Rayquaza suddenly turned back. Seeing that there was no room left for negotiation, it unleashed every last bit of its strength and released one final Dragon Ascent.
Green light flashed. Rayquaza's body instantly straightened, and it dragged a blazing tail behind it as if it could pierce through everything, colliding solidly with Deoxys.
Rumble!
A solid shock wave scattered in every direction, and all the meteorites disappeared in that instant.
Even Grey was caught in it.
In a daze, he seemed to see a winged Gardevoir waving at him.
In the Hoenn region, near the ozone layer.
"Grey!"
Steven's heart suddenly tightened for no reason. Without thinking any further, he put on his spacesuit and patted the solid body of the Metagross beneath him. "Go to space! Alive, I want to see him. Dead, I want to see the body!"
"Meta."
Metagross's speed soared, but before it could rise very far, it felt a force blocking it, preventing it from continuing forward.
This was the first time it had ever encountered something like this after reaching Champion level and entering Mega Evolution.
Steven also felt an invisible force stopping them.
At the same time, N arrived near the ozone layer on the back of Therian Forme Landorus.
He looked up in silence.
"Landorus, is there a way?"
N asked Landorus.
Just now, he had also sensed that something was wrong.
It felt as if an accident had occurred, forcing him to take it seriously.
"Zekrom... If you can sense my thoughts, please tell me how Grey is right now."
N tightened his hands around the planetary necklace and contacted Zekrom through their internal channel.
"Uh... Well... I don't know what happened either."
Zekrom, who had been at the scene, was more than a little confused too.
All it saw was Rayquaza and Deoxys charging into each other, and Grey, being right at the front, was the first to get hit by the shock wave.
After the shock wave passed, the whole person was gone.
N: ???
What did it mean that Grey had been blasted away by a Legendary-level shock wave and disappeared?!
"Then is he going to be okay?!"
N's tone rose unconsciously.
"That part should be fine. Reshiram and Kyurem said that although they can't sense where Grey is, his vital signs are still there, so he isn't in any danger for now."
Zekrom told N not to worry.
Maybe after a while, Grey would come back.
"That's good."
N also let out a breath of relief.
If something had happened to Grey, he truly would not know what to do.
Afterward, N explained Grey's situation to Steven.
"This..."
Steven fell silent. For a long time, he could not say a word.
The impact of this matter was too great. Even Steven himself did not know what to say.
"Let's go back for now. At least... the meteorite crisis has been resolved. And since even Reshiram and Kyurem say Grey is fine, maybe he has encountered an opportunity of his own."
That was all N could say to comfort Steven.
Steven nodded softly. "Mm. Thank you."
In space.
Everything returned to silence.
"Where's Grey?! Where did Grey go?! You two have no sense of restraint at all! Don't tell me you blasted Grey out of existence! Alien virus, I'll fight you to the death!!"
Little Riolu directly transformed back into Mew and glared viciously at Deoxys.
It raised both hands and casually unleashed Dark Pulse.
Dark radiance shot out in the form of a shock wave and struck Deoxys, making it feel as though it had been hit by several high-speed meteorites. It was smashed backward more than a thousand meters.
"Mew, stop for a moment. Grey isn't dead."
Reshiram immediately blocked Mew and reminded it.
"He's completely gone! How could he possibly not be dead?!"
Mew had nowhere to release its fury, but after coming back to its senses, it asked suspiciously, "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. But what we can't determine right now is where Grey went..."
Reshiram felt that this was very strange.
It could clearly sense that nothing was wrong with Grey.
But it could not sense where he was.
It was as if some higher existence had isolated its perception.
It could not have been that one, could it?
Reshiram pondered faintly, but did not dare casually slander that existence.
"What should we do now?"
Jirachi looked toward the group of Legendary Pokémon and asked.
"Go to the Space-Time Rift and ask Palkia. See if it can fish Grey back out."
Zekrom offered a suggestion.
"That works."
Reshiram nodded in agreement.
"Wait."
Kyurem was somewhat confused by this. "Can Palkia really be useful here? I remember that guy is never needed for small problems and never helpful for big ones..."
When the Legendary Pokémon heard this, it really did seem to be true.
"It's the only shot we've got. Right now, Palkia is the one tied to space."
