"Instead of wasting time caring about my identity, you two should think about how to resolve the conflict in front of you.
I don't care either way. Even if this barrier isn't broken, it won't affect me much. At most, my curiosity won't be satisfied, but there won't be any substantial loss.
But for the two of you, it seems different. If you fail this mission and add to that the heavy losses of the Cult members, I wonder how you will explain yourselves?
And most importantly, your strength has been greatly diminished. Don't you want to take this opportunity to recover?" Aoki spread his hands, looking like he didn't care and it was all up to them.
But the effect of his words was very obvious.
Indeed, the thing inside the barrier was likely a rare treasure or some other good thing. If they could obtain it, it might provide unexpected help to themselves.
However, Aoki didn't necessarily have to get it. Even if he didn't, his gains on this Space-Time Continent were already large enough; he was satisfied.
Listening to Aoki's words, both Wallace and Everard frowned.
Aoki had grasped the point they valued most in their hearts, while they couldn't grasp what Aoki valued. If he simply left with the six Eevee, Wallace and Everard could really only stand by and watch.
Judging from the strength Gengar had just displayed, Aoki's strength was not weak. Even if Wallace and Everard used their full strength now, they weren't certain they could keep him there.
Indeed, what Aoki's identity actually was didn't matter right now.
Regardless of whether he was from the Cult, Wallace ultimately had to get the item inside the barrier. This was his only hope of recovering his strength now.
Having made a decision in his heart, Wallace stood firm and looked straight at Everard, who had just arrived, the hostility in his eyes growing more intense.
The rewards for completing these tasks were key to what Wallace needed. Instead of splitting it between two people, it was better to keep it in his own hands.
Aoki controlled the six Eevee, and he held Giratina's Remnant Scale. Everard's presence was redundant and he would likely become someone who would dilute his gains. It was better to deal with him before breaking the barrier; otherwise, he would surely feel uneasy.
Noticing the change in Wallace's gaze, Everard, who had originally been watching the show, froze for a moment. Immediately after, he also felt a thick malice coming from Aoki.
These two were going to join forces to deal with him!
Two Poké Balls appeared in Aoki's hand. He gripped them and glanced at Wallace nearby, seeing that his reaction was similar—he also held two Poké Balls, waiting to launch an attack.
Seeing Everard appear, Aoki wasn't worried at all that Wallace and Everard would unite against him. After all, the angle he stood at was completely different from theirs.
He had the ability to flip the chessboard at any time without reason, but Wallace and Everard had to ensure the integrity of the board.
After all, Wallace and Everard had to obtain the items inside so they could complete their plan to recover their strength.
However, there was a difference between the two of them. Wallace had the crucial Giratina's Remnant Scale in his hand, while Everard had nothing.
Thus, the conflict of interest was clear. Wallace would absolutely not allow Everard to have a share.
"Wallace, are you serious?!" Everard said in a deep voice.
Wallace didn't answer Everard's question; he just looked at him coldly. At this moment, his gaze explained everything.
"You're not the only one with the ability to go crazy. Isn't it just about giving up everything to do as one pleases? Having been suppressed by you for so long, I want to try it too," Wallace said coldly, the fierce aura on him becoming more and more obvious.
"Go crazy..." Everard murmured. Immediately after, a thick desire for battle also burst from his eyes.
This was indeed very much in line with his style, but when the battle lust in Everard's eyes soared to the limit, it suddenly vanished like spring snow.
"Tsk, although I really want to have a fight, the current situation is a bit unfavorable for me. I might actually die," Everard said faintly, then waved his hand and disappeared directly from the spot.
But his departure did not bring any joy to Aoki or Wallace; in fact, their expressions were somewhat solemn at this moment.
What they feared and worried about most was an enemy or opponent hidden in the shadows.
Did Everard really leave willingly? Aoki and Wallace would likely both deny that possibility.
