In a nearly deserted street corner of the city, a petite figure agilely moved through the shadows, occasionally leaping out like a dolphin from water to deliver an attack to the enemy.
Strong winds blew its cute doll-like outer skin. The pair of small eyes on the doll's abdomen were filled with determination. If someone stood nearby, they would probably sigh that Mimikyu was just too adorable.
In comparison, the creature currently entangled with Mimikyu did not look so friendly. Although it was not some terrifying reality-style appearance, the alien-like Deoxys still gave a first impression of mystery and fear.
However, no one knew how furious Deoxys's emotions were at this moment. The auroras blooming and unfolding above its head constantly changed colors and spectra at an extremely high frequency, somewhat like an emotionally agitated young person cursing on the street.
For Deoxys, which had always been emotionally calm, with few desires and only valuing its own kind and companions, to be this agitated had a specific reason.
Even four years ago on the great ice field, when its entire body was disintegrated by a Hyper Beam from the Hoenn Rayquaza and forcibly separated from its companions, its emotions had not fluctuated as intensely as now.
Deoxys dared to guarantee that this was the first time it had felt how bad the Pokémon of this planet could be.
The routines were too deep. It had directly turned this ignorant alien into a brainless idiot.
In reality, Mimikyu did not want to fight this way either. If possible, it also liked competing with opponents in raw power, which would make it feel satisfied.
But the order Lucas issued was to stall Deoxys. There was no need for either side to determine a winner or loser; they even had to avoid injuring each other as much as possible while ensuring their own safety.
This also made Mimikyu abandon its idea of using Swords Dance three times, then jumping out to fiercely slap Deoxys with Shadow Claw. It started playing dirty.
Things like Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp were just appetizers. Any status moves it knew that could cope with the current situation or bring trouble to Deoxys were thrown at it without reservation.
This playstyle unsurprisingly disgusted Deoxys quite a bit.
But Deoxys could only let Mimikyu disgust it.
Because it had already seen the auroras released by its long-lost companion—the language of their kind. Because of that patch of aurora, Deoxys willingly let Mimikyu disgust it, solely to rush to where its companion was.
When they had entangled for half the journey, a dull boom suddenly sounded ahead, and the earth trembled ceaselessly as if enduring some force. Deoxys even heard the pained roar from the Hoenn Rayquaza beneath that aurora.
It did not know how to distinguish the emotion in the voice, but the Hoenn Rayquaza's shout only made Deoxys realize one thing—the Hoenn Rayquaza that had attacked it indiscriminately was now right beside its companion, which was clearly trying to regenerate.
It could not continue like this!
Deoxys, which had already transformed into Speed Forme, tried to squeeze more energy from its body to maintain and accelerate its flight speed. It had to reach its companion's side!
Strangely, after that loud noise, the haunting Mimikyu seemed to have received some instruction. Not only did it stop entangling its steps, but it directly dove into its own shadow and hitched a free ride.
Deoxys was puzzled, but for it, this was even better. This way, it could rush at full speed in that direction without worrying about further interference.
Without Mimikyu's interference, with Deoxys's ultra-high speed in Speed Forme, it reached the vicinity of the aurora-blooming ecological park in no time.
What greeted its eyes was a massive crater as if a meteorite had struck the planet, and the figure of the Hoenn Rayquaza, which had just regained mobility.
At this time, the fully recovered Hoenn Rayquaza spiraled in mid-air, mercilessly mocking the Mega Swampert that was struggling to stand and fight again.
Hahaha!
This dragon just wanted to see this expression of yours! This expression of helplessly watching this dragon recover mobility one step ahead!
On the other side, Moltres and the other Pokémon were even more on high alert, already prepared to block the Hoenn Rayquaza even at the cost of losing their combat ability.
Moltres prided itself on having a sufficiently impressive stamina bar and recovery speed. But from the Hoenn Rayquaza, its horizons had been thoroughly refreshed. Without any external interference, in less than three minutes since that loud noise, the opponent could already freely soar in the sky again.
At this point, any hesitation—worrying that Rayquaza was lurking in the smoke and choosing to hold position—was just an excuse. They should have entered the rolling thick smoke earlier to prevent the Hoenn Rayquaza from recovering so quickly.
