"Yeah, I need your help."
Damian nodded without hesitation.
Ho-Oh's bird eyes twitched. Its heart, which had only just started to calm, sank straight into the abyss again. The moment it saw Shiny Mega Rayquaza on the other side, it'd had a bad feeling.
And sure enough, this human was actually serious.
"I can't do this."
Ho-Oh chose to bail without the slightest hesitation.
What kind of joke was this?
It might be Ho-Oh, but it wasn't delusional enough to go brawl with a Shiny Mega Rayquaza—
And not just any one, a Shiny Mega Rayquaza.
That was suicide.
Ho-Oh was very seriously starting to suspect this human was targeting it on purpose.
"No, you can."
Damian actually froze for a second when he saw Ho-Oh turn tail on the spot.
This Ho-Oh was really cowardly.
"Ho-Oh, you already promised me. As long as it doesn't go against your will, you have to grant my request."
"Human! This is seriously going against my will!"
Ho-Oh couldn't hold it in anymore.
This human actually had the nerve to say that?
"That's Shiny Mega Rayquaza—and you want me to fight it? What are you even thinking?"
Ho-Oh's Telepathy was firing off like a machine gun.
"We've got a shot. Trust me."
"I refuse. Bye."
Ho-Oh had made up its mind.
Seeing that, Damian could only pull out his trump card—moral blackmail.
"Ho-Oh, you kidnapped my little brother."
"I'll compensate you, but you can't just bail on me like this."
Ho-Oh's brain stalled for a second.
Its Telepathy practically shook with grief and indignation.
"You kidnapped my little brother."
"You—! Human, even if I do help you, how are we supposed to beat it?!"
Ho-Oh was right on the verge of a breakdown.
"You kidnapped my little brother."
Damn!!
Ho-Oh really couldn't take it anymore, glaring furiously at Damian.
"Fine! I'll help you!"
After that burst of anger, Ho-Oh finally let out a helpless sigh and agreed.
What else could it do? Just fly back to Kanto? It couldn't get past the hurdle in its own heart.
Ho-Oh knew it could leave…
But.
"That's more like it, Ho-Oh. Today, let me add a glorious new chapter to your long and illustrious bird‑life."
Damian grinned, full of confidence.
"From now on, you'll get to brag in front of Lugia and Mew that you once beat Shiny Mega Rayquaza."
"It had better work out that way."
Ho-Oh gave Damian a sideways glare and slowly flapped its wings.
One after another, rainbow‑colored flames ignited around its body.
Beat this Shiny Mega Rayquaza, huh?
If they really pulled that off, it would be a hell of a moment in its long life.
But first, they had to actually survive today.
"From here on, you all follow my lead."
Damian used Telepathy to link to Shadow Mewtwo, Deoxys, Ho-Oh, and Primal Kyogre all at once.
Yeah. That was the temporary raid party for this boss fight: Shiny Mega Rayquaza.
"Kyogre, you can fall back for now."
Damian's thinking was razor‑sharp.
"This Shiny Rayquaza's arrogant. It didn't even bother chasing you down. Makes sense—it looks down on us. But that works in our favor."
The corner of Damian's mouth lifted slowly.
In truth, Shiny Rayquaza's strength really was insane. You could tell from its battle with Primal Kyogre—its offensive pressure far exceeded Primal Kyogre's.
In that short clash, it had easily crushed Primal Kyogre.
And a moment ago, it had multiple chances to chase and seriously injure Primal Kyogre.
But it hadn't.
Maybe it was Sky Dragon pride. Maybe it was absolute confidence in its own strength.
Or maybe it simply didn't believe Primal Kyogre and the others could ever pose a threat to it.
Either way, it didn't really matter.
That "relaxed" attitude Shiny Rayquaza had in battle was nothing but good news for Damian's side.
So Ho-Oh was on their side too, huh?
Shiny Rayquaza's dragon eyes focused on Ho-Oh.
With how long it had lived, of course it knew Ho-Oh, though they weren't exactly close.
Another opponent showing up didn't bother Shiny Rayquaza at all.
It didn't care what kind of opponent it was—as long as it wasn't that one from the very beginning, Shiny Rayquaza's confidence in itself was absolute.
Why?
Because the Rayquaza line was the strongest Dragon‑type. Period.
Ho-Oh's arrival did have one effect, though—
Shiny Rayquaza's battle lust slowly began to blaze.
"Roar～!"
Shiny Rayquaza lifted its head and let loose a thunderous draconic bellow that echoed across the entire city.
A pure, concentrated sphere of energy began gathering at its mouth.
Dragon‑type Draco Meteor!
The sphere of energy, as if filled with the stars themselves, soared high into the sky.
