"Shadow Lugia!!!"
With this thunderous roar from Caishen, the entire world bore witness.
From the hatch atop the shadow airship, a pair of massive, deep purple-black wings slowly unfurled. Gradually, beneath those ominous black wings, the full form of what Caishen called "Shadow Lugia" began to unveil itself to the world.
Lugia, a well-known legendary Pokémon, had always been recognized for its reputation. In earlier years, it was even rumored to have rescued shipwrecked sailors, earning it a place in many tales. While it wasn't as much of a benevolent figure as its neighbor, Ho-Oh, Lugia was still seen as a Pokémon aligned with justice.
However, this Lugia before them was completely different from the one most people knew. Gone was the iconic blue-and-white body that Lugia was known for. This Lugia's entire body was jet black, with only its eyes and abdomen taking on a shadowy gray hue. Its eyes glowed with a sinister, blood-red light that exuded malice.
"This is nothing like the Dark Pokémon we've faced before!"
Karen, who had gained an opportunity to face Aldous one-on-one with Giovanni's assistance, found her attention involuntarily drawn to this Shadow Lugia.
Whether it was the Salamence of Altair two years ago, which had pushed them into a desperate struggle, or the current battlefield's Dark-infused legendary birds and Regi Pokémon under the control of the Shadow forces, none of them could compare to this Shadow Lugia.
This wasn't even in the same dimension!
"Show them your power, Shadow Lugia."
Caishen's smile returned to his face, more arrogant and maniacal than before. With its vast, pitch-black wings spread to their maximum span.
In an instant, the moment Shadow Lugia fully extended its pure-black wings, the entire mountain range of the Indigo Plateau began to tremble violently. The ground cracked open, and the world tilted.
"Kyahhh!"
Erika stumbled and fell to the ground. Her Tangrowth quickly used its vines to support its trainer and help her up.
Meanwhile, Ash and the others, who had already crossed the midpoint of the Indigo Plateau and escaped to Route 22 at the base of the mountain, stared slack-jawed at the plateau's summit.
In their eyes, the Indigo Plateau was no longer connected to the mountains of Victory Road. Instead, it was floating in the air like a city in the sky.
Yes, the Indigo Plateau had been severed from Victory Road and was now hovering in the air.
Beneath this Indigo Island, a haze of dark, mist-like energy emanated from its base, resembling black clouds.
If Luffy and his crew were here, they would undoubtedly recall the Onigashima raid in Wano, where Kaido had lifted the island into the sky using his Flame Clouds ability!
"What… what is happening up there?"
Even someone as proud as Blue had a slight hoarseness in his voice at this moment.
RUMBLE—
However, even escaping to Route 22 didn't mean they were safe. Large rocks continued to tumble down from the cliffs above. Pokémon like Rattata, Oddish, and Caterpie, sensing the impending danger, fled in panic in the opposite direction.
"Don't stop! Keep moving! We'll talk once we're in Viridian City!"
Professor Oak, who had released his Dragonite to protect the group, shouted urgently. They had yet to reach safety.
BZZZZZZZZ—
Just then, the sound of an airplane engine roared through the air. Professor Oak and the others, on their way to Viridian City, looked up to see a small passenger plane speeding toward the now-floating Indigo Plateau.
If you looked closely, you'd notice the logo of the Devon Corporation emblazoned on the plane.
"Y-Young Master Steven, isn't this… isn't this way too dangerous for us to approach…?"
The pilot was trembling in fright at the sight before him.
"T-That… is that Lugia?"
Even Wallace, who had no time to think about how to salvage his relationship with Winona, could only speak with a trembling voice as he stared out the window. Through the darkness, he caught a glimpse of Shadow Lugia, lurking within the shadowy barrier. His voice quivered, and a deep, soul-crushing fear took hold of him.
As a Water-type expert, Wallace was familiar with Lugia, once referred to as the God of the Sea. However, after the Hoenn League discovered Kyogre, that title had been reassigned.
But… this Lugia was nothing like the one described in books!
At this moment, Shadow Lugia seemed to sense the commotion outside. Its ominous crimson eyes glanced toward the plane.
Both Steven and Wallace felt their hearts skip a beat as if they had just experienced the oppressive presence of a top-tier legendary Pokémon.
"Reinforcements have arrived, huh?"
Inside the airship, Caishen also noticed the plane outside the barrier.
"Even if reinforcements come, they can't possibly stop Shadow Lugia. But being cautious is never a bad thing."
As he spoke, Shadow Lugia slightly twisted its neck.