He was retreating to advance, aiming to make Wallace and Aoki afraid to truly break the barrier with peace of mind—or rather, afraid to focus on breaking it. After all, with someone like him hiding in the dark, the consequences of a single slip-up were easy to imagine.
But they had no choice but to continue, which gave Aoki and Wallace the feeling of having eaten something disgusting and foul-smelling, an unspeakable sense of discomfort.
Wallace looked at Aoki, wanting to see what he would decide to do. After all, the two of them were now on the same front.
Aoki also glanced at Wallace and shrugged. "His Psychic power is so strong that no one can stop him if he wants to leave. We can't change anything, so let's just meet changes with constancy. Continue!"
Hearing Aoki's words, a domineering smile appeared on Wallace's face. "True, only petty people worry about this and that. Let's continue!"
Although this mission was given to him by the Cult Bishop, Wallace didn't know exactly what was inside either.
Wallace coated his hand with a thick layer of Psychic power—many times thicker than before—before he dared to take this Giratina's Remnant Scale into his hand.
But even so, when Wallace held this Giratina's Remnant Scale, his brow furrowed immediately as wisps of black mist rose from his hand.
Ghost-type energy has a severe suppression effect on Psychic power, and the Ghost-type energy in this scale was among the best in the entire Pokémon World. It was already very impressive that Wallace could pick it up.
Holding the scale in his hand, a hint of greed flashed in Wallace's eyes.
It really is a good item!
He didn't dare to hesitate, walking to the barrier and placing the scale directly onto it.
It was as if this scale existed solely to achieve this purpose. When Giratina's Remnant Scale touched the energy barrier created by the special abilities of Dialga and Palkia, the barrier that originally had silver-white light flowing through it began to change.
With the scale as the center, the flowing light on the barrier suddenly stopped. Wisps of black energy diffused from the black scale, and then the silver light on the barrier could be seen converging toward the scale.
Aoki and Wallace watched this spectacular scene.
Originally, day and night on the Space-Time Continent were similar to the Pokémon World. Although there was no sun, the light sources for day and night actually came from this special barrier on the peak of Space-Time Mountain, or rather, the thing inside the barrier.
But the presence of this scale interfered with the barrier's original function. In an instant, the sky over the entire Space-Time Continent flickered between dark and light, and the Pokémon across the continent were terrified by this change.
"Do it now!" Wallace shouted at Aoki in a low voice.
Giratina's energy came from Dialga and Palkia. Although not all of its energy came from these two Pokémon, the majority of it likely did.
Therefore, Giratina's core Remnant Scale could also achieve such a feat.
However, after this scale left Giratina's body, no matter how miraculous it was, it was ultimately just an object. It could exert a certain effect and even stop the flow of energy on the barrier, but it was only temporary, with no follow-up.
If there was no energy supply at this time, this scale would be completely consumed after blocking the barrier for a moment.
If a Giratina's Remnant Scale was consumed, it was something Wallace couldn't explain to the Bishop even if he sacrificed his own life, so he was somewhat nervous at this moment.
However, Aoki also had no intention of consuming the scale.
"Eevee, combined attack, hit that black scale!" Aoki shouted to the six Eevee.
Although these six Eevee weren't his Pokémon and might not be very effective in actual combat, their energy combination was something the six Fire Leaders had trained every day for the past twenty-five years.
The six Eevee had already integrated this kind of attack into their very marrow. Hearing Aoki's words, they instinctively spat out energy.
Six different colors of energy attacks condensed together—red, blue, yellow, green, black, and pink. With so many colors combined, they finally converged into a gray mass of energy whose specific attribute colors could not be distinguished.
This gray mass of energy slammed into Giratina's Remnant Scale. For a moment, the scale was like it had been injected with adrenaline. The originally wispy black energy gushed out from the scale, instantly enveloping and covering half of the barrier's size.
At this moment, the entire Space-Time Continent suddenly became a bizarre spectacle where half was black and half was white, with day and night coexisting.
