As the legendary Pokémon clash, even the ground trembles.
High above the Kalos wilderness, the Elite Four, Siebold, Wikstrom, and Drasna, had gathered to support the Champion.
The air crackled with tension, the sky dimming under the shadow of the battle raging in the distance.
Drasna, her eyes narrowed as she watched the horizon, asked, "Diantha… how bad is it?"
Diantha's expression tightened. Worry lined her face as she answered,
"The situation is extremely grim. Just as the legends warned, Xerneas has risen to confront Yveltal. But from the very beginning… Xerneas has been at a disadvantage."
Drasna blinked, stunned.
"What? Those two should be equals. And with type advantage on Xerneas' side… shouldn't it be able to suppress Yveltal?"
Diantha only shook her head silently.
The others turned their focus to the battlefield in the distance.
Yveltal soared through the sky like a living omen, its wings spreading darkness with every beat.
It unleashed attack after attack, chasing Xerneas as the majestic Pokémon darted across the ground in desperate evasion.
Xerneas fired back when it could, but every counterattack was blown apart with ease.
The difference in strength was becoming painfully obvious.
Diantha scanned the assembled Elite Four. Only three were present.
"Where is Malva?" she asked, brow furrowing.
Drasna kept her eyes fixed on the battle.
"We tried to contact her… nothing. She hasn't responded."
"I see." Diantha forced her attention back to the fight.
Time stretched on.
Yveltal, firmly holding the momentum, predicted Xerneas' next attempt to dodge and unleashed another Oblivion Wing.
The beam of dark, devouring energy tore across the battlefield.
Xerneas cried out as the attack struck true.
The brilliant glow of its antlers dimmed again, faint flickers replacing the once-radiant colors.
Its elegant form bore fresh, deep wounds, each one pulsing with corrosive, withering energy.
Its life force, normally vibrant and overflowing, was fading rapidly.
If this continued, Xerneas' defeat was inevitable.
Yveltal had no intention of holding back.
Its blood-red eyes gleamed with cold ferocity as it gathered energy once more, wings stretching wide.
Another Oblivion Wing screamed through the air.
Too exhausted to dodge, Xerneas took the full brunt of it.
The cry that followed echoed through the mountains, weak, pained, and unbearably desperate.
Meanwhile, Yveltal looked almost renewed. Oblivion Wing was its perfect weapon: it tore apart the enemy while restoring itself.
With every strike, it grew stronger, more frenzied.
The god of destruction rained down annihilating blasts without pause.
Beautiful, noble Xerneas was forced to curl up on the ground, barely enduring the relentless onslaught.
Diantha's grip tightened around a Poké Ball.
She stepped forward, determination flaring.
"I'm going in. Even if I can't defeat it, I can at least, "
A hand caught her wrist.
Cynthia.
Her face held a quiet sorrow, her voice soft but firm.
"Diantha… it's too late."
Before anyone could question, a distant rumble shook the earth.
All eyes turned toward Xerneas.
The Pokémon of Life had collapsed into a deep crater.
Its vibrant antlers no longer shone; its luminous body was covered in scars, deep, dark red wounds that seemed to drink away everything living.
The aura of vitality that should have radiated from it had vanished completely.
Its body stiffened. Its skin aged in an instant, bark-like lines spreading across it as though it were turning into a withered tree.
Then it went still.
Silence blanketed the land.
The god of life no longer breathed.
The once-green field surrounding it decayed, turning barren and cracked.
Everywhere, dark red corruption spread like a disease.
A deafening screech ripped through the sky.
"CHREEEEE!"
Yveltal's savage cry echoed through every heart.
A wave of dread washed over the elites.
Even Cynthia's expression hardened, her fists clenched tightly.
Xerneas, said to be Yveltal's equal, had fallen.
If even the god of life was gone…What power remained that could stop the god of destruction?
Among the crowd, only Olympia stood silently, her unreadable gaze fixed on the dying battlefield, as though she alone had foreseen this outcome.
Far from the battlefield, deep within Lysandre's secret laboratory, the bolder the source of Mega Evolution flickered out.
The strange, glowing energy that filled the chamber slowly faded, as though its purpose had finally been fulfilled.
On the cold metal floor, Sam's fingers twitched.
Then his eyelids stirred.
His consciousness drifted upward, returning to his body like a slow, rising tide.
"Luka!" "Hiss!" "Lili!"
Sensing their trainer waking, his Pokémon immediately rushed around him, Lucario standing protectively at his side, Silver moving anxiously, and Drakrai brushing its ribbons against his hand to comfort him.
Even the massive Dragonite leaned in close, its round eyes full of worry.
Sam's eyes snapped open.
A sharp brilliance flashed in them, so intense that the Pokémon around him instinctively stepped back.
An overwhelming aura surged from him like a shockwave before quickly withdrawing back into his body.
Sam exhaled slowly.
His entire body felt… different. Stronger. Reforged.
It was as if every cell inside him had been rebuilt, tough, compact, and thrumming with energy like dormant explosives.
His powers had grown again, swirling inside him with renewed strength.
But beneath that… something else. Something deeper.
A power he could sense but not yet reach.
His Pokémon watched him eagerly, their eyes shining with excitement and relief.
Only Dragonite, oblivious and cheerful as always, reacted differently.
The moment Sam sat up, Dragonite let out a happy chirp, grabbed all the remaining energy cubes in front of it, and swallowed them in one go, finally free from rationing while Sam was unconscious.
Then, with crumbs still on its mouth, it waddled over and squeezed itself between the other Pokémon as if nothing unusual had happened.
Sam couldn't help laughing.
"I'm okay. Really, I'm fine."
His voice eased the tension immediately.
The Pokémon gathered closer, brushing against him, chirping and calling out affectionately.
He patted their heads one by one, trying to settle them.
Once they had calmed down, Sam pulled out his phone.
No signal.
He sighed.
"Right… Lysandre probably installed signal jammers so no one would discover this place."
He checked the screen again.
"Three days?" he muttered.
"Cynthia's going to kill me. She hasn't heard from me in three days"
Shaking his head with a helpless smile, Sam rose to his feet and dusted off his clothes.
"Come on, everyone. Let's get out of here."
He led his Pokémon toward the exit.
The cold steel corridors gradually opened into a dim passageway, and the moment he stepped outside,
His phone vibrated violently.
Ping.
Ping.
One notification after another flooded the screen, almost nonstop.
Sam stared at the phone buzzing in his hand and let out a long breath.
"…Yeah. She's definitely mad."
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