Boom!
Empoleon was surrounded by the Aqua Ring surging from its own body, drawing on every bit of power it had left.
A burst of icy blue light flashed across the air, and a focused beam of frost shot straight toward Zekrom.
Zekrom raised its left arm to block. The Ice Beam struck directly, and within seconds, the limb was frozen solid.
"Aoooh!"
Zekrom retaliated with Dragon Breath, the blast of draconic energy roaring forward — but it was met head-on by a spiraling blue-purple projectile. Lucario's Dragon Pulse!
Even so, Dragon Pulse alone was not enough to stop Zekrom's Dragon Breath. As Zekrom pushed forward, ready to break through, its gaze suddenly shifted.
A storm of sharp stones came flying at it from the other direction.
Boom!
The Dragon Breath tore through Lucario's Dragon Pulse in a violent explosion. The blast sent Lucario stumbling back several steps. Meanwhile, Zekrom crossed both arms in front of its body, bracing against the barrage of Stone Edge. The ice locking its left arm shattered under the relentless impact.
"Aoooh!"
Zekrom let out a thunderous roar — but before it could steady itself, a massive golden-winged Pokémon slammed into it at full force.
Skarmory drove itself into Zekrom with everything it had. The collision staggered the Legendary, though Skarmory itself was knocked back hard by the recoil, visibly pained.
In the next instant, a white streak of light cut through the air. As the glow faded, a crimson form was revealed — Scizor. It swung its heavy pincers forward and drove them straight into Zekrom's chest, sending the Legendary Pokémon crashing down to the floor of the Sword of the Vale.
Diancie raised both hands above its head. Pink Fairy-type energy swirled and gathered between its palms, building into a glowing orb that resembled a full moon rising in a clear sky.
Then Diancie released it — hurling the entire mass of energy directly at Zekrom.
Boom!
The Moonblast connected with tremendous force, blasting Zekrom several meters across the floor and sending it tumbling toward the far edge. The air currents at the platform's edge were fierce, and Zekrom's head hung out over the drop.
It was a pity Zekrom didn't have any hair to blow in the wind.
"Metagross, use Ice Punch!" Steven called out quickly.
Metagross, which had just hauled itself back up from the floor, steadied itself. Cold air began seeping from each of its four metal legs as it gathered power.
"Meta-Gross!"
All four legs came together as Metagross launched forward, charging at Zekrom just as the Legendary was beginning to rise.
Bang!
Ice Punch connected cleanly. The sheer force sent Zekrom flying upward, hurtling off into the dark clouds above.
"H-how...! How is this possible?! Zekrom...!"
Damon stood frozen, staring in disbelief. The Legendary Dragon of Ideals from the Unova region — the embodiment of truth and power — had been driven back by a group of human Trainers and their Pokémon.
"Everyone — focus on rescuing Victini!" Steven turned quickly, his eyes locking onto Victini, still trapped within the swirling pillar of purple light, its face twisted in pain.
Steven didn't know exactly what Damon intended to do with Victini's power. But seeing Victini suffer was reason enough to act.
Rumble.
The sky began to darken rapidly. Beneath the Sword of the Vale, storm clouds rolled in. Countless bolts of blue lightning writhed and crackled within them like living things. Thunder rolled across the sky.
Steven was about to give his command — but before the words left his mouth, a massive bolt of blue lightning screamed down from the clouds and struck.
The explosion tore across the floor, blasting away the Pokémon that had been advancing toward the purple light pillar. Metagross threw itself in front of Steven just in time, and the violent surge of electricity washed over the team in full.
Diancie spun its small hand and conjured a towering Diamond Storm barrier — joining Metagross in trying to withstand the assault.
Boom!
The barrier shattered. The lightning detonated it completely, and the resulting shockwave sent tremors through the entire Sword of the Vale. Steven was hurled off his feet by the blast.
Metagross, Diancie, and the rest of Steven's team were scattered across the floor. Of them all, Empoleon and Skarmory — both carrying a weakness to Electric-type moves due to their typings — had clearly taken the worst of it.
"Ste... Steven?"
Diancie struggled to push itself upright, looking around in confusion. Steven was nowhere to be seen. Nearby, Metagross lay on the floor, its Mega Evolution already faded.
In battles past, it had always taken the combined efforts of many Pokémon just to barely hold back a Legendary at full power. But those had been defensive battles — deflecting, enduring, buying time. This time was different. This time, they had taken the blow directly.
"This is..."
Diancie stopped. Something on the floor had caught its eye — a thin, unbroken trail of red stretching all the way to the edge of the platform.
Three Poké Balls lay near the edge, knocked loose by the blast.
Diancie's hands flew up to cover its mouth. It stood completely still, at a loss for what to do.
Across the platform, Damon frowned.
He had not wanted this. But Steven had provoked Zekrom, and Zekrom's fury was not something easily redirected. Damon let out a quiet, resigned sigh and turned his attention back to steering the Sword of the Vale toward the ancient homeland of the People of the Vale.
"Tili..."
Victini strained to hold its small body upright. Its normally bright eyes were barely open to a narrow slit. It looked at the trail of blood leading to the edge of the platform, and its tiny hand lifted ever so slightly.
Beneath the top of the Sword of the Vale, the once-white clouds had turned black. Lightning pulsed and flashed within them constantly.
The blood trail continued past the edge — downward, along the outer wall — and ended at a blood-stained hand.
Steven was clinging to the side of the Sword of the Vale. He had been blown clear off the platform's edge by the shockwave and had slid down the outer wall, his fingers scraping desperately across the rough stone surface. The cuts left by the stone had traced the trail of blood behind him.
By some stroke of fortune, his hand had caught on a small outcropping of rock — barely enough, but it had stopped his fall.
He reached up with his other hand and gripped the rock wall with both, steadying himself. He took a slow breath.
He looked at his left arm. The sleeve had been torn away, revealing a long, ragged gash still bleeding freely. He must have struck a sharp piece of debris when the shockwave threw him across the floor.
For now, the adrenaline was keeping the pain at a distance. He knew that wouldn't last long.
At this altitude, the cold was severe, and the wind was relentless. His hands had already begun to tremble.
Then, slowly, something stirred within him — a quiet warmth that spread through his limbs. The Viridian Power he carried moved on its own, working against the cold and gently closing the wounds on his hands, little by little.
Above the clouds, Zekrom reappeared, blazing with blue lightning. Its turbine tail spun at full speed, and arcs of electricity spilled freely from its body. Its power was fully unleashed, and its size had grown — towering more than ten meters against the storming sky.
"I am not dying here."
Steven gritted his teeth, found a foothold in the stone wall, and began to climb.
Empoleon. Skarmory. All of them.
Hold on. I'm coming.
And... Victini.
He climbed with everything he had. With every move, the pain in his left arm grew sharper, making his grip shake. But he kept going.
Then a soft light separated from his body.
It drifted beside him — hovering gently in the open air above the drop — and slowly took form. A girl in a white dress, with white hair that floated in the high-altitude wind.
Steven stared at her.
She said nothing. She simply extended her hand toward him.
Steven did not think about what lay below, or about what might happen if he let go. His trembling left hand slowly rose and took hers.
The girl's lips curved — just barely — into a quiet smile.
Blue light bloomed from her, soft and steady, and spread across Steven's body like the first light before dawn.
In an instant, Steven was gone.