Mew let out a breath. "Let's go."
"Where is this...?"
Grey slowly woke up. After standing, he looked around.
This was an unknown place. Everywhere around him were glittering crystal blocks.
Not far away, there was a massive crater.
Looking at the surroundings, Grey's earlier doubts instantly vanished.
All right. Wasn't this Area Zero in the Paldea region?
He subconsciously reached for his phone.
Damn it!
Grey's pupils froze. He realized that although his clothes had not disintegrated in the shock wave, his phone had been destroyed.
In other words, he had no way to call for backup.
He could not even call a Squawkabilly Taxi.
With no other choice, Grey could only reach for his waist and send out his partners.
Fortunately, Annihilape, Metagross, Blaziken, and Lucario had stayed with him.
The only problem was that the other Legendary Pokémon were gone, and Grey had no idea where they were.
"Annih..."
The moment Annihilape came out of its Poké Ball, it sensed that something was wrong with this place.
There was an inexplicable primal feeling in the air.
It was hard to describe.
If it had to put it into words, it felt like even though it was a Champion-level Pokémon, it had still been marked as prey.
Hiss...
Could there be a bloodthirsty top-tier Legendary here?
Thinking this, Annihilape shielded Grey behind it. Ghost-type energy spread across its body, ready to counterattack at any moment.
"Agias..." (I didn't expect prey to actually sense my aura... Not bad. I'll give you a chance at a fair duel.)
Not far away, a red "giant lizard" standing on two legs slowly walked over.
Its tail was thick and long. Its head and tail had white hair like spikes, and its chest looked like a tire. Its aura was fierce and savage.
That primal feeling was coming from this "giant lizard" before them.
Pokémon: Koraidon
Type: Fighting, Dragon
Level: 75
Ability: Orichalcum Pulse
Moves: Collision Course... Others omitted.
"Only Champion level?"
After seeing the data provided by the system, Grey felt that this Koraidon was still a little lacking.
The top-tier Legendary Pokémon he had encountered in the past, apart from the artificially created Mewtwo, were all around level 80.
For Koraidon, this level was a little adorable.
Koraidon: ???
What did he mean, only Champion level?
Hah?!
Koraidon gnashed its teeth. Light surged around its arms, and an intense radiance bloomed from its body.
In an instant, a blazing sun slowly rose.
Under the light of that sun, the skin on Koraidon's body gave off scorching heat, making it look even more vividly red.
Ability, Orichalcum Pulse!
"Agias!" (Human! What do you think of me now?!)
Koraidon roared at Grey, seemingly wanting to see shock on his face.
"Just okay."
Grey scratched his head. "Mainly, your strength still hasn't reached Master level. No matter how much you boost yourself, you still won't be able to beat a Champion-level Pokémon."
"Agias!" (Human! How dare you!)
Koraidon leaped high into the air. Fighting-type energy turned into blazing light that enveloped its whole body. It swung its fist toward Grey, and the force it unleashed shook the air with a shrill scream.
"Annih!" (Protect the boss!)
At Annihilape's command, the other Pokémon surrounded Grey as well, shielding him behind them.
"It's fine. I'll handle this."
Grey was very moved by this, but since there was no Pokémon Center in Area Zero and he did not have many healing items on him, it was better for him to personally brawl with Koraidon for a while.
When Koraidon saw this, it sneered inwardly.
Heh, a human body alone dares to fight me?!
In Koraidon's eyes, humans were physically weak creatures. How could they possibly stand against a powerhouse like itself?
But soon, Koraidon realized it was wrong.
The human before it could actually summon blue flames with one hand, and under its own harsh sunlight, their power was even greater.
Grey calmly stepped half a pace forward. Blue-white flames suddenly rose in his palm.
At the instant he clashed with Koraidon, he merged the power of Aura into the flames and dissolved the opponent's raging energy layer by layer.
Neutralizing force!
Sensing its Fighting-type energy being dispersed by Grey, Koraidon was just about to swing its other hand, only for Grey to act as if he had predicted its movement. He threw Koraidon out.
"You're still a little too green to fight me."
Grey waved a hand, signaling Koraidon not to keep opposing him.
"Agias..."
How could Koraidon swallow that humiliation?
