Chapter 862: I Will Not Take Another Half-Step Back
Sootopolis City.
The titan that dragged continents descended from the sky.
With a single stomp, the entirety of Sootopolis Island was plunged into violent turmoil.
Shadow sat atop Regigigas's head, crossing His legs as He looked down, a smirk playing at the corners of His lips: "Leaving only Dialga and the other two over there."
"With such a golden opportunity laid right before your eyes, there's no way you could just cast it aside."
"Yet, could you truly harden your heart and abandon the people of this Sootopolis City?"
"I know better than anyone what kind of folk Aura Envoys are."
"With Dialga keeping you pinned down, the only one who could come..."
"Would be that dog, wouldn't it?"
Shadow raised His arm, two fingers gesturing lightly forward.
His objective was already crystal clear.
It was indeed Sootopolis Island.
More specifically, AZ, Silver, and Colress.
And then, conveniently, collecting a bit of interest: Lucario.
Over these years.
AZ and Colress could be said to have played top-tier support.
They had caused Him quite a bit of trouble.
In the past, Shadow had often wondered why Kazuya's group could always slip away just before He arrived.
Only later did He discover that these people had actually put the Tree of Beginning crystals to use.
As for Silver.
He was a threat that had only emerged a dozen or so years ago.
Shadow had sensed divine auras emanating from Sootopolis Island.
At first, He thought those were left behind by Kazuya and Mewtwo.
After all, Kazuya carried the aura of over a dozen gods on him. Yet later, He unexpectedly realized something was amiss.
Those were not the auras of Kazuya and Mewtwo.
They were the auras of "newborn gods."
Only after investigating did He discover that this Silver had been attempting to create gods for over a century.
And a dozen years ago, he had indeed succeeded.
This immediately set off alarm bells for Shadow.
With only four Pokémon remaining, Kazuya's group had already disgusted Him to no end.
If a few more were allowed to emerge and gradually grow strong, that would truly become a massive issue.
It was from that moment onward.
That Shadow began to re-evaluate these few humans.
And He had to admit that He had vastly underestimated the power of humanity, regretting that He hadn't personally stepped in to slaughter them early on.
Fortunately.
Making a move now was not too late.
He could also use these humans as bait to fish out "that dog."
As long as He was fast enough on His end.
Wiping out Kazuya's trio over there alongside these would not be out of the question either.
Dialga's descending location.
Was not something Shadow had chosen haphazardly.
It was a decision made after deliberate consideration.
From Mauville City to Sootopolis City.
This distance.
Was just enough to tempt and alert Kazuya's group, while also allowing Him to wipe out these few in Sootopolis City and rush to the other battlefield within a short timeframe.
Following Shadow's gesture.
Three Demon Gods flew out from behind Him.
Together, They unleashed an onslaught toward Sootopolis City below.
Bolt Strike.
Blue Flare.
Dark Pulse.
Three torrential attacks descended from the heavens, plummeting toward Sootopolis City.
At the crucial moment, a faint barrier manifested.
Parrying the combined attacks of the three Demon Gods.
Sheltering the entirety of Sootopolis City.
"The Ange, is it? Quite the first time seeing it in person."
Shadow raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in His expression.
In the past, He truly had never placed human technology in His eyes.
Much less a relic like the Ange, which dated back several millennia.
However.
Zygarde's disappearance for over half a century had forced Shadow to abandon His dismissive attitude.
Complete Forme Zygarde.
That fellow was one of the mightiest Demon Gods, and of the exceptionally durable variety at that.
Yet hadn't It still been blasted into smithereens by human technology?
Seeing it with His own eyes now only reaffirmed that His operation today was the right move.
"Cease your attacks, you three useless things," Shadow waved his arm to the side, speaking with faint exasperation.
He realized.
Compared to Kazuya's group of Pokémon, these Demon Gods that used to be quite handy were becoming increasingly pathetic by comparison.
Just like right now.
Not to mention the "Pitch-Black Pokémon" Darkrai.
It was merely a Mythical Pokémon to begin with.
Stuck at mid-Champion tier.
Shadow hadn't placed much expectation on It anyway; It was only brought along for crowd control, to prevent that dog from self-destructing at the last second.
As for the Black and White Dragons in their Overdrive modes.
The more He looked at Them, the more disappointing They seemed.
Aside from passable appearances, Their strength was utterly mediocre.
A look of disgust crossed Shadow's face, and He reached down to pat the massive behemoth beneath Him: "Regigigas."
"Regi..."
The King of the Giants lifted its head.
Following that, its four-meter-tall frame began to expand rapidly, halting only when it reached over forty meters in height.
This was not its limit.
It was merely the height Shadow requested.
Any taller, and He wouldn't be able to see clearly.
Regigigas raised both arms high, then brought them crashing heavily downward.
Fists akin to heavy freight trucks slammed down.
Watching this, AZ and the rest of the survivors within Sootopolis City felt their eyes nearly tear open in horror.
"Are we really going to die here? It's somewhat infuriating, to be honest."
Silver gritted his teeth and muttered.
His research had only yielded results a dozen years ago, and before he could even deploy them, he was about to perish here. How could he possibly resign himself to this?
It wasn't that he didn't want to ask Kazuya's group for help.
It was AZ, Chloe, and Colress who refused.
Three to one.
The minority yielded to the majority.