"Continue! Encore!" Wallace looked at the half-covered barrier, excitement unmaskable in his eyes.
Aoki understood what to do without him saying it and ordered the six Eevee to use it again.
It seemed that with just one more time, the barrier of the entire Space-Time Mountain could be completely destroyed.
But at this critical moment, that uninvited guest who had left and returned arrived again. Everard, who had departed, came back, but this time his timing was perfect, hitting Aoki and Wallace's weak spot.
But Aoki and Wallace were obviously prepared as well. They knew Everard was just putting on an act and were waiting for him to appear.
In fact, it wasn't just Everard. Other Cult members, after noticing the change in the sky, immediately thought of something and rushed toward Space-Time Mountain at their fastest speed.
They were all Psychic users and could use Teleport; it would take ten minutes at most to rush over.
At this time, these people couldn't care less about potential dangers. In the face of absolute profit, every one of them dared to risk their lives to fight for a share.
Originally, with the overwhelming strength of Wallace and Everard presiding, they didn't dare to cause trouble. But now, for each of them, there was actually a chance; the only difference was the size of that chance.
"Hahaha—you two had such a good plan, but now that I'm here, let's see how you break the barrier. In a few more minutes, everyone will gather here. When that time comes, I don't believe you two can stop all of us!" Everard's wild laughter spread across the entire peak of Space-Time Mountain.
Wallace's face was grim as he shouted at Aoki, "Do it! Don't stop! Once you stop, this scale will be ruined!! I'll hold Everard back!!"
At this point, Wallace couldn't care about much else. Giving up now meant all previous efforts would be wasted. Not only would he not get the items inside the barrier, but he would also lose Giratina's Remnant Scale. Wallace could not accept such a loss again.
But even if Wallace hadn't said it, Aoki wouldn't have hesitated. In a moment, others would arrive. He already felt the abnormally active spatial energy fluctuations around them.
"Eevee! Again..."
BOOM!!!
Before Aoki could finish his sentence, the entire Space-Time Mountain barrier emitted a violent roar, the sound so loud it could be heard clearly for dozens of miles around.
Everard stood with a cold face, his Gardevoir beside him. Both human and Pokémon had their left hands extended, looking as if an attack had just concluded. Their hands still emitted white smoke created by the thick energy fluctuations.
Below, Wallace, who had assumed a defensive posture, stared blankly at the cold Everard in mid-air.
When he saw Everard and his Gardevoir raise their hands at the same time, he knew they were going to attack. To be safe, Wallace had taken a defensive stance.
But he never imagined that Everard's attack wasn't aimed at him, nor was it aimed at Aoki. Instead, it was aimed directly at the intact part of the barrier that hadn't yet been consumed by Giratina's Remnant Scale. The dense silver light on it condensed together, emitting a dazzling white light.
Boom—
Another roar sounded, and a frantic energy shock surged from the barrier. Gengar appeared in front of Aoki immediately, helping him block this shockwave reflected by the barrier's self-defense.
Reacting similarly were Wallace's Greninja and Everard's Gardevoir.
But Wallace had no time to care about this strong counter-shock now. Instead, he stared wide-eyed at Everard in mid-air. "F*ck!! What kind of madness are you doing now?!! I... I..."
Wallace was so angry he didn't know what to say.
In this situation, at this time, who wouldn't you hit? You just had to hit... had to hit the intact part of the barrier.
"Hmph! Who says I'm going crazy? Since you two insist on not letting me participate, then I really don't want to participate!"
However, you should know what happens when a barrier of this level is attacked, right?" Everard snorted coldly. At this moment, he really wasn't going crazy; instead, he was as calm as could be.
He knew that with his current strength, even if he launched a forced attack, he couldn't break through Wallace, who was set on defending, not to mention Aoki was also ready at all times.
Since that was the case, he would flip the table! No one gets anything; everyone will go home empty-handed!
