Cynthia: Mission Codename "Ultimate Emerald"

Chapter 338 Cynthia: Mission Codename "Ultimate Emerald"

Stepping over Hoopa's metal rings, the group left the lifeless forest and returned to the bustling modern city. The bright lights in the villa, the noise around them, and the dazzling neon lights shining from the top of the tower through the broken floor-to-ceiling windows, along with the overwhelming sense of human presence, made them feel as if they had stepped into another world.

Cynthia was slightly taken aback.

Turning my head, through a huge, cracked French window, the distant, brightly lit city, bustling with activity all night long, seemed like an old photograph that had been smashed to pieces on the ground.

She stood by the window, raised her hand, and her fingers slid down the cracked glass. The scraping sensation from her fingertips told her that what she was seeing was not a dream.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she just pursed her lips. Her cold and beautiful face was cut by the cracks in the glass, reflecting a pair of smiling eyes that were full of affection.

Nemo saw Cynthia standing by the window in a daze and wondered if the nightmare in the mansion really had such a lasting effect, or if Cynthia's resoluteness concealed an unknown fear.

Could it be that Cynthia is afraid of ghosts?

Nemo curiously moved closer to her and whispered, "What's wrong, Miss Cynthia?"

"I'm just marveling at the prosperity of modern cities," Cynthia gently lowered her eyelids, like the shutter of a camera, locking the scene in her mind and looking away. "Let's finish what we need to do first."

"Okay," Nemo said, seeing that Cynthia seemed to be alright, perhaps just feeling sentimental because it was late at night. She was relieved and took Gastly's hand. "You've come at the right time. I haven't commanded a Ghost-type Pokémon before. Come on, let's find someone to practice with and get to know them."

They pulled the reluctant Ghoststone into the tomb by the rope.

Cynthia pulled out Rotom's Poké Ball, and Rotom eagerly darted out, frantically running around the room like a headless fly: "Where's Red? Where's Red?"

Until he saw the two people lying on the sofa, and a person and a dog at their feet, he recognized Chi Ri at a glance. He cupped Chi Ri's face, opened his mouth, and tried to call out loudly. Cynthia quickly used a Poké Ball to put Rotom away.

Wei Xin is optimistic and enthusiastic, while Chi Ri is indifferent and melancholic. One loves the world in front of him, while the other hates it to the core. Their personalities are different and their ideas are opposite. It is impossible for them to be friendly enough to sleep side by side on the sofa. Based on her understanding of Wei Xin, Xi Luo Na judged that Wei Xin must be using dreams to deal with Chi Ri, or perhaps he was trying to find a way to cure Chi Ri's antisocial personality.

Honestly, if you find it too troublesome, why don't you just find a place to get rid of the blazing sun?

hope, a conservative, thought Wei Xin's methods were far too conservative. She laughed and said, "Wei Xin, you really are something else. This kind of relatively gentle, even somewhat saintly approach, which can maximize your benefits, is like a 12-player game where you strive for the most possible happy ending."

"I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush," Cynthia advised, pointing to Rotom's Poké Ball. "It's very impolite to disturb someone's sleep. Your little Red is very tired and resting. Only when it's well-rested can it receive the biggest surprise. You don't want a touching reunion to turn into a sudden shock, do you?"

The Poké Ball wobbled slightly, Rotom indicating it understood, and then remained still.

Cynthia put the Poké Ball in her pocket and glanced at Wei Xin's yard, which was full of Pokémon. She sighed and said, "You've fulfilled a wish you never had the chance to before by keeping all sorts of Pokémon in your house."

She walked to the sofa, her gaze falling on Wei Xin's sleeping face. She squinted and scrutinized him carefully: "Your face without a beard really looks unfamiliar. I guess I still prefer you the way you are."

Cynthia's gaze slowly moved, finally settling on Wei Xin's long, black hair. She blinked, reached out, and gently tugged at Wei Xin's hair. Wei Xin frowned slightly, and Cynthia was immediately surprised: "It's not a wig? It seems your pressure isn't as great as before—no, not as great as in the future."

She pursed her lips and chuckled softly, saying, "That's wonderful. I wish it could always be like this."

