Edward stared at Cyrus in front of him. The man seemed unusually agitated—but why?
Was it because he had thrown out Groudon? That didn't make sense. If Cyrus was already working with the people from Hoenn, then he should have known Edward had Groudon. So why was he so shocked?
Suddenly, flashes of memory rushed through Edward's mind.
Cyrus's strange words, his odd behavior, and the fact that he somehow knew Shizuka was a spy...
"You foresaw this scene, didn't you?!" Edward's eyes widened with disbelief as he questioned Cyrus.
Hearing that, Cyrus immediately calmed down. He glanced at Edward, then at Groudon, who stood before them. He pursed his lips but said nothing.
Edward's face darkened. Cyrus can foresee the future? That was something he had no idea about.
"ROARRR!!"
Groudon let out an earth-shaking roar. The ground of Twinleaf Town trembled violently, and searing magma surged like blades from beneath the earth, tearing through buildings and shooting toward Dialga in the sky.
"DIAAA!"
Dialga lifted both forelegs and swiftly dodged to the side. The massive Precipice Blades shot upward like jagged mountains.
And with Groudon taking the lead in attacking, the battlefield erupted once again. The three legendary Pokémon let out deafening cries, and the sheer pressure they unleashed flattened all lesser Pokémon to the ground, leaving them paralyzed with fear. Only well-trained Pokémon could barely manage to remain standing.
"...You've exceeded my expectations, Edward," Cyrus said, withdrawing his gaze. "But with a Groudon you can't even command… what exactly can you do?"
Groudon had already leaped down from the temple. The building couldn't support its enormous size and blistering heat. As Groudon left, Edward once again found himself in a difficult position.
"What can I do?" Edward murmured, looking at Groudon's towering form. Though he had indeed captured Groudon with a Poké Ball, that didn't mean Groudon recognized him as its Trainer. Its refusal to listen to orders had been expected.
What Edward hadn't expected was how aggressive Groudon would be—launching a direct attack on Dialga right away. He had no idea what triggered it.
Meanwhile, the Lake Trio slowly floated toward them. Despite their seemingly unimpressive appearance, their power was formidable. Both Zoroark and Shizuka were still being suppressed.
"You're watching me… aren't you?" Edward whispered, placing a hand over his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart.
Though he hadn't spoken to a certain legendary Pokémon that had been hiding in the Distortion World, that Pokémon occasionally snuck some fear candies from him. Edward had never stopped it.
Cyrus stopped as well. He lifted his head and looked at Edward, his gaze full of something indescribable.
The Lake Trio pressed closer, and the Psychic energy surrounding them materialized like walls, suffocating Edward with pressure.
"Damn it! What are these monsters?!"
At the frontlines, Officer Jenny's commanding officer was shell-shocked. She watched as Groudon stomped a house into molten lava and thrust its massive Precipice Blades into the sky like mountain peaks.
Only when faced with a legendary-tier Pokémon can one feel how insignificant and powerless humans truly are.
"Amp…"
Her Ampharos let out a low, warning growl. The subdued Team Galactic Pokémon had already fainted completely.
"ROARRR!!"
Groudon raised its arms and unleashed a roar so powerful it tore through the earth, causing lava to explode skyward from deep underground.
"Evacuate! Initiate emergency evacuation protocol!" Officer Jenny's captain screamed, panic flooding her voice. She watched in horror as a mini volcano suddenly erupted on the outskirts of Twinleaf Town, spewing extreme heat and scorching magma.
"…Twinleaf Town… can it even survive this?"
Outside the perimeter of the town, the League's main forces stood grim-faced, watching helplessly as the sealed-off town burned from within.
A mysterious power had completely sealed off Twinleaf Town. No one could get in. All they could do was watch as the Time-Space Gods destroyed everything… and as Groudon's Precipice Blades pierced the skies like mountain peaks.
The three legendary Pokémon were just too strong.
"Edward is still inside… What do we do?"
Cynthia looked grim. She glanced at her phone—she had already messaged Steven Stone to tell him that his younger brother was trapped in Twinleaf.
Steven had replied with just one character: .
And then… nothing.
But Cynthia had already learned from the Sinnoh League President that Steven, currently leading the assault on Team Aqua, had gone berserk—ruthlessly obliterating anything in his way.
Meanwhile, the President of the Devon Corporation was already en route to Twinleaf with a research team. They were bringing along a top-secret ultimate weapon, known only to Champions—a weapon powered by energy extracted from capturing Rayquaza.
If Edward were to die in there…
Cynthia took a deep breath.
This would blow up into something huge.
"Edward…" she muttered, anxious and helpless as she stared at the sealed-off town.
"Wait—what is that?!"
The Sinnoh League President suddenly exclaimed. He grabbed his binoculars, his expression shifting into shock.
"What is it?" Cynthia immediately took the binoculars and looked toward the temple—the location where Edward and Cyrus were confronting each other.
The space had torn open.
A pair of dark golden claws emerged, ripping open the rift in the air. A sinister aura spilled out.
The Lake Trio trembled all over. The red glow in their eyes flickered—but was soon forced back into submission as they continued floating toward Edward.
The torn space revealed a bizarre world—waterfalls flowing from the ground into the sky, and at the center of that distorted world, a massive Pokémon stared intently into the normal world.
GIRATINA.
The divine pressure radiated outward. A strange force shattered the device controlling the Lake Trio.
The three Pokémon instantly returned to normal. Shizuka, Q, Fortune, and Zoroark all broke free.
In that moment, the tide of battle completely reversed.
"Heh… heh… hahahahahahaha!!"
But Cyrus suddenly burst into loud, exaggerated laughter.
Edward frowned deeply, staring at him. What the hell is he laughing about now?
"I finally… finally got you to take that step!"
Cyrus's voice was wild with glee. He looked at Edward like a madman.
Edward's heart sank.
So it was true—
Cyrus really could see the future.
Edward still didn't know how. As far as he remembered, none of the previous versions of Cyrus ever showed such an ability.
(End of Chapter)