Clearly, even Aoki hadn't expected this; he thought only he had the ability to flip the table because he believed he held the lifeblood of the other two.
Who would have known that Everard would also flip the table and quit playing?
Wallace was filled with hatred. He thought he had been irrational enough just now, but he didn't expect to encounter two even more unreasonable characters.
One possessed the right to flip the table at any time, whom he had finally managed to pacify, while the other originally didn't even have the qualifications to join the chessboard. Who knew that as a bystander, he would also have the ability to flip the table?
The bitterness in Wallace's heart had been there ever since he entered the Space-Time Continent. However, this bitter taste, instead of being alleviated by the passage of time, grew increasingly intense—so intense that he felt like vomiting.
Boom!!! Boom!!!
Seeing that Wallace wasn't stopping him, Everard's interest peaked again, and he unleashed a barrage of attacks against the barrier of Space-Time Mountain.
The counter-energy shock from the Space-Time Mountain barrier was difficult for even Aoki and Wallace to withstand.
However, Everard was no fool. After venting with a barrage of attacks, he used Teleport to vanish from the spot. If he stayed any longer, those two terrifying creatures would descend, and Everard didn't want to personally experience the power of those two terrifying Legendary Pokémon again.
Wallace glared hatefully at the empty sky where Everard had left, then gritted his teeth and charged toward the barrier with Greninja. At this moment, Giratina's Remnant Scale was still taking effect.
He didn't know if this scale would lose its original function if removed from the barrier, but protecting it was better than letting it be lost.
But when he rushed back, Gengar spread its arms and blocked his path. The smile on its face was still wicked, but the determination in its eyes was completely undisguised.
Seeing Gengar's actions, Wallace understood Aoki's intention: he wanted to continue! He wasn't willing to let it all go to waste!
Clearly, Aoki was the one who should have cared the least about what was inside, yet when both Everard and Wallace wanted to give up, Aoki chose to persist.
"Kid, do you realize that an attack of that level just now is enough to draw Dialga and Palkia here again?!"
"I shouldn't need to emphasize the power of these two Legendary Pokémon again, right? If you don't want to die, withdraw now!!" Wallace shouted at Aoki.
Hearing Wallace's shout, Aoki ignored it completely and shouted to the six somewhat panicked Eevees, "Continue!"
As he stared intently at Giratina's Remnant Scale and the barrier that was only one step away from breaking, a string of strange letters on the back of his right wrist began to emit a dazzling light. However, Wallace's focus was not on Aoki's wrist, so he didn't notice.
A smile slowly appeared on Aoki's face as he discreetly glanced at the glowing and heating Unown on his wrist, murmuring, "I'm putting everything on the line for you little guys. If the things inside don't surprise me, you'll be in for a rough time!"
Although he was more or less nervous, it was mostly a sense of thrill. He was gambling that Dialga and Palkia wouldn't arrive here so quickly.
After all, last time, Wallace and Everard had fought for a while before those two Legendary Pokémon descended.
But while he wanted to gamble like this, Wallace was unwilling to accompany him. Seeing that Aoki had no intention of backing down, Wallace couldn't care less. The losses this time were something he felt he could not accept.
"Greninja!" Wallace barked, calling out to his Greninja.
"Kuga!!" Greninja cried out as a large amount of water surged around it. It waved its hands, gripping two Water Shuriken, and attacked Gengar.
Gengar narrowed its eyes; the opponent's attack made it feel the pressure.
However, as its Trainer, Aoki naturally knew what Gengar would face, so he had already prepared the key stone.
A massive amount of rainbow-colored light burst from Gengar's body, causing Greninja's attack to stall. And in that moment of stalling, what greeted it was Mega Gengar's sandbag-sized fist.
Seeing Gengar complete its Mega Evolution in an instant, Wallace couldn't help but frown.