Thus, their distress signal had been severed directly.
"Where is your Mewtwo Mark III? I recall there were two successful cases? Why aren't you deploying them?"
Chloe dusted off her white lab coat.
With hands shoved into her pockets and heels clicking against the stone, she gazed coolly at the five Demon Gods in the sky, completely devoid of any terror toward death.
In her demeanor, there was quite a touch of the young Lorelei's former brilliance.
"To prevent them from being corrupted into magical beasts by dark energy, I didn't bestow consciousness upon them when they were created. They possess only combat instincts and will relentlessly slaughter all surrounding life until they drop dead. If I pull them out now, they won't even need to lift a finger," Silver's mouth twitched as he pointed toward Shadow above.
At a time like this.
It was clearly not the moment to pull out the two units of Mewtwo Mark III.
Otherwise.
Before the Ange even shattered.
Sootopolis City would be thoroughly slaughtered clean by Mewtwo Mark III first.
That would be far too hellish.
Nearby.
Beneath the Eternal Tree.
"Ahahaha, young man, learn to look at the bigger picture. It's just death..."
AZ leaned against the trunk of the Eternal Tree, an easygoing smile on his weathered face.
As long as the Eternal Tree remained here.
He could not possibly flee.
Even if it meant death.
He would die alongside Floette.
[No matter if it's ten years, or twenty years, Flabébé and I will always be together.]
Hence.
AZ's mentality was even more at peace than Chloe's.
Which was only natural.
AZ had lived for over 3,300 years.
Throughout his long life.
At least three millennia had been spent living in a muddled stupor, a state worse than death.
For him.
Being able to accomplish so many meaningful things for this world at the very end of his life, and then perishing alongside Floette...
Was already the best ending he once dared not even dream of.
So there was truly nothing left to feel discontent about.
AZ saw through it clearly.
The only ones who could stand against "gods."
Were "gods."
The hope of this world rested upon Kazuya and his Pokémon, not upon them.
Therefore.
The priority on Kazuya's side.
Vastly outweighed the priority here.
As long as they could slay Dialga over there, even if the entirety of Sootopolis City was wiped out today.
It would all be worth it.
"Indeed. Silver, don't you feel it too?"
"In an era like this, living is far more excruciating than death."
"I am so very tired. I no longer wish to continue 'operating.' I desire only death, or rather... an escape from this world."
Colress's voice sounded from the pocket watches hanging around their necks.
Though it was a raspy, frigid synthesized drone.
It carried a bottomless exhaustion.
"I don't fear death either. I'm just unwilling to die so entirely without value," Silver clenched his fists tightly.
He glared up at Shadow in the firmament, a blaze of sheer defiance raging within his eyes.
Crack, crack——!!
Beneath the fists of Regigigas, the barrier in the sky appeared brittle and feeble.
With just a single strike.
Fractures spiderwebbed across the entirety of the barrier.
One more blow, and it would likely shatter completely.
"If that is the case... Silver, little Chloe," AZ's voice drifted over.
The two youths turned to look at this weathered, towering man.
Without them realizing it.
AZ had already risen to his feet.
He looked up at Shadow in the heavens, a faint grin tugging at his lips.
"Are you preparing to use that?" Colress's voice followed immediately, harboring a trace of anticipation, alongside a hint of madness.
"If not now, then when? Let them burn through their final embers," AZ pursed his lips.
He cracked his arms and made his way toward a nearby cave.
Leaving behind only a single directive: "You two assemble everyone and prepare to depart aboard Samiya. Colress and I will try to buy you some time."
Samiya had always remained resting beneath the waters at the heart of Sootopolis City.
Roughly fifty years ago.
From the Water People's hidden vaults handed down through generations by Juan, Wallace's mentor, Chloe had recovered several materials.
Utilizing those ancient relics of unknown antiquity.
Chloe had managed to construct a controller akin to the Sea Crown from scratch.
With this device in hand.
They could pilot Samiya's movements.
Its purpose was specifically to relocate the survivors at the critical hour.
Originally.
With so many Demon Gods blotting out the sky.
They assumed that with Samiya's meager speed, escape was utterly hopeless.
Hence, they had never planned to deploy it.
Yet looking at it now.
AZ and Colress seemed to have kept an ace tucked away.
"The Ultimate Weapon?" Silver's eyes lit up.
Yet the gleam dimmed almost as swiftly.
The Ultimate Weapon was formidable indeed.
Yet relying solely on it, at best it could heavily wound Reshiram or Zekrom.
Faced with Shadow and Regigigas, it would still prove lacking.
"Naturally not just that. We haven't spent these past decades idling our days away," Colress let out a dry rasp of a chuckle, then urged, "Ask no more! Go and make preparations! Opportunity knocks but once; lose this moment, and it will never return."
Hearing this.
Silver and Chloe exchanged a glance.
They spun around and broke into a sprint.
If they could carry hope forward and live, why throw their lives away?
An opportunity bought with the lives of their comrades was not something they would casually discard.
Boom!!
The Ange barrier overhead finally shattered into fragments.
And in that very instant.
Beneath the Eternal Tree.
A spatial vortex tore open.
A majestic, imposing figure stepped forth, standing immovable as he gazed up at the five Demon Gods blotting out the sky.
"In the name of the Aura Brave."
"This time..."
"I will not take another half-step back."
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