Seeing Ash raise his hand, Cynthia also turned her gaze toward him.
"Miss Cynthia, I… might have a way."
Ash said, not entirely confident.
"Go on, Ash. We all believe in you."
Cynthia encouraged him, her eyes full of trust.
"Yes! We believe in you just like Cynthia does!"
Dawn quickly tightened her grip on Ash's hand.
"Same here."
Brock added firmly.
That scene made both Iris and Tonio a little envious.
Such pure friendship!
[Diantha: Did you all notice the look that girl Dawn gave? The hostility was palpable.]
[Lorelei: Come to think of it, Ash really is popular—May, Serena, now Dawn. I'm jealous!]
[Bruno: Haha! That's Ash-sensei's charm!]
[Lance: Ash-sensei?! Bruno, you want to make him your teacher? You're an Elite Four!]
[Bruno: And? Skill is skill. Whoever's stronger is the teacher. Simple.]
[Mustard: Indeed. In martial arts, the strong are revered. Even if Ash is young, his strength is no joke. Even I might lose to him.]
[Leon: Master, please don't. If you fight Ash hand-to-hand, he'll send you to the hospital with one punch.]
[Mustard: W–WHAT?! Leon you little brat, come here and say that again!!!]
[Kukui: Hahaha! Mustard, looks like even your student doubts you! I'm hurting for you, old man!]
Viewers: FIGHT! FIGHT!
Former Galar Champion vs. Current Galar Champion!
This would be legendary!
Galar – Isle of Armor
Mustard's good mood was completely ruined by Leon's comment.
Insinuating he was "old Tauros eating young Wooloo grass"—he could tolerate that!
After all, he did have an age gap with Honey, but their love was pure!
But saying Ash could beat him one-handed?!
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Mustard! One of the most renowned martial artists in the entire world!
His identity! His status!
He would NEVER fight Ash—
He'd take him as a disciple!
And yet Leon embarrassed him in front of the entire world.
He'd remember this grudge forever!
On screen——
Encouraged by his companions' trust, Ash's expression became firm.
"It's like this—during Darkrai and Palkia's fight just now, I noticed something.
Palkia used Aura Sphere—that means it has a huge amount of aura inside it.
"Miss Cynthia, this may sound unbelievable, but… I'm actually a real Aura Guardian.
"If I use my aura to connect to Palkia, I might be able to make it stop. Then maybe… it can return Alamos Town from this distorted space."
Ash explained seriously.
He truly had thought this through, and he genuinely sensed Palkia's aura.
As long as he could communicate for just a moment, he believed they could solve everything.
Cynthia listened, and instinctively touched her chin.
If things went as Ash said, this could indeed be resolved easily.
But…
Cynthia looked toward the sky where Dialga and Palkia were still clashing, with Darkrai not yet fully involved.
There were… complications.
"Ash, have you thought about Dialga? A wounded Palkia can't defeat it.
And even if you convince Palkia—its damaged Pearl Orb might not be able to restore the town at all."
As a Champion and a scholar of mythology, her analysis was far more precise.
The cracks in Palkia's Pearl Orb were growing darker by the minute.
"Ah… Ash…"
Dawn clung nervously to Ash's arm.
If Cynthia was right, could they even return home?
Everyone fell silent.
Before gods, humans were powerless.
"No. Darkrai will help us.
We will stop Dialga together—and let Palkia fix the town!"
Ash clenched his fists tightly.
He would NOT let them destroy Alamos Town.
Not even gods.
At the Space-Time Tower
Darkrai: "…"
Ash's voice carried across the entire battlefield.
Even from afar, Darkrai heard him clearly.
Yes, the boy was kind…
But could he consider its feelings too?!
Stopping a full-strength Dialga?
Impossible!
The scene shifted.
Darkrai appeared beside Ash.
"Three minutes. I can stall Dialga for three minutes at most."
It said calmly.
[Drake: Didn't expect Darkrai to be like this. I thought it wouldn't help, but it actually approached Ash on its own.]
[Wallace: Outer cold, inner warm. After all, Alicia's kindness already opened its heart.]
[Tobias: That's Darkrai for you. Looks cold but it has a soft heart. It even secretly leaves berries for me.]
[Steven: Ash's affinity for legendaries is absurd. Knows Darkrai for like… two days? Darkrai trusts him completely already.]
[Lance: It's Ash. One meeting with Mew and they're practically childhood friends. Darkrai trusting him is normal.]
[Gary: I can't TAKE THIS! Why?! I'm way more handsome than Ash!!]
[Ash: Jerk Gary!]
[Gary: Idiot Ash!]
