Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Kung Fu Panda. Any OCs however, are mine unless stated otherwise.
Chapter 11: Here Comes a New Challenger
With Team Articuno
Articuno and her twin copies stared down her attackers. The two sides stared each other down, analyzing one another. Articuno, with her heightened intellect thanks to her transformation, was deducing her opponent's abilities as she hid among her replicas. At the same time, Lyla was doing everything should could in order to figure out which one of the three was the real one, her eyes glowing lightly as she attempted to peer past the illusion.
Lyla swore, her eyes dimming back to normal. "Damn it! The illusion is too different. I can see through another Zoroark, but her mind games don't work the same way a Zoroark's does."
Mantis spared a short glance at her. "So what? We have to wait for one of them to attack first so that she can reveal herself?"
Monkey kept his gaze forward, his eyes widening in alarm. "She's doing something!"
True to what Monkey said, all three Articuno raised their wings as she let out another cry. A frosty mist began to cover the area around the three, as their vision of the legendary was lost to the mist.
As the three were left on guard in the epicenter, Mantis began to shiver. He began rubbing his arms together for warmth, his eyes growing heavy. "Ugh. It's times like this I wish I wasn't cold-blooded." Mantis stated, his voice weary.
Lyla quickly reached down and brought him into her claws, allowing a small opening between her indexes so Mantis could see, as she and Monkey went back-to-back.
"We need to clear this mist!" Monkey said.
"No shit! She's already hard enough to beat as-is, the last thing we need is having to protect one of our own when they're incapacitated!" Lyla barked.
"S-sorry…" Mantis apologized, feeling slightly better thanks to Lyla's warm hands surrounding him.
"It's not your fault, you can't help your biology. Your body simply wasn't built for the cold," Lyla remarked.
Monkey noticed something through the mist, the visage looking familiar, but it wasn't that of Articuno. The figure jumped toward them, as a voice could suddenly be heard from above.
"Incoming!"
Lyla and Monkey jumped away from each other, only to see Trip land where they once stood.
"Get down! Now!" Trip demanded, two viney protrusions emitting from around his scarf.
Not willing to argue why Trip was there at the moment, Lyla and Monkey quickly did so, getting close to the ground as Trip spun in place. Trip's two Vine Whips spun with him as he began to banish the mist.
A cry of surprise was uttered somewhere in the now-clearing mist, as one of the whips managed to locate the real Articuno in the process…by lashing across her torso and knocking her back.
After a few seconds, the mist was dispersed and the group's vision of their surroundings was restored. Lyla released Mantis, who was now beginning to fare much better with the cold gone.
Monkey put his guard up as he scanned the area for Articuno. "What are you doing here?" Monkey asked, sparing a quick glance and recognizing him as a part of Paul's group.
Trip's eyes narrowed as he searched as well. "If you recall, I happen to live here. I'd rather not see it get destroyed, thank you very much." Trip snarked.
Lyla hummed in acknowledgment. "Fair enough. Crisis first."
"Scatter!" Mantis screamed.
The four separated as a Shadow Chill shot the ground they just stood, leaving ice behind. Articuno cried from in front of the Gym. She was livid now at the new arrival as she wildly continued to fire Shadow Chills and Air Slashes sporadically among the group.
Lyla and Monkey displayed excellent acrobatic skills as they weaved between the attacks. Mantis was too small a target, and Trip would coil himself like a spring when dodging the icy attacks.
Articuno began to throw various sizes of debris from the area and throw them at the four. Trip would summon his whips once again and break them apart before they made contact.
Seeing an opportunity when Articuno's gaze left her, Lyla applied an illusion and backed out of the fight to develop a plan. Her eyes landed on Articuno before trailing upward as she saw the dragon heads adorning the Gym. She had a plan now.
Lyla whistled, getting everyone's attention, including Articuno. "Monkey, with me! Mantis, Trip!" Lyla then gave a series of hand gestures to the two. The first was her pointing up, in the second she used the same hand to give a throat-slitting gesture and finally pointed downward with the third.
Looking up, the other three quickly understood the plan and their roles in it. Mantis began to climb the building as Trip slithered his way into position. Monkey meanwhile, got beside Lyla and hollered at Articuno to gain her attention again. Articuno turned and-
Articuno suddenly screamed as she rocketed toward them, enraged at the sight of both individuals flashing her a most unkind gesture. These two were so dead once she got her claws on them!
