Just as Darkrai's sacrifice and character still moved the world —
The anomaly appeared.
The abyss-like black energy Darkrai had unleashed suddenly began to destabilize.
The frozen scene resumed its motion.
The apocalyptic attacks from Dialga and Palkia had been swallowed completely…
But after erasing those two divine signature moves,
Darkrai's power had finally reached its limit.
The Twin Gods of Space and Time slowly regained control of their bodies—
not because they were pushing outward,
But because Darkrai's field of darkness was shrinking.
Within seconds, the "black hole" that consumed two gods' attacks
could no longer reach them.
Once the gods were free from its pull,
the collapsing darkness rapidly contracted back into Darkrai's body.
He closed his glowing blue eyes.
His arms fell limp.
That black hole—
had been the last of his strength.
"ROOOOOAAAH!"
The enraged gods cared nothing for Darkrai's condition.
Golden light gathered in Dialga's maw.
Pink-violet energy condensed in Palkia's arm.
And at the same instant—
Hyper Beam!
Spacial Rend!
Two divine attacks struck Darkrai simultaneously.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
A world-shaking blast.
The screen filled with silent, dead-grey smoke.
The world held its breath—
Until a lone black silhouette burst out of the smoke.
Cheers were about to erupt—
However, the viewers noticed the purple particles drifting off his body.
From his tail upward…
Darkrai was slowly disintegrating.
Like the buildings that were erased before—
Darkrai…
was dying.
Humanity Panics
"NO—NO NO NO! DARKRAI, DON'T DIE! We just started to love you!"
"He saved that city! How can this be the ending?!"
"The Time and Space Gods… THEY'RE the villains here!! How could they do this to the one who protected everyone?!"
"This is too cruel! TOO MUCH!"
For the first time in history,
Dialga and Palkia earned an army of blacklisted haters.
Two gods, fighting out of personal hatred,
destroyed an entire city—
and killed its protector.
Unless the two gods reconciled later—
one rewinding time,
the other restoring space—
There was no fixing this.
And then…
The video cut off.
Global Outrage Explodes
Everyone felt like choking on bitterness.
Again.
The Heavenly Tally cut off right at the climax.
Not the first time, but this one hurt the most.
It was like reading a novel to the most intense moment—
and the chapter abruptly ends.
Infuriating.
Unbearable.
But what could humans do?
Even if all of humanity protested at once,
the Heavenly Tally was not obligated to answer anyone.
Maybe, someday, the Tally would reveal what truly happened
between the gods of time, space, and Darkrai.
**[Cynthia:
That place… I recognize it.
It has to be somewhere in Sinnoh!
Anyone who knows the area—contact me immediately!]**
[Aaron: It's definitely Sinnoh.
And if our region's two supreme gods are fighting like that,
the other regions' Legendaries wouldn't ignore it. Something is wrong.]
[Wallace:
So you want to use the insight from the Tally
to evacuate that area before it happens in our timeline?]
[Cynthia: Exactly.
Cities can be rebuilt.
People cannot.]
She didn't care who was right or wrong.
She cared about the lives in that city.
Just like how Alder had immediately mobilized Unova's police
after the first Tally
to protect the White Ruins from Team Plasma's interference.
This time, Cynthia refused to let another tragedy happen.
The World Questions Its Own Gods
Cynthia stared at the frozen image, troubled.
"Why…?
Why would the Twin Gods do something like this?
Was everything I studied wrong?
Are the gods of Sinnoh not guardians?
but destroyers…?"
Her entire life, she honored Dialga and Palkia as Sinnoh's great protectors.
Yet what she saw was—
Two gods are destroying a city.
A Darkrai protecting innocents.
A Mythical Pokémon sacrificing itself.
Everything was the opposite of the legends.
Her faith wavered.
Were the legends lies?
Were the gods never benevolent?
And then—
Ash's Voice Cuts Through the Silence
"Cynthia!"
She looked up.
The young trainer met her eyes—
With complete certainty.
"I think… Dialga and Palkia must have had a reason!
Just like Reshiram!"
"If they always fought like that,
Sinnoh would've been destroyed already!
There must've been something wrong—something that made them lose control!"
"Aren't they the ones who keep space and time running smoothly?
If they wanted to destroy the world,
there'd be nothing left by now!"
"And I believe this:
Pokémon are pure and kind by nature!
If they hurt anyone…
It means something influenced them,
or misled them!"
"We just need to find that reason—
and fix it!"
Ash's conviction echoed through the room.
Cynthia froze.
So did Leon.
Even Alder was taken aback.
They—Champions, Masters—
had all doubted the gods.
Yet this boy,
this half-year rookie trainer,
saw what they had failed to.
What if the gods weren't malicious?
What if they were suffering?
What if something else caused the devastation?
Misty & Brock Roast Ash
"…Ash," Misty blinked,
"Did you drink some intelligence-boosting potion from the Tally Shop?"
Brock nodded seriously.
"You're unusually philosophical today."
Ash: "???"
"PIKA-CHU!!"
(Pikachu scolded them loudly: Ash isn't dumb! He's always sharp when it comes to Pokémon!)
Ash: "WHO ARE YOU CALLING BRAINLESS?!"
The room burst into laughter.
Even Cynthia laughed—
a rare, stunning smile that nearly knocked Brock unconscious
until Misty twisted his ear back to reality.
Cynthia's Heart Softens
"What a remarkable boy," Diantha sighed warmly.
Cynthia gently nodded.
"No wonder his bond with Pokémon is so deep…
His heart is so pure.
He trusts Pokémon more than any of us do."
She paused, then smiled faintly.
"I should give him a gift…
Maybe I can ask my family for a Gible egg…"
Diantha nearly fell off her chair.
"A pseudo-legendary Gible egg?!
Even your family doesn't have many of those!"
"It's fine.
Ash deserves it."
Ash blinked in confusion.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing~
Just a little gift.
I'll give it to you later."
"A gift?! No, no, you don't have to—"
"You don't even know what it is yet.
Don't refuse so fast~."
Ash scratched his head awkwardly…
But the screen lit up again.
The official battle was beginning.
**The Next Scene Appears—
and the world freezes.**
A massive stadium.
A giant Poké Ball emblem.
The Indigo-style arena.
The Sinnoh League — Lily of the Valley Conference.
The crowd recognized it instantly.
This wasn't a new battle.
They had seen this scene before.
But when the camera zoomed in—
Everyone gasped.
Because standing on opposite sides were:
Ash.
And.
Tobias.
The man known as the "Legendary Collector."
The man with Latios.
Same arena.
Same positions.
Same matchup.
But the Tally was NOT replaying the old battle.
The big screen zoomed in—
And then the titles appeared:
**[Mortal Spirits Who Rival the Gods (Part 6)]
[Battlefield: Sinnoh League — Lily of the Valley Conference]
[Matchup: Ash's Sceptile vs. Tobias's Darkrai]
[Betting Opens — Five Minutes]**
The world explodes.
"D—DARKRAI?!"
"Tobias… has DARKRAI!?!"
"That Darkrai?! The one who fought the Space-Time Gods?!"
"Ash is using… Sceptile?
How the heck is Sceptile supposed to win?!"
"With Pikachu or Charizard, maybe—
But Sceptile?! HOW?!"
Even the Champions were stunned.
Tobias had BOTH Latios and Darkrai.
Two Mythical-level Pokémon.
Possibly even higher.
And Ash was sending out…
a Grass-type starter from Hoenn.
The entire world fell silent.
How can Ash possibly win this?
And that was where the chapter ended.
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