Yveltal had fled. Zygarde had been split apart. Xerneas was sealed away in Ultra Space.
This time, it was a decisive victory for Lucius.
Inside his mental domain, the Hive expanded dramatically—new genes emerged, slotting into the hexagonal grid one by one. His level quickly surged past Lv.120.
At the same time, his quest to devour the Primal Gene now showed a completion rate of 5/10.
Lucius issued a command to all Zygarde Cells. One by one, the green lights coalesced, streaming back toward him.
In under thirty seconds, a colossal serpent of black and green appeared before him. But this time, it was no longer a threat. Even before it exploded in fury, both body and spirit had already been thoroughly corrupted by the virus.
Lucius could sense a flood of reporters and Trainers rushing toward the scene. He released pheromones to compel them to turn back immediately.
At the same time, he ordered the Necrozma to open an Ultra Wormhole. Along with all the Legendary Pokémon present, he vanished into the swirling portal.
...
Distortion World.
On a floating island where direction held no meaning—no up, down, left, or right—the air, still as death, suddenly billowed with ghostly black smoke.
A figure cloaked in red and black shadows materialized and landed silently upon the island.
Yveltal calmly plucked the golden stingers embedded in its arms and body, showing no signs of pain.
Glancing at the pile of broken spines on the ground, it hesitated for only a second before exhaling a beam of dark energy from its mouth, instantly petrifying them, then shattering them to dust.
It knew those broken stingers still carried the virus. They had to be destroyed completely.
But it had failed to stop the viral meteor from entering the atmosphere. That meant the world outside would soon fall.
The air quivered again.
A pitch-black shadow coalesced above, and the Renegade Dragon, Giratina, revealed its true form, descending before Yveltal.
"Hard to believe it's grown so powerful in such a short time," Giratina sighed.
Back when Lucius and the others were trapped in the Distortion World, Giratina had originally intended to use the Champion-level Trainers as hostages to coerce Lucius into working for it.
But it hadn't expected Lucius to counter so fiercely, uniting everyone to strike in a surprise assault, catching Giratina off guard and managing to escape.
Giratina had pursued them into the real world, only to immediately sense the awakening power of Arceus. Left with no choice, it had returned to the Distortion World.
After all, protecting the Distortion World was a duty Arceus had entrusted to it. While Arceus slumbered, Giratina had freedom. But now that the Creator had awakened, any move Giratina made outside would surely be detected.
"I think… I've been infected," Yveltal said, unease lacing its voice. "Is there a way to suppress it?"
Seeing Yveltal's uncharacteristic anxiety, Giratina gave a rare smile. "There is."
"How?" Yveltal's eyes lit up.
"We have to ask him," Giratina said softly.
"Arceus?" Yveltal frowned. It clearly disliked the being known as the Original One.
"Actually, this is an opportunity," Giratina said. "After what the virus has done, that thing has become a common enemy to all Mythical Pokémon, including him. Do you really want to wait until it picks us off one by one?"
Yveltal fell silent. It understood Giratina's plan.
As the God of Death, Yveltal had always shared a certain rapport with the Lord of the Reverse World. Even Giratina's signature move, Shadow Force, had been taught to Yveltal long ago.
It was thanks to that move that Yveltal became the only being aside from Giratina capable of entering the Distortion World by its own will.
"…Fine." Yveltal nodded. It might not like Arceus, but compared to being fully consumed by the virus, it would rather ask the Original One for aid.
"Then let's go," Giratina said, wasting no time as it opened a spatial rift.
...
Elsewhere, in Ultra Space…
Xerneas arrived at the last known human settlement in this alien world.
It could immediately sense something strange, their vitality was too strong.
According to its observations, the sparse and barren resources of this world should have rendered it uninhabitable for humans. And yet, these humans and Pokémon were very lively and full of life force, in fact, their bodies were even stronger than the humans in its own world.
It was… familiar. Almost like those infected by the virus.
In its home world, Xerneas had seen human civilization rise and fall countless times, including outbreaks of viral pandemics. But those viruses never survived summer, and at worst, caused limited casualties. Never anything like this.
Back in Kalos, life energy itself had been devoured by unseen forces. Like a tidal wave, the virus swept through every corner of the region. No lifeform was spared. Even the flora twisted into grotesque new forms. Xerneas had been forced to shield itself with Fairy-type power just to survive.
It was during that onslaught that Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde simultaneously sensed a massive concentration of the virus moving into the upper atmosphere.
Once the virus reached the stratosphere, Kalos would no longer be the only casualty. Not even the oceans would halt its spread. The entire world would fall.
So, the three Mythical Pokémon of Kalos had acted in unison to stop it.
But the result… had been disastrous.
Worse, the aura of that black Rayquaza, it fit this world. Perfectly.
Each Mythical Pokémon was unique. They knew each other by aura. If there were two of the same, it could only mean one was from another world.
Xerneas didn't disturb the local humans or Pokémon. It began searching for a way back to its own world.
Suddenly, the dark sky shimmered with prismatic light, an Ultra Wormhole spiraled open.
Perfect.
Xerneas turned into a beam of silver light and shot toward the portal. But just before reaching it, it froze.
It felt them, their auras. Fresh in its memory.
Sure enough, four dragon-like figures emerged from the Ultra Wormhole: a green Mega Rayquaza, the black Rayquaza, a terrifying serpentine creature with golden-red scales and wings, and a black-and-green serpent, Zygarde.
Following them was Necrozma. As it entered, the Ultra Wormhole snapped shut in a burst of lightning.
Xerneas narrowed its eyes.
It could tell, Zygarde had joined their side.
One against five.
Not once in its long existence as the God of Life had it faced odds like this.
"Xerneas," the golden-red creature spoke, its back covered in wings. "I believe we can talk."
"What is there to talk about?" Xerneas asked, cautiously relieved. It couldn't win this fight. If talking was an option, it was the better path.
"I want to bring life back to this world," the creature said. "And you… are the God of Life. Perhaps you can help me."
Restore life?
Xerneas looked around the desolate land once more… and nodded.
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