Time passed in the blink of an eye, and night had already fallen over the outskirts of Saffron.
The pitch-black and imposing Rayquaza towered into the dark sky, its serpentine body stretched high, and its deep, majestic draconic eyes gazed into the far horizon. Under the moonless night, it exuded an aura as if the heavens themselves were beneath it—a dragon too lofty for the mortal world.
"So for today…"
Lucas didn't even bother looking at the Rayquaza that was lost in its own self-importance. Instead, he tilted his head slightly downward, deep in thought, trying to formulate a special training plan for it.
This Rayquaza's strengths were clearly lopsided—it could endure absurd amounts of damage and had outstanding stamina, but its reflexes and speed were not particularly impressive.
Lucas had already noticed this during their previous battle on the Hoenn seas.
And most importantly…
It still didn't know how to use Dragon Ascent.
"Human, there's no need to be overly cautious. Do as you please! This dragon can take on anything!"
The black Rayquaza lowered its proud head slightly, its deep and resonant telepathic voice echoing through Lucas's mind.
A mere training session? Hah! It was the mighty 'shiny' Rayquaza! How could a being like it possibly fear something so trivial?
"Normal training methods won't do much for someone of your level," Lucas said calmly, raising his head to meet the dragon's gaze, "and if I want to push your potential in a short time, I can only use some special training methods."
Though Rayquaza hadn't yet mastered Dragon Ascent, its strength was nothing to scoff at. After all, it was a fully grown Rayquaza—a Legendary Pokémon of the top-tier. For such beings, conventional training no longer worked.
However—
"What kind of special method?" Rayquaza asked curiously, lowering its massive head.
"I've noticed that your physical endurance seems extremely impressive." Lucas's smile grew faintly warmer.
"Of course! Even my father and uncle have praised me for that!" Rayquaza's tone became proud, its long tail almost flicking the stars themselves.
Its physique truly was remarkable—far beyond that of an ordinary Rayquaza. Whether in stamina or resilience, its physical prowess stood on an entirely different level. Even its elders had complimented it on that front.
"No matter what form of training it is, there's always something unique to gain from it," Lucas said with a light chuckle. "And with your strong physique, it would be a waste not to make full use of it. Tonight, we'll focus on honing the power of your ultimate moves."
Rayquaza blinked in confusion, staring at Lucas suspiciously. Why did he suddenly have a bad feeling about this?
That smile of his… it was terrifying!
"Eternatus. Reshiram. Genesect."
Lucas ignored Rayquaza's expression and, with a casual motion, tossed out three Poké Balls behind him.
He had chosen this remote wilderness on purpose—at night, no one ever came here. It was the perfect place for a dangerous training session.
When the three Legendary Pokémon emerged, even the air seemed to grow heavy with their presence.
"H-Hey, human, what exactly are you planning to do?"
The black Rayquaza felt its scales crawl as three pairs of eyes—belonging to Eternatus, Reshiram, and a shiny Genesect—locked onto it. It instinctively backed away, its tone growing nervous.
"I'll have them attack you," Lucas said lightly. "Your task is simple—use your own moves to block their attacks."
"Wha—?! Human, are you trying to kill me!?" Rayquaza's eyes widened in disbelief.
Three Legendary Pokémon attacking it at once—how in the world was it supposed to handle that?
"Relax," Lucas said with a serene smile. "You've got a great physique. You won't die."
"That's not the point, damn it!" Rayquaza roared furiously.
"A battle against overwhelming power will force you to push yourself to your limits," Lucas continued calmly. "That sense of danger and pressure can awaken hidden potential within you."
This training method was indeed rather brutal—sometimes even cruel. Because the trainee Pokémon was bound to get hurt.
Just like Paul in the anime, who used the same method—constant, ruthless pressure and battles—to push his Chimchar's potential to the extreme.
But he had failed. Not because his method didn't work, but because he never provided the care and encouragement that Chimchar needed outside of battle. Chimchar needed affection and understanding as much as it needed discipline.
Lucas, however, was not Paul—and Rayquaza was not a timid little Chimchar.
"…Even so…" Rayquaza hesitated for a moment. His reasoning did sound logical, but—
Looking up, it saw Eternatus looming like a cosmic serpent, Reshiram's jet engines glowing red-hot as it entered overdrive, and the shiny Genesect standing silently beside Lucas, cannon aimed forward like a weapon of war.
Rayquaza couldn't help but shrink back once again. Damn it, how was it supposed to stand against that?!
"A Rayquaza that doesn't know Dragon Ascent isn't a true Rayquaza," Lucas said warmly, his tone full of encouragement. "So do your best."
