.
"There…" the king said softly, "…my people live."
"If we fail… this peace, this joy, this warmth, none of it will survive."
"Nini…" Victini's eyes welled with tears.
And in that quiet moment, it understood what the king meant.
"Nini!"
...
As they flew toward the Vale Plains, Victini followed closely behind Naoki and Koraidon, its eyes full of unwavering resolve.
"Victini, will doing this truly make you happy?" Naoki asked, turning his head slightly.
"Nini?"
Victini looked back at him, visibly confused by the question.
"If we change the past," Naoki explained, "then the future will change as well. The People of the Earth won't be scattered. Aintoak will still stand strong in the future. The Dragon Veins won't be damaged, and this land will stay rich and beautiful."
"Nini..." Victini closed its eyes for a moment, imagining the future Naoki described. Then it nodded vigorously, eyes glinting with determination. "Nini!"
Because that was the wish of the old king, too.
"I see..." Naoki smiled softly. "Alright then. Let's go!"
Koraidon raced across the sky, leaving the mountains and forests behind in a red blur. Before long, a vast and desolate plain stretched out before them.
But this was no longer a place of life, it was a battlefield, scorched and bloodstained. The grass had been dyed red, and countless soldiers and Pokémon lay fallen across the fields. Smoke rose in columns where fires burned unchecked, and jagged bolts of lightning tore across the other half of the sky, scorching the ground below.
It was a vision of ruin.
The surviving soldiers and Pokémon had stopped fighting. All of them stared upwards, awestruck by what was happening above them.
High in the storm-churned clouds, two titanic dragons, one black, one white, clashed in an elemental maelstrom. Lightning surged and fire roared as Zekrom and Reshiram collided, lighting up the heavens in bursts of thunder and flame.
It was just like the ancient legend Naoki knew by heart:
The two dragons granted wisdom and power to the twin princes who earned their recognition. But the princes clashed over the path their kingdom should follow, and the dragons, caught in the conflict, battled until both were wounded. In time, their strength faded, and they returned to stone, falling into a long slumber.
And now, those two princes stood below, bloodied and breathless, still locked in their bitter feud.
Naoki dismounted from Koraidon, his eyes serious.
"Koraidon, Victini, stop them!"
"Agas!!" Koraidon roared, shifting into its Apex Build. The fiery crest on its head flared open like wings, and with a thunderous cry, it launched into the sky.
Crimson energy surged from its body, pulsing with power.
A pillar of red light erupted from Koraidon, piercing the heavens. The thick storm clouds that had darkened the Vale Plains split open under the force of the energy, and golden sunlight poured through, illuminating the battlefield.
The strange phenomenon instantly drew the attention of the twin princes. They looked up in shock, their eyes locking onto the red figure rocketing skyward.
What... is that?
Even Reshiram and Zekrom, locked in fierce combat, paused as their gazes shifted.
But it was too late.
In a streak of red light, Koraidon collided with both dragons mid-air.
The force of the impact sent all three crashing to the ground.
Koraidon and Zekrom landed first, shaking the earth with the force of their fall. A deep crater spread beneath them, cracks tearing across the scorched plains.
Reshiram, disoriented by the sudden interruption, hovered briefly before catching sight of his companion lying in the dirt, pinned beneath a creature he didn't recognize.
But the aura it radiated... was overwhelming.
And then, another cry echoed through the air.
"Nini!"
Reshiram turned.
Hovering just ahead was a small, rabbit-like Pokémon, glowing faintly with energy. It met the Vast White Pokémon's eyes without fear.
It was Victini.
Reshiram flinched, startled by the sudden burst of power.
In the next instant, a vivid, glowing flame shaped like a "V" ignited on Victini's forehead. With a determined cry, Victini soared straight toward the Vast White Pokémon.
"There it is!" shouted the elder prince from the battlefield below, eyes wide.
He had spotted Victini.
And in that moment, realization dawned, Father had sent Victini to stop the war.
But… how could they stop now?
Everything they'd sacrificed, all the choices that brought them here, if they stopped, wouldn't it all be meaningless?
"Reshiram!" the elder prince roared. "Clear every obstacle from the path to truth!"
The command reached Reshiram's mind like lightning.
Letting out a thunderous roar, Reshiram inhaled. Flames swirled from its tail turbine into its maw, condensing into a barrage of scorching crossfire.
At the same time, Victini released its blazing V-shaped flame.
The two forces collided midair with a deafening roar. Fire erupted skyward in a violent explosion, lighting the battlefield in searing heat.
"Nini—!"
Victini was hurled back by the shockwave. Its tiny body spiraled through the air, bracing for impact.
But just as it was about to fall, strong arms caught it.
Victini opened its eyes—and there was Koraidon.
"Nini!" it cried in surprise and relief.
"Agas!" Koraidon nodded, reassured and resolute. Then it turned to Reshiram, fire building in its gaze.
Victini floated beside it, holding out its small paws.
"Nini!"
Streams of radiant energy flowed from Victini's body, wrapping around Koraidon like a warm wind. It was Victini's legendary power, unlimited energy, the essence of victory, pouring into its ally.
Koraidon's body burst into flame. Scarlet light surged around it as the fire of victory took hold, and an ancient, primal aura swept outward in a wave of power.
With a roar, Koraidon launched into the sky. Its form shimmered, shifting between build and stance, until it blazed like a meteor streaking toward Reshiram.
Reshiram flared its wings in alarm, calling up another barrage of Cross Flame to defend, but it wasn't fast enough.
Koraidon tore through the attack in an instant, bursting through the flames like they weren't even there.
"Roaaaar!" Reshiram cried out in shock.
Koraidon crashed into the dragon with a devastating tackle, slamming it downward like a comet.
BOOM!
The crash shook the entire Vale Plains. Dust and shockwaves rippled through the battlefield.
The two princes watched in disbelief as the unthinkable unfolded.
Their dragons, chosen avatars of truth and ideals, were being overpowered?
"Zekrom!" the younger prince cried out. He dashed toward the massive crater where the Deep Black Pokémon had fallen, calling desperately into the dust.
A deep rumble answered him.
Zekrom stirred, then growled.
'No, we must not lose!'
Fueled by the desperation of its prince's unwavering belief, Zekrom surged back to its feet. A roar of electricity erupted from its tail turbine, crackling with wild energy.
With a powerful leap, Zekrom launched into the air and landed beside its partner.
Together, the prince and the Dragon stared across the plain at the strange red beast and the small but radiant Victini.
Koraidon leapt free of the crater and landed with a heavy thud, fire still crackling across its scales.
Moments later, Reshiram rose shakily from the crater, wounded but not defeated, and landed beside the elder prince.
Now, both sides stood ready once again.
And all eyes were on the mysterious red moster blazing at the heart of the battlefield.
...
Bonus @2500
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