"ROAR!!!"
Gyarados's entire body was engulfed in golden thunder. Its massive frame thrashed violently before crashing straight down.
Boom!
But before Gary could feel any relief, three lightning-like psychic shockwaves fell from the sky—Future Sight—striking Magnezone, Arcanine, and Garchomp all at once.
The three Pokémon weren't at Elite level. Taking a full-powered hit from Legendary Pokémon, they all went down instantly.
"Return."
Gary said nothing else and immediately recalled all three into their Poké Balls.
He had thought this was a sure win, but Cyrus was harder to deal with than expected. No—it wasn't Cyrus himself. It was the Lake Trio. Even under mind control, they still had Legendary-level strength. Their raw power alone was enough to rival Champion-tier Pokémon.
"Gary, you're quite capable," Cyrus said coldly. "But with your current strength, you're far from being a match for the Lake Guardians."
He raised his gloved hand. "Lake Guardians—ignore the Tyranitar and Darkrai. Continue attacking the rest with Future Sight."
Since Psychic attacks were useless against Dark-types, Cyrus directed the Lake Trio to target Gary's other Pokémon instead.
Seeing three of Gary's Pokémon taken out so easily, Cyrus allowed himself a look of cold satisfaction. A little more time, and he could finish Gary off entirely.
Gary didn't hesitate any longer. He pulled out his Key Stone.
"Blastoise—Mega Evolve!"
Blastoise's body was consumed by iridescent light. The Mega Evolution symbol flashed, and when the light faded, Mega Blastoise stood on the field.
"All Pokémon—full offense!"
With one command, every one of Gary's remaining Pokémon unleashed their strongest attacks at the same time.
"Defend!" Cyrus ordered immediately.
After launching Future Sight, the Lake Trio formed a triangular golden energy shield. Anything that touched the barrier dissolved into starlight and vanished like dust.
Cyrus sneered. The Lake Trio's combined power satisfied him completely.
But at that exact moment—
"Gengar. Shadow Ball. Hit Cyrus."
"Gengar!"
A dark figure rose from Cyrus's own shadow. Gengar's grinning face emerged right beneath the Team Galactic leader, and a Shadow Ball was already formed.
"What—! Impossible—"
Boom!!
The blast hit Cyrus directly and sent him flying.
"Scizor—Bullet Punch! Target his hands!" Gary followed up immediately.
Scizor became a red blur. It closed the distance in an instant. Its steel pincer struck Cyrus's hands with brutal precision, shattering both the control gloves and the bones underneath.
"AAAGH!!"
The pain was too much. Cyrus screamed and lost consciousness on the spot.
The crimson glow in the Lake Trio's eyes flickered and then went out entirely. Without the psychic energy keeping them aloft, and still under the effect of Gravity, all three fell to the ground one after another.
"Everyone stay alert," Gary called out to his Pokémon. "The Lake Trio's Future Sight hasn't landed yet. The moment you sense an attack, use Protect immediately."
Gary also kept Eevee close to him. The Lake Trio could have targeted him as well, and he wasn't going to make a careless mistake at the last moment.
He started walking toward Cyrus.
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!
Halfway there, three psychic shockwaves dropped from the sky—this time targeting Blastoise, Electivire, and Heatran.
Fortunately, Gary had warned them in advance. All three Pokémon were ready and used Protect the instant the attacks arrived, blocking Future Sight completely.
With both rounds of Future Sight accounted for, Gary let out a breath and hurried to Cyrus. He knelt down and pulled the control gloves off Cyrus's hands. At the same time, he noticed the damage—both hands were completely broken.
Gary glanced back at Scizor and sighed. "You overdid it."
"Sci...zor?"
Scizor tilted its head in confusion. You told me to hit his hands hard. I hit his hands hard. How is this my fault?
At that moment, a cry came from above.
Gary looked up and saw a Garchomp descending rapidly toward the area, carrying itself with power and grace far beyond anything ordinary.
[Lv.76 Garchomp / Pseudo-Legendary]
Gary's eyes widened. He immediately looked around and spotted a black off-road vehicle coming up the road leading to the ruins.
The driver was Cynthia.
The timing couldn't have been worse.
"…This really isn't the time for you to show up," Gary muttered.
Gary had been planning to capture the Lake Trio while they were still unconscious. With Cynthia here, that was going to be much harder to pull off.
Garchomp landed first. The off-road vehicle pulled up shortly after, and Cynthia stepped out, her eyes sweeping across the scene—unconscious Team Galactic members scattered everywhere, Cyrus crumpled on the ground, and three Legendary Pokémon lying motionless nearby.
"Gary...?" Cynthia looked confused. "What happened here?"
She had rushed to Mt. Coronet the moment she received the message. Hearing something was happening, she sent Garchomp ahead to scout. By the time she arrived, it looked like everything was already over.
"Cyrus is the real leader of Team Galactic. I've dealt with him," Gary said.
"What about the rest of Team Galactic?" Cynthia asked.
"They're inside the ruins."
"What?! Then we need to go in!"
Cynthia immediately tensed up.
"Don't worry," Gary said. "Cyrus has been taken care of. The Lake Guardians are free from Team Galactic's control. Without them, the people inside the ruins can't do anything. You just need to wait for them to come out and surrender."
Cynthia relaxed slightly and asked, "Did you see Ash and the others?"
She knew Ash and his friends had been captured by Team Galactic while trying to stop them.
"What happened to Ash?" Gary asked.
"Ash was taken by Team Galactic's people," Cynthia said. "They should still be held somewhere."
"Then they're probably still in the transport ship," Gary said. "Cynthia, you should go in and rescue them. I'll keep watch outside."
What Gary really wanted was for Cynthia to leave so he could deal with the Lake Trio before they recovered.
"Alright. Be careful then."
Cynthia didn't waste any more time. She recalled Garchomp and headed into the transport ship.
The moment she was out of sight, Gary walked toward the Lake Trio.
"Strange... why haven't they woken up yet?"
Cyrus was unconscious. The control gloves had been destroyed. Logically, the Lake Guardians should have regained consciousness by now.
Gary shook his head. No point overthinking it. Better to act now.
He quickly pulled out three Ultra Balls and threw them at the Lake Trio.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
All three Ultra Balls hit their targets accurately—but none of them worked. A rainbow-colored light burst from each of the three Legendary Pokémon, pushing the Ultra Balls away and rejecting the capture entirely.
Gary stared, genuinely surprised.
Cyrus hadn't captured them with Poké Balls. So why were the Ultra Balls being rejected?
He leaned closer and examined the Lake Trio more carefully. That was when he noticed it. On each of their foreheads, covering the jewels embedded in their heads, was a small diamond-shaped red gem.
Gary's expression changed.
"The Red Chain..."