GKND
Index stood still with her palm held flat. A tiny light was present on it. "Index?" She heard a familiar face and looked over.
"Nagisa! Let me guess, you got here with the new Moonbase Quickwarp?"
"Er, yeah."
"I am SOOOOO glad they decided to install one! We've been making so many frequent trips here lately, they finally decided it was necessary!"
"Haha, yeah. …How come you're just standing here?"
"Don't you see Synthia? Rupert and Mujika are exploring my palm right now!"
"That's right!" Synthia fluttered up. "Your ordinary bodies are like entire worlds, you know! You have whole societies and valleys inhabited by the millions of cells that keep your body functioning!"
"Is that her only ability?" Nagisa asked. "Just exploring the Microverse?"
"That's not ALL I can do! I can modify chi paths, too! Like, back when I worked with Skully, I…er, maybe that's not a 'proud' example."
"But nothing wrong with exploring the Microverse." Index shrugged. "Wouldn't you like to explore Morgie's, Nagisa?"
"I'm not really up for shrinking again."
"Awe, but you loved being our boy toy." Index smirked. "Is it 'cause I tried to eat you? Aaaahhhh~" She moved closer to make sure Nagisa got the full view of her salivating mouth.
"Ew, get away!" he yelled rather brashly. His instinct told him to keep his distance from the lightbending nun.
"Gee, I'm just teasing." Index frowned. "What's the matter, anyway?"
"Can I talk to you in private?"
"Fine. Synthia?"
Synthia restored Rupert to his full human size, with Mujika on his shoulder. "Man, you wouldn't believe how hungry your cells were!" Rupert commented upon leaving.
"So, Index… when do you plan to capture Hoopa?"
"I haven't decided. We still don't know what's going to happen."
"That's just it, isn't it? Something bad's gonna happen when we get them all. Do you think, maybe… we're better off not catching Hoopa?"
"Well, I can't just not catch him either. Hoopa is still important to me… so, I'm bound to be his Guardian either way."
"Is he more important than us?"
"What?!"
"I'm just saying… Hoopa kind of endangered us. The same for most of these-"
"Where's that attitude coming from all of a sudden?! These Newborn are troubled spirits that need our help. I know they haven't exactly made our lives easy, but they've become more pleasant people. And their Guardians have gotten pretty close with them. They're off training with their Newborn now. They need to get comfortable with using them when we eventually face the inevitable threat."
"Yeah… you're right. Sorry…" Nagisa should've figured getting through with her would be impossible.
"No, I get where you're coming from. Besides, we're pretty stressed up here ourselves. You hear what happened to-"
"STOP, LET ME GO!" Jerome and some Wisps came dragging Kaito in from the hangar. "I'm innocent! This is unjust treatment! I have a right to an attorney and trial by jury!"
"Jerome?" Nebula warped down. "Who's… this guy?"
"This man tried to capture Jirachi a moment ago. He calls himself Kaito, and I suspect he's with CP0."
"He is?!"
"That's confidential information!" Kaito argued.
"He is!!"
"A CP0 agent?" Index acknowledged. "Hey, Nagisa, did you hear the news?"
"About Kyogre?"
"Not just him… we heard Hexxus was assassinated, too. Have you tried to contact Killua recently?"
"N-Not really. I'll try to call him now. Er, as soon as I use the bathroom."
Giving himself an excuse to be alone, Nagisa made sure the bathroom was empty as he made the call. He dialed Killua's number and waited for an answer. "Killua… the GKND captured a man named Kaito. They said he's one of you guys."
…
"Kaito?" Killua repeated, his own eyes darkened. "Thanks, Nagisa. I'll send this to Maki. Anything else?"
"Yeah… I think Cheren is hiding something. Something… that could help against the Newborn."
…
"You guys are nuts if you think you can hold me." Kaito smirked, sealed in a prison cell. "It ain't just CP0 you gotta worry about. Once the Gifted Juveniles come to my rescue, you'll be begging for mercy!"
"Another one of your exaggerations?" Jerome rolled his eyes. "We'll hold the door open."
Hawaii; the next day
Shadow and Lucci commandeered a yacht and sailed it to a hidden cove on the island. Though they had hidden from the locals, there was no doubt the deity of this island already sensed them the moment they hit the surface. "Remember… don't wear both until the time is right." Lucci said.
"You don't need to be concerned about me." Shadow donned the left One-Punch Gauntlet. "I'm the Ultimate Lifeform. And I'll prove it."
Shadow raced up the jungle and over the ashen grounds of Groudon Volcano. He bypassed the local Earth Pokémon with a mix of his hedgehog skills and Rokushiki, and Lucci pranced after him, an actual lion on a hunt through the jungle. Shadow had no need to travel through the dungeon leading through the volcano, and instead zoomed up the mountain side. "HAHA! Had a feeling you'd take the easy way!"