Lyla's eyes widened. "Shit! I think we pissed her off a little too well! We have to get her back in position!"
The two ran as Articuno followed, ironically, hot on their tails. Her wings shined like steel as she chased them down.
"Ever play limbo?" Monkey suggested as they ran.
Lyla nodded with a grin, and the two turned on their heels to face Articuno.
As Articuno was about to strike them both with a twin set of Steel Wings, both Monkey and Lyla limbo under her before they could get clotheslined. The two then ran to the entrance to the Gym.
Articuno turned around quickly and continued chasing after the two, closing in on them.
"Now!" Lyla screamed as she and Monkey leaped up, using the entrance to propel themselves up and over Articuno.
On Lyla's command, Mantis and Trip each struck their respective dragon's head. Mantis did so with a powerful few chops to the white one, and the black one was broken by a tail-first Body Slam by Trip.
Articuno's gaze followed Lyla and Mantis, only for her eyes to widen as she saw the approaching statue heads falling toward her. She cried out in panic as the black one struck her head-first, followed by the white one falling onto it and bringing both down.
The heads dragged her to the ground with a heavy thump followed by silence. The silence weighed down on everyone around, as they all watched the pile to see if the battle was done.
The dragon heads shifted a bit, as Articuno managed to slowly force them off of her, her body swaying as she arose, but didn't leave the ground. Articuno let out a cry of defiance, but this one sounded much more filled with pain than any of the ones from earlier. Her voice faded as she fell over in a heap, the damage finally catching up to her as she fell to the ground with swirls in her eyes.
Articuno was knocked out.
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief at seeing the legendary's unconscious form. Mantis and Trip jumped down from their spots. Monkey, Mantis, and Lyla dropped to the ground, all exhausted from the fight.
"Finally…" Monkey breathed out with relief.
"That…was…oh man. I'm just gonna…lie here for a moment." Lyla huffed from her spot on the ground.
"I can see why you lot were having trouble. I suppose the intelligence boost from being turned into a Telekun made things far more difficult." Trip remarked.
"Given how she reacted to me flipping her off, she was more than a mindless beast under…hang on, who even is that Zoroark anyway?" Lyla stared off, realizing that none of them even knew who their foe was.
"Clever move about the statue heads. That'll be a pain to get repaired though." Trip admitted.
"It was either that, or take longer to find another way to take her down…thank you, by the way," Lyla said softly.
Trip nodded in acknowledgment. "Thank the squirt."
Lyla furrowed her brow before chuckling. "Clever girl."
"I can't feel my anything," Mantis stated tiredly, after a few moments of silence between the group.
With Team Moltres
Crane took flight again as he and Moltres began to battle it out again in the skies. Viper could only watch on and plan, seeing as she had nothing around that could readily be used as ammunition.
"Hey!"
Viper's attention was grabbed when she saw Silver running toward her, confusing her a bit at his sudden presence.
"Throw me!" Silver shouted.
Viper's eyes widened a bit before narrowing again with a nod. As Silver reached her, she quickly wrapped the end of her tail around his waist as she used his previous momentum to launch him into the air.
"Crane!" Viper called out in warning.
Hearing his name, he saw the Weavile approaching, his fist clenched as frost built up around it. Understanding the play, he quickly maneuvered himself and kicked Moltres in the back, and into Silver's path.
Moltres jolted a bit from the blow before she came face-to-fist with an Ice Punch, with Silver then kicking himself off her to get away. Moltres' equilibrium had been briefly disrupted as she tried to right herself in the air after the unexpected blow.
Crane quickly caught Silver with his legs, holding the Weavile by his shoulders as he carried him through the air.
"Got any ideas for taking this bird-brain down?" Silver remarked, only to be met with a flat stare from Crane. "…no offense," Silver added.
"Some taken," Crane answered. "Viper tried to choke the air out of her, but she just turned up the heat."
Sliver thought for a moment, taking in that information. "If we cut off her air supply for long enough, the flames should die down. If we can ground her, I should be able to counter the heat for long eno-look out!" Silver screamed out a warning.
Crane turned back to Moltres as another Fiery Wrath approached them. Crane quickly flew away as far as he could as it detonated, the blast causing him to lose his grip on Silver.
