The Redwood Saga-Chapter 103 - 67: Champion Victor versus Red

Green Trainer Locker Room - World Tournament Building, Unova

"So you've been having trouble choosing an intro song, I hear." PNN's Ari said to his guest, the Dragon Emperor, who was clad as he always was, even on TV. Victor smirked. His starter, Ace, was a big fan of the foreign leader's vibe, and burgers, and was quite eager to face his Cinderace someday.

Alex nodded. "I was thinking something by Leaf Day, but I was told I'd be 'dating myself' if I chose Fornian Idiot. Which, I mean, fair, it is a bit out of date now. Still a jam, though."

Ari nodded, pretending to ponder. "And what do you think of Black Badge? Do you like them?"

Redwood coughed awkwardly. "Yea. Edgy. Rock'n'Roll. What's not to like? I mean… it's been a minute since I listened to them, but yeah, I recall enjoying them quite a bit in…College. Until the Whole World Shines was our workout jam, Terra and I. I was tempted to use that for the intro, but I'm pretty sure they were singing about Ash."

The news host smirked. "Well, we had kind of a…collaboration once it became clear you were having difficulty choosing a theme…you are representing Unova after all, you should have more than basic League themes. So with that in mind, let's welcome the members of Black Badge!"

Ari had a studio audience for this show, and now it was obvious why, as the camera panned to them and revealed a crowd absolutely dripping in Black Badge merch. Quietly, the Dragon Emperor of Unova muttered, as his mic picked up his words. "Y'know now all the merch-wearing fans in the audience make sense."

The lead rocker of the band shook hands with the Dragon Emperor, and then faced the fans. "Who wants to hear a brief demo of what we have so far!?" As the crowd roared, Victor shut the TV off.

Ace frowned at him, but the look that Victor gave the fiery rabbit brooked no argument. "Spoilers." He smirked. The Galar League Champion's eyes were on fire. "You'll hear it eventually anyway. And if you want to be on the field when we do…we need to beat Red."

The rest of the team coalesced as Victor waved them over. "Alright lads. The curry is ready. Grab a plate." Victor's team for this round was a mix of who he'd beaten Leon with and who he'd trained during the Tournament of Champions.

"Red is weird." Victor stated confidently. "In all the years he's competed, he hasn't really changed his team…and as a result they are monsters. He's easily as strong as Sikandar was. He could probably even beat Leon."

Seeing he had their attention despite the food, Victor continued, "He'll probably mostly use Mega Evolution, but his Lapras can Gigantamax, and his Pikachu has a special Z-Move. We counter those, and we've got the win. Ace, Tank, Corvus, Rajah, and Gar. You'll be Gigantamaxing." The five of them shared a look, and nodded. The key to successful Gigantamaxing, and using Max Moves in general, was to not mess up the field for those who followed them. "Drago and Konoha will be Mega Evolving." The Dragapult gave a 'high tail' to the Sceptile, who was fairly new to the team, but quite a high level when he joined them in Hoenn.

Victor turned to the remaining two. "Grimm. Bro." The shiny Grimmsnarl and Galarian Slowbro nodded in unison. "You'll be using our newest weapon. Are you ready?" The shiny Grimmsnarl rearranged his stark white hair into a fist. Bro, as always, just repeated his name and stared into space. But Victor could see he was hyped.

Or as 'hyped' as his species could physically be.

Victor looked at his tenth then, still in its ball, the hard counter to Red's Pikachu, and if necessary, potentially that Mega Venusaur too. He remembered the day his sad little Yamask became…something else entirely. Rune was a different kind of monster, and didn't like being awake in the daylight. Or at all, really.

The chime in their locker room rang, and Victor recalled everyone, then gathered their curry plates. "Alright lads. Show time." He strode out the doors, and into the pulse-raising roar of the crowd.

Red Trainer Locker Room - World Tournament Building, Unova

The locker room lights were off.

Red, the Hero of Pallet Town, and arguably all of Japan, sat in the darkness, a well-used Pokéball in his hand. The only source of light was a live feed of the stadium field.

