Want to read ahead. You know where
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Deoxys was fast, blindingly fast.
But even its lightning speed left a faint trace of energy in the air, like the afterimage of a shooting star.
High above the clouds, Rayquaza roared and followed those flickering remnants without hesitation.
The air trembled around the Emerald Dragon as it sliced through the stratosphere in pursuit.
Deoxys might be swift, but there was no escaping Rayquaza.
The chase tore across the skies until the blue-green coastline of Slateport City came into view.
The citizens below could only catch glimpses of two glowing streaks—one emerald, one crimson, darting through the clouds like divine comets.
Finally cornered, Deoxys came to a halt on the outskirts of the city.
Its crystalline body pulsed with shifting colors, energy warping around it like heat haze.
Above, Rayquaza coiled in midair, its eyes burning gold.
Sam sat astride the Legendary Pokémon, his heart pounding in sync with the dragon's rage.
The residual fury from Rayquaza's emotions burned through him like wildfire.
Deoxys had attacked him moments ago—unprovoked, reckless.
Sam clenched his jaw.
"Rayquaza, Dragon Pulse!"
"ROOOOAAAR!!!"
The sky erupted with sound.
A radiant surge of dragon energy gathered in Rayquaza's maw, forming a spiraling torrent of pure power.
The air twisted violently as the Dragon Pulse blasted forward like a beam of molten light.
Deoxys screeched, its voice warped, unrecognizable and darted aside in a blur.
The Dragon Pulse slammed into a nearby hill.
BOOM!
The entire ridge exploded into dust and stone, the shockwave flattening the forest below.
Deoxys retaliated instantly.
Its slender arms glowed with a deep, black hue, condensing into a dark sphere of unstable energy.
It flung the Dark Pulse forward, the orb screaming through the air.
"Rayquaza, destroy it!" Sam shouted, his voice carried by the wind.
Rayquaza didn't bother dodging.
Deoxys was only in its Normal Forme, trading defense for speed.
Its power wasn't enough to threaten a god of the skies.
"ROAR!"
Electric currents danced along Rayquaza's massive tail.
With a single sweep, it smashed the incoming orb apart.
The explosion scattered harmlessly into sparks.
Deoxys hissed in frustration.
Its crystalline core flashed rapidly, and in the next instant, its body fragmented, splitting into dozens, then hundreds of copies that spread across the sky.
Sam narrowed his eyes.
"Double Team, huh?"
All around them, countless Deoxys hovered in perfect synchronization.
Each one identical, each radiating the same pulse of energy.
To the untrained eye, there was no difference between illusion and reality.
But illusions meant nothing to a true god.
"Rayquaza-Draco Meteor!" Sam commanded.
"ROOOOAAAR!!!"
Rayquaza's scales burned with light, the air vibrating with divine power.
Dozens, no, hundreds, of fiery meteors formed high above, suspended for a heartbeat before crashing down like a storm of wrath.
The Draco Meteor descended.
BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!
Each impact shook the earth, lighting up the clouds with bursts of flame.
The ground split open, the sky itself seemed to crack apart.
The Double Teams vanished one by one under the bombardment, their false forms evaporating into particles of light.
Only one Deoxys remained, its body trembling under the overwhelming pressure.
For all its alien power, Deoxys was only a second-tier Legendary.
Against Rayquaza, the apex of the skies, it was hopeless.
The difference between them was like a human trying to wrestle a hurricane.
Sam felt Rayquaza's fury surging through his veins.
The bond between them blurred their emotions, his thoughts drowning in the dragon's instinct for dominance.
He wasn't holding back anymore.
"Rayquaza, finish it-Dragon Ascent!"
Deoxys felt it, a crushing, unstoppable force bearing down from above.
Every instinct screamed danger.
It tried to dart away, twisting through the air in a blur of red and blue light, but no matter how fast it moved, Rayquaza's shadow loomed over it.
The dragon's golden eyes locked onto its target like a living radar.
There was no escape.
Deoxys had no choice. Its core pulsed, psychic energy spilling from its body like ripples in water.
That invisible power condensed around it, shaping into translucent psychic armor, gleaming with light.
