But in a way, it wasn't too surprising. The power of an unbound Hoopa was indeed overwhelming. After all, in the movie, the evil Hoopa shot down a Shiny Rayquaza with just a single Shadow Ball, making it unable to get up for a short while. Granted, that Black Rayquaza had been caught completely off guard…
Even so, it showed just how terrifying evil Hoopa's strength truly was.
It was simply that the public's attention had been overwhelmingly stolen by the six legendary Pokémon that evil Hoopa summoned.
"Lucas, Hoopa's space rings can absorb energy-type attacks. If you want to defeat it, you have to fight at close range."
Hoopa tugged on Lucas's clothes and reminded him in its childish voice. Those powers originally belonged to it, after all—no one understood them better than Hoopa.
The Space Rings were absurdly broken. They could absorb virtually any form of energy-type attack, and Hoopa could freely control the rings to fire the absorbed attacks back at its opponent.
Mm… a hundred years ago, Hoopa had used nothing but this broken Space Ring ability to smack Kyogre and Groudon around like toys, rubbing them into the dirt while playing with them…
Of course, back then Kyogre and Groudon had not undergone Primal Reversion. Although, if Lucas had to guess, even if they had returned to their Primal forms, they still probably wouldn't be a match for the unbound Hoopa.
After all, both Origin Pulse and Precipice Blades were energy-based moves, and while Groudon excelled in close combat… it couldn't fly…
…
The clash between Dragon Ascent and Hyperspace Fury dragged on for quite some time. As evil Hoopa and the Black Rayquaza once again exerted their full power simultaneously—
A shockwave burst outward, violently forcing both legendary Pokémon backward!
"Rayquaza!"
Evil Hoopa's low, furious roar echoed loudly. It was utterly enraged—its fury was uncontainable.
Everything was so annoyingly in the way!
A black aura condensed in front of the hollow in its chest, and a purple-black Dark Pulse shot out violently.
Black Rayquaza responded immediately with a Dragon Pulse.
Dark Pulse and Dragon Pulse collided fiercely in midair, exploding with thunderous force.
Before the shockwave even dissipated, Black Rayquaza twisted its long body and closed in on evil Hoopa once more.
Evil Hoopa roared and swung its severed arm, striking fiercely.
"To defeat Hoopa outright is unrealistic. We'll have to start with the other legendaries first."
Reshiram pulled back to avoid being hit as Lucas observed the intense battle between Black Rayquaza and evil Hoopa.
They looked evenly matched, but that was only on the surface. The Black Rayquaza could keep Hoopa occupied, but defeating it would be extremely difficult.
Similarly, evil Hoopa would also find it incredibly hard to defeat the Black Rayquaza.
Thinking this, Lucas shifted his attention to the other legendary Pokémon.
"This guy really can't beat its father…"
The Mega Rayquaza was locked in combat with the his Rayquaza but the little one was clearly struggling against its father. When Lucas looked over, his Rayquaza had just been swatted away by a Devastating Drake from the Mega Rayquaza…
This thing shouted all day long about being invincible, but the moment it met its father, it fell apart.
But Lucas wasn't surprised. Mega Rayquaza's strength was simply overwhelming. Though the Black Rayquaza's appearance and feats in the original canon were impressive, Mega Rayquaza was no weaker.
In the Delta Episode from the anime after Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre had battered each other, Mega Rayquaza needed only one Draco Meteor to soften them up before one Dragon Ascent sent both titans crashing back into their non-Primal forms. It was absurd.
Among evil Hoopa's summoned legendaries, excluding evil Hoopa itself, the strongest was undoubtedly this Mega Rayquaza.
And without Lucas directing it, his Rayquaza fighting on instinct alone was getting beaten soundly by Mega Rayquaza. Completely understandable.
"The problem shouldn't be too big. It can take a beating… maybe around 120 times?"
Lucas murmured. He didn't expect his Rayquaza to defeat the Mega Rayquaza.
But at the very least, as long as it could stall it, that was enough. Otherwise, a completely unrestrained Mega Rayquaza would place enormous pressure on Lucas's side.
Dragon Ascent might not be the strongest among all legendary signature moves, but the charging speed was ridiculous—especially when taken by surprise. Defending or dodging was extremely difficult.
Lucas then turned his gaze to the other legendaries. Unlike his Rayquaza, Black Kyurem was making him quite proud.
It was actively beating down Zamazenta, the Hero of the Shield!
As expected of my ice dragon!
Zamazenta's strength was similar to that of Zacian. Back in Unova, Zacian had lost to Kyurem.
Naturally, Zamazenta was no match for Black Kyurem either.
Goodness… it beat the sister, now it's beating the brother. Kyurem really was something else.
As for Eternatus, it was playing hide-and-seek with Giratina. Giratina's Shadow Sneak was troublesome, and Eternatus was at a disadvantage, but nothing too serious.
"Necrozma… how are you holding up?"
Lucas looked toward Necrozma. In its Dawn Wings fused state, it unquestionably faced the most pressure.
Because it was fighting two foes at once: Primal Kyogre and Ice Rider Calyrex, both extremely powerful legendaries.
If it were one-on-one, Necrozma wouldn't fear either of them. It might even take the upper hand. But two at the same time—that changed everything.
"I can still hold…"
"You can hold my ass! Human, you need to relieve some of the pressure from those attacks!"
Necrozma's deep telepathy growled back but a moment later, a sharp, female-sounding voice cut in:
"Huh? In the Dawn Wings forme, Lunala can still have its own consciousness?"
Lucas blinked. There was no doubt, the second voice was Lunala's.
But Lucas remembered that once fused, Lunala's consciousness was supposed to be completely suppressed and put to sleep.
