"Move out!"
Cynthia spoke decisively.
The two of them wasted no time. They passed through the defensive line of Trainers and headed straight toward the subspace node where they had entered before.
What they forgot, however, was that they had just crossed a crowded public area—and Trainers were a group known equally for curiosity and gossip.
Soon enough, chatter erupted behind the defensive line.
"Hey! Did you see that? The handsome guy walking in with Champion Cynthia—who is he? With that face he could marry into a rich family and still sit at the main table!"
"Rumor says his name is Rei Akagi. Supposedly strong enough to absolutely crush Gym Leader An Ming. And he's apparently very close with Champion Cynthia… people have been talking."
"That's nothing. I heard this entire emergency operation was planned by—uh… I mean Mr. Rei Akagi!"
"Him? The commander? Isn't Champion Cynthia in charge? Wait… who are you? You weren't in the headcount earlier."
"…Details like that aren't important."
Once they reached the exact location where they had previously entered the subspace, Cynthia immediately threw a Poké Ball.
"Garchomp, stay alert!"
"Raaah!"
Garchomp's massive body landed heavily on the ground. Its crimson eyes scanned the surroundings as a low, threatening growl rolled from its throat.
Rei Akagi turned to look at Gastly and casually rubbed its head.
"Your turn, Gastly."
"Gaaastly! (Leave it to me!)"
(◣□◢)
Gastly floated into the air confidently, closing its eyes in concentration.
Thick purple mist surged out of its body, its form quickly becoming blurred and expanding.
It accurately sensed the coordinates of the subspace, and the fog spread like a living creature, engulfing Rei Akagi, Cynthia, and Garchomp.
Knowing it was Gastly's ability, none of them resisted.
For a brief moment, the mist wrapped around them with a chilling touch.
Then came the strange weightlessness of spatial transfer.
When the fog dispersed—
A magnificent palace stood before them.
Grand Palace.
Gastly reformed its body and looked at Rei Akagi with sparkling eyes.
"Gaaastly!"
"Excellent! As expected of my crown prince!"
Rei Akagi laughed, praising it while tugging playfully at its elastic cheek.
But arriving was only the first step.
Rei Akagi quickly calmed his mind.
His Aura of the Chosen One spread out like an invisible net, carefully sensing every Pokémon presence within the space.
After a moment, he opened his eyes.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Although he could clearly sense the Ghost-type Pokémon inside the subspace—
Their minds were like dead water, completely unresponsive.
That wasn't normal.
Even Pokémon that had gone berserk could still form a faint mental link through aura.
Yet these Pokémon weren't even rampaging.
Even stranger—
Rei Akagi sensed other chaotic presences.
They didn't feel like Pokémon.
They felt like humans.
And there were quite a few of them.
"Gastly, return to my shadow and stay there. Don't come out unless I call you. Protect yourself."
Rei Akagi patted its head cautiously.
The Ghost-type Pokémon here had thousands of years of cultivation. Gastly might have been born here, but it was still too young.
And now there were humans hiding in the dark.
If a battle broke out, keeping Gastly hidden in the shadows would be the safest option.
Gastly didn't hesitate.
With a perfect diving motion, it silently sank into Rei Akagi's shadow.
At the same time, Rei Akagi mentally called out:
'Wake up. Stop sleeping.'
The small Rayquaza pendant on his collar shifted slightly in response.
Cynthia immediately noticed the subtle change in Rei Akagi's expression.
"What's wrong?"
"The situation isn't what I expected. We might have… walked into an ambush."
As he spoke, Rei Akagi scanned the surroundings.
Aside from the palace before them, everything else was obscured by thick fog.
Suddenly—
"Watch out!"
Feeling a slight tremor beneath his feet, Rei Akagi shouted.
In one swift motion, he wrapped an arm around Cynthia's slender waist and lifted her in a bridal carry.
With a single step, he moved nearly ten meters away.
Almost the instant they left—
BOOM!
The ground exploded violently.
Cracks spread across the earth as thick, ink-black energy erupted upward, radiating destructive power.
Cynthia reacted instantly despite the sudden loss of footing.
"Garchomp! Protect! Use Dragon Tornado to isolate the blast!"
"Raaah!"
A deafening explosion surged toward them.
A blue energy barrier instantly formed in front of Garchomp, blocking the core of the blast.
At the same time, a violent tornado rose from the ground, expanding outward and surrounding Rei Akagi, Cynthia, and Garchomp safely within its eye.
As the smoke gradually cleared—
Garchomp stood unmoved, its crimson eyes burning with fury as it stared toward the figures emerging from the mist.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
Mocking applause echoed through the air.
A man wearing a badge with a colorful "R" emblem stepped forward, accompanied by a Tyranitar whose eyes were crazed and aura violently unstable.
Clearly, he was the leader.
"Impressive, impressive. So you're the Savior even our bosses are wary of? My carefully prepared welcome gift—and you dodged it so easily?"
The man's hoarse voice carried mockery.
His gaze swept over Rei Akagi before settling greedily on Cynthia.
"Oh? Champion Cynthia is here too? What a lucky day—buy one, get one free."
Team Rainbow Rocket?
Rei Akagi froze.
No… that wasn't right.
At this point in time, Team Rocket hadn't even reformed. Giovanni was still in hiding.
How could Team Rainbow Rocket appear here?
Wait…
Savior…
A welcome gift prepared for me…
Suddenly it hit him.
Damn it.
Those lunatics from my previous world—the ones who almost destroyed everything!
Damn it! Team Rainbow Rocket is still chasing me!
Cynthia had also noticed the colorful "R" emblem on the man's chest.
Her brows furrowed.
Savior?
So this really was another scheme by the remnants of Team Rocket.
Although Team Rocket had been dismantled long ago by Red and Giovanni had disappeared, the remnants of the organization were always stirring trouble.
They had even seized the Goldenrod Radio Tower once, hoping Giovanni would return to lead them again.
Naturally, Cynthia assumed this group was another faction of those remnants.
"Now then…"
The leader clapped again, drawing their attention back.
His grin grew even more vicious.
"Have you prepared your last words?"
"Tyranitar—Mega Evolve!"
He slammed a device in his hand.
A rainbow-colored yet ominous light engulfed Tyranitar.
With a roar of agony, its body expanded violently.
Jagged spikes burst from its body, becoming sharper and more chaotic. Its already savage eyes turned completely blood-red.
Mega Tyranitar had appeared.
The aura of chaos and destruction spread through the space, pressing heavily on everything around it.
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