A wall of lava erupted to block Shadow. It opened as Tom Taylor stepped through; a boy of 18 with sunburnt red skin and a Hawaiian shirt. "The KND is onto you jerks. Decided to make Groudon your next target, huh? Well, I ain't letting you get to-"
Shadow merely leapt over the wall and continued up. "HEY! At least give me a-!" But he quickly whipped lava forward upon hearing a lion's roar, fending off Lucci's pounce.
"A lavabender? They're going to need to send a lot more than you." Lucci bit Fang Pistols, Tom blocking them with lava as he splashed—a Forgetful Glance threw Tom off, allowing Lucci to snag a bite at his leg, but leapt back before lava could burn him.
Shadow, once at the volcano crater, used Moon Walk to fly to the large platform that the dungeon would've let out at. "GROUDON! SHOW YOURSELF!"
… … …The lava was relatively still, its boiling echoing in the vastness. "Groudon… it was me, you know. The one who finished off Kyogre… WAS ME!"
…The upper half of a shiny red head poked up. "Only mortals who solve my dungeon are allowed an audience with me. But… I see you are desperate to have your death wish granted." The God of Lava emerged from the depths. A Godzilla-like being, his back was red and his front white with a lava stomach. His segments of armor were very smooth and shiny, almost like a giant toy robot. "I didn't like that selfish idiot, but still, we were sworn brothers in combat! And if I couldn't beat him, I refuse to believe a rat like you could!"
"I'm not a rat, you overgrown salamander. I'm a hedgehog. (Ugh, he really has rubbed off on me.)"
"No matter what you are… you're about to feel this salamander's wrath!" (Play "How It Started" from Sonic Secret Rings.)
Shadow leapt bravely into the crater, his rocket shoes igniting as he "skied" the lava en route to Groudon. The volcanic god thrusted up spires of lava that Shadow maneuvered around, and when this was followed by a wave, Shadow sliced through it with Tempest Kick. Shadow reached the base of the titan's right leg and threw a punch from the gauntlet. It was so impactful that the leg reeled back and Groudon stumbled forward, staying balanced on the other leg. Groudon maintained this position to twirl around, stirring a maelstrom. Shadow decided to ski along the current, evading the volcanic globs that splashed around. Once at Groudon's knee, Shadow mustered up a Chaos Spear and combined it with Finger Pistol, striking the knee just on the turn. As Groudon stumbled forward, Shadow quickly raced from the titan's back, using Moon Walk to fly safe over the wave that would result.
Groudon's wide, flat tail would sweep down and splash in the lava after the body was down. "Chaos CONTROL!" Shadow used the emerald to slow down time, running onto the tail before it lifted up. He raced along the leveled backside. Groudon had already erupted flaming jets from his back, but their slowed state made them easier to maneuver around with just the lightest burns. However, Groudon's head was superheated, so it would be difficult striking without being stung. Once at the head, Shadow leapt high, spun into a Homing Attack, and as he homed on Groudon, the part to impact him was the One-Punch Gauntlet.
Groudon let out a loud bellow, his insides compressing from the blow as he sank into the lava. Shadow flew back up to the platform to recompose himself, but he sensed Groudon preparing to rise up in a rage. "So, a god won't be knocked out just from the single gauntlet. But…" He pulled off the gauntlet, seeing the burns on his inner glove. "I felt the heat. If it seers me with both gauntlets on, that could mean the end."
"I should've known you couldn't do this on your own."
Shadow cast a frustrated glare to his left. "And I suppose Sector H is out of commission?"
"They put up a better fight than I expected," Chase Young replied, "but easy pickings compared to SA. Sadly, I believe they already sent an SOS to Global Command."
"Then we haven't much time." Shadow swapped out for the other gauntlet. "I suppose I'll let you help for now."
"GROOOOUUUUUU!" The god erupted from the crater and bellowed a Magma Gun. It enveloped most of the platform except for the very sides. Chase knew his best bet was to focus the most of his chi to conjuring Ice Magic: once he felt the stream reaching its end, Chase cast Glacius across to solidify it. With a long rock sticking out of Groudon's throat, Shadow ran across it. Groudon was already re-melting it, but Shadow swiped both hands and cast Chaos Spears at the eyes, Groudon shutting them out of irritation. The titan spun and swiped his claws at the air, Shadow using Paper Art to flow away from them. Groudon dove underlava afterward and emerged from a further part of the volcano. Shadow skied along the lava in pursuit and saw Chase Moon Walking across the air. Lava flowed up through Groudon's body, as seen through his stomach, culminating at the head. He faced up and spewed the lava toward the heavens, exploding into a meteor shower. Groudon tried to direct the meteors at his foes, but while Shadow evaded them, Chase thrusted puffs of Glacius to harden them and afterwards kick them back at Groudon's head.
