Chapter 488: The Struggle for the Legendary Stone

A certain unknown ruin.

Champion Dawu gazed at the massive fluorite before him, activated by the energy beams of numerous flower-like machines, his heart brimming with delight.

Finally found it!

One of the origins of Super Evolution in the Hoenn region—【The Legendary Stone】!

But unfortunately, he was not the only one who found the stone; it also included Fladali, director of the Fladali Institute from the Kalos region, his subordinate Ailan, and the latter's traveling companion Manong.

This made the ownership of the stone extremely complicated, though the final outcome would almost certainly be cooperation between Getwen Corporation and the Fladali Institute to jointly study the stone.

As the saying goes, whoever sees it has a share; despite being Champion, Dawu would never abuse his power.

He turned his head and asked, "What time is it now?"

The moment the Legendary Stone was summoned, a large number of Fladali Institute personnel arrived via aircraft and began a series of strange actions toward the Legendary Stone.

Fladali, over two meters tall with orange hair like a lion's mane, crossed his arms and said solemnly, "I believe we should immediately analyze the stone's composition, as this is a precious discovery."

Composition analysis…

Dawu frowned slightly.

Boom!

Suddenly, the Legendary Stone emitted a series of intense energy fluctuations, causing Manong and Happiny to be thrown to the ground in shock.

Then, another anomaly occurred!

Above, dark clouds swirled and expanded like a storm, instantly shrouding the entire ruin in shadow; wild thunder surged within the clouds, and a terrifying roar echoed from high above.

"Wooong—"

Everyone in the ruin involuntarily looked up and saw a massive emerald dragon, bathed in brilliant light, hurtling down from the sky; as it twisted and turned, it radiated an overwhelming aura of dread, making the people below gasp for breath.

Fladali remained silent.

Ailan stared blankly, slightly opening his mouth: "That is—!"

"Latios!?" Dawu's expression turned solemn, tinged with disbelief.

According to the ancient legends he knew, he had not uttered any prayer to summon it—why had Latios appeared?

Could it be—

He looked at the Legendary Stone; indeed, it was still emitting strong energy fluctuations, as if actively calling out to it.

Above the sky.

As if the energy had reached a peak.

Unparalleled colored light converged on Latios's body; the Celestial Organ had gathered sufficient scattered energy, triggering its Super Evolution!

In a breath.

As its golden whiskers swayed in the wind, the transformed Super Latios lifted its head and let out another long roar.

"Ssiaong—!"

This time, its roar had altered the weather; the Delta air current's gray-black turbulent flows spun into a storm high above, making it nearly impossible to breathe!

Fortunately, aside from the researchers, Dawu and the others present were no ordinary people, yet even they knew the situation was dire.

Especially when Super Latios, without warning, began gathering terrifying energy in its mouth.

"Run!"

Ailan ordered the researchers to evacuate; Dawu quickly released Metagross to Super Evolve, but his actions were too slow—Super Latios unleashed Dragon Pulse, obliterating all research equipment near the stone and blowing up the nearby airship as well.

Flames erupted everywhere, throwing the scene into chaos.

Yet Fladali stood motionless, calmly murmuring, "Did our actions… anger Latios?"

Dawu glanced at him, growing even more suspicious of the man, but his immediate priority was dealing with the powerful Super Latios, so he said nothing.

Meanwhile, Ailan, after instructing Manong, had also completed Super Evolution with his Charizard.

Super Metagross and Super Charizard X stood side by side, gazing up at the furious Super Latios, unafraid and ready to fight.

But just as Dawu and Ailan were about to give the order—

Another roar echoed from the distant sky; the familiar tone caused Super Latios to halt its movement, its angry eyes filled with stunned disbelief.

The people in the ruin were equally stunned; Dawu and Ailan exchanged glances, their faces filled with utter shock.

Even Fladali, who had been so composed moments ago, now lost his calm, gazing far off and whispering, "That voice… how is that possible?"

Manong, crouching in the rubble with her head in her hands, muttered, "Hally, I think I just heard another Latios roar again?"

"Hm…"

Happiny, nestled in her arms, lifted its head solemnly, confirming her training partner hadn't imagined it.

Another Latios had truly arrived!

And it was black!

Without doubt.