Mr. Parsons was at it again, narrating as he always had. Red sighed quietly. "…"

"From the Green corner! The Unbeaten Champion of Galar! The man who brought down Leon's Charizard! Ladies and gentlemen! Friends from across the pond, let's welcome Champiooon Victoooor!"

Red stared as Victor started approaching the field accompanied by Galar's number one song: Never Gonna Give You Up And Release You. That confident smirk, that impressive, but still untempered fire in much younger eyes.

A fire that was about to go out. How many times had he done this now? Last time had been…Florian, right, Paldea's prodigy. But, to his credit, the Paldean Champion hadn't lost a step. Adding Mega Evolution and Dynamaxing to his repertoire would make him much harder to deal with.

Red sighed, trying not to remember the look on Florian's face when he'd been beaten. As Red zoned out, the faces of his countrymen, lifeless, crushed in the unstoppable wake of Regigigas, filled his mind instead. He felt Mewtwo remove them, but they never fully disappeared, like those lives had.

"…"

The Galar League's music faded, replaced by the iconic trumpeting of the Indigo League. Red stood silently in the darkness and set Fushigi back on his belt.

"…Let's go."

Red quietly wondered if this was his last World Tournament. The buzz just wasn't the same. The hype felt fake, and the next generation was…quite strong. And a lot more popular. And a lot younger.

And the way Leaf looked at them bothered him. Not enough to cause an emotional response, he hadn't felt many emotions since his fusion with Mewtwo, but her eyes on other Trainers caused an unpleasant bodily sensation that he didn't care for.

And of course, his lack of speaking and general introversion was not exactly improving his love life. It never had, but lately, something just felt…different. About him. About the world, in general.

He sighed, and walked out to the field. The cheers were deafening, and the signs, his fans, and their excitement, those genuine smiles, was what made a small smile appear on his face. But it didn't reach his eyes.

"Iiiin the Red corner, hailing all the way from Pallet Town, coming back for an unprecedented twelfth World Tournament in a row, our former World Champion and all around Pokémon training legend…it's Red!" The stadium erupted, and Red's eyes widened slightly, as he realized…he could feel it. The excitement, the good vibes…and the love between all those Trainers and their partners in the stands. More confidently, he approached the Trainer box. He could battle, like this.

Red gave the crowd a small wave, and then threw a ball well before he had to. "Kai." Was all he said. With a flash of light from the Ultra Ball, a well-muscled Machamp appeared, flexing at the cheering crowd even as the field began to shift. The random choice this time, was an almost idyllic rolling grassland with small hills. Red sighed inwardly, knowing what it was about to turn into.

Victor and the referee shared a look as Red invited a type advantage. The ref shrugged, shouting, "BEGIN!"

Victor drew a ball of his own, but then paused, and raised it high over his head so it sat in his palm.

Then it grew ten times larger, and Galar's iconic beats started blaring throughout the stadium. "Corvus! Blow it away! G-Max Windrage!" Victor ordered, throwing his Gigantamaxed Corviknight out onto the field.

Red didn't so much as flinch. His orders were quick, and dispassionate. "Rock Tomb. Shield yourself. Then Thunder Punch."

Kai was enthusiastic enough for both of them. Four muscled arms pierced the field, shielding the master martial fighter in a defensive rock fortress. The G-Max Move eroded much of the rock, but barely even lowered his HP. Victor grimaced, but the Machamp was moving again.

With a single leap, Kai landed on Corvus's shoulder, and then ran down his armored feathery chest, delivering four powerful Thunder Punches as he did. He sprang off the Corviknight's giant torso and landed, as the Gigantamaxed Pokémon suffered an unlucky paralysis.

"Oh! Thunder Punch has Paralyzed Victor's Corviknight!" Victor ordered the same attack again as Mr. Parsons narrated his bad luck, but the giant bird froze as electricity began running over his titanic body. "And the bad luck keeps coming! Corviknight is wide open!"

Red took advantage of the opening. "Thunder Punch."

This time, Kai leapt straight up, delivering a thunderous uppercut to Corvus's jaw with a shout that echoed through the stadium. "MA-CHAMP!"