He glanced at Chi Ri beside him, clicked his tongue in disgust, and his eyes were filled with dark resentment: "You old rascal who's always causing trouble, but since you finally turned over a new leaf and helped me pry open the door to the Reversal World, I'll let you off the hook this time."

Cynthia moved Wei Xin's body so he could sit comfortably on the sofa, then pulled Chi Ri aside. She ran to the room, pulled a blanket over Wei Xin, spread it on his body, and shuffled into the room, muttering to herself resentfully, "Don't misunderstand, I was just trying to prevent the internet from being cut off. I didn't have any other ulterior motives. I haven't forgiven you yet."

She glanced at Wei Xin and said resentfully, "It's ironic that Chi Ri, who hates the world, chooses to help me, while you, who cherish the world, choose to hinder me. The mind is truly unfathomable."

Wei Xin's body was pulled, and his head tilted to the side, resting on Cynthia's shoulder. Cynthia was stunned for a moment, then wrapped the blanket tighter around herself. Their shoulders touched, and their sneakers bumped together.

Cynthia closed her eyes and murmured, "Then, Dr. Wei Xin, let us follow your plan, using dreams as a medium to overlay reality, and thereby reshape the world."

The project's codename is "Ultimate Emerald".

Suddenly, Cynthia opened her eyes, her gaze flickering as she confirmed that no one else was around, and that the Pokémon in the house hadn't noticed what was happening on the sofa. The only thing she wasn't sure about was whether there were any security cameras in the house.

She bit her lip, glancing sideways at Wei Xin, who was sleeping peacefully on his shoulder. In any case, these records would be overwritten after the world was reshaped. Hoping for the best, Cynthia pulled up the blanket and covered their heads.

After a rustling sound under the blanket, their heads were freed. Cynthia scratched Wei Xin's face with her finger, and after confirming there were no marks on his face by the light of the room, she grumbled, "It's good that it hasn't gone bad. I forgive you."

Wrapped in a blanket, she closed her eyes contentedly: "Akron, help me connect to the dream world and find a suitable role. Be careful not to get caught by the administrator."

The orange-red sunset streamed through the windows and slanted into the carriage. The tram sped along the tracks, its clattering sound accompanied by gusts of dark shadows sweeping across the sun's low-hanging face.

The tram windows, like film reel footage, played back everything that had happened, the classmates blaming each other for the damage caused by the fight—

After the battle with the Dynamaxed Mega Pokémon, he endured the immense pain of his body being torn apart, collapsing between buildings and struggling to breathe, while he heard the cheers and jubilation of countless people around him.

It's as if their happiness stems from his pain. Whenever he has thoughts of retreating or becoming lazy, countless people come to persuade him. When he doesn't get a satisfactory answer, those who encouraged him completely change their attitude. The disgust, resentment, and doubt in their eyes are like needles pricking his eyes.

The thoughts of those around me, like subtitles, floated on the black screen before my eyes.

"If you weren't the only one who could pilot a Mega in battle—"

"I didn't go up to pilot the Mega Evolution willingly," Akari complained, looking down. Then, he raised his hand, saw himself in the window, his gaze resolute, but he uttered words of self-abandonment, "I don't want to pilot the Mega Evolution anymore. Winning is a given, protecting the world is a given, so no one will praise me. But if I fail, I will be blamed and hated by everyone, and I might even lose my life because of it."

As the tram was about to enter the station, an alarm bell rang from the loudspeaker at the entrance, breaking the deathly silence inside the tram. The sound was shrill and urgent, as if the speeding tram was about to crash into something.

"Why do I fight? Will anything good happen if I save the world? Will anything good happen if I live? If I don't pilot a Mega, no one needs me, so I have no choice but to pilot a Mega, so I can stay here. But, after I get into a Mega—"

The alarm bells and his thoughts came to an abrupt halt, as if deflated. On the plain white, thin bed, Chi Ri, lying on his back, awoke from his dream, his gaunt face motionless, staring at the ceiling.

When I opened my eyes, it was as if someone had turned on the room lights. Rows of bright white lights in front of the fire sprinklers on the ceiling lit up, and the cold white light made my eyes sting.

"It's that familiar ceiling again. How many times have I woken up in this hospital room since I started piloting Mega?" Akari complained.

