Rayquaza

Rayquaza is a /-type Legendary Pokémon introduced in the Generation III core series titles Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Versions and the mascot of Pokémon Emerald Version. Rayquaza is a green serpentine-like dragon and one of the members of the weather trio, the other two being Groudon and Kyogre. Rayquaza usually flies around in the ozone layer, and it has the ability to mediate the fights between Groudon and Kyogre, especially because Rayquaza has the ability Air Lock, which negates all strong weather effects. Since Pokémon X and Y, Rayquaza can Mega Evolve into Mega Rayquaza.

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Versions
In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Versions, a level 70 Rayquaza can be encountered on the sixth and topmost floor of the Sky Pillar.

Pokémon Emerald Version
In Pokémon Emerald Version, Rayquaza can be found in the same location. Aside from being the game's mascot, Rayquaza also receives a more prominent role in that the player character has to get Rayquaza to stop Groudon and Kyogre from fighting.

Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire
In Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire Rayquaza is the boss of the third and final Bonus Field, unlockable by first capturing Groudon or Kyogre. To defeat Rayquaza, the player must hit it fifteen times within three minutes. After beating the round twice, Rayquaza will be captured.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team
In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, Rayquaza is portrayed as the final boss of the main story. The final boss takes place at the top of the Sky Tower. He attacks the player and their partner because they disturbed his sleep. Once Rayquaza has been defeated, the partner convinced Rayquaza that he is the only one who could destroy a meteor capable of destroying the world. Rayquaza uses the move Hyper Beam, causing the meteor to be destroyed.

After clearing the game, the player can revisit the Sky Tower to fight Rayquaza again. On rare occasions, Rayquaza asks if he can join the team. If this occurs, the player unlocks the Stratos Lookout, and can choose to play as Rayquaza.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness / Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, Rayquaza is the boss of the secret dungeon Sky Stairway, where it guards a very rare item called Sky Melodica, which makes it a bit easier to befriend flying-type Pokémon.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Rayquaza is featured as the second boss in Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary, where it is fought in The Lake by Fox McCloud and Diddy Kong and later again in The Great Maze. There is also a trophy and a sticker of Rayquaza, who is the only Pokémon who is neither playable nor summoned from a Poké Ball to have its own sticker. Like the other bosses, Rayquaza can also be fought in Boss Battles Mode.

Unlike the Pokémon franchise, Rayquaza lives within a lake instead of the ozone layer. Furthermore, it does not take much damage from ice-elemental attacks whereas in the Pokémon franchise, Ice-type attacks inflict 4x the amount of damage.

During Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary, during a later portion of The Lake, Rayquaza suddenly emerges from a lake after hearing Diddy. Rayquaza attacks the Arwing with an energy ball and grabs Diddy, who screams for help, so Fox, who manages to escape the damaged Arwing, leaps from it and uses Fox Illusion to free Diddy from Rayquaza's grasp. Rayquaza is infuriated and launches another energy ball at Fox, who uses his Reflector to deflect it back at Rayquaza, who falls into the lake as a result.

Some of Rayquaza's attacks involve burrowing into the ground and then bursting upwards. It also quickly flies horizontally over the stage and sometimes drops a lightning bolt. It can also dig underground and charge straight out; a piece of ground cracks a bit before Rayquaza bursts out of it. Rayquaza takes the most damage when its head is attacked, and cannot take damage while it is charging.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Rayquaza is a hazard on the stage Kalos Pokémon League, where it sometimes appears in the Dragon-type chamber. Here, Rayquaza periodically flies from one side of the screen to another, damaging anyone who it comes into contact with.

Rayquaza is also featured as a trophy, which can be acquired by purchasing it at the Trophy Shop.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Rayquaza returns as a hazard in Kalos Pokémon League, serving the same role as in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Rayquaza is also featured in the form of a spirit.

PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure
In PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure, Rayquaza hosts a minigame titled Balloon Panic.

Pokémon Conquest
In Pokémon Conquest, Nobunaga Oda possesses a shiny Rayquaza as his ultimate Pokémon.

Destiny Deoxys
In the film Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys, Rayquaza is the main antagonist.

Four years prior to the events of the movie, Rayquaza is nearly injured in the ozone layer by the passage of the meteor containing the essence of Deoxys. Once the alien Pokémon awakens on ground, Rayquaza defeats it by seemingly blasting it out of existence. The legendary Pokémon returns four years later to LaRousse City, sensing that Deoxys has revived itself there, and it wages a fierce battle with Deoxys and its clone in the airspace of the city to minimize damage, but still causing massive destruction.

After Deoxys ends up finding what it had been searching for, it attempts to beat Rayquaza into submission, but the security system of the city goes haywire, and suddenly every human and Pokémon in the area is in jeopardy of being swarmed to death by security cubes. Rayquaza is shielded from the ensuing flood of cubes by the good Deoxys until the end, when Ash manages to shut down the system. Rayquaza realizes that Deoxys is not its enemy, so it returns to the ozone layer in the sky while Deoxys returns to outer space.

Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea
Rayquaza makes a cameo in the opening for Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, where it is captured by Team Rocket.

Physical appearance
Rayquaza is based on the Aztec deity, the massive feathered green serpent of the skies and the god of death and resurrection. Rayquaza has an elongated, green serpent body with yellow oval patterns covering its length. Red-tipped fins extend from its body in groups of three, and additional wing- or rudder-like appendages lengthen from a serpent-like head. Sharp, conical teeth line Rayquaza's mouth, and some appear to be covered by gum tissue, similar to a Komodo dragon's. Rayquaza does not have any back legs, but has two arms with three white claws. Its tail is tipped with two small red-edged fins.

Etymology
Rayquaza's name is a derivation of the words "ray" and "quasar."