Kai flipped through the air before he landed, arms crossed, Brock style, as Corvus exploded, and shrank down back to his normal size. The ref was quick to shout, "Corviknight is unable to Battle! The round goes to Challenger Red and his Machamp!" Kai waved his arms as cheers enveloped him, and with another powerful leap, he landed beside Red.

Who didn't so much as look at him.

The Machamp deflated slightly as all he got from his partner was a thumbs up, but their attention was redirected as Victor made his choice.

"Go! Bro! Awaken your mind!"

A Galarian Slowbro appeared, but before Kai could take advantage of its poison typing, a Terastal Orb brought out his inner psychic. His eyes burned with psychic power and quicker mental awareness. As the ref gave the signal, Victor struck. "Full power! Psychic!"

The crowd winced and ooed as Bro raised his Shellder arm, and Kai got absolutely ragdolled around the field with enhanced psychic power. Dragged across the ground, drop-slammed from a significant height, and then just repeatedly hammered up and down into a growing crater. To his credit, Kai didn't faint. The Machamp started to rise, growling at the Slowbro. A focused Water Pulse fired like a bullet from its Shellder-gun and ended his resistance before his dark energy covered fists came near Bro.

Mr. Parsons was ready with commentary. "As usual, Victor doesn't let a lost round go unanswered. But if Red can get an early lead, history has shown us he won't easily relinquish it. It's still anyone's Battle, folks!"

Red pulled out an older Pokéball, and said, "Bata." Before tossing it. The Butterfree that appeared was massive, but he looked worriedly at his Trainer. Red ignored this and gave a command anyway as he immediately recalled the Butterfree. "Gigantamax."

The loud music blared, the Red fans cheered, but a few sharp eyes from the experienced Trainers watching noticed that Red…was being a lot colder to his partners than he ever had before. Poor Bata seemed almost unwitting to Gigantamax as he got sucked back into his ball, but as he reappeared again, that hesitation had been replaced with a cold, crimson fury that could only do one thing for three turns.

Red's voice went slightly higher. "Max Phantasm."

Victor muttered under his breath, "Like Hel we're losing to a Butterfree…use Fling on the objects!"

The rain of possessed paraphernalia came hurtling towards Bro, but he stayed cool under fire, each ghostly object was brutally bisected by a bullet made of dark energy, and landed in an intangible heap beside him as they started to fade.

Red grimaced. "Make them detonate."

The experienced Trainer had once had the drive to test all sorts of strategies and tactics in combat. And Max Moves were no exception. Red had thoroughly tested all of them in his efforts to master Dynamaxing. With the Max Phantasm's last bit of power, Bata remotely detonated the objects, and Bro was caught in the blast. The shattering of crystal could be heard, and Victor swore.

He recalled Bro as the ref called the round, and countered. Hard. "Ace! Gigantamax! G-Max Fireball!" Victor threw the ball before it fully resized, and Ace popped free, quickly kicking it back to Victor as he then expanded to gigantic size, standing arms crossed atop what was, according to Professor Sonia, the largest measured fireball a Cinderace had ever made in this form.

With speed that something that large should not have had, the fireball streaked across the field, brutally smashing into the poor Butterfree as it engulfed him in potent flames. Bata went down in a single shot thanks to Ace's training and heightened attack power.

Red just sighed, waited for the form to fade, and recalled his partner. He belted Bata without so much as a 'thank you', and threw another ball.

"Ptera." Red tossed the basic Pokéball, revealing an Aerodactyl. It shrieked loud enough to test the stadium's sound canceling barrier, but Red was already Mega Evolving. "Stone Edge, full power."

Victor called for another fireball, and Ptera flew right through it, before divebombing the ground in front of the momentarily ground-bound Cinderace.

Surprising everyone, Ace jumped into the air, and Victor called the counter. "Blaze Kick!"

This, naturally, became another G-Max Fireball, but Ace didn't kick it this time. The ball of flame formed under his titanic foot as it came down on Ptera. Flame and mass KO'd the Mega Aerodactyl. Or it would have.

"Endure." Red ordered, he then followed by saying, "Now Earthquake." The earth shattered, and Ace fell into the hole the Earthquake made by Ptera, who was on a sliver health, but apparently unwilling to go down without bringing Victor's ace with him.

