John had a particular fondness for using Continental Crush against official League-level Pokemon in battle. The reason was simple, the battlefield was always too small. Once he unleashed the Z-Move, there was basically nowhere to hide from the area-of-effect devastation.
In Lysandre's Flare World arena, though the space wasn't quite small enough to be completely covered by a single Continental Crush, Mega Tyranitar could still control where the massive stone pillars would strike.
The aim didn't need to be surgically precise. It just needed to blanket an enormous area with crushing rock.
John had used Continental Crush in previous dungeon battles, and the move had claimed countless Pokemon lives. The sheer destructive potential was on a completely different scale from ordinary attacks.
Lysandre looked up at the massive stone pillars descending from above, his expression tightening with genuine concern.
Rock formations that enormous, only Legendary-class Pokemon should be capable of that kind of destructive power!
He couldn't let them fall.
"Xerneas, use Horn Leech! Yveltal, Hurricane!"
Both Legendary Pokemon immediately responded to their trainer's commands.
Xerneas's legs drove deep into the ground like anchors, and blue light began to shimmer across her body. She transformed into what appeared to be a colossal tree taking root, her elegant form becoming organic and plant-like. After completing the rooting process, all her branching antlers glowed with brilliant cyan energy, condensing into one massive horn that shot toward the sky like a spear!
She intended to pierce straight through the falling rocks!
Meanwhile, Yveltal beat its wings with tremendous force, whipping up a violent storm. This wasn't an ordinary hurricane, it was pitch-black and ominous, saturated with the essence of death and destruction itself. The dark winds howled like tormented spirits.
But Yveltal's target wasn't the descending stone pillars. Instead, it directed the devastating winds at Mega Aggron's Wide Guard barrier, trying to break through the defensive screen and eliminate John's protector.
"Thunder that shakes the heavens, life force that moves mountains—"
"Connecting earth and sky, stone that resonates through eternity—"
Here it came again!
John clapped his hands together, and golden-brown earth energy flooded his entire body once more. This time, the power combined with his waveguide aura and channeled directly into Mega Aggron!
ROOOAAR!!!
Mega Aggron spread both arms wide, releasing a savage, primal roar that echoed like an ancient beast from the dawn of time.
Above the stone pillars that Mega Tyranitar had summoned, space itself tore open, a massive portal to another dimension appeared in the sky. From within that rift, a second set of equally enormous rocks came plummeting down at breakneck speed, slamming into the first wave of falling stones from above!
Continental Crush plus Continental Crush, a double meteor strike!
Of course, this was primarily for visual effect and psychological impact.
According to the technical specifications of the Z-Move, it didn't actually have any "sealing" capabilities built in. However, the terrifying combined weight of both sets of massive rocks, further amplified by the Gravity field's multiplier effect, created something far more devastating than the sum of its parts!
"Fall," John pronounced, his voice carrying the weight of judgment.
Xerneas's horn couldn't stop two waves of gravity-enhanced Continental Crush attacks!
The moment the second stone formation collided with the first, the tremendous force transmitted through the horn and directly into Xerneas's body.
BOOM!
With that single impact, Xerneas vanished from sight. Where she'd been standing, a massive crater had appeared in the forest floor. Looking down into the enormous pit, John could see Xerneas embedded more than thirty feet underground. Even though she was still gritting her teeth, refusing to let herself collapse completely, the crater continued to deepen!
At this point, it was only a matter of time before she was completely buried.
However, Lysandre proved himself to be a more capable trainer than John had initially given him credit for.
"Release Horn Leech! Activate Geomancy!"
The cyan horn energy immediately dissipated from Xerneas's antlers. Without that resistance, the two sets of massive stone pillars above lost their only obstacle and began accelerating downward even faster.
But Xerneas was already executing her new strategy.
Like the forest giant created by Celebi's life force in the fourth movie, Xerneas channeled her own life energy to animate the surrounding vegetation. Flowers, grass, and trees surged upward around her, constructing a protective dome over both herself and her trainer Lysandre. She followed this by activating Protect, establishing layer upon layer of defensive barriers.
She'd shifted from a rigid defense to an absorbent one, cushioning the impact rather than trying to stop it completely!
John saw this tactical adaptation immediately and responded by throwing another Pokeball.
You think I'll let you get away with that?
The Pokeball opened, and a small, chubby purple Pokemon materialized. Rainbow light flickered around it as it completed its Mega Evolution in an instant.
"Gengar!" Mega Gengar raised both clawed hands with a mischievous grin!
Without any preamble, it activated Shadow Sneak and dove into the Spirit World, phasing through dimensions to catch Yveltal completely off-guard. The ghost-type dragged the Destruction Pokemon directly into the spectral realm with it!
One second later, the stone pillars struck.
CRASH!
BOOM!