"According to legend, Yveltal enters a cocoon and falls into a deep slumber, while Xerneas turns into a tree during its rest."
"So the legend really was true."
From the distance, hidden within a small grove, Giovanni stared fixedly toward the black "egg" and the towering tree. His eyes narrowed slightly, his pupils flickering with shifting emotion.
At this moment, his mood was filled with excitement because Xerneas had appeared!
And based on what Lucas had previously told him, the Xerneas brimming with overwhelming life force could cure his terminal illness!
Standing beside Giovanni were Lucas and the others.
Yes, Lucas and his group had never truly left the Arche Valley. The moment they exited the valley, they concealed themselves nearby.
Once Lysandre led Team Flare back into the Arche Valley, they immediately followed behind.
"I did expect Lysandre to use Hoopa to summon legends… but I honestly didn't expect his ambition to be even greater than I thought."
Lucas's lips curved in a faint, half-smile. In his original prediction, once Lysandre found the Hoopa, he would use it to summon Xerneas.
But unexpectedly, Lysandre had also set his sights on Yveltal.
This… was human nature.
"Mr. Lucas, shouldn't we go help them?"
Archer asked Lucas with confusion. By all logic, if they appeared now and helped Baraz and the others, Baraz's group would surely be moved to tears with gratitude.
Wasn't that precisely Lucas's goal?
"No, there's no need to rush. Wait a little longer."
Lucas's gaze flickered. He had an exciting hypothesis in mind—one he wanted to test.
If he was correct, then after a century of being sealed, the power of the Hoopa Confined had accumulated intense resentment.
That resentment might even have developed its own consciousness—wanting to eliminate Hoopa's main personality and take its place!
He wanted to see whether that resentment was truly Hoopa's second personality.
And now was the perfect opportunity.
Only Baraz and Meraz knew the location of the Prison Bottle's sealing site. Lysandre's threat was the best fuse to ignite the situation.
…
In front of the village
"Hoopa… are you sure you didn't summon the wrong thing?"
The air was unnervingly silent. Baraz looked at the Punishment Hoopa beside him and whispered softly.
"Nope. That's their sleeping form. It'll look a little strange."
Hoopa tilted its head as it examined the Destruction Cocoon and the Tree of Life. Truthfully, even it didn't understand why their dormant forms looked like this.
Just like the White and Black Dragons—during slumber, both dragon gods also turned into Dragon Stones.
"If what you say is true, then Xerneas and Yveltal have already been summoned. Let Meraz and the others go."
Baraz said to Lysandre in a deep voice.
If Hoopa hadn't summoned them incorrectly, then everything was fine.
"Of course. Not a problem at all."
Lysandre didn't lie. He waved at the Team Flare members guarding Meraz and the others, signaling them to release the captives.
"No mistake. The Destruction Cocoon and the Tree of Life…"
Lysandre gazed at the black cocoon and the green tree with burning anticipation. Their forms were identical to what he had seen in ancient documents.
It truly was unbelievable. To think that such a small Pokémon could actually summon legendary beings!
But that no longer mattered. He had already located the Ultimate Weapon from his ancestors' research. Now that he had Yveltal and Xerneas, he could activate his plan at any time.
"Wait—something's wrong."
Malva's brows furrowed slightly as she whispered to Lysandre.
Because she saw it—
Or rather, not just her. Everyone saw it.
Dark red.
A horrifying, eerie dark red—like dried blood, lifeless and cold spreading like a silent plague.
Darkness. Pressure. Malice.
Centered around the Destruction Cocoon, waves of sinister dark-red energy surged wildly outward.
Everyone felt something was terribly wrong and instantly backed away—again and again.
That was something no one should touch.
"That guy… is about to awaken!"
Hoopa's expression changed.
If it were its former, unsealed self, it would not fear Yveltal.
In reality, Hoopa Confined in the games wasn't weak at all—at least not weaker than most legendary Pokémon.
But this Hoopa was different.
Its power had been almost entirely sealed away by the Prison Bottle. Besides its spatial rings, Hoopa Confined's combat ability right now was nothing more than that of a powerless bystander.
"Meraz! Are you hurt?!"
Baraz hadn't noticed Hoopa's abnormality. He hurried to Meraz's side, worry filling his voice.
"We're fine, brother. But what is that thing?"
Meraz shook her head. Even though they had been restrained, Lysandre hadn't harmed them.
"Yveltal. No time to explain. Meraz, take everyone into the village. It's too dangerous here."
Baraz said urgently. Yveltal was about to awaken, and the legends spoke clearly about its ferocity…
"But what about you?"
"These people can't be allowed to run free. If no one stops them, the village will be destroyed!"
Baraz pressed his lips together tightly, glaring toward Lysandre's group.
These greedy ambition-driven men were clearly after Yveltal and Xerneas.
"I'll take Hoopa to the place where Grandfather stored the Prison Bottle. If Hoopa can recover its power, we'll be able to drive them out."
Yes—that was Baraz's plan.
If Hoopa could regain its powers, defeating these villains would be easy.
And Hoopa could also deal with Yveltal and Xerneas.
"I understand. Brother, be careful."
Meraz nodded heavily and led the villagers into the village.
…
As more dark-red energy spilled out, the Destruction Cocoon lit up with a dreadful crimson glow.
"Yveltal…"
Lysandre stepped backward, lifting his head slowly toward the cocoon floating in midair.
Suspended silently, the Destruction Cocoon twisted and shifted—wings, body, head, and demonic horns began to emerge.
