Chapter 358: Chapter 358

The explosion of focused chi swallowed Hydreigon whole. Even Ghetsis nearby was caught in the blast, hurled by the shockwave—and the disruption rippled into the battle between the Forces of Nature and the Swords of Justice.

The Trio of Clouds broke formation and, under Ghetsis’s deranged will, regrouped to shield him. The Swords of Justice gave chase. Ghetsis, head swimming, muttered in a loop:

“Fools—foolish creatures—how dare you—what is this?! How could this happen?!”

“My great design—complete dominion of the world! I am the flawless founder of Team Plasma!”

“You’re nothing to fear—nothing! I can still command the cloud-borne gods!”

“Unleash a triple tempest—bring out your utmost might!”

“It’s fine. Just a triple storm.”

Hikaru looked up at the vast weather phenomenon congealing above, then over at Enamorus, who had no desire to fight. Even if he called to her now, she wouldn’t answer—she seemed to think her work here was already done.

Or perhaps Enamorus detested the chaos the Ancient Crown had stirred up.

Terrakion: “Oooh! The power’s still surging!”

Virizion: “So this is the might of the Four Gods… and the ancients.”

“Lend us your strength.”

Cobalion turned to Hikaru. “As Virizion says—do as you did at Celestial Tower.”

“The Trio of Clouds are all weak to Ice, but when they combine their energy, they trigger a mass freezing phenomenon. Right now, Ice-type moves won’t bring them down. There’s another choice—Rock.”

“Flying Pokémon fear stones above all. So—use this.”

Hikaru passed his Rock mastery to the Swords of Justice, then drew out an ancient bracelet.

With the legendary swordsmen’s roars, a rain of razor monoliths budded into being around them!

“Cobalion, give Helping Hand to Terrakion.”

“Terrakion, give Helping Hand to Virizion.”

“Virizion, give Helping Hand to Cobalion.”

Helping Hand—boosts the ally’s move power by 1.5×!

Hikaru pinched a Victory Fragment between his fingers.

Then—Soul Unbind!

Unshackle the spirit and let a Pokémon erupt with overwhelming force!

“Now—all of you, Stone Edge!”

Three annihilating torrents—each forged from countless colossal, supersonic, knife-edged stones—erupted at once from before Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion. Wherever the storms plowed through, the ruin’s stonework gouged into trenches; the air itself shredded, keening with terror.

Stone tempests met the Trio’s gathered Hurricane, Sandsear, and Leaf-wither squalls. Blades of wind ground the stones; the stone maelstrom chewed the gales to dust—but in the end, rock proved harder.

The rockstorms, irresistible, punched through all three tempests—

ripped open the wind’s barrier, crushed the lightning’s chains, devoured the earth’s grit—then, riding the leftover ruinous force, slammed into the gods themselves!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Three abyssal detonations bloomed almost together—the infinite stone-blades within the maelstrom madly slicing, battering, and boring through Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus!

The shriek of Tornadus’s gale cut off. Thundurus’s blinding bolts guttered out. Landorus’s heavy sandstorm collapsed to nothing.

The raging aura cloaking them dispersed. The cloud-borne gods fell from the sky, grievously wounded. In their eyes, the scarlet control-light—force-fed by the Ancient Crown—flickered like a dying candle and then went out.

Their bodies wavered, turning unreal. They were dreams made flesh, not the true selves of the Trio; such a beating meant the Four Gods’ dream was about to wake.

Atop the ruins, the Ancient Crown suddenly shed a soft, pure, holy golden glow.

It wasn’t harsh to look at—more like a warmth that soothed the heart and swept away dust.

[The Four Gods’ dream is fading… Enamorus, won’t you act?]

Even the Ancient Crown couldn’t read Enamorus—but she looked satisfied.

She exhaled. A spring breeze washed across the ruins, rolled over the sea, melted all the frozen water; the freak weather scattered.

“A-ah… the Four Gods—are going to disappear!”

The sigil on Ghetsis’s brow pulsed faintly. He glanced aside: the Shadow Triad’s Pokémon had all been felled. That steel-forged warrior was too much. When the Triad tried to psychically meddle in the fight, the steel warrior crushed them with even stronger psychic might!

CLANG!

A light-blade slash and Deoxys’s flame-tentacles swung together; with two “ninjas” left in critical condition, Iron Valiant abruptly stopped.

Her knowledge-base offered no “next action.” In theory, she should beat the enemy half-dead, then drag them away for modification or study—that was her implanted directive. Now, she felt she shouldn’t.

She looked to Deoxys.

[Deoxys-san, should we kill them? They are the Master’s enemies.]

[Warriors of light shouldn’t do such terrible things. But… if you ask me… hmm. That is a question.]

Deoxys’s chest crystal flickered; its energy had fallen hard. As a being from space, it still didn’t know how one ought to deal with malicious humans.

So a robot and an alien stared at each other, eyes wide.

Then one ninja grabbed his comrades and used Teleport on them both.

After that, he ceased resisting and offered up his hands to be bound.

[Let your comrades flee and cover the retreat yourself? I didn’t expect villains to hold such morals. Wouldn’t abandoning them be more advantageous to you?]

