Gary settled into his vantage point behind the ridge, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the ancient ruins below. The entrance now stood open and unguarded after Looker and the Team Rocket trio's swift work. But that wasn't the endgame—not even close.
It's only a matter of time now, Gary thought, narrowing his eyes toward the distant horizon. If Team Galactic has already captured the Lake Trio, they'll be heading straight here. The Spear Pillar ruins are the centerpiece of Cyrus's entire plan.
He ran the timeline through his head. Based on what he knew of the events unfolding across Sinnoh—Ash's group confronting Team Galactic at the lakes—the Lake Guardians had likely already been subdued. Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf… three Legendary Pokémon, reduced to tools in a madman's scheme. The thought made his jaw tighten.
All I have to do is wait.
And so he waited.
The minutes crawled by in heavy silence. The mountain air was thin and cold at this altitude, carrying the faint mineral scent of ancient stone. Wind whistled through the crevices of Mt. Coronet's jagged peaks, and somewhere far below, loose gravel shifted and tumbled down the cliffside.
Roughly half an hour later, a low droning sound reached Gary's ears—distant at first, then rapidly growing louder. He looked up.
A black transport aircraft cut through the sky from the east, its angular silhouette unmistakable against the pale morning clouds. It moved with purpose, descending steadily toward the ruins.
"Here they come," Gary murmured. His hand instinctively moved to his belt. "Stay sharp."
Below, Looker and the Team Rocket trio—still wearing their stolen Team Galactic uniforms—spotted the incoming aircraft as well. All four of them straightened up near the entrance, arranging themselves into a passable imitation of an alert guard detail. They stood at attention and saluted as the aircraft touched down, its landing thrusters kicking up plumes of dust and debris across the rocky clearing.
The hatch hissed open with a mechanical groan.
Three figures stepped out first—Team Galactic's Commanders. Saturn emerged at the front, his blue hair swept back sharply, his expression cold and calculating. Flanking him were Mars, with her fiery red hair and perpetual scowl, and Jupiter, whose violet hair framed a face of cool, detached confidence. Each of them carried themselves with the authority of people accustomed to commanding others.
Behind them came Cyrus.
The leader of Team Galactic descended the ramp with measured steps, his pale, emotionless face betraying nothing. His steel-gray eyes swept the surroundings with mechanical precision—cataloging, assessing, dismissing.
But it was what followed Cyrus that made Gary's blood run cold.
Three Pokémon floated in the air behind him, drifting in eerie, silent formation. Uxie, the Being of Knowledge—its eyes sealed shut, its small yellow body radiating a faint, sickly light. Mesprit, the Being of Emotion—its twin tails limp, its normally vibrant expression vacant and hollow. Azelf, the Being of Willpower—its crystalline blue form dimmed, its movements sluggish and mechanical.
All three of the Lake Guardians had their eyes glazed over with an unnatural red glow. Diamond-shaped crimson gems were embedded in the jewels on their foreheads, pulsing faintly with a sinister light. Gary recognized the technology immediately—Charon's work. Those gems were control devices, binding the Lake Trio's wills to the transmitter in Cyrus's hand.
He actually did it, Gary thought grimly. He captured all three of them.
The sight of three Legendary Pokémon reduced to puppets sent a wave of cold anger through him. But he held his position. Not yet. Let them reveal the Spear Key first.
Below, the infiltration unraveled in an instant.
"Skuntank, Flamethrower," Jupiter ordered, her voice cutting through the silence like a blade.
She'd already drawn a Poké Ball—had it in her hand before anyone even realized the ruse was up. The ball burst open, and her Skuntank materialized in a flash of light, its dark purple fur bristling. Without hesitation, it reared back and unleashed a torrent of searing flames directly at Looker and the Team Rocket trio.
The fire engulfed them in a roaring blaze—not enough to seriously injure, but more than enough to incinerate the stolen Team Galactic uniforms and green wigs they wore. The disguises burned away in seconds, leaving Jessie, James, Meowth, and Looker standing exposed in their true appearances, smoke rising from their singed clothes.
"How is that possible?!" James sputtered, frantically patting out a smoldering patch on his sleeve.
"They saw through us?!" Jessie's face twisted with disbelief. "Our disguise technique is flawless! We've fooled entire organizations with less preparation than this!"
"Meowth, dat's what I was thinkin' too!" Meowth wailed, his whiskers singed and curling.
Jupiter didn't bother responding. With a dismissive wave of her hand, she signaled a squad of Team Galactic grunts from the aircraft. They swarmed forward, seizing Looker and the Team Rocket trio before any of them could mount a resistance. Within moments, all four were dragged back toward the transport ship to be detained.
With the nuisance dealt with, Saturn stepped forward. He set a black reinforced briefcase on the ground and unlatched it with deliberate care. Inside, nestled in dark foam padding, lay a single artifact—a golden key-shaped object that seemed to shimmer with its own inner light. The Spear Key.
