Two towering spires stood facing each other—the left named "Space," the right named "Time."
Their peaks pierced the clouds, where a rift twisted violently in the sky above.
A terrifying roar echoed.
A blade of light sliced through the rift, carving a black scar across the heavens.
In the plaza below, the crowd froze, staring up at the colossal figure looming over them.
"The Spatial Dragon, Palkia," Wallace murmured hoarsely, his white cape fluttering.
Terror and despair spread across every face.
BOOM!!
Spacial Rend—
The blade of light swept through a red-brick building, reducing it to black fragments that dissolved into nothingness.
As if waking from a dream, screams erupted as people scattered in panic.
"Let's get out of here!"
"Quick, hide behind Natsume-sensei!"
"W-Wait, no one's hiding behind Wallace?!"
A girl stared in disbelief, comparing the crowds behind the two Champions.
After a moment's hesitation, she bit her lip and hurried over—
—abandoning Wallace's empty back to join the very end of Natsume-sensei's line.
Wallace: "..."
Natsume: "Don't look at me like that."
Wallace: "..."
"Maybe..." Natsume mused, "it's because I'm better-looking?"
Wallace sighed, running a hand through his green hair in defeat.
Then, his emerald eyes sharpened, locking onto Palkia's movements.
As one of the last "People of the Glass," Wallace had an innate affinity for beauty—
—and in Palkia, he sensed both the elegance of space... and its brutality.
"It's lost control," Wallace muttered, gripping a Poké Ball.
"No kidding," Natsume said, turning to reassure the crowd. "Everyone, evacuate to the nearest Pokémon Center. Mr. Wallace needs to battle! You'll just get in his way!"
Wallace: "..."
Why do you sound like you're not planning to lift a finger?
"I see," Wallace murmured. "You can't reveal the trump card you used to save Steven so carelessly..."
The crowd nodded understandingly, though their legs remained rooted in fear.
'Natsume-sensei is stronger than Wallace.'
'We'd interfere with Wallace... but not Natsume-sensei.'
The thought brought a strange mix of dread and relief.
"Hey, Baron Lickilicky," Natsume called. "Time to show that noble spirit—lead the women and children to safety. The rest of you, help evacuate."
"It's ALBERTO, not Lickilicky!"
The plump Lickilicky huffed, then turned and barked orders:
"You heard him! Clear out and don't get in the way! Evacuate in an orderly fashion!"
As the townsfolk moved, Darkrai watched from the shadows, its eyes softening at the sight of Iris—Alicia's granddaughter—safe among them.
Now, it could fight without restraint.
"GET OUT—"
Wallace whipped around as Darkrai emerged from the shadows, white mist swirling around its pitch-black form.
Its blue eyes burned with fury as it glared at Palkia.
"OF HERE!"
In an instant, Darkrai shot into the sky, a shockwave billowing Wallace's cape.
Palkia's gaze turned wary—this Darkrai actually posed a threat!
Dark Pulse—
Dark energy rippled outward in concentric rings.
WHOOM!
Space around Palkia warped into a protective barrier, swallowing the attack whole.
Then, the pearls on Palkia's shoulders glowed as it swung its arm—
Dragon Claw!
A violet dragon's silhouette roared toward Darkrai.
Lightning split the sky as the entire town vanished behind thick fog.
Darkrai grunted, sent flying—until a soothing Heal Pulse from Wallace's Milotic steadied it.
Nodding in thanks, Darkrai roared and charged again!
"Darkrai," Natsume cut in, "use Dark Void!"
"I DON'T NEED YOUR ORDERS!!" Darkrai snarled, hurling a swirling black vortex at Palkia.
The barrier flared again—
—but dark tendrils burst through the shredded space, lashing at Palkia!
"This Darkrai... is strong," Wallace noted. "We might actually win."
Natsume's eye twitched. "Don't jinx it! It hasn't even used its big move yet!"
The next second—
Space split. Silence fell.
Palkia's Spacial Rend sliced through the darkness, striking Darkrai head-on!
Wallace: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
Natsume facepalmed.
BOOM!!
Palkia smirked, raising its claws triumphantly—
—until time itself fractured.
The world turned monochrome as a crystalline blue beast erupted from the rift, slamming into Palkia with a deafening crash!
THOOM!!
The two titans plummeted, leveling buildings across kilometers, leaving only a smoldering crater.
The shockwave rattled the Pokémon Center.
"Don't worry, Baron Lickilicky will—"
The Lickilicky collapsed mid-speech as Baron Alberto's consciousness returned.
The nightmares, the soul projections—all of it faded.
"W-What's happening?" Nurse Joy stammered.
"Darkrai must be focusing everything on protecting Alamos Town," Iris realized, staring at the exhausted Darkrai. "It doesn't have energy left for Bad Dreams!"