After taking its stance, it once again used Collision Course. A series of air bursts rang through the sky, and Annihilape and the other Pokémon, who were being blocked behind Grey, immediately grew anxious.
Good grief, if that hit him, he would definitely break some bones, right?
Annihilape was just about to step forward when it saw Grey turn his head and smile at them. "Don't worry. Nothing will happen."
With that said, Grey charged forward in one swift step. This time, he did not use neutralizing force. He directly met power with power.
Boom!!!
At the instant the two crossed paths, Koraidon felt its own strength being devoured completely.
This was bad. The man in front of it was genuinely powerful.
Koraidon's pupils froze, and it heard a deep rumble beneath its feet. The ground actually shattered on the spot.
It turned to dust and sent both of them falling into the depths of Area Zero.
"Metagross."
Grey suddenly called out.
"Meta!"
Blue light flashed in Metagross's eyes. It used Psychic to control Grey and Koraidon as they fell downward, then pulled them back and placed them on intact ground.
"Well? Are you convinced now?"
Grey asked Koraidon after it was saved.
Although Koraidon could fly, he was still its savior, after all.
"Agias." (Barely acceptable, I suppose. All I can say is, you're still a little green.)
Koraidon curled its lip.
"All right, all right. I'm not going to argue with you. Let me ask, is there any human here besides me?"
Earlier, Grey had heard Koraidon call him a human. Since that was the case, there should be humans here.
But Grey also was not sure what era this currently was.
After all, he had suddenly appeared here, rather than crashing down like a meteorite.
"Agias." (There is.)
Koraidon nodded.
"Agias." (If you need to find her, I can take you there.)
"Let's go. At least she's a living person."
Grey had Koraidon lead the way.
A short while later, under Koraidon's guidance, Grey went deeper into Area Zero.
Along the way, Grey saw quite a few Paradox Pokémon.
Most of them were rather wild and wanted to have a one-on-one duel with Grey, but Koraidon roared them all back.
With no other choice, Grey could only suppress his urge to catch them and follow Koraidon back to see who was currently in Area Zero.
Turo, Sada, or both?
Grey scratched his head. If this was the same timeline as his own, he had been able to find information related to Turo and Sada.
If everything matched up, things would be much easier.
At the lower levels of Area Zero, before reaching the Zero Lab.
On this level, Grey saw a massive crystal.
And around the crystal stood many buildings.
This was the Zero Lab.
"Hah..."
Grey instead let out a breath of relief.
Since there was a research lab here, and it did not look abandoned, that meant the era was close to his own, or perhaps this was simply the current timeline.
"Agias!"
Koraidon let out a high cry.
Creak...
The doors of the lab opened. Grey looked forward with anticipation, but he did not see anyone appear.
"Agias." (Let's go.)
Koraidon led the way.
Grey followed behind it.
Soon, Koraidon stopped and called out again toward the front.
Hiss, hiss, hiss...
Accompanied by rising white mist, the interior instantly lit up.
A "wild" woman stood not far away. She wore a white lab coat on the outside, an orange tube top underneath, and a pair of shorts on her lower body. A necklace hung around her neck.
This person was Professor Sada.
"Mm? Koraidon, you're back?"
Sada turned around and smiled faintly when she saw Koraidon return.
Then, when she saw Grey following behind Koraidon, she was clearly stunned.
"May I ask who you are?"
"I'm Grey, the third-generation Gym Leader of the Fighting Dojo in Saffron City, Kanto region. Due to certain circumstances, I accidentally ended up here. So I'd like to borrow a phone and have someone come pick me up."
Grey explained what had happened to Sada.
Seeing this, Sada was willing to lend him a hand.
After dialing the phone number Grey gave her, however, the response she received was...
"Hello. The number you have dialed is not in service. Please check the number and dial again."
"Huh?"
Grey blinked, then gave Sada another number. "This is the phone number for Sabrina, the Gym Leader of the Saffron Gym. Could you try calling it?"
"Mm."
This time, the call connected.
"Tell her someone named Grey is looking for her."
"All right."
Professor Sada repeated Grey's words exactly as he had said them.
But then she heard Sabrina answer, "Grey? I don't know him. And as for the Fighting Dojo... wasn't it destroyed three months ago?"
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.