"Although I don't know why Xerneas hasn't co, please, everyone—we must stop him! Vaniville Town is right behind us!"
Diantha, Drasna, and Wikstrom landed steadily with the help of their Pokémon, regrouping with Steven.
Diantha spoke sternly and decisively.
Noticing that the four humans in front of it intended to stop it, Yveltal's icy blue, nacing eyes released a freezing, bone-chilling glare.
Whoosh—!
In the next instant, Yveltal spread its massive Y-shaped wings and long tail wide. A powerful gust of wind surged outward, sweeping in all directions.
"A Dark- and Flying-type Pokémon... This reminds of how Dr. Stephen faced the Shadow Lugia. So this... this is how it felt for him..."
Even with Gardevoir's protective barrier in front, Steven instinctively raised his arm to shield his face.
"SKREEEEE—!"
With a sharp, evil cry, a piercing sound roared through the air. Two razor-sharp wind blades crossed into an X-shape and slashed toward the four trainers with incredible force.
"Heavens!"
A hundred ters away in Vaniville Town, many townspeople—led by Elite Four mbers Malva and Siebold—were evacuating in the opposite direction when they saw the massive attack.
The enormous wind blades, over 20 ters tall, tore through the air.
Only a handful of people had seen such power before, through the televised Indigo League battle. But to witness it in reality for the first ti was utterly terrifying.
"Aegislash, King's Shield!"
Wikstrom, the Steel-type Elite Four mber of Kalos, was the first to react.
His ace Pokémon, Aegislash, imdiately switched to its shield form. It conjured a massive, translucent shield of energy in front of itself, attempting to block the aerial slash.
Clang!
A flash of light, followed by the sound of tal clashing, rang out.
Despite Aegislash's efforts, the sheer force of the attack sent it flying.
In slow motion, one could see a hairline crack appear on the edge of its shield—a chilling sight.
"Forgive ... tagross, teor Mash!"
Steven hesitated for less than a second before gritting his teeth and sending out his ace Pokémon, tagross—or rather, his forr ace.
After being severely injured by Shadow Lugia, tagross was no longer at its peak strength, which was why Steven had been training a new Shiny Beldum to replace it.
But in the face of Yveltal, he had no other Pokémon that could step up.
Almost as soon as Aegislash was struck down, tagross charged forward. Its right arm, glowing with starlight, ford a powerful fist to et the weakened wind blades head-on.
"I'll help! Gardevoir, Support!"
At Diantha's command, Gardevoir clasped its hands together like a praying maiden, channeling mystical energy from within itself and quickly transferring it into tagross.
tagross felt its strength surge to a new level. Letting out a tallic roar, it unleashed an enhanced teor Mash that shattered the wind blades.
BOOM!
The shockwave from the clash sent dirt flying, leaving a crater over a ter deep in the ground.
"Watch out—he's coming!"
Wikstrom, who had been checking Aegislash's injuries, shouted in alarm.
Across from them, the Destruction Pokémon opened its beak wide. A deep purple, nearly black spiral laser beam shot out, tearing through the air.
Dark Pulse!
"Altaria, Protect!"
Newly retired Champion and current Elite Four mber Drasna sent out her Altaria.
A light blue energy sphere rapidly expanded, enveloping all three Pokémon at the center.
Boom—!
Dark Pulse slamd into the protective barrier, creating a loud explosion.
After a brief two-second stalemate, Steven imdiately noticed sothing was wrong and shouted, "Everyone, scatter!"
tagross, Altaria, and Gardevoir reacted instantly, dodging to the left, upward, and right, respectively.
Almost at the exact mont they moved, a sharp crack sounded.
BOOM—!
Dark Pulse pierced through the protective barrier and exploded where the three Pokémon had been monts before.
All three were sent flying.
"tagross!" Steven shouted.
"Gardevoir!" Diantha yelled.
"Altaria!" Drasna cried out.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Three heavy impacts sounded as the Pokémon crashed to the ground.
In the distance, Malva, who was evacuating with her companions, froze in shock at the sight.
"Our Kalos Champion and Elite Four's Pokémon... taken down so easily..."
"SKREEEEE—!"
Yveltal let out another sharp, malevolent cry.
Everyone looked up to see the Destruction Pokémon folding its wings and tail. In front of it, a black and red orb of terrifying energy began to form.
As a Kalos native and Champion, Diantha imdiately recognized what it was.
"Oblivion Wing!"
Yveltal's signature move.
The flowers, trees, and Pokémon along Route 1 that had been turned to stone earlier had all been drained of their life by this attack.
"If that lands, the entire Vaniville Town will..."
In the backline, Siebold wiped cold sweat from his face as he helped guide the townspeople to safety.
Malva, watching the scene unfold, reached toward the Pokéball on her belt. A flicker of hesitation crossed her face.
"Should I... keep up this act, or...?"
BOOM—!
A sudden roar interrupted her thoughts. A blue and white dragon-shaped energy wave ca out of nowhere, striking Yveltal on its side.
CRASH!