She clenched her fists. "I need to get to Darkrai!"
"Don't be reckless," Alberto snapped. "You'll just burden Natsume-sensei!"
"Even so," Iris pulled free, "if Darkrai's fighting for us... shouldn't we do something?"
"Let me explain."
A clear voice cut through the chaos.
A girl with a yellow ponytail stepped forward, her calm presence instantly soothing the room.
"Staying here is the best way to trust Darkrai and Natsume-sensei."
Yellow met Iris's gaze, recalling Natsume's words:
"Miss Iris, I'll take you closer... but you must be prepared."
Iris nodded fiercely. "If Grandmother could do it... so can I!"
[Ash and Tonio are heading to the Time Tower for "Oración." Our job is to buy time.]
Yellow tightened her grip on Iris's hand.
[You and Iris can support Darkrai... I'm counting on you.]
[Yellow... no, Viridian!]
If Red could do it—so could she!
"RUMBLE—"
Another shockwave hit as Yellow summoned a Dodrio.
"Hold on tight!"
As they mounted, Yellow's hands glowed white with Viridian Aura—
"Let's go, everyone!"
Dodrio's eyes blazed with newfound power, its strength skyrocketing past Level 70 in an instant.
This was Yellow—Red's beloved (?) and the ultimate cheat-code!
With a cloud of dust, they raced toward the battlefield.
Back at the center, Baron Alberto sighed.
"...Kinda miss being a Lickilicky now."
...
Above the small town, the mist churned like stormy waves, interlaced with lightning.
In the central plaza, the Temporal and Spatial Dragons faced off, their eyes burning with fury as their colossal bodies collided.
"This... isn't a battle mortals can interfere with."
Standing hundreds of meters from the crater, Wallace murmured to himself.
Natsume shot him a look. "Are you a mortal?"
"Me?"
In an instant, Wallace's gaze cleared. He lifted his chin with noble confidence and smiled elegantly at Natsume.
"You're absolutely right, Natsume-sensei. Thank you for the reminder."
Natsume: ?
"We may be mortals, but we have a duty to fulfill."
Natsume: ??
"And that is—" Wallace dramatically flung off his white cape, his green hair fluttering in the wind, "—the responsibility of a Champion!"
Natsume: ???
Why are you suddenly monologuing?!
Even Steven couldn't withstand a single Legendary before collapsing.
Now there were two Legendaries here—just play support for Darkrai already!
"Natsume-sensei." Wallace's expression darkened with self-deprecation. "If I... don't make it out of Sinnoh..."
"Relax, I'll send you back to Hoenn." Natsume added, "Your cape, at least."
Wallace nodded faintly, pulling out a letter from his coat. "I've already prepared my last words."
"Can I read it?"
"Of course. Nothing shameful here."
Natsume unfolded the letter—then froze.
"Good guy, this is so sappy. And you said 'nothing shameful'?"
"Sappy? This is normal. I say things like this to Winona all the time."
"...No wonder she can't stand you."
"Oh? Love should be spoken aloud. How else will your opponent know?" Wallace chuckled.
Natsume fell silent, then nodded. "Fair point."
Skimming further, Natsume's eyes widened.
"You wrote a will?"
"Every artist drafts their will at twenty."
"In sonnet form?!"
"Isn't it romantic? A sonnet recited in a mournful aria at one's funeral..." Wallace smiled.
"Beneficiaries—"
Seeing his name absent, Natsume lost interest.
"I prepared copies for Master Juan, Winona, Ruby, and Sapphire." Wallace hesitated. "Though if you, Natsume-sensei..."
Natsume cut in: "What about Steven?"
"That guy's richer than me. He should be writing my name." Wallace scoffed.
Natsume blinked. You two really are something.
The real couple was here all along— Natsume coughed. "You're... quite humorous."
"Artists need not be brooding." Wallace smiled. "And you're not so bad yourself, Natsume-sensei."
For the first time, Natsume saw Wallace differently—a Champion who hosted the Wallace Cup and nurtured newcomers, protecting Hoenn in his own way.
In a sense, like Natsume, he too was a teacher.
"Stop chatting, both of you!"
Darkrai crashed to the ground, panting heavily.
"I'M GETTING MY ASS KICKED HERE!"
Boom—
The two turned to see Darkrai slumped against rubble, barely standing.
Natsume rushed over, fishing out a herb. "Here, eat this Revival Herb."
Darkrai chewed—then spat it out. "Ptooey!"
Wallace: "Milotic, Heal Pulse!"
"Milotic~" Milotic's ribbons swayed as soothing energy enveloped Darkrai.
Natsume stared.
This feels like a boxing match corner... with coaches and medics.
