Just as the 50% Forme Zygarde appeared, far away from the Arche Valley, on a stretch of sandy terrain.
"What in the world is going on?"
Another Zygarde Core, this one with red spots suddenly sensed something unusual. Its gaze stretched far into the distance, filled with intense shock.
As Zygarde Cores, the two were connected to one another to some degree. And especially now that a 50% Forme Zygarde had been born, that connection had become even stronger.
At this moment, the red Core could clearly feel emotions being transmitted from the other side.
Anger.
An overwhelming, incomparable fury.
It was a fury so intense that even this red Core felt a deep, instinctive dread.
"Come on, respond to me—what exactly happened over there?!"
The red Core repeatedly tried to reach out through their link, wanting to know what state the other Core was in. But there was no response at all.
"Damn it!"
The red Core immediately realized that the situation had clearly become extremely serious. Under normal circumstances, the Cores would never gather their cells together to change forms unless it was truly an absolute last resort.
But now not only had the blue Core gathered all its cells, it had even directly transformed into the 50% Forme!
Aside from the complete 100% Forme, which required both Cores to merge, the massive serpent-form of the fifty-percent state was the greatest form each Core could individually achieve.
"Zyyy~Garrr~Deee~"
Raising its tiny form upward, the red Core let out a continuous summoning cry. Rings of faint green light spread from its body.
Small green sparkles streaked down from the sky and merged into the red Core. Its shape rapidly changed at astonishing speed.
In just a blink, a green, canine Pokémon stood where the Core had been.
Zygarde, 10% Forme.
The hunting dog.
The moment it transformed, the red Core began sprinting at full speed toward the direction where it sensed the blue Core.
It needed to understand what was happening. Zygarde had its own duty as the guardian of the ecosystem, if some kind of ecological disaster needed to be corrected, the blue Core should have contacted it first.
This situation was simply too abnormal. The red Core was genuinely worried.
…
The Arche Valley
"So that's Zygarde, huh? It looks… a lot more terrifying than I imagined,"
Marnie murmured while tilting her head, studying the black-and-red Zygarde with curiosity. Was the so-called guardian of Kalos's ecological order really supposed to look this sinister?
No matter how she looked at it, this Zygarde's appearance was even more frightening than Yveltal's.
"It's being forced into a fused state through human intervention. And right now, its mind is filled with nothing but negative emotions."
Lucas wasn't surprised. In fact, even a normal Zygarde's appearance wasn't exactly what humans would call aesthetically pleasing.
Well… the complete form was an exception. That one very much fit the aesthetic ideals of people from his previous life—after all, what young person didn't dream of a giant mecha?
The black-and-red mutated Zygarde before them was the result of Team Flare's experiments—using intense negative emotions to catalyze the Zygarde Core and then controlling it with machinery.
It was exactly what Team Flare did in the anime as well—and yes, they truly succeeded. A Zygarde filled with unchecked rage, its mind clouded and confused, would follow their commands and unleash catastrophic destruction.
"I guess I underestimated them. They do have some tricks left."
Archer looked at Lysandre and the others with genuine surprise. He originally thought they were nothing more than fools blinded by desire who walked straight into a trap.
But from this Zygarde alone, their backup methods were clearly not simple.
"Lucas, who do you think has the higher chance of winning?"
Giovanni studied Zygarde carefully. Instinctively, he compared it to Mewtwo.
And… this Zygarde actually seemed to have an even stronger aura?
"If it were Zygarde's complete form, Yveltal definitely wouldn't be a match for it," Lucas said.
"But in its current state… it's hard to say."
The enraged Zygarde actually possessed a higher combat level than its normal state.
And the fifty-percent forme of Zygarde was already no weaker than most high-level legendary Pokémon.
…
"Excellent! Zygarde, defeat Yveltal!"
Seeing Zygarde appear successfully, Lysandre's face spread into a triumphant grin. Everything was proceeding smoothly.
They had already taken control of Zygarde, and they had also found Yveltal and Xerneas.
All that remained was for Zygarde to defeat those two legendary, recover them, and finally activate the ultimate weapon!
Then, he could save this beautiful world.
"Gaarrrr—" (TN: I've run out of sounds)
The enraged Zygarde lifted its head slightly. Its hexagonal, crimson-tinted eyes locked onto Yveltal in the sky.
A dangerous aura began to seep outward.
"SCREEEEE!"
Yveltal, of course, noticed Zygarde's murderous gaze. Its already cold eyes turned even colder.
That look Zygarde gave it—
It was the look one gave prey.
Yveltal recognized Zygarde, but their relationship had never been harmonious. In truth, the solitary Yveltal did not get along with any other legendary Pokémon.
And it definitely did not fear Zygarde.
A thin layer of black energy began to shroud its massive body—Yveltal's Ability: Dark Aura.
Under Dark Aura, the power of all Dark-type moves increased significantly. For a Dark-type Pokémon like Yveltal, the ability was immensely powerful.
Red, ominous energy gathered rapidly around its body. Then, with a piercing shriek, Yveltal unleashed a terrifying red beam straight down!
Oblivion Wing!
Yveltal, ferocious by nature, had no intention of waiting for its opponent to act. If they were going to fight, then they would fight.
Xerneas, with its gentle disposition, might avoid conflict with Zygarde but Yveltal was no Xerneas.
Why would it back down from Zygarde?
Especially when it was already in a foul mood.
The blazing crimson Oblivion Wing descended. The enraged Zygarde's body erupted with red aura as the ground split apart violently beneath it.
Dead, decayed plants burst upward to form a massive barrier over its head.
BOOM!
Oblivion Wing slammed into the tangled mass of roots and vines. Its destructive power shredded them continuously.