Silver fell toward the Health Center and repositioned himself in mid-air. He slammed his claws into the side of the building, tearing in and dragging down a bit until his motion came to a halt. He then began to do the same with his feet to safely climb down the side of the building.
Viper approached him just as he got back on solid ground. "What's the plan?"
"We're gonna ground Moltres and get her in another chokehold. I'll do what I can to keep you from burning up with my ice." Silver explained, eliciting a nod from the snake.
"Actually, what if we don't need to ground her?" Viper asked with a devious smile, an idea brewing in her mind. Viper's expression had Silver intrigued as she explained her own addition to the plan.
Crane continued to evade Moltres' attacks, occasionally taunting her as he kept her busy and her attention.
"Keep your eye on the birdie!" Crane shouted. "I can't believe just said that," Crane grumbled.
"Crane!" Crane suddenly heard, turning to the ground to see Viper swinging Silver around again and launching him…but not letting go this time.
Silver sailed into the air as Viper stayed coiled around him, using the momentum to launch herself as well. His cool fur was somewhat soothing her burns a bit as they flew through the air.
Crane swooped forward and kicked Moltres in the face, then kicked off her as Silver and Viper arrived…but Silver just barely missed grabbing her leg.
Viper swiftly uncoiled, still holding onto Silver, and slithered up his arm as she bridged the gap and swung them both onto Moltres' back.
Silver took the opportunity to land a quick Throat Chop on Moltres, causing the Shadow Fire she had been preparing to sputter out. Viper quickly seized the opportunity, coiling around the bird's neck as she began to smother the Avian's air supply.
Moltres attempted to burn the offender off again, but Silver quickly pressed his ice-covered hands around both ends of her neck. The legendary began to flail in the air, as she attempted to regain her breath, but it was no use. The blow just before had knocked the wind out of her, meaning she was already running low.
After a few more moments, they began to descend as Moltres quickly lost the strength to keep them in the air. Crane dove down and grabbed Moltres to ease them back to the ground slowly. By the time they reached the ground, Moltres stopped struggling.
Viper quickly released her grip on the bird so as to not kill her, only for Moltres to raise her head again with a deep breath, a Shadow Fire preparing to fire.
CRACK!
Moltres' head dropped to the ground again with swirls in her eyes, revealing Silver with his icy fist held in front of him.
"Jeez!" Silver exclaimed, shaking his stinging hand. "I don't know if that was her or me, but her jaw is solid!" Silver remarked.
"Well, looks like we got this wrapped up," Viper stated. She donned a look of confusion when both Crane and Silver gave her deadpan stares.
Viper smacked herself in the face as she realized what she'd said. "Great. Now I'm making the kinds of puns Riley makes. Like I needed more of that in my life." Viper said sarcastically, accompanied by an eye-roll.
With Team Zapdos
Tigress and Paul continued to stand back-to-back as Zapdos' afterimages circled them. The legendary's leg muscles had carved a solid ring into the ground along his path, making it even harder for them to track which one they saw was the real one, as well as forming a small twister with them at the center.
Tigress took a calming breath, only for it to hitch as she realized something…the air had gotten rather thin.
Tigress' eyes widened as she realized what was going on. "The air!" Tigress yelled, getting Paul's attention as they both realized the danger they were suddenly in. This was bad! Zapdos was siphoning all the air out from around them, leaving it harder for them to breathe.
Paul began to build energy around him, his body radiating with a growing electrical aura. "I'm gonna blast the whole area, be ready to dodge!" Paul warned as he brought his arms up.
Tigress turned to face him in preparation, watching as the energy continued to build up until it finally reached its pinnacle.
"Discharge!" Paul screamed, pulling his arms down to his sides as the electricity erupted outwards, spreading across the entire area. Tigress did her best to dodge, getting struck with the tail-end of one of the bolts before she could fully get away and causing her fur to stand with charge. The jolt had helped put her body more on alert now.
Zapdos cried out as he was hit with the blast, having been caught off-guard by the attack, and slowing down to recover his senses. The miniature twister subsided as a result, allowing both Tigress and Paul to catch their breath.
"I'm starting to see why this form is named after a martial art. Or is it the other way around?" Tigress stated, ending in a questioning tone.
"Hey! You guys need some help?" a voice called from a distance.
