Pokemon: With Title System

Chapter 309 – Your Red Chain is Female

On Asahi's face, Cyrus saw three parts disappointment, three parts disdain, three parts ridicule, and one part indifference.

Cyrus's blood pressure instantly skyrocketed.

"What did you do?"

He immediately attributed the failure of the Red Chain to Asahi.

"I've been standing right here. What could I have possibly done?" Asahi replied, giving a thumbs-up. "You really know how to shift blame."

Having already been deceived once by Asahi's fake identity, Cyrus naturally didn't believe a single word he said.

Asahi sneered, "Of course it won't work with just two defective copies..."

"Let me show you what a real Red Chain looks like!"

Under the watchful eyes of Cyrus and the hidden Saturn, Asahi waved his hand.

Gengar appeared beside him, carefully holding a Red Chain.

Suddenly, the red chain in Asahi's hand shot forward.

Cyrus didn't even have time to question why Asahi had a Red Chain.

A strange energy pulsed from the true Red Chain, injecting power into the two fake Red Chains. The next second, the dimensional rift that had been stuck as a mere crack suddenly burst open!

Two massive figures emerged from the otherworldly space, summoned into the present reality.

Dialga and Palkia!

Dialga, a quadrupedal Pokémon with a deep blue body partially covered in silvery-white metallic plating, had a cobalt-colored diamond embedded in its chest.

Opposite it stood Palkia, a bipedal Pokémon with a light purple body and shoulder plates resembling shields, each adorned with a pink pearl.

As the gods of time and space simultaneously appeared atop Spear Pillar, Asahi, with his keen perception, sensed a shift in the very fabric of time and space on the pillar.

Upon witnessing Dialga and Palkia's arrival, Cyrus didn't even have the mind to acknowledge Asahi's earlier mockery. He hurriedly manipulated the two Red Chains, attempting to seize control of the twin deities of time and space.

However...

Just as the fake Red Chains began to move in an attempt to bind Dialga and Palkia, the true Red Chain at the center twitched.

Snap!

Like a whip, the true Red Chain lashed out at the two fake Red Chains with lightning speed.

The impact sent the fake chains flying aside.

Cyrus watched in disbelief as his own Red Chains trembled, seemingly wanting to approach but hesitating as if in fear…

"As expected," Asahi said with an absolutely serious expression. "Your Red Chains are female. They met my male one and lost their power."

He shook his head and added, "Honestly, you should just give up. These chains of yours don't seem very reliable."

Nonsense!

With Dialga and Palkia right in front of him, there was no way Cyrus would give up at this crucial moment!

"Damn it! Move!"

Cyrus forced his will into the Red Chains, trying to seize control of Dialga and Palkia.

Under the sheer force of his determination, the fake Red Chains actually managed to break through the suppression of the true Red Chain and moved closer to Dialga and Palkia.

But…

With just a casual swipe of its claw, Palkia sliced the approaching fake Red Chain into several pieces.

Dialga opened its mouth and unleashed an indigo energy beam. The remaining fake Red Chain instantly lost its red luster, then slowly disintegrated into dust, which was carried away by the wind.

As the two fake Red Chains shattered, Cyrus collapsed onto the ground, staring in disbelief.

It was as if his ambitions had crumbled along with the chains.

"I told you, yours were knockoffs…"

Asahi was still making sarcastic remarks when—before he could finish—Dialga and Palkia suddenly lunged at each other.

Time and space collided.

Asahi could feel the distortions rippling across Spear Pillar.

"…"

Meanwhile, lying on the ground, Cyrus broke into a fanatical grin.

"Yes… Fight! Destroy this wretched world!"

Bang!

With a dark expression, Asahi signaled for Gardevoir to restrain Cyrus with Psychic.

Looking up at the clashing Dialga and Palkia…

So you two are just ignoring my existence, huh?!

Activating his Aura, Asahi linked with the Red Chain, unleashing its full power.

Instantly, Dialga and Palkia seemed to be forced apart, as if bound by some unseen force.