Groudon stretched lava tendrils from his stomach, swiping them at the assassins. Chase froze some into stone and slid down one, getting directly under Groudon's head. His palm stretched up, Chase called a spell to summon a bolt of lightning, striking from the ashen clouds and zapping the head. Shadow skied up one of the tendrils lodged in the lava, and from there could make the jump to Groudon's hip. Shadow slammed the gauntlet and toppled Groudon over onto his side, splashing a tidal wave of lava. Shadow leapt over the wave, and as he skied past Groudon's backside, he used "Chaos Control!" to slow down time. Groudon had already willed lava bubbles to emerge around him, bursting into very slow explosions. Shadow naturally maneuvered around them, and once the head came around the corner, Shadow charged a Spin Dash and rammed him, the gauntlet serving as the impact point.
The force sent Groudon sliding across the volcano, his body rotating so his head impacted the wall. Shadow leapt to a solidified platform Chase had frozen. As they prepared for Groudon's next move, Shadow studied his burned right hand. He channeled Life Return, but it struggled to repair the burns. "Scars from a god aren't so easy to heal. Even the others are still sick from Hexxus's poison. If you want to save your hands, you'd better give the gauntlets to me."
"Hm…how about just one?"
"They'll only work if one person holds both."
"We'll get to that. For now…"
Recovering from the attack and swerving to face them, Groudon had entered Primal Mode: thick veins of bright yellow lava replaced the black lines between his armor segments, and his white front turned black. "GROOOOOOUUUUU!" The volcano rumbled and released a tremendous eruption.
…
Tom sent five Lava Fists at Lucci, who evaded most and tanked one with Haki Iron Body. Tom was stunned by his tough skin, to which Lucci smirked. He Shaved behind Tom and kicked, but as he went bouncing, Tom punched the ground. Several lava spouts erupted, with Tom bending them at Lucci. However, it was a Humming Bird illusion, and Lucci rushed behind to kick Tom into one of the spouts. Tom quickly hardened the lava, ripped out the pillar, and threw it at Lucci, who sliced it with Tempest. Tom spun a ring of lava from the other spouts, but Lucci merely Moon Walked to stay safe above it. Tom punched the ground to send up more spouts, scattering into Lava Rain. Lucci struggled to evade in the air, taking burns while Tom tucked himself in a stone shield.
Lucci could sense Tom's location inside the shield and became a lion. He charged a Finger Pistol and pierced through with enough force to puncture his central chest. Tom gasped and clenched the wound, barely dodging as Lucci cut through the rock with Tempest. Tom stomped the ground to send lava waves, but they weren't enough to deter Lucci as he zipped directly up to Tom. "LUCCIIIII!"
His feline ears twitched, sensing more interesting prey. A girl he knew all too well raced up from the jungle, her muscular arms pumped for action. Lucci morphed into his human shape and balled his fist. "We've got to stop meeting like this, Miss MURPHY!"
His Golden Haki fist flew to meet Maddy's iron fist. The forces locked upon impact, generating a shockwave. Tom thought it best to maneuver away during this collision. "…?" Lucci was intrigued. The first time he showed Maddy his Gold Haki, he knocked her away easily in her Fury Mode. But now with just a normal concentration, there was a lasting impact. They jumped apart eventually, with Lucci feeling a mild sore. Maddy stretched and flexed her knuckles confidently. "That was nothing compared to K. Rool's fist."
She charged him, Lucci Shaving behind, but she readily punched his knee, but it had immediately been reinforced with Haki and Iron Body. Lucci threw up the other leg to stamp her face, enhanced with Haki, and she grabbed the ankle to deal a firm twist. Lucci grunted and used Life Return to compress his leg and slip out of her grasp, reflating it afterward. "Yes, I'm aware. One of my associates was there on that day." Lucci became a lion and jabbed a storm of Finger Pistols, Maddy dodging while trying to grasp the finger. "Challenging the greatest Haki master in the universe is sure to increase your power. I'm surprised your chi paths aren't ruined!"
Maddy hardened both hands and clapped the air, sending a shockwave that scratched Lucci. She followed by going for his stomach, but his Paper Art let him float up over the fist, followed by a Gold Scratch that Maddy dodged. He's right… I was barely in decent shape when I had to fight during the festival. But I took it easy enough that it should be good now… right?
"How did you know I was here, anyway? The KND couldn't have reported me specifically."
