Seeing that Rayquaza had finally "figured it out," Lucas nodded in satisfaction. Though this dragon's temperament was both flashy and overly proud, at least it still carried a bit of dignity befitting a Rayquaza.
"Draco Meteor!"
Without hesitation, Lucas issued the order through their psychic link.
"ROOOAR—!"
Rayquaza lifted its long neck high, and a pure, brilliant sphere of draconic energy rose majestically into the sky.
Although Draco Meteor was an area-of-effect move, Lucas was confident in Rayquaza's control. The intense training of the past few days had clearly not been in vain—Rayquaza's mastery over its own power had become quite refined.
So long as Rayquaza willed it, it could roughly control the falling meteors even after detonation.
Moreover, thanks to Officer Jenny's prior warning, the residents of Alamos Town had already evacuated far from the battlefield.
"Looks like Lucas has started moving. Rayquaza, huh~"
On a nearby hillside, Green watched the dragon launch its attack with a small smile.
It was only Dialga and Palkia. Nothing to worry about.
"I just hope it can stop them…"
Sheena clasped her hands tightly before her chest, praying that Rayquaza would succeed in halting the battle between the two deities of time and space.
Otherwise, if their fight continued, the entire town would be reduced to ruins.
As for Cynthia, she had already ridden her Garchomp straight into Alamos Town itself. She couldn't rest easy knowing the townsfolk were still there, and she planned to protect them personally.
Even if she couldn't stop Dialga and Palkia, she could at least make sure no civilian would be caught in their crossfire.
"Breaking Swipe!"
Seeing the meteors beginning to rain down, Lucas gave another command.
Rayquaza roared, its massive tail gleaming with a cyan light as it whipped toward Dialga.
Dialga, having just dodged one of Palkia's Aura Spheres, instantly sensed the incoming strike.
Its draconic eyes flashed with anger, and without hesitation, it countered with a Dragon Pulse.
The two attacks— Breaking Swipe and Dragon Pulse—collided violently in midair, releasing a tremendous burst of energy. Dialga's hurried counterattack was quickly overwhelmed and shattered by Rayquaza's blow.
Rayquaza's tail slammed heavily onto Dialga's head, sending the time dragon staggering backward.
"ROOOAR!"
Having landed a clean hit, Rayquaza bellowed triumphantly.
That was the Dragon of Time—and it had just been knocked back by a single tail swipe!
What's that? A sneak attack?
Please—so what if it was?
"Idiot, behind you!"
Lucas's exasperated voice suddenly echoed in Rayquaza's mind.
Behind?
Rayquaza froze, immediately turning around—only to see a pink Aura Sphere already right in front of its face.
And it was way too close.
Palkia's attack.
BOOM!
The Aura Sphere exploded squarely against Rayquaza's chest, sending the dragon reeling backward with a pained roar.
Damn it! That shameless Palkia!
I was helping you fight Dialga, and you sneak attack me?!
"Don't lose focus! Dragon Pulse!"
Lucas's sharp voice rang again in Rayquaza's head.
The dragon tensed—it could already sense another threat approaching from behind.
Without hesitation, Rayquaza spun around and fired a beam of draconic energy.
Dialga's claws were already descending toward it—Dragon Claw! The two attacks collided head-on.
The Dragon Pulse was torn apart by Dialga's brute strength, and the dragon's claws slashed toward Rayquaza.
Fortunately, thanks to Lucas's warning, Rayquaza had already pulled back slightly, and the attack only grazed it.
BOOM!
The dragon was blasted back once again.
This time, though, the sound that followed came from Palkia—it had tried to sneak in another strike, only to be intercepted by Darkrai's Ice Beam.
"Holy crap! That was way too close! Human, I don't think I can handle this!"
Backing away from Dialga and Palkia, Rayquaza stared nervously at the two mighty beings.
They'd completely turned their attention on it!
Both of them!
And it wasn't even stronger than either of them—how was it supposed to fight two at once?!
If Lucas hadn't been feeding it constant warnings, it would've already been pummeled senseless with no chance to retaliate.
"When you interfere in their battle, you naturally become their main target," Lucas said calmly, eyes narrowing slightly.
Though Dialga and Palkia seemed bent on destroying each other, Rayquaza's arrival was something neither of them could tolerate.
They both wanted to defeat their rival with their own power—no third party allowed.
"So, what do we do now?"
Rayquaza's voice trembled slightly as it watched its Draco Meteor rain down—only to be effortlessly blocked by both dragons.
Then, their eyes—those cold, dangerous eyes—locked squarely onto it.
"A Shiny Rayquaza… how troublesome."
Neither Dialga nor Palkia spoke aloud, but their intentions were perfectly aligned—they would take down Rayquaza first.
After all, that dazzling black body was something they couldn't ignore.
A shiny Rayquaza—without question, its power was extraordinary.
The only reason it seemed to be struggling was likely because it hadn't yet Mega Evolved.
After all, this was a shiny legendary!
"Stay calm, Rayquaza. You must maintain your composure at all times."
Lucas's steady voice entered its mind.
"Composure my tail! Human, why are you so far away, damn it?! You said you'd cover me!"
Rayquaza was fuming—its mental voice nearly a roar.
