"It's all over."
Cyrus stared at the pillar of destructive light, convinced that everything had finally come to an end.
Dialga's Roar of Time and Palkia's Spacial Rend, when impacted by the unknown legendary Pokémon's interference, veered off-course and slammed into the ground—unleashing a massive explosion that obliterated everything nearby.
There was no way a regular human like Edward could survive such an assault. It was impossible.
"Edward!"
Shizuka cried out in panic. She tried to rush over to help, but Cyrus's Pokémon kept attacking, blocking her path. She could only watch helplessly.
Q and Fortune also tried to assist, but the sheer chaos caused by the legendary Pokémon's battle waves stopped them in their tracks.
Shizuka clutched her shirt tightly, her breathing ragged. In her mind, she could already see the image of Edward being annihilated by the legendary attacks.
This shouldn't have happened...
Team Galactic was a Sinnoh League matter—it was her responsibility. Why had Edward been dragged into this?
"Shizuka, if that day ever comes... I'll protect you."
The memory blurred in her mind. As she looked at Edward, she saw the shadow of her younger self reflected in him.
"ROAR!"
Suddenly, a beastly roar echoed, and the ground beneath where Edward had been standing began to tremble. The violent tremor knocked him backward just before the explosion blasted him through the air.
Cyrus blinked in disbelief. He looked up, spotting the fast-approaching Groudon and the quaking earth in its wake.
"This... this is..." Cyrus was stunned by the turn of events.
Edward had actually survived?
A cobalt-blue light flickered past, and Cyrus's expression returned to calm.
"Damn it, that guy really can see the future!"
Edward winced, rubbing his arm—it felt almost broken. But what concerned him more was Cyrus's actions.
Everything he'd done was methodical and precise, as if he was deliberately herding Edward to a specific position—the exact place where that devastating blast had struck.
If it weren't for Groudon's tremor knocking him slightly back at the last moment, he'd be dead.
But how could Cyrus predict something to this exact degree?
That level of calculation was inhuman. Even a Pokémon capable of seeing the future shouldn't be able to predict something like this. So… how had Cyrus done it?
"Edward, we have to get out of here! These legendary Pokémon have completely lost their minds!"
Shizuka rushed to Edward's side during a brief lull, eyes full of panic.
She couldn't bear to see a scene like the one just now again.
"We can't leave, Shizuka."
Edward looked around at the surrounding spatial energy—Twinleaf Town had become a literal island, completely cut off.
Unless that barrier was destroyed, no one could escape.
The only options were:
—Try to use the organ in the temple to play that sacred melody
—or hope that the legendary Pokémon stopped fighting on their own.
As Edward pondered solutions, Cyrus launched another attack.
"This time, I won't fall for it!"
Edward commanded Q and the others while constantly adjusting his movement. Now that he knew Cyrus could partially predict the future, he had to deliberately avoid the paths Cyrus would expect.
"Fortune! Make It Rain—full power!"
Edward spotted an opening between the attacks of Cyrus's Pokémon and immediately gave the order.
Fortune didn't hesitate. A tidal wave of glittering coins surged forward, crashing down like a golden storm. Each coin, empowered by Pokémon magic, carried immense destructive force.
Under the unreasonable might of Gold Rush, four of Cyrus's Pokémon were instantly taken out, only Probopass and Magnezone barely escaped defeat.
Edward felt a flicker of hope. But just then—
A massive tremor shook the battlefield. Caught off guard, Fortune was knocked down, coins spilling across the ground.
At the same time, Q, who had been using Phantom Force to sneak attack Cyrus, was intercepted by a powerful Shadow Punch and knocked back.
From the pile of coins, a massive figure emerged—
Golurk!
Edward frowned. This guy… Cyrus really did his homework.
In the games, Cyrus never used a Golurk. This one had clearly been prepared specifically for Edward.
"Damn it..."
Edward looked up—but Cyrus was gone!
Confused, he scanned the battlefield, only to quickly understand where Cyrus had gone.
"Can't you come up with something original?"
Edward muttered, looking at Cyrus, who was now standing with the Lake Trio floating in front of him—Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf.
"Against you? This is the only way."
Cyrus replied calmly.
The trio's eyes flashed with psychic light. Edward turned just in time to see Zoroark—who had been fighting Magnezone and Zoroark—freeze completely.
Its gaze turned dull and empty.
Shizuka, who had been standing beside it in worry, also froze—expressionless, like a puppet. Her Pokémon stopped as well.
Even Q and Fortune were suddenly motionless.
In an instant, everything around Edward fell eerily silent.
"The Lake Trio."
"These three may look small, but they possess mysterious powers—they can strip away knowledge, emotion, and will."
"I've used them too crudely before," Cyrus said with a satisfied smile. "But now, Edward, I've finally harnessed their true power."
He looked at Edward with the confidence of someone holding a guaranteed victory.
"You…" Edward stared at him, speechless.
This man… was becoming ridiculously powerful.
"RAAAWR!!"
A furious roar erupted from above.
Edward looked up and saw Dialga's Roar of Time slam into Giratina—only for Groudon to stab Precipice Blades directly into the gemstone on Dialga's chest.
The gem cracked.
Edward paused.
Dialga?
Cobalt-blue gemstone…
He turned to look at the ring on Cyrus's finger.
That ring was also cobalt-blue.
Cyrus… he actually has a piece of Dialga's gemstone?!
What was going on?
Edward stared in disbelief at Dialga in the sky. The gem on its chest had clearly cracked, but not shattered yet.
So then… that ring...
"Die here, Edward!"
Cyrus gave him no time to speak.
In an instant, the Lake Trio's power surged again—crushing pressure descended upon Edward, rendering him completely immobile.
(End of Chapter)