He clearly hadn't seen the other party use a Divine Stone, so why did their Gengar complete the infusion of divine power in a mere moment?!
But now was not the time to think about this. If they delayed any longer, those two Legendary Pokémon would truly and ruthlessly obliterate both him and Aoki.
Wallace threw out two Poké Balls simultaneously, which bypassed Gengar. They were a Mightyena and a Krookodile, charging directly toward Aoki himself.
Meanwhile, Greninja firmly entangled Mega Gengar, preventing it from returning to help.
However, Wallace was mistaken. From beginning to end, Gengar had no intention of returning to help; Aoki was still accompanied by a very reliable companion!
Aoki didn't even turn his head, his eyes fixed on Giratina's Remnant Scale on the barrier, sensing the energy fluctuations and the changes in the entire barrier's condition.
"Roar—" Mightyena didn't care if the target was human or Pokémon; it opened its bloody maw and lunged for Aoki's neck, with Krookodile following closely behind with its claws swinging.
Bang— Bang—
With two sounds, the charging attacks of Mightyena and Krookodile came to an abrupt halt!
Two pitch-black claws emerged from the shadow behind Aoki. One directly grabbed the neck of the mid-air Mightyena, while the other caught Krookodile's swinging claw.
The attacks of the two Pokémon stopped because of these two pitch-black claws. Moreover, looking at the expressions of Mightyena and Krookodile, they were unable to break free from these claws that were like iron shackles; no matter how hard they struggled, they didn't budge an inch.
"Kwei—k!" Darkrai slowly emerged from Aoki's shadow; those two pitch-black claws were indeed its hands.
It allowed Mightyena and Krookodile to struggle desperately, yet it remained motionless.
In an instant, Darkrai's body trembled slightly, and a black halo emerged from behind it. The black halo then enveloped both Mightyena and Krookodile, sending the two fierce Pokémon directly into a deep sleep.
Afterward, Darkrai lightly shook its hands. Restraining Pokémon of this level, and two at once, made it feel a bit of effort.
Wallace, standing behind Aoki, looked at this Darkrai that had easily neutralized two of his Pokémon. Instead of being horrified, he showed a fervent gaze.
As a Trainer who used Dark-type Pokémon, he believed no one understood Pokémon like Darkrai better than they did.
This was the God of Nightmares, Darkrai!
"This..." Wallace wanted to say something as he looked at the cold Darkrai, but someone else spoke first.
"Ah!!!!" An extremely miserable scream echoed across the entire peak of Space-Time Mountain. Everard, who had previously vanished using Teleport, reappeared in mid-air, though he was no longer as composed as before.
Because appearing with him... was another Pokémon.
The God of Space, Palkia!!
At this moment, Palkia emerged from space, clutching Everard with a cold expression.
It seemed Everard had been too clever for his own good. He thought he could escape unscathed just by leaving after attacking the barrier, but he didn't know that the first person Palkia would deal with was the one who attacked the barrier!
Amidst the screams, Everard finally met his end here!
Wallace looked up with a stiff expression and saw the Pokémon that had been his nightmare during this time. It appeared above his head once again, its cold eyes looking down at Wallace and Aoki without any emotion.
Then, in the span of a breath, the other one, Dialga, also appeared above Space-Time Mountain at a slightly slower speed.
As soon as the two of them appeared, they sensed the aura that made them feel most uncomfortable—the aura of Giratina, the Pokémon that was born with them but was loathed by both!
When they looked toward the energy barrier they had created, the expressions of the two originally cold Legendary Pokémon became exceptionally icy.
Giratina's scale! And the most critical Outrage scale at that!
No wonder it could break through the energy barrier they had meticulously arranged!
Aoki also sensed it when Dialga and Palkia appeared, but at this moment, he couldn't afford to pay them any mind. He stared fixedly at the junction of Giratina's Remnant Scale and the energy barrier, where cracks had already appeared.