But under Zygarde's control, the black-and-red plants seemed endless, rising again and again until the might of Oblivion Wing finally dissipated.
"So strong!"
Malva clicked her tongue in disbelief. This Oblivion Wing was far stronger than the one that struck them earlier.
Yet Zygarde hadn't even budged, it blocked the attack effortlessly.
"Zygarde has always been stronger than Yveltal and Xerneas. Hahaha~ Let's step back. We don't want to get caught in their battle."
Lysandre spoke calmly and motioned his subordinates back.
What he had just witnessed fully reassured him. He had been worried that a single-Core Zygarde might not be a match for Yveltal.
But now?
Zygarde was still Zygarde, undeniably powerful.
Just as Team Flare retreated, the plants above Zygarde receded.
A dangerous red glow burst from the five horn-like structures behind its head. In the next instant, countless red light-arrows erupted outward.
Zygarde's signature move, Thousand Arrows!
Although Zygarde was a Ground/Dragon-type Pokémon, Thousand Arrows was a special Ground-type attack designed specifically for striking airborne foes.
"SCRRREEEEECH!"
Yveltal spread its enormous wings, whipping up a violent storm to clash with Thousand Arrows.
BOOM!
The winds collided with the descending barrage—but soon, everyone could see that Thousand Arrows was overpowering the gale, pushing forward relentlessly.
Yveltal's eyes hardened. Instead of continuing stubbornly, it immediately aborted the attack, twisted its body, evaded the incoming barrage, and dove sharply.
Sky Attack!
A blue, bird-shaped aura formed around Yveltal as it accelerated toward Zygarde.
"GAAARR—"
The enraged Zygarde exhaled a rough, low breath, its eerie crimson eyes locked tightly onto Yveltal.
The faint red light around it had barely faded when it flared up again from the ground beneath it.
Zygarde's signature move, Land's Wrath!
Land's Wrath surged up from the earth, enveloping Zygarde entirely. Then Zygarde leapt into the sky like a launching javelin.
Land's Wrath vs. Sky Attack!
Red and blue energies crashed violently, the air erupting into deafening winds and ripples of force.
"That's two signature moves… Don't tell me it knows all of them?"
Lucas narrowed his eyes. Even though the enraged form tinted all of Zygarde's moves red, he could still identify them.
So far, it had already used Thousand Arrows and Land's Wrath. In truth, Zygarde possessed four signature moves.
Yes—four.
In the games, its power was split among its many Cells and Cores, so the player had to gather Zygarde Cells to obtain its other signature techniques.
In the games, there were five Cores total.
But here? Based on the anime, it seemed there were only two.
If each Core controlled two signature moves…
That was extremely reasonable.
Or perhaps the Cores could each use all of them?
Either possibility made sense.
The clash in the sky reached its peak. With a final surge of force, Zygarde's Land's Wrath detonated, blasting Yveltal backward across the valley.
"ZYYY—GAARR—!"
A deep, distorted cry rose from Zygarde as red energy surged outward like an expanding barrier.
Thousand Arrows!
A rain of shimmering red arrows shot toward Yveltal at impossible speed.
"SCREEEECH!"
Yveltal shrieked sharply. Red light flashed as it forcefully gathered another beam and fired it downward.
Oblivion Wing!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Two explosions erupted almost simultaneously. Both attacks struck their targets.
But this time, Yveltal clearly suffered more—it had rushed the Oblivion Wing, firing it before properly charging it. Even landing a hit wouldn't have done much damage.
The two legendary Pokémon continued their fierce battle. The entire valley echoed with their explosive clashes.
…
Meraz and the villagers had already retreated to the far end of the settlement. Many villagers trembled in fear, praying desperately to Arceus.
But then—
A terrifying red beam suddenly shot toward them.
Yveltal's Oblivion Wing.
It had been aimed at Zygarde but Zygarde dodged it.
Meraz's pupils shrank violently. A mortal sense of dread washed over her. Dodging at this point was almost impossible.
Despair surged in her heart. But when she looked at the villagers behind her, she gritted her teeth and summoned golden light—Arceus's power.
She knew her strength wouldn't be enough.
But she still had to try.
"Blue Flare."
A clear, resonant dragon cry echoed through the valley. A beautiful white dragon burst forward, wings wide, blue flames roaring as it collided with Oblivion Wing.
BOOM!
Blue Flare and Oblivion Wing exploded mid-air.
"Reshiram? Then that means… it's Mr. Lucas!"
Meraz stared blankly at the elegant white dragon. She instantly thought of Lucas. Turning around, she saw him arriving with his group.
"Mr. Lucas, why are you here?"
"Reshiram sensed the presence of a legendary Pokémon, so we came back to check. But we didn't expect… this."
Lucas frowned.
"What exactly happened here?"
"It was those bad people! They threatened my brother and Hoopa, forcing Hoopa to summon Yveltal!"
Meraz, furious beyond anything she had ever felt before, explained the situation as quickly as she could.
Everything had been peaceful—
until greed ruined it all.
"I understand now. Meraz, take everyone somewhere safe. I'll think of a way to stop them."
"By the way, where are Baraz and Hoopa?"
Lucas asked after a moment's thought.
"My brother went to our ancestor's sealing grounds. It's not far from the valley. He should be able to return with Hoopa soon."
She spoke without hesitation—her trust in Lucas was absolute.
Lucas's eyes flickered.
Not far, huh?
Meanwhile—
Baraz and Hoopa had already reached a cave.
"We found it."
Barza stared ahead at a strange, flute-shaped object.
The Prison Bottle—
The vessel containing Hoopa's sealed power.
(End of Chapter)