Tigress, Paul, and even Zapdos turned in the direction of the speaker. They were met with the sight of a large male panda, who was slightly out of breath, looking to have run a bit to arrive. The panda didn't wear a shirt but was wearing burlap pants that consisted of patches stitched in, with a variety of different colors and hues. The pants were also adorned with a red and yellow striped waistline. He was wearing gauze wraps around his ankles, and shoes that looked like panda toes, with panda paws on the bottom.
Paul groaned. "Damn it. Lotus! We don't need your fanboying right now!" Paul yelled in annoyance.
"Come on! I wanna help!" Lotus whined.
Tigress would have shot down the…rotund panda's offer, believing he couldn't do anything to assist…but then she thought back at how she had once thought the same about Riley when he was still a Riolu.
"Well, what are you waiting for Lotus? Help us out." Tigress called out.
As Lotus' expression became giddy, the look she got from Paul when he turned to face her screamed 'Are you out of your mind?!'
Lotus hopped a bit in place, doing some mock punches as he prepared himself. "Alright! Let's do this!" Lotus exclaimed with excitement.
Zapdos had been watching curiously at the new arrival. He did not think much of this reject-Pangoro. The Electivire was troublesome, and the Incineroar-wannabe was at least skilled, but this thing? Zapdos, even in his more feral state, internally laughed at the delusions of the reject-Pangoro. He would end the fatass with a single Thunderous Kick, and then get back to the real fight.
Zapdos quickly bolted forward, sending a devastating kick into Lotus' belly, enough to cause a shockwave from the collision. The shockwave ripples through Lotus' entire body, sending his arms behind him, until he begins to recorrect himself partway through, and his arms come back to strike Zapdos, sending the ground-bound avian flying [okay, really? Again with the puns?]. Lotus looks at his paws, amazed at what he just did.
"Awesome!" Lotus said excitedly.
Tigress and Paul for their part, stood in shock at what the panda had just done. Even if Tigress was giving the panda a chance, neither of them was expecting that to happen.
Paul pointed his index at Lotus with a dumbfounded expression. "Did he-Did that just happen?"
Tigress stared in disbelief. "I saw it myself."
Paul blinked. "Well, I'll be a Mankey's uncle."
Gyaooo!
The three turned to the cry to see Zapdos getting back up, the legendary now being quite visibly enraged.
The two seasoned warriors got back into their stances, and Lotus finally took up his own behind them, going into his stance loudly and taunting the bird.
Zapdos ran toward the group, his beak sparking as he fired a Shadow Bolt toward them. Paul jumped forward and took the blow, recoiling a bit but having taken the attack due to his natural resistance to electricity. As he did that, Lotus and Tigress locked hands as he spun, throwing Tigress over Paul and toward Zapdos. Tigress threw her right leg forward and landed a clean kick to Zapdos' face before using the force to kick her backward, doing a backflip as she landed back beside her allies.
Zapdos shook himself off before his eyes widened, side-stepping to avoid the Thunderbolt that Paul had thrown while he had been distracted by the blow. Zapdos ran in an arc to the group's right. He threw his beak forward, attempting to spear Paul in his side with his beak, only for Lotus to come up and block him in every attempt. The panda was actually holding his own quite well.
Paul and Tigress went in for a joint punch, but Zapdos jumped back. His leg muscles tensed as he leaped into the air, throwing his leg down to crash against the ground where the group had once stood, as they went to side-step away from the attack. Zapdos swiftly swung his leg horizontally, his foot meeting Lotus' face as he got knocked back. Paul, who was close enough, was able to react in time to grab Lotus' foot and swing him back around, slamming the panda into Zapdos like a mace.
Lotus landed back on his feet a little dizzy. "Boy, I'm glad I didn't get that fourth helping at breakfast this morning."
Tigress watched carefully as Zapdos was sent back, skipping across the ground a few times before getting back up, noticing him rising slower.
'He's slowing down. Those hits he's been taking from all of us, and all the running he's been doing, are finally starting to wear him out. Every time Lotus redirected the force back at Zapdos, it did a lot. Maybe we can use his larger…physique to knock him out.' Tigress thought before turning to the others.
"I have a plan. Paul, I need you to distract Zapdos and hold him in place, grapple him if you can. Lotus, you're with me." Tigress informed them.
Paul nodded as he rushed forward to hold Zapdos off as Lotus turned to Tigress excitedly. "Alright! What's the plan?" Lotus asked eagerly.
"I'm going to throw you," Tigress said bluntly.
