Chapter 118: Arceus
The video continued playing.
The light behind Asher grew stronger and brighter.
Eventually, it condensed into an enormous silhouette behind him—a white body, a golden ring, and a thousand arms slowly unfolding within the halo.
Arceus.
It stepped out of the light, its golden eyes calmly observing Giratina in the air.
Giratina’s body stiffened in midair. The dark-red light along the edges of its wings faded, while its tendrils slowly drooped.
"Listen carefully, kid."
Asher’s tone returned to its usual laziness as he raised one finger.
"First, you can continue ramming into the seal until the rift expands so far that the backlash consumes your true body."
"Second..."
Asher raised another finger.
"You wait for Tiana to enter the rift’s core. Once the twin dragons of time and space obtain a stable anchor, their resonance will automatically undo the seal."
"After that, you can either remain in the Reverse World or come outside with me and take a look around."
He lowered his hand and glanced sideways at Giratina.
"Choose."
Arceus said nothing.
It merely stood there, looking at Giratina with its golden eyes before giving an almost imperceptible nod.
Giratina’s body began to shrink.
Eventually, it transformed into a miniature version of itself that stood only a little over three meters tall and slowly descended onto the rocky platform.
"See? Was that so difficult?"
Asher walked over, crouched down, and patted Giratina on the head.
Arceus turned and glanced at Asher, a trace of helplessness seemingly passing through its golden eyes.
Then its body dissolved into countless particles of light and disappeared back into the radiance behind Asher.
"All right."
Asher stood.
"Giratina’s been handled. Now we just need to see how Tiana does."
[VIP Chat Group]
[Clemont]: What kind of Pokémon was that?! I’ve never seen it in any book before!
[Professor Oak]: ...The creator deity.
[Lance]: ...I’m beginning to understand why we couldn’t find any records about him before.
[Steven]: Brother Asher truly commands respect! Even the creator deity is one of his connections!
[Wallace]: Steven, I think you fundamentally misunderstand the meaning of the word "connections."
[Steven]: I understand it perfectly! Brother Asher’s connections are my connections! By extension, that means I know Arceus too!
[Wallace]: You truly have no shame!
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Mount Coronet.
Proton emerged from behind the rock wall with a miniature communicator in his hand, his expression considerably darker than before.
"Boss, the situation has changed."
He lowered his voice.
"Asher discovered us, and he refuses to entertain any negotiations."
The other end of the communicator remained silent for a moment before Giovanni’s voice emerged, calm enough to suggest that everything had unfolded exactly as he expected.
"That was anticipated. Proton, proceed with Plan B."
"Understood."
Proton switched off the communicator and turned toward the two subordinates behind him.
"Activate the Dark-Energy Matrix."
The instant Team Rocket activated the Dark-Energy Matrix, the entire space-time energy field around Mount Coronet’s summit trembled.
Eighty-one dark-purple energy pylons erupted from the rock walls.
Beams simultaneously fired from their tips and intertwined above the rift, forming an enormous net of dark energy.
Asher stood on a floating rock in the Reverse World. Warning messages nearly overflowed from his system panel.
"A Dark-Energy Matrix."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Giovanni has certainly spared no expense this time."
Giratina released a deep roar behind him. Its dark-golden eyes reflected the tightening energy net on the other side of the rift.
"Don’t be impatient."
Asher didn’t turn around.
"They’re trying to forcibly extract the power of the twin dragons of time and space, but they’ve overlooked something."
"When the matrix activates, it will draw energy from both sides of the rift simultaneously. The resulting energy fluctuation on the Reverse World’s side will pull your true body out of the seal."
Outside the rift, Proton stood before the matrix’s control terminal with a confident smile.
"Excellent. Initiate the extraction procedure as soon as charging is complete. Boss Giovanni’s side is already prepared. The moment we obtain the space-time energy, it can be directly connected to the system."
"Charging at one hundred percent. Matrix activation countdown—ten, nine, eight..."
Proton’s hand hovered above the activation button.
In three seconds, the Dark-Energy Matrix would forcibly tear the twin dragons’ power from the rift.
Team Rocket would possess enough power to reshape the balance of the entire world.
The blue-and-pink light within the rift’s core suddenly contracted violently, as though an invisible hand had clenched around it from the inside.
Immediately afterward, a dark-golden fissure tore directly through reality.
The Dark-Energy Matrix’s extraction field collapsed the instant the opening appeared.
Proton stared at the energy pylons overloading across the monitoring screen and slammed his fist against the emergency stop button.
"Shut down the primary output! Close every extraction channel!"
The matrix did not respond.
A line of red text appeared across the control terminal.
[External energy source exceeds safe limits. Forced shutdown impossible.]
Proton stiffly raised his head and stared at the enormous creature slowly emerging from the dark-golden fissure.
Giratina.
Giratina did not even look at Proton.
It merely raised its head and released an immensely long, ancient roar.
The sound wave exploded through the air.
All eighty-one energy pylons forming the Dark-Energy Matrix trembled and shattered simultaneously beneath the force of that roar.
Proton stumbled two steps backward.
"Impossible... That energy reading..."
His fingers trembled as he pressed his earpiece. His voice had completely lost its earlier composure.
"Boss Giovanni... We’ve lost control of the situation. We need—"
Only piercing static came through the communicator.
Before this Legendary Pokémon, every piece of advanced technology they possessed was no different from scrap metal.
"Retreat."
Proton forced the word through gritted teeth.
"Executive Proton, but the Boss—"
"I said retreat! Tell Boss Giovanni that the operation failed. I, Proton, will take full responsibility!"
At the entrance to the rift in the Reverse World—
Asher stood on the floating stone platform with both hands in his pockets, watching Giratina withdraw its body from the other side of the rift.
"All right. Team Rocket has retreated, so the area outside the rift is temporarily safe."
Asher glanced sideways at Giratina.
"But don’t get too pleased with yourself."
He patted it.
"The seal won’t disappear completely until Tiana settles things with the twin dragons of time and space."
"Until then, stay here and behave yourself. No more ramming into the seal. Do you understand?"
Giratina struck its tail against the void.
[VIP Chat Group]
[Alder]: I’ve lived to such an old age, yet today is the first time I’ve felt that I’m still far too young.
[Dawn]: Tiana is about to catch the twin dragons of time and space, right? Everything has gone by so quickly.
[Iris]: It has, but it’s been incredibly satisfying to watch! Tiana went from being a tiny tyrant at the beginning to becoming a Champion. Her entire journey of growth feels complete!
[Valerie]: Come to think of it, Team Rocket suffered terribly this time. Will they ever dare to enter Sinnoh again?
[Elesa]: Even if they do, I doubt they’ll accomplish anything. What other trump cards could they possibly have?
[Lance]: Don’t underestimate Giovanni. He didn’t build Team Rocket into what it is today through luck alone.
...
TL: Holeee sheeet