John tried it. The Red Orb and Blue Orb could not be absorbed into his body.
John reasoned that these two gemstones must be imprisoned somehow. Whether they would work or not would only be determined after they were unsealed.
"Teleport," John commanded Gardevoir.
Gardevoir immediately raised her hand to activate the move. John's body flickered as if he had just jumped off a train, his brain experiencing a momentary trance and dizziness from the instantaneous translation through space.
By the time John's vision cleared, he found himself standing atop the Sky Pillar.
"Better not to do vertical teleports in the future," John muttered, unwilling to experience this dizziness again. It wasn't just the disorientation from movement, there was also the steep drop in temperature with altitude and the reduction in oxygen content that made breathing difficult.
Raising his head, John saw a misty haze before his eyes. Through the hazy veil, he could make out a stalwart dark green body, a sight that made his heart race.
The dark green dragon-shaped form was coiled in a ring, its massive head resting upon its own body. Even with its eyes closed, it exuded a powerful aura that filled John with both awe and trepidation.
"Rayquaza... I'm finally here!" John took a deep breath.
Among the legendary Pokemon, his favorite besides Mewtwo was Rayquaza. And as a Trainer, who wouldn't want to conquer what many considered the most powerful dragon Pokemon in the world?
John tried to move forward but was immediately blocked by the hazy fog. This was no ordinary mist but an invisible protective barrier.
"If I want to awaken Rayquaza, I'll need to break through this shield," John thought. This wouldn't be a problem for him. He threw a Pokeball directly.
"Greninja, Battle Bond, Ultimate Water Shuriken!"
When Greninja completed its Battle Bond evolution and launched the golden shuriken into the mist, the seemingly fragile barrier demonstrated a defensive power comparable to an Iron Defense.
Sizzling!
It was as if a knife had sliced against steel, barely making an impression. The attack had only managed to disturb a corner of the mist.
"This kind of attack doesn't work?" John was shocked. The power of the Ultimate Water Shuriken after Greninja's Battle Bond was a move that could instantly defeat Elite-level Pokemon!
Was the power of legendary Pokemon truly this overwhelming? Even the protective barrier around a sleeping Rayquaza had this terrifying defense. How powerful must the Pokemon itself be?
No wonder evil organizations coveted the power of legendary Pokemon, they truly could reshape or destroy the world!
"If one can't do it, then I'll use six," John declared, abandoning the idea of incrementally increasing his attack power. He sent out six Pokemon simultaneously.
"Garchomp, MEGA Evolution, use Draco Meteor!"
"Gardevoir, MEGA Evolution, use Psychic!"
"Tyranitar, MEGA Evolution, use Hyper Beam!"
"Blaziken, use Blaze Kick!"
"Salamence, use Dragon Ascent!"
After four consecutive MEGA evolutions, John suddenly turned pale. His physical stamina was impressive, but in the past, he had managed at most two Pokemon undergoing MEGA evolution simultaneously, sometimes with Z-moves. Now with four Pokemon using MEGA evolution together and executing powerful moves, John felt as if all energy was being drained from his body.
"My physique still isn't sufficient," John thought between labored breaths. "If I want to maximize their strength, I'll need to intensify my physical training." He was already planning his future regimen, unaware that what he was accomplishing would leave other Trainers dumbfounded.
Who else would attempt to maintain four MEGA evolutions simultaneously?
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The six Pokemon attacked in sequence, each unleashing their most powerful moves. The combined assault bombarded the invisible barrier protecting Rayquaza.
Powerful as it was, the defense wasn't invincible. The mist rippled and began to dissipate under the concentrated barrage of energy.
Perhaps sensing the disturbance, Rayquaza stirred from its deep slumber. Slowly, its eyes opened.
At the center of those pitch-black eyes gleamed majestic golden rings!
In an instant, all of John's dragon-type and flying-type Pokemon felt an overwhelming pressure. Salamence was immediately forced to the ground, unable to rise.
Garchomp suffered the same fate. Because Garchomp had undergone MEGA evolution, John could vaguely feel what his Pokemon experienced, the crushing weight of Rayquaza's presence. This wasn't merely a difference in strength or temperament but a suppression embedded in their very blood!
As dragon Pokemon facing the strongest of their kind, John's partners were only qualified to to knell before it.
Rayquaza's position wasn't simply as the Lord of the Sky, it was clearly a divine rank representing dragon gods themselves.
Rayquaza's body floated upward, its piercing black eyes still fixed on John, as if waiting for an explanation for this disturbance.
The scene reminded John of ancient tales of dragon lords questioning presumptuous humans.
Before John could offer any explanation, Rayquaza noticed something unusual in the surrounding world. The legendary Pokemon looked around, suddenly alert.
ROAR!!
With a thunderous cry, Rayquaza immediately soared toward Sootopolis City.
Thanks to the Soothe Bell he carried, John could understand what the roar expressed even without using the Jade Orb:
"What are those two idiots doing now?"
Despite the serious situation, John couldn't help but smile at Rayquaza's exasperated tone, like an older sibling annoyed at having to deal with troublesome younger ones.
Watching Rayquaza depart, John took out his treasure detector again. After confirming that he hadn't missed any valuable items, he descended to the first floor, used his climbing rope, and returned to the entrance of Sky Pillar.
He had no desire to experience long-distance teleportation again so soon.
Upon reaching the gate of Sky Pillar, John immediately commanded Salamence to use Fly toward Sootopolis City.
By the time John arrived, the scene before him was awe-inspiring.
Rayquaza had already positioned itself between Groudon and Kyogre. Thanks to its unique Ability: Air Lock, the sky above Sootopolis Island showed no signs of either scorching sun or heavy rain, only a patch of calm, peaceful blue sky directly above the legendary weather deity.
However, neither Groudon nor Kyogre halted their conflict because of Rayquaza's arrival. Instead, they turned their aggression toward it, attacking in unison.
"Precipice Blades!" Groudon summoned massive stone spikes from the earth.
"Origin Pulse!" Kyogre unleashed a devastating wave of primal water energy.