After failing to capture the Pokémon, Paul and Mewtwo vanished from the streets of Dahara City along with Hoopa and Metagross, teleporting several dozen miles away into the depths of the desert.
"Time to wake up."
Paul gave Hoopa a vigorous shake—no psychic trickery, just good old-fashioned physical wake-up call.
"Ho~opa! What did you do to Hoopa?!"
The newly awakened Hoopa looked at Paul in alarm. It could feel nothing but ill intent from him.
"That's enough. Can you use your rings to fish out something… stronger? Just one Pokémon. We battle, and when it's over, I'll send you back."
Paul released Hoopa's topknot, letting it float away, and signaled Mewtwo to restore Hoopa's golden rings.
With the Confined form unable to pass through its own ring, Paul had no fear of Hoopa slipping away right under his nose.
"My rings!"
Hoopa clutched its hoop lovingly, shrinking it down and putting it back in place before giggling and putting more distance between itself and Paul.
"Ohhh, so you want to fight a strong Pokémon? Then Hoopa will grant your wish!"
Hoopa knew full well it was no match for Paul or his Pokémon in its current state. Only a summoned ally could help it escape his grasp.
"Ring-ring~ Hoopa! Surprise!"
One of Hoopa's rings spun out from its waist, expanding in midair. A swirl of water surged within it, and from the portal burst a massive silver-white bird.
The Guardian of the Seas—Lugia!
Paul's eyes narrowed. "Lugia… not a bad opponent. Go."
"Lugia, help Hoopa! Go!" Hoopa darted away from the newcomer, calling for aid.
A deep roar echoed. Lugia immediately launched into Sky Attack, its form cloaked in blazing blue light as it charged straight for Mewtwo.
"Come on, then."
Mewtwo didn't evade. It raised a psychic barrier and met Lugia head-on, curious to test its strength.
The impact sent sand streaming in waves and whipped the desert into a storm.
In that instant, Mewtwo sensed Lugia's raw power was slightly greater than its own at the moment—pressing on without a change in strategy would mean defeat.
"Not bad."
But retreat never crossed Mewtwo's mind.
Activating both Rage and Cell Reinforcement, its body glowed faint red. Power surged, and with a single crushing blow it shattered Lugia's Sky Attack, slamming its head into the Sea Guardian and sending it crashing into the sands.
"AAAHHH!"
In pain, Lugia roared. The sky blackened with storm clouds, and rain poured down in a torrential squall.
With the weather now in its favor, Lugia beat its wings, summoning a monstrous tornado to tear into Mewtwo.
But Mewtwo blinked away in a flash, reappearing directly above Lugia, unleashing Thunderbolt in tandem with a Thunder Punch. A torrent of lightning struck Lugia's skull.
It's super effective!
"AAHHH!"
The agony was immense. Lugia's eyes glowed blue, locking onto Mewtwo with Telekinesis before firing a devastating Aeroblast.
Feeling the psychic restraint, Mewtwo stayed put, activating Protect and a psychic Barrier to shield itself.
BOOM!
The Aeroblast tore through the clouds, sunlight spilling through the gap.
Lugia exhaled in relief—until Mewtwo reappeared in front of it, arm crackling with immense lightning, and smashed down a series of brutal Thunder Punches.
BAM!
WHAM!
"AAAHHH!"
The Sea Guardian hit the ground hard, badly wounded.
Since the days of the Orange Islands, Lugia had rarely suffered such indignity.
In the ocean, it could conjure cataclysmic storms to overwhelm Mewtwo—at worst, it would be an even fight. But here in the desert, against a foe who could teleport at will? The odds were stacked cruelly against it.
Still, if it was here, it would fight to the end.
A flash of light—Recover restored its vitality. Lugia surged forward again in Sky Attack… only for Hoopa's ring to swallow it mid-flight and deposit it back into the sea.
"Wrong summon. Lugia, you go home first."
Hoopa scratched its head sheepishly. Sending the Sea Guardian into a desert battle… yes, that had been a bit silly.
Now—who should it summon next?
Regigigas? Reshiram? …No, no, those had both gone down to Hoopa's moves before, never mind one that could beat the Mewtwo that just defeated Lugia.
"I've got it! You're up!"
Inspiration struck. From its ring emerged a massive, pulsating cocoon.
"The Cocoon of Destruction… Yveltal?"
Paul recognized it instantly.
In both the games and the anime, Yveltal was broken in all the worst ways—Oblivion Wing could drain the very life from its target, leaving petrified husks in its wake. Not exactly something suited to a "friendly" match. Paul had never considered catching it.
VMMM—
The cocoon trembled, and with a flash of light, a colossal black-and-crimson avian burst into the sky.
"AAAHH!"
It spread its wings, power radiating outward. The storm clouds above were snuffed out, replaced by an oppressive Dark Aura that warped the world for miles around, the air itself rippling with shadow.