The moment the case opened fully, the Spear Key reacted. It trembled, then lifted off the padding entirely, rising into the air as if pulled by an invisible thread. It rotated slowly, orienting itself toward the sealed gate of the ancient ruins, and began to drift forward on its own. An ancient resonance hummed through the air—deep, subsonic, felt more in the chest than heard with the ears.
Cyrus's eyes widened fractionally, the closest thing to excitement his frozen features ever displayed. Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter all stared at the floating key with undisguised anticipation.
"SKUNNN…!"
Skuntank's sudden, shrill cry shattered the moment. The Dark-type Pokémon whipped its head to the left, its ears pinned back, eyes locked on something in the sky. Jupiter followed its gaze immediately, and her face went rigid.
A shape was descending from the clouds—large, fast, unmistakable. The distinctive fin-like wings and streamlined body of a Garchomp cut through the mountain air, diving toward them with terrifying speed.
"Garchomp?!" Saturn barked, his hand snapping to his belt.
"Is that—the Champion?!" Mars took an involuntary step back, her eyes wide.
"No," Saturn corrected sharply, squinting against the sun. "It's not Cynthia. But there's a rider."
Garchomp pulled up sharply and landed with a ground-shaking impact roughly twenty meters from the Team Galactic assembly. Dust billowed outward from the point of impact. When Gary was still two meters from the ground, he leaped from Garchomp's back, landing in a crouch before straightening to his full height.
The dust cleared, and Cyrus saw his face.
"It's you."
The words left Cyrus's mouth flat and toneless, but a flicker of recognition passed through his gray eyes. He remembered Gary well. They'd spoken at the Celestic Town Historical Research Center—a conversation that had left an impression on Cyrus, particularly Gary's unusually deep understanding of the mechanics governing space and time. Knowledge that Cyrus himself had never encountered in any of his own research.
"Mr. Cyrus," Gary said evenly, his gaze sweeping across the assembled Team Galactic forces before settling on the man himself. "I have to say, I didn't expect the head of the Galactic Energy Corporation to also be the leader of Team Galactic. Though I suppose it makes a certain kind of sense."
Cyrus regarded him with that same cold, hollow stare. "Gary. You truly are remarkable—to have tracked us here through your own abilities alone." His voice carried no warmth, no admiration. Just clinical acknowledgment. "However, talented as you are, you remain a creature of this imperfect world. You are no different from the rest of flawed humanity. You have no place in the new world I will create."
Gary almost laughed.
This man genuinely believes he can use Dialga and Palkia to create a new universe, he thought, shaking his head internally. Only Arceus—the Original One—possesses that kind of power. At most, Dialga and Palkia's combined abilities could tear open a gateway to a parallel dimension. They can't build a world from nothing.
Cyrus was brilliant, driven, and utterly insane.
There was no point in debating philosophy with a madman. Gary had learned that much from watching events unfold across regions and timelines. Words wouldn't reach Cyrus. Only force would.
"I'll make this simple," Gary said, his voice dropping to something harder, more dangerous. "You can surrender right now—all of you. Or you can resist." He paused, letting the words hang in the thin mountain air. "I'd recommend the first option."
Silence.
Cyrus stared at him. Saturn stared at him. Mars and Jupiter exchanged a glance—then burst out laughing.
"You arrogant little brat," Jupiter sneered, flipping a strand of violet hair over her shoulder. "Look around you. Do you have any idea how outnumbered you are?"
"You think you can take all of us with just two Pokémon?" Mars added, her lips curling into a vicious grin. She gestured broadly at the assembled grunts, the Commanders, Cyrus himself, and the three mind-controlled Lake Guardians floating silently behind their leader. "You should be the one surrendering, boy."
Gary looked at them. Really looked at them—the sneering commanders, the grunts clutching their Poké Balls with false confidence, the Legendary Pokémon reduced to obedient drones.
Then he smiled.
"Who told you," he said quietly, "that I only brought two Pokémon?"
Before anyone could respond, Gary unclipped the specialized carry bag from his waist, tore the zipper open, and hurled it skyward with a powerful swing of his arm. The bag spun end over end, and every Poké Ball inside launched outward in a wide arc, scattering across the air like a constellation being born.
"Eevee—now!"
"VUI!"
Eevee's eyes blazed with brilliant blue psychic energy. Every single airborne Poké Ball activated simultaneously, their release buttons depressing in perfect unison under the force of Eevee's telekinetic command.
Fourteen bursts of white light erupted across the mountainside.
The ground trembled.
Blastoise materialized first—massive, battle-scarred, its twin cannons already primed and humming with pressurized water. Legendary-tier. Level 74.
Arcanine landed beside it, a mountain of cream-and-orange fur, heat shimmering off its mane like a living furnace. Champion-tier. Level 57.
Zapdos shrieked as it burst from its ball, wings crackling with wild electricity, lightning arcing between its feathers and scorching the air itself. Legendary-tier. Level 73.
