For the next few days, Paul continued training near Veilstone City.
One afternoon, while having lunch at the Pokémon Center, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. His mind shook as if his soul were about to leave from his body.
The sensation was bizarre—not exactly painful, but unsettling, as though something far away was calling out to him.
"Mesprit?"
As the feeling subsided, a vision of Mesprit flashed through Paul's mind.
Unlike in the anime where events followed a set course, the timeline had diverged drastically. Ash had yet to arrive in Sinnoh, yet Team Galactic was already making their move.
The three Lake Guardians had also chosen different individuals—himself, Lucas, and Barry—rather than Ash and his usual companions.
If he was experiencing this kind of connection now, it likely meant that something had gone wrong with the Lake Guardians.
Just as he was processing this thought, a news report suddenly played on the television.
"Breaking news! The notorious Team Galactic, long hidden beneath Sinnoh's surface, has launched a large-scale secret operation..."
"The recently excavated Lustrous Orb and Adamant Orb have both been stolen. Reports suggest that the Griseous Orb, taken some time ago, was also the work of Team Galactic."
"In addition, a secret raid was carried out on the prison holding captured Team Galactic operatives, leading to a full-scale escape. All members were freed several days ago. The whereabouts of the mysterious 'Spear Key' remain unknown."
"Team Galactic's true objective is still unclear, but all Trainers are advised to remain vigilant..."
Paul's face stiffened upon hearing the report. Internally, he couldn't help but curse:
"Useless bunch of idiots!"
It was infuriating. He had provided intel and helped guard the Meteorites, yet it had all been for nothing.
Fine, failing to capture Team Galactic was one thing, but they couldn't even hold onto the ones that had been caught? What were the authorities even doing?
And even if they failed to secure the prisoners, how could they let the Spear Key be stolen without realizing it?
Taking a deep breath, Paul pulled out his Rotom Phone and instructed, "Show me all the major incidents that have taken place in Sinnoh and worldwide recently."
"Roto~"
Over the past few days, he had been fully focused on training and hadn't paid much attention to the news. He hadn't expected that in such a short span, Team Galactic would already be making such bold moves.
With Rotom's assistance, he quickly gathered a list of recent major events.
And the more he read, the more stunned he became.
Kanto Region:
Kanto Daily News: "Recently, an unknown entity has been distributing invitations to powerful Trainers, summoning them to New Island for a grand gathering. The Pokémon League is closely monitoring the situation and may dispatch elite Trainers or investigators to investigate..."
It seemed like Mewtwo Strikes Back was about to unfold.
Would the League send an Elite Four member? Would they dispatch Lance himself?
Paul was quite interested in seeing whether this real-world version of Mewtwo—who had yet to reach its peak—could hold its own against someone like Lance or another League powerhouse.
Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to witness it firsthand.
Orange Islands:
"A mysterious giant bird-like has appeared over the Orange Islands. The sky has been covered in dark clouds, and it feels like a natural disaster is about to happen. The Legendary Birds—Moltres, Articuno, and Zapdos—have all emerged, though their intentions remain unknown..."
Was The Power of One unfolding at the same time? Could this be the result of some kind of butterfly effect?
Johto Region:
Johto Daily News: "A massive storm has engulfed the Whirl Islands. A mysterious, enormous bird Pokémon has been sighted flying through the tempest letting out a furious roars."
The Whirl Islands' Lugia family was also encountering trouble at this time?
Hoenn Region:
Hoenn Daily News: "The Legendary Pokémon that created the land and the sea have awakened, battling over a mysterious ancient stone in the ocean..."
So Team Magma and Team Aqua had already begun their schemes?
"Reports indicate that the Legendary Pokémon Rayquaza has appeared over LaRousse City and is seemingly pursuing the Mythical Pokémon Deoxys..."
Was Destiny Deoxys also happening ahead of schedule?
At first, Paul had been deeply alarmed. But as he continued reading, a strange sense of calm settled over him.
It wasn't that the danger had diminished—he had simply become numb to it.
Within the span of a single week, nearly every major crisis and movie-worthy event had been making headlines across different regions.
Some events that weren't reported had likely either already happened, wouldn't happen at all, or had occurred in such remote locations that no one had noticed yet.
Why was this happening?
Perhaps it was due to the existence of multiple "protagonists" in this world, each setting off their own chain of butterfly effects. This, in turn, had caused everything to spiral into chaos.
Now that Paul was aware to all of this, he couldn't help but make a connection—Team Galactic's movements, his connection with Mesprit...
He had a bad feeling about this.
Team Galactic was about to make their move!
Time to Head to Lake Valor!
That was Paul's immediate thought.
If Team Galactic was planning something, their next target would undoubtedly be the Lake Guardians.
And if he had to guess, their first objective would be Lake Valor—the one closest to Team Galactic's bases, and the one that had suffered the worst fate in both the games and the anime.
"Garchomp, take me to Lake Valor."
Having made up his mind, Paul stepped out of the Pokémon Center and released his Garchomp. He climbed onto its back without hesitation.
"Gaaaar!"
Once he was securely seated, Garchomp took off into the sky, drawing the attention of countless passersby.
Paul had no interest in getting involved with Team Galactic's plans.
However, he had even less interest in mysteriously vanishing from existence.
Protecting the world might be Arceus' job, but with so many crises happening at once, who knew which one Arceus would even prioritize?
Meanwhile, in Kanto Region—
"Blue, you're going to the tournament too?" Ash asked, looking at the young man who bore a striking resemblance to Gary.
"Of course!" Blue smirked, twirling the invitation between his fingers. "I'm the Viridian City Gym Leader, one of Kanto's top Trainers... not to mention a genius! Even if the League hadn't asked me, I'd still go. I want to see just who dares to claim the title of the 'World's Strongest Trainer.'"
He sighed dramatically, shaking his head.
"What a shame Red isn't back from his journey yet. If he were here, we'd wipe the floor with whoever's behind this."
"Anyone below Champion level? We crush them."
"Anyone at Champion level? We go fifty-fifty!"
And so, across various regions, events were unfolded—battles, legendary clashes, and escalating crises.
But at the center of it all, Paul knew—Team Galactic was about to act.
And he would be there to witness it firsthand.
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