Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The immense explosions from the move Precipice Blades thundered in unison, shaking the ocean itself. At the point where the magma pillars erupted and burst, the sea sank into a brief void, as if even the air had been torn away from that place.
When the dense smoke finally cleared, an imposing figure appeared above the water — Rayquaza. It had barely taken any damage.
At the last instant, it had managed to avoid the core of the explosion, dodging the destructive force of Precipice Blades. It had suffered nothing more than a few scratches.
However, that maneuver only ignited its fury even further.
Rayquaza twisted upon itself, circling above the ocean's surface. From its body emanated a radiant emerald-green energy that enveloped its entire form. Then its straight, serpentine silhouette tensed — like an arrow about to be released.
In an instant, it shot forward like a green lightning bolt tearing through the sea. The air currents split violently, leaving an empty trail in its wake.
Dragon Ascent!
From the helicopter, Cain watched with eyes wide open, unable to look away from the colossal celestial dragon.
"So it was true...!" murmured Cain, his pulse racing.
On Rayquaza's forehead, right between its eyes, a faint sky-blue glow flickered — barely visible, hidden among the green radiance of its charge. But Cain saw it.
The Sky Plate.
Or rather... what remained of it — a shattered Sky Plate.
After being destroyed by Arceus, Rayquaza had gathered the largest fragment, and over time had found others scattered across the world. Now, those remnants reinforced its power.
With the aid of the Sky Plate, Dragon Ascent overflowed with power. The Flying-type energy had taken on a tangible form — sharp as a divine blade.
In front of it, Groudon sensed danger. For an instant, even the titan of the land felt a chill. But it quickly reacted: if it was going to be attacked, it wouldn't face it alone.
With a sudden motion, it grabbed Kyogre by the fins and lifted it up as a shield. Kyogre barely had time to understand what was happening before seeing Rayquaza charging toward them, pure fury in its eyes.
"Are you using me as a shield!?" Kyogre's roar shook the air. Its body began to thrash in rage.
Although the terrain favored Groudon, Kyogre wasn't about to yield; the resistance between them shattered the balance.
Then, as Rayquaza lunged, its trajectory shifted just a heartbeat before impact.
With an agile twist, it pierced through both of them at once.
A double strike!
The blast echoed with a force that split the waves and stirred the heavens.
But Rayquaza did not stop. The fury within it still burned fiercely.
It charged Dragon Ascent again and again, attacking from different angles, alternating between speed and brutality. In the blink of an eye, the battlefield had become a green whirlwind that gave no respite.
Kyogre and Groudon could barely react — the dragon struck them relentlessly. Waves and magma pillars clashed in a storm of fire and ice.
Boom!
One final explosion shook the entire battlefield.
The magma ground beneath Groudon's feet shattered; the icy waves under Kyogre's control disintegrated. Both were hurled into the air and crashed down heavily, roaring in pain.
And just then, something changed.
From their bodies emanated a surge of energy that began to fade. The golden runes and primordial symbols surrounding them slowly vanished.
Both returned to their normal forms.
Rayquaza had forced them out of their primal states. It had defeated them through sheer superiority.
Groudon and Kyogre understood they could no longer continue. Fear crept into their hearts. After millennia of slumber, the Sky Dragon still reigned supreme over the Hoenn region. It hadn't lost its power — it was even stronger than before.
"ROOOOAAAR!"
Rayquaza's roar shook the land, the sea, and the sky. The sound alone was enough to halt both titans' movements, as if two children were being scolded by an enraged father. Frozen in place, they didn't dare move.
Rayquaza stared at them for a moment longer, then turned its gaze upward — toward the helicopter where Cain, Juan, and Drake watched in awe.
Cain's heart tightened. But before he could react, Latios and Salamence materialized before him, positioning themselves protectively between their trainer and the dragon.
Rayquaza looked at them, but not with hostility.
Cain understood the signal.
"It's calling us," he said firmly.
Juan and Drake exchanged surprised glances, then nodded. This was an opportunity they could not afford to miss.
The three descended: Juan atop Latios, Cain and Drake on Salamence. They slowly approached until they were face to face with the colossal emerald dragon.
On the ground, reporters and trainers who had kept their distance cautiously drew near, trying to record every second.
It was the first time so many humans had witnessed the Sky Dragon — Rayquaza.
Then, a deep voice echoed within Cain's mind.
"Human... have we met before?"
Cain froze.
It didn't surprise him that Rayquaza could use telepathy — it was what it said that stunned him.
Had it recognized him?
He remembered that time, in a dream or vision, when he held a fragment of the Sky Plate and saw the dragon — a distant, ethereal image, without consciousness. There was no way it could remember that.
Cain slowly shook his head.
Rayquaza observed him for a moment, a spark of doubt in its eyes, but did not press further.
"Bring out what you carry."
Cain blinked — and immediately understood. In his backpack, there was only one item that could interest a deity like Rayquaza: the statue that had once held the Red Orb and the Blue Orb.
Carefully, he took out a small figure carved from green jade — a statue in the likeness of Rayquaza.
The dragon's eyes narrowed. A beam of green light shot from its gaze and struck the statue. The stone surface began to peel away layer by layer, revealing within a bright green sphere the size of a fist.
The orb floated gently above Cain's palm, emitting a faint pulse of energy.
"What is this...?" he murmured.
"If those two ever unleash chaos again," Rayquaza's voice resonated in his mind, "use this emerald. It will call me. But do not use it without reason... or you will regret it."
"ROOOOAAAR!"
Without waiting for a reply, Rayquaza unleashed a final roar and turned toward the two defeated colossi. Kyogre, exhausted, dove back into the ocean; Groudon, panting heavily, sank slowly into the molten earth.
Both vanished.
Rayquaza looked skyward once more, swung its tail, and ascended through the clouds, disappearing into the stratosphere toward the ozone layer, leaving behind a trail of green light that slowly faded away.
Silence fell over the divided sea — half ice, half magma. It would take a long time to return to normal.
Cain, Juan, and Drake stared at the green sphere floating in Cain's hands. Its emerald glow was faint but steady... like a promise.
"Rayquaza said... if Groudon or Kyogre awaken again, this gem will allow us to call him," Cain said.
Juan and Drake exchanged a look of relief and smiled.
The battle was over.
The Sky Dragon still watched from above.
(End of chapter)