Red light flared in Yveltal's eyes. Folding its talon-like wings forward, it fired an enormous black beam—its first target, the very Hoopa that summoned it.
"AAH! Big bird, why are you hitting me?!"
Hoopa quickly ducked into a ring, redirecting the blast into empty wilderness, narrowly avoiding becoming a victim of its own call.
But Yveltal had no patience for Hoopa's outrage, and no interest in Mewtwo's presence. Power built within it, and with a beat of its wings it whipped up a massive storm toward Paul and Hoopa.
"Your opponent is me!"
With a thought, Mewtwo teleported Paul and Hoopa to safety, frowning as it rose to meet Yveltal. Being ignored stoked its irritation.
"AAAH!"
Yveltal still didn't acknowledge it. Between its talons, energy flared into a destructive beam several meters wide—Hyper Beam.
"You're just a rampaging brute."
Mewtwo teleported out of harm's way—only for a massive Shadow Ball to hurtle toward it from afar, forcing another teleport.
In Yveltal's aura field, nowhere was truly safe. Shadow Ball, Hyper Beam, Oblivion Wing—attack after attack rained down.
"Enough!"
Appearing above its foe, Mewtwo's eyes burned with fury.
Thunderbolt and Thunder Punch struck in savage rhythm, each blow sending shockwaves through Yveltal's frame.
"SKRAAAH!"
The Destruction Pokémon tried to blast it away, but Mewtwo anchored itself telekinetically, pouring on the punishment, Rage glowing red around its body.
Pinned and battered, Yveltal regained a flicker of clarity. It unleashed Disable, halting Mewtwo's Thunder Punch for an instant, then hurled it away with Psychic before firing another Oblivion Wing beam straight through its last position.
"Too slow!"
Mewtwo reappeared overhead, its punches crackling with even greater voltage, a summoned lightning bolt crashing down alongside the blows.
Moments later, Yveltal crashed to the ground.
"You evil bird! How dare you attack Hoopa!"
Little Hoopa floated forward indignantly, tossing Yveltal through a ring… straight into a lush forest, where a very startled Xerneas was roaming.
"Got any more Pokémon worth summoning?"
Paul asked flatly.
"Uh… well… um…"
Hoopa froze. Two of the Pokémon it had summoned were already defeated, and for the moment, it couldn't think of anything suitable to send out next.
"How about something fast and powerful? Like… a black Rayquaza."
Paul was running out of patience. He still remembered vividly the Shiny Rayquaza from the movie—one that could take on multiple mind-controlled Legendary Pokémon at once.
As for whether Mewtwo could actually win against it? That wasn't the issue. If it couldn't win, they could just retreat. No big deal.
"...Can't fish one up!"
Hoopa searched frantically, only for its expression to collapse.
With its powers sealed, there was no way it could summon a Shiny Rayquaza from within its current range. A regular one was all it could manage.
But then… Hoopa's eyes darted, and a mischievous grin crept across its face.
"Hoopa's got a big surprise for you—summon! Summon! Summon!"
Three golden rings shot into the sky, expanding wide before releasing three Rayquaza at once. They hovered behind Hoopa, all glaring down at Mewtwo.
If quality wasn't enough… then make up for it with quantity!
"Interesting. Very interesting."
Paul's lips curled in faint intrigue. He raised his wrist, activating his Key Stone and channeling the surge of energy into Mewtwo.
Mega Evolution—Mega Mewtwo X, a Psychic–Fighting type Pokémon, was in theory at a disadvantage against Dragon–Flying types like Rayquaza.
But when you're outnumbered three-to-one, type matchups mattered far less—either you avoided damage entirely, or you got caught in a chain of hits.
"Go all out."
Riding atop his Metagross, Paul began to drift back, his voice resonating directly inside Mewtwo's mind.
Moments earlier, Mewtwo had looked aggressive enough—using speed and Teleport to suppress or even overpower slower opponents like Lugia and Yveltal.
But the truth was, Mewtwo still hadn't gone all-out. For example, it hadn't yet used Calm Mind to boost all its stats.
"I will."
Mewtwo clenched its fists, feeling its power surge as it began to focus.
Its aura climbed rapidly—fast and high.
"Rrrraaaahhh!"
The three Rayquaza hovered above in different stances. After exchanging glances, they opened their jaws at once—three Hyper Beams lancing down together, weaving into a net of light that sealed off every escape route.
Without hesitation, Mewtwo Teleported above one of them, both fists glowing with Ice Punch as it slammed them down. The sheer force drew a pained cry from the Rayquaza beneath it.
The other two reacted instantly, unleashing Dragon Pulse to aid their comrade.
But Mewtwo didn't dodge. Ice Punches kept raining down, and with a sharp upward tilt of its head, its eyes flashed—nudging the pulses off-course mid-flight.
The redirected blasts smashed into the already-struggling Rayquaza.