The sound of pages turning came from beside him. Akari turned his head and saw a girl with fiery red hair wearing a sailor uniform sitting on a chair by the hospital bed, looking down at a small book without pictures. As soon as Akari saw the black ant-like text on it, he felt dizzy.

The girl heard him and looked at him.

"Mars? Have you been here all this time?" Chi Ri leaned back, the thin blanket slipping off his body. The air in the room felt cool against his bare back. He felt an indescribable sense of familiarity about the girl in front of him.

Mars closed the small book he'd been using to pass the time, his cold voice as robotic and devoid of emotion: "I'm here to convey the operation plan for tomorrow morning against the Dynamax Mega Chandelure. Pilots Red Sun and Mars are to assemble at the second operational position at 7:30 PM tonight —"

The girl rattled off a detailed plan in one breath. Chi Ri listened to the arrangements, which were measured in minutes, lowered his eyes, looked away, and showed strong resistance on his face until the girl finished speaking and opened the drawer of the portable table next to him. On the white porcelain plate, there was only cold rice and steamed buns.

Akari refused the suggestion to replenish his strength, hugging his bent knees: "I don't want to pilot the Mage anymore, I don't want to experience such terrible things again."

"Are you afraid of fighting? Then you can just lie there." The girl didn't comfort Akatsuki, and said coldly, "I can pilot the Mega by myself."

After saying that, he picked up the black bag from the ground, turned around, stepped through the opened automatic door, and stood outside.

"Mars!" Chi Ri called out the girl's name nervously, though he didn't know why he was so nervous.

"Goodbye." The automatic door closed, separating the scorching sun and the girl.

A cold night wind blew, carrying the rusty smell of metal and the noise of various machines. Chi Ri, wearing short sleeves, stood on the skybridge between two glass buildings, gazing at the distant mountains. Trucks drove along the road, and dense energy pipelines wrapped the small hills like rice dumplings for the Dragon Boat Festival.

Blatano pushed open the glass door and left the building's air conditioning. The evening wind howling between the buildings carried a biting chill. He wrapped his white coat tighter around himself and said with concern, "Akatsuki, aren't you cold standing here? The assembly time has passed. Since you've decided to pilot a Mega, you must fulfill your responsibilities."

Chi Ri shook his head. The doctor's concern and lecture were like a spark falling on a fuse, igniting the resentment in Chi Ri's heart.

"I'm so scared. Piloting a Mega, Doctor, you guys are so kind. You don't have to go to the dangerous front lines, you can stay in the safe base."

"Just give the orders, and I'll fight alone," he said, turning to look at Blatano and complaining, "That's so unfair."

Their hair swayed back and forth in the breeze between the buildings. Blatano crossed his arms, turned his gaze away, and after a brief moment of contemplation, took Akari's hand: "Akari, come with me."

The numbers on the screen above their heads dropped from 17 to 0, and then from 0 all the way down to negative numbers. Amidst the mechanical whirring, Chi Ri and Blatano rode the elevator straight down.

"Fifteen years ago, the Second Impact wiped out half of the world's lives," Bratano solemnly explained to Red Sun, introducing the background of the story.

"That kind of thing doesn't matter. Anyway, the population will drop to half of its maximum natural capacity. The population growth rate will actually be at its maximum," Chi Ri retorted. "If anyone tries to solve the resource problem this way, I'll laugh at them for the rest of their lives."

Dr. Blatano glanced at Akari. "Who's discussing biology with you?"

He sighed and continued, "If Mega Evolution triggers the Third Impact, humanity will be completely wiped out, not a single one will be left. If Mega Evolution invades the bottom of the base, it will self-destruct. Even if it costs everyone's lives, we must stop Mega Evolution."

Silent and scorching, they followed Blatano through a giant underground ecological park that utilized geothermal energy. The surrounding space was tinged red by the radiating heat. The two stood at the bottom of the base, in front of a massive metal door, with a screen next to them lit up displaying scarlet text.

Chi Ri recognized the text above, the central principle of the creation myth.

Blatano took out his access card and swiped it across the electronic lock's groove. The text on the lock's screen turned from red to green. Accompanied by the rumbling of the machine, a black cross appeared in the middle of the heavy metal door and slowly receded towards the four corners. On the other door behind, rows of iron bars with DNA helical structures began to rotate and retreat in all directions.