The impact sent the Destruction Pokémon hurtling to the ground like a downed plane, causing the earth to quake as it crashed.
"Who was that!?" Steven demanded.
"That attack... was it Dragon Pulse?" Drasna speculated.
"To knock down Yveltal... such power!" Diantha exclaid.
Everyone, including Serena and the others in the distance, turned toward the direction of the Dragon Pulse.
What they saw was a massive, snake-like Pokémon with black and green coloration.
"That Pokémon... is it...?" Steven murmured, uncertain.
"Could it be... Zygarde?" Drasna, the Dragon-type specialist, guessed.
"SKREEEE..."
Yveltal rose from the ground, flapping its wings once more as it glared venomously at its new opponent.
The mont it took flight, it twisted its neck and launched a Dark Pulse directly at the green serpent.
"Hey! Watch out!" Steven shouted, unable to hold back.
The Pokémon Drasna had identified as Zygarde remained unmoved.
As the Dark Pulse closed in, stopping just two ters from its face...
Between the lands of the two sides, jagged rocks erupted from the ground, forming shields that blocked the waves of malice.
It was Stone Edge Attack!
Buzz—!
In the next second, a pale green light screen erged behind Zygarde, followed by countless light arrows, as if the green version of Gate of Babylon had been unleashed.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless erald light arrows rained down in a barrage.
No, this move was Thousand Arrows!
A devastating Ground-type move that could hit even targets flying in the sky!
Yveltal ascended rapidly, using its flight ability to dodge.
However, it still got struck by a few arrows, stumbling slightly in the air.
"Impressive. That Pokémon... it's called Zygarde, right?"
Seeing Zygarde gaining the upper hand, Steven let out a sigh of relief and curiously glanced at Diantha.
Diantha nodded and explained:
"Compared to the two well-known divine Pokémon of Kalos, Xerneas and Yveltal, Zygarde is far less famous. This is because Zygarde only appears when there's a crisis severe enough to threaten the ecological balance."
Diantha speculated further:
"Normally, when Yveltal awakens and causes trouble, Xerneas would appear to suppress it. But this ti, for so reason, Xerneas has yet to show up. That's likely why Zygarde has stepped in to stop Yveltal."
And indeed, Diantha's analysis was correct.
But at this mont, even Zygarde, engaged in a fierce battle with Yveltal, was filled with confusion.
In that brief mont of distraction, Yveltal's eyes flashed with a nacing gleam as it slashed through the air with a crescent-shaped air blade using one of its wings.
Zygarde's expression changed slightly. It attempted to defend with Stone Edge, but it couldn't react in ti.
A gash appeared on Zygarde's face, blood trickling down.
Sensing Zygarde's sudden shift in energy, Diantha quickly realized sothing and shouted:
"Wait! Zygarde! The town is too close! If you fight Yveltal with all your strength here, the town will be destroyed! If you must fight it, please take the battle to a location far away from the town!"
Diantha was right—the battlefield was only about 200 ters away from Vaniville Town.
If two Legendary Pokémon were to fight at full force, the town would undoubtedly be reduced to rubble.
The Indigo Plateau Battle in the past had been devastating, but few civilians were affected because the battlefield was on a remote plateau far from urban areas.
However, Zygarde's eyes glimred with ferocity, and it showed no intention of stopping.
Just as Rayquaza protects the planet's skies and not humanity, Zygarde safeguards the ecosystem—not people.
If it were Ho-Oh, Diantha's plea might have had so effect.
But to Zygarde? Sorry, it's aningless.
The next mont—
Yveltal in the sky and Zygarde on the ground began to glow with an intense blue-green and crimson light, respectively.
It was Oblivion Wing versus Outrage!
They were serious now!
"Everyone, get back! Get back now!"
Steven shouted at the top of his lungs.
If these two moves collided, the result wouldn't be a re joke.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two streaks of energy tore through the air as both Pokémon charged toward each other.
BOOM!
With a deafening roar, dirt and debris were blasted dozens of ters into the air.
Steven, Diantha, and the others who were standing relatively close were directly blown away by the shockwave.
Fortunately, their ace Pokémon quickly caught their respective Trainers in ti.
"What the—!?"
About five seconds later, Steven was placed back on the ground by tagross, his face filled with disbelief.
To be honest, when the two Legendary Pokémon clashed, he had already prepared himself to be reduced to a pile of minced flesh by the shockwave.
But unexpectedly, it was... gentle?
"Steven! Look!"
Diantha's expression changed as she pointed ahead.
Not far away, the dirt and smoke had begun to settle.
Yveltal and Zygarde were both forced to a sudden halt, just three ters apart, as if an invisible barrier separated them.
"What is that...?"
Steven furrowed his brows in confusion, but his eyes quickly widened in realization as he looked downward.
There, standing between the two Legendary Pokémon, was a Bewear, slightly hunched, with its palms pressed against the stomachs of both Yveltal and Zygarde.
There was only one Bewear in the world capable of such a feat!
Both Yveltal and Zygarde stared in disbelief.
How was this bear able to block both of their attacks?!
