"Requesting backup!" Officer Jenny of Lumiose City signaled HQ. "The Legendary Pokémon Rayquaza has appeared in the skies over Lumiose City!"
Just as she finished the call, a crimson comet was seen rapidly ascending toward the clouds.
"Is that a Pokémon?"
High above, Bai Chen lightly touched his chest plate. A microscopic, invisible coating enveloped his entire body. This was the High-Altitude Flight Suit—a reward from his Activity System.
Calling it a suit was a bit of a misnomer; it was a total-body coating that allowed him to survive even in the vacuum of space. Furthermore, it possessed self-repairing capabilities, saving his Smithy any extra work.
Bai Chen leaned low against Valstrax's back. He didn't know exactly how powerful Rayquaza was, but he knew one thing: unless they grounded this "Hegemon of the Sky," they wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance.
Valstrax's engines roared. At Level 28, its cruising speed was Mach 1. Now, at Level 45, its top speed had reached Mach 2.
"Faster!" Red sparks danced across Valstrax's scales as the Dragon Energy surging from its wings left a trail like a comet's tail.
Rayquaza noticed the aggressive newcomer and unleashed a Dragon Pulse. The blue beam of energy screamed through the air, giving Bai Chen a sense of extreme dread.
With the help of Super Perception, Valstrax's evasion was vastly improved. It banked sharply, narrowly avoiding the beam. "Dragon energy shot!" Bai Chen commanded.
Valstrax climbed another 300 meters above Rayquaza, flipped its wing-blades forward, and unleashed a rain of crimson energy shells. Rayquaza didn't even bother to dodge, taking the hits head-on.
Bai Chen checked the damage. Despite being double-weak to Dragon-type moves, Rayquaza showed almost no visible injury. Master-level Dragon Energy shot couldn't penetrate its scales. He had expected this; the level gap was simply too vast.
Below, Indeedee placed the bag containing the Velkhana egg next to "Squishy" (Z1).
"E-fu." She asked the Core to watch over the egg.
"Are you really going to fight?" Z1 asked telepathically. "That is clearly not an opponent you can defeat. This battle could be avoided."
Indeedee shook her head. If he had complaints, they could wait until after the fight. She stepped forward and expanded her Heart Net, linking the entire team's consciousness.
Bai Chen, currently kiting Rayquaza with Valstrax, sent out a message: "Don't get caught. I'll attack."
From the dragon's back, Bai Chen condensed an Aura Sphere containing 60% of his spiritual energy and hurled it with pinpoint precision. An explosion followed, along with a pained roar from Rayquaza.
I see, Bai Chen noted. Only attacks of this caliber can actually hurt him—and even then, it's just a scratch.
"Valstrax, pull him away from the Rock!" If they could lure Rayquaza away, Nebby could teleport the Giant Rock to safety, ending the fight.
Valstrax accelerated again, using Extreme Speed. It slammed into Rayquaza's side, its sharp talons leaving white scratches on the green scales. That defense is insane...
Rayquaza wasn't a passive target. It coiled its long, serpentine body, attempting to constrict Valstrax while charging a Dragon Pulse in its maw.
"Wide QuickGuard!" Bai Chen activated the defensive move. The energy beam slammed into the barrier, barely holding long enough for Valstrax to break free and rocket back into the upper atmosphere.
Bai Chen watched, hoping the dragon would pursue. But Rayquaza, having lost this Rock once before, stayed firmly planted next to its prize.
Valstrax hovered in the distance. "He's guarding the Rock; we can't get a clean hit." Bai Chen tried throwing Poké Balls to distract it using the capture mechanism, but Rayquaza simply smashed them with its tail.
Suddenly, Rayquaza let out a deafening roar toward the heavens. A massive ball of energy shot up and exploded, raining down like meteors. It was the ultimate Dragon-type move: Draco Meteor.
The energy shells hammered into Lumiose City, instantly leveling several blocks. Bai Chen was stunned. "He's attacking the city?!"
Switching to Natural Vision, he saw that Rayquaza was consumed by a blind rage—and that rage wasn't directed at him. It was directed at the humans of Team Flare who had tried to steal its treasure.
"Since he's already destroying the city, I don't need to hold back. Let's change tactics!"
Bai Chen relayed the plan through the Mind Web. Valstrax tucked its wings and dove vertically.
Bai Chen raised his Z-Ring. The Z-Symbol manifested brilliantly. "Valstrax! Breakneck Blitz!"
The red dragon energy merged with the white Z-Power. With a thunderous BOOM, Valstrax slammed into Rayquaza. Despite the level difference, the Z-Move's raw power knocked Rayquaza down 300 meters.
Bai Chen raised his Z-Ring. The Z-Symbol manifested brilliantly. "Valstrax! Breakneck Blitz!"
The red dragon energy merged with the white Z-Power. With a thunderous BOOM, Valstrax slammed into Rayquaza. Despite the level difference, the Z-Move's raw power knocked Rayquaza down 300 meters.
But the combo wasn't over.
Bai Chen entered full-power mode, pushing his body to its limit. He leapt from Valstrax's back and grabbed Rayquaza's thick, muscular body with both hands. The Z-Power surged again, this time centered on Bai Chen himself.
"Breakneck Blitz!"
Harnessing the momentum, Bai Chen wrestled the dragon toward the earth. With a massive crash, they slammed into the center of the shopping district, leaving a crater 100 meters wide.
