Oración possessed miraculous power. As its melody played, the golden wings it summoned carried with them the force of healing. The battle between the twin gods of time and space finally came to a halt.
In the face of this divine melody and the power wielded by a mere human, the two Legendaries bowed their heads in gratitude. Even their injuries began to heal under Oración's sacred music.
"Oración… what a magnificent power. But…"
Edward gazed up at the golden wings overhead, awe in his expression, yet his heart soon sank.
Yes, Oración had healed everything.
It had ended the battle.
It had even completely healed the wound in Edward's leg—he could now walk normally again.
But what about the others?
Edward stood up. The metal shards embedded in his leg had already been forced out, and fresh tissue had filled the wounds. He held the railing and looked down at what was once Twinleaf Town.
The once-thriving town was gone.
Everyone who had fought or sought shelter there had perished—including the members of Team Galactic.
All of them had died in the explosion triggered by the gem Cyrus held aloft.
Cyrus must have foreseen the future.
He must have known exactly where that attack would land.
That's why he let Magnezone self-destruct, ensuring the gem would be struck—and traded both his own life and Edward's in the process.
"What a troublesome lunatic…"
Edward sighed.
Twinleaf Town was gone.
Shizuka was gone.
All of it—Cyrus's doing.
He was the most difficult opponent Edward had ever faced.
"DIA!"
Dialga suddenly let out a cry.
Edward jerked his head up.
No way. Don't tell me—
Are you serious? After everything, this guy still wants to fight?
Edward was about to lose it if that was the case.
But it wasn't.
He saw Dialga, whose gem had been restored, let out another cry as radiant light began to spiral and gather around its body. It was like a massive glowing light bulb—shedding infinite light.
Even Palkia, after glancing at Dialga, simply turned and stepped into a spatial rift, vanishing.
"Roar!"
Primal Groudon let out a roar too—its injuries now completely healed.
"What…?"
Edward looked at Dialga, baffled. The light surrounding the Pokémon intensified.
What was it trying to do?
The next second—a burst of blinding light exploded outward.
Edward watched in shock as the scattered rubble and dismembered limbs outside began rewinding.
Collapsed buildings began reconstructing.
Destroyed people reappeared—alive and whole.
Edward stood there, stunned.
Was this… the power of a god?
Time reversal. Temporal rewinding.
"Am I… alive again?"
Officer Jenny's squad captain stared in disbelief at her own hands. Her Pokémon beside her looked equally stunned.
Just moments ago, they had died in the explosion—yet now, they were alive again?
Everyone around her was filled with overwhelming joy.
No one could accept sudden death with ease.
And now, they had been resurrected—all while Dialga, glowing overhead, remained in the sky.
Its gem, however, was beginning to fade—the light visibly dimming.
"...Shizuka and Cyrus didn't return?"
Edward looked down at the spot where he had been shielded by Groudon.
Everything there remained unchanged.
And now Dialga's light dimmed completely.
Twinleaf Town was back.
Even the corrosive effects of space-time were gradually fading away.
"DIA!"
Dialga floated forward through the air, arriving directly in front of Edward.
Behind him, Groudon let out a disgruntled roar and stomped forward, each footstep heavy.
Edward glanced at Dialga, gliding gracefully through the air, then at Groudon, who thundered forward step by step. He rubbed his face.
"Seriously? Everything's finally over, and you're still want to fight Groudon like this?"
Dialga looked at Edward, eyes filled with a mysterious glow.
And at that moment, Edward understood.
After its gem exploded, the time in that area had been distorted.
Cyrus and Shizuka couldn't be brought back because their existences had been caught in the chaotic temporal currents.
And the explosion had also erased the disc and the remaining gem shard, casting them into the void of time—forever lost.
Only because Oración healed Dialga's body, did it have the strength left to perform this time reversal.
"Thank you, Dialga," Edward said sincerely.
Though this entire mess had started because of Dialga and Palkia's war, in the end—it was Dialga who saved everyone.
If not for Cyrus's madness and the explosion of the Time Gem, Twinleaf Town wouldn't have suffered this fate either.
Dialga nodded slightly.
Then its gaze shifted to a certain location outside town.
Its eyes glowed.
In the next instant—a black, shackled Pokémon appeared before Edward.
It struggled free immediately, bewildered by its surroundings.
Edward paused.
That's… Darkrai, the Nightmare Pokémon?
Dialga glanced at Edward one last time, then turned and floated away from Twinleaf Town.
Darkrai remained there, stunned for a few seconds, then quickly vanished into the distance.
"Darkrai…"
Edward scratched his head.
He had been wondering where Darkrai had gone—turns out it only showed up now.
"Roar!"
Groudon walked up beside Edward, its ancient eyes locking onto him.
"Groudon… are you planning to walk all the way back?"
Edward looked at Groudon and asked cautiously.
This guy… was probably a huge problem for the Sinnoh region now.
Primal Groudon, with its Desolate Land ability—nullifying all Water-type moves, creating harsh sunlight that couldn't be changed unless it met Primal Kyogre.
Way too powerful.
Who knows how many places in Sinnoh were being affected?
"Roar!"
Groudon's roar blew Edward's hair back into a full slicked-back hairstyle like a movie star.
"So, how about I take you back?"
Edward cautiously pulled out a Luxury Ball.
Groudon remained still.
He tossed the ball.
In the next second—Groudon entered the ball, and it landed at Edward's feet.
Edward picked up the warm ball and gulped.
Did… did I just catch Groudon?
And not only that—
He was still holding the Red Orb—the item that allowed him to resonate with Groudon and trigger its Primal Reversion.
"Edward!"
Before he could react, his father's panicked voice shouted.
Edward was immediately embraced.
He froze for a moment, then slowly patted his father's back.
"Dad… that blast earlier... that was you, wasn't it?"
Edward said through clenched teeth.
He'd really suffered because of that attack.
(End of Chapter)