Now separated, both deities turned their gazes toward Asahi—or more precisely, toward the Red Chain in his possession—anger flashing in their eyes at being interrupted.

That led to an important question.

Q: There are two Legendary Pokémon in front of you, but you only have one tool to restrain them. Which one do you choose to control?

Asahi's answer was…

"You two love fighting, huh? Fine—I'll let you fight to your heart's content!"

With a wave of his hand, he recalled the Red Chain, forming a protective ring around himself to shield against the time-space distortions.

Then, he tossed out a Master Ball.

Boom!

A blinding light flashed.

ROOOOAR!

A thunderous roar echoed across the peak of Spear Pillar, scattering the clouds.

Cyrus, still restrained by Gardevoir, looked up in shock at the massive figure that occupied half the sky. A body of emerald, gem-like scales coiled in the air, looking down upon Dialga and Palkia.

At the same time, under Asahi's command, Mewtwo shot into the sky.

---

Meanwhile, in the tunnel leading to Spear Pillar…

Without the reinforcements they had hoped for, Team Galactic's forces were ultimately defeated by the trainers from Kanto's Special Operations.

However…

Even with all their Pokémon incapacitated, Saturn was still yelling defiantly.

"Lord Cyrus will never forgive you!"

"No matter whether it's you or that imposter Hunter J, in the end, you will all fall before Lord Cyrus!"

"The old world is about to be destroyed! A new world will be born… And you all will be buried along with the old world. There is no place for you in the new world—"

Thunk!

A berry shot out of Ethan's cue stick, landing perfectly in Saturn's mouth and shutting him up completely.

Ethan clapped hands with Aipom in celebration.

"Finally, some peace and quiet…"

Nearby, Sabrina flexed her fingers, suspending Mars in midair with Psychic as she tied her up. Curious, she asked, "Your comrade talks a lot—why are you so silent?"

"There's nothing to say."

Hearing this, Sabrina chuckled softly. It reminded her of the time she was captured and interrogated by Asahi.

With a smirk, she tossed the bound Mars aside.

"I wonder how Asahi is doing…" Gary muttered.

"Boss Asahi will be fine," Ethan said between bites of his berry.

Having witnessed Asahi defeat Pryce, he had absolute faith in his strength.

Silver nodded in agreement.

Just then, Zinnia, who had been collecting Poké Balls from the fallen Team Galactic grunts, suddenly twitched her ears. She snapped her head toward Spear Pillar.

"…Lord of the Sky?!"

Green was momentarily stunned. She knew Zinnia was incredibly attuned to Rayquaza, almost like a living Rayquaza radar.

Now that Zinnia had sensed Rayquaza's presence…

Could it be that Asahi's battle had reached a critical point?

Although Green had great confidence in Asahi, she couldn't help but feel a bit anxious at this moment.

Her gaze swept across the group, finally settling on Cynthia—the strongest among them.

"Miss Cynthia… Could I ask you to check on Spear Pillar?"

Cynthia had already heard the deafening roar earlier.

She had felt somewhat guilty about leaving everything to Asahi and the Kanto trainers without stepping in herself.

Now, upon hearing Green's request, Cynthia solemnly nodded and took off toward the mountaintop on her Garchomp!

...

Back at Spear Pillar…

Or rather, what used to be Spear Pillar.

The once-grand structure had been completely flattened by Asahi and Cyrus's battle.

Dialga, Palkia, Rayquaza, and Mewtwo—four Legendary Pokémon—stood divided into three factions.

Behind Rayquaza and Mewtwo, Asahi stood with Gardevoir and Salamence keeping watch over the restrained Cyrus. The weakened Slowbro lay at his feet, while three colorful mushrooms flitted around, eyes full of worry.

Uxie let out a concerned cry.

Asahi sighed. "You're supposed to be the God of Wisdom—are you really that dumb? Stopping the battle? Isn't that what I'm already doing?"

"If I hadn't intervened, Dialga and Palkia would've already torn each other apart!"