Through the Delta air current's obscured sky, another gray-black Latios entered the battlefield, gazing curiously around like a Husky among wolves, until its gaze settled on the Legendary Stone still emitting energy fluctuations.

Hey!

Found something good!

"Ssiaong—!"

A roar as if tearing the sky rang beside it; the Shiny Latios, facing the Hoenn Latios with hostile eyes, felt no guilt for interrupting its dramatic entrance, and met its gaze without backing down.

So what? This treasure is meant for me!

Besides, treasures belong to the capable! Do you think I'm afraid of a fight?

Instantly, the Shiny Latios activated its Celestial Organ, completing Super Evolution at a visible speed; two nearly identical Super Latios locked eyes—war for territory and treasure was about to begin!

—Above, most of this was Baimu's imagination.

But the content was likely close enough: the Shiny Latios looked at the Legendary Stone as if it were breakfast, and responded to Hoenn Latios's threatening roar not with words, but with clear defiance, showing no sense of being an intruder.

This situation was definitely going to turn into a fight.

But the problem was—

He was still on top of the shiny Rayquaza's head!

All Baimu absolutely did not think he'd gain anything from the two of them fighting. Their species' energy didn't have friendly fire turned off, and if the Hoenn Rayquaza got truly fired up, its reckless, no-holds-barred stance…

Furthermore, as half a People of the Meteors, standing on the "outsider" side just felt wrong to him.

So after a brief moment of thought, All Baimu silently jumped off the shiny Rayquaza's head, told it he'd be cheering it on from below, and then decisively slipped away.

The shiny Rayquaza didn't stop him either—without a person on its head, it could fight more freely!

"Aaar—

It charged excitedly toward the Hoenn Rayquaza!

——

Rewind two minutes.

The instant the shiny Rayquaza crashed the scene, the area around the ruins descended into utter chaos.

One Rayquaza was already more than they could handle—how were they supposed to deal with another? Use their heads?!

The solemn atmosphere affected the gathered staff, who looked hopefully at Fradri, hoping this boss could come up with a good plan.

Alan clenched his fists tight. He was determined to make Charizard the strongest Mega Evolution. Logically, Mega Rayquaza was also among his intended challenges, but he knew the gap between himself and Champion Dawu was still huge, let alone Mega Rayquaza.

Now that two Rayquaza had appeared, he was nearly ready to lose his fighting spirit, wanting to give up on the Legendary Titan and flee with Manon.

Fradri continued gazing up at the sky, his tightly furrowed brow suddenly relaxing a little. "Champion, did you see that?"

"Mm."

Champion Dawu nodded, and the words he spoke instantly drew everyone's attention: "On the head of that sudden shiny Rayquaza… there's a person standing."

"A person?"

Alan's heart jolted. His gaze swiftly shifted to the top of the shiny Rayquaza's head, and indeed he saw a blurry human figure. "This Rayquaza has a Trainer!?"

His fists clenched even tighter. If the shiny Rayquaza had a Trainer, then he had to challenge—and even surpass—that person.

Otherwise, how could he move forward on the path of the strongest Mega Evolution?

"Huh? The shiny Rayquaza was caught?" Manon and Chespin crawled out from a corner, disbelief written all over their faces.

A legendary Pokémon being caught—well, that was just too shocking.

But Fradri's focus wasn't only on that.

"Moreover, these two Rayquaza appear to be hostile toward each other. It looks like they're going to fight." His gaze grew incomparably profound as he turned and shouted: "Quick! Find a way to call for more reinforcements! Once the Rayquaza start fighting, we'll seize the chance to take the Titan!"

"Yes! Representative!"

A group of researchers responded in unison and swiftly busied themselves.

The shiny Rayquaza's intrusion was both a crisis and an opportunity.

They had to find a way to move the Legendary Titan out from between the two of them, while also avoiding being besieged by both Rayquaza.

In the sky.

The shiny Rayquaza's body was enveloped in dazzling colorful light, completing its Mega Evolution in an instant.

But what struck the people constantly watching the sky as strange was that the person who had been standing on the shiny Rayquaza's head suddenly jumped down… no, rode down on a Pokémon.

"Hydreigon?"