The last of the Triad did not answer Deoxys’s mental voice.

“Guh—did you think I’d just… lose like this?”

“Looks like… I am out of options.”

Some clarity returned to Ghetsis. Hair wild, he staggered up, tottering step by step toward the crown and the gathered Pokémon. The Swords of Justice narrowed their eyes.

“Careful. His life aura is still full!”

Cobalion saw through the act at a glance. “He’s holding something!” A sky-blue holy blade bloomed on its brow.

“Heh-heh-heh—seen through, how vexing. Legendary Swordbearers—sink into the sea!”

A special Poké Ball burst open. A cold so intense it could freeze the entire Abyssal Ruins tore out, along with a blinding mass of light, engulfing everything!

“Something’s—!”

“Protect!”

“Too late!”

The cold spread far too fast, too wide for reaction.

RRRMM!

A red-blue wall of flame surged up.

As the chill almost flash-froze everything, a firewall rose, splitting the ruins in two—one side damp and unchanged, the other ocean itself turned to ice. Ghetsis hacked for breath, the red drained from his eyes; the mark on his brow cracked and blew away like ash.

And before him, likewise startled, stood a steel-clad, purple Pokémon.

It couldn’t parse the firewall’s sudden birth—or the lion that loomed, just visible within that wall of fire.

“Fff…”

Entei stared down the newcomer, embers still curling from its jaws; heated air roared as its ashen mane-cloud billowed—majestic, unyielding.

“You sensed it early?”

Entei queried Hikaru. When everyone else had been sent out, Entei—though not one of Hikaru’s Pokémon—had no intention of missing this kind of fight.

But it had received the order: wait.

“I only guessed. This gentleman is meticulous—keeps a trump card for the last moment. That’s how cautious people act.”

“It’s not just ’schemers.’ Ordinary Trainers save the finisher for last, too. Turning the tables at the brink feels… great.”

“Oooh—what are you?” The Swords had been in the dream when Entei entered, so they’d never met. Entei thought a second, then answered:

“Mm. I’m not the Entei—but in form and power, I’m the same. I don’t have my own name.”

“If it looks like Entei and fights like Entei—then you’re Entei. Uh… what’s Entei?” Terrakion chattered, then realized it had no idea what “Entei” was.

They’d never been to Kanto or Johto, so the Legendary Beasts were unknown to them. Among legendaries, the three beasts are youthful—barely one hundred fifty years old.

The Swords had lived over a thousand.

As for this Phantom Entei—it was only two months old.

“From Johto’s legends—one of the three beasts revived by Ho-Oh. But this Entei is not of Ho-Oh’s retinue.”

“That story can wait. Let Calyrex explain to you later.”

“Oh, Ho-Oh—I know that one!” Terrakion got excited. “The rainbow god of legend—said to restore life to the dead!”

Ho-Oh’s history runs very old; it left tales in many regions. It rarely converses with other legendaries, so within the “legend lineup” it feels aloof and mysterious.

It’s tied to no creation myth, chases neither Truth nor Ideals, is no “hero,” and touches neither past nor future.

It simply appears when it pleases—sometimes at key moments—saving innocents in passing and plucking a feather as boon and prize.

“That move just now was… Techno Blast—and the Drive was Ice!”

Exactly as Hikaru suspected, the hidden Pokémon Ghetsis had kept on him was most likely the Genesect supplied by P2 Laboratory!

“That’s Genesect, the Plasma-developed weapon-Pokémon! It swaps elemental Drives on its back to change Techno Blast’s type!” Hikaru laid the name bare.

A gigantic arthropod, cloaked in purple plating, it could tuck its body into a high-speed flight form.

The cannon mounted on its back could accept different Drives, firing Techno Blast at extreme output—its signature technique.

It’s said to be an ancient bug Pokémon from 300 million years ago, feared as the apex hunter. After Team Plasma refit it with a cannon, its type became exalted Bug/Steel.

Its original typing is a mystery.

In the Special manga, the first modified Genesect was used by Team Plasma and Colress, later captured by International Police Looker.

In the anime, N investigated the ruined P2 Lab and found data on in-development Genesect. Unlike the two in Special, there were five in the anime—led by a red Genesect. After destroying Plasma’s facility, they left and formed a steel-bug legion, headlining the movie Genesect and the Legend Awakened.

In a distribution, that red leader even knew the normally unattainable Extreme Speed.

“Uuuh… impossible. P2 Lab’s most powerful creation—how do you even know it exists?!”

Ghetsis hadn’t expected trouble here—and was shocked Hikaru knew the intel.

(So there’s a mole, huh.)

P2 Lab housed Plasma’s elite researchers—and even the external genius Colress. After reviving ancient fossils with tech far beyond Kanto and Johto, they upgraded them!

On paper, a multi-Drive, supercannon Genesect is unstoppable!

“What is that one—wreathed in flame-clouds… wait, I’ve seen that somewhere.”

Ghetsis rifled his memory. As a sage who’d traveled the world, of course he’d been to Johto, even the Bell Tower.

Could it be…? No—impossible!

