Giratina was seething.
As a Legendary Pokémon—no, as the undisputed ruler of the Distortion World—it was absolutely furious. When had it ever been treated like this?
Right now, it wanted nothing more than to hurl a [Shadow Ball] at Luo Yuan. But after glancing up at Rayquaza, who hovered overhead with an unmistakable "I dare you to try" kind of presence, and then looking at Mewtwo and Deoxys standing calmly at Luo Yuan's side, it had no choice but to swallow that impulse.
Disastrous start…
Giratina didn't know the phrase, but that's exactly what it was thinking. It had taken a beating and couldn't even retaliate. No matter the pain or humiliation—it would have to endure it all on its own.
For a being that had existed for countless eons and never shed a single tear, Giratina suddenly had the unfamiliar urge to cry.
And as that feeling began to stir, Luo Yuan keenly noticed Giratina's fighting spirit waning. It no longer showed any intention of continuing the battle.
Seeing this, Luo Yuan—who proudly considered himself a friend of Legendary Pokémon—felt quite pleased.
Isn't this better? Luo Yuan thought. I'm a pacifist at heart. I never liked fighting to begin with. Back in Hoenn, I was the one who stopped Groudon and Kyogre from tearing each other apart.
As for Giratina backing down—he welcomed it. After all, he never intended to capture Giratina anyway.
He motioned for Rayquaza, who was still itching for a rematch, to stand down, and then used [Viridian Power] to send Giratina a message.
Translated into human words, it went something like this: The one truly responsible for this mess is Cyrus, the guy standing right next to me. Believe it or not, that's the truth. As your friend, I was planning to hand Cyrus over to you for judgment. But I still need something from him. Once I'm done, I promise—I'll let you drag him off to the Distortion World to serve his sentence.
Naturally, Giratina wasn't an idiot. It knew Luo Yuan's version of events wasn't the full truth.
Just looking at Cyrus, it was obvious—he didn't seem like someone capable of orchestrating something of this scale.
But Luo Yuan, the clear victor, had offered an explanation. If it refused to accept it, chances were it'd just get beaten up again.
After weighing its options, Giratina decided to go along with Luo Yuan's story.
Now that it had calmed down, it was once again the rational being it had always been.
And Luo Yuan, seeing that Giratina accepted his version of events, was equally satisfied.
The reason he hadn't immediately handed Cyrus over was simple: Cyrus's mind still held valuable intel.
Luo Yuan needed the data Cyrus had on Team Galactic to help Team Rocket quickly seize control of the group's operations in Sinnoh. Once he'd extracted everything useful, keeping Cyrus locked up would just be another mouth to feed. Handing him over to Giratina would not only cut down on food expenses but also help smooth over his relationship with the Legendary.
And in the end, Cyrus would even get to fulfill his dream of entering a "world without conflict."
That's a triple win.
Whatever Giratina or Cyrus might think, Luo Yuan believed it.
Having gotten what it came for, Giratina left quickly. It had no intention of lingering in this wretched place. It needed to return to the Distortion World to recover.
With Giratina handled, Luo Yuan turned his attention to the unconscious Palkia and the ever-watchful Dialga nearby.
He had no intention of letting those two off the hook so easily.
Giratina could go—he had no use for the Distortion World. That place was a nightmare; no one in their right mind would want to be there, unless you were someone like Cyrus, who clearly wasn't playing with a full deck.
But Palkia and Dialga? That was a different story. One was the master of space, the other of time.
If he could control both of them, he'd have a handle on time and space themselves.
There was another reason, too: Team Rocket was just one public announcement away from replacing Team Galactic and taking over Sinnoh entirely. They already held de facto control of the region.
But Luo Yuan couldn't stay in Sinnoh forever.
And his Legendary Pokémon each had their own roles to play—none of them could stay behind to guard the region long-term.
That's why he had his sights set on Dialga and Palkia. If he could tame the two of them, Team Rocket's Sinnoh division wouldn't have to worry about the Pokémon League ever again. Everything would fall neatly into place.
On the ground, Palkia remained unconscious. Dialga, still awake, stiffened slightly under Luo Yuan's gaze—feeling a vague sense of unease.
Before it could think further, Luo Yuan spoke.
"This whole thing's gotten a bit… messy."
He gestured toward the battlefield, which was still scarred from the aftermath of the fight. "This is Mt. Coronet, the symbol of the Sinnoh region. And all of this damage? That's from trying to free you two from Team Galactic's control. Now look at it. What do you think you owe the people of Sinnoh for this?"
"…"
Dialga was dumbfounded—shocked by Luo Yuan's sheer shamelessness.
Owe them?
Wasn't it Luo Yuan who caused all this destruction? From the [Draco Meteor] that nearly collapsed the entire peak, to the collateral damage from his clash with Giratina—he was the central cause of everything.
Without him, Mt. Coronet wouldn't be in this devastated state, like it had been chewed up by a pack of Mightyena.
And now he was blaming them?
Dialga, unfamiliar with human logic, had no idea how to respond.
But after watching what happened to Giratina, and glancing at Rayquaza, Mewtwo, and Deoxys—while still nursing its own wounds—Dialga decided it was better not to argue.
Luo Yuan was very pleased with its cooperation.
"Of course, I have a proposal. Just a proposal," he said with a friendly smile. "To compensate for the damage you've caused to Sinnoh—and the emotional distress to its people—my suggestion is that you work for me for a while."
As he spoke, he pulled out two Master Balls.
"It's not a long term. Ten years. For beings with lifespans like yours, that's nothing. After ten years, you'll be free to go—or stay, if you want."
When it came to dealing with Legendary Pokémon, you had to use strategy.
For Hoenn's Rayquaza, Groudon, and Kyogre, it had been simple—just beat them into submission.
But Dialga and Palkia were different. With the ability to manipulate time and space, they could vanish in an instant. Unless he planned to use something like Cyrus's red chains, even a Master Ball might not be enough to keep them contained—they could always find a way to escape.
So with them, brute force wasn't enough.
You needed a plan.