Now, all they could do was sacrifice themselves for the only one who could contend with the Hoenn Rayquaza—Mega Swampert—to buy it time to recover.
Below, Ash and the others also realized the Hoenn Rayquaza's covetous gaze toward the laboratory behind them. Gritting their teeth, they stepped forward with the same idea.
Looking at this group of impassioned fellows, the Hoenn Rayquaza narrowed its eyes. Immediately after, it made another choice—it turned around, aiming its large mouth beginning to emit purple-black light at the temporarily immobile Mega Swampert.
When everyone thought the Hoenn Rayquaza was brainless and only knew how to charge recklessly. This time, it chose to turn its guns around and completely eliminate the Mega Swampert, which might—or rather, already posed a threat to it.
At this moment, the immobile Mega Swampert wore a somewhat helpless expression. Originally, punching the Hoenn Rayquaza nearly unconscious should have been a joyous thing. But to seize this one opportunity, it had directly jumped from a 100-meter-tall building. To pursue the power of this punch, it had not even used the air sacs on its body to create airflow to slow its descent.
If not for its constitution far surpassing its peers, whether the Hoenn Rayquaza fainted or not, Mega Swampert did not know, but it definitely would have. In fact, even now it felt weak all over; its originally solid muscles and bones felt like they had fallen apart. Let alone standing to resist, even maintaining the Mega Evolved state was taking all its strength.
Facing the Hoenn Rayquaza's monstrous recovery speed, Mega Swampert, which had already created one miracle, was out of options.
However, even up to now, it still believed the instruction Lucas gave was correct. The time it had fought for must have meaning.
The purple-black energy particles in the Hoenn Rayquaza's mouth became increasingly turbulent. Even without instruments to observe, one could sense how terrifyingly it had compressed the energy.
But at this moment, an unexpected figure suddenly burst into the battlefield.
Deoxys, charging in from the side, brought its tentacle-like arms together. A massive spherical psychic orb releasing spiritual currents shot out.
Signature move: Psycho Boost!
The target was directly the Hoenn Rayquaza, whose attention was on Mega Swampert!
The psychic orb spread like a force field, instantly delivering a heavy blow to the Hoenn Rayquaza! It was once again smashed down into the large pit.
Deoxys actually did not care what happened to Mega Swampert. But it did not trust the Hoenn Rayquaza. This guy always attacked whimsically; who knew if, after dealing with Mega Swampert, it would turn on its companion, which was at a critical stage of regenerating its body.
Thus, Deoxys unhesitatingly chose to act. Drive the Hoenn Rayquaza away first!
Once again staring eye-to-eye with the Hoenn Rayquaza that let out a pained roar and fell into the pit, this time Mega Swampert was stunned for a moment. Then, breaking from its usual honest and simple appearance, it smiled mockingly at it in the same way the Hoenn Rayquaza had earlier.
It had said so—Lucas could not possibly have overlooked the Hoenn Rayquaza's recovery speed. This arrangement that was even more coincidental than coincidence was, in Mega Swampert's view, Lucas's follow-up preparation.
Not to mention that Mimikyu had also leaped out from Deoxys's shadow at this time. Having secretly stacked three layers of Swords Dance in the shadow long ago, it directly slammed into it with Play Rough.
The Rayquaza's waist, which had just straightened, bent down again.
Mega Swampert continued smiling mockingly—even though it was then slapped by the embarrassed and angry Hoenn Rayquaza with its tail to a nearby wall.
Grimacing in pain, Mega Swampert still laughed at how foolish the Hoenn Rayquaza was, completely unaware that it had been calculated to death from beginning to end.
Deoxys was also surprised that Mimikyu no longer disgusted it but instead turned its guns toward the Hoenn Rayquaza. But for the simple alien, since Mimikyu was indirectly helping it, it would temporarily not launch attacks on Mimikyu.
The two Pokémon began to entangle with the flame-eyed Hoenn Rayquaza.
And at this time, in Professor Lund's laboratory, the awakening experiment had reached its most critical step.
The awakening device, enhanced by Victini to an unexpected performance level, released a laser. As it shone on the green crystal body, intense light nearly filled the entire space.
