Three figures shot out at high speed, each finding their own opponent.
Mimikyu, which had already completed three stages of Swords Dance, appeared like a ghost from the shadows, wrapped in rolling black mist, and charged straight at Deoxys!
Deoxys's reaction was not slow either. It almost seamlessly switched from Attack Forme to Defense Forme, pulling its arms together. A psychic barrier formed above its now-smooth head and completely enveloped its body.
—But it was useless.
Shadow Sneak, which carried a piercing effect, allowed Mimikyu to strike Deoxys's real body directly, sending it flying far away.
On the other side, the ground shook violently without stopping.
The Mega Swampert, which had already completed six stages of Bulk Up and entered Mega Evolution, leaped forward with terrifying explosive power. The orange-red air sacs on its arms opened, madly absorbing the surrounding air. A shrill whistling sound rose as the airflow surged, and the mottled white airflow pouring into the sacs made them swell unprecedentedly.
The next instant, Mega Swampert's right arm muscles bulged. A howling cold current covered its fist, and under the propulsion of the compressed air sprayed out from the air sacs, the fist rapidly enlarged right in front of the Hoenn Rayquaza's forehead!
Boom!
The Hoenn Rayquaza, which had been charging an even more powerful Hyper Beam, had no time to dodge and took the punch head-on. The Hoenn Rayquaza was sent flying like a badminton shuttlecock, its head spinning, and plunged straight into the sea!
Above the turbulent sea, a clear freezing sound rang out under the shocked gazes of many people still stranded at the port.
Besides Deoxys and the Hoenn Rayquaza, the shiny Rayquaza naturally also received its share.
Luxray, which had finished charging in advance, charged forward at high speed. The electric arcs and some sparks wrapping around its flamboyant mane made it look like a majestic lion.
Luxray didn't have many self-buffing moves. Lucas, who never fought unprepared battles, had only stacked Howl and Charge on it, plus the secret item Flame Orb that triggered the Guts ability.
Turning into a rushing thunderbolt, Luxray was like a shooting star carrying electric current. In an instant, it invaded the side of the shiny Rayquaza and slammed its massive body into the now-cleared Port No. 4!
The life-threatening crisis was temporarily lifted!
Accompanied by the roar of an engine, Lucas appeared in front of everyone with a beautiful drift on a motorcycle he had casually picked up from the roadside.
"What are you still standing there for? Go!"
Stepping on the tire tracks he had created, Lucas pointed at the road behind him leading into the city and shouted urgently.
The current situation was not good enough for these people to stand here in a daze.
Suddenly, two angry dragon roars rang out beside his ears. In Lucas's vision, the Hoenn Rayquaza that had fallen into the sea broke through the ice and flew back into the sky, glaring furiously at the Mega Swampert in the ocean. Even now its head was still buzzing. If it hadn't been so tough, it might have actually suffered heavy damage just now.
This guy is not ordinary!
The Hoenn Rayquaza had completely forgotten that it had just been fighting the shiny Rayquaza and that it had planned to deal with Deoxys. Even Deoxys's attacks hadn't been as ruthless as that punch from the Mega Swampert just now. It decided to deal with the Mega Swampert first, then clean up Deoxys and drive the shiny Rayquaza out of its airspace!
It roared and swung its tail, lashing toward the Mega Swampert in the sea. Dragon Tail!
On the other side, Port No. 4.
The shiny Rayquaza, which had only stopped its backward flight after smashing through several large containers, pulled its body out of the container as if nothing had happened. It was now looking at Luxray with interest.
Clearly, the shiny Rayquaza had recognized Luxray's identity. Wasn't this the little cat it had toyed with and crushed that day? Now it actually dared to bare its fangs and claws at it? Interesting.
Luxray had a deep connection with Lucas and Calyrex. With the shiny Rayquaza's intelligence, it naturally understood this clearly. It had originally come for revenge. It might as well deal with Luxray while it was at it.
Luxray noticed the change in the shiny Rayquaza's eyes and immediately focused its attention, its spirit tensing up.
"Shiiiiaaaang—!"
Raising its head and letting out a dragon roar that shook the air, the shiny Rayquaza suddenly sprayed out blue, red, and purple dragon flames from its mouth. Dragon Pulse!