"I only had a hunch you would be here." Maddy followed. Lucci slashed Tempest Kicks at both opponents—Maddy found herself grabbing his leg while Tom threw a Magma Punch, but when they forgot their next move, Lucci swung Maddy into him. "By the way, you're looking under the weather yourself."
"Just breathed in some bad smog. Though I think we're about to breathe more."
As they felt the great rumbling, a terrific spire of lava rose from the volcano. "Maddy, we gotta run!" Tom yelled as a cloud of ash covered the mountainside.
"But Lucci!" Maddy pursued the lion determinedly.
Groudon was at the very top of the spire, but he kept the lava stable in a way that wouldn't damage the island. Unfortunately, Chase and Shadow had risen up on their platform: the former had conjured a strong Protego to survive the heat. "What is your element, anyway?" Groudon asked.
"I'm a wandless mage. I honed my magic for 1500 years, on top of martial arts."
"It's a shame to have to burn such formidable fighters!" Groudon heated the very air around them, intending to perspirate them dry.
"We've come prepared for this, too!" Chase declared.
"Glug-glug-glug-glug!" Chase and Shadow chugged down a whole gallon. "Glug-glug-glug-glug!" The chugged down another. The others watched on in disbelief.
Before coming here, he and Shadow had chugged down 100 gallons of water and used their Life Return to retain it. It was rather relieving to have all this water finally sweated out. Chase dispelled the barrier and entered his lizard form, Moon Walking over and slicing Tempest Scratches. Groudon slashed his own heated claws, both forces generating shockwaves. When Chase applied the Sectumsempra spell to his swipes, streaks of white ripped the air, with one managing to get through and hit Groudon's eyes. Chase Shaved upward and spat a puff of Glacius into Groudon's roaring mouth, somewhat steaming him inside. Shadow got underneath the head, shot up, and swung a Tempest Kick at the chin, bending it up, but the assassins evaded with Paper Art once Groudon lashed tentacles out.
Their rapid sweating nullified the art early, so they went back to Moon Walking. Chase went for the neck and combined Fang Pistol with Spider Bite, sending a jolt of pain through Groudon. The god's blood boiled and released a cloud of lava bubbles from his veins, exploding all around the top of the spout. Shadow joined with Chase, who used his reinforced Protego to endure the bursts. Groudon had sunk under the spout and tried to emerge from beneath them. His jaws clenched the Protego, but Shadow pulled them out before it crunched.
With another titanic growl, Primal Groudon summoned numerous streams of lava from across the planet: they originated from all volcanoes around the globe, sending citizens into a panic. Groudon intended the top of this spout to be the center point of his Volcanic Fountain. With no other way to avoid this, Shadow flew skyward. He donned both One-Punch Gauntlets and punched: the fists released a great shockwave to send the streams away. And then, as Groudon sent up a rain of lava, Shadow had thrown the left gauntlet down to Lucci. He evaded some droplets, but took burns from a few. Chase, meanwhile, had breathed a large concentration of Glacius under Groudon's neck. That particular spot would only be cooled for a few seconds—"Chaos CONTROL!"
As soon as Shadow called those words, Chase chucked the gauntlet off. Time slowed for everything except for Shadow. The hedgehog dove to grab that gauntlet, place it on, and quickly Moon Walk up to Groudon's neck. He punched up: both fists hit the cooled spot, and Shadow remained alive and unburned. Just as the Chaos Control wore off, he returned a gauntlet to Chase.
Groudon went flying from the impact. Shadow and Chase made a hasty Moon Walk away from the volcano. With the last of his life force, Groudon willed the volcanic streams to recede back to their origins. Otherwise, his great body began to flare more bright and yellow. The denizens of Hawaii were in awe and horror as their god splashed into the outer seas. There was a great explosion… and an island was born from Groudon's final burst of power, more abstract and extravagant than any common Earth island. "Heh…perfect." Shadow smirked.
"I could've done better." Chase grabbed Shadow to help support him as they made the plunge. (End song.)
Maddy froze. The feeling of such a massive presence suddenly disappearing… It was like going from 20,000 feet underwater to the surface in a second. "Tom… did you feel it?"
"It… can't be…" Tom cast a glare at Lucci. "It's impossible… Groudon couldn't die to bastards like YOU!"
"Perhaps your god was not as great as you thought." Lucci smirked.
"AAAAAAGH!" Tom sent a wave of lava, carelessly burning the jungle while Lucci had far outpaced them.
"LUCCI!" Maddy yelled, pursuing around a different route from the lava. "Why?! Why are you targeting the gods?!"
Lucci suddenly pounced her through the shrubs, pinning her. "This was King Andrew's will, too. He detested the world they created… he wanted them destroyed."