Victor watched in disbelief as his starter exploded in defeat from a Bite, but that was all it took. Ptera crashed into the ground beside Ace, his Mega Form fading. Once again, Red didn't wait. He recalled Ptera, belted him, and then threw another ball into the air. "Kabi. Time to wake up." Red said.

His Snorlax remained asleep, and with a sigh, Red pulled out a weathered Pokéflute. The crowd had finally begun to notice the difference in the legendary Trainer. He was battling more like a young Gary Oak than the legend they'd been hoping to see, but at this point, the changes were only being picked up on by Trainers, and true fans of Red's style of battle.

It was a haunting melody that filled Victor's ears as he recalled his fainted starter. It was never a good omen, having your first partner be absolutely rolled. "You did your best, Ace…rest now." Yet as he pocketed his partner, the Galar Champion began to wonder if his haters had been right all along. Was Dynamaxing weaker than Mega Evolution? He'd always been told by the Chatter rejects that he'd be crushed by a real legendary Trainer, like Red, in a proper competition. It went without saying that most high level Trainers only considered getting into the Masters Eight a real accomplishment. He wasn't even in the top sixteen, yet.

Victor shook his head. No. Mega Aerodactyl was just that fast, and sturdy. It was a rock type after all. "Grimm." He said, pulling out a Fast Ball colored white and pink, "Avenge your brother…EMBRACE YOUR FIGHTING SPIRIT AND RISE!"

Once again, from the jump, the Pokémon in question powered up immediately, and Red flinched. He recalled his Snorlax…and moments later Galar's Dynamax track played once again. Fighting energy coalesced around Grimm, as it turned his hair from stark white into a yellowish orange. The power of Terapagos surged through him, and it radiated off his form in waves as he became fighting typed.

[super saiyan Grimmsnarl

"Damage it." Victor ordered. "It doesn't matter if you faint, without his wall, Red's team will fall. Try to make it back to me before you pass out. I'll spend our healing item on you." Grimm nodded. Victor was less confident now that Ace was down, but he'd planned for it. Now he would adapt.

With a thunderous boom, Kabi landed on the field, shaking it with his massive girth in his Gigantamaxed form. "Max Steelspike." Red said in his same monotone. Kabi raised and lowered a flabby arm, and in response to that simple motion, the field erupted with giant spikes of steel energy that surged towards Grimm. But what Red had really wanted, was the defense boost that flared up around his gigantic Snorlax.

"Leap off the spikes for height! Then get close and Low Kick!" Victor ordered. Grimm leapt into action, practically flying across the field as he dodged the spikes, and landed on the ones that had lost their power. Low Kick usually did damage by knocking a target prone, and having the weight of the target increase the damage.

Since Snorlax was already prone, the damage was usually done to their legs, and weirdly enough, still worked. Usually.

Red countered, louder than he'd been all match. "Roll Starboard on my mark…" He waited, and though Grimm could understand him, he struck anyway. "Mark!"

To Kabi's credit, he did try to roll, as much as a permanently prone Snorlax could, but Grimm was a master of his body, and a powerfully trained attacker. A strand of golden glowing hair wrapped around Kabi's sharp toe, and pulled him back into position as the Low Kick smashed into the joint between his foot and body.

The Snorlax roared in pain, and the arena rumbled with him. Red smirked from under his hat. "You might regret that…" He ominously told the Grimmsnarl as he landed nearby.

Grimm glanced at Red, and then his attention shifted as the Snorlax 'leaned' upwards with just its head, slightly. A brutal Max Mindstorm shot from its forehead and surrounded the fighting typed Grimmsnarl, and the dark fairy roared in agony it had never experienced, having always been immune to psychic attacks.

It was the first one of his life, and it was a Max Move. Grimm went all but catatonic as the Gigantamaxed Snorlax's rage at being woken up and infused with power overpowered Grimm's mind. Victor shouted for him to move, but his shiny physical striker was beyond words now.

