Chapter Seven: The Morning Temper of the God of Space

Poplar Town was now in sight.

Chen Ou, riding on the back of Charizard, looked at the thick mist that enveloped the entire town and silently breathed a sigh of relief; things hadn’t yet reached the point of no return.

The mist swirled, faint shadows and flashes of various colors flickered within it—clearly Pokémon were using their abilities. Below, by the bridge, a dozen trainers with their Pokémon were charging resolutely into the fog, only to emerge inexplicably seconds later, leaving the onlookers baffled.

Sitting behind Chen Ou, Cynthia also saw this scene, and tapped his shoulder to remind him, “Wusong told me they can’t get inside. That mist causes anyone entering to lose their way.”

Chen Ou nodded, but countered, “It’s not confusion—it’s deflection.”

Cynthia was curious about what he meant by 'deflection,' but the urgency of the situation left no room for further questioning. She hurriedly asked, “Do you have a way to get inside?”

Watching Poplar Town draw closer, Chen Ou shook his head, “I’m not completely confident, but I’ll have to gamble.”

Cynthia didn’t quite understand what he meant, because Chen Ou hadn’t explained everything.

Chen Ou had never succeeded in being teleported by a Psychic-type Pokémon. To be precise, he had never managed it. Pokémon trying to teleport with him could only leave on their own; in their words, at that instant, they couldn’t sense Chen Ou’s presence in space.

This was one of the reasons Professor Oak believed he’d traveled from another world. He seemed not to belong to this space. Anyone in physical contact with him was similarly unable to teleport, as if infected by him.

Chen Ou took a deep breath, reached his left hand behind him, and said to Cynthia, “Hold my hand.”

Though puzzled, Cynthia heard the resolute tone in his voice, and didn’t hesitate; she grasped his hand. Chen Ou, with no time for distractions, pressed his other hand to Charizard’s neck and commanded in a low voice, “Charizard! Charge straight in!”

Charizard let out a mighty roar, drawing the attention of those below, then dove toward the mist.

The trainers on the ground looked up at the powerful Charizard and spotted their Champion Cynthia; just as they began to cheer, the rush of wind thundered past their ears as Charizard swept by, stirring up a fierce current, plunging into the mist that slowly swirled as if guided by fate.

Watching Charizard vanish into the fog, one trainer muttered, “Does Champion Cynthia not know you can’t get through that mist?”

“Maybe not, but we can tell her once she comes back out,” another replied.

They exchanged uneasy glances, waiting. But after a while, neither Cynthia nor Charizard emerged.

“Uh, did they get in, or did something happen?”

A female trainer shot a look of disdain at the speaker, “Nonsense! Champion Cynthia is far too strong for anything to happen to her. She must have found a way into the mist! As expected of my idol!” She finished, her face dreamy with admiration.

The rebuffed trainer could only smile awkwardly; actually, he felt the same, but when faced with the unknown, people couldn’t help but worry.

And really, how could someone as powerful as Champion Cynthia ever be in trouble?

Then—a flash of pink light swept across, the fog dissipated, and Poplar Town was revealed.

Everyone’s faces brightened; it seemed the crisis was resolved.

Yet before their smiles could fully bloom, Poplar Town twisted in their vision—then vanished.

Their joy died stillborn.

“Uh, maybe we should notify the League… This seems… major…”

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Inside the fog, Cynthia stared at Chen Ou in surprise; she hadn’t expected him to actually bring her in. Looking at their tightly clasped hands, she suddenly realized it wasn’t some trick, but rather that Chen Ou himself was the anomaly.

When someone accomplishes what others cannot using the same method, the problem usually isn’t with the method but with the person. In other words, sometimes the issue doesn’t lie in the technique, but in the individual.

Chen Ou was clearly the anomaly here. If the circumstances were different, Cynthia would have demanded an explanation.

“We’re about to exit—stay alert,” Chen Ou said in a low tone, anxiety evident in his voice.

Honestly, once inside, whether they lived or died was uncertain.

Cynthia nodded vigorously, and with her other hand, felt for Garchomp’s Poké Ball at her waist, gripping it tightly.

Chen Ou took a deep breath as Charizard flew to the end of the bridge.

And then he jumped in fright.

Poplar Town was shrouded in heavy, ominous clouds, the gloomy light casting a sinister aura over everything. And just then, almost smacking Chen Ou in the face, was a lion-shaped phantom floating in the air, radiating pink light.

Startled, Chen Ou jerked upright, bumping Cynthia’s head behind him. She cried out in pain, then caught sight of the apparition.

“Is that a Luxray? What’s going on?” Cynthia asked, bewildered.

“Like a ghost,” Chen Ou muttered. Hearing Cynthia’s question, he shook his head, “I’m not sure, but I think someone else can answer you. Though the real problem is over there.”

He pointed toward the Space-Time Tower.

Cynthia followed his gesture and gasped.

There, a Darkrai was charging straight at the gap between the twin spires of the Space-Time Tower, only to be repelled and flung to the ground as if hitting an invisible wall.

It rose again, unleashing a powerful Shadow Ball at the same spot. Cynthia faintly heard a roar—“Get out!”

That Shadow Ball seemed to awaken something that had been slumbering there.

The god of space, Palkia, awoke.

Cynthia looked up; the clouds had vanished, replaced by a twisted, gray chaos that hardly deserved to be called sky.

“See? You woke up someone with a bad temper—if he doesn’t fight you to the death, I’d be surprised,” Chen Ou quipped, prompting Cynthia to want to complain about his misplaced priorities.

But reality left her no room for such thoughts. Facing the furious god of space, she wasn’t confident she could subdue it.

“Do you have a plan? If those two fight, it’s bad news for us.”

“Funny you should ask—I just remembered what to do.”

Looking at Chen Ou’s relieved expression, Cynthia felt she had no idea what went on in his mind.

Chen Ou was genuinely thankful for his sharp memory. Seeing this familiar scene, he’d finally recalled the plot of that movie.

“I suspect Dialga will show up soon. Darkrai can hardly hold back those two. So, you and Charizard need to cover Darkrai, lure the two big guys away from the Space-Time Tower.”

Chen Ou forced himself to stay rational, but excitement crept into his tone.

He was still speaking when another roar echoed; a blue Pokémon burst from the void and unleashed a Roar of Time at Palkia.

The newcomer was none other than the god of time, Dialga.

Cynthia watched as the three legendary beasts plunged into chaos and felt her head spin. Turning to say something to Chen Ou, she saw flames ignite across his body.

Under Cynthia’s astonished gaze, Chen Ou tossed out, “My life’s in your hands. Good luck, Cabbage!” and then transformed into fire, streaking toward the Space-Time Tower at incredible speed.

For a moment, Cynthia felt a strong urge to retire.