Chapter 213: Where Leaves Dance, Light is Reborn
A verdant green light glowed on Will's body. The power of Recover instantly healed the vast majority of his injuries.
He took another step, his expression calm as he walked forward.
Sceptile to Mega Sceptile might not have been enough to turn the tide.
But Alpha Sceptile to Alpha Mega Sceptile... could.
Will felt unprecedentedly strong.
His stats had barely changed. If anything, his "Potential" had shifted from "Gold" to "Red," which probably meant it had broken 700. But that wasn't important. He couldn't cash in on that potential instantly. In this battle, it would have less of an impact than the sheer increase in his height and weight.
The enhancement from Mega Evolution couldn't be shown directly on a status screen, but the forced, massive increase in his size was a testament to how absurd the boost was. This boost was no less than a second [Alpha] tag.
Of course, this was also because Will himself was strong enough. The stronger the Pokémon, the greater the boost from Mega Evolution.
A moment ago, he didn't know how to win.
Now, he didn't know how to lose.
Although his level hadn't changed, his raw strength had probably just crossed the threshold into the Master-class.
"Don't worry. Just wait for me."
Will glanced back at the three small figures, then charged the two Shadow Lugias.
He could feel his time running out.
His body temperature was still rising, with no sign of stopping. He might just melt in a little while. Before that, he had to completely destroy these two Shadow Lugias.
"Mrow."
Meowscarada responded instinctively. She watched his departing figure, and her memory flashed back twenty-eight years.
She was just a Sprigatito then. Will had carried her to an island full of Gligar. In the island's central lake, there was a huge stone, and carved upon it was the back of a great figure.
Meowscarada felt that Will's back, at this very moment, looked just like the one on that stone.
The two Shadow Lugias still hadn't fully reacted.
Or rather, their minds were simply incapable of complex thought. They were filled only with rage and greed, especially the larger one. The smaller one, at least, looked somewhat 'sinister.'
A green meteor streaked through the air.
In the blink of an eye, Will appeared between the two Shadow Lugias.
Two Thunder Punches flew.
The two Shadow Lugias were blasted in opposite directions. They hit the ground and kept sliding, plowing trenches over a hundred meters long before they finally, wretchedly, came to a stop.
"SKREEEE!!"
The large Lugia roared at the sky. A green light—Recover—began to glow on its body.
But before it could even use the move, Will was already above it, one claw slamming its head straight into the dirt.
The crimson light in the large Lugia's eyes wavered for an instant. An endless stream of black energy poured from its mouth. It seemed to sense this and quickly clamped its jaw shut.
"Skree."
The other Shadow Lugia's cry came from behind Will.
Whoosh!
Feeling the sound of breaking air, he vanished. Two black vortexes slammed into the large Lugia, damaging it yet again.
Will had already reappeared behind the smaller Lugia.
He grabbed it, spun his body, and turned them both into a spinning top that dove toward the earth.
The small Lugia struggled with all its might. Watching the ground get closer and closer, its face was a mask of pure panic.
Boom! Boom!
A series of sharp stone pillars erupted from the ground below. Will timed it perfectly, throwing the small Lugia down onto the spikes.
"SKREEEEEEE!!!"
The small Lugia's shriek echoed across the sky. Two stone spikes had impaled its abdomen and right thigh.
The large Lugia was still dazed. It shook its head, struggling to its feet. A flash of silver light flickered in its crimson eyes, but it was quickly gone.
Before it could even flap its wings to take off, the green figure was standing in front of it again.
The large Lugia instinctively looked up.
Tsz... Tsz...
Its vision was filled with golden electricity.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Golden thunder cracked the night sky as punch after punch smashed into the large Lugia's head.
"SKREEE!"
The large Lugia, as if unable to bear the humiliation, let out a furious roar.
BAM!
Another Thunder Punch was its reply.
Finally, the large Lugia well and truly snapped.
It flared its wings with all its might, and pink light shot from its crimson eyes. A formless Psychic attack flooded Will's brain.
A sharp pain lanced through Will's head. His offensive rhythm was broken.
He leaped back, clutching his head, momentarily stunned.
But the stun wasn't from the attack.
It was because his body temperature had hit its absolute limit. His cells were being rapidly killed by the heat. In a few moments, his combat power would begin to plummet, and he would die.
"This fast...?"