Another Max Mindstorm empowered by the field's weirdness shattered his fighting typed Terastal form, and Victor recalled him immediately, applying a Max Revive once the round was marked as lost. "Sorry bud…I tried to prepare you for Psychic Moves but a Max Move is too much… At least you burned his Gigantamax. We won't waste that." Victor knew he was properly Mukked now, though. Without empowered fighting moves, a wall like Snorlax would just heal and get stronger with time.

Sure enough, the next Mukking word out of Red's mouth was, "Rest." And instantly, the now normal-sized but still freaking massive sack of hitpoints fell asleep, returning to full health after the damaging Low Kick.

Victor's eyes widened. Low Kick. He did have one partner that could wield it, and, he was fast. Speed was the best way to counter a Snorlax. Speed, and damage. "Konoha! I need you!"

The Sceptile appeared kneeling and rose slowly, into a low fighting crouch. "We've never had the chance to find out your Tera Type, have we bud?" The Sceptile gave his Trainer a stoic, backwards side-glance. He nodded. Victor held up his Tera Orb. "What do you say we find out? I'm betting you have the heart of a Fighter."

Red tensed, and readied the counter. Victor threw the orb, and the crowd watched as the Galar Champion rolled the dice.

The problem, was that Victor only knew a part of his new partner's existence. The Sceptile now known as Konoha had been in his final form for a very long time. He'd lived among the forests of Fortree like a ghost, defending its denizens from unwanted capture by Pokédex filling Trainers. At least until Victor had whittled him down, and caught him.

As the power of Terapagos brought out his inner type, Victor smirked. "Seems I underestimated you…you're a lot older than you let on, aren't you my friend." Victor grinned like a maniac. "It's alright! I'll take it! Go! Agility, and Low Kick! Don't stop moving!"

The Sceptile, now looking semi-transparent and wreathed in ghost energy, vanished with the speed its species was known for. A second later, the brutal, spinning Low Kick, more of a Low Tail in this case, smashed into the same leg that Grimm had smashed earlier. Kabi grimaced in his sleep, but kept snoozing.

"Sleep Talk." Red ordered, but unfortunately, the move randomly chosen by Snorlax was an ineffective Snore. Konoha struck twice more, and still asleep, Kabi ate his Sitrus Berry, for all the good it would do. Red grew irritated. "For Muk's sake, wake up already…" But no, his Snorlax rested all five turns, only waking as yet another Low Kick brought his health into the red. As he woke up, Red ordered, "Rest. And dream of Stockpiling!" Nodding, compliant, Kabi fell back asleep.

Konoha's eye twitched as the wall repaired itself to full before his eyes. Though it was subtle, the Sceptile was quite angry. "Good!" Victor shouted, "Use it! Keep up the Low Kicks!"

"Sleep Talk!" Red shouted, and as ordered, Kabi's body flared with defensive power as he dreamed of Stockpiling normal typed energy. Mostly, with large, lengthy inhales. He grunted in his sleep as Konoha Low Kicked him on both ankles.

"Agility! Again!" Victor shouted, grinning. Once again, the Snorlax's health was falling. The round repeated, and the crowd watched in disbelief as Kabi demonstrated his mastery over the realm of dreams. He Stockpiled twice more, after being struck for less damage and hit with a Spore mid-move. Only one Stockpile took effect, but it was enough for the Snorlax to survive the next Low Kick.

And then, the Snorlax woke up.

"Swallow." Red ordered. Kabi did so, returning to full, and becoming rather hangry as his belly became empty. His fists flared with fire and ice energy as he stomped towards Konoha.

"Do not let him hit you!" Victor ordered. "You can still Low Kick! Don't let up!" In terms of move power, Konoha still had half. More than enough to break this wall. The hangriness worried Victor, though. Red had only managed to get his Snorlax this mad a few times…and all of those rounds had ended quickly. But Konoha had watched those battles too. He knew to avoid the fists and watch the surprising speed.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

They had forgotten however, in their frenzy to prepare for facing Red, that all moves were on the table…and as a result pretty much every experienced contender had adjusted their styles accordingly.