Standing with Blatano at the gate, Akari's eyes widened: "This is—"

A massive, blood-red cross stood in their sight. On the cross, a huge white creature hung limply, its head drooping. Red energy spread from behind the cross, constricting the beast's waist and two forelegs. The beast's missing hindquarters resembled a giant tree uprooted, with countless strange limbs emerging from the bulging white flesh like tree roots, swaying gently. Black liquid slid down the cross, into the beast's waist, and rippled around the two people's feet like a tide.

Sacred and eerie.

The blazing sun was startled by the sight before it: "Arzetus, the Creator?"

Darkrai was also startled, turning to look at Wei Xin, who was holding the script, his eyes wide open.

Not a buddy.

"Do you know what you're directing? The legendary creator Arceus, you've not only written him into the script, but you also—" Darkrai stopped mid-sentence, afraid that Arceus himself would descend from the sky on the 18-colored stone slabs and cleave him into ashes with a beam of sanction.

This is blasphemy, naked, unequivocal blasphemy.

Although the negative emotions emanating from the scorching sun allowed him to enjoy a sumptuous feast, you didn't tell me that the price of the meal was being targeted by Arceus.

Darkrai was almost in tears. Hanging out with Wei Xin was definitely the worst decision he had ever made in his life. This kid's audacity was beyond description.

"What's there to be afraid of?" Wei Xin said nonchalantly, resting his chin on his hand. "Since we're still alive, it means Arceus doesn't care about these things at all."

Or another possibility.

Wei Xin's eyes dimmed for a moment, or perhaps Arceus couldn't see what was happening here at all; he had long since withdrawn his gaze and abandoned this world: "Keep watching, keep watching, we're going to talk about the background setting."

"To be precise, it's a cobbled-together body pieced together from remaining resources and data, a man-made, incomplete false god," Dr. Blatano said solemnly.

"A false god?" Chi Ri asked in confusion.

"Yes, before the Second Impact, an organization called Team Rocket in the Kanto region had been trying to create legendary Pokémon by human effort. After creating a powerful Pokémon called Mewtwo and combining the three legendary birds into one, their leader, a man named Giovanni, was not content with his achievements and set his sights on the Creator."

"Did he kill a god?"

"No, he intends to create a god."

To create a creator in the name of creation is absurd and ridiculed, and everyone believes that the plan will ultimately fail.

But everyone was wrong.

"He captured the origin of life, the legendary Pokémon called Mew, the three legendary mushrooms representing emotion, will, and knowledge, Dialga and Palkia representing time and space, supplemented by the infinitely multiplying giant dragon Eternatus, and attempted to reverse-transcribe, edit, and replicate the authority of the creator with this as his goal, and finally supplemented by the authority of all things growing, Xerneas, the authority of death, Ifiltrator, and the authority of order mediating and stabilizing, Zygarde."

"He succeeded, a body with the authority and power of the creator was born, but he also failed. The world judged the return of creation to the creator as a return to the program. The moment the false god was born, the world also began to reverse, from the gathering of all things into three, from three into two, from two into one, and then from one into nothingness zero."

"If the device that created the god hadn't been destroyed first during this process, causing the process to be interrupted, and the Second Impact had ended with half of the creatures being wiped out, the entire world would have been completely destroyed. What was born in this process were those Dynamax Pokémon. In order to continue the interrupted Second Impact and obtain the opportunity to become the sole creator, they spared no effort to advance towards this false god's remains."

"And wielding Dynamax Mega Pokémon in battle is something only you can do," Professor Syracuse said solemnly. "We entrust the future of all humanity to you and Mega."

"Why did such a heavy burden fall on my shoulders?" Chi Ri asked, frowning.

"Because only you can do it, as punishment for blaspheming the Creator, the rest of humanity lost the ability to form bonds with Pokémon, except for a few, including you, Red Sun." Blatano gripped Red Sun's hand, trying to force the decision into his body.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Akari gripped Dr. Blatano's hand, lowered his gaze, and said hesitantly, "I will pilot a Mega."

Outside the city in the distance, countless blue spotlights were turned on, illuminating the gray sky as bright as day. The Dynamaxed Crystal Lantern, hovering on the ground, spun upside down, its dark purple flames shooting out and gathering in the underground base, directly above where Red Sun and Professor Blatano had stood.