“Damn it—Techno Blast!” Ghetsis swapped Drives in a blink, ordering the steel-bug god to fire its strongest shot at the lion before him!

If memory served, ice got burned away by those flames—and that was no ordinary flame.

“So it really is Entei—Johto’s legend!”

Unfamiliar with Dream Balls, and misled by a fake “legendary dragon” appearing multiple times, Ghetsis never considered that the pink ball housed anything strong. He figured it was a transport mount or something.

Genesect’s eyes lit crimson. The back-cannon swelled with power.

Douse Drive—Techno Blast!

“Entei—Sacred Fire!”

At Hikaru’s command, Entei once more gathered that furious red-blue godflame at its maw!

Legendary holy fire collided with a techno-deluge. Ghetsis hopped onto Genesect’s back and barked:

“Transform—now!”

He wasn’t sticking around. Water and fire birthed scalding steam—use the chaos to run!

Bug/Steel has only one weakness: Fire. Against regular Fire-types, superior mobility could shrug off the matchup… but in front of him was—Entei!

Not ordinary flame. They say Entei bears the Life Flame gifted by Ho-Oh!

Why would a Johto legend be in Unova—so far away? Damn it—don’t get involved!

“What happens in the Abyssal Ruins won’t be known… heh-heh. I didn’t get the power of the Four Gods, but the Ancient Crown—I’ll be back to take it!”

“Cursed crown—you lent me that power just to mock my disgrace? You’ll submit to me soon—I’ll show you I am the Harmonia line’s most—”

“Beedrill—Fell Stinger!”

By the time the words fell, the strike had already landed.

That Beedrill who’d been “slacking” didn’t lack the will to fight.

It merely refused to fight a human who wielded Bug-like power. Against others…

Especially one swathed in a thick miasma of Evil.

Dark-type energy peaked here; psychic powers dulled and even locked. In that moment, the best counter to Dark—Bug—could shine!

Why does Bug beat Dark?

Because “Evil” is darkness?

Bugs are nocturnal—unafraid of dark?

Or maybe every Bug Pokémon holds a heart that longs to be a Kamen Rider…

And Beedrill’s twin lances model the Rider’s knight-lances!

This blow was the “Knight-King’s Resolve!”

CRACK!

Good grief. With the Ancient Crown and the King’s shades watching, I’ll spot you one, okay?

Hurl a vicious strike—if it KOs, your Attack rises sharply!

As the priest turned, the shining lance slammed straight into his chest!

“Beedrill?!”

A Beedrill—here in the Abyssal Ruins?!

You tell me the Four Gods are here—fine, legendaries.

The Swords show up—fine, they meddle.

Entei appears—fine, legends attract legends.

But Beedrill? What—did the Crown summon a goon squad? Part of the trial?

Sheer absurdity.

Beedrill retracted its lance, cackled, and shot skyward—功成身退.

yare yare… you’re done here. Pretty strong, right?

“Guh—felled by such a lowly Pokémon—”

Eyes bulging, he and Genesect froze for a heartbeat. As Ghetsis fell, a huge evil intent surged off him.

Red-blue fire roared in. Genesect reflex-fired Techno Blast—even moving to catch Ghetsis mid-fall. His eyes went wide.

Sacred fire and techno-flood collide—what follows is a massive blast.

I—I—!

“Don’t—don’t come here, you idiot!”

Too late. At the instant Sacred Fire met Techno Blast, a violent steam explosion tore everything apart—and Entei charged through the bloom!

Flare Blitz!

Genesect took the hit full-on—and Ghetsis was thrown into the heart of the blast!

But then—a fierce red light bloomed at the center.

[…This is bad.]

The Ancient Crown sighed—irritated and odd at once.

“What do you mean—I just felt—”

[Your special vocation “Defense Corps” has reacted—such impudence, to invade Earth!]

[Your special vocation “Spacetime Explorer” has reacted. You are immune to Ultra Aura.]

[Lore “Voice of the Otherworld” has triggered!]

[You seize power: GX Force (Forbidden Light).]

[Desc: GX Force is an ultimate power that crosses time and space—an ability from Ultra Space. Source of this GX influence: Necrozma.]

[Effect: All of your special faculties—Psychic/ESP/Aura/Genesis, etc.—are elevated by one tier while inside Ultra Wormholes!]

When the steam cleared, Ghetsis was gone, and the ultimate energy was running the show. Hikaru stared.

What the—why is an Ultra Wormhole suddenly in Unova? That’s not in the games. Not in the histories, either…

Wait—maybe it is.

“His life aura vanished! Not dead—just… gone.”

Cobalion’s eyes widened. The Swords combed the area for Ghetsis, but he’d evaporated with the steam. Feeling that strange pulse and the settling energies, Hikaru formed a ridiculous guess.

“What happened? The cult leader—gone?”

Caitlin had finished off the Dark-types. With Miracle Eye in hand, Dark Pokémon were no longer threats.

“Mm. I think… he just got isekai’d.”

Hikaru spread his hands. As Caitlin and the Swords of Justice stared, he could only shrug and say it.

(End of Chapter)

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