"I'll lead the assault team to breach the Central Citadel," Steven decided, adjusted his cuffs. "Wallace, you stay behind to draw the attention of the Dragon Army. We will resolve the issue inside the fortress as quickly as possible. Is there anyone else willing to come with me? It's best if your strength has reached the Elite rank."
Steven scanned the remaining group.
Almost immediately, Feng Che and Norman stepped forward.
"Mr. Steven, I'm willing to accompany you to the citadel," Feng Che said. His objective was very straightforward: to secure the Dark Stone inside the fortress and awaken Zekrom.
"Excellent. Then the three of us will form the vanguard to breach the citadel," Steven said, turning toward Sabrina, Caitlin, and Lucian. "We're counting on you."
"Stand inside the circle and do not resist," Sabrina instructed.
The psychics surrounded the strike team, their mental energies converging into a visible, shimmering aura. "Relax. Do not fight the connection. The coordination coordinates will manifest directly in your minds."
As Sabrina's voice echoed in their ears, Feng Che and the others felt their consciousness being projected to a specific coordinate near the base of the mountain. The Dragon Pokémon patrolling that perimeter were relatively sparse, but their levels were exceptionally high—all of them sitting at the absolute peak of the Pseudo-Elite rank. Landing there guaranteed an immediate, brutal skirmish.
Suddenly, the projection began to blur, and the surrounding space grew highly volatile.
"The anti-psychic dampening arrays are actively interfering with our matrix," Sabrina warned, sweat beading on her forehead as she strained to anchor the coordinates. "We can't lock down the exact safe zone anymore. Be careful!"
Harnessing every ounce of her remaining psychic power, Sabrina forced the teleportation sequence through, flashing the three trainers to the base of the mountain. The sheer cognitive drain caused her to stumble; her Alakazam materialized from its ball, immediately administering a high-concentration Rainbow Tonic to her lips.
It took several moments for the color to return to Sabrina's pale face as she slowly opened her eyes. Feng Che, everything is up to you now, she thought, her heart hammering with a deep, unshakeable sense of unease. Yet, she knew she couldn't stop him. This operation was a deadly crisis, but for him, it was an unprecedented opportunity.
The Frenzied Vanguard
The moment Feng Che materialized at the base of the mountain, a massive Tyrantrum unhinged its jagged jaws and lunged at him before he could even survey the terrain.
The Tyrantrum was a colossal, dark-red bipedal apex predator, far more massive and aggressive than its pre-evolved form, Tyrunt. Orange rock protrusions lined its eyes and tail, with matching jagged scales scattered across its heavy hide. Its underbelly was a slate gray, flanked by pale, sweeping patterns, while a thick collar of white, primitive plumage wrapped around its neck.
Its massive jaw possessed enough crushing force to shred reinforced steel plates like parchment paper. Slaver dripped from its serrated teeth, sizzling into white steam as it hit the earth. Its eyes burned with a pure, unadulterated frenzy—the beast had completely lost its capacity for reason.
"Feng Che, I sense nothing but feral instinct within this creature. There is no cognitive awareness left," Mewtwo pulsed telepathically, its voice laced with rare fury as it recalled its own past as a weapon for Team Rocket. "They have been completely engineered into thoughtless living tools."
"Which is exactly why the Poachers must be wiped from the face of this earth," Feng Che replied coldly. "No more innocent Pokémon will be ruined by them. Go, Venusaur, use Grass Knot!"
The giant Venusaur materialized, releasing a soothing, aromatic scent from its massive flower. The fragrance only seemed to infuriate the Tyrantrum further; its eyes turned a bloodshot crimson as it charged blindly toward the starter, heavy footsteps shaking the loose stone.
Venusaur's body surged with a vibrant green energy. Responding to the call, thick, reinforced vines erupted from the barren soil, weaving into a complex series of snare-knots. The charging Tyrantrum, moving with too much forward momentum, tripped violently over the hidden bindings, tumbling head-over-heels into the cliff face and knocking itself out cold.
"As expected, a precise Grass Knot is still the most efficient way to handle these heavy juggernauts," Feng Che murmured.
Before he could recall Venusaur, a thunderous chorus of roars echoed through the pass as a massive pack of Tyrantrum crested the ridge, barreling toward their position.
"Perfect. Decidueye, Venusaur—work together and lock down the valley."
A dark silhouette slipped from Feng Che's shadow. Decidueye dissolved into the shadows of the oncoming horde, firing a relentless barrage of Spirit Shackles that pinned the stampede by their Outrage points. Unable to close the distance, the giant dragons collapsed one by one under Venusaur's continuous tactical strikes.
"Excellent. Keep farming them for experience," Feng Che instructed. "Mewtwo, skip the vanguard. Teleport me directly into the chamber containing the Dark Stone. I want to meet King Kai myself."
He chose to leave his main team behind to secure the pass. Both Venusaur and Decidueye excelled in high-attrition combat, capable of siphoning stamina from their opponents to sustain their defense indefinitely.
"Understood."
The Ideals of the Black Dragon
With a swift distortion of space, Feng Che materialized deep inside the private laboratory of the citadel. Mewtwo had executed a perfect insertion, placing him right before the primary containment vat.
There, resting inside an auxiliary experimental cylinder, was a magnificent, golden prehistoric Pokémon. The beast continuously discharged surges of brilliant golden electricity; it possessed a distinct draconic avian build, standing roughly two meters tall with jagged lightning patterns etched into its hide. It had a razor-sharp, hooked beak and a pair of sweeping crest-horns atop its head.
"A fully restored, living Dracozolt," Feng Che noted, studying the ancient beast. "Fascinating. Kai must have recovered its fossilized remains from an ice shelf and brought it here to serve as a secondary conductor. But my prize is the other one."
He turned his gaze toward the primary containment vat, his eyes burning with intense focus as they locked onto the Dark Stone.
"The dragon of destruction from Unova's legendary trinity... the Sovereign of Ideals, capable of scorching the world to ash with its lightning," Feng Che whispered, stepping closer. "If I am to secure absolute dominion and safety in this world, grant me your lightning."
The moment his declaration fell, the surface of the Dark Stone surged with violent arcs of pitch-black electricity. The reinforced, bulletproof glass of the containment vat shrieked under the thermal shock, spiderwebbing with fractures before shattering completely with a loud crack.
The electrified nutrient fluid erupted like a fountain. Instead of splashing harmlessly, the currents of pure, black lightning coalesced, hurtling through the air and boring directly into the back of Feng Che's hand.
A dark, draconic rune seared itself into his flesh. Feng Che gasped as an intense, burning heat spread across his shoulders. Blood forced its way through his pores from the sheer pressure of the energy transfer, staining his coat as a massive, intricate tattoo of the black dragon manifested across his entire back.
"Scion of the dragon lineage... I have weighed your ideals," a resonant, thunderous voice echoed directly inside his consciousness.
The Dark Stone rose into the air, spinning violently as its crystalline shell began to unravel. A blinding shroud of black light erupted from the core, completely enveloping the underground chamber.