Rayquaza's head throbbed painfully.
The unexpected blow from earlier not only caught it off guard but also carried a force far beyond its expectations.
Deoxys alone had been difficult enough to deal with, and now there was this mysterious new Pokémon... Rayquaza couldn't shake the ominous feeling settling in its chest.
Shaking off the lingering dizziness, Rayquaza refused to give up.
Once before, it had been tricked and captured by humans, losing its freedom. Having struggled so hard to escape, it wasn't about to let that happen again.
Taking a deep breath, Rayquaza began gathering energy in its maw.
The instant the dust cleared, it unleashed its pent-up power in a destructive blast.
Hyper Beam!
The blinding white beam shot straight toward the sky, targeting Mewtwo directly.
Rayquaza had deliberately avoided attacking Deoxys this time. It wasn't that it didn't want to, but it simply couldn't hit the agile Speed Form. Instead, it focused on Mewtwo, whose speed seemed more manageable by comparison.
To Rayquaza's credit, its deduction was spot-on.
While Mewtwo wasn't as fast as Deoxys in its Speed Form, its base speed of 130 was still more than enough to outpace Rayquaza.
As the Hyper Beam hurtled toward it, Mewtwo showed no fear. On the contrary, it charged straight into the attack.
With fluid grace, Mewtwo twisted through the air, easily dodging the beam as it closed the distance.
A hundred meters... fifty meters... ten meters!
In seconds, Mewtwo was upon Rayquaza.
Recognizing the danger, Rayquaza immediately shifted tactics, swinging its tail with a Dragon Tail to repel Mewtwo.
BANG!
Mewtwo's spoon collided with Rayquaza's tail in a thunderous clash, locking the two Pokémon in a power struggle. At first glance, Rayquaza appeared to have the upper hand thanks to its larger size.
But before it could revel in its perceived victory, Mewtwo's expression twisted into a taunting smirk—eerily humanlike.
Then, Rayquaza felt a sharp, searing pain erupt from its back.
BOOM!
A Shadow Ball struck it from behind, expertly launched by Deoxys under Luo Yuan's command.
Taking full advantage of Mewtwo's distraction, Deoxys had used its superior speed to land a devastating sneak attack.
In the meantime, Dragapult and the other Pokémon wasted no time joining the fray.
Dragon Rage! Shadow Claw! Shadow Ball!
Attack after attack rained down on Rayquaza, swallowing much of its massive frame in the barrage. Even Luo Yuan couldn't help but silently mourn for the legendary Pokémon amidst the onslaught.
But sympathy aside, the fight wasn't over yet.
While the flurry of attacks inflicted significant damage, Rayquaza remained standing. The battle required a decisive finishing blow.
This final strike was entrusted to Mewtwo.
"Finish it! Ice Punch!" Luo Yuan commanded.
Channeling frosty energy into its fist, Mewtwo delivered a devastating uppercut straight to Rayquaza's chin.
CRACK!
Shards of ice scattered as Rayquaza's head snapped back violently. Its entire body lifted off the ground, flying several meters into the air.
If Rayquaza had been conscious, it might have seized the opportunity to flee. But after enduring repeated head trauma, the legendary Pokémon had finally succumbed to unconsciousness.
Its massive form hung in the air for a brief moment before crashing back down.
BOOM!
The impact sent tremors through the ground, causing yet another layer of the already crumbling Sky Pillar to collapse.
Hovering midair, Luo Yuan surveyed the scene below.
"The Sky Pillar's officially a hazard zone now," he mused. "What a shame."
The structure had already been in disrepair, but at least it had maintained some semblance of stability. Now, merely standing near it risked getting hit by falling debris.
The ancient murals created by the Draconid people inside the tower were likely beyond saving as well.
Beside him, Matori gave Luo Yuan a sidelong glance, unimpressed.
"You're really going to lament the tower when this destruction is mostly your fault?"
Her gaze drifted to Rayquaza, lying battered and unconscious amidst the ruins. It had been peacefully asleep in its home, only to be rudely awakened, beaten up, and left homeless.
After sparing a moment of sympathy for the legendary Pokémon, Matori retrieved a case from her bag.
With a few quick taps, she entered the unlock code.
Hiss...
The airtight storage container opened, revealing two Poké Balls: a GS Ball inscribed with the initials "GS" for capturing Celebi, and the Master Ball that Luo Yuan was all too familiar with.
After a fleeting thought about how Professor Oak might have acquired the GS Ball from Ash's near-impenetrable plot armor, Luo Yuan reached for the Master Ball.
This particular Master Ball had been personally procured from the president of Silph Co. Luo Yuan hadn't shared its intended purpose, and the president hadn't asked. Their mutual understanding was unspoken but absolute.
Tossing the Master Ball lightly in his hand to feel its familiar weight, Luo Yuan threw it at Rayquaza with practiced precision.
The Master Ball struck its target, absorbing the legendary Pokémon in a flash of light.
The ball wobbled slightly in the rubble, as Rayquaza's unconscious body instinctively resisted.
If it had been any other Poké Ball, Rayquaza might have broken free. But with the Master Ball, resistance was futile.
Swoosh.
The Master Ball floated back into Luo Yuan's hand, guided by his psychic power.
"It's done. Rayquaza's ours," he said, turning to Matori. "Let's get out of here."
Hoenn League officials weren't blind, and the commotion he'd caused was bound to draw attention.
Though he no longer feared the League, Team Rocket's operations were still covert. Any unnecessary exposure would create problems, so avoiding the League was the smarter move.
Matori nodded without hesitation, allowing Luo Yuan to pull her close as they mounted Dragonite for their return to the airship.
Not long after they left, a small aircraft arrived at the Sky Pillar.
Standing on the aircraft's platform, Norman surveyed the ruins of the once-majestic tower, his expression shifting from shock to grim resolve.
Even without witnessing the battle firsthand, the devastation told him all he needed to know.
The sheer intensity of the fight here was unimaginable.
But what truly worried him was the absence of Rayquaza.
In a region already in chaos from Groudon and Kyogre, the added complication of Rayquaza missing could spell disaster for Hoenn.
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T/N: Rayquaza is one of my fav legendaries :D