"AAAAAHH!"
In the chaos, a crescent-shaped Spatial Rend cut clean through the air and landed squarely on Dialga, dealing direct damage.
Following that, Mewtwo launched forward with full force like a meteor crashing down.
Just as Dialga was about to activate its powers to block, a peculiar magnetic field disrupted its concentration. Already dulled by its uncontrollable state, it faltered for a split second.
In that instant, Mewtwo collided squarely with Dialga's head.
This was Mewtwo at its fastest, strongest, and most fully empowered state—an impact with no room for mercy.
One hand gripped Dialga's head, unleashing a Psystrike. The other hand, raised high, gathered and slammed a fully charged Aura Sphere onto Dialga's skull.
Three of Mewtwo's strongest attacks landed consecutively. Without hesitation, it vanished on the spot with Teleport.
Almost simultaneously, another Spatial Rend from Palkia sliced through the air and hit its target.
High above, Electivire—which had strategically retreated earlier—reappeared, sustaining the magnetic interference and unleashing a barrage of Thunder attacks on Palkia.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Mewtwo unleashed dozens more Aura Spheres.
BOOM! BOOM!
Even a mighty being like Dialga couldn't recover in time. The barrage of Aura Spheres pounded its body, sending it into a downward spiral.
Its previously stable levitation gave way; Dialga began to falter in the air.
Then, a shadow darted forward.
Someone dashed in and struck Dialga's head with a Treasured Relic.
It wasn't a flashy move, but it was the final straw that broke the dragon's back.
Dialga, struck one last time, tilted and plummeted from the sky.
"Now! Origin Ball, go!"
Without hesitation, Paul hurled the crimson Origin Ball.
The glowing ball struck Dialga and in a flash of white light, engulfed the Temporal Pokémon.
By the time the light faded, Dialga was gone. Only the Origin Ball remained, shaking on the ground.
Ding—Ding—Ding—
Everyone held their breath, and eyes locked on the ball.
Finally, with a soft click, the shaking stopped.
Dialga, captured successfully!
"We did it! We actually caught it!" shouted Akari, cheering with delight.
But as she turned around, she noticed that Mewtwo, Electivire, Palkia, Paul, and the others were all looking at her strangely.
The others were fine, but Electivire's glare was downright murderous.
"Vireeee!"
'Do you even realize what you just did?! I nearly ascended to godhood!'
Usually grinning from ear to ear, Electivire now gritted its teeth with barely contained rage.
If Akari weren't an ally, a human no less—it might have punched her then and there.
"Ehehe~ Sorry about that! Old habits, you know? I acted on instinct!" Akari scratched her head, tongue out sheepishly.
"... Vireeeee!"
'Damn K-head freak! Unbelievable...'
Electivire wasn't having it. It wasn't going to accept any apology.
"Come on, don't be mad. Look, I found another one earlier. Here, a Thunder Plate. Consider it compensation!"
"... VIREEE?!"
'This is actually... amazing! Another K anytime!'
Electivire had been ready to give Akari a death glare, but when she handed it the Thunder Plate, it immediately softened up, grinning sheepishly as it took the plate and retreated to a corner.
'It wasn't about pride. She was just too generous!'
"Here!" Akari picked up the Origin Ball and jogged over to Paul, handing it to him with a grin.
"Thanks." Paul replied as calmly as he could while taking the ball, trying to suppress the excitement in his chest.
"Nice work, Mewtwo." He added.
Capturing Mewtwo had already marked a major milestone in his journey. But now, catching Dialga—that was another defining moment.
Sure, they had relied on numbers, strategic setup, and Dialga's uncontrollable state. But a win was a win.
"I feel like I learned something from that battle."
Mewtwo said with composure.
"Once I process it, I may reach a new level of strength."
Even though it had overpowered Dialga briefly, it had only done so under special conditions: numbers advantage and attacking an uncontrollable opponent while in peak condition.
Its true power still hovered at the Champion tier, not quite at a Legendary level.
"I conquered Palkia, and you caught Dialga! We're seriously awesome!" Akari puffed out her chest with pride.
Then a thought hit her. "Hey, Paul... do you think if we had Dialga and Palkia work together, we could travel back to my world or yours?"
"Hmm... not likely." Paul replied after a brief moment of thought.
Having crossed dimensions before, he knew the truth. Sure, the combined power of Dialga and Palkia could enable dimensional travel. The real challenge was directional precision.
According to Mew's theory, even if you could travel between worlds, you'd typically land in a neighboring world bubble, and there's no guarantee you'd end up in the same one again.
"Ugh, I knew it... so I really do have to meet every Pokémon myself..."
Akari sighed in frustration and acceptance.
Paul said nothing, his gaze shifting skyward.
Unlike the games where capturing Dialga restored peace, the sky above Hisui remained a chaotic swirl of red and black. The world still felt tense and unstable.
The rift in time and space still hung ominously in the heavens.
Even his phone showed the mission as incomplete.
"As expected. Reality isn't a game. The damage caused by a Legendary Pokémon doesn't just vanish after capture. And even if it could... it would take ages."
With that thought, Paul tossed the Origin Ball.
BOOM!
In a flash of white light, Dialga reappeared on the ruined battlefield. Though its aura had weakened, its presence remained overwhelming.
"I'm counting on you." Paul said, turning to Torterra and giving a nod.
Understanding the cue, Torterra's backlit tree radiated a glow of life, bathing all the fallen Pokémon in healing energy.
Bathed in this restorative light, the Pokémon quickly recovered. Even severe wounds healed visibly.
Only those with damage too deep wounds to their very essence, would need extended rest. The rest were back to full strength in less than a minute.
"Arrghh~"
Now captured and free of its uncontrollable state, Dialga let out a low and calm growl at Paul.
Its expression seemed to say:
'Though your strength is lacking and your methods dishonorable, you quelled my rage and spared the world further harm. I accept you.'
Paul replied, "It's not over yet. We still need your power to seal the rift."
"Yeah! We're counting on you, Dialga, Palkia. Bring peace back to Hisui!" Akari added.
(End of Chapter)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you want to access the advanced chapters, please visit: patreon.com / PMadz_23