Then, with a wave of his hand—
Eternatus's claws crossed, gathering eerie violet energy.
Reshiram tilted its head back, the air instantly heating as a blazing fireball formed before it.
Genesect lowered its metallic cannon, its core glowing as energy began to charge.
"Damn it all!"
Rayquaza hadn't expected them to start immediately, but its draconic pride quickly ignited.
"I am Rayquaza!" it roared, and its long black body twisted upward into the night sky, tracing an ancient and mysterious pattern—
Dragon Dance!
Power and speed surged simultaneously through its body.
"Good," Lucas murmured with a faint smile. "That's the spirit I wanted to see."
As he expected, proud Pokémon like Rayquaza were the most suitable for this kind of forced training.
Ordinary methods couldn't possibly push it any further. To make it learn Dragon Ascent quickly, only pressure and battle could do the job.
If Dragon Ascent were a Dragon-type move, he could have given Rayquaza the Dragon Plate to help it grasp the essence faster—but unfortunately, Dragon Ascent was a Flying-type move.
And he didn't have a Flying Plate.
Before Rayquaza could finish its Dragon Dance, the combined attacks of the three Legendaries had already arrived.
Cross Poison!
Fusion Flare!
Techno Blast!
The three attacks converged simultaneously toward Rayquaza.
"ROAR!"
Rayquaza stopped dancing and roared mightily, sending a Dragon Pulse crashing forward to meet the attacks head-on.
At the same time, its black tail glowed with emerald light as it sliced through the air—
Dragon Tail!
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the wilderness, dust clouds billowing high. Rayquaza was blown backward, its massive body briefly obscured by smoke.
Before it could recover, a brilliant flash illuminated the sky. Stars rained down like a meteor shower—
Draco Meteor, from Reshiram!
"You've got to be kidding me! You're using Draco Meteor now!?" Rayquaza groaned internally.
But there was no time to complain. Genesect's Techno Blast was already charging again, and Eternatus was closing in fast.
"ROAR!!!"
Meanwhile, far away in the distorted void between time and space—
A thunderous roar echoed through the rift, shaking reality itself.
Palkia, its body covered in wounds, glared murderously at its counterpart—Dialga.
Raising its right arm, Palkia gathered a swirling storm of crimson-purple energy.
Spacial Rend!
A massive blade of energy tore through the void, slicing straight toward Dialga.
Dialga responded immediately, summoning a shimmering blue barrier of time energy.
The Spacial Rend slammed into it with a booming impact, the raw power forcing Dialga backward as cracks spiderwebbed across its shield before finally shattering it entirely.
The resulting shockwave sent Dialga tumbling back—but only slightly.
"ROAR!"
Dialga steadied itself midair, bellowing furiously. A dreamlike blue glow flared within its mouth as it charged its signature move—
Roar of Time!
A colossal beam of temporal energy blasted forth toward Palkia.
There was no time to dodge—so Palkia, with a snarl, turned sideways, raising its armored shoulder to take the attack head-on!
The Roar of Time struck squarely against Palkia's shoulder, the explosion shaking the very dimension they were in.
Countless Unown were blown out from the spatial rift, fleeing frantically into the distance. Even they dared not intervene in the clash of the gods of Time and Space.
When the light faded, Palkia was still standing—barely. It had taken the full force of Roar of Time and survived.
But—
"ROAR!!!"
Palkia howled in fury, its pearl-like core embedded in its shoulder gleaming faintly—and then, cracking.
Yes—Dialga's attack had fractured Palkia's pearl!
Dialga roared back proudly, its expression full of arrogance. Cracked? Hah! He'd go even further!
If he didn't put this arrogant lizard in its place today, where would his dignity as the Time Dragon go?!
Fuming, Palkia realized its injuries were far worse than Dialga's. Continuing to fight would only mean certain defeat.
Without hesitation—it turned tail and fled!
Run now, heal later. There was no point dying like an idiot.
"ROAR!"
Seeing Palkia flee, Dialga bellowed and gave chase, roaring triumphantly.
Today, he would assert once and for all the supremacy of Time over Space!
"Space Dragon Palkia? Master of spatial dimensions? Ha! What a joke!"
Against the Time Dragon, even a so-called god of space could only flee like a rat!
"You call yourself the master of space, yet you run? Come back and fight me, coward! Or is that all you've got?"
Dialga hurled a Dragon Pulse after the fleeing Palkia, his taunts ringing through the distorted void.
Palkia's wings stiffened. Its heart clenched in rage.
That damned four-legged lizard! Just because he landed one hit, now he thought he was king of the universe?!
Fine. He could gloat now—but once Palkia recovered, he'd make that smug reptile eat those words!
(End of Chapter)