"Understood, Boss."
Upon hearing Cyrus orders, Mars fell silent for a moment, then finally responded with a respectful nod.
Without another word, she and the other two commanders led a group of Team Galactic members and stormed into the Ancient Temple.
According to the information they had received, the Jewel of Life was located in the basement of the temple. But to access it, they needed to find the two guardians first.
Cyrus stood with his hands behind his back, silently gazing at the Ancient Temple before him. His deep-set eyes were completely devoid of emotion.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Violent explosions echoed from within the temple, clearly signaling that a battle had broken out inside.
But it didn't last long—within moments, the sounds of fighting ceased.
Mars and the others walked out from the temple, flanked by Team Galactic members who had captured a young man and woman.
"Team Galactic! You actually dared to attack the Michina Ruins?! Aren't you afraid of being hunted down by the League?!"
Shoved hard to the ground by one of the grunts, Kevin struggled to lift his head. His eyes locked onto Cyrus, filled with fury and disbelief as he spoke through gritted teeth.
He truly hadn't expected that Team Galactic had become this brazen.
Though Michina wasn't a major city, it was still a town with well-preserved ruins and heritage. For Team Galactic to openly and recklessly invade the Michina Ruins—there was no way the Sinnoh League would let this slide. In fact, it would only escalate the bounty on their heads.
But more importantly… why did Team Galactic want to invade the ruins in the first place?
"Ugh…"
Beside him, Sheena groaned softly as she clutched her knee. Pain clouded her delicate features—the fall caused by Team Galactic's rough treatment had scraped her knee badly.
She and Kevin were just ordinary Trainers. Outnumbered as they were, they had no chance against a squad of seasoned Team Galactic members.
"The girl who inherited the power to overcome time…"
Cyrus was completely unmoved by Kevin's angry words. Instead, he looked down at Sheena, expressionless.
The League?
Once he built a new world, there would be no Pokémon League left to interfere.
"Why are you attacking the ruins?" Sheena pressed her lips tightly together, her expression bleak.
Because this was a conflict between humans, even though she could communicate with Dialga, it wouldn't intervene on her behalf.
The legends never interfere in the affairs and progress of humankind.
In the end, she wasn't Dialga's Trainer—she could only communicate with it because of her inherited power to overcome time.
"The Jewel of Life of Arceus. Hand over the Jewel of Life you're protecting."
Cyrus fixed his gaze firmly on Sheena's pale face, speaking in a deep, commanding tone.
The moment he said this, Sheena and Kevin's faces changed dramatically.
How…?
How could Team Galactic possibly know about the Jewel of Life?
"Just as I thought. Where is the Jewel of Life?"
Their reactions left no doubt—not just for Cyrus, but for Mars and the others as well. It instantly confirmed that the intel was real.
Mars, her patience gone, roughly grabbed Sheena by the collar and barked at her.
"The Jewel of Life… I can't give it to you. It concerns the safety of the entire world."
Sheena's face contorted in pain as Mars yanked her collar tighter, making it difficult for her to breathe.
But even so, she refused to hand it over. The consequences of doing so were far too dire.
"Let go of Sheena! Cough, cough…"
Kevin's eyes turned red with rage at the sight. He tried to lunge at Mars, but a single slap from a Purugly knocked him flat onto the ground.
Just an ordinary human—how could he possibly contend with a Pokémon?
"Won't you give me the Jewel of Life?"
Cyrus frowned and gestured for Mars to release Sheena. He then slowly stepped forward, standing before her and speaking in a calm voice.
Sheena turned to look at Kevin, who lay curled up on the ground from his injuries. Her eyes filled with tears.
Why… why was this happening?
Biting her lip, she didn't respond. Even her attempt to contact Dialga had gone unanswered. Her heart was full of sorrow.
"I don't know what you're hoping for, but it's all meaningless. No one is coming to save you."
"I don't want to waste any more time. Give me the Jewel of Life, and we'll leave immediately."
"But if you still refuse…"
Cyrus's indifferent eyes turned icy cold as he raised a finger and pointed toward Kevin.
"Then I'll throw him off the mountain."
His cruel words pierced Sheena like a dagger. Her pupils instantly shrank to pinpoints.
And just then…
---------------------------------------------------------------
Lucas and his group were slowly making their way toward the mountain's summit.
"Wonder how that guy Cyrus is doing right now?"
Lucas smirked slightly. He had sent Cyrus the intel about the Jewel of Life just the day before. Given how fanatical and idealistic that lunatic was, he was sure not to disappoint.
"To a fool like Cyrus, the power of Arceus is likely enough to drive him completely mad."
A faint, unnoticeable smirk tugged at Lucas's lips. The bosses from every generation of the Pokémon games had their quirks, each with their own unique dreams and goals.