"Trailblaze." Red ordered, as Kabi fell face first from another Low Kick. With speed even Konoha couldn't dodge, the Snorlax closed to melee distance. "Now Belch!" Point blank, wide area of effect, and super effective, Konoha staggered back as the raw stomach gases of an empty Snorlax stomach assaulted his nose. Usually tamed by over nine hundred pounds of food, every Snorlax had varying degrees of bad breath. The worse it got, the hungrier they usually were.

"GET OUT OF THERE!" Victor roared, but it was too late. The overpowering narstiness of Snorlax breath had stunned the ghostly Sceptile long enough for the brutal, ice-covered, right hook. Konoha went soaring sideways across the field as ice encased his body, and then smashed into the barrier, bouncing off of it violently and rolling on the ground to a stop. The ice broke, and so did his Terastal Form.

"Start Stockpiling." Red ordered, as Victor brought out his next partner. He had a sneaking suspicion his unbeaten streak was about to be broken by this hangry Snorlax. Yet, as Victor became down by two and the wall looked unbreakable…Kabi fell asleep, not with Rest, but from lingering Spores from Konoha. Apparently he'd detonated a few in the air in case they tried Stockpile again. Kabi got one Stockpile, before falling asleep, and Red panicked. He'd technically already used an item once this round in his irritation, and the ref had counted it. He frantically tried waking the Snorlax up, but Victor saw his opportunity, and acted.

"Gar!" His Gengar appeared with a dark grin, that fell as he saw the scoreboard. "Change of plans." Victor said, raising his Mega Cuff. "Mega Evolve!" Gar nodded, and ascended to his Mega Form with dark enthusiasm at the sleeping Snorlax. Red tried a Sleep Talk, but once more, all it did was a useless Snore. Gar floated right through it, as Victor called the move. "Dream Eater!"

He wasn't taking chances that Kabi remembered he was supposed to be Stockpiling. If they healed again, Victor was done.

Kabi grimaced, the mostly empty stomach not helping with the nightmare he now experienced. Gar had him firmly trapped, and didn't let up on the Dream Eating, until the Snorlax's eyes finally went Poli patterned. He slurped the last of the pink substance into his ghostly maw, snickered at Red, and then sank into the ground, reappearing before Victor well-fed, and at full health.

Red brought out his Espeon next, and the crowd began to murmur, as they finally seemed to notice the change in Red's attitude towards his Pokémon. Poor Eefi was taken down with a single Mega-powered Shadow Ball from the Mega Gengar, and Red seemed to be shaking with rage, as his lead was easily reduced. That was, in fairness, how battles between Champions usually went. More than a one 'mon lead was rare, and Red realized something important in that moment as he belted his Espeon, wished for his real psychic partner, and then brought out his next pick. One thing was clear: he needed this Gengar gone.

"Fushigi." With a flash, arguably the most powerful Venusaur on the planet roared free from his ball, his thick, powerful vines slamming the broken, battered field. "Mega Evolve." Red ordered, and his starter responded instantly. "Sunny Day. Then Solar Beam."

Victor smirked. "Phantom Force. Then use Perish Song."

Red's eyes went wide, as the Gengar dived. The ground began to writhe as the deathly melody poured forth from a piece of the broken field, now possessed by the Gengar. Yet, since his ears were firmly embedded in dirt, he did not hear the song.

But Fushigi did.

Red's eyes, lifeless and dull this entire match, burned to life with a different kind of fire. Rage. Quiet rage. His starter had three turns…and Victor was going to pay for all of them. He swore it, as he saw an ominous, ghostly three appear over Fushigi's head.

"Earth Power. Razor Leaf until it's down."

Fushigi answered the command immediately, and Earth Power had been the right choice of counter. Super effective rock and lava exploded the Gengar out of the dirt, and through the shattered earth and molten rock came a swarm of sharp leaves that despite being resisted, managed to KO the Gengar, as its Mega Form faded.

Victor recalled his partner, fed him an item, and belted him. He needed to stop Fushigi, and no matter who he picked, the Venusaur would be able to damage them effectively. Victor could tell, like most who heard the Perish Song, it was terrified of its imminent fainting. It was one thing to faint during battle…but to know exactly when it was coming was terrifying for most Pokémon.

