Mega Rayquaza reared its upper body high and roared in fury. A violently condensed dragon-light shot straight toward the incoming blizzard.
Dragon Pulse!
Dragon Pulse and Blizzard collided fiercely. Right after launching the attack, Mega Rayquaza whipped its serpentine body around, its scales glowing with a faint white brilliance. With a rapid downward dive, it adjusted its position and shot toward Black Kyurem at an astonishing speed—
Extreme Speed!
"Dragon Claw!"
Lucas's eyes narrowed slightly as he shouted at Black Kyurem.
Black Kyurem's claws sharpened with a gleaming cyan light. Instead of dodging, it surged forward directly toward Mega Rayquaza.
As if it would ever be afraid—Kyurem, the Ice dragon, had never once known the meaning of cowardice!
And since the opponent was also a dragon, all the more reason it would not back down now!
Mega Rayquaza and Black Kyurem closed in rapidly, and at last, the two mighty dragons collided in midair.
Dragon Claw clashed violently against Extreme Speed. Shockwaves rippled outward, refusing to yield in either direction!
"Ice Beam!"
Lucas immediately issued the next command within his mind.
Black Kyurem gathered a dense icy light within its maw and unleashed it directly at Mega Rayquaza's face.
Caught completely off guard, Mega Rayquaza took the Ice Beam full on. The terrifying freezing force of the attack manifested at full intensity.
A layer of frost formed over Rayquaza's head. Its draconic eyes narrowed as the Ice Beam was extremely unpleasant.
"ROOOAAAR!"
Mega Rayquaza roared angrily, enduring the frost on its face as it retaliated with a vicious blast of dragon-light.
The Dragon Pulse hit Black Kyurem at point-blank range and erupted with a booming explosion.
Black Kyurem was thrown backward by the force.
"Glaciate!"
"ROAAAAR!"
Black Kyurem let out an enraged roar that shook the skies. The very air temperature plummeted. Extreme cold and glittering ice energy surged around its body.
Mega Rayquaza was close enough to immediately sense the ominous shift. Its eerie red-glowing draconic pupils became even more ferocious and terrifying.
Glaciate required a brief moment to gather power before unleashing its true might—but that moment was more than enough time for Mega Rayquaza to attack first!
Yet right at that critical instant—
Behemoth Blade!
A streak of blue light was rapidly approaching Mega Rayquaza; it was none other than Zacian, the Sword Hero, who had been waiting patiently for the perfect opportunity!
Mega Rayquaza flicked its gaze toward Zacian, its frost-speckled face twisted with draconic ferocity.
Breaking Swipe!
Without hesitation, Mega Rayquaza swung its massive tail glowing with azure light downward toward Black Kyurem.
First knock this one out of the sky!
BAM!
Black Kyurem, with zero defenses raised, took the Breaking Swipe full force. It cried out in pain—the blow was brutal.
The overwhelming power sent Black Kyurem hurtling backward.
But the icy light of the Glaciate had already been released!
Circular ice energy rippled outward—
And the first thing it swallowed was Mega Rayquaza.
The freezing power of Glaciate far surpassed Ice Beam. In the blink of an eye, ice engulfed Mega Rayquaza's entire body.
Crack… crack… crack…
The freezing spread relentlessly. The enormous dragon was instantly encased in solid ice—transformed into a magnificent, lifelike ice sculpture.
But just a second later, a deep fracture split across the frozen sculpture.
Mega Rayquaza was struggling within!
"Too late!"
Lucas's gaze sharpened—because Zacian had already arrived.
With a mighty swing, Zacian's blue greatsword cleaved into the ice encasing Rayquaza. The frozen shell shattered, and the Behemoth Blade struck Rayquaza's unprotected body.
BOOOOM!
A monumental burst of golden energy exploded outward with the impact, engulfing Mega Rayquaza completely.
Rayquaza's roar rang out in agony. After all, being struck directly without any defense by Zacian's Behemoth Blade delivered tremendous damage.
Especially since Mega Rayquaza was already far from peak condition.
"ROOAAAAR!"
The golden energy continued violently ravaging Mega Rayquaza's body. Its face twisted in pain, roaring and thrashing as specks of green light began gathering around it—
It was preparing Dragon Ascent!
"Still trying to struggle? Think Again!"
"Zacian, Iron Tail!"
