Outside the village of the Arche Valley—
The enraged Zygarde in its serpentine 50% Forme was locked in a standoff against Necrozma in its Dawn Wings form.
An overwhelming pressure hung thick in the air, so suffocating that even breathing too loudly felt dangerous.
Perhaps even Zygarde, whose mind had been completely flooded by wrath—felt the tremendous force radiating from Necrozma. Despite being consumed by fury, it did not recklessly launch an attack the moment it laid eyes on Necrozma.
Instead, it slowly slithered, its cobra-like body moving in tense arcs as its eyes narrowed, locking onto Necrozma with unwavering focus.
"Not attacking immediately? Seems its instincts are still strong."
Lucas raised a brow. It appeared Zygarde wasn't completely being driven by negative emotions.
At the very least, its instincts as a legendary Pokémon still remained.
"In that case, Necrozma—"
"Use Moongeist Beam!"
Since Zygarde was still observing, he might as well make the first move.
"Croooo~!"
Dawn Wing Necrozma took to the sky, its body glowing with swirling violet-black light as a deep, distorted cry rang out.
A massive beam of purple-black energy tore through the air, shooting straight toward Zygarde.
It was Moongeist Beam, Lunala's signature move, one that Necrozma could also use in its Dawn Wings form.
Zygarde's typing was Dragon/Ground, giving it a four-times weakness to Ice. Unfortunately, Dawn Wing Necrozma was Psychic/Ghost in this form, and it could not learn any Ice-type moves.
Strictly speaking, neither Pokémon had any type advantage over the other.
"Gaaarr—"
Zygarde's raspy, eerie breathing sent chills down the spine. A blood-red, ominous aura rose around its body, forming an arcing barrier of crimson energy.
Thousand Arrows!
Countless energy arrows burst forth in an instant, surging to meet Necrozma's Moongeist Beam.
Moongeist Beam vs. Thousand Arrows!
The two attacks collided violently midair—
but the stalemate lasted only a moment before Moongeist Beam pierced through many of the arrows, continuing its fierce assault toward Zygarde.
At the same time, the sheer spread of Thousand Arrows was far too vast for a single Moongeist Beam to fully defend against.
Their attack ranges were simply not on the same level.
"This Pokémon… is amazing."
Xerosic was stunned. Moongeist Beam had actually pushed back Thousand Arrows head-on.
A Pokémon he had never seen before—yet its move was strong enough to contend with Zygarde?
"This thing's strength is even more terrifying than the rumors."
Malva's brows furrowed tightly. This Necrozma was clearly another legendary Pokémon—and an absurdly powerful one at that.
But what made it even more outrageous was that Lucas's Reshiram and Rayquaza hadn't even appeared yet.
"Malva."
Lysandre's deep eyes flickered as he called her name quietly.
That single exchange was already enough to clarify one thing—
they were in trouble.
Lysandre was absolutely unwilling to sit and wait for death, and he would never allow the dream within his grasp to slip away.
"I understand."
Malva immediately caught Lysandre's meaning. She knew him far too well—but…
She glanced toward Giovanni, Marnie, and the others.
Was this really a good idea?
Anyone traveling with Lucas could not possibly be simple.
"No matter what, we don't really have a retreat today."
Lysandre murmured with a low voice. Since Lucas intended to stop them and even capture them, their chance of escaping successfully was very slim.
So rather than flee, they would gamble everything.
He had just used the residents of the Arche Valley to threaten Baraz and the Hoopa, so he certainly didn't mind using Lucas's companions to threaten him again.
If they managed to seize Giovanni and the others, they could force Lucas to hesitate!
"Mm."
Malva nodded, gripping two Poké Balls tightly.
Slowly, Team Flare members began moving closer toward Giovanni's group.
Lucas, however, didn't notice—
because he didn't care.
Everything was going according to plan. Lysandre's usefulness had already been exhausted.