Maddy kicked him off Lion King-style, standing. "King Andrew changed, you idiot! If it weren't for the gods, we couldn't have fixed the Apocalypse."
"Yes, but now they're unnecessary. And I'm sure, deep down, you feel the same."
"You shouldn't get to decide!" Maddy leapt for a punch—an armored figure with red eyes and curled spikes on the back of their helmet blocked the punch with their palm. "Huh?!" Maddy kicked the figure away, tearing down some trees before they recovered. "Who are…" Maddy first thought of her old friend, Shade. She wore similar armor.
"I don't have time to play with you now, Maddy." Lucci said. "So, I'll let my apprentice keep you busy." The lion resumed his escape. Maddy tried to chase, but the stranger slashed a Tempest, prompting Maddy to duck and punch. They evaded with Paper Art, followed by a Finger Pistol to Maddy's muscle, but she grabbed the armored arm and squeezed it. The stranger grunted in pain before kicking out of Maddy's grasp. Clenching their arm, they retreated from the Haki Master. Maddy could already sense Lucci long gone, vanished thanks to Shadow's recharged Chaos Warp.
Skypia
The dome-shaped thundercloud was imposing over the bright White Sea. Slade piloted a small plane with Akame and Sephiroth perched on the wings. "I heard that this planet has a tribe of Nimbi that were bound to the earth." Sephiroth thought aloud. "The humans shunned them and chased them up to the sky. But even there, they were persecuted by the airborne Nimbi. I wonder why it was God Rayquaza made them without flight?"
"The gods can be picky even to their own people." Slade said.
There was an immense wall of small figures guarding the thundercloud's perimeter: operatives of the Nimbi KND. "MEMBERS OF CP0!" Jesbi called, amplifying her voice with a wind-made megaphone. "Thou art not welcome hither! If thou intends to harmeth our god, thou shalt be smitten where thou flies!"
"Right. I forgot Nimbi talk like that." Slade was already charging a bright red orb in his hands. "Well, this'll shut them up." He hurdled the orb across the distance and above the blockade.
"ALL NIMBI, EVASIVE MANEUVERS!" The orb exploded into a rain that struck nearly all the Nimbi. Jesbi caught a drop on her shock rod.
"This will zap you down to size!" Slade snapped his fingers. Hundreds of flashes of red lit the air as the Nimbi cried from electrocution.
However, five certain lights jolted over with lightning speed, zipping at multiple angles before they electrocuted the plane. "Isn't a big deal to us!" Brendix said.
"Yeah! Get shocked, nerds!" Laxy declared.
Sephiroth slashed the Birkan KND away. As they zipped around and shot the plane from all angles, the One-Winged Angel made maneuvers to intercept them. He was able to wound Amper and Brendix enough so they would take the fall, but the other three kept striking until the plane was ruined. The assassins jumped, and Sephiroth shifted their gravity so they would fall toward the cloud, while the plane exploded behind them. Akame morphed into a hybrid black widow; her lower half became the spider's body and she was still normal sized. She tried to anticipate the Birkans' moves and shot webs at them, but only managed to catch Ela. With the Birkan bound, Sephiroth slashed her down.
Jesbi dove down with a battle cry and threatened to whack Slade with her rod, imbued with his own electricity. But when Slade had his palm ready, Jesbi assumed that his own power wouldn't work against him. Instead, she kicked down right, and a quick blast of air sent her rod into Akame's bulbous spider bum. "AAAHH!"
"Curses!" Slade was forced to dispel the power on all Nimbi. Unfortunately, he couldn't actually pick specific targets to zap, he was forced to zap all his victims at once. It wasn't handy when allies were shot with it by accident. But at least several dozen Nimbi were already falling from the attack. "Sephiroth, it's all up to you. Deadpool, bring up the backup plane! We'll keep these birds busy!"
"Your guardian angel's comin' to the rescue!" Deadpool declared, launching up from the sea's surface.
Sephiroth directed Slade's gravity at Jesbi, his direct touch electrocuting the Nimbi. Akame fell toward Deadpool's plane and landed, resuming her human form. The last two Birkans zipped after Sephiroth, who turned and said, "You sure you shouldn't deal with that first?"
The Birkans turned, horrified as two small meteors were descending toward the nearby Sky Island. Sephiroth had vanished into the thundercloud amidst their distraction. Choosing to prioritize the citizens, the Birkans flew to stop the meteors, calling upon any remaining Nimbi to help.
Rain soaked the inside of the cloud dome. It was fairly gentle, but a rainbow hung over a small island, its colors seen through the misty gray. There were a few others islands inside. Sephiroth glided peacefully down to the rainbow island and landed atop its heart-shaped flowers. He was patient for a few minutes… but he felt the presence lurking beneath the White Sea.
