"Camerupt, dodge it!"
Brodie and Tabitha shouted simultaneously.
But the energy tentacles were simply too fast. The two Mega Camerupts could not completely evade them in time and were instantly entangled by several of the writhing tendrils.
The volcanoes on the backs of the Mega Camerupts suddenly erupted violently. Flames of unimaginable intensity burst outward, forcefully burning apart the energy tentacles wrapped around their bodies.
"Butler, what the hell are you doing?!" Brodie roared furiously. "Why is Groudon attacking us?!"
Tabitha's expression was equally ugly.
"Damn it! This monster isn't Groudon at all! It's completely out of control!"
At the same time, the tentacles rushing toward Blaziken, Volcarona, and Mega Charizard X were also blasted apart by three streams of blazing fire.
Seeing this, Meta Groudon released a deafening roar, as though it had been completely enraged.
In an instant, countless energy tentacles began erupting wildly from all over its body. Dense and endless, they resembled dark vines growing out of control, carrying a terrifying aura of destruction as they surged madly toward every Pokémon on the battlefield.
"ROOOAAAR!!"
The two Mega Camerupts desperately destroyed several tentacles, but their numbers were simply overwhelming. In the blink of an eye, the Camerupts were entangled once again layer after layer.
Even the Mightyena assisting nearby failed to escape. It too was tightly bound by thick tentacles and forcibly dragged toward Groudon's enormous body.
"Camerupt! Mightyena!!"
Brodie and Tabitha's faces turned pale as they shouted in panic.
Relying on their ability to fly, Volcarona and Mega Charizard X continuously dodged through the air while unleashing blazing flames and slashing dragon claws to shatter the incoming tentacles.
But May's Blaziken was not nearly as fortunate.
Although its speed was far greater than the Mega Camerupts', it was still fighting on the ground and could not completely avoid the tentacles.
The moment it let its guard down, a tentacle suddenly wrapped around it viciously from behind.
Then more and more tentacles coiled around Blaziken's body. It was on the verge of being dragged directly into Meta Groudon itself.
At that critical moment—
Milotic suddenly unleashed a powerful Hydro Pump. Mega Metagross suppressed the tentacles with psychic power while sweeping its steel claws violently across the battlefield, and Tyrantrum charged forward with a savage tackle.
Three attacks exploded forth simultaneously.
Together, they shattered the incoming energy tentacles and forcefully rescued Blaziken from the brink of disaster.
Being repeatedly obstructed only caused Meta Groudon's fury to grow even more violent.
The energy tentacles on its body multiplied crazily, no longer limiting themselves to the battling Pokémon but instead sweeping across everything around them.
Far away, many fleeing wild Pokémon failed to dodge in time and were instantly seized by the tentacles before being dragged into Meta Groudon's body, disappearing without a trace.
Immediately afterward, even more tentacles burst forth from its body and surged directly toward Theo's group, Tabitha, Butler, and everyone else present.
At this point, nobody had any thoughts of continuing the battle.
Everyone frantically ordered their Pokémon to protect them while resisting the incoming tentacles and retreating at the same time.
"Brock, take Max and May and get out of here first!"
Theo shouted toward Brock in the distance.
Brock made a decisive decision immediately.
"Steelix, get us out of here!"
Steelix burst up from underground. Brock quickly grabbed Max and brought May onto its back before rapidly fleeing toward the edge of the crater.
Several energy tentacles chased after them relentlessly from behind while Milotic, Volcarona, and Tyrantrum fought desperately to buy them time to escape.
In the sky, Mega Metagross's metallic body trembled before it charged fearlessly toward Meta Groudon despite the massive size difference between them.
Even with its four enormous steel claws fully extended and its body expanded to nearly four or five meters in size, it still looked as tiny as an ant in front of the nearly fifty meter tall Meta Groudon.
Mega Metagross gathered light into its four claws and slammed a Meteor Mash heavily into Meta Groudon's body, blasting open dents and cracks.
Yet that amount of damage rapidly healed and repaired itself under the flow of energy surging across Groudon's surface.
Feeling pain, Meta Groudon roared angrily as several thick tentacles whipped toward Mega Metagross from all directions.
Mega Metagross could only temporarily retreat from its attack. Using the four smaller metallic limbs behind its body to coordinate its movements, it struggled to resist the overwhelming tide of incoming tentacles, barely managing to stabilize the situation.
Elsewhere, after Absol escaped from captivity, it stared at the Meta Groudon that had destroyed its homeland, its eyes filled with fury.
Then it suddenly turned and sprinted toward the mountaintop at the edge of the crater.
The black crescent horn on its forehead lit up with dazzling brilliance as all the energy in its body gathered together. A gigantic blade of light slashed down from the sky and struck heavily against Meta Groudon.
A brilliant flash erupted.
A wound nearly two meters deep appeared on Meta Groudon's body, but within mere moments, it completely regenerated once again.
Annoyed, Meta Groudon casually lashed out several tentacles that instantly bound Absol tightly.
Before Absol could even struggle, it was violently dragged straight into Meta Groudon's body.
Witnessing this scene, the Jirachi in Theo's arms let out a painful and sorrowful scream before suddenly breaking free from his embrace and slowly floating into the air.
At that instant, dazzling silver light erupted from Jirachi's entire body. All of the brilliance gathered frantically toward the closed "True Eye" on its stomach.
"JIRAAA—!"
Accompanied by an angry cry, the True Eye on Jirachi's stomach suddenly opened.
A silver beam of light nearly five meters wide shot out like a laser, striking Meta Groudon's head with perfect accuracy.
"SHHK!"
The beam pierced straight through.
A massive hole was blasted directly through Groudon's head as magma like blood and chaotic energy exploded outward.
"ROOOAAAR!!"
Meta Groudon once again released a violent roar.
Yet the attack that would have pierced the skull of any ordinary Pokémon and killed it instantly was practically meaningless to Meta Groudon.
The wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Instead, the tremendous energy released from Jirachi's True Eye only completely captured Meta Groudon's interest.
Its gigantic yellow eyes locked tightly onto the True Eye on Jirachi's stomach, overflowing with endless greed and desire.
It completely ignored Mega Metagross battling beside it and began stepping forward with slow, massive footsteps, gradually approaching Theo and Jirachi.
At the same time, all of the energy tentacles that had previously spread outward to capture Volcarona, Mega Charizard X, and the other Pokémon instantly withdrew.
They gathered together before Meta Groudon, compressing into a gigantic energy tentacle over twenty meters in diameter.
The enormous tentacle pointed directly toward Theo and Jirachi, preparing to seize them with its full power.
Faced with this terrifying crisis, Milotic violently swung its tail fin, creating towering waves that condensed into a roaring water dragon before smashing fiercely into the giant tentacle.
Tyrantrum threw back its head and roared toward the heavens before leaping upward. Its thick skull became wrapped in intense rock energy like a gigantic warhammer crashing down.
Volcarona unleashed all of its flames, transforming into a blazing stream of golden fire as it slammed directly toward the middle section of the enormous tentacle.
The attacks of the three Pokémon exploded simultaneously, all striking toward the gigantic energy tentacle aiming for Theo and Jirachi.
But at that exact moment—
Faint blue points of light suddenly began appearing across the surface of Meta Groudon's condensed giant energy tentacle.
(End of Chapter)