Besides, Lucas wasn't worried about Green, Marnie, or the others. Not to mention that Mew, the lazy little creature, was currently sleeping comfortably in Marnie's backpack.
And Giovanni? Did they think he was eating rice for nothing?
Without Zygarde on their side, even if all of Lysandre's men jumped Giovanni together, they wouldn't be enough for him to beat up—
even without Mewtwo, he'd still flatten them.
So, Lucas's full attention remained on Zygarde.
"Psychic!"
Necrozma's eyes glowed a deep blue, and a multicolored shockwave erupted outward. All incoming Thousand Arrows shattered under the force of Psychic's collision.
Meanwhile, Zygarde dodged Moongeist Beam and began glowing crimson once again.
Red light seeped from the cracked earth, gathering around Zygarde's body.
Land's Wrath!
With an explosive leap, Zygarde shot upward like a giant arrow aimed straight at Necrozma.
"What a violent fellow."
Lucas chuckled lightly. Logically, Zygarde should be at a disadvantage based on their combat patterns—
Yet Zygarde was fighting aggressively, almost recklessly.
"In that case, give it a little lesson.
Photon Geyser."
With a snap of Lucas's fingers, Necrozma responded instantly.
Necrozma spread its wings wide. Golden points of light flickered at their tips—
Energy gathered rapidly into a massive golden beam—
Photon Geyser!
But instead of dodging, Zygarde charged straight into it.
Land's Wrath vs. Photon Geyser!
BOOM!!!
Gold and scarlet illuminated the sky as the shockwave violently exploded outward.
Waves of energy rippled across the heavens, each one strong enough to distort the air itself.
Gradually, the golden light began pushing back the crimson one.
"As expected, it's no pushover—and that's only its 50% form."
Green sighed softly as she watched the clashing lights. Zygarde truly deserved its reputation.
She knew Necrozma's Dawn Wings form all too well—its power was monstrous.
The fact that Zygarde could fight head-on with it, even if it was at a disadvantage now, was astonishing. And this was only Zygarde's 50% Forme.
Its Complete Forme would likely surpass even Dawn Wings Necrozma.
"But Necrozma isn't in its complete form either. Lucas already told us—its true complete form is Ultra Necrozma."
Marnie spoke calmly while holding up her camera.
Upon hearing this, Giovanni and his men exchanged looks.
This Necrozma had an even stronger form?
At that moment, Lysandre and his group finally closed in on Giovanni's position.
"Looks like we can't keep chatting, someone's eyeing us."
Giovanni shifted his gaze toward Lysandre, the brim of his hat casting a shadow that couldn't hide his faint smirk.
Interesting. Aside from that mad dog Lance, someone else actually dared to stir trouble with him.
That was rare.
Meraz glared at Lysandre, of course these bad guys had come over with malicious intent.
"Forgive us, but we need your cooperation."
Lysandre ignored her glare.
Just a naive little girl was not worth his attention.
He swept his eyes over the group and spoke coolly.
"Heh~ and if we refuse?"
Archer let out a cold sneer.
As the top Executive of Team Rocket and Giovanni's trusted right-hand man, Archer was not someone who dealt nicely with outsiders.
And he looked down on other villainous teams to begin with. That was his pride as a Rocket Executive.
A strange kind of pride, admittedly.
"In that case… we'll have to offend you."
Lysandre glanced at Archer without emotion. He wasn't angered in the slightest.
Giovanni chuckled and shook his head as he enlarged his Poké Ball, preparing to teach his "colleague" from another evil organization a little lesson.
He wasn't planning to seriously injure them—
just enough to leave them bedridden for a few months.
"Wait, uncle. Let us handle this. You don't find opponents like these often."
Before Giovanni threw his ball, Green spoke up, her pure face full of excitement.
Marnie handed her camera to Meraz and took out her Poké Ball as well.
Team Flare—an evil organization!
Where would they ever get a chance like this?