Aldous, noticing this movement, immediately released his Alakazam.
Witnessing this, Karen's expression shifted. Was Aldous releasing a new Pokémon at a time like this?
The next moment, Karen understood Aldous's intentions.
As expected, Aldous placed his left hand on Alakazam's back, quickly using a Dark Poké Ball in his right hand to recall the three Regi Pokémon one by one.
"You're not escaping!"
Karen's Galarian Moltres narrowed its eyes in fury, unleashing a torrent of black-and-red flames from its beak.
However, a Kingdra intercepted the attack, releasing a Dragon Pulse to deflect the black-red flames off course.
"ROAR!"
Houndoom charged in from the side, sinking its fangs into Kingdra's neck.
CRUNCH!
But it didn't stop there. Dark energy began to gather in Houndoom's throat, firing a Dark Pulse that exploded point-blank, striking Kingdra with devastating force.
Kingdra was sent flying, its body crashing into the distance.
The scene was eerily reminiscent of three years ago when Houndoom's father had been blasted away by Kingdra's Hydro Pump.
High in the air, Shadow Lugia took a deep breath.
In an instant, the ground of the Indigo Plateau became warped and uneven due to the immense suction force.
Fragments of earth, trees, houses, and even unconscious people and Pokémon from the battlefield were all pulled into the air.
The scene resembled Pain's Chibaku Tensei technique.
At the same time, as Shadow Lugia twisted its neck, the shadow organization members retreated to the area directly beneath Shadow Lugia, boarding the airship.
Altair, who had been battling Lance, also withdrew, riding on the back of Latios as he returned to the airship.
That spot was the one area unaffected—or minimally affected—by Shadow Lugia's attacks.
"You're not getting away!"
Lance's icy gaze locked onto Altair's retreating figure.
However, a raging snowstorm descended from the sky, creating a barrier between Lance and Altair.
Lance looked up.
Damn it!
...
Aldous raised an eyebrow as he watched Kingdra crash into the distance. He shot a glance at Alakazam, who responded with a faint blue glow in its eyes.
The two vanished from the battlefield in an instant.
Teleportation!
"Woof?"
"This guy…"
Originally, Houndoom and Karen had planned to finish off Kingdra, who was barely clinging to life. But now, both of them were dumbfounded.
No, wait, isn't that your Pokémon?
You're… not going to do anything?
Karen and Houndoom were momentarily stunned.
"He's coming," Giovanni reminded them.
Karen looked up.
She noticed that Shadow Lugia's abdomen had visibly swelled, clearly preparing to unleash a powerful move.
"This scumbag! Is he just going to let his Pokémon die?!"
Even though Kingdra was the target of Houndoom's revenge, Karen was still infuriated by the trainer's cold-hearted behavior.
"Dragonite! Dragon Pulse!"
It was at this the current leader of Blackthorn Gym and the father of the reinforcement Clair, who had just arrived from Johto, shouted loudly.
The Dragonite beneath him opened its mouth and unleashed a fiery dragon's breath, which turned into a roaring azure dragon. It rammed into Shadow Lugia's bloated abdomen with immense force.
A deafening explosion followed as Dragon Pulse struck Shadow Lugia's gray-black belly.
However, it left no visible marks, nor did it slow Shadow Lugia's actions in the slightest.
"What are you all standing around for?!"
At this moment, Clair's father roared furiously, embodying a wrathful emperor. His voice shook the surrounding League trainers:
"Are you just going to wait for it to finish charging its attack?!"
Hearing this, many of the League trainers, who had been paralyzed by fear, finally snapped out of it.
"Charizard! Flare Blitz!"
"Pidgeot! Hurricane!"
"Poliwrath! Hydro Pump!"
Whether they were Elite Four members, Gym Leaders, or ordinary trainers, none of them had the luxury to focus on the enemies before them. All their strength was directed at the dark god hovering above.
"Dark… Spiral…!"
Caishen spoke each word slowly and deliberately, announcing Shadow Lugia's signature move.
Shadow Lugia paused its inhalation briefly, then opened its mouth even wider.
Anyone with keen eyesight could see that within Shadow Lugia's throat, an immense concentration of pure, pitch-black energy was forming. It condensed into a black spiral shockwave, tearing through space as it was unleashed!
Not only was the Indigo Plateau, which had been lifted into the air by Shadow Lugia's power, affected, but even Victory Road and the surrounding towns began to shake violently.
Wherever the Dark Spiral passed, the land shattered, shockwaves surged, and countless shards of rock were sent flying.
