Fairy-type energy slammed into Nergigante.
Nergigante was quadruple weak to Fairy-type attacks. This [Moonblast] dealt devastating damage, especially coming from a Champion's ace Pokémon.
The black spikes on Nergigante's wings shattered, and the wing membranes were pierced through. She was blown back four or five meters, her sharp claws carving deep furrows into the marble ground.
In the distance, Diantha arrived with her ace, accompanied by the guardian of the Sundial and Anistar Gym Leader, Olympia. The two had been discussing the prophecy at the Gym when the Sundial suddenly pulsed with crimson light. They had rushed over only to see Nergigante apparently trying to kill Carrie.
Diantha stared at the dragon. This was her second time seeing Nergigante; the first was when the creature had carried Bai Chen through the sky.
Now, as adversaries, she felt an immense pressure radiating from the dragon. The natural "Aura" surrounding Nergigante made the very air feel heavy and stagnant.
Gardevoir stepped in front of Carrie. Regardless of how this started, Diantha had to save the girl first.
The sharp physical pain stimulated Nergigante's nerves. She roared at the sky, a golden radiance flickering across her body.
Click—!
Nergigante entered her First Gear state, unleashing 10% of her true power. Natural energy was siphoned into her body like a whirlpool. Her tattered wings healed at a visible speed, returning to perfect condition in the blink of an eye.
Diantha gasped, "Such incredible regenerative abilities! And that crimson energy... is this the power Zygarde identified as a threat to the ecosystem?"
Diantha stood her ground, not arrogant enough to think she could easily defeat the "Disaster Beast" from the prophecy. She drew her Key Stone: "Bloom, Gardevoir! Mega Evolve!"
The rainbow light of Mega Evolution began to envelop Gardevoir, and the bond of energy connected Trainer and Pokémon.
However, the process—which had never failed before—suddenly sputtered. The evolutionary energy seemed to be sucked away, vanishing into thin air. The light surrounding Gardevoir popped like a bubble and disappeared.
Diantha looked on in disbelief. "Mega Evolution failed?! What is going on?"
As a human, Diantha couldn't sense where the energy had gone. But Gardevoir could. Through telepathy, she explained the destination of the energy to her partner. Diantha looked toward Bai Chen at the base of the Sundial. He was currently shrouded in prismatic light.
"Bai Chen is even absorbing the energy of Mega Evolution? What on earth is he doing?"
More and more questions piled up in Diantha's mind, but she had no time to ponder. Nergigante charged toward Gardevoir. As a massive [Ruinous Palm] swung down, Diantha shouted for her Pokémon to dodge. A massive explosion shook the earth.
"Incredible power!" Diantha realized she couldn't let a single blow land. "Psychic!"
"Lu!" Gardevoir unleashed her mental might. However, the pink psychic energy was deflected the moment it hit Nergigante, bounced away by the crimson energy covering the dragon's body.
Diantha wasn't surprised; she simply assumed the crimson shroud was a Dark-type move, making Psychic ineffective. Unfortunately, Nergigante's energy was far more complex and mysterious than a simple Pokémon type.
"If Psychic doesn't work, use another attribute. Shadow Ball!"
Gardevoir formed a sphere of dark energy and hurled it. Nergigante met it with an [Aura Sphere]. The two projectiles collided in mid-air, resulting in a deafening blast.
Besides Diantha, Olympia watched Nergigante in her First Gear state. It was as if she received a divine revelation; stars flickered in her eyes as she accepted a message from a mysterious power. "Oh! I see a new future!"
Diantha looked back, hoping for answers.
"I see a red storm enveloping the entire Kalos region. Kalos will fall into an unprecedented calamity, and I see them playing a pivotal role in this disaster!"
Diantha's brow furrowed with intense tension. One world-ending prophecy wasn't even resolved, and now a "Red Disaster" was coming for Kalos.
Both were tied to Bai Chen. Recalling the events in Lumiose City, Diantha found it hard to believe Bai Chen was a savior. He looked more like the architect of ruin.
Just as the prophecy said: Him and his disaster beasts.
As Nergigante continued her frantic assault, Diantha calmly commanded Gardevoir to counterattack. The shockwaves of the battle began to affect the surroundings. Ash and the others were caught in the crossfire.
Clemont hurriedly pulled Bonnie and the others toward a shelter. Serena grabbed Lillie; despite her reluctance, Lillie knew the battlefield was too dangerous for her. They took the unconscious Carrie with them as they retreated.
The battle grew more heated. Nergigante's fearless, suicidal fighting style caused Diantha significant trouble. However, the level gap was apparent, and with Gardevoir using Fairy-type moves, Nergigante wasn't gaining an advantage even in First Gear.
Realizing she was losing ground, Nergigante let out a furious roar, and the golden light intensified.
Click—!
