Arceus slightly raised its sacred and pure white forelimb.
That seemingly insignificant gesture alone caused the heavens and earth to shift in color.
A terrifying force, incomprehensible to all present, surged outward. The previously invisible and intangible energy began to rapidly materialize, transforming into streams of white light gravel radiating intense energy fluctuations.
The solemn and divine radiance that symbolized judgment dispersed the darkness of the sky. In the midst of silence, a rain of light descended upon the land like divine punishment.
The coalition army watched helplessly as their Pokémon forces were obliterated by Arceus's attack. Their faces twisted in panic, voices cracking as they screamed: "Retreat!"
But it was already too late. This place wasn't one they could simply come and go from as they pleased.
Giratina, having waited long enough, swiftly soared over the coalition's heads. Its golden pupils were devoid of emotion as it coldly surveyed the panicked crowd below.
The Renegade Pokémon's body shifted midair into its Origin Forme, then vanished into the void. Before the ripples in space even settled, Giratina tore open the fabric of reality behind the retreating forces, reemerging in the physical world to block their escape route.
"Gotta say, it really does look terrifying like this." Caleb murmured quietly to Mewtwo and Lucario, who stood beside him. In this state, Giratina finally looked every bit the god it was.
Mewtwo gave a soft hum of approval...
Below, the battle raged on. After unleashing its Judgment once, Arceus ceased its movements, silently hovering in the air and watching everything unfold.
Giratina blocked the coalition's retreat, and Caleb's million-strong Salamence army formed a massive black ring, encircling all the coalition's Pokémon and players.
Beyond that, nothing else moved.
Faced with this hopeless situation, one player in the coalition couldn't hold back his rage, "F*ck! I shouldn't have taken Ye Fan's damn offer!"
Most of these players had been lured into the alliance halfway through by Ye Fan. He bribed them with tens of thousands of points, high-tier items, or rare Pokémon.
Though not top-tier on the leaderboard, they weren't nobodies either. They had assumed that no matter how strong Caleb was, he couldn't possibly handle so many opponents.
But now… everyone drowned in regret.
Not only had the plan failed, but so many players were now penned in like livestock. If word got out, they wouldn't know where to hide their faces.
And the worst part? Their opponent was just one person!
Some players even felt relieved they weren't famous. Once this incident spread, the first to become a laughingstock would be Ye Fan, the coalition's organizer.
Ye Fan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew it was all over. His reputation, his legacy... everything was about to become a joke.
'As soon as this Instance ends, I'm buying that damned ticket and bouncing.' He silently resolved to flee Infinite World that very night.
He had already saved enough points. The only reason he hadn't left was to capture more rare Pokémon and collect powerful items for future use.
On the other side, Baek Gyeol, who had come with him, calmed down after her initial disbelief. She didn't share Ye Fan's despair. To her, what mattered most was the Instance's final reward of 100 000 points.
But just then, she noticed something odd. Aside from surrounding them, the enemy hadn't made any further moves!
'Could it be…'
At that exact moment, Caleb sent a message in the chat: {Go ahead.}
He rapidly scanned each player below, sending their names to his allies.
In the distance, the first faint streak of dawn broke through the horizon. Morning was coming.
Below lay a dense sea of Pokémon legions. Above, Arceus and Giratina stood watch, their forms bathed in golden light as the sun rose.
The ancient city on the plain, the overwhelming army of Pokémon, the hopeful glow of dawn, and the two ancient gods of creation together painted a scene of breathtaking grandeur.
Caleb doubted he'd ever witness anything like this again. A sudden urge to share it welled up in him.
"As an archeologist who's always chasing ancient legends… Cynthia would absolutely love this." Caleb mumbled.
His Lord skill, 'Friend Out of Thin Air', had just come off cooldown.
The past few summons had brought mostly irrelevant NPCs; like waiters at a certain restaurant, teachers at a certain academy, the captain of a certain ship, and so on.
Not only were they useless, but Caleb had to ask Mewtwo to brainwash them into thinking the experience was just a dream.
Thinking of this, he didn't immediately activate the skill. Instead, he pulled out the Book of Answers from his inventory. He hadn't used any of its three questions in this instance. Now was the time.
Question: Who will my Lord skill summon next?
The book's page instantly refreshed:
{..Yanagi, currently in jail..}
Caleb: "…"
After a pause, he tried again, shifting his posture slightly:
Question: Who will my Lord skill summon next?
{..Ash Ketchum, currently challenging Gyms in Johto..}
'Of course... different times and positions summon different people.' Caleb sighed.
One try remained.
He thought for a moment, then turned and called Dragonite back. In front of the chonky dragon, Caleb clasped his hands together like he was praying to a Buddha, muttering under his breath: "Wish-granting dragon, grant my wish and make it happen, quick!"
Dragonite blinked, tilting his head in confusion: '??'
Just then, Caleb asked his third question in his heart. He thought, if this didn't work, he'd use Rewind to reload the save from seven days ago and try again.
He saw Dragonite's puzzled expression, but before he could explain, the Book of Answers refreshed:
{..Cynthia, currently slacking off at work..}
"Now!" Caleb immediately activated the summon, then hugged the bewildered Dragonite and planted a big kiss on its chubby face.
"Wooorr~"
Dragonite didn't understand what was happening, but being kissed by his beloved Trainer was undeniably wonderful. All confusion vanished instantly, replaced by pure joy as the chonky dragon affectionately nuzzled the top of Caleb's head with his cheek.
So when Cynthia stepped out of the dimensional rift feeling curious and expectant, the first thing she saw was this absurdly wholesome brotherly affection between Trainer and Pokémon.
She tilted her head slightly, one elegant eyebrow arched, her long golden hair spilling over her shoulder with the motion.
"Come and have a look," Caleb said simply.
He didn't need formalities with Cynthia. They had lived together for over three years. With her, he could drop all the polite pretense he kept around people like Steven or Lance.
Cynthia paused, then the corner of her lips lifted in a rare, gentle smile... softening her usual cool demeanor. Without a word, she walked to his side and raised her eyes to take in the magnificent sight before them...