Cyrus's sudden appearance had thoroughly ignited Cynthia's fury.
Gritting her teeth, she nearly ordered Garchomp and Lucario to attack Cyrus immediately.
However…
Seeming to sense her intent, Cyrus casually tapped the equipment beside him and remarked pointedly:
"Miss Cynthia, I doubt these delicate instruments could handle such reckless actions."
"If you wish to continue your little plan, refraining from attacking me would be the wisest course of action."
Cyrus spoke calmly, his voice devoid of emotion.
Yet to Cynthia and the others, these words were blatant provocation.
It wasn't just Cynthia—Steven and Lance both glared at Cyrus, brows tightly knit.
Team Galactic was Sinnoh's notorious criminal organization, akin to Kanto's Team Rocket or Hoenn's Teams Aqua and Magma.
Both Champions had at least some familiarity with the threat they posed.
Precisely because of this, they knew how dangerous this situation had become. Unlike greedy poachers, a fanatic like Cyrus might genuinely sabotage their entire operation, even at immense personal cost.
If Elias ended up trapped in the Distortion World because of this, things would quickly spiral out of control.
Reluctantly, they clutched their Poké Balls but didn't dare make rash moves.
Not just the Champions—even Mew and Latias exchanged wary glances and refrained from acting recklessly. They weren't foolish enough to gamble on Cyrus's threat being mere bravado.
Across from them, seeing that his intimidation had succeeded, Cyrus's awkward smile deepened slightly.
Instructing his subordinates to guard the equipment carefully, he slowly approached the Spear Pillar.
In his hand was the [Lustrous Orb], stolen previously—a mysterious artifact capable of attracting and binding Palkia, the deity of space.
He intended to use it to summon Palkia, and once the spatial deity appeared, Dialga and Giratina would inevitably follow.
Cynthia's expression darkened further as Cyrus produced the orb.
Despite having three Champions present, along with multiple legendary Pokémon stronger than Champions, they were reduced to helplessly watching Cyrus's plans unfold.
If worst came to worst… they'd have to abandon today's operation and focus first on neutralizing Team Galactic.
Cynthia quickly devised this contingency plan.
It wasn't entirely impossible. Giratina hadn't yet been fully drawn out, and even if their equipment was damaged, repairs could be completed overnight. They could always resume tomorrow.
This would, of course, mean leaving the human trapped in the Distortion World for another day.
But it was better than risking total failure here.
The only question… was whether Lance, Steven, and those two legendary Pokémon would agree to this.
Cynthia glanced thoughtfully at those around her.
Unlike her, whose priority was taking down Giratina, Steven and the others clearly valued that person more.
Her proposed solution might face strong opposition.
But just as Cynthia was mulling it over, a wave of malicious energy suddenly flickered through the air, drawing everyone's attention instantly.
"This presence… it's Giratina?"
"Why is it here before Palkia has even arrived?"
Cyrus analyzed the unexpected phenomenon, his brows furrowing deeply.
According to his plans, Giratina definitely shouldn't have appeared this soon. Yet, as if confirming it wasn't a simple illusion, another surge of hostile energy pulsed through the air.
Cynthia clenched her fist tightly, veins visible against her fair skin.
Giratina had arrived.
Now, ready or not, the plan had to unfold today.
---
"ROAR—!"
A powerful [Dragon Breath] blasted from Giratina's maw, hurtling toward Elias at blinding speed.
But…
The attack, strong enough to devastate most opponents, was effortlessly intercepted by Gardevoir and Zoroark before reaching Elias.
For these two Pokémon, this level of attack wasn't particularly threatening—especially Zoroark. Even after several centuries, she still barely needed to defend herself; Arceus's Plate granted her near-perfect protection.
"GRRR—!"
A deep, frustrated growl rumbled from Giratina's throat.
Just moments earlier, after being assaulted simultaneously by Gardevoir and Zoroark, Giratina finally remembered where it had encountered this particular human before.
If memory served, wasn't this the same human who had struck a deal with Arceus in Hisui centuries ago—the obnoxious fox's trainer?
But why was he still alive?
Shouldn't he have perished long ago due to his bargain with that arrogant llama?
Giratina's thoughts churned chaotically.
It refused to believe Arceus had grown incompetent enough to fail at handling one mere human. Yet the reality stood undeniably before it, leaving no room for doubt.
The only plausible explanation was that Arceus had taken a special liking to this human, deliberately neglecting their original agreement. Perhaps the deity had even generously granted Elias extended life, allowing him to survive centuries.
Although it sounded absurd, Giratina found this scenario disturbingly believable.
After all, Arceus's capriciousness wasn't exactly a new thing.
But ultimately, the truth didn't matter now.
Giratina had just realized, with growing horror, that the combined strength of Gardevoir and Zoroark was overwhelming it.
This was its own territory, the Distortion World, where Giratina had always dominated. Typically, even though Zoroark held some advantage, it wasn't decisive enough to threaten Giratina significantly.
But now…
BOOM!
Another [Psychic] crashed violently into its head, and Giratina felt as though several knives had pierced straight through its mind.
Wielding the [Mind Plate] and having undergone [Mega Evolution], Gardevoir's casual attacks carried frightening force. Even Giratina was being pushed back repeatedly.
"Whoosh—!"
Swinging its tail fiercely to fend off another coordinated attack, Giratina hastily regained its balance. Its crimson eyes glowed fiercely, murderous intent flaring.
If things continued like this, escape would soon be impossible.
Its only option was to create chaos.
As this thought crossed Giratina's mind, images of Dialga and Palkia flashed vividly before it.
Those two fools seemed like the perfect candidates for this task.