"Hmph! This big black lump borrows my body every time, letting me keep my consciousness is the bare minimum condition, isn't it?"
Lunala snorted, clearly still full of resentment. Even now, its impression of Necrozma remained terrible.
My body belongs to Solgaleo! it fumed. Yet this big dark monster keeps using it to fight!
Lucas blinked again. So this was allowed?
And right at that moment—
"Behind you! Behind you, big guy, the fat fish is behind you!"
The giant bat's sharp telepathy suddenly shrieked.
Necrozma didn't respond, because Ice Rider Calyrex was already rushing forward.
Blizzard!
Calyrex's crimson eyes flashed with ferocity as it raised its slender arm.
Under Calyrex, Glastrier let out a high, excited cry as an overwhelming blizzard burst forth.
At the same time, icy-blue energy built violently in Calyrex's palm.
Unlike other fused legendaries, Calyrex riding Glastrier , though appearing as one body had two separate consciousnesses.
And both could attack simultaneously. A perfectly legitimate two-on-one!
"Behind you, big guy!!"
"Stop yelling! I know! But what about the one in front?!"
"Are you stupid? Use psychic power to block the front! The back—ah!! It's here!!"
Lunala was practically trying to seize control of the body, while Necrozma was clearly about to snap from Lunala's constant noisiness. Their arguing telepathy buzzed in Lucas's mind non-stop.
Lucas: "…"
Yeah… even if Lunala wasn't forced into dormancy, clearly they couldn't cooperate the way Calyrex and Glastrier did…
Meanwhile, Primal Kyogre had reached Necrozma's back. Its deep rumbling cry echoed as four water-blue energy points gathered in front of it.
Origin Pulse!
"Genesect, Techno Blast!"
Lucas sighed helplessly and ordered the Genesect beside him.
The shiny Genesect shot forward with incredible speed, lowering its stance as red energy rapidly concentrated in its cannon.
Techno Blast!
A massive energy beam shot directly toward White Rider Calyrex.
Calyrex immediately noticed the blatant sneak attack, and the icy energy it had been storing burst forth.
Glacial Lance—the signature attack of Ice Rider Calyrex!
The radiant ice-blue lance clashed with Techno Blast in midair.
But after barely a second of deadlock, Glacial Lance pierced through Techno Blast and continued streaking toward Genesect.
"Dodge!"
Lucas yelled—he would not let Genesect fight recklessly.
Though this shiny Genesect was far stronger than the other four, its raw combat power still couldn't match these peak legendaries.
Genesect's greatest advantage was its unbelievable speed, nothing more.
"That big catfish dared to sneak-attack us?! Let's kill it!"
Seeing the immediate threat removed, Lunala quickly urged Necrozma.
This loud backseat gamer bat!
Necrozma silently turned, gathering a golden beam of energy at the tip of its wing.
Photon Geyser!
Origin Pulse!
The golden beam and the four water pillars shot out simultaneously. Photon Geyser clashed with two of the pulses, breaking through after a brief struggle and striking Primal Kyogre.
But the other two water pillars slammed directly into Necrozma without obstruction.
BOOM!
Two explosive impacts sounded as both Primal Kyogre and Necrozma were knocked back.
"I'll let Genesect assist you two. That should ease your burden."
Lucas didn't hesitate. Leaving Necrozma to fight two top-tier legendaries alone was indeed too much.
Otherwise, Necrozma should've already gained the upper hand.
Genesect might not match a top legendary-level strength, but it could still serve well as harassment and provide opportunities.
Its presence would relieve some of Necrozma's pressure.
"That leaves Groudon… hmm?"
Lucas turned his gaze to the final opposing legendary, Primal Groudon.
And the moment he looked, he saw Primal Groudon grabbing Zygarde's tail, lifting the serpent up, and slamming it into the ground—
The earth shook violently. Zygarde's face twisted in pain.
Good lord… he looked away for one second, and the non-flying legendary was already beating the Z-snake.
"So, the injuries really are affecting Zygarde?"
Lucas raised an eyebrow. Zygarde had taken quite a lot of damage earlier—it had fought both Yveltal and Necrozma in succession.
Now facing Primal Groudon, it was clearly at a disadvantage.
"ROOOAAR!"
Primal Groudon bellowed, its body radiating red energy.
Zygarde's compound eyes gleamed faintly—it sensed it. The big lizard was trying to finish it for good!
Land's Wrath!
Crimson energy surged from the ground, flowing into Zygarde.
Zygarde's upper body shot up violently, ramming into Primal Groudon's torso.
Caught unprepared, Primal Groudon staggered backward several steps before stabilizing itself.
"ROOOAAR!!"
With a furious roar, Primal Groudon slammed its claws into the ground—cracks ripped open violently as molten lava gushed forth.
Precipice Blades!
Massive magma blades erupted from the earth, surging toward the retreating Zygarde.
Zygarde immediately unleashed black-red vines, spreading them wildly in defense.
But Precipice Blades melted through them effortlessly and the final massive magma blade erupted beneath Zygarde, striking the serpent's abdomen and lifting it high into the air!
Zygarde let out a pained cry. The hit was brutally heavy.
"Ah… he's totally going to get his kill stolen…"
Lucas tilted his head slightly as he looked at Zygarde collapsing weakly onto the ground.
Clearly, the weakened Zygarde could not match Primal Groudon.
The Guardian of Order was unlucky, after fighting three legendaries in a row, it had been beaten into this state.
And to make it worse—Zygarde was a Ground-type dragon, and Primal Groudon was also a Ground-type.
This was Ground-type legendary civil war…
If Zygarde weren't currently overcome by negative emotions and if it were in its right mind, realizing it was being beaten down by another Ground-type that couldn't even fly—it would probably be furious to death.
(End of Chapter)