Fradri's eyes were practically like a telescope—based on the blurry outline alone, he could already tell what Pokémon it was.

And Champion Dawu, hearing what the former had said, looked again at the blurry figure gradually approaching their side, and an odd guess inevitably arose in his heart.

Could it be… him?

Boom!

An earth-shattering explosion came from the sky—clearly the two starkly different-colored Rayquaza had begun their battle. The surging Dragon-type energy transformed into roaring giant dragons that clashed in the heavens, triggering a terrifying explosion on par with destroying the world.

The massive shockwave spread with a rumble, turning into a gust of wind that swept over the descending figure, as well as the people inside the ruins.

Quite a few people were blown over amid screams, tumbling about as if the world were spinning. Champion Dawu stood behind his Mega Metagross to withstand the gale's assault, and Mega Charizard X likewise shielded Alan, Manon, and Chespin.

Only Fradri stood unmoved, as if his feet had taken root, paying no heed to the shockwave from the tremors, merely narrowing his eyes slightly.

A moment later.

He looked at the rolling fog before him. "Friend, you're also very interested in the Titan?"

Fradri's words made the nearby few quickly look toward the smoke—Champion Dawu especially, his gaze seeming to be anticipating something.

"Cough, cough, cough…"

A bout of low coughing came from within, followed by clear words.

"Mr. Fradri, I am indeed very interested in the Legendary Titan, but actually what you said isn't quite accurate."

Amid Champion Dawu's expression of pleasant surprise and relief, All Baimu slowly revealed his form. Beside him, accompanied by Hydreigon, he barely managed a faint smile. "To be precise, 'we' are the Legendary Titan's first owners. This thing should count as lost property."

He brazenly tried to put gold on his own face, yet this line would clearly carry more weight if Miss Xijiana were the one saying it.

Too bad she wasn't here.

"Dawu-san, it's been mere days but feels like three autumns apart!" All Baimu's gaze swept past the oddly expressioned Alan and Manon, finally landing with a smile on Champion Dawu, who still maintained his composure amid the chaos. "But why are you wearing a suit at a time like this?"

He remembered Champion Dawu had a work-suit skin.

"Circumstances didn't allow it…" Champion Dawu said offhandedly, as another terrifying boom came from the sky above.

Rumble!

The two Mega Rayquaza had clearly exchanged another blow.

The current environment wasn't really suited for conversation, but how could the people present care about that? Not being directly hit by the Mega Rayquaza was already something worth celebrating.

Fradri turned to look at Champion Dawu and said: "If it's not too much trouble, would the Champion introduce us?"

"Of course. Representative Fradri, you should have heard of this. This gentleman is a member of the Hoenn region's ancient people—the People of the Meteors. Legend has it that their ancestors stood upon the Titan and summoned Rayquaza, putting an end to the war between two other ancient Pokémon."

Champion Dawu was about to speak his name when Baimu raised a hand to stop him.

He looked at the crowd and said calmly, "My name is Baimu. I am a Dragon Tamer."

"Dragon Tamer!"

Marion immediately rushed forward upon hearing the term, curious: "Is that the same as a Trainer?"

The inexperienced little girl feared nothing—Ailan didn't even have time to pull her back.

"It depends on how you define it. Dragon Tamers mainly train Pokémon closely related to Dragon-type Pokémon, but not limited to them." Baimu felt no ill will toward the girl.

Flannery watched his composed demeanor and frowned slightly.

He had thought to take advantage of the two Rayquaza's battle to slip away unnoticed and quickly relocate the Legendary Stone—but Baimu's self-introduction made Flannery realize the operation would not be so easy.

"Mr. Baimu, then what do you propose?"

"Of course, I hope the stone returns to its rightful owner." His smile remained unchanged.

Ailan could no longer hold back: "Mr. Baimu… your Rayquaza is still battling another Rayquaza. Considering the safety of everyone present and your Pokémon, my suggestion is to move the stone first, then discuss ownership. What do you think?"

The young man thought it was absurd to argue over ownership before even securing the Legendary Stone!

"Sorry, Rayquaza is not my Pokémon. It is merely my friend. I cannot command it or interfere with its will." Baimu replied, "Its battle with the Dragon God Rayquaza is its own choice."