But in the end, most of them were downright weird.
If you wanted to name someone "normal," only Team Rocket's boss Giovanni and Team Plasma's leader Ghetsis from Unova qualified.
Why? Because those two were pure ambition incarnate.
The rest?
In Pokémon Adventures, the Kanto Elite Four wanted to purify the world for the sake of Pokémon and nature. Pryce only wanted to reunite baby Lapras with its parents. In Hoenn, Maxie and Archie fought for land and sea, respectively…
And then there was Cyrus.
Because of human conflict, he believed the existence of the human "heart" was a mistake—that people were fundamentally flawed.
So he wanted to use the powers of Palkia and Dialga to destroy the current world and create a new one, devoid of emotion.
That was Cyrus's ultimate dream.
And now that Lucas had handed him the location of the Jewel of Life, there was no way Cyrus wouldn't take the bait.
To Cyrus, the power of Arceus—the Pokémon said to have created the world—was simply irresistible.
"But still…"
Lucas cast a sidelong glance at Cynthia and Caitlin, who were walking beside him.
Neither of them had left.
According to them, they wanted to say goodbye to Sheena.
But that didn't really matter.
A single Cynthia wouldn't be enough to stop him.
"Sheena?"
Before long, Lucas and the others arrived at the entrance to the Ancient Temple, only to be greeted by the sight of Kevin looking battered and Sheena sitting on the ground, tears streaming down her face.
The sight stunned all three women.
"Team Galactic?!"
The next second, Cynthia's brows furrowed slightly. She instantly recognized the group of Team Galactic members stationed near Sheena and Kevin.
After all, their distinctive silver-and-black uniforms were hard to miss.
"Champion Cynthia!"
"Oh no! It's Cynthia!"
At the same time, both Sheena and the Team Galactic members noticed Cynthia's arrival.
But their reactions were starkly different—Sheena and Kevin were overjoyed, while the Galactic members were terrified.
"Champion Cynthia! Please, you must stop Team Galactic! They're trying to steal the Jewel of Life from Arceus!"
Kevin, overwhelmed with relief, shouted toward Cynthia.
Yes—Sheena had told Cyrus the location of the Jewel of Life in order to save Kevin and Michina.
Cyrus had already entered the temple's basement to retrieve it.
"The Jewel of Life?"
Cynthia's brow furrowed deeper. What was this Jewel of Life? She wasn't aware of the full truth of Michina's ancient history.
But that didn't matter right now—these Team Galactic members were her immediate concern.
As the Champion of the Sinnoh League, it was both her duty and her responsibility to act when facing such an evil organization.
Cynthia's gaze grew colder. The audacity of these criminal groups was reaching new heights—they had actually dared to launch a blatant assault on the Michina Ruins?
"These people…"
Caitlin swept her dazzling eyes across the Team Galactic members, her beautiful face unreadable. Quietly, she glanced at Lucas.
If Team Galactic had known the Jewel of Life's whereabouts from the beginning, why would they only act now?
Knowing the truth, Caitlin instantly suspected Lucas.
He must've been the one who leaked the information to them!
But she said nothing for now.
"Quick, go report to the boss. Damn it! Why is Cynthia here?!"
One of the Team Galactic commanders, Jupiter, her face gloomy beneath her long purple hair, whispered to a nearby grunt while cursing under her breath.
Though Cynthia had only become Champion the previous year, she had defeated the previous Sinnoh Champion to earn the title.
Her strength was beyond question.
The grunt nodded and immediately ran into the temple.
And just then—
Screech!
A sharp, sinister screech cut through the air, followed by a blast of dark purple energy aimed straight at the Team Galactic members.
The sudden attack came so fast it was nearly impossible to react.
Boom!
The blast exploded near the temple entrance. The shockwave from the attack sent several grunts flying through the air, crashing heavily to the ground.
The unexpected assault stunned everyone present.
What the hell?! That was a straight-up sneak attack with no honor!
Jupiter was the first to recover. Her face twisted into a grimace as she trembled with rage.
Damn it! The attack had even targeted the Trainers directly—it had rendered at least three of her subordinates incapable of fighting!
Floating ominously in the air was a menacing, black-and-red bird radiating a scorching, oppressive aura. Its wings flared, and flames of dark energy burned violently around it—both wicked and terrifying.
"Ahhh~ I really didn't expect this. Came here to admire some ruins, and ended up running into someone trying to steal my business."
Lucas tilted his head slightly, his mouth curling into a twisted smile as he looked at Jupiter.
Stealing his business?
Sheena's expression twitched as she stared at him, her feelings conflicted.
What the hell was he saying—stealing business?
So, in the end, he really was after her Jewel of Life all along!
(End of Chapter)