"-Knee Strike!" Three flying knees slammed into Rayquaza's chin, knocking its head upward. Its enormous, elongated body tilted backward involuntarily, then lost consciousness and the power keeping it aloft. It crashed heavily to the ground, throwing up clouds of dust.
"We... we won!" Anxiong had no time to wonder when Naisha had joined in, allowing him to pull off an unprecedented Triple Knee Strike. Seeing Rayquaza fall, he let out an excited cheer.
"Wait, did we really win this time? It isn't playing dead again, is it?" Anxiong looked at Naisha. Only after she nodded in confirmation did he finally start bouncing around with Dingzai in delight. After their hard-won victory, Anxiong's usual composure vanished, and he cheered with Dingzai like a child. Or rather, the weathered, mature, steady side was part of him, but so was this childlike side that challenged the heights and rejoiced in surpassing himself again and again.
Diyazi was happily laughing beside them, too. Suddenly, however, all three figures before it lost consciousness at once. Like puppets with their strings cut, they collapsed onto the meteorite ash, sending dust flying everywhere.
The countless injuries accumulated in battle and the pressure of pushing themselves to their limits had already stretched Anxiong and Dingzai's nerves taut. The instant they relaxed, their exhausted bodies swallowed their consciousness like black holes. Naisha, who had yet to break their synchronization and was nearly spent herself, was dragged into unconsciousness along with them.
Across the vast mountaintop, the roars and sounds of battle had fallen silent. Only Walrein's helpless barking remained, sending echoes rolling across the summit.
"Where am I?" When Anxiong awoke, he found himself lying in a comfortable bed surrounded by pink curtains. He tried to sit up, only to discover that his body was swathed in layers of