At once, Champion Dawu hurried to his side and whispered: "Did the Meteor Village send you to retrieve the stone? And what about the Shiny Rayquaza? Shouldn't your faith be in Hoenn's Rayquaza?"

"I can't explain it all now… I'll tell you after this is over."

Baimu felt the fluctuating energy above his head and said to everyone: "It seems we need to take cover."

Above the heavens.

After two waves of mutual Dragon Pulse attacks yielded no results.

The two Super Rayquaza began using another method of large-scale destruction.

—Meteor Shower.

Blazing flames fused in their mouths into explosive light, and two massive energy orbs, each as wide as a basketball court, shot skyward and detonated upon entering the turbulent air!

In an instant, a rain of fire rained down!

The fiery masses falling amid rolling black smoke were no different from meteorites descending from the sky—each one that struck the ground triggered a colossal explosion, causing terrifying destruction to the earth.

The two Super Rayquaza weaved through the Meteor Shower, untouched by a single fragment, while Baimu and the others near the ruins suffered terribly, becoming the primary targets of the meteor strikes.

Baimu and Champion Dawu, anticipating this, hid together; Dragapult and Super Metagross each summoned massive light shields to withstand the impact of falling meteorites.

Flannery and Ailan and the others had already taken cover elsewhere—presumably safe.

"Here it comes!"

Baimu whispered beneath the shield. Champion Dawu looked at him in confusion, then saw a massive blue shadow flicker through the smoke.

It was the Dragon God Rayquaza, attempting to seize the Legendary Stone amid the chaos.

The Shiny Rayquaza must have followed closely to contest it, right? But according to normal events, the Legendary Stone, affected by the high-energy fluctuations of the Meteor Shower, would vanish mysteriously and reassemble near Canaaz City.

Then, it would trigger a struggle between Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre.

Baimu was thinking this when black smoke before the shield shifted, golden light swirled, and a colossal black dragon head emerged—startling Super Metagross and Champion Dawu.

"No!"

"Roar…"

The Shiny Rayquaza ignored it, its gaze fixed instead on Baimu, unharmed beneath the shield.

He met its gaze, froze for a moment, then cried out in heartfelt urgency: "What are you waiting for! Don't mind me! Go get the stone first!"

"Roar!"

Upon hearing this, the Shiny Rayquaza immediately turned, fixed its eyes on the Legendary Stone shrouded in smoke, then saw the Dragon God Rayquaza suddenly charge outward—it assumed the other had seized the stone and rushed after it.

The two Rayquaza departed.

The surrounding smoke gradually cleared.

Champion Dawu stared at Baimu, his expression mysterious—as if saying: "You said you couldn't command it, that it was just a friend? Yet it abandoned the stone the moment it saw you—and even obeyed your order to chase after it!"

"Cough, cough—everyone alright? Mr. Flannery? That… that kid? And the other little one?"

Baimu pretended not to notice and turned away, quickly moving a heavy stone to find Ailan and Marion sheltered under the protective flames of Charizard—both unharmed, though Charizard had sustained minor injuries.

Champion Dawu also found Flannery on the other side—the man hadn't a speck of dust on him; no one knew where he'd hidden.

"Where's the stone?"

Ailan, deeply concerned about the Legendary Stone, asked immediately.

Baimu shook his head. "I don't know… perhaps the Dragon God Rayquaza took it?"

He gazed toward the horizon—the dark clouds had quietly dispersed; sunlight returned to the ruins, illuminating the surroundings as if the Shiny Rayquaza had chased Hoenn's Rayquaza beyond the atmosphere.

"No, it didn't. My subordinates told me the energy vanished suddenly—not during movement." Flannery remained unmoved by Baimu's obfuscation. "They're already searching."

Champion Dawu frowned. "Why would the stone attract Rayquaza… what is the relationship between them?"

Baimu said nothing.

He absolutely did not want the Legendary Stone to fall back into Flannery's hands—otherwise, Team Flare would once again stir chaos in the Kalos region.

But.

Even without the Legendary Stone, Team Flare would find another way to bring about destruction. If he let events unfold as originally destined and delivered a fatal blow at the critical moment, it might be smoother than trying to stop them from obtaining the stone and then facing unknown schemes…

Damn it.

Doing good deeds is hard too.