Z1, watching from the ruins, was speechless. "Even if you bring him to the ground, you can't beat him. What is he thinking?"
Rayquaza roared, trying to shake Bai Chen off by slamming him into a nearby skyscraper. Bai Chen let go immediately. "Now!"
"AWOOOO!"
From the top of a building, a golden shadow howled. Lightning fell from the sky as Zinogre entered its True Supercharged State. It leapt from the roof, landing directly on Rayquaza's head with a thunderous, electrified slam.
The lightning pierced Rayquaza's scales. Being double-weak to electricity (in this context of elemental pressure), it shrieked in pain. Rayquaza slammed its head into the ground to dislodge Zinogre, but the wolf used Thunderous Palm to strike again.
BOOM!
A Dragon Pulse grazed Zinogre, slicing through the city blocks like a hot knife through butter. Zinogre retaliated with Thunderbolt, the electricity arcing across Rayquaza's back.
Had it not been for the level gap, Zinogre would have shredded the dragon. As it stood, it only managed to crack the heavy scales.
Rayquaza swept its tail, sending Zinogre flying through several buildings. Just as the dragon tried to take flight again, a massive weight slammed down on it.
Gravios had appeared on the rooftop above. Deactivating its "Minimize" state, it bit down on Rayquaza's body. Thousands of tons of weight pinned the dragon to the cracking pavement.
Rayquaza fired a Dragon Pulse point-blank into Gravios's head. The beam scorched the ground, but Gravios—having Elder Dragon blood—endured. However, even at full health, Gravios couldn't tank Rayquaza for long.
Bai Chen raised his Dynamax Band. Galar particles flooded into Gravios as it Gigantamaxed, its size ballooning to 210 meters. The 30-meter Rayquaza looked like a small green snake in its maw.
"G-Max Wildfire!"
A pillar of absolute flame erupted, turning a nearby skyscraper into ash. Having absorbed Moltres's Sacred Fire, Gravios's Zorah Magdaros Bloodline had evolved into a Rarity 9 Magmatic Bloodline, vastly boosting its heat output.
Officer Jenny, watching from the edge of the battlefield, was horrified. The destruction caused by the "Giant Dragon" was arguably worse than Rayquaza's. Who exactly is the disaster here?
The hit cracked Rayquaza's armor, exposing its soft underbelly. But due to its fire resistance, the damage was still insufficient to end the fight. Rayquaza's rage hit its peak. It gathered a blinding white energy.
Hyper Beam!
The blast slammed into Gigantamax Gravios. The power was so immense that it forced the Gigantamax state to end prematurely. Rayquaza used Iron Tail to finally break free of the stone dragon's grip.
Though Gravios fell, it had achieved its goal: Rayquaza's armor was shattered.
Zinogre regrouped, empowered by Kirin's electricity. Beside it, its symbiotic Pale Horn was spinning rapidly to increase the voltage. 10,000 Volts... 100,000 Volts... The Thunder Lord Domain expanded as lightning struck the earth repeatedly.
"Ultimate Volt!"
Zinogre charged. The ground melted into slag under its paws. It leapt, colliding with Rayquaza as a waterfall of lightning crashed down. A sphere of golden light rose in the city center, blinding anyone nearby.
This gave Bai Chen and Nebby a window. "Nebby, move the Rock now!"
But as Nebby approached, a ripple of prismatic energy pushed it back. The gas-like Pokémon was nearly blown apart. Bai Chen shielded Nebby and flew Valstrax closer. The Rock was now glowing with white-hot intensity; the surrounding air was nearly 200°C.
Bai Chen touched the Rock—it felt hotter than lava. "Nebby, Teleport!"
"Mogu!" Nebby strained.
But they didn't move. Teleportation was failing. The Giant Rock was emitting an interference field that blocked spatial movement.
I can't teleport it, Bai Chen realized. It has to be moved physically. He looked for Gravios, but then a warning came through the Mind web.
Rayquaza had already swatted Zinogre aside and used Extreme Speed to charge at them. Bai Chen barely activated Wide QuickGuard as he and Valstrax were sent tumbling through the air.
He broke free already?! Knowing teleportation was useless, he returned Nebby to its ball. "Valstrax, kite him! Don't let him catch us!"
In terms of flight, Rayquaza was easily hitting Mach 2. Valstrax, at Level 45, had no speed advantage. It was the only one on the team who could even keep up.
Bai Chen free-fell back to the ground to check his team. Gravios was at half-health after taking the Hyper Beam. Zinogre was battered but still standing. He needed to ground Rayquaza again.
Indeedee arrived, using Healing Wish to restore the team's health. Bai Chen looked toward the skyscraper where Nergigante was perched, gathering strength.
If anyone could take down Rayquaza, it was the "Eater of Elders."
High above, a cry rang out as Articuno and Moltres re-entered the fray. Articuno would be key—Rayquaza was four-times weak to Ice.
"Bai Chen! What's the status?"
Steven Stone had arrived. Seeing him, Bai Chen felt a surge of relief. "It's bad. Rayquaza is retaliating against the city because of Team Flare. He's already used Draco Meteor."
Steven looked at the strange "Pokémon" surrounding Bai Chen—Gravios, Zinogre, and Kirin. He was shocked, but he knew now wasn't the time for questions.
"Do you have a plan?"
"I do. Send out your strongest, Champion. If you don't go all out, you'll be out of the game in seconds."
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