The ground below melted into a scorching liquid, relentlessly approaching the body of the underground false god.

On a temporary platform built on the distant mountains, two enormous Dynamax Mega Pokémon stood proudly. One was a Dynamax Starmie piloted by Red Sun, its legs wrapped in bandages, with energy lines extending from the ground to the red crystal on its chest, rendering it immobile. The other was a Dynamax Sableye piloted by Mars, holding a hard red crystal shield in its hand.

Red Sun and Mars stood at the feet of the two Dynamax Mega Pokémon, respectively. Directly in front of them, Blatano stood with his hands on his hips and said, "I will now be responsible for conveying your respective missions for this operation."

"Red Sun! You're in charge of piloting the Gem Star for shooting."

-

"yes!"

"Mars! You're in charge of piloting the Soul Reaper to cover the Crimson Sun."

"yes!"

"This operation requires extreme precision. The pipes connected to Starmie provide it with powerful energy, allowing its Water Cannon skill to become Root Wave. At the same time, Chandelure has high defense and is protected by Light Wall and Reflector. Akari, you must concentrate the four Root Waves into one point to break through its protective wall and kill it in one hit. Otherwise, Chandelure's counterattack may vaporize you and Starmie."

"But I haven't received any training in this area." The mission was more difficult than usual, and Chi Ri was very worried. "Is it too late for me to learn how to block the bridge now?"

"It's okay, we'll use a machine to help you aim. All you have to do is control the starfish to launch an attack when the signal appears. However, the distance and length of the light beam are limited, and there is only one convergence point of the source wave, so the starfish cannot leave the sniping point."

"Can't we run away?" Akari asked back.

"Yes," Dr. Bratano said firmly.

"Then, what if the damage isn't enough—"

"Don't overthink it now. Just focus on how to kill him with one blow."

"Otherwise, we'll be in crisis." The glaring lights made Akari's face look particularly gloomy. Before the scales of life and death were loosened, no one knew which side they would tip to.

"I," Mars spoke up amidst the invisible pressure enveloping everyone, "I just need to protect the gem starfish, right?"

After receiving a reply, Mars turned and met Red Sun's gaze. His voice, which had been devoid of emotion, now held a resolute determination that disregarded life and death: "You won't die. I will definitely protect you, Red Sun."

She was facing away from the light behind her, and countless blurry points of light flickered behind her thin body, making it impossible to see her expression. Chi Ri could imagine that it must be that indifferent expression again, except that her eyes were lively as if they were glowing in the night sky, like stars that appeared and disappeared.

Chi Ri froze, his gaze lowered, but I don't deserve anyone's protection at all.

"Oh, right, here you go, Akari." Blatano handed Akari a tape recorder.

Akari turned on the recorder, and a familiar voice came through: "Um, Akari, please don't let me call you Akari-chan, okay? Please."

"Go, Akari!"

"Red Sun, you will definitely succeed."

The encouragement from classmates, colleagues, and residents on the street reached Akari's ears, and her tense expression relaxed slightly. Although she was holding a phonograph and no one could hear what she was saying, she still nodded firmly and said, "I definitely will."

As they gazed into the distance, the city lights gradually went out, leaving only the spinning crystal chandelier in the distance. Chi Ri and Huo Xing sat with their knees drawn up on the high platform. Tonight, the moon was bright and the stars were few, and the surrounding air was quiet and still, as if they were the only two people left in the world.

Akari slightly turned his gaze and asked in a low voice, "Mars, why do you want to pilot a Mega?"

Mars raised his head: "Because of bonds, bonds with everyone, I have nothing else, so I must stand up to protect everyone, to protect you, Red Sun."

Chi Ri stared in astonishment. In his eyes, Mars had always been alone. He would sit alone on a bench at school, gazing listlessly at the distant sky, walk alone on his way home from school, live alone, eat alone, and always be a solitary figure.

Does someone like her also have bonds with people? And is she willing to risk her life for them?

What exactly is this bond they're talking about?

Mars stood up. Under the huge, bright moonlight, the girl's figure was just a shadow, like a star, about to disappear from sight in the next moment, leaving no trace.

The girl turned around, clenched her fist, and whispered, "Farewell, Red Sun."

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