It had only become a bit stronger than before, yet it still dared to try to stop it. It would take that big-headed one to even come close!
Facing the shiny Rayquaza's attack, Luxray chose to release its electricity without reservation. A discharge collided with the Dragon Pulse, and a violent explosive roar erupted at the center of the clash.
The fierce battles on both sides had officially begun.
With the destructive power of two Rayquaza, it was only a matter of time before the currently relatively safe Port No. 3 would also fall. They couldn't go by sea—that was the battlefield of Mega Swampert and the Hoenn Rayquaza. They couldn't stay at the original port either. The only place left to escape to was naturally inside LaRousse City.
The violent explosions finally brought the terrified people back to their senses. It might also have had something to do with the Team Rocket Trio running at the front and shouting loudly.
The people stranded at the port surged toward the interior of LaRousse City like a tide. As long as they used their LaRousse City access cards to ask the security Block Robots for help, they could ensure their safety and be transported to a safe place.
Although not everyone spoke, some people deliberately turned their heads to say "thank you" to Lucas as they passed by. Even though Lucas had not come specifically to receive their "thanks," he had to admit that it still made him feel happy, gave him a strong sense of accomplishment, and made his fighting spirit even higher.
Watching the crowd gradually disappear from his sight, Lucas breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"I guess this counts as saving them from fire and water… even though the fire and water probably have something to do with me…"
Even now, Lucas couldn't figure out what kind of terrible luck he had. Traveling in the Hoenn Rayquaza's territory and still running into the shiny Rayquaza he had previously clashed with. He figured he hadn't flown anywhere recently—he had even taken a ferry and train to reach LaRousse City. Or did the shiny Rayquaza have a nose sharper than a dog's and could lock onto his scent from the sky while he was in LaRousse City?
He couldn't figure it out, but now was not the time to dwell on it.
He had resolved the crisis prompt from the system—the port-stranded crowd that had been dragged into the battle between the two Rayquaza and Deoxys because of his arrival.
Next, he had to figure out how to suppress this already out-of-control plot. It was impossible to hope it would return to the original track. There was only one path left—
One against three!
Then wait for Victini and Professor Lund's side to succeed!
"The security system in LaRousse City is also a pitfall, but maybe it can be used."
Muttering his complaints to ease the tension, Lucas—who was doing something this big for the first time—patted the satchel at his waist.
"Hold on tight. Don't get thrown off, Terapagos!"
With that, he twisted the throttle and charged fearlessly toward Port No. 4.
The trouble he had brought upon himself could only be resolved by himself!
The battlefield between Mimikyu and Deoxys was actually not a big problem. In terms of raw power, Deoxys was completely no match for Rayquaza. As for why Rayquaza had been toyed with so badly, besides not being familiar with Deoxys's ability to change formes, it was because in that battle it had relied on its tough hide and hadn't used its brain at all. It had simply used its super brain to command its body to use super strength.
Back in the ice field, Rayquaza had taken countless attacks from Deoxys's Attack Forme and still jumped around like nothing had happened. At most, it had just looked a bit battered and unsightly.
In contrast, once Deoxys was caught by Rayquaza, it would be instantly killed. It perfectly illustrated the saying: "I can make countless mistakes, but you can only make one."
Lucas's instruction to Mimikyu was to use its type advantage to stall Deoxys without needing to defeat it. He had already told Mimikyu the specific information about Deoxys on the way here, so it wouldn't be caught off guard. Once his prepared follow-up succeeded, Deoxys would naturally become an ally on their side.
—The real battlefield was with the two Rayquaza.
His main Dragonite had not followed him to Hoenn, and Moltres had been sent to protect the others. Although he had found a motorcycle to ride, at least he didn't have to run on foot. But he was still only one person and couldn't be in two places at once.
He had chosen to head to the battlefield between the shiny Rayquaza and Luxray, but that didn't mean he had left Mega Swampert and the Hoenn Rayquaza to fend for themselves.
Above the turbulent sea.
A muscular sea beast rode the waves, fiercely clashing with the green dragon dancing in the sky. Every collision between the two sent invisible shockwaves that churned the sea into turmoil.
The Hoenn Rayquaza randomly fired pitch-black Hyper Beams from its mouth, easily punching huge holes through waves dozens of meters high. The beams continued downward into the sea, creating temporary massive voids.