"…Eh?" Lotus looked at her with confused concern.
"When Paul gets Zapdos in one spot, I'm going to launch you into him. The way you're able to redirect the force of attacks back at your enemy has done a lot to him. If I throw you, as hard as I can, it should be enough to take him down…I think." Tigress explained.
Lotus stared at her blankly. "…Is that just you finding the nice way to call me fat?"
"Oh for the love of-! It's because of your size that your blows are doing so much! The heavier the thing that hits something-" Tigress yelled.
Lotus' eyes widened. "The more force behind it! Alright then, let's do this!" Lotus said with a smile.
Paul blocked blows from Zapdos, charging his arms with Thunder Punches to dissuade some of Zapdos' attacks and in case he needed to use an emergency Discharge. After a bit, he finally saw his opportunity. When Zapdos lifted his leg up, Paul quickly grabbed the other and tripped the legendary up. When Zapdos hit the ground, Paul grabbed him in a suplex, holding Zapdos off the ground.
"Whatever you're gonna do, do it now!" Paul yelled as Zapdos flailed in his quickly loosening grip.
Tigress could be seen swinging Lotus around her over and over again, building momentum. Lotus, on the other hand, could be seen getting very dizzy.
"I'm starting to regret this plan!" Lotus whined.
"Just be ready to let go!" Tigress told him.
After a few more swings, she planted her feet.
"Now!"
And like that, Tigress threw Lotus, with such force she fell to the ground, and Lotus sailed through the air toward Paul and Zapdos.
Paul, hearing Tigress' signal, let go of Zapdos. He threw one last Thunder Punch in the legend's face for good measure to disorient him, before jumping away from the path.
Zapdos shook himself from the punch, preparing to charge at Paul until his attention was caught by a sudden voice.
"Heads up!" Lotus could be heard.
Zapdos turned in the direction of the voice, his eyes comically bulging out of their sockets as he squawked in surprise at the incoming belly-first panda, before being bulldozed by a being over twice his own weight. Zapdos and Lotus were sent spinning through the air until they crashed into the plaza's fountain, with Lotus being thrown back out of the fountain onto the ground nearby.
Lotus got up with a wobble and silly expression as he held his right hand up with his index finger pointing to the sky. "Skadoosh."
…before promptly falling face-first into the ground.
Tigress and Paul quickly went to check if Zapdos was finally down, finding the bird with swirls in his eyes and facing the skies. Seeing this, the both of them let out a sigh of relief.
The two turned to each other with firm expressions in a fierce staredown. After a few moments, they each gave a nod. The simple action expressed more than could be described, but if it were to be given one…respect.
"Not bad, Lotus. You really pulled your weight in that fight." Paul praised.
Lotus lifted his head up from the ground to see Paul holding his right hand out to him with a smirk on his face. Lotus took the offered hand and was brought to his feet. As he looked between both Tigress and Paul, there was only one thing on his mind.
"Since when do you two have twin siblings?" Lotus asked goofily.
…okay…so…Lotus might have a concussion or two.
In front of a pool of water in the center of a grand room sat, or rather floated, two individuals.
The first individual was a large, black, and serpentine. They also bore some minor resemblance to an arrow. They had red-tipped, rudder-like wings on their shoulders and down their body, and similarly patterned fins on the tip of their tail. Yellow ring-like symbols run across the length of their body and an additional yellow ring atop their head. Two limbs with three-clawed hands, and two long, flat, horn-like structures on the head, with two shorter horns along the jawline. They had small, yellow eyes with black pupils, prominent pink gums, and two discernible fangs along the upper jaw. The being hovered in the air as they looked down into the pool, eyes transfixed on the scene being cast upon its surface.
The second individual was much smaller. Their appearance was feminine, her lower body a conical, gray rock with a large, pink diamond in the side. Her upper body has two arms and is covered by a white material that resembles a dress. She had small, mitten-like hands poking out of the sleeves. Around her neck is a golden, half-circlet with a pink diamond in the center. Her head is gray with purple eyes that have red sclerae and pointed ears. Atop the head is a collection of pink crystals forming a headdress. There are four spike-like crystals along the top, a long crystal on either side hanging downward, and a large circular centerpiece upon her forehead. There is a small, golden piece hanging off the center crystal and a small pink diamond embedded in the back of her head.
These two were Rayquaza, the Guardian of Power, and his disciple Diancie, the Herald of Potential.