Taking advantage of their brief astonishnt, Bewear exerted a bit more strength with its palms, pushing both Legendary Pokémon several dozen ters away.
Yveltal's expression darkened with fury.
anwhile, Zygarde's face turned gloomy with confusion.
Before Zygarde could react further, a familiar figure appeared before it.
"You've finally arrived!?"
Diantha exclaid in surprise.
Standing in front of Zygarde, gesturing for it to calm down, was none other than the Pokémon who had cleaned up Yveltal's sses for 3,000 years—Xerneas!
"And it's not just Xerneas," Steven added with a smile, looking toward Bewear.
Sure enough, that man had arrived!
"Brother Stephen!"
Serena shouted in delight.
"It seems I'm not too late. At least no humans got caught in the crossfire..."
Stephen glanced at the surrounding petrified forest and so unfortunate wild Pokémon, then turned to Xerneas.
"Could you heal them? That's your specialty, isn't it? Let handle this grumpy one."
Xerneas thought for a mont, then nodded. It walked toward the petrified grassland.
The Eternal Pokémon's eyes sparkled with pity, and the "X"-shaped antlers on its head radiated brilliant, multicolored light.
Instantly, a rainbow-colored halo expanded rapidly outward.
It was the life force of eternity!
In an instant, everything that had been petrified by Yveltal—whether it was land, trees, or wild Pokémon—was restored to vibrant life.
"How beautiful!"
Steven marveled.
Having witnessed the devastation caused by Yveltal's awakening firsthand, including entire suburbs and countless wild Pokémon turned to stone, Steven was deeply moved by Xerneas's restorative powers.
"I've heard stories since I was a child about Xerneas selflessly sharing its eternal life force, but seeing it with my own eyes is truly a first," Diantha said, unable to hide her admiration.
"Cawww—!"
A sinister screech broke the silence as if reminding everyone not to celebrate too early—don't forget, this bird is still here.
"What are you yelling so loudly for? Don't tell you think you can do anything in this situation," Stephen asked with a casual smile.
Although there are plenty of legends about short-tempered Pokémon, finding another one as crazy as Yveltal would be impossible.
Necrozma's explosive temper cos from the pain of losing its light. Eternatus gets irritable because of its insatiable appetite—it goes berserk when it's hungry.
But Yveltal? Yveltal loses its mind for no reason whatsoever. It simply wants to drain the life out of anything it sees.
"Either get lost or go back to sleep."
Stephen had little interest in Yveltal. He hated dealing with lunatics, whether they were humans or Pokémon.
Yveltal's glare grew even more ferocious. It unleashed a dark aura, turning the grassfield Xerneas had just restored back into a lifeless gray-black.
This human... dares to look down on ?!
"Compared to Shadow Lugia, this is just a child throwing a tantrum," Stephen said, the corners of his mouth curving upward uncontrollably. "Let remind you—we're not as gentle as Xerneas."
Boom—!
In the next instant, the embodint of destruction, Yveltal, was sent flying backward.
With a deafening crash, it smashed through a large section of forest.
Xerneas blinked twice, montarily pausing the flow of its eternal energy.
Flat on its back in a "Y" shape, Yveltal gritted its teeth, suppressing the intense pain radiating from its abdon, and craned its neck upward to look.
What... what the hell is that creature?!
In the sky above, a pink figure flickered in and out of sight, moving too quickly for the eye to follow.
The air reverberated with sounds like firecrackers—each one the result of the bear stomping on the air itself!
Overwhelming rage montarily made the God of Destruction forget the pain in its body.
Its massive wings folded inward, condensing black-and-red destructive energy between them, which then erupted into a colossal laser beam shooting toward the sky.
Oblivion Wing!
But just as Yveltal unleashed its ultimate move, it felt an even sharper pain in its abdon than before.
With a resounding crash, the entire bird was slamd deep into the ground. Its trump card shot harmlessly into the heavens, missing its target completely.
Nearly passing out from the pain, Yveltal forced its head downward and saw that the strange bear was now... sitting squarely on its stomach.
"Your ability to petrify opponents is indeed impressive, but that's pretty much your only redeeming quality. Without it, your combat skills are on par with Ho-Oh at best."
Stephen's voice drifted over, calm and unhurried.
As the words settled, the Bewear perched on Yveltal's stomach raised its right paw high into the air, and then...
Slap!
Slap!
Slap!
Slap!
The sound of relentless slapping echoed across the entirety of Vaniville Town.
Looking at the God of Destruction with its face swollen from the repeated strikes, everyone present felt a strange mix of emotions.
Steven recalling Stephen's earlier remark, thought to himself, "What do you an, 'on par with Ho-Oh at best'? So, to you, Ho-Oh's power is just... h?"
anwhile, Diantha stood frozen, staring blankly at Stephen and Bewear's retreating figures.
They had defeated Yveltal—the God of Destruction—so effortlessly... this duo had grown even stronger!
"Yeah! Go, Brother Stephen! Hit it! Hit it again!"
Serena and her friends from the sa town, including Shauna and Tierno, had sohow gathered nearby, enthusiastically cheering.
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