Deep, bottomless ravines emerged in its wake.
Alliance trainers who failed to dodge in time were either pulverized into dust by Shadow Lugia's attack or fell into the abyss, letting out desperate screams before meeting their end.
"Houndoom, return!"
Karen immediately retrieved Houndoom into its Poké Ball. Meanwhile, the Galarian Moltres she was riding flapped its wings furiously, evading the Dark Spiral with all its might.
However, Kingdra, who hadn't even managed to stand up, was completely engulfed by the dark energy.
"Woof…"
Through the translucent cover of the Poké Ball, Houndoom's expression became incredibly complex as it witnessed this scene.
Perhaps… the one I should have sought revenge against wasn't him, but that human.
Abandoned by the trainer it trusted most, what was Kingdra thinking in its final moments?
"Ah!"
Clair, who was riding on the back of her Dragonair, was swept into the air by the shockwaves from the Dark Spiral, along with her Dragonair.
"Clair!"
Her father, who was initially on the verge of escaping the attack's range, turned around with his Dragonite.
He grabbed his daughter's arm while Dragonite caught Dragonair's tail. Then, with a powerful swing, he hurled them away in the opposite direction.
In that instant, the shockwave from the Dark Spiral reached them, engulfing him and his Dragonite.
"Dad!"
Clair, her emotions in complete disarray, stretched out her hand desperately, trying to reach her father. (RIP nameless dad.)
However, Lance, riding his Dragonite, arrived just in time.
He caught his younger cousin and her Dragonair, flying in the opposite direction to escape the attack.
BOOM!!!
An earth-shattering noise lasted for over five seconds.
The surviving trainers turned their heads to look.
Amidst the dissipating smoke and dust, the once-floating Indigo Plateau now looked as if a crescent moon had been gouged out of it. Below, on the other side of Victory Road, a massive canyon had appeared, stretching endlessly into the horizon.
Clair broke down in tears.
"Dad! Dad!"
A young male trainer who had lost both of his legs clutched his bleeding knees and wailed, "Help! Somebody help! Is the medical team here?! My legs! Find my legs! Please! It hurts! It hurts so much!"
"Arcanine! Arcanine! Where are you?!"
A female police officer, pale-faced, called out for her missing Arcanine.
When she saw a severed paw lying near a crack in the earth, her mind went blank, and she fainted on the spot.
"Squirtle! Squirtle!"
Meanwhile, a Squirtle with blood dripping from its head was crying, tears streaming as it searched for its missing trainer.
For a time, the battlefield was filled with the sounds of grief from those who had lost loved ones, the cries of the wounded, and the desperate calls of survivors trying to reunite with their Pokémon or trainers.
"This… is the power of Shadow Lugia."
Giovanni stepped out, shielded by a Nidoqueen and Nidoking.
"I didn't expect the Shadows to have such a trump card. This changes everything."
Giovanni pondered this new development with a troubled expression.
His original plan was to play the role of an opportunist, biding his time until the League and Shadows had worn each other down.
Then, he'd emulate Blackbeard Pkan during the Marineford War, signaling Team Rocket to invade and seize all the legendary Pokémon the Shadows had at their disposal.
It would've been perfect if he could humiliate Lance in the process.
But now…
Giovanni glanced around.
Beneath Shadow Lugia, the hatch of the Shadows' airship opened once more.
The remaining members of the Shadows re-entered the battlefield, including the executives, as well as the legendary Pokémon-wielding brothers, Aldous and Altair.
Meanwhile, on the League's side, even with the addition of Hoenn's iconic duo, Steven and Wallace, the mere presence of the dark god above had quashed any will to resist among the trainers.
"At this rate, the League will completely collapse. Should I signal Archer and the others to attack now? But doing so would mean helping the League… how irritating…"
Giovanni silently considered a new strategy.
"You've let your guard down, Giovanni!"
At that moment, Gourry, Elena's brother, accompanied by his Shadow Aggron, launched a Metal Claw aimed directly at Giovanni.
Gourry grinned like an ape, his exaggerated expression brimming with excitement:
"If I take you out, I'll be promoted to an executive!"
However, just as Aggron's glowing metallic claws were about to strike Giovanni's head, they abruptly froze, as if time itself had stopped.
"What's wrong, Aggron?" Gourry asked in confusion.
In the next second, he noticed a Dugtrio emerging from the ground between Aggron's feet.
The Dugtrio had turned the earth beneath Aggron into quicksand, trapping its feet and rendering it immobile.
