As the power of the dragon pulse pressed inward, the six purple light pillars above the Sword of the Vale began to draw together. Steven had no choice but to back away from the closing barrier — Victini, still cradled in his arms, could never pass through it, and forcing the issue would likely knock Steven out cold himself.
"No... I can't control the Sword of the Vale at all anymore." After several failed attempts, Damon sank to the ground, his face bitter. "How did it come to this?" He looked up at the Sigilyph high above, its body wrapped in a purple glow as the dragon pulse's power seized control of it. It was no use to anyone now.
Steven had no time to spare for Damon. The barrier kept creeping closer, and all he could do was keep retreating.
Bang!
The barrier suddenly contracted and struck him, throwing him several meters through the air. He hit the ground coughing hard, but his first thought was for Victini in his arms.
"Gupa!" Sandslash planted itself in front of Steven, gathering its Ice-type power to form a spike of ice and hurl it at the barrier. The ice shot straight through the barrier's surface and dropped harmlessly to the ground below.
"Gupa?" Sandslash stared, baffled.
"It's no good, Sandslash. That barrier only keeps Victini in," Steven said wearily, forcing himself back to his feet. He found himself wondering how his mother had ever managed to carry Victini out of Eindoak Town all those years ago.
He poured a surge of Evergreen Power into Victini's small body, watching its still, unconscious face with growing worry. Wake up, Victini. Or whatever's inside you — please, just give me some kind of sign.
The barrier kept closing in until Steven had backed all the way to the edge of the platform — there was nowhere left to go. By now the Sword of the Vale had climbed into the middle layer of the sky, and the temperature had dropped sharply. Steven's breath came in ragged gasps, his whole body shaking from the cold, each exhale forming a small cloud in the freezing air. He pulled Victini tighter against his chest and folded himself into as small a shape as he could on the floor.
Victini still hadn't woken. If only it could wake up and warm them both with its own fire... As for Honedge and Sandslash — Honedge wasn't likely to offer much warmth, and going to huddle against Sandslash wouldn't help either, not when Steven himself was already freezing.
Looking straight up, Steven could see the open dark of space. The air was growing thinner, each breath harder to draw than the last. His head spun, his eyelids grew heavy, and he felt himself slipping toward a sleep he feared he might never wake from.
Diancie and Honedge crept close and gently rubbed at his back with their tiny hands and ribbon, trying to chase away some of the cold — though as the Sword of the Vale kept rising, the air only grew colder still.
Bang!
The six massive pillars finally locked together, sealing Steven inside. In that small, airtight space, what little oxygen remained grew even scarcer. Steven lay curled on the ground, one thought circling in his mind: those two dragons had better not be slacking off out there.
"Gaoo!" Reshiram and Zekrom soared together to the top of the Sword of the Vale, eyeing the closing ring of purple pillars. Their tails blazed with red and blue light.
Fusion Flare! Fusion Bolt!
Boom! The combined attack slammed into the purple pillars, and their glow shattered instantly. A surge of violet light shot up from the dragon pulse, blazing straight into the night sky above. The stone pillars, drained and lifeless, crashed back down to the platform.
"Tee-lee..." Victini's eyes fluttered open. The moment it saw Steven's pale, lifeless stare, its eyes went wide. Its V-shaped ears flared red, and warmth spread rapidly through the sealed chamber. As the temperature climbed back to normal, color slowly returned to Steven's face, though breathing still felt uncomfortable.
"Tee-lee!" Victini's small hand patted at Steven's chest.
"Th-thank you..." Steven managed hoarsely. Being only human, he doubted he could have lasted much longer without air.
Outside, Reshiram and Zekrom traded a glance and nodded to one another, preparing to push the Sword of the Vale back on course — when a dark shape slammed into them out of nowhere, hurling both dragons apart with frightening force.
"Gaoo?!" Reshiram and Zekrom's eyes went wide as they turned to face the shadow. A long, mostly black dragon hovered above the Sword of the Vale, red-tipped wings jutting from its shoulders and lower body like a pair of rudders, matching fins at the tip of its tail, and rings of yellow markings circling its body up to a golden ring crowning its head.
The ruler of the sky. Rayquaza.
"Gaooooo!" Rayquaza's roar thundered out, its sheer presence pressing down over the entire area. Reshiram and Zekrom locked eyes on the newcomer, tails already blazing red and blue once more.
Fusion Flare and Fusion Bolt fired out together — and Rayquaza met them head-on, a green glow rippling down its tens-of-meters-long body as it charged straight through the blast.
Boom! True to its title, Rayquaza crashed directly into the combined force of both dragons' signature moves without flinching. The shockwave pushed the Sword of the Vale down several meters, and the sudden drop in altitude brought a slight rise in temperature.
Steven rolled onto his back, staring up at the three titans clashing in the sky, his silver-blue eyes narrowing. This Rayquaza was Shiny — and strong enough to trade blows with both Reshiram and Zekrom without giving ground?
Glowing white, Rayquaza burst free of the smoke as its body began to shift and change. A new mark like the Greek letter Δ formed on its forehead, its gums turned gold, and its lower horns stretched forward to meet near its mouth, forming an arch. Long golden ribbons trailed from its upper horns, lower horns, and tail, while the tendrils beneath its lower horns bore a pattern shaped like an infinity symbol. Where its ring markings had been, glowing golden gems now sat in their place.
Steven could only stare, half-convinced the thin air had finally gotten to him. A Shiny Mega Rayquaza — was he really seeing this?