Will pressed his lips together. Platane's potion... it was a temporary Mega Evolution pass, with his life as the price.
And his trial was about to expire.
"Celebi... thank you... for giving me the chance to fulfill my promise... for giving me the chance to protect this land one more time... and most importantly... for letting me protect my family and friends in this life."
Recover.
He used the move a second time, forcibly extending his life. Countless new cells refilled his body, allowing his Mega state to last just a little longer.
He stood quietly.
He watched the two Shadow Lugias warily, slowly regrouping, and grinned.
The greed in the smaller Lugia's eyes had been completely replaced by terror. It had none of the dignity of a Legendary. Being beaten by Will didn't make it feel shame; like any ordinary Pokémon, it just felt fear.
But the large Lugia was different. Its eyes were still filled mostly with anger, along with a flicker of unexplainable confusion.
"Now... is the time to protect what matters, even if it costs me everything."
Will crouched, then lunged forward in a single burst. Scalding steam poured from his body.
He raised his arms and swept his tail.
An oppressive, endless mass of leaves gathered behind him. The Tree of Beginning itself seemed to lend him its strength, controlling the trees on its body to offer up their leaves.
The leaves spun, following Will, gradually converging into a hundred-meter-long green leaf dragon!
"Let's call this move... 'Leaf's Will'!"
ROOOAAAR!
In that moment, Will became the green leaf dragon, charging the two black birds in the sky.
"SKREEE?!"
The small Lugia's eyes widened. It panicked. It stepped on the large Lugia's back, using it as a springboard to launch itself into the sky, not daring to even look back.
The large Lugia, which had been preparing to counter with Aeroblast, was interrupted by the push. It could only watch, helpless, as the leaf dragon slammed into its face.
SWISH!
The leaf dragon pierced straight through the large Lugia, then surged into the sky, chasing the smaller one that was fleeing for its life.
The world fell silent.
Meowscarada and Scizor helped each other to their feet, staring at the center of the battlefield.
The large Lugia fell from the sky, black smoke pouring from its body. As it fell, its body slowly began to turn... silver.
And the small Lugia's figure... disintegrated into dust within the leaf dragon, completely erased from the world.
The dark, oppressive clouds were torn apart by the leaf dragon.
The sun, without anyone noticing, was already high in the sky.
The moment the dragon vanished...
...countless leaves danced in the sky, falling like snow upon the scarred earth.
Sunlight poured down, striking each leaf, refracting a soft, golden halo.
This world... finally saw light again.
Under the sun, a giant Mega Sceptile stared blankly at the sky. Steam still rose from its body.
"Granny... I've avenged you."
Will's arms hung limp as he whispered, exhausted.
Thud.
A sound of movement caught his attention. He turned his head.
The large Lugia... all the black parts of its body had faded away, revealing its original silver-white form.
Lugia lay on the ground, panting, and opened its eyes. Its gaze, as it looked at Will, was filled with complex emotions.
"So it was you. No wonder this was so hard."
Will muttered, his face unreadable as he began to walk over.
This wasn't just any Lugia. It was the "Guardian of the Tides," the one that had lived beneath the Whirl Islands. The same one that had fought the Alpha Tyranitar from Mt. Silver hundreds of years ago.
Somehow, it had been infected by the dark energy.
Will's arms blurred. The leaf blades on his forearms instantly sharpened and lengthened, becoming like two scythes.
He didn't care who this Lugia was.
If this Lugia had anything to do with Wilheim's death, he would erase it without hesitation.
His time was short. He didn't have the luxury of confirming if this was the same Lugia from the incident in Unova.
So... better to kill it by mistake than to let it go.
Besides, Lugia had participated in this battle. Whether it was intentional or not, it had caused severe and irreversible consequences.
Even if Will killed it by mistake, it deserved it.
!
Just then, Will's advancing leg gave out. His body buckled, and he fell to one knee.
Cough!
He spat out a mouthful of blood, and his eyes rapidly filled with red.
RUMBLE...
A massive, deafening roar came from all directions.
Will raised his head, looking around in a daze.
The rock layers of the Tree of Beginning were collapsing, one after another. The crystals of the Tree, spread everywhere, were now burning.
In the distance, Mew lay limply in Meowscarada's arms, gasping for breath.
He had defeated both Shadow Lugias.
But... was he too late?
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