BOOM! BOOM!
The double explosion sent it plummeting into the desert below, wailing in defeat.
Ice Punch was already devastating against Rayquaza's typing, and adding two full-powered Dragon Pulses from its own allies was more than even a Sky High Pokémon could endure.
The two remaining Rayquaza froze in shock. Their planned Draco Meteors died in their throats—if Mewtwo pulled that trick again, their ally would be finished for good.
They quickly shifted tactics. With a silent agreement, they straightened into a tight formation and shot forward with Extreme Speed from opposite sides, the roiling slipstreams pushing their speed even higher.
"Let's test your strength."
Mewtwo X didn't dodge. Empowered by Calm Mind and the force of its own fury, it spread its arms and conjured two shimmering barriers, stopping both Rayquaza dead in their tracks.
No matter how they strained, they couldn't break through.
In raw power, even base-form Mewtwo X already surpassed Rayquaza. With boosts stacked on top, the pressure was overwhelming.
It might've looked like Mewtwo was the one cornered… but in truth, it was the one in complete control.
When their momentum began to falter, Mewtwo clenched its hands. The barriers flexed like elastic, then snapped—launching both Rayquaza like cannon shells into the ground.
Payback—double-fold!
"Blizzard."
Paul's voice cut through the air, halting Mewtwo mid-swing.
It shot high into the sky, raised its arms—and a raging blizzard engulfed all three Rayquaza at once. The biting cold bit deep, forcing cries of pain from their throats.
With Calm Mind still boosting its power, the storm only grew fiercer. The Rayquaza never got the chance to rally.
When the snow finally settled, three perfect ice sculptures hovered in the air.
As soon as the fight ended, Paul ordered Mewtwo to revert to its base form, then used Recover to heal its injuries.
"Rayquaza… nothing special."
Paul looked down at the frozen dragons, disdain flickering in his eyes.
Sure, in the anime Rayquaza looked impressive—instantly taking down both Kyogre and Groudon to stabilize the battlefield.
But in truth, it wasn't as strong as people thought. Until it mastered Dragon Ascent and Mega Evolution, its power was only above average among Legendaries.
Its other appearances were better, but in Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys, it was embarrassing—completely run in circles by a single Deoxys.
Even in Pokémon Generations, it took an unnamed Trainer riding a Mega Rayquaza to finally catch Deoxys in space. A regular Rayquaza would've just been a repeat of the Destiny Deoxys humiliation.
"All three lost?"
Hoopa stared at the ice-bound dragons, crestfallen.
"Pokémon that only know how to charge in head-on can't beat Mewtwo."
Paul flew Metagross back toward Hoopa.
"Pokémon without brains are easy to fight."
Mewtwo Teleported to Paul's side, clearly agreeing.
Lugia, at least, could be dangerous in its home territory—summoning massive tsunamis would be a real problem for Mewtwo.
Yveltal and Rayquaza, though, were far too straightforward. Their attacks were linear, and Mewtwo could dodge them endlessly with Teleport alone.
Even Dialga, without using anything beyond Roar of Time, couldn't guarantee a win against Mewtwo just by level advantage.
"If Hoopa's powers weren't sealed, Hoopa could beat Mewtwo easily!"
Hoopa shouted defiantly.
"Power without brains is useless."
Paul grabbed Hoopa by one of its horns and lifted it up.
"Ah! Let go of Hoopa!"
Hoopa flailed, but didn't dare attack—afraid Mewtwo would confiscate its rings again.
Ignoring it, Paul nodded to Mewtwo. They thawed the Rayquaza and Teleported back to Dahara City.
"Farewell."
Releasing Hoopa, Paul returned Mewtwo and Metagross to their Poké Balls, pulled out his Pokégear, and vanished.
"Wha—?! Where'd he go?!"
Hoopa hadn't noticed before, but now, seeing Paul disappear right in front of it, it was stunned. It scanned the world—no sign of him anywhere.
But it did spot someone almost identical.
"Hoopa! There was a huge commotion—was that you?!"
A woman approached, stern-eyed.
"Meray, Hoopa's been here the whole time! Didn't go anywhere! Not Hoopa's fault!"
Scolded, Hoopa's earlier scheming evaporated. It waved its hands defensively.
"It was you. Naughty again. Looks like I can't let my brother restore your power anytime soon."
When Hoopa's eyes darted away, Meray scooped it into her arms and gave it a merciless noogie.
"Ah… Hoopa won't do it again!"
Hoopa wanted to cry, but its grudge against Paul only deepened.
…
Several days later—
After his Pokémon had fully recovered, Paul stepped out of the Pokémon Center, ready for his next Gym battle when a golden ring appeared overhead, dropping over him like a net.
…???
Staring at the mischievous Pokémon grinning at him, Paul was utterly confused.
'How did he just go from Sinnoh to Kalos in the blink of an eye?!'
(End of Chapter)
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