"Boss, what do we do now?" Zoroark asked urgently, hastily following Edward.
"Resolve the crisis with the twin gods, and then get rid of the threat from Team Galactic," Edward replied, walking quickly. He was visibly irritated. Reality wasn't like the anime—there were too many unexpected twists, and those had wasted his time. Still, he had finally found the key location to solve everything.
Gears—massive gears. All that was needed was to get this place running and then—
But Edward paused and turned around. He could already hear the sound of leather shoes striking the floor.
Footsteps—steady, heavy, and composed.
Before long, Cyrus appeared before him. Edward frowned. Several powerful Pokémon followed behind Cyrus. Edward didn't say a word. He had anticipated the bodyguards might not be able to stop Cyrus, but how did he catch up so fast?
Cyrus glanced around, then looked straight at Edward.
"Edward, I've finally arrived… at this destined place," Cyrus said, eyes gleaming with cold intensity and an almost manic excitement.
Edward stared back in silence for a few seconds.
"Have we… met before?" Edward asked, holding Q in his arms. Fortune was already prepared for battle. Zoroark stood protectively in front of Edward without a word.
"I've seen you," Cyrus said with a slight smile, narrowing his eyes. He seemed pleased—as if the puzzle that had troubled him for so long had finally been solved.
Then, before Edward could say anything—
BOOM!
Cyrus's Magnezone suddenly launched an attack—but the target wasn't who anyone expected.
"Ah!"
A cry of pain rang out. Shizuka clutched her arm, blood dripping from the wound, staring in confusion and pain at Cyrus.
"Shizuka, you've endured a lot. Following the League's orders, you've been undercover by my side all this time," Cyrus said coldly.
Shock filled Shizuka's eyes. Even Edward was stunned.
What kind of plot twist is this? Undercover agent drama?
"Boss, I…" Shizuka started, looking like she wanted to explain—like she was wrongfully accused.
"No need to say anything. I know what you were trying to do." Cyrus stepped to the side, eyeing both Shizuka and Edward warily.
"You got close to me. You said you'd taken care of the League agents. Then you'd seize the chance to attack me, right?" Cyrus said in a calm, almost gentle tone.
Shizuka's pupils contracted. Edward frowned—it seemed that was her plan. But how did Cyrus find out?
Now wasn't the time to dwell on it. Edward signaled with a wave of his hand.
Q's Dazzling Gleam burst forth, lighting up the dim tower with blinding brilliance. Shizuka, catching on quickly, also launched an attack. The two attacks surged toward Cyrus simultaneously.
"Now this is fun," Cyrus said with a trace of excitement in his eyes.
A Light Screen instantly appeared beside him. Then, six Pokémon emerged—three charged at Edward, and the other three went for Shizuka.
"Boss, what's happening?!" Zoroark was dazed. Things had escalated way too fast.
"Help me out, now!" Edward didn't have time to explain. He considered letting Fortune use Make it Rain, but worried it might collapse the tower's structure—so he didn't dare take the risk.
Instead, he used the opportunity to check the equipment quickly.
Then—he discovered a critical problem.
The disk.
Without the disk, Oración couldn't be activated—and the entire plan would fall apart.
"Losing things like that's a bad habit, Edward," came Cyrus's mocking voice.
Edward turned and saw Cyrus holding the disk in his hand.
Worse, Edward's Pokémon were being tied down by Cyrus's own—and among them were the Lake Trio, all with glowing red eyes.
"You're even more troublesome than I thought," Cyrus said, looking smug. In his hand was another strange item, and the combined powers of Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf were suppressing Shizuka's Pokémon. Shizuka, overwhelmed by psychic power, was pinned helplessly at Cyrus's feet.
Edward glanced at Q, who was desperately trying to break through the enemy's restraint—but to no avail. Fortune and Zoroark were in the same boat. With Cyrus's Pokémon and the Lake Trio working together, they couldn't gain any ground.
"How do you know all this?" Edward growled. The fact that Cyrus had the disk baffled him.
And Cyrus's behavior had been strange all along.
"Yeah… how do I know?" Cyrus chuckled, watching Edward and Shizuka squirm.
He toyed with the cobalt-blue ring on his hand again.
Finally.
He'd shattered the illusion—diverted the story onto a new path. He had everything under control.
Edward could tell from Cyrus's expression—he had no intention of explaining anything.
Edward took a deep breath.
He was out of options.
Q and Fortune were suppressed. If it were just Cyrus's team, there might still be a way out—but with the Lake Trio under his control too, this had become a serious problem.
"Screw it, I'm flipping the table! CYRUS!!"
Edward gripped the Luxury Ball in his hand and hurled it forcefully.
Too difficult? Then don't bother!
"You—" Cyrus's eyes widened. But the Luxury Ball had already opened.
The entire tower instantly became scorching hot.
A massive Pokémon appeared. Its red body, enormous size, and sheer presence crushed the air around them.
With its emergence, the skies over Twinleaf Town turned into harsh sunlight.
"Wh-What is that?!"
Back at the town center, the entire battlefield froze.
The sky cleared. Intense sunlight radiated across the area. Everyone instinctively turned their eyes toward the temple.
"ROAAAR!!"
A piercing cry echoed through the air.
Dialga and Palkia—locked in fierce combat—suddenly halted. Their gazes turned toward the center of the temple.
At the blazing Pokémon.
As if it had sensed their presence too, the Pokémon slowly opened its eyes.
"Groudon!"
Cyrus's pupils contracted. His hands clenched involuntarily.
He could feel it—at this very moment, everything was slipping out of his control.
"No… No! I've never seen this! I've never seen you use Groudon! What's going on?!"
Cyrus roared in anger, and beneath his voice was a trace of panic.
"ROAR!!"
Groudon had fully awakened. Its eyes turned to Edward—then to Cyrus—and finally locked on to the twin gods of time and space.
(End of Chapter)