"Lord Rayquaza?" Diancie asked, getting her boss' attention. Her voice was soft and eloquent.
"Yes, my herald?" Rayquaza responded. His voice carried and was sage-like, yet also authoritative. [I don't know about you guys, but how I interpret Rayquaza's voice, it's like Chris Sabat's. I'm sure you can understand why.]
"I've been meaning to ask, why did you have me prevent Riley from Mega Evolving using his Rye's Key Stone? His spirit is worthy to use one is it not?" Diancie asked before her eyes widened, waving her arms frantically in front of her. "N-not that I'm questioning your ruling milord!"
Rayquaza's chuckles interrupted her sputtering. "No no, it is quite alright. Let me ask you something, does his spirit not feel different than Key Stones wielders in the past?"
Diancie pondered this for a moment. "I thought he felt a little bit different, yet almost familiar, but he is still worthy according to the power you granted me."
Rayquaza nodded. "You are correct. He is worthy…more worthy than you could possibly believe."
Diancie gave her master a confused look. "How so?"
Rayquaza closed his eyes. "The people of Ransei are correct in that Mega Evolution is a primal energy, not unlike how Groudon and Kyogre achieve their ultimate forms. They are the power of the individual brought out to the fullest, hence why it still falls in line with the terms of Evolution, albeit temporary for beings unlike you and myself."
Diancie nodded slowly. "Yes, that is how it has always been."
Rayquaza then reopened his eyes to look back at his herald. "Now tell me, do you or myself require one of your Key Stones in order to achieve our ultimate forms?"
Diancie's brow furrowed. "No…we don't. You gave me the power needed to become what I am today, and we are both able to transform at will." After her words Rayquaza chuckled, which annoyed Diancie and made her puff out her cheeks. "What's so funny?"
"I did not grant you your power."
Those words shocked Diancie. "But sire! How can that be?! What do you mean?!"
"It is as simple as that. What else need you know?"
Diancie sputtered. "B-but! Then how did I become like this?! I was just a simple Carbink before you master!"
"The form you take today is something you were always capable of, I but merely used my power to help bring it to the surface. Had you enough time, you could've become Diancie on your own, I merely decided to help you reach your potential faster." Rayquaza answered.
Diancie floated there for a moment as she let his words sink in. "But…then how is this relevant?"
Rayquaza just looked down into the pool before them, Diancie following his gaze as she saw Riley fighting. Riley was blocking the attacks of his Mega Evolved Shadow while dodging the attacks Shadow Lugia rained from above. Even against both adversaries, he was still holding his ground, refusing to back down even with the odds stacked against him, and even with the damage he had endured thus far. Diancie couldn't help but be impressed by the warrior as he fought tooth and claw, even as she saw the rare flickers of ruby light shine in his Aura.
Diancie paused for a moment. Ruby light? But isn't Riley's Aura supposed to be a glistening sapphire?
"So, you've noticed," Rayquaza said with a smile, as he looked over to see Diancie looking into the pool with an awe-filled expression adorning her features.
The embers of the red light began to show themselves more and more, they hadn't grown in size, but they had become more frequent than before. Diancie could almost feel the power radiating through the pool itself.
"Don't tell me…" Diancie trailed off, unable to speak from what she was observing.
"There is more than one reason he is the Dragon Warrior you know. He may have had his hardships, but in these recent years he has become so much stronger than even he knows." Rayquaza continued, as the ruby light began to flicker faster and its intensity began to increase. "Even the Everstone, the one meticulously placed within him as a child, could not stop him; it stood no match against the power of Riley's sheer force of will. That Everstone was not a burden, but a limiter. It did not prevent his power, it contained his power until he could properly control it. Until the time was right."
Diancie didn't take her eyes off the fight. "So not permitting me to give him a Key Stone…this is his true test, isn't it?"
"Riley has achieved many things that the people around him believed to be impossible." Diancie turned to the entrance of the room, revealing both Z1 and Z2 as they hopped over to the pool. Z1 stepped closer as he looked into the water of the viewing pool. "Evolving in contact with an Everstone, defeating Tai Lung, breaking free of the Jewel of Death's control…he's defied all odds time and time again…who's to say he can't do so once more?" Z1 asked, as Rayquaza looked at Diancie with a knowing smile.
Author's note: I hope you enjoyed and feel free to review!