Tyranitar slammed down with earth-splitting force, sand whipping into existence around its body as Sand Stream activated. Its armored hide gleamed dark green under the sun. Legendary-tier. Level 71.
Togekiss spread its wings and glided into formation, serene and radiant, fairy energy shimmering around its pristine white body. Pseudo-Legendary-tier. Level 70.
Metagross hovered into position, its four legs tucked beneath its massive steel frame, psychic energy rippling the air around it. Champion-tier. Level 60.
Scizor appeared in a flash of crimson, its metallic pincers snapping with enough force to shear through steel plate. Pseudo-Legendary-tier. Level 66.
Heatran emerged with a deep, volcanic rumble, magma visibly glowing between the plates of its armored body, waves of heat distorting the air around it. Pseudo-Legendary-tier. Level 65.
Magnezone floated silently into place, its magnets crackling with electromagnetic charge. Champion-tier. Level 60.
Rhyperior crashed onto the rocky ground, the impact sending fractures spiderwebbing through the stone beneath its massive feet. Champion-tier. Level 64.
Electivire beat its chest and roared, electricity dancing wildly between its twin cable-like tails. Champion-tier. Level 63.
Weavile materialized in a blur of shadow, its razor-sharp claws gleaming with dark energy. Champion-tier. Level 59.
Glaceon appeared with quiet grace, frost crystallizing in the air around its sleek, ice-blue body. Champion-tier. Level 59.
And finally—Darkrai.
The Pitch-Black Pokémon emerged from its ball like a nightmare given form. Shadows pooled and writhed around its body, its single visible blue eye burning with cold, malevolent intelligence. The temperature around it plummeted instantly. Even the Team Galactic grunts standing twenty meters away flinched and took involuntary steps backward, primal fear clawing at their instincts. Pseudo-Legendary-tier. Level 51.
Fourteen Pokémon. Plus Eevee perched on Gary's shoulder. Plus Garchomp standing at his side, its golden eyes fixed on the enemy with predatory focus.
Sixteen Pokémon in total. Every single one of them at Champion-tier or above.
The mountain fell deathly silent.
"H-How…" Saturn's composure cracked for the first time, his voice faltering. "How can you carry that many Pokémon?! That's—that's not possible!"
"There are Legendary Pokémon in there!" Mars's confident sneer had evaporated completely, replaced by open-mouthed shock. Her eyes darted between Zapdos, Heatran, and Darkrai, unable to process what she was seeing.
"Darkrai… and Heatran…!" Jupiter whispered, her face pale. The arrogance had drained from her expression like water from a cracked vessel.
Even Cyrus's mask of emotionless calm showed hairline fractures. His gray eyes swept across the assembled force arrayed against him, and for just an instant—barely perceptible—something flickered in those dead eyes. Not fear. But recalculation.
"Release all Pokémon immediately!" Saturn snapped, recovering fastest. He hurled three Poké Balls in rapid succession. His Toxicroak landed in a fighting crouch, its poison sac pulsing with toxic energy. Bronzong materialized beside it, hovering ominously, its hollow body resonating with a deep metallic hum. His Golbat screeched into the air, fangs bared.
"Yes sir!"
"Golbat, go!"
Mars and Jupiter followed suit, releasing their own teams. Every remaining Team Galactic grunt scrambled to throw their Poké Balls as well. The air filled with flashes of white light as dozens of Pokémon materialized—but aside from the Commanders' personal teams, every last one of them was a Golbat. Most were below Level 40. Some barely scraped Level 30. They filled the sky in a screeching, chaotic swarm, but there was no real power behind the numbers. It was a wall of paper pretending to be steel.
All told, Team Galactic had deployed roughly forty to fifty Pokémon—outnumbering Gary's force three to one.
Jupiter crossed her arms, forcing confidence back into her voice. "Last chance, boy. You can see you're outnumbered. Surrender now, and we might show mercy."
Gary didn't even look at the swarm of Golbat. His gaze was fixed on Saturn's Toxicroak, on Mars's and Jupiter's ace Pokémon, and on the three enslaved Lake Guardians hovering behind Cyrus. Those were the real threats. Everything else was noise.
"You think numbers mean anything," Gary said, his voice carrying across the rocky clearing with quiet, absolute conviction, "when every last one of my Pokémon could sweep your entire grunt force alone?"
"Enough talk!" Saturn barked, patience exhausted. His arm shot forward. "Toxicroak—Dark Pulse!"
"Croa-GUNK!" Toxicroak thrust both hands forward, condensing a roiling mass of dark energy between its palms. A beam of pulsing black-and-violet rings erupted outward, screaming through the air toward Gary's position.
Gary didn't flinch. He didn't need to give a command.
"Vui!"
Eevee launched itself from Gary's shoulder, its small body twisting mid-air with athletic grace. Its mouth opened wide, and a barrage of golden, star-shaped energy projectiles burst forth—Swift, the never-miss Normal-type attack. The gleaming stars tore through the air in a sweeping fan, colliding head-on with the incoming Dark Pulse.