A great, green serpent emerged from the sea. His shiny armor was segmented by dark lines, with yellow lines and circles across him. Some of the segments had trapezoidal protrusions with red edges, and those ones twisted. He had small arms and claws on his second segment and longer, fan blade protrusions on his head. His body was 23 feet long.
Sephiroth had the Whistling Arrow ready in his pocket, but he could only start charging when the target was in sight. The problem was that Rayquaza began to rotate his platform once he was up. "A Fallen Nimbi of Planet Gaia. I'm surprised there are still some left. Have you come to ask for your own salvation?"
"You must know by now what I'm here for. But first, I'm curious. That Pirate Emperor who called himself a Sky God… was he your child?"
"No. Skaios came to existence about 3,000 years ago. He was born from the very philosophy of freedom, adventure, and pirating, long before even the Four Emperors system and the Brethren Court were founded."
"So, gods can be born from simple concepts?"
"Well, Skaios technically existed even before that. But I believe that concept is what drew his 'being' into this universe. Detached from me, created by the very concept of freedom, he is a Free God."
"Even so… it should've been your responsibility to detain such a dangerous child. And yet, you let him go free, while my people remain bound to their bodies, never to ascend to Heaven."
"Because your philosophies never died. The Fallen Nimbi continue to shun us, with or without the Negatar's backing. But if you wish for forgiveness, I shall grant it to you."
"I don't need a petty serpent's pity."
"So be it. As for Skaios… I did intend to punish him, but I can see a light forming within him. He's found friends he can trust, to teach him right from wrong. And I trust that he will make a fine spirit some day!"
"Too bad you won't be there to see it." (Play "Battle Rayquaza" from Pokémon!)
Sephiroth had been using the Humming Bird technique all this time. While visualizing the illusion talking to Rayquaza, his whistling had been levitating the Whistling Arrow, shining blue as it was trained on the god's center. The arrow left a blue streak through the air, but Rayquaza felt the air cut by its movement and bent his body in evasion. Rayquaza slammed his tail and shattered the island, but Sephiroth leapt sideways and fell. He whistled for the arrow to return, ceasing his song and catching it before Rayquaza's Cyclone Roar sent him falling. Sephiroth pushed out of the wind and shifted gravity upward. The serpent spun multiple loops around the air and struck lightning downward. While evading it, Sephiroth sent a Gravity Beam beyond the sky and summoned three meteors. Rayquaza spat concentrated air at each one to shatter them, but Sephiroth willed the debris to crash back into him.
Rayquaza dove at him, but Sephiroth's Paper Art leapt him gracefully slide over his head. The millisecond after that, Sephiroth dispelled it and swiftly sliced the gaps between Rayquaza's armor before he completely passed. Rayquaza redirected upward and slashed his claws, sending cuts of air that Sephiroth clashed with. Rayquaza circled him in a spherical fashion, sending countless airwaves. Sephiroth channeled Life Return to his silver hair, serving as extra blades to counter them, but his arm took a cut. Rayquaza puffed out a tiny air bubble and had it enter the cut. Sephiroth glided away from the god and quickly used Life Return to force the bubble out. Rayquaza pursued and willed the very atmosphere to heat up. Luckily, Sephiroth anticipated such a trick.
"Actually, Rayquaza should be able to heat up the air, too." Chase smirked. "So, you need to do the same."
"Glug-glug-glug-glug!" Sephiroth, Slade, and Akame chugged water down. "Glug-glug-glug-glug!"
So, Sephiroth sweated it all out as he returned to Rayquaza and stabbed at the eye. The god shut the armored lid, then blew a gust of breath—with the sword situated against the lid's rim, it was a stable prop for Sephiroth to flip up onto the head. Rayquaza spun and flew around to shake him off, but Sephiroth's hair wrapped his antennae. The angel hung a bit forward with the hair stretched out and pierced his sword through the gap of armor. Once it was far in there, Sephiroth detached his hair and sliced around the "neck" like an inward fan. Rayquaza grabbed Sephiroth in his claw from this range, squeezing and bending the breath out of his lungs. His sword remained stuck in the neck, but Sephiroth willed its gravity to pull it out and redirect to stab the wrist. Rayquaza let go, then Sephiroth flicked a quick Finger Pistol into Rayquaza's eye.
By the time Rayquaza regained his vision, Sephiroth was leaving multiple afterimages around the air through use of fast Shaves. Rayquaza merely stirred the air to dispel them all, seeing the real Sephiroth a fair distance away. He was preparing the Whistling Arrow, so Rayquaza mimicked his meteor technique and summoned huge, dark, electrical clouds down from the dome. The clouds blocked Rayquaza from Sephiroth's vision and homed in. Sephiroth ceased whistling and slashed airwaves to disperse the Thunder Balls. But it was then Sephiroth found multiple Rayquazas surrounding him, mirages generated by a mix of hot and cold air. Sephiroth decided to burn all these clones away and use his Supernova technique. The top of the dome seemed to brighten: an entire sun was being pulled in by Sephiroth's gravity.