Lucas had actually had Reshiram retreat a bit farther back, clearly to avoid being caught in the chaos.
Cover me? At that distance?! You might as well just watch from a telescope!
At that moment, a surge of violent energy erupted in front of Rayquaza.
Its eyes widened—Dialga was raising its head high, gathering a swirling mass of blue-purple energy in its maw.
That… was Dialga's signature move—Roar of Time!
One of the most powerful Dragon-type attacks in existence!
"Hey, hey, hey! Human! This isn't funny!"
Rayquaza's scales stood on end, every instinct screaming of danger.
Roar of Time—a move capable of twisting time itself. If it took that hit head-on, it'd be badly injured.
"Don't panic. Use that."
Lucas's tone grew serious. The fact that Dialga had resorted to its ultimate move meant it was now fighting in earnest.
Raising his hand, Lucas activated the keystone on his wrist. The gem shone brilliantly.
The Keystone!
"ROOOOOAR—!"
Sensing the energy, Rayquaza roared, its entire body bursting into radiant color. A dazzling rainbow light enveloped it.
Mega Evolution!
That's right—Rayquaza was undergoing Mega Evolution!
Even though it hadn't yet mastered Dragon Ascent, Lucas was its recognized chosen.
Under his guidance, it could still achieve Mega Evolution!
When the light faded, the new form of Mega Rayquaza was revealed.
A majestic, jet-black serpentine body stretching over ten meters long. Twin golden ribbons flowed elegantly from its jaws, rippling like celestial streams across the night sky.
Dominating. Majestic. Absolutely breathtaking.
"ROOOOOOAR!!"
Feeling the immense power surging within, Mega Rayquaza let out a thunderous roar that shook the heavens.
It was the black Mega Rayquaza.
It was invincible!
"Whoa~! Even Rayquaza can Mega Evolve?!"
Sheena's eyes sparkled like stars as she gazed at the magnificent creature in the sky.
It was too stunning, too powerful—the pressure radiating from it was undeniable.
Mega Evolution was no longer a secret. Ever since Steven had seen Zinnia's Salamence Mega Evolve, he'd reported it to the Hoenn League.
The League had since begun promoting Mega Evolution, encouraging Trainers to pursue it.
So, Sheena knew about it—but she had never imagined that even Rayquaza could Mega Evolve!
"The power of Mega Rayquaza is said to be terrifying."
Green's eyes glimmered as well, full of awe.
Even though she knew that jet-black coloration was dyed, she couldn't deny how striking it looked.
Combined with the glowing golden ribbons, it was both magnificent and majestic beyond words.
"Human! I feel unstoppable!"
"No… that's an illusion. You should probably focus on what's right in front of you—Dialga's attack is about to hit."
Lucas's tone was calm but laced with resignation.
Unstoppable? Yeah, right.
He rubbed his temples wearily.
A Mega Rayquaza that hadn't even learned Dragon Ascent… This was a first.
And he'd thought catching this "flying green caterpillar" would be a blessing. Turns out, it was a disaster wrapped in scales.
"Dialga? Hah! Human, watch closely!"
Mega Rayquaza straightened its body, towering above as it gazed down at both Dialga and Palkia with supreme arrogance.
"Before the might of Mega Rayquaza, Dialga will fall!"
"…Wait, what are you—"
Before Lucas could finish, Dialga's deep growl echoed, and a blinding beam of violet-blue energy burst forth.
Roar of Time!
According to the games, barring Z-Moves and Eternatus's Eternabeam, Roar of Time was the strongest Dragon-type attack—its power reaching an incredible 150!
"ROOOOAR!!"
Mega Rayquaza's eyes burned with fury as its body flared with white light. Then, with a sudden twist of its long body—
Giga Impact!
A blinding spiral of energy coiled around it, and Mega Rayquaza charged straight into the oncoming beam.
Straight. Into. It.
Lucas's jaw dropped.
BOOOOM!
The two forces collided with a cataclysmic explosion. The resulting shockwave distorted even time and space, and the blinding light made it impossible to see what was happening in the center.
Winds roared, the world shook—
"…Is it stupid?"
Lucas muttered flatly, rubbing his forehead.
There was absolutely no need to take that attack head-on!
Rayquaza had been in perfect position to dodge, but the rush of newfound power after Mega Evolution had clearly short-circuited its brain.
High above, the violent clash reached its breaking point.
With an ear-splitting detonation, Mega Rayquaza was sent flying backward, its body trembling.
"Sss—damn, that hurt! Human, Roar of Time is way too strong!"
Its pained voice echoed in Lucas's mind, who listened without expression.
The clash might have looked even, but Rayquaza knew it had lost.
The last remnants of its Giga Impact were overpowered, and the rest of the blast struck it full-on.
It was only thanks to Mega Evolution's boosted defenses—and the fact that Giga Impact had mitigated most of the damage—that it wasn't seriously injured.
Even so, the pain was very real.
"Watch out…"
"Huh? Watch out for wha—?"
Before it could finish, a massive pink blade of energy filled its vision.
Palkia's Spacial Rend—timed perfectly to strike while it was down!
"Damn it! That Palkia is so shameless!!"
(End of Chapter)
TN: Lmao, this Rayquaza is too funny.