Chapter Ninety-Six: Dialga Battles Palkia

Zhao Fang was dreaming again, though this was nothing unusual. Now, every night as he slept, he would have these kinds of dreams—almost like lucid dreams, except he couldn’t control the dreamscape. That didn’t stop Zhao Fang from thinking, though.

Just as Zhao Fang was about to consider how to challenge the Electric-type Gym, he saw the tall tower before him light up once more. He quickly looked over, eager to see what those ancient trainers would do next.

Watching the slowly forming scene atop the tower, Zhao Fang felt a sense of anticipation. Through his observations and analysis over these past nights, he’d realized that the tower always constructed scenes and summoned Pokémon tailored to the challenger’s strength. For example, the Sharpedo faced the Kingdra, while the Gyarados confronted the Zapdos.

The scene began to take shape, but this time, Zhao Fang was puzzled. It looked like nothing more than a typical desert arena, without any apparent special features. This made him curious about which Pokémon would answer the challenge—but after a long wait, none appeared. Instead, the tower’s door opened, and a man with a commanding presence strode in, holding a whip in his hand. Beside him walked…

Celebi?

Zhao Fang was astonished. What had he just witnessed?

The ancient trainer was actually sending out Celebi—a legendary Pokémon? Zhao Fang was utterly baffled. But he soon noticed something amiss: there was a strange collar around Celebi’s neck. It was certainly no frivolous accessory. Given the way Celebi glared at the man with resentment, it was clear the collar was a device for control.

“These ancients were truly wild—developing tools to control the legendaries, utterly inhuman,” Zhao Fang muttered, shaking his head at Celebi’s pitiful plight.

But then, another question struck him. If the challenger was a legendary Pokémon, who would the tower summon as its opponent? He didn’t have to wait long for the answer. From above, another Pokémon descended—Dialga!

Zhao Fang’s lips twitched. Of course, to face a legendary, only another legendary would suffice. Dialga, the god of time, possessed the power to control time itself. Celebi, on the other hand, could traverse the fabric of time and space. Zhao Fang watched the unfolding scene with unwavering attention, eager to witness the might of these mythical beings.

In the game, legendaries were known for high base stats and unique moves, but this was reality—completely different. Zhao Fang had never seen a battle between legends before, so he was utterly absorbed.

The man shouted something in a bizarre tongue and cracked his whip forcefully against the ground.

Celebi shivered, casting a resentful look at the man, but began to use its moves. An Energy Ball shot toward Dialga, yet it froze in midair—suspended, unmoving. Dialga gazed at Celebi with calm disdain.

“This is too powerful… Just what is this tower’s origin?” Zhao Fang marveled at Dialga. It didn’t feel like the product of mere imagination.

The man’s shouts grew angrier. He raised his whip and lashed it across Celebi, forcing a cry of agony. Driven by pain, Celebi finally unleashed its strength, engaging Dialga in a fierce battle.

Celebi, true to its reputation as a time traveler, managed to resist Dialga’s temporal manipulation, attacking with Future Sight. The effect was faint, though—and for some reason, Celebi never summoned other Celebis from across timelines to aid it. Zhao Fang suspected the collar was to blame.

Restricted and unable to fully exert its powers, Celebi appeared frail before the legendary god of time. At last, Dialga unleashed Roar of Time, effortlessly defeating Celebi, then pressed its foot down on Celebi’s head, applying steady pressure.

Zhao Fang clenched his fists. The power of the legendaries was far beyond ordinary Pokémon. Thinking about Dialga’s ability to freeze time and moves, Zhao Fang felt a deep sense of helplessness—if he were in a battle, his Pokémon would likely be laid out before he even blinked.

The man shouted furiously, but dared not strike Dialga with his whip. He could only continue to yell—Zhao Fang couldn’t understand the words, but it was clear he was cursing at Celebi.

Zhao Fang sighed. From the tower’s usual patterns, Celebi was doomed—its head crushed beneath Dialga’s foot.

Just as Dialga was about to press down further, its movement suddenly paused. The tower’s door opened, and a group of gray-robed figures entered. The man, confronted by them, showed a panicked, pleading face, but to no avail. He was dragged away, and the leader of the gray-robed group waved his hand—instantly, the entire illusion dissolved. The leader bent down, cradled the barely alive Celebi, and produced a dagger etched with strange runes. He plunged it into Celebi’s head.

Celebi shuddered, then moved no more. The gray-robed figure whispered something to his companions, then departed the tower, leaving Celebi lying on the ground.

As Zhao Fang wondered what these gray-robed individuals were doing, he saw the strange stone atop the tower reappear. It extended countless tendrils of light, wrapping around Celebi and slowly dragging it upward. Celebi’s body began to dissolve, and Zhao Fang frowned—the stone seemed to possess a cruel fascination, starting the dissolution from Celebi’s feet, then its body, then its neck. The controlling collar fell to the ground. Celebi regained a sliver of consciousness, but was too weak to resist the strange stone.

Then Zhao Fang heard furious cries from other Celebis within the tower, but none appeared. This place seemed to conceal itself from the perception of legendary Pokémon.

With a sigh, Zhao Fang closed his eyes in anguish. The scene was too brutal.

“Necrozma… the Ultimate Stone… future intruders… destroy it.” A frail voice suddenly echoed in Zhao Fang’s mind. He opened his eyes in shock to see Celebi, reduced to only its eyes, staring intently at him.