Watching the scene unfold before him, Mew couldn't bear it and closed his eyes.
Though during Rope's battles with others, he'd often found himself unable to watch and shut his eyes. But this time felt different.
Those of them who possessed truly powerful ultimate moves knew well: such ridiculously long-charging techniques inevitably came at a cost. If this attack were interrupted, Rope would suffer at least severe injuries. More crucially, it wasn't just about whether Rope would be seriously injured. He could be finished off instantly if he turned his head.
Unlike Mew, Whitley and the others merely clenched their fists, staring fixedly at the battle.
They had faith in Rope, but not absolute faith. After all, even Rope himself couldn't predict the outcome of this kind of fight.
All they could do now was pray.
But some couldn't sit still.
Mewtwo unfolded a psychic barrier around himself. With a ferocious roar, he teleported all the Pokémon away.
As for where they were sent...
Sumi watched the sudden influx of Pokémon before her, her expression devoid of emotion.
Over tens of thousands of years, she had seen it all. Loyal summoned beasts, summoned beasts that devoured their masters...
She had witnessed all manner of people and things, and such brawls were nothing new to her.
The void was too vast. Nothing truly surprised her anymore.
Unless you could willingly step aside when your friend faced the same opportunity to become stronger—that would be truly rare.
A soul emerged behind Sumi. It was a strikingly handsome youth. His right hand gripped a long sword, which he used to parry Mewtwo's powerful Psychic. His left fist shot forward with a thunderous punch, its force scattering the Hyper Beam fired by Entei.
Gengar was about to travel to the spirit world for a surprise attack, but he suddenly discovered that his ghost power couldn't even communicate with the spirit world. As a result, he was taken advantage of this opportunity and repelled by a wind finger.
Entei, Charizard, Arcanine, and Infernape all flapped wings—some natural, some fashioned from gathered flames—as they soared through the air.
Blazing flames gathered in their paws or mouths.
The four crimson-gold pillars of fire merged into one, hurtling straight toward Sumi.
They knew their efforts might go unrewarded. They knew their battle might yield no victory. They knew their end might be death.
But some things are like that. If you do them, failure is just failure. If you don't, you're doomed to a lifetime of self-reproach and regret.
Would you rather be a coward for a lifetime, or a hero for five seconds?
Truthfully, Entei and the others hadn't overthought it. At this moment, stepping forward was simply inevitable.
Though they had indeed given their all, it couldn't be denied that their efforts yielded little effect.
The young man's soul had blocked every single one of their attacks. When unleashing ultimate moves, everyone fears being interrupted, so they'd undoubtedly prepared necessary countermeasures.
Of course, if someone interrupts your ultimate with a skill powerful enough to instantly kill you, there's nothing to be said.
True interruption.
But just as the blade was about to strike the eggshell, it shattered with a thunderous crash.
The crimson-gold fragments burst like dazzling fireworks, yet resembled a sky filled with luminous feathers.
A slender dragon claw blocked the bone sword. Following the claw downward, the coiled divine dragon glared intently at Sumi, who was swinging her sword.
Rope appeared atop the dragon's head, his gaze equally intense as he stared at Sumi.
Sumi stared at the dragon, momentarily frozen in bewilderment.
Meanwhile, the numerous elders suspended in the void all held their breath involuntarily.
"The Ancestral Dragon... is dead..."
"This can't be right! That kid is merely one of the inheritors of the Ancestral Dragon's fragments. How could he possibly possess such power!"
"Investigate this brat! Use every means necessary!"
The reactions of the powerful figures varied widely.
Only a handful remained intrigued.
One of them, who looked like a child, pointed at Rope on the light screen and said, "Minch! I think he'd make a better next Director of the Cultural Management Bureau than you!"
The youth named Minch yawned, smacked his lips twice, then replied, "Whatever floats your boat. I'm not going to fetch anyone for you. Issue the task yourself."
With that, he stood up decisively, yanked his white lab coat off the chair, and prepared to leave.
"Where are you going! I'm not done lecturing you yet!"
"Director, you can think of your words first. I've got a Class C civilization to contain. I'll listen to your lecture after I'm done!"
Minch walked out of the room without looking back.
The big shot rolled his eyes but said nothing more.
"Kid, try a little harder. Don't end up like your predecessors, always ready to give up at the drop of a hat!"
The Big Boss watched Rope's retreating figure with hopeful eyes.
This era needed geniuses. It needed countless geniuses.
But Rope remained oblivious to their thoughts.
Rope's state was peculiar. He seemed to be looking at Sumi, yet also not looking at her.
His eyes were sharp and focused, yet they seemed to lack any inner light.
He felt as though he saw the world through his own eyes, yet also through the dragon's eyes.
Rope had no other desire now. He only wanted to roar at the heavens.
And so, both he and the divine dragon beneath him let out a deafening roar.
Sumi remained unaffected by the roar. She took a deep breath and raised her sword once more.
Having vented their fury, Rope and the dragon unleashed their claws toward Sumi without hesitation.
The sword struck the dragon's body, yet failed to inflict any significant damage.
But the dragon's claws seemed to pierce through time and space, appearing before Sumi in an instant.
Sumi had to scramble into defense.
Seizing the moment, the crimson-gold divine dragon unleashed a torrent of dragonfire from its maw.
Sumi felt the unique power within the flames, stirring a flicker of emotion within her.
But before that flicker could linger long,
Rope's figure gradually emerged from the sea of fire.
He wore imposing armor, a dragon-coiled spear in hand.
Upon his breastplate, the silhouette of a divine dragon was etched.
The shadow was lifelike, yet utterly still.
Sumi was just about to strengthen her defenses.
But Rope's spear pierced through her defenses in an instant, pressing against the front of her throat.
His eyes held no spark of emotion, only authority and indifference.
"You... have lost..."