Xerneas was in an awful mood today.
A few years earlier, during her last battle with Yveltal, a brief lapse had led to a clear defeat.
But over the millennia, the two had traded victories and losses countless times. She had long grown accustomed to it.
At worst, she could find a comfortable place, sleep for a few decades, recover, and then resume fighting.
With that in mind, she had done exactly that.
Kalos was lush with forests—she wasn't worried about finding a good spot to rest.
Yet…
From Xerneas's perspective, she had barely fallen asleep; her body hadn't even warmed the spot.
Then, her old rival, Yveltal, suddenly started rampaging through the forest as if crazed.
Countless waves of death energy surged outward. In mere moments, verdant forests turned into scorched wastelands.
As the Pokémon that governed life, Xerneas felt the disturbance immediately.
To keep the ecological balance from shattering completely, she hurriedly returned to her true form and rushed out.
For a moment, she even thought of going to human society—just to learn some creative insults to throw at Yveltal.
If the ecosystem collapsed, ordinary Pokémon wouldn't be the only ones to suffer.
As Legendary Pokémon, she and Yveltal would bear the worst consequences.
Unfortunately…
She was too far away and couldn't arrive in time.
Passing by a cave, she felt a chill—cold, mechanical—and knew she was already too late.
Zygarde attacked her without hesitation.
Because it wasn't in its complete form, she managed to hold it off somewhat.
Even then, she was forced into a desperate chase all the way to this place.
Still—
When warmth spread through her body, Xerneas felt some of her anger ease.
She hadn't noticed the ghost nearby at first.
It was only when he used that strange green energy that he drew her attention.
In her experience, this was a power distinct from Life Energy—something entirely different.
"Rrrr—"
At the same time, a ragged roar echoed from the thick smoke nearby.
It was Zygarde, crying out in pain.
Elias didn't react.
He continued treating Xerneas, while with his other hand, he lightly beckoned.
Thud!
All the heavy equipment Lysandre had brought was once again seized by Elias's Telekinesis, operating unmanned.
The strike against Zygarde moments ago had come from these massive killing machines.
Suddenly, Zygarde's low growl stopped.
A faint orange point of light appeared within the smoke.
It rapidly intensified—almost instantly…
Whoosh!
The air tore as a Hyper Beam, thick as a tree trunk, shot directly toward them.
Its forceful wind dispersed the lingering dust in the air.
Seeing this, brilliant multicolored light flared from Xerneas's huge antlers.
Thump!
She slammed both forehooves firmly onto the ground, and a green barrier enveloped her body.
PROTECT!
BOOOOM—
Hyper Beam smashed into Protect, and the collision alone was loud enough to render weaker Pokémon unconscious instantly.
Crack… crack…
Even as Xerneas braced with all her might, cracks spread rapidly across the green barrier.
Under Zygarde's fierce strike, Xerneas's slender body trembled, seemingly about to collapse.
Her long legs sank deeper into the soil under the pressure.
Then, with an explosive burst, Hyper Beam detonated midair.
The resulting shockwave shattered the already weakened barrier.
Thud!
Elias barely evaded the blast using Teleport.
But Xerneas took the impact head-on, letting out a muffled grunt as she was hurled backward.
She landed heavily, managing to stay upright, but her movements became sluggish, her earlier agility lost.
Injuries of varying severity covered her body—a grim sight.
But before Xerneas could catch her breath—
Zygarde's massive form vanished from its position, moving with speed incongruous to its enormous size.
EXTREME SPEED!
Sensing a gust behind her, Xerneas twisted sharply, preparing a Megahorn counterattack.
Thud—!
Zygarde's thick tail struck her glowing antlers, producing a dull impact.
The size disparity forced Xerneas back several steps.
She lightly tapped her hooves, hopping backward swiftly, stopping only after retreating to Elias's side.
Elias glanced over and noticed Xerneas's slightly dazed expression.
Clearly, the blow had stunned her.
In this brief clash, Xerneas was plainly at a disadvantage.
After stabilizing herself, she didn't charge forward again.
Not far away, Zygarde straightened, holding position and observing.
Unseen, the air again thickened with tension.
Then—
A faint green glow spread across Zygarde's body.
Immediately afterward, multiple streaks of green light arced in from the horizon, rapidly merging into its body.
It was absorbing something, quietly accepting the countless streams of energy flowing into itself.
Witnessing this, Xerneas's expression darkened further.
Even Yveltal, cowering within the capture net, trembled.
We're going to die here.
That was the immediate thought both Legendary Pokémon had.
Zygarde wasn't even fully transformed yet, and it was already overwhelming them.
Once fully transformed, there'd be no chance of escape.
[Stupid deer—go stop it!]
Inside the net, Yveltal experienced genuine fear.
Even though both of them could revive, death still terrified them.
Each revival took hundreds of years at least.
Upon awakening, they would lose random fragments of memory and remain weakened for a long period.
If possible, they absolutely wanted to avoid death.
But Xerneas merely glanced indifferently at Yveltal, offering no reply.
She was too wounded; she simply lacked the strength to interrupt Zygarde's transformation.
A stubborn, unwilling look—almost human—surfaced on Xerneas's face.
"Xerneas."
Suddenly, a voice spoke beside her ear.
Xerneas turned and saw the human ghost who had helped her before.
"If I can get you out of here, will you accept my offer?"
"The price… is helping me with something."
Elias met her gaze calmly, without fear, clearly stating his intent.
In his view, Xerneas's eyes remained serene—like a tranquil pool without the slightest ripple.
[If you mean more attacks like earlier, they won't help much.]
Xerneas's voice echoed directly in his mind.
Hearing that steady, gentle woman's voice, Elias couldn't help a flicker of surprise.
A doe?
Then he quickly regained composure, smiling faintly as he shook his head.
"Of course it's not something that crude."
As his words fell, an equally powerful wave of Life Energy surged around them.
This time, Xerneas's soft brown eyes visibly widened.