From beneath the rubble of the collapsed mountain, Rayquaza shoved away the boulders pressing down on it and finally took to the sky again.
That single Extreme Speed from Arceus almost made it cough up its breakfast Pokéblocks.
"Everyone, be careful! Arceus's strength and speed are both off the charts," Dylan warned sharply.
"Dialga, Palkia — lock down its movements!"
"Rayquaza, use Draco Meteor!"
Orders came one after another, calm and precise. Defeating Arceus wasn't going to be easy — but numbers were on Dylan's side.
Origin Dialga and Origin Palkia's eyes flashed with mysterious light as both the black and emerald Rayquaza swung their glowing tails, sending roaring shockwaves toward Arceus.
Arceus's crimson gaze flickered, divine light surging around its body—
And then it froze for half a heartbeat.
Time slowed. Space constricted.
Arceus instantly sensed the distortion — time and space themselves pressing against it — and its blood-red eyes snapped toward the two origin dragons.
"You dare use the powers I gave you against me? Insolent wretches!"
Gold light erupted around Arceus, shattering the space-time hold in an instant. But the two Rayquaza's Draco Meteor attacks were already upon it.
A golden barrier flared up around Arceus.
Boom!
The sky detonated as raw dragon energy exploded outward, shockwaves rippling across the battlefield.
Before the smoke cleared, Arceus blurred forward—
Extreme Speed!
Super Rayquaza barely sensed the killing intent and flared with white light to dodge—
Too slow!
Bang!
Arceus crashed into it like a meteor, hurling the dragon from the heavens.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Both Ultra Necrozma and Shiny Ultra Necrozma unleashed waves of draconic light.
Arceus countered with a massive beam of inky black destruction — Hyper Beam!
BOOOOM!
The dragon pulses collided with the beam in midair, a storm of searing energy bursting outward. But soon enough, Hyper Beam overwhelmed them, pushing forward with unstoppable power.
Before it could land, black Rayquaza dove from the sky, unleashing another Dragon Pulse, while Primal Groudon below opened its maw in a blazing Flamethrower.
Origin Palkia slashed the air, sending a crackling Spacial Rend into the mix.
"Hmph!"
Golden light once more — Arceus's shield returned.
Kaboom!
The combined attacks struck, but the golden barrier held, shining even brighter.
"Roar of Time!"
Dialga's eyes blazed. A torrent of violet-blue energy surged from its mouth — its strongest blast yet.
Arceus met it head-on with another Hyper Beam.
The two beams collided — and Arceus's easily overpowered Dialga's, smashing into the Temporal Dragon with an explosion that rocked the earth.
Even with resistance, Dialga let out a roar of agony — Arceus's attacks were far too strong.
Then two streaks — black and green — slammed toward Arceus like lightning.
Super Rayquaza and black Rayquaza, using Extreme Speed!
Arceus didn't even blink. The invisible pulse of its divine aura stopped them cold — Extreme Speed had no effect against the Normal-type god holding the Blank Plate.
But the Rayquaza pair weren't relying on Extreme Speed to deal damage. The true strike came a heartbeat later — twin Draco Meteors!
"Fools."
Arceus's crimson eyes didn't even flicker.
A pulse of raw, divine power exploded outward, blasting both dragons away.
Even so, the twin meteors detonated.
Yet when the smoke cleared — Arceus stood unscathed, its golden barrier shimmering.
Like a walking god of war.
"This… this is impossible!"
Leaf's voice trembled as she snapped photo after photo, eyes wide.
"How can something be this strong?!"
Lillie pressed her hands to her chest, eyes full of worry as she looked at Dylan's back.
"Solar Beam!"
"Flamethrower!"
"Dragon Pulse!"
Dylan's voice remained calm — he had expected this.
Arceus was a god, after all. Its power was boundless. But a god missing several Plates? That meant weakness — exploitable weakness.
And Dylan refused to believe that even a fragment of Arceus could remain truly invincible once that flaw was exposed.
Besides — he had the numbers. As long as they kept the pressure up, Arceus would slip eventually.
The battlefield lit up again as Calyrex's Solar Beam, Groudon's flames, and Necrozma's dragon waves struck from all sides.
"Futile."
Arceus didn't even flinch. The golden shield flared again, absorbing every blast.
Then the plates shifted — the chill of frost radiated outward. Judgment – Ice!
Crystalline shards rained from above like a storm of knives.
Both Ultra Necrozma forms answered with twin Prismatic Lasers, neutralizing the falling ice light and keeping their allies safe.
There was no helping it — even empowered by Dragon energy, their movepools were limited to Dragon Dance,Dragon Pulse, and Outrage.
Black Mega Rayquaza and Kyurem Dragon-God form charged in again. Arceus blurred once more — Extreme Speed.
Even anticipating it, they couldn't react in time. Both were slammed back, and before they could recover, Arceus opened its mouth — another Hyper Beam, aimed right at Kyurem.
Kyurem's Protect barrier shimmered into place — but Arceus intensified its attack, the beam swelling with power, crushing against the shield and driving it backward.
Then — brilliant beams lanced in from the side: Terapagos's Tera Beam, Calyrex's Solar Beam, and Necrozma's Dragon Pulse.
Arceus didn't so much as twitch — its golden barrier flared once again.
Infinite energy — endless defense. The Plates made sure of it.
But then — Arceus paused.
For a moment, even its blood-red gaze flickered in confusion.
Because floating before it… was a fat, round pink cat.
Was that… Mew???
Even Arceus was stunned. Of course it knew Mew — one of the oldest lifeforms in existence.
But when did Mew… get so chubby?
BOOM!
In that single instant of distraction, twin beams — Roar of Time and Spacial Rend — blasted toward it.
Arceus turned just in time to see the "fat Mew" morph into Xerneas — also rounder than usual — healing the injured Rayquaza pair with glowing antlers.
Then a ripple behind it — a silent golden ring opened in the air.
From it, a crimson beam roared forth.
Not good!
"Hoopa!"
Arceus's furious roar shook the heavens, making even the hovering Hoopa tremble.
Golden light burst around Arceus — but too late!
The Eternamax Cannon from Eternatus struck dead-on, swallowing Arceus in blinding red energy.
The dragon energy surged downward, driving Arceus into the mountainside with a cataclysmic blast.
BOOOOOOM!
The entire peak shattered, the ground quaking like an earthquake.
"Guess it was the fat kitty that saved the day."
Dylan's mouth twitched as he eyed the "doctor" Xerneas floating serenely in the air.
Hoopa's sneak attack had been part of his plan all along — but he hadn't expected it to succeed this perfectly.
And Mew's sudden appearance had been the key — stunning even Arceus for just one second.
One second — enough for victory.
"Attack!"
No hesitation. Dylan raised his arm.
Finish it while it's down!
Hoopa reacted instantly — five golden rings opened before each legendary.
Through the other ends — beams poured toward the smoking crater below.
Roar of Time!
Spacial Rend!
Dragon Pulse!
Draco Meteor!
BOOOOOOOOM!
The earth split apart under the onslaught, the air itself screaming.
Had it worked?
Dylan narrowed his eyes at the billowing dust, unsure.
But when Terapagos summoned a gust to clear the haze —
A massive crater appeared, scorched black, and in its depths—
Arceus stood.
Its once-pure body was marred with burns and wounds, but its eyes… burned darker than ever.
"You… actually managed to wound me!"
(End of Chapter)