At this point, the Eevees' role had ended. Originally, they just needed to wait slowly for the energy barrier to dissolve, and the items inside would be revealed to Aoki and Wallace.
But Everard had forcibly drawn these two Pokémon over, so they clearly couldn't wait like that anymore.
Mega Gengar immediately blasted away the Greninja that was closely following it and then dove into Aoki's shadow at maximum speed.
And at this moment, Dialga and Palkia were truly enraged.
They had originally thought it was just a Pokémon that wasn't afraid of death attacking the barrier they had set up. If it weren't for the fact that this Pokémon's attack was indeed quite powerful, Palkia and Dialga wouldn't have returned.
But when Palkia saw that the person attacking this time was the same person they had punished not long ago, it became somewhat angry.
Sure enough, when Palkia and Dialga arrived and sensed Wallace's aura, their suspicions were further confirmed.
Thus, the two temperamental Legendary Pokémon decided not to forgive these two human Trainers who had repeatedly provoked them. They casually obliterated Everard, and then it was Wallace's turn.
However, they never expected that these two human Trainers were just a minor matter. What truly enraged them was the black scale currently pressed against the barrier, emitting a familiar aura—the Outrage scale.
Sensing this aura almost instantly drove the two Pokémon beyond Rage!
Wallace, Everard, and even the undisguised aura of Unown on Aoki were all ignored by them.
Only that Outrage scale remained in their eyes!
This pitch-black Outrage scale in front of them was like Giratina itself standing before them, and in such a provocative manner.
"Roar!!!!"
"Roar!!!!"
The roars of Dialga and Palkia echoed throughout the Space-Time Continent as the two Legendary Pokémon charged without hesitation toward the location of the Outrage scale.
Wallace, who had only just reacted after being terrified, didn't care about anything else. With the help of Greninja, he tried to dodge.
At the same time, as Palkia roared, the spatial lockdown across the entire Space-Time Continent suddenly intensified. The Cult members who were currently using Teleport to rush toward Space-Time Mountain were squeezed out of their Teleport one by one.
If they were lucky, their Psychic power was damaged and they suffered a certain degree of injury. For those in a worse state, such as those performing long-distance Teleport, they were either squeezed out of the Space-Time Continent or directly... crushed to death!
Sensing the whistling energy fluctuations behind him and the hair standing up all over his body, Aoki's expression remained unmoved. He just stared intently at the Outrage scale, or rather, the cracks around it.
At this point, he had no way to flee. From the moment he accepted the Unowns' suggestion, he had no chance to hide.
Aoki ran quickly to the front of the barrier, his right hand clenched tightly.
"You little guys better not lie to me, considering I've always trusted you so much," Aoki muttered to his fist.
Then, Aoki pulled his fist back like a fully drawn powerful bow, brimming with explosive force.
"Screw it!!! Ah—" Aoki's heart was incredibly nervous, and he could only relieve the tension in his mind and the insane energy fluctuations behind him this way.
This was the first time in his life Aoki had felt energy fluctuations of this level at such close range. The hair on his neck was as stiff as steel and couldn't bend.
Bang—
Aoki's fist slammed straight into the barrier that was already covered in cracks. At this moment, because his fist was enveloped in the energy of the Unown, his entire fist had turned milky white.
Crrrk—
Like shattering glass, Aoki's punch directly blasted a hole through the cracks created by Giratina's Remnant Scale, and Aoki, driven by inertia, dove headfirst into the barrier.
However, just as Aoki broke through the barrier, Dialga's Roar of Time and Palkia's Spacial Rend had already arrived behind him.
Darkrai, which had been merged with Aoki's shadow, appeared at this most dangerous and critical moment. It grabbed Giratina's Remnant Scale from the nearby barrier, then channeled its internal energy to create a protective shield behind Aoki.
But compared to the enraged ultimate moves of the two Legendary Pokémon, this protective shield looked incredibly fragile.
Boom!!!!