Professor Lund's assistant Yuko squinted her eyes slightly, watching the data fluctuations on the screen, her expression gradually turning joyful.
"The wavelengths are perfectly synchronized. This time it will definitely succeed!"
Within the intense light, the entire extraterrestrial meteorite cracked like shattered glass, instantly covered in dense cracks. Accompanied by crisp shattering sounds, it turned into countless scattered fragments.
An invisible fluctuation swept out, directly shattering the entire glass wall isolating the meteorite from the outside world.
The only remaining core crystal floated up into the air, enveloped in a light shaped like Patrick Star. Immediately after, the light began to stretch. Deoxys No. 2 autonomously began reconstructing its body.
The reconstruction speed was so fast that the three people present had not yet reacted before it was already complete.
Its general appearance was the same as the Deoxys outside, except the core crystal embedded in its chest was green. This Deoxys now quietly hovered above the experimental platform, its gaze sequentially falling on Professor Lund, Miss Yuko, and finally the young Tory.
From its chest, active light aggregates once again floated out, turning into a patch of aurora. This made Tory realize that no matter its appearance, it was still that secret friend of his in the ecological park.
"Deoxys! Hurry and go to your companion's side!"
Deoxys nodded gently, turned, and flew toward the outside where intense battle fluctuations were coming from.
Compared to the other of its kind, it had lived in this city for four years and understood some things the other did not. For example, the current situation was better handled by first joining forces with the companion outside to drive away the Hoenn Rayquaza; there would be plenty of time for catching up later.
At the same time, it also wanted to deal with the danger brought to these kind people because of itself as much as possible.
Deoxys rushed out of the research lab and, under the relieved expressions of the Pokémon and Ash and the others, joined the battle.
The Hoenn Rayquaza's condition was not that great to begin with. No matter how abnormal its recovery ability was, it was impossible for it to return to peak condition in just three minutes.
Its condition was better than Mega Swampert's, but that did not mean it could calmly handle the pincer attack of two Deoxys and a Mimikyu that retained most of its combat power.
The more it fought, the more stifled the Hoenn Rayquaza felt, and how it hated it.
If it had known earlier, it would have swallowed more meteorites as a precaution. If not for the fact that it currently had no extra special reserve energy to activate the Mikado Organ and complete a Mega Evolution similar to that detestable Mega Swampert, no matter how many of these guys came now, they would all be one-shot by it!
Just as the Hoenn Rayquaza was steadily retreating, on the other side of LaRousse City, an earth-shaking explosive roar suddenly sounded.
The two Deoxys—who were fiercely battling, or rather chasing and beating the Hoenn Rayquaza—and Mimikyu all simultaneously stopped their actions and subconsciously looked in that direction.
The visual impact of the rising mushroom cloud left Ash and the others, as well as the three from Professor Lund's lab who had come out, stunned in place.
Especially Professor Lund; his first reaction was that someone had dropped a large-scale war weapon in LaRousse City that had long been banned by the League!
The few people immersed in shock did not notice that the most shocked at this moment was actually the Hoenn Rayquaza.
Even in the ozone layer or space, it possessed extremely strong perception ability to lock onto a specific aura. Because of this, the Hoenn Rayquaza was almost going crazy right now.
That place was the battlefield of the Shiny Rayquaza, another human, and a Luxray; it still had some understanding of that. But someone tell it why the aura belonging to the Shiny Rayquaza was rapidly declining, in a worse state than when it had eaten a punch from Mega Swampert. While that human and Luxray's auras, even after peaking and declining, still maintained a considerable level!?
The Hoenn Rayquaza even once thought it had mistaken the auras. But after confirming repeatedly, it reluctantly came to a conclusion—that unfathomably deep black old guy had really capsized!
This truth instantly struck the heated Hoenn Rayquaza like a heavy blow to the head.
Calming down, it examined its current physical condition and compared it to the two Deoxys that were still in relatively good shape, as well as Mimikyu. If it continued fighting like this, it would probably end up streeted like that black old guy sooner or later.
After a moment of silence, the Hoenn Rayquaza performed a divine dragon tail swing and unhesitatingly flew toward the other end of the sky.
By the time Deoxys and the others realized the Hoenn Rayquaza was fleeing, the opponent had already disappeared beyond the clouds.
…