When Sam realized that Rayquaza had locked onto him, he almost cursed out loud.
This thing had no sense of honor at all.
In a proper battle, you crush your opponent head-on—but Rayquaza ignored all that. Instead, it went straight for the Trainer, choosing the most efficient and ruthless method.
Honestly, it was worse than an evil organization.
Sam's contempt meant nothing.
Rayquaza opened its mouth, energy gathering rapidly as it aimed a devastating Hyper Beam directly at him.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!"
"Tyranitar, Sand Shield!"
No matter how fast Charizard was, it couldn't outrun or overpower a Hyper Beam from Rayquaza. Yet Sam remained calm, even as danger closed in.
A blazing column of fire erupted from Charizard's mouth, colliding with the incoming golden beam.
Charizard pushed itself to the limit—
But the gap was too large.
The flames held for only a split second before being completely overwhelmed.
Sam didn't panic.
Tyranitar's sand barrier had already formed.
The Hyper Beam slammed into it, energy grinding violently against the swirling wall of sand. Though the attack eventually broke through, its remaining power had been reduced to almost nothing.
"Now—move!"
Charizard banked sharply, dodging the weakened остатки of the blast.
Rayquaza roared, clearly irritated.
It opened its mouth again, gathering energy for another strike—
But this time, it had made a mistake.
It had focused too much on Sam.
And forgotten its true enemy.
A red blur flashed behind it—
Deoxys.
Its psychic tendrils shot forward, wrapping tightly around Rayquaza's jaws and forcing them shut.
The energy inside Rayquaza's mouth was still building.
Realizing the danger, Rayquaza struggled violently.
It twisted its massive body and lashed out with its claws, enhanced by draconic energy. In an instant, deep wounds were torn across Deoxys's body.
Blood spilled—
But Deoxys didn't let go.
Its expression remained cold and resolute as it tightened its grip, forcing Rayquaza's jaws closed even harder.
The energy reached its limit—
BOOM!!!
A violent explosion erupted inside Rayquaza's mouth.
Blood burst outward as the backlash tore through it from within.
The pain drove Rayquaza into a frenzy.
With a savage motion, it grabbed Deoxys's tendrils and ripped them apart.
The tearing force nearly caused Deoxys to black out.
But it endured.
Barely.
It immediately retreated, wings flaring as it distanced itself from the enraged sky serpent.
Despite its injuries, Deoxys's body began regenerating at a visible rate. Its severed arm wasn't fatal—but regeneration needed time.
Time they didn't have.
"Deoxys, fall back and recover. Leave this to us."
Sam's voice rang out.
Deoxys hesitated for only a moment before nodding.
It chose to trust him.
With one last look, it withdrew from the battlefield, focusing on regenerating its arm.
Rayquaza, however, would never let it go.
Locking onto Deoxys again, it surged forward with a furious roar.
Sam let out a short laugh.
"Looks like we're being underestimated."
Instead of dealing with the immediate threat behind it, Rayquaza still prioritized Deoxys.
A mistake.
"Tyranitar—Dark Energy Sphere!"
A dense sphere of compressed dark energy began forming in Tyranitar's jaws, radiating terrifying power.
Even Rayquaza sensed the danger.
If it ignored this attack, it would take serious damage.
For a split second—
It hesitated.
Then it made its choice.
It turned.
Energy gathered in its mouth—
Dragon Pulse.
The two attacks collided mid-air.
BOOM!!!
A violent shockwave erupted, tearing through the sky and slamming into Larus City below.
Buildings shattered.
Glass exploded.
The protective barrier blocked the direct energy—but not the aftermath.
The city trembled.
People screamed.
Panic spread like wildfire.
On the ground, Ash, Brock, and Misty stood frozen for a moment before Norman snapped into action.
"Ash, Brock, Misty—go to the Battle Tower and gather Trainers! Then help evacuate civilians!"
His voice was firm, controlled.
As a Gym Leader, this was his responsibility.
Without hesitation, he released his Pokémon and rushed toward the disaster zones.
Up in the sky—
"Charizard, climb! Avoid the shockwave!"
Sam held tightly onto Charizard as violent winds tore past them.
Sharp air currents sliced across his arms, leaving thin cuts behind—but he ignored them.
None of that mattered.
Defeating Rayquaza—that was all that mattered.
Then—
CRACK.
A sharp wind blade struck his wrist.
The bracelet shattered.
The Mega Evolution Stone slipped free—
And fell.
Sam's expression darkened.
He had been waiting for the right moment to Mega Evolve Charizard again.
Now—
That option was gone.