In the blink of an eye, the cocoon transformed into an enormous black-and-red bird Pokémon.
The legendary Yveltal!
"SCREEEEEEE—!"
With wings spread wide, Yveltal unleashed a piercing shriek that echoed through the entire Arche Valley.
Terrifying aura swept across the sky.
Malice and suffocating pressure flooded the air, making it difficult even to breathe.
Some weaker Team Flare members trembled uncontrollably, overwhelmed by the terror.
"Boss… w-we can't possibly fight that thing…"
Malva's face turned pale.
Facing such a legendary Pokémon in person made her truly understand what "legendary" meant.
They didn't even need to battle it.
Just its presence alone was enough to crush them.
"The destroyer of life… truly lives up to its name."
Despite everything, Lysandre forced himself to remain calm, his eyes glued to Yveltal.
If Yveltal was this powerful, then what of the Ultimate Weapon powered by Yveltal's energy?
And what about Zygarde—the legendary guardian of Kalos's ecosystem?
"…"
Malva stared speechlessly at her leader.
Did he really not understand how dire the situation was?
She was just about to speak when—
An icy sense of danger shot up from her feet.
Crisis!
Malva snapped her head upward.
Yveltal's cold, emotionless eyes were fixed upon their group.
Without hesitation, Malva and the more perceptive members instantly turned to flee.
"SCREEE—!"
Another shrill cry tore through the air.
Yveltal folded its massive wings inward, its body radiating grotesque scarlet energy.
It was furious.
Deeply furious.
It had been sleeping peacefully—then someone had the audacity to wake it.
And when Yveltal was angry…
It vented that anger on everything in sight.
Yveltal's signature move, Oblivion Wing!
In the next instant, a massive dark-red beam tore through the sky, shooting straight toward Malva and the others.
Silent. Deadly.
The beam carved through the air, through the earth, and through several members of Team Flare who couldn't flee in time.
No screams.
No struggle.
Everything brushed by the crimson light turned into lifeless gray—
Including the Team Flare members.
Drip… drip…
Malva stared at the gray stone statues before her—faces frozen in terror. Her heart pounded like never before.
They really could have died.
If she hadn't reacted in time, she would have become a statue too.
The legend was true.
The life-destroying Yveltal stole the life of anything it touched.
"Leader—what do we do now?!"
Xerosic trembled violently, staring at the monstrous Yveltal above.
Holy shit, it scared him half to death.
That Oblivion Wing had nearly grazed him.
Just one step slower and he would've been dead!
Who wouldn't be terrified?
"Release Zygarde!"
Even Lysandre had lost his composure. Although he was thrilled to see Yveltal, he had no desire to die here.
He still had a dream to realize.
"Yes!"
Xerosic frantically unlocked the metal case, preparing to release—
Zygarde Core.
"SCREEEE—!"
Another shriek sent chills down his spine.
Sweating profusely, his hands moved even faster.
The crimson glow flared again as Yveltal unleashed another Oblivion Wing, striking another group of unfortunate Team Flare members.
"What is Xerneas doing?!"
Lysandre's face darkened.
Yveltal was slaughtering everything in sight, yet the Tree of Life remained completely motionless.
Was it incubating an egg or something?
How could it react so slowly?!
Thank goodness he had prepared a backup plan.
Otherwise, today would have been his funeral.
"Leader—it's ready!"
Xerosic opened the case.
Inside lay the Zygarde Core—its head covered by a chip-like device.
"Activate it."
Lysandre said curtly as he stepped back with Malva.
Xerosic grabbed a controller and pressed the switch.
The chip on Zygarde Core's head instantly lit up, shocking the Core awake.
Pain.
Intense, overwhelming pain!
Its consciousness flickered, swallowed by agony, followed by a surge of unprecedented fury.
These wretched humans…
They should disappear.
Rage gathered within the Core.
"Success! Leader, it's working!"
Brilliant green light burst from the Zygarde Core.
Beams of light shot across the sky—Zygarde Cells scattered throughout Kalos were responding to the Core's call.
The Cells fused rapidly into the Core, its body expanding amid the brilliant glow.
Rumble—
The earth shook violently, deep cracks splitting open as black-and-red, withered roots spread outward.
"Hsss—"
A low, rasping breath echoed across the valley.
The green glow dimmed.
A massive Pokémon stood before them.
A tyrannical aura swept across the land.
Even Yveltal paused mid-attack and stared downward with cold eyes.
Its body resembled an enormous black-and-red cobra, its eyes glowing like eerie hexagonal insect pupils, and five black spikes rising from the back of its head.
Zygarde—50% Forme.
Fury Mode.
A suffocating, oppressive energy radiated from Zygarde.
Yveltal glared at it coldly.
The atmosphere grew ever more tense.
…
"Lysandre, that bastard… he actually managed to capture a Zygarde Core?"
Lucas stared with mild surprise at the furious Zygarde.
A black-and-red Zygarde—exactly like the one Team Flare controlled in the anime.
No wonder Lysandre had dared enter the Arche Valley so boldly.
He did have a trump card.
"Tsk, tsk…
Things might turn out even more interesting than I expected."
Lucas raised his eyebrows, glancing toward the valley entrance.
Baraz had already taken Hoopa away.
There was no need to guess—Baraz was clearly rushing toward the Prison Bottle to undo Hoopa's seal and unleash its power.
Things were about to get even more entertaining.
(End of Chapter)