Marnie prided herself as the sister of Spikemuth's Gym Leader.
She came from a proper, respectable background…
Yet ever since meeting Lucas, she realized something horrifying—
She had never fought an evil organization.
Not even once.
Every large battle she participated in had her playing the role of a villain instead, fighting official League trainers…
"Of course. The juniors should gain experience too."
Giovanni paused, then smiled approvingly.
"Take them down."
Lysandre's brows twitched. Something felt… off.
The other side was a bit too calm.
A bad feeling rose in his chest.
But there was no turning back now.
…
Across the desert, a Braviary soared at full speed.
On its back, Baraz wore a grim expression, clutching the weakened Hoopa tightly.
Hoopa, normally lively, mischievous, and overflowing with energy, now looked frail and drained.
"How did this happen…"
Baraz stared at Hoopa with deep worry. He never could have imagined things turning out like this.
He had been right—Hoopa's personality wouldn't change even if it regained its power. They had grown up together; he knew this better than anyone. Hoopa might be a troublemaker, but its heart was kind.
But Hoopa's personality wasn't the problem—
Its power was.
Because Hoopa's sealed power had… grown a will of its own.
Baraz almost wanted to scream.
A sealed power gaining consciousness?
And not only gaining consciousness—it wanted to kill Hoopa and replace it.
"When did everything go so wrong…"
He bit down hard. Even his steady heart felt unsteady now.
Strangers filled with malice had entered the Arche Valley. They intended to unseal Hoopa's power, only to unleash its evil self instead.
And the valley still contained Yveltal that Hoopa summoned…
Now, an Evil Hoopa Unbound had been released.
When Hoopa regained its power earlier, its mind was influenced by the evil consciousness, and it attacked Baraz—
or more precisely, it attacked the Prison Bottle in Baraz's hands.
Fortunately, at the last second, the true Hoopa's consciousness managed to stop the body's movements, allowing Baraz to escape. Otherwise, even with power from Arceus, he could not have survived a liberated Hoopa's attack.
Sensing the danger, Baraz sealed Hoopa again with the Prison Bottle—
But the moment the power was sealed, the evil consciousness tried to possess Baraz's body.
Baraz reacted swiftly and threw the bottle away immediately.
However—
The Prison Bottle was indeed capable of sealing Hoopa.
But its material quality… was questionable.
Because when Baraz threw it from the sky, it hit the ground—
—and shattered instantly.
With the bottle broken, the sealed power erupted outward. The boundless purple-black energy gathered in the air, forming the being known as Hoopa Unbound.
Thus, Evil Hoopa was freed.
In the moment the bottle shattered, Baraz understood the severity of the situation and fled with the weakened Hoopa.
"What should I do…?"
He gritted his teeth, an overwhelming sense of helplessness crashing over him.
And then—
A massive golden ring materialized suddenly in front of Braviary.
Baraz's pupils shrank sharply.
It was Hoopa's signature portal—
but Hoopa was far too weak to create one now.
Which meant only one thing.
From the ring, an enormous demonic figure slowly emerged, half its massive body slipping through the portal. Its eyes, glowing with sinister scarlet light, locked directly onto the Hoopa Confined in Baraz's arms.
A voice deep, malevolent, twisted with hatred and resentment echoed through the air—
"Disappear from my sight!!"
(End of Chapter)
AN: Yes—the Prison Bottle is ridiculously fragile. In the movie, Meowth dropped it and it shattered instantly
TN: Heys sorry for the long wait, just not really been reading here for while since life got pretty hectic lately with me losing internet for a week, our house getting rebuilt, then all Christmas celebrations, then my mother getting hospitalized, then looking after a house with a teenager who can't clean is pretty tiring, so haven't been reading for a while. I'll probably be posting in mass more rather than doing a daily update since I had to do it individually here and with how many I'm editing takes too long of my time. Hopefully things get better in January so I can go back to my groove of reading, editing and updating more of my novels here.