"Ho-Oh, Light Screen."
"Mewtwo, Deoxys, Protect."
"Kyogre, Calm Mind."
Damian rattled off commands in quick succession.
Just like Primal Kyogre had said in the beginning—it was the main carry of this temporary team.
Shadow Mewtwo and Deoxys (Attack Forme) were both all‑offense types.
But even with their raw firepower boosted, the gap between them and Shiny Rayquaza was still huge.
If they went up against Shiny Rayquaza head‑on, Damian could already picture it: a one‑sided beatdown like Necrozma flattening Lunala.
Even if they buffed their Special Attack to the absolute limit, at best they'd be able to participate—poke and harass, maybe act as support.
Primal Kyogre was different.
If it maxed out its Special Attack, then and only then would they have a shot at actually beating Shiny Rayquaza.
As for Ho-Oh? Damian had called it here to be a tank.
Ho-Oh was a defense‑leaning legend in the first place. Its offensive pressure wasn't ideal, but as a wall, it was perfect.
With it eating hits head‑on, they could make sure Primal Kyogre's attacks actually connected with Shiny Rayquaza.
Even so, that still probably wasn't enough.
But that was fine—Damian already had a battle plan.
Following Damian's orders—
Shadow Mewtwo and Deoxys lifted off, green Protect barriers flaring outward.
High above, Shiny Rayquaza's Draco Meteor blossomed like a brilliant firework.
One flaming Draco Meteor after another came crashing down.
The sight was gorgeous, dazzling, like a meteor shower across the whole sky—
Except this "meteor shower" was deadly.
Rumble!
Each falling Draco Meteor slammed into the Protect barriers with earth‑shaking booms.
But plenty of them still slipped past, crashing down into the city below.
Once again, the land let out a voiceless cry of protest under the devastation.
Fortunately, Shiny Rayquaza had deliberately controlled the range of its Draco Meteor. Otherwise, it would've covered way more than just this area.
Steven, Cynthia, and the others were far enough away that they weren't drawn into it.
Even so, watching this disaster‑grade spectacle, their hearts all felt very heavy.
This was the power of legends…
"Nebby!"
Damian was relatively close to the battlefield. But that was fine.
"Lunala～"
Lunala appeared from its Poké Ball. A Protect barrier flared in front of Damian, blocking the Draco Meteor that had been plummeting straight for his location.
"I'll have to trouble you to cover me, Nebby."
Damian glanced back and asked.
Lunala drifted down over him and dipped its head in a nod, promising to protect him.
Primal Kyogre was in the middle of stacking Calm Mind buffs. Ho-Oh was casting Light Screen.
Meanwhile, as Draco Meteor fell, Shiny Rayquaza's endless black body was already weaving its way toward them.
"Psycho Boost!"
Damian fired off the order immediately.
Deoxys brought its arms together, condensing a multicolored sphere of energy, then fired it straight at Shiny Rayquaza.
A Psychic‑type Psycho Boost—Deoxys's signature move.
Psycho Boost was fast.
But Shiny Rayquaza just gave its body the slightest twist and slipped cleanly past the shot.
Its gorgeous pitch‑black serpentine form coiled and circled around the four Legendaries, as if it were picking out the most suitable prey.
Deoxys didn't stop. One Psycho Boost after another fired out.
Shiny Rayquaza smoothly danced around each one as it glided along.
The missed Psycho Boosts detonated one after another, shockwaves and slicing winds howling across the sky.
In that blazing, shattered backdrop, Shiny Rayquaza moved like it was taking a leisurely stroll, its golden fin‑trails rippling with every sinuous motion.
The scene was… like something out of an epic.
"That footwork…"
Damian's brows rose.
This Shiny Rayquaza's "movement" was way too ridiculous.
So many Psycho Boosts, and not a single one hitting—
And all Shiny Rayquaza had done was dodge normally.
It hadn't used a single Move.
That was the craziest part.
After slipping every Psycho Boost, Shiny Rayquaza's dragon eyes finally locked onto Deoxys, its speed beginning to climb.
"Roar～!"
Green motes of light began pouring over Shiny Rayquaza's body, like it was turning itself into a razor‑edged arrow.
Faster, and faster, and faster.
A Flying‑type Dragon Ascent!
"Ho-Oh!"
"Chiu～!"
Ho-Oh, having successfully gotten Light Screen up, immediately beat its wings and dove in front of Deoxys.
Ho-Oh had entered the fray.
And with it came a corona of rainbow‑colored flames—Sacred Fire.
But the green blade of light was even faster than lightning.
In the space of a single instant, a stunning green line carved itself across the sky.
