The moment the Anchor Guardian attacked—
Reality shattered.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
The space in front of Ben folded inward like a collapsing mirror, fragments of the world bending into a spiraling void.
"MOVE!" Ben shouted.
Charizard reacted instantly, grabbing Ben and pulling him upward as the ground below twisted into nothingness.
Sarah leapt back—
"Gardevoir, barrier—NOW!"
A psychic dome expanded just in time.
CRACK!
The distortion slammed into it, sending visible fractures across the barrier's surface.
Gardevoir trembled, struggling to hold it.
"This one's way more unstable than the last!" Sarah yelled.
System Warning Escalation
[ANCHOR STATUS: CORRUPTED][EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE DETECTED][SYNC FAILURE PROBABILITY: 78%][RECOMMENDATION: PURGE OR OVERRIDE]
"Purge?" Ben muttered.
That meant destroying it.
Completely.
But—
His fists clenched.
"…If we destroy it, the surrounding reality might collapse too."
Sarah looked at him sharply. "Then what's the alternative?!"
Ben's eyes lifted toward the Guardian.
"…We take control back."
Corrupted Battlefield
Below them, chaos unfolded.
The corrupted Lucario lunged at Garchomp, its aura flaring wildly—completely out of control.
Garchomp retaliated with a Dragon Claw, the impact splitting the air itself.
"They're not fighting each other," Sarah realized. "They're reacting to the anchor!"
"Then we cut the influence," Ben said. "Not the Pokémon."
Charizard roared in agreement.
Battle Strategy — Split Roles
"Sarah!" Ben called. "Stabilize the field—reduce distortion!"
"Got it!"
"Gardevoir—expand your psychic range, suppress interference!"
A wider field of calm energy spread outward, slightly slowing the chaotic fluctuations.
Ben turned forward.
"Charizard—we go straight for the core!"
Flames ignited.
This time—
More controlled.
More precise.
Aerial Assault
Charizard surged forward, weaving through broken space and warped gravity zones.
The Anchor Guardian reacted instantly.
Its form split into multiple fragments—each one attacking from different angles.
"Not this again—"
"Focus!" Ben snapped.
"Find the real core!"
Charizard's eyes glowed.
It roared—
And unleashed a focused Flare Blitz, not at the fragments—
But through them.
Testing.
Probing.
One fragment flickered.
Different from the others.
"THERE!" Ben pointed.
Core Strike Attempt
Charizard accelerated.
The air ignited behind it.
But just as they closed in—
Chains of light appeared.
Wrapped around the core.
Ben's eyes widened.
"…He's already linked to it."
The chains pulsed.
The Anchor Guardian stabilized slightly—
Then turned violent again.
A massive pulse erupted—
BOOOOM!
Charizard was blasted back, crashing into a floating debris structure.
"Charizard!" Ben shouted.
It struggled—but rose again.
Injured.
But not down.
Sarah's Breakthrough
"Ben!" Sarah called out.
"I think I figured it out!"
He turned mid-air.
"The chains—those aren't just control signals!"
"They're sync pathways—but corrupted!"
Ben's mind raced.
"…So if I connect to the same pathway—"
"You might override him!" Sarah finished.
"But it'll be dangerous—two sync holders in one anchor—"
Ben smirked slightly.
"When has it not been?"
Second Sync Attempt — Conflict Mode
Ben raised his hand.
The orb appeared again—now brighter than ever.
"Charizard… one more time."
Charizard flew beside him.
Steady.
Loyal.
Ready.
"I'm going in."
Sync Entry
Light exploded outward—
But this time—
It wasn't peaceful.
The moment Ben connected—
He was pulled into a chaotic sync space.
Inside the Corrupted Sync
Darkness.
Fragments crashing endlessly.
Unlike before, nothing was stable.
And at the center—
Someone stood.
The Second Variable.
The same boy.
Cold eyes locked onto Ben.
"…So you finally showed up."
Ben steadied himself. "You're the one causing this."
"No," the boy replied calmly.
"I'm fixing it."
He raised his hand.
The space around them twisted into structured patterns—perfect geometry.
"Chaos is inefficient. Free will creates instability."
Ben frowned. "That's your solution? Control everything?"
"Yes."
No hesitation.
No doubt.
"With enough anchors… I can eliminate randomness."
Philosophy Clash
Ben shook his head.
"That's not stability—that's domination."
The boy tilted his head slightly.
"…And?"
Silence.
Then—
"You think your way is better?" he continued.
"Letting worlds collapse just to preserve 'choice'?"
Ben stepped forward.
"My way keeps them alive."
The boy's eyes narrowed.
"Temporary."
Battle of Sync Holders
Without warning—
The space erupted.
Fragments turned into weapons—blades, spikes, waves of data-like energy.
The boy attacked first.
Fast.
Precise.
Ben barely reacted in time.
"Charizard!"
His partner appeared beside him instantly.
This time—
Fully integrated.
True Sync Combat.
Charizard moved as he thought.
Flames formed shields.
Wings deflected attacks.
The boy summoned his own power—
Not a Pokémon—
But pure anchor energy shaped into constructs.
Mid-Fight Realization
"He's not syncing with Pokémon…" Ben realized.
"He's replacing them."
The boy attacked again.
"Pokémon are variables. I remove variables."
Ben's expression hardened.
"Then you're missing the point."
Charizard roared—
And their energy surged together.
Chapter Climax Moment
Their attacks collided—
Fire vs pure control.
Chaos vs order.
Freedom vs domination.
The sync space trembled—
Cracking under their clash.
Back in the real world—
The corrupted Anchor Guardian began to destabilize again.
Sarah watched in shock.
"It's reacting to their fight…!"
Ending Hook
Inside the sync—
Both boys stood, breathing heavily.
Neither defeated.
The boy spoke again.
"…Interesting."
"For the first time—"
"You're slowing me down."
Ben smirked.
"Good."
"Because I'm just getting started."
The boy raised his hand again.
"…Next time, I won't hold back."
The sync space began collapsing.
Ben's eyes widened.
"Wait—!"
But the connection broke.
Return to Reality
Ben was thrown back into the real world.
Charizard caught him mid-air.
The Anchor Guardian—
Still unstable.
But the chains—
Weaker.
Flickering.
Sarah shouted:
"Ben! You actually disrupted his control!"
Ben steadied himself.
"…Not enough."
He looked at the fading chains.
Then at the sky.
Then forward.
"But now I know how to beat him."