"You think this illusion scares me?! I'll give you something to REALLY fear!" The Sky God entered Fury Mode and became Mega Rayquaza. Each of his protrusions grew longer and sharper with yellow edges, with two extra pincer-like ones in front of his mouth. Black segments appeared, with lava-colored orbs within them. From his sharpened antennas and mouth pincers, long lava-colored streamers formed. He also grew from 23 feet to 35'5".
Sephiroth had launched the Whistling Arrow amidst his Supernova, but Rayquaza swiftly dodged as it flew out of the thunderhead. With extreme speed, Rayquaza shot in and out of the dome from multiple directions, wildly changing and brushing the air to knock Sephiroth dizzy. He eventually flew up from an angle just beneath him, aiming to stab him with the right pincer. As he dodged it, Sephiroth BAM snapped near Rayquaza's ear area. The Gun Snap threw Rayquaza's trajectory off, and by the time of his next swoop, he was slowly enough for Sephiroth to fly and strike his orbs. Rayquaza swerved around to bellow a greater cyclone, the inside electrified as Sephiroth was jolted full of lightning.
"You don't expect THAT to work, do you?!" The Whistling Arrow had made multiple loops under the sea before shooting straight back up. Sephiroth had still been whistling, but he stopped just as the lightning struck him, causing the arrow to slow to a halt and fall. When the cyclone stopped, Rayquaza whipped him away with his tail. Sephiroth splashed in the White Sea, which the god then willed to electrify, but Sephiroth Moon Walked out in time. He then slashed a wave of gravity to split the clouds beneath him apart. Rayquaza coated himself with an Aero Shield and dove down at Sephiroth, entangling the assassin with deadly speed and sharp winds.
"Perfect!" Sephiroth magnified the gravity around them to keep Rayquaza closed tightly to him, but used Iron Body to reduce the damage.
But least's rewind for a moment. Amidst the others' battle with the Nimbi, Jesbi managed to kick Deadpool off the plane. The wise-cracking assassin fell the great distance before splashing in the cloud sea. "Hu-! There it is!" Deadpool had seen the Whistling Arrow fly out of the thunderhead, but stop and drop when Sephiroth stopped whistling. Deadpool caught the weapon and quickly swam through the dome's base. Once through, he saw the battle taking place high in the sky. Sephiroth had resumed whistling, acting as though he were still in control of the arrow, but Deadpool began whistling himself. The arrow zoomed around underwater until Deadpool determined a good time to send it up. But, when Rayquaza began electrifying Sephiroth, Deadpool decided to take the illusion a step further and stop whistling. The arrow would fall and sink through the sea. Deadpool quickly swum to the bottom of the clouds and fell through.
He Moon Walked his way over to where the arrow would fall. "Oh, geez!" He was a little late as it fell too far, having to Moon Walk downward to catch it. With that, he twisted up: Sephiroth had split open the clouds. When the angel began to squeeze Rayquaza in his gravity, Deadpool took it as his cue. Still falling, but the god still clear in the distance, Deadpool whistled. He spent a few minutes falling, but it was just enough time to charge the arrow up. And with that, a streak of blue shot toward the heavens.
Rayquaza gasped and tried to dodge, but Sephiroth kept the hold on his head especially firm. The arrow pierced straight through the underside of Rayquaza's mouth. Frozen, at a loss for breath, the Sky God floated. Sephiroth escaped his bind without trouble. "Ah…well done… Sephiroth. But know this…" Rayquaza's segments all split apart. "Just as Skaios was created by the concept of freedom… so, too, do we gods live by the beliefs of mortals." Starting from his tail, his segments exploded into forceful bursts of air. "So long as there are benders… so long as there is belief in us… we… will… live…" His head slowly ruptured with cracks of white… before vanishing in a greater typhoon. (End song.)
"YAHOO! WE DID IT, BOYS!" Deadpool screamed—before stabbing back-first through a flagpole. "YO, this is great for my spine!"
"AAAAAAHHH!" a nearby mother cried, shutting her child's eyes.
Akame had shrunk to her spider form to bite into Jesbi's neck, coursing immense pain through her. "AAAHHH!" They were all blown away by the explosion of air, the thunderhead splitting apart. "IT CANNOT BE! RAYQUAZA… HAST MET HIS END?!"
Akame changed back. "Let's go!"
"If only I could control this thing!" Slade yelled, struggling to get ahold of the plane.