Dragon Ascent sheared right through Sacred Fire, right through Ho-Oh, and right through Deoxys's right shoulder before it could fully pull away.
Shiny Rayquaza's sleek, gorgeous form reappeared behind Deoxys.
Boom!
The green trail slowly faded as the deafening blast of Dragon Ascent's impact rolled across the sky.
No way.
Feeling the brutal pain tearing through its body, Ho-Oh didn't even have time to turn its head before it started dropping, staring dazedly at its Sacred Fire, now sliced neatly in half.
It hadn't even been able to stall Shiny Rayquaza for a single instant?
How could it be that strong?!
"Ho-Oh, hang in there. Get in close."
But Ho-Oh's constitution was incredible.
Even though it had almost been knocked clean out of the sky, it gritted its beak against the pain of that Dragon Ascent and forced its body steady, flying straight toward Shiny Rayquaza.
"Roar!!"
Shiny Rayquaza roared and raised its massive tail, whipping it down at Deoxys with crushing force.
Breaking Swipe!
"Psychic!"
Shadow Mewtwo thrust a hand toward Shiny Rayquaza, a tsunami of Psychic energy crashing out—Binding Psychic!
Shiny Rayquaza's movement hitched for just a fraction of a second.
Deoxys seized the moment and rocketed backward.
Its shoulder and entire arm had been severed by Dragon Ascent; it needed to use Recover fast.
Shiny Rayquaza tore free of Psychic's grip and turned its dragon eyes on Shadow Mewtwo.
That thing… had actually managed to affect its motion, even if only a little.
Looked like those buffs had boosted its strength.
Still only barely worth acknowledging, though.
"Chiu!!"
A piercing cry rang out.
Shiny Rayquaza turned and saw Ho-Oh barreling in wings‑first.
So reckless.
Cold light flashed in Shiny Rayquaza's eyes.
It opened its mouth and spit a tightly focused blast of Dragon energy—a Dragon Pulse!
Boom!
Dragon Pulse detonated hard against Ho-Oh—
But from within the billowing smoke, Ho-Oh, wreathed in the faint glow of Light Screen, suddenly shot forward, slamming full‑force into Shiny Rayquaza's neck.
Shiny Rayquaza rocked a bit, then immediately stabilized, giving Ho-Oh a brief look.
Light Screen, huh.
No wonder.
Otherwise, with Dragon Pulse's power, if Ho-Oh hadn't been sent flying, that alone would've been proof of its insane defense.
Psychic‑type Light Screen could vastly reduce the special damage taken by the user.
That was how Ho-Oh had tanked that Dragon Pulse.
"Roar!"
Shiny Rayquaza roared in Ho-Oh's face, Dragon Claw flashing viciously as it raked a set of glowing teal talons toward Ho-Oh.
"Will-O-Wisp!"
Damian snapped out the command.
Ho-Oh cried out again, a cluster of eerie blue flames forming and sinking straight into Shiny Rayquaza's body.
At almost the same moment, Shiny Rayquaza's Dragon Claw ripped across Ho-Oh's body, sending it hurtling away with a pained cry.
Shiny Rayquaza whipped its tail again, a gale of force riding with it as it lashed for Ho-Oh.
"Psychic!"
Shadow Mewtwo fired off Psychic the instant the tail moved—
But Psychic only managed to hold Shiny Rayquaza for a heartbeat before it shattered the control.
Boom!
Breaking Swipe slammed into Ho-Oh like a hammer.
Ho-Oh shot away like a cannon shell, smashing straight through a building before crashing down and punching a crater into the ground.
"Beautiful."
Damian, however, was grinning.
Because Will-O-Wisp had landed.
Shiny Rayquaza's body froze for a split second, as if enduring something. Then—
Flames roared across its entire form.
It let out a low, pained, furious growl.
Will-O-Wisp had inflicted a burn on Shiny Rayquaza.
More importantly, because of that burn, Shiny Rayquaza's physical attacks would be heavily reduced.
Its combat power would take a serious hit.
Shiny Rayquaza's dragon eyes went glacial and ugly.
It could feel it clearly.
That damned bird had actually tricked it.
"Nice work, Ho-Oh!"
Damian praised Ho-Oh's performance.
Sure, Ho-Oh had eaten several nasty hits—
But it had been absolutely worth it.
The impact had driven Ho-Oh so deep into the ground it left a crater.
Embedded in the pit, Ho-Oh's face twisted with pain.
Rainbow‑colored flames burned around its body, slowly knitting its injuries together.
It hurt. It really hurt.
What sins had it committed to end up like this—
Flying all the way from Kanto to Hoenn just to get its feathers beat off?
It wanted to go home.
Ho-Oh just wanted to go back to Kanto.
~~~
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