For Cynthia, the more heavily Giratina was injured before facing her, the better.
Ideally, the entire Distortion World would be in chaos, allowing her to easily exact vengeance for Elias.
But for Steven and the others, the situation was entirely different.
Giratina fighting some unknown Pokémon in the Distortion World could seriously endanger their friend. Worse, if the world was truly thrown into chaos, Elias might not survive at all.
Cynthia clenched her fists tightly, struggling with conflicting emotions.
However, she had little time to dwell on these feelings.
Not far away, after steadying himself, Cyrus's eyes burned fervently. Gazing at the brightly glowing [Lustrous Orb] in his hand, he realized it was most likely Palkia battling Giratina.
If that were true, it wasn't trouble—it was excellent news.
Just like Cynthia, Cyrus intended to capture Palkia.
If Giratina seriously injured the deity of space first, Cyrus would happily collect the weakened Pokémon.
Smirking slightly, Cyrus tossed the [Lustrous Orb] into the air and commanded:
"Weavile, [Dark Pulse]!"
Beside him, Weavile promptly opened its mouth, firing a dark wave directly at the orb.
Buzz—!
The attack collided with the orb, yet instead of exploding, it responded by glowing even brighter, as if enraged by the strike.
BOOM—!
Immediately afterward, an even stronger spatial distortion erupted. Despite not being in the same dimension, everyone faintly heard an ominous draconic roar.
Catching the orb as it fell, Cyrus smiled smugly, fully revealing his intentions to everyone present.
"Mew! (Grab that orb!)"
Mew swiftly waved a tiny paw, instantly reacting to the threat.
Elias was still trapped inside the Distortion World. If a large-scale battle erupted there now, he would be in grave danger.
Even with Gardevoir's protection, no one could guarantee complete safety during a clash between legendary Pokémon—especially between powerhouses like Giratina and Palkia.
Even a minor spatial ripple from their conflict could prove fatal to Elias.
Without hesitation, Mew and Latias charged forward.
The two legendary Pokémon no longer cared whether the nearby capture equipment was destroyed. After all, Cyrus's actions had crossed their absolute bottom line.
Seeing Mew and Latias rush into battle, Lance and Steven exchanged a quick glance.
They, too, wanted to charge ahead, but…
If they did, all the carefully prepared capture devices Cynthia had set up would inevitably be damaged.
Yet…
"Dragonite, protect those capture devices!"
"Metagross, help Latias and the others!"
After brief deliberation, the two Champions came up with a compromise. Elias's safety unquestionably took priority—they couldn't simply stand idle.
With two Champions joining the fight, the battlefield instantly descended into chaos.
At the frontline, Mew and Latias both wore grave expressions.
They had expected an easy fight.
But…
Unexpectedly, Cyrus had cunningly turned Cynthia's own capture devices against them.
Normally, human capture equipment posed no serious threat to legendary Pokémon like them.
Yet Cynthia's modified devices fired beams with strange, suppressive power, forcing Mew and Latias to expend significant effort dodging.
Furthermore, Cyrus's Pokémon weren't weak either. His massive Snorlax, in particular, exceeded Champion-level strength. Combined with the bizarre capture tools, it created a frustrating stalemate.
Below, as Cyrus activated the [Lustrous Orb] once more, he glanced contemptuously toward the frustrated Mew and Latias.
Initially, seeing two legendary Pokémon appear had indeed shocked him. However, it was clear now—his preparations were far superior.
With satisfaction, he glanced at his enormous Snorlax. Its extraordinary size and frightening strength made it the second strongest Pokémon under his command.
Most importantly, this Snorlax had been passed down through generations within Team Galactic, ensuring its absolute loyalty.
Seeing the timing was right, Cyrus threw out another Poké Ball.
Pop—!
In a flash of white, a robust Pokémon surrounded by swirling green winds appeared.
Tornadus—his true ace, another Pokémon passed down through generations.
"Well, Champions? How do you plan to respond now?"
Cyrus spoke calmly, but his pride was unmistakable.
Noticeably, he'd deliberately excluded Cynthia from his taunts.
He'd clearly sensed that her goals strangely aligned with his own.
Hearing Cyrus's provocative words, everyone grit their teeth. With yet another powerful Pokémon revealed, their situation was becoming truly dire.
No one had anticipated Team Galactic possessing such overwhelming strength.
In the distance, Cynthia's delicate features twisted in turmoil.
Her primary goal was clearly avenging Elias. Yet…
Allowing Steven's friend to die so callously was undoubtedly wrong.
Someone who agonized over ice cream flavors was now completely paralyzed by indecision.
Conflicting emotions filled her heart entirely.
"Lucario, what should we do…?" Cynthia murmured softly, glancing at Lucario standing quietly beside her.
She hadn't forgotten that Lucario was Elias's Pokémon.
"If it were Elias," Lucario responded calmly, "he would resolve both problems simultaneously."
"He would save the person and capture Giratina."
Cynthia exhaled softly at Lucario's words.
That's right—Elias would try to achieve both goals at once.
But…
Am I capable of that?
Cynthia didn't know if she had what it took.
Pressing her lips together in determination, she slowly clenched her fists.
"I understand," she finally said.
"I'll try it too—just like he would," Cynthia whispered to Lucario.
But when she turned her gaze back to the battlefield, Cynthia froze abruptly.
Two familiar Pokémon had just appeared in her sight.
---
That's the end of the chapters. Translator worked hard on this one… and also asked me to deliver a little message on her behalf. She said it herself: she's shameless enough to ask.
So—if you'd like to support her, you can do so at patreon.com/wisetl. It's completely optional, meant only for support, though it comes with the bonus of reading a little ahead.
And then there's the Powerstone system: every 100 Stones = 1 bonus chapter. 100ps = 1, 200ps = 2, 300ps = 3… you get the picture.
She's the shameless one for asking, but I don't think there's anything wrong with it. After all… if no one speaks up, no one gets heard.
—Hanekawa Tsubasa