…
The Spirit Governors felt it on every planet. On Hyrule, Zephos, Cyclos, and Levias felt the passing of Rayquaza, and the dragon, Eldin felt the passing of Groudon. The Legendary Pokémon, Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus wept for their masters, initiating a great storm. But none felt it more heavily than Earth.
Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza were known as the Weather Trio. The former two were infamous in fighting over every Core World that would be created. "THERE SHOULD BE MORE LAND!" Groudon bellowed, casting a wave of lava at the whale. "THERE SHOULD BE MORE SEA!" Kyogre intercepted it with a watery wave of equal power. It would be Rayquaza's responsibility to break them up with raging lightning.
Through their fierce battles, an immense amount of land would be formed from the titanic amount of Lava and Sea that clashed. This was why Core Worlds were typically bigger than planets focused on single elements. The land, sea, and sky lived in harmony… but now, with their lords absent, the elements were in disarray.
Terrible hurricanes and tsunamis swept the shores. Ships everywhere were keeling over. "AAAAHH!" Tsuyu cried, holding a palm tree with her tongue. Klubba clutched another and held a flailing Eric, who barely held Yuta by his underwear. "WHAT'S HAPPENIIIING?!"
"IS THIS… BECAUSE OF KYOGRE?!" Melody screamed.
"I have to…I have to do something!" Manaphy yelled.
…
In West Virginia, Mt. Malladus, which had normally been dormant, had erupted with a spire of lava. "ANTHONY!" Fybi screamed, the land rumbling beneath them (or at least Anthony 'cause Fybi was flying). "I FEEL… SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAST HAPPENED!"
"It was Groudon!" Diancie yelled. "Groudon's weight… has disappeared from this world!"
"And the way yonder air stirs… I fear the same hast befallen Rayquaza."
"Then is this… the end of the world?!"
"No!" declared the Diamond Princess. "At the very least… I feel Regigigas' presence. He can at least stop the volcanoes! But maybe… I can do… something…"
Avalar
"!!!" Skaios felt a horrible chill in the air.
"Blimey… how did the weather get so bad?" Tani asked. She, Skaios, and Evan had been on a walk through the fields when dark clouds had suddenly covered the continent.
"Rayquaza…"
"Skaios?" Evan's cat ears picked up his whisper.
"Maties, I…I have to go to Earth. Ay feel like… somethin' bad has happened."
"Then, let's find a ship."
"I'm goin' on ahead. Catch up with me." Skaios shot to the heavens.
"Skaios, wait!" Tani yelled. "Sigh…he's right… the wind feels… sad today…"
Mushroom World
Jirachi had retreated to Shooting Star Summit, a beautiful blue grassland under eternal night. Stars fell endlessly from the glittered sky, and he among them before settling on the grass. "Sigh…this should be a good spot to camp out for a while." (Play "Lullaby Until the End" from Mario Odyssey.)
The young star was undisturbed watching the stars fall. He saw a couple people stroll by, enjoying the sights as well. He was far enough from the trail that none seemed to notice him. "Yaaaawn…" He was getting a little sleepy. The sky scrolling above him was almost hypnotic. He had lost track of the time… but he at least felt some of his woes slipping away.
A person in a purple robe limped over to Jirachi. "Heavens… might you be… a Star Child?"
Jirachi perked up at the elderly voice. He sat up and turned left. "Oh, hi! You look like one of the Shamans that live out here."
"Why, yes! I've lived here my whole life… but Star Children scarcely fall around here." She limped closer at Jirachi levitated to her level. "Is there a reason you came to visit us?"
"No reason. Just… having some problems at home."
"Oh, my…"
Jirachi faced up at the sky solemnly. "You know… these stars fall because people make wishes, right? What if… there were no more stars? Would no one's dreams ever come true?"
"Of course not, sweetheart." The woman took careful steps. "As long as people believe and work hard… their wishes can come true."
"I know…" Jirachi smiled. "But stars should be able to wish, too. And I…I wish I could explore the universe forever. I wish I could hear more wishes… and feel the hopes of even more people."
"That's so sweet of you…"
"Yeah…" Jirachi's eyes slowly closed. "So, I hope…"
Swip.
"I'll… get t…"
His point of view tilted sideways and darkened. Jirachi's head hit the ground upside-down, his body plopping a few feet away. As the young Star God took his rest… a terrific downpour of stars pounded upon the valley, across the entire Mushroom World, and every other planet as well. Amidst these falling stars, the woman threw off her robe: she was a purple snake, her purple eyes narrowed wickedly. "I had a wish, too, Jirachi… I wished… for weeks and weeks… that you would show up here. I waited so long… so long… Serves those jerks right for leaving me behind."