The same energy then flowed into its arms, forming blades of pure mental force.
Deoxys raised them high, its mind surging with power.
"Psycho Boost!"
At the same moment, Rayquaza's roar split the heavens.
The emerald titan twisted its body, light bursting from every scale as it dove.
Dragon Ascent met Psycho Boost head-on.
The world went white.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The collision detonated like a meteor strike.
Waves of light and shock rolled through the atmosphere, scattering clouds for miles.
Deoxys was hurled downward, slammed into the ground with a deafening crash that carved out a crater more than three hundred meters wide.
Dust and energy rippled across the landscape.
The impact's shockwave sent the nearby forest swaying like grass in a storm.
"ROAARRR!!!"
Rayquaza soared up from the crater, coiling high above the battlefield.
The sky around it shimmered with heat and raw power, divine and untamed.
The dragon's roar echoed across the land, a declaration of absolute dominance.
Below, Deoxys lay at the center of the crater, its once-radiant form flickering.
The psychic armor shattered, its limbs trembling as the last of its energy bled away into the air.
Its body began to dissolve, glowing fragments scattering into the wind like dying stars.
The alien's presence faded, its life force vanishing completely.
Rayquaza hovered silently for a long moment.
Even as its fury subsided, there was no triumph in its gaze—only a solemn, heavy calm.
Something about this victory felt wrong.
Slowly, the dragon descended, its massive frame lowering to the ground where Sam stood waiting.The pressure in the air lessened as the divine beast's energy stabilized.
Rayquaza's great eyes met Sam's.
A voice echoed directly in his mind, deep and resonant—telepathy.
"Inheritor…"
"Our destiny… is about to awaken."
Before Sam could respond, Rayquaza's serpentine body coiled once more.
With a single powerful thrust of its wings, it shot back into the sky—disappearing beyond the clouds, leaving only a fading trail of green light.
Sam stood in silence, wind brushing against his face.
Those words lingered in his mind, carrying a weight he couldn't shake.
By the time he returned to Slateport City, the sun had set completely.
The sky was dark, painted with the faint glow of distant stars.
City lights flickered back to life as the chaos from earlier slowly settled.
"Sam!"A familiar voice called out.
He turned to see Cynthia rushing toward him, her golden hair catching the lamplight.
Her expression was filled with worry as she scanned him from head to toe.
"Are you hurt? What happened out there?"
"I'm fine," Sam said softly, forcing a small smile.
But his brows furrowed, the echo of Rayquaza's words heavy in his thoughts.
Cynthia didn't press. Instead, she exhaled in relief and gave him a brief nod before turning serious again.
"The situation's mostly under control. The people trapped in the ruins have been rescued. Injured citizens were sent to the hospital. Officer Jenny and her team are coordinating the cleanup."
Sam nodded.
"Good work."
The adrenaline of the battle was fading, replaced by exhaustion.
"Let's get some rest," he murmured.
Just as they began walking toward the city's temporary shelter, Cynthia suddenly paused and glanced up.
Her eyes widened.
"Sam… look."
Sam followed her gaze.
Across the night sky, a streak of silver light tore through the darkness.
Then another. And another.
Within seconds, dozens of shooting stars filled the heavens—trails of flame painting the sky in dazzling arcs.
The people of Slateport stopped where they stood, looking upward in awe and fear.
The meteor shower was beautiful, almost mesmerizing.
But to Sam, it was anything but comforting.
Because he recognized that light.
It was the same as before—the same cosmic energy that heralded Deoxys's arrival.
The atmosphere changed.
A hush fell over the city, broken only by distant gasps and murmurs.
The falling meteors grew in number, blazing brighter, burning through the clouds.
Cynthia's expression tensed.
"Isn't that…?"
Sam's fists clenched.
"It can't be."
He could feel it again—the same alien pulse that had shaken the sky earlier.
"Deoxys was destroyed by Rayquaza," he muttered under his breath.
"Then why… why is this still happening?"
Above them, the meteor shower intensified, streaks of fire reflecting in Sam's eyes.
Something was coming.
And deep down, he knew Rayquaza's warning wasn't just about destiny—it was about what was still waiting beyond the stars.
The true storm hadn't even begun.