Faced with such an attack, the Trainers in the river and in the air were forced to respond, hurriedly battling the hundreds of duplicates.
However, they soon discovered that although these duplicates were extremely numerous, they were very fragile. Often, even the slightest damage could shatter them into fading shadows.
That was good news!
It also made them breathe a sigh of relief, and the pressure on them dropped sharply.
Thankfully, that was the case. If every duplicate had been as powerful as the original, there would have been no point fighting this battle. They might as well have run away!
Now it seemed that although this move looked terrifying, it had both advantages and drawbacks. There were many duplicates, but each was easily destroyed, making it far less insurmountable than it appeared.
In the blink of an eye, the battle reached a fever pitch.
Ash, Rafe, and Shota were no exception, caught up in the attack as well.
Although Ash was friends with Xia You, Deoxys had only been caught recently and did not know who he was, so there was naturally no question of special treatment. Besides, its orders were to draw Rayquaza toward these Trainers while wearing down their strength. Even if it had known Ash was Xia You's friend, it would have treated him like anyone else without specific instructions.
Still, while Deoxys attacked them, it did not strike to kill, giving them some breathing room.
The Trainers, Ash included, sent out their Pokémon to fight back. Knowing full well that fighting in the river put them at a severe disadvantage, they also quickened their approach to shore.
But clearly, apart from Deoxys, the real danger came from the battle between Rayquaza and the wild Deoxys!
Even though their attacks were not aimed at these humans