He motioned toward the two Legendaries.

From this angle, it was clear that while they were watching Rayquaza and Mewtwo, the hostility in their gazes toward each other hadn't diminished one bit.

Just like Groudon and Kyogre, these two had been eternal rivals.

If Rayquaza wasn't here, they would only fight more fiercely—playing right into Cyrus's hands.

Understanding this, the Lake Trio stopped circling Asahi but still looked worried.

Asahi smirked. "If you're that concerned, why not help keep the battle confined to this area?"

At his words, the Lake Trio immediately took off, forming a protective barrier around Spear Pillar.

Asahi chuckled—these three were surprisingly responsible.

Then he turned to his Mythical Pokémon…

Mew was lounging on his shoulder, one hand in a snack bag, munching away without a care.

"…Can you at least not drop chip crumbs on me?"

Just as he finished speaking, Dialga and Palkia finally lost patience.

ROOOOAR!

With eyes glowing red, Dialga's chest gem radiated energy as its dorsal fins flared open—

A Time Beam fired!

Rayquaza roared in response, its crimson patterns lighting up as a Dragon Ascent erupted from its mouth.

BOOM!

The two attacks collided midair, sending shockwaves rippling through the battlefield.

The next second, under Mewtwo's psychic power, the broken spoon was instantly restored to its original state.

At the same time, Rayquaza and Dialga were engaged in an aerial battle, each unleashing powerful attacks that lit up the sky with explosions of energy.

Seeing this chaotic battle, Cynthia finally understood the severity of the situation. She turned to Asahi and asked, "What exactly happened here?"

With Mewtwo's psychic energy surging through it, the spoon instantly restored itself to its original state.

"This? Oh… nothing much. Rayquaza and Mewtwo are on my side. Dialga and Palkia wanted to fight, so I'm just… breaking up the fight."

As Asahi spoke, he simultaneously commanded Mewtwo to use Psystrike, aiming directly at Palkia's leg.

"…Breaking up the fight?"

Cynthia glanced at Rayquaza, which had seized the moment when Dialga's breath attack had ended. It dived from the sky, delivering a Dragon Tail that sent Dialga stumbling.

How… exactly was this considered "breaking up the fight"?

In the brief moment of distraction, Mewtwo, which had formed a psychic barrier, was blasted away by Palkia. However, it swiftly regained control, raising a hand and hurling an Aura Sphere at Dialga.

The Aura Sphere struck Dialga, causing ripples to spread across its armored body. At the same time, Rayquaza, now freed from Dialga's suppression, switched opponents—turning its focus onto Palkia.

The battle had now turned into a one-on-one exchange.

Dialga endured the raining Aura Spheres, while Palkia raised an arm to shield itself from Rayquaza's sweeping Dragon Pulse.

---

Distortion World

Sird stared at the battle between the four legendary Pokémon, her wariness toward Asahi reaching its peak.

At this point, if she had to choose between facing Asahi or Giovanni…

She'd rather take on Giovanni and the entire Team Rocket than go up against Asahi.

That kind of power was beyond anything she could handle.

She turned to glance at Cyrus, who was still restrained by Gardevoir and Salamence. Sird let out a deep sigh.

It wasn't that she wanted to abandon Cyrus.

It was just that… Asahi was too terrifying.

If she stepped out now, she'd be throwing herself to her death.

…Wait. Hadn't she just thought the exact same thing a moment ago?

Whatever. Either way, going out to save Cyrus was simply not an option.

The only way to ensure her safety was to stay in the Distortion World.

"…Cyrus, take care of yourself!"

With one final glance at her boss, Sird prepared to leave.

She had no idea whether the battle between the legendary Pokémon would soon spill over into the Distortion World.

Better to escape while she still could.

Just as she turned to leave, however…

A massive head suddenly filled her vision.

A pair of huge, crimson eyes, larger than his entire body, stared at her unblinkingly.

A chill ran down Sird's spine as cold sweat soaked her back.

When… had it appeared behind her?!