Lucas commanded sharply.
Zacian's gaze turned icy. In an instant, it flashed behind Mega Rayquaza, its tail gleaming with steel light—before whipping it straight into the back of Mega Rayquaza's head.
BOOM!
Under the terrifying force, Mega Rayquaza roared in pain. Its enormous body was sent plummeting downward at high speed.
With a thunderous crash, Mega Rayquaza hit the ground hard, kicking up clouds of dust.
"That should be about enough."
Lucas evaluated the situation calmly, estimating Rayquaza's remaining stamina.
"Not necessarily. The Rayquaza species has incredible endurance. We should stay ready for continued combat."
Black Kyurem's deep telepathic voice rumbled. It knew this all too well, after all that young Rayquaza following Lucas alone had absurd endurance.
"I can finish it with another Behemoth Blade."
Zacian spoke coldly into their minds.
At worst, it was just another finishing blow. Hardly a problem.
"Hey, hey, hey! What are you all talking about? That's my father! Isn't this going too far?"
An indignant voice cut in as the now not purely red Rayquaza had flown up behind Lucas. It was mostly recovered by now.
But the first thing it heard was them discussing whether to finish off its father?
"That last attack should have seriously injured him, but completely disabling him will still be difficult."
Lucas continued calmly, ignoring the smaller Rayquaza for now.
"Rayquaza, your wounds aren't light. Rest for now, you may still be needed later."
He advised. Among all his companions, this Rayquaza was the most heavily damaged.
And the upcoming battle against the evil Hoopa may very well require its strength.
"Must… must we really incapacitate him?"
The smaller Rayquaza's dragon eyes showed deep conflict. No matter what, watching its father get beaten into helplessness made its heart twist uncomfortably.
"That's unavoidable. Your father's strength is tremendous and remember, he's being controlled right now."
Lucas raised a brow. He had previously assumed Rayquaza was indifferent. Who would've thought it respected its father so deeply?
Well, Mega Rayquaza was terrifyingly dignified.
The young Rayquaza hesitated a long moment, looking deeply conflicted.
"…Fine. Since Father is being controlled… I guess it can't be helped."
It sighed helplessly, then suddenly straightened, its tone changing sharply.
"But if we must do this—human! The final blow on my father…"
"You must allow me to deliver it!!"
Rayquaza said this with absolute seriousness.
If someone had to knock its father out, it would be the child's responsibility, not some outsider!
Both Reshiram and Black Kyurem stared speechlessly. Even Zacian's cold façade twitched at the corners.
Lucas froze.
"Uh…"
"What?" Rayquaza blinked.
"N-nothing… nothing. As expected of you, Rayquaza~"
Lucas finally regained composure and praised it.
Goodness. Its own father couldn't be allowed to collapse from another's hand, only its own strike was acceptable.
Yes… this was filial in its own special Rayquaza way.
But Lucas also understood, Rayquaza wanted to preserve its father's dignity. Being knocked out by outsiders would be shameful. Being knocked out by its own child, however, was at least acceptable by the prideful Rayquaza clan's standards.
"ROOOAAAAR!"
A furious draconic roar shook the skies. A green figure shot upward, screaming its rage at the group—
Mega Rayquaza had risen again.
Though its magnificent body was covered in wounds, the damage only seemed to make its aura more savage.
"Its momentum is still this strong? What a troublesome opponent."
Lucas furrowed his brows. Despite the obvious injuries, Rayquaza's sheer presence remained terrifying.
Green light rapidly gathered around its body as it was preparing another Dragon Ascent.
"Rayquaza, Dragon Ascent!"
"Oh—eh?!"
Young Rayquaza instinctively rose and began charging Dragon Ascent as well… only to suddenly realize—
Wait!
Weren't they supposed to let it deliver the final blow later!?
"Dragon Ascent is too dangerous. You're the best one to intercept and create an opening."
Lucas's reasoning was impeccable. Using Dragon Ascent to counter Dragon Ascent would be the most efficient and safest method.
Rayquaza stared at the incoming Mega Rayquaza—its entire head went numb.
After all, it had just been beaten up by this father not long ago.
"R-Roar! F-Father—I'm coming!!"
But retreat wasn't an option. The young Rayquaza roared and shot upward with Dragon Ascent to meet its father's charge.
(End of Chapter)