The exploding water spray fell like heavy rain, but before Mega Swampert could enjoy the boost, a strange fluctuation swept it all away, leaving only ordinary water droplets falling.
This was Rayquaza's ability Air Lock, which rudely eliminated all weather-induced changes, including Mega Swampert's Swift Swim. Therefore, from the very beginning, Lucas had never intended to send Politoed—which synergized well with Mega Swampert—into the frontal battlefield. Even Groudon and Kyogre had no solution against Air Lock. Politoed was better off staying at the lab to protect it.
The Hoenn Rayquaza twisted its dragon body, swung its tail in the sky, and flew behind Mega Swampert. Surging Dragon-type energy transformed into a roaring dragon and slammed toward it!
At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed across the sea battlefield.
"Watch your back! Aqua Jet Break!"
Mega Swampert turned without hesitation and threw a punch!
Amid the splashing water, the Dragon Pulse that had been crushed by that unreasonable brute force turned into brilliant flowing light across the sky.
The person commanding Mega Swampert was none other than Lucas!
But Lucas himself was currently at the battlefield in Port No. 4. How was he commanding Mega Swampert?
The answer was simple—Not far from the sea area where Mega Swampert and the Hoenn Rayquaza were fiercely battling, Officer Jenny—whose neat uniform was soaked by the waves and whose hair was dripping with water droplets—stood at the bow of the ship, firmly holding a megaphone connected to the ship's communication device!
And inside that megaphone, Lucas's voice kept ringing out, precisely commanding Mega Swampert in its fight against the Hoenn Rayquaza, keeping it from falling behind.
That's right. After communication was restored, Officer Jenny had received a call from Lucas, who had gotten her contact information from Professor Lund. Then, disregarding the danger, she had come near the battlefield and used the megaphone in her hand to deliver Lucas's commands to Mega Swampert!
This was the only thing she, as the highest security officer of LaRousse City, could do for Lucas, who had saved the stranded crowd at Port No. 3.
She didn't understand how Lucas could give such high-level instructions so precisely even when he wasn't there in person. But she knew that to hold the battle line, no matter how the wind and waves beat against her, she would stay here until the end!
In terms of pure strength, it was clear from the Hoenn Rayquaza's reluctance to approach Mega Swampert for close combat that Mega Swampert held the advantage in that area. But in every other aspect, the Hoenn Rayquaza held the advantage. Endless stamina and energy reserves, powerful moves, decent battle experience… Only under Lucas's timely commands could the current Mega Swampert tangle with the Hoenn Rayquaza without falling behind.
As for defeating the opponent? The current situation did not allow either it or Lucas to think that far.
In a sea area even farther from the turbulent battle zone.
A group composed of several balloon-like Wailmer and a massive Wailord happened to be passing through this area. They had just said goodbye to a parent-child pair of Wailmer and Wailord living in another sea area. Although they regretted that the pair had not joined their pod, they continued to swim carefree through the vast ocean.
At that moment, a younger Wailmer in the pod suddenly looked toward a direction where loud noises kept coming from. Its expression seemed to become somewhat excited.
Normally, as wild Pokémon that sought advantages and avoided danger, the pod would choose to immediately stay away from dangerous waters. But this time the situation was different.
Even the Wailord couldn't help but stop swimming. Its beady black eyes looked into the distance. They saw a green dragon dancing in the air amid rolling black smoke from violent explosions, and the blue Pokémon fighting it while riding the waves. Even the figure of Officer Jenny holding a megaphone not far away was caught in their sight.
"Waaaaiii!!!" (Isn't that the Palafin Hero—the one who partnered with humans?!)
The young Wailmer pointed with its broad fin, calling out excitedly as if it had seen a living legend.
The Wailords were somewhat puzzled. It did look very similar, but they had only just heard the legend story not long ago. To encounter it so quickly. Wasn't this just a coincidence?
But as the fight between Mega Swampert and the Hoenn Rayquaza grew more intense, the Wailords gradually came to agree with the young Wailmer's view. Raising its heroic fist to battle the terrifying dragon that brought destruction, protecting the ocean's love and peace, and being a partner of humans—that was its signature.
Wasn't this exactly the legendary hero of justice of the ocean—Palafin Hero?!
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