She entered Second Gear. Crimson energy dyed the very air red. Diantha found it difficult to breathe, her heart racing as if she were facing the most dangerous predator in existence.
"This pressure..."
Squishy noticed things were spiraling out of control, but he didn't stop Nergigante. He was curious about the dragon's limits. Just as fear gripped the spectators, a voice called out.
"That's enough."
At those words, the crimson bloodlust surrounding Nergigante vanished instantly. The unknown energy dissipated into the air.
The crushing pressure on Diantha evaporated as if a rewind button had been pressed. Nergigante shrank back to her small form and hopped over to Bai Chen's feet, looking completely harmless—a far cry from the terror she had just displayed.
Diantha took several deep breaths to steady her heart. "What terrifying control... just one sentence made her stand down."
Bai Chen let Nergigante jump onto his shoulder. He stepped onto the rubble of the stairs, looking down at Diantha and Gardevoir.
"Quite a commotion, Ms. Diantha." Bai Chen's voice was neutral, but Diantha could hear the underlying fury. "I didn't expect our next meeting to be as enemies. I accept your provocation."
Diantha hurriedly tried to explain. "Sir Knight, you misunderstand. I have no intention of making an enemy of you."
"Not wanting an enemy isn't something you say with your mouth; it's shown by your actions. While I was resonating with the Sundial, you allowed a Pokémon to attack me directly.
If my physical constitution weren't exceptionally strong, I might have suffered an energy backlash from the Sundial. You were trying to kill me."
Diantha had truly been unaware of Carrie's initial attack. Olympia stepped forward, apologizing for her disciple. "I apologize on behalf of my reckless student. I will discipline her."
"Heh." Bai Chen gave a cold laugh. He glanced at Nergigante. The dragon understood, flew over to where Carrie lay, and delivered a massive slap to the girl's face. Carrie spun through the air before slamming into the ground, completely unconscious.
Olympia's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't expected Bai Chen to strike an unconscious girl.
Bai Chen said coolly, "Since you can't control your student, Ms. Olympia, I'll do it for you. No need to thank me."
"I would have disciplined her myself! Was there a need for violence?"
"You don't seriously think a 'lecture' would quench my anger, do you? I told you, she almost killed me. Leaving her with her life is mercy enough."
Diantha found this hard to stomach. She was angry that Bai Chen would strike an unarmed girl. "Sir Knight, that is not the act of a hero." She pointedly emphasized his title. In her mind, Knights were humble and merciful.
"A hero? I don't recall ever telling any of you I was a hero. Don't go imposing your expectations on me."
The group fell silent. Bai Chen snorted. "Don't try to bind me with such boring labels. If you're dissatisfied, call the police and try to throw me in jail."
Diantha and Olympia wouldn't do that. From Bai Chen's perspective, Carrie had attacked first. Even if they used their influence to arrest him, they wouldn't have the moral high ground.
Olympia sighed. Bai Chen clearly hadn't used lethal force; he had just given her a "lesson." She decided to get straight to the point. "I have seen the future. I have seen the end of the world and a calamity for Kalos. Both prophecies are tied to you."
Bai Chen wasn't surprised. His senses hadn't been blocked while resonating with the Sundial; he had heard Carrie screaming about "disaster beasts" and "the end."
"Is that so? Good for you. You better work hard to make sure that doesn't happen."
"Do you have nothing to say for yourself?" Olympia asked. She had initially doubted the connection, but Bai Chen's coldness toward Carrie made her suspicious.
"What is there to say? You want to ask if I plan to destroy the world?" Bai Chen said calmly. "If all humans are like the idiot who attacked me, then let it be destroyed. It wouldn't be much of a loss."
Everyone tensed up. He sounded like he actually intended to do it. Bai Chen shrugged. "We'll see how I feel. If I have the desire to destroy the world, then I'll bring the end. I only follow my own desires."
"To be controlled by desire... how is that different from a beast?" Olympia countered. To her, "desire" was synonymous with savagery.
"Heh. It seems you're quite proud of your human intellect, Ms. Olympia. Do you think humans are inherently superior to beasts?" Bai Chen pointed at the unconscious Carrie.
"Tell me, how is your student—who attacks people out of blind fear—any different from a beast? Did she not attack me driven by the instinct of fear?"
"Let me ask you further: throughout recorded history, how many great disasters were natural, and how many were man-made? And tell me, do you think your prophecies of world's end are caused by 'beasts,' or by humans?"
"Surely someone as 'highly intelligent' as you can understand? Your so-called intellect is the origin of most disasters."
Olympia was stunned. Looking at history, many calamities were indeed caused by human greed or error. But she argued that humans and Pokémon also worked together to solve them.
"I know what you're thinking," Bai Chen said. "But your definition of 'desire' is too narrow. You fight disasters because of the biological desire to survive. Your wishes, hopes, and dreams are all driven by desire. Even the first humans to coexist with Pokémon did so because of desire."
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