[Prof. Oak: Ahem. Boys, enough.]
Everyone genuinely wondered how such a childish boy could be the same hero they saw in the future—
The boy carrying the fate of Alamos Town on his shoulders.
How would Ash face this impossible crisis?
On screen——
Darkrai's arrival lifted everyone's spirits.
With Darkrai, their chances soared.
But—
Before Ash and Cynthia could finish planning, the gods clashed again.
Even injured, Palkia managed to evade Dialga by avoiding spatial moves.
Roar of Time and Spacial Rend filled the sky.
Buildings crumbled under every blast.
Whenever time and space collided, parts of the town disintegrated into red particles.
Residents trembled in fear.
The gods' battle escalated.
The Tower shook.
Pearl Orb and Adamant Orb glowed brightly.
Spacial Rend.
Roar of Time.
The two forces collided.
The sky turned monochrome.
A quake tore through the entire floating town.
"Two forces that should never meet… colliding in the gap between time and space.
Time and space distort.
Rage consumes the town.
And everything collapses."
"It's the nightmare described in Godey's diary."
Tonio said with dread.
"A nightmare? Then we smash it!"
Ash said bluntly.
To him, only the present mattered.
"Yes. We must stop all of this."
Cynthia stepped behind him.
The edges of the town dissolved faster.
Reality crumbling.
Ash and Cynthia exchanged a gaze—
Then charged forward.
Ash: communicate with Palkia.
Cynthia + Darkrai: stall Dialga.
With Cynthia, they had… four minutes.
Meanwhile, Tonio and Dawn returned to the lab to find Godey's real solution.
Time was running out.
"You two STOP!!"
Darkrai unleashed simultaneous Dark Pulses at both gods.
Both deities turned their rage upon it.
Aura Sphere.
Roar of Time.
Darkrai's eyes blazed.
Taking both attacks? Impossible.
So it moved to dodge—
But a blue phantom shot past it.
Cynthia's Garchomp.
"Dragon Rush!!"
Except it wasn't a dive—
It was a rocket-like ascension.
Blue jets trailed behind Garchomp.
It was using everything it had.
It slammed into Dialga mid-charge, breaking its attack.
Darkrai immediately followed up with relentless Dark Pulses.
The sudden reversal stunned Palkia.
Its violent red eyes slowly faded.
"Palu…?"
What was happening?!
Wasn't Darkrai the one who attacked it first?!
"Ash, go!"
Cynthia barked.
"Right!"
Ash closed his eyes.
He raised his hand toward Palkia.
A blue glow formed—
A glove.
The Aura Guardian glove.
His aura expanded instantly.
Blue ripples spread through the air.
Seconds passed—
And their auras connected.
"Palkia! I need your help!"
Ash called.
Warm aura washed into Palkia.
It calmed instantly, landing on the plaza.
Its eyes locked onto Ash.
'You are the one calling me?'
As a deity of aura, Palkia could speak human language effortlessly.
"Please—help us!"
Ash pleaded.
[Alder: Will this work…? Palkia is enraged. Even the dragons of Unova won't listen unless recognized.]
[Marshal: Believe in Ash! He's acknowledged by Ho-Oh and Lugia!]
[Juniper: Communicating with a deity like it's nothing… Ash really is something.]
[Sabrina: What's there to doubt? We saw the future. Things turn out fine. Ash will save them.]
[Ash: M-Miss Sabrina… you're making me shy.]
[Sabrina: Don't be. You deserve praise. You've saved the world once—saving it again is nothing.]
To Sabrina, Ash was someone she trusted unconditionally.
The knight who freed her from her mental prison.
Her hero.
[Cynthia: I believe in Ash too. Just like with the Tree of Beginning—the ending will be beautiful.]
If only this Cynthia woman didn't exist…!
Sabrina thought with hostility.
Everywhere in the chat was that woman's name.
Always tied to Ash.
Annoying!
But she couldn't do anything. Cynthia was no Lance—she wasn't easy to approach.
It was Lance's fault for introducing Ash to her!
(Lance: Don't blame me for this!!)
On screen——
Silence.
The giant and the boy faced each other.
Ash's aura pulsed steadily.
Aura could convey emotion.
The receiving side felt it most clearly.
Palkia felt it—
The determination.
The sincerity.
This boy truly wanted its help.
But—
'I cannot. I no longer have the strength.
My injuries from Dialga are too severe.'
It was the truth.
With the Pearl Orb cracked, every use of Spacial Rend drained Palkia further.
Its spatial power—once infinite—was now a finite resource.
"I'll help you!!"
Ash shouted.
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