Darkrai roared at the dragons:
"GET OUT!!"
Natsume yelled: "Go, Darkrai! I Choose You!"
"SCREW YOU."
"Use Dark Void!"
"...Five cans."
"Six cans. Listen to me. Use. Dark. Void."
"RAAAAH!" Darkrai's eyes blazed as it shot skyward like a missile.
Wallace observed, arms crossed.
"Natsume-sensei... is quite skilled at commanding Pokémon."
BOOM—
The epic battle raged on.
Dialga raised its forelimbs, its pupils glowing as the diamonds and patterns on its body flickered with a dazzling light.
Roar of Time!
Strange ripples enveloped all of Alamos Town. The clock hands of the Space-Time Tower spun wildly as the buildings rapidly weathered and decayed.
Natsume watched in shock—a wailing infant in the distance grew into a confused little girl crouching on the ground, sucking her finger in bewilderment.
Nearby, a hunched old grandmother reverted to a stunningly beautiful young woman.
"Wait, that's a thing?" Natsume blinked.
"Falling behind? We need to evacuate them now," Wallace muttered, frowning.
Natsume hurled a Poké Ball. "I'm counting on you—get them to safety!"
"Gengar~"
"Sirfetch'd!" A beam of light shot from the Premier Ball as Sirfetch'd emerged, brimming with excitement.
"Sirfetch'd, get back here!!"
Boom—
The pearls on Palkia's shoulders shimmered alongside its purple markings as a ring-shaped blade of energy slashed through the air.
Spacial Rend!
Time and space collided, erasing the very fabric of reality.
The shockwaves tore countless holes in the nearby mist, each expanding rapidly.
Even the sky itself began to vanish within those growing voids, fading into a monochrome abyss.
"If this continues..." Wallace muttered, his voice tense, "we—along with all of Alamos Town—will disappear."
Natsume's frown deepened.
His strongest fighter, Mega Blastoise, was only at Elite Four level.
And even then, it still fell short of the very top-tier Elite Four strength...
"So I'm getting dragged into this too?" Natsume murmured.
"I have to step in." Wallace's eyes sharpened as he threw a Poké Ball, releasing an Altaria.
"Take me to the battlefield," he commanded. "I'll be the one to stop the Temporal and Spatial Dragons!"
Natsume didn't stop him.
His original plan had always been for Wallace and Darkrai to work together, buying time for Ash and the others.
His own greatest strength lay in commanding Darkrai.
An Elite Four-level trainer jumping into the fray would only interfere with the plan.
Natsume clenched his teeth.
Above, Darkrai reappeared, its voice icy with warning:
"You two—get out of here!!"
This time, both Palkia and Dialga turned their gaze toward Darkrai.
A flicker of something almost human—mockery—passed through the eyes of the Temporal and Spatial Dragons.
Then, in unison, they redirected their fury, jaws widening as terrifying energy pulses gathered in their throats.
BOOM—
Amid the dust and debris, Wallace's Altaria erupted in radiant light, evolving into Mega Altaria.
Dialga's Dragon-type move? Useless against Mega Altaria.
Instead, the attack was absorbed by its feather dance, transformed into a raging storm and hurled back!
Natsume gaped.
Meanwhile—
Darkrai clashed with Palkia once more, twisting shadows swirling in its palms as the dark wisps around its shoulders fluttered wildly.
Natsume shouted, "Now! Use Dark Void!"
Darkrai snarled, "I said—stop commanding me!"
Yet, a terrifying "Dark Void" erupted, swallowing half the sky and striking Palkia head-on.
"Nice one, Darkrai!"
"Shut up!"
"Seven—seven whole cans of Pokéblocks!" Natsume yelled.
"Tch. Pathetic bribes mean nothing to me."
Still, Darkrai obeyed Natsume's orders, continuing to weave around Palkia's attacks.
On the other front—
Sweat dripped from Wallace's face, his teeth gritted so hard his lips bled.
Facing two deities, mere minutes had pushed him to his limit.
At this rate... even Mega Altaria wouldn't hold out against Dialga, the Steel Dragon God.
This time, Dialga chose "Flash Cannon"—a move super effective against Fairy types.
A brilliant light gathered in Dialga's maw, and a flicker of resignation crossed Wallace's face.
This... is it.
BOOM—
Amid the chaos, Darkrai took the "Flash Cannon" head-on, its back shielding Wallace as its icy blue eyes locked onto him.
"Human. Survive."
Then, it hurled Wallace out of the sky.
Turning, it stood alone against the combined assault of the Temporal and Spatial Dragons.
"Come on."
Darkrai's eyes gleamed with defiance, its lips curling into something almost like a smirk.
"Both of you—at once."
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