"Earthquake," Giovanni said calmly.
Dugtrio manipulated the quicksand, pulling Aggron deeper into the ground until only its head was visible.
In the next instant, a devastating seismic force erupted from beneath, crushing Aggron with overwhelming power.
"Aggrrooooon—!!!"
Aggron let out a pained cry as it lost its voice, its head tilting to the side before it collapsed, completely losing its ability to fight. Giovanni cast a cold glance at the opponent, scaring Gourry so much that he staggered backward, falling to the ground with a thud.
"E-even if you're that strong, there's no way you can defeat Boss Ciashen's Shadow Lugia. W-why don't you just join our Shadow Team instead...?"
Swish!
A blur flashed by.
Nidoking, who had made a clawing motion, appeared behind Gourry at some unknown moment, cutting him off before he could finish his sentence.
Thud—
The next second, Gourry's head rolled to the ground.
The battlefield was in utter chaos, and no one noticed what Giovanni was doing. The cameras originally tasked with filming the scene had also been destroyed by the earlier Dark Spiral attack.
This was why Giovanni acted so recklessly, killing without hesitation. But a figure like Giovanni, who could effortlessly slay enemies as part of the League forces, was an extremely rare exception.
After witnessing the horrifying power of the Dark Spiral, coupled with the Shadow Lugia looming ominously above everyone's heads, morale was at an all-time low. It wasn't just the newly crowned champions like Steven and Wallace who were shaken; even their future, fully matured selves wouldn't stand much of a chance.
At the same time, televisions worldwide turned to static. The Dark Spiral had destroyed all the cameras capturing the battle.
For a moment, people everywhere were like ants on a hot pan, running around in panic. This was no trivial matter that could be ignored. If the Indigo League fell, their region could very well be next!
Over in the Galar region, Rose was no longer feeling pleased.
He had hoped the Shadows would deal a heavy blow to Kanto—taking out a few Elite Four members would have been ideal. He wanted Kanto to fall, but only after the Shadows were finished off. What if the Shadows turned their attention to Galar afterward?
"Use Eternatus... No, no, it's too late for that."
"Oleana, contact Leon and have him head to Kanto! And call Raihan and Melony too, bring them all together!" Rose ordered decisively.
To be honest, Rose didn't think the people currently gathered at the Indigo Plateau would be able to take down Shadow Lugia. But at the very least, they could wear it down a bit, right? If that happened, this would be the best chance to defeat it.
If they waited until the battle was over, and the Shadows had time to retreat and recover with Shadow Lugia, the situation would only grow more dangerous!
Rose wasn't the only one with this thought. The Chairman of the Paldea League and the Chairman of the Kalos League were thinking the same thing.
They had originally believed that with the top-tier forces from all five major regions gathered, the Shadows would surely be defeated. Who would have thought that Caishen, that scheming bastard, had hidden such a trump card?
Without wasting any time, Leon, Raihan, Drasna, Diantha, Wulfric, and Siebold—top trainers from other regions—rushed to join the battle.
Meanwhile, in Galar's Wedgehurst Town, a certain yellow mouse was pounding its tiny paws on the television in frustration.
"Pika! Pika!"
Damn it, it was getting to the good part—why did the TV have to break now?
Sonia walked over to pick up the Pikachu, comforting it. "The TV isn't broken; the cameras over there were destroyed."
Nessa, on the other hand, looked worried. "Maybe I should tell Doctor not to go after all... That Shadow Lugia is terrifying."
Mew, now in Sonia's arms, wore the same expression as a reader who had just been left hanging at a story's climax by a cruel author. No way—how could it miss out on such a peak event?
Its eyes flashed with an unnatural light blue glow, and in an instant, both Mew and Sonia disappeared from the lab.
Nessa: ???
It took Nessa a full ten seconds to process what had just happened.
"Wait a second... was that Teleport? Pikachu can learn Teleport?!"
...
"Let's go too!"
At the Hoenn League headquarters, Winona shouted.
"Calm down, Winona."
"How can I calm down? Hoenn is so close to the Indigo Plateau!" Winona exclaimed frantically.
The region closest to Kanto was indeed Hoenn. If the Shadows took down the Indigo League, their next target was almost certainly Hoenn.
"What's the point of you going there?" Juan couldn't help but scold as he saw her panicking.
Juan's words were harsh, but they were undeniably true. Against Shadow Lugia, even Elite-level trainers were little more than cannon fodder. As for Winona, who was barely at the level of an advanced Gym Leader—what could she possibly do?