As Red drew Fushigi's ball to withdraw him, Victor threw, shouting, "Rune! Infestation!" The possessed runestone acted immediately upon appearing, surrounding his target in a swarm of tiny bugs made of energy that began crawling all over the Venusaur

Mr. Parson's voice filled the silence, as Red's partner had his fate sealed. "Oh! Infestation means our former World Champion's partner isn't going anywhere folks! The Perish Count continues to fall!"

Red put the ball back on his belt. Fine. He still had two turns left. "Fushigi…full power." His Mega Venusaur roared, his heightened state of fear of imminent fainting kicking his instincts into overdrive. A green aura surrounded his Mega Form. "Solar Beam."

"Protect!"

Red grimaced, as the Perish Counter dropped to one and Rune tanked the powerful beam with a shield that simply would not break. Red had tried, but Protect remained the strongest defensive barrier known to mankind.

With a resigned sigh, he gave Fushigi his final order of the battle. "Frenzy Plant." Still tired from the Protect, Victor didn't give Rune a counter. The runestone huddled in on itself, as the field erupted with massive vines, that then proceeded to hammer Rune into unconsciousness.

A moment later, Fushigi joined him. Red just stared at his starter for a moment as he recalled him…and then put his ball back on the belt. Now, with the contrast of Victor healing his team so they could at least watch the rest of the match in comfort, the crowd rumbled in an ominous manner as Red drew another ball.

"Red retains his lead folks!" Mr. Parsons narrated, "and Champion Victor only has three Pokémon left! But will they be enough to overcome Red's advantage?"

"Uin." Red said, summoning his Arcanine. Massive, fiery, and raring to go, Red absently scritched the Arcanine's chin, before it trotted onto the field.

Victor was thankful. Fire types, he could handle. "Tank! Your turn!" The stadium erupted as the Blastoise who'd dethroned Leon took the field, and roared while flexing his massive cannons. Red nodded subtly to himself. Tank was at least at the level of Leaf's Blastoise. Maybe even higher. "Mega Evolve!"

The crowd murmured again, but it seemed Victor wasn't relying on Dynamaxing anymore. The incel losers on Chatter had been right about one thing; in a Battle at this level, having a giant target was a detriment. Mega Evolution was just more reliable, infinite, and straight up more beneficial than a Gigantamax. And while one 'mon down, Victor needed every advantage he could get.

"Hydro Pump!"

"Extremespeed."

The Arcanine barked almost happily as four high powered consecutive water jets just barely missed it, leaving more damage on the ruined landscape of the field. As Uin came close though, Victor gave another command. "Iron Defense!"

The Arcanine bounced off its suddenly much harder to damage target. "Now, HYDRO CANNON!" Tank responded immediately, and the Arcanine let out a yelp of pain as the water typed Hyper Beam hammered it across the field. He was slow to get up again, just slow enough for Tank to recover.

"Extremespeed." Red ordered again. The thoroughly rolled Arcanine nodded, caught his breath, and then moved with the wind. Victor did the same trick again as well. It was time to set up his own wall.

"Iron Defense!" Uin bounced off again, but this time was ready for the counter.

"Thunder Fang!" Red ordered, hoping the burning canine could at least land a hit.

"Rapid Spin." Blast spun through the electricity as it barely affected his enhanced defense with a physical move. "Now Mud Shot! Make it a trio!"

Tank spun to a stop, and all three cannons loaded Mud Shots. Though Uin had trained with Leaf's Blastoise, it had not been in its Mega Form, usually. And Tank fired faster than even Leon's Charizard could move. Uin dodged the first one, dancing back from it, but he danced right into Tank's second and third shots, once more barking out as both of them hammered him.

With a small whimper, he fainted. Red grimaced, and the mic picked him up as he said, "…Really? Already?" The dismissive sigh that followed finally got him a response from the crowd he'd never had. Boos. If he'd still been himself, that would've bothered him quite a bit. But now? He had not a single Muk to give.

Once again, he belted his partner and drew the next. "Rai. Get this Blastoise out of the way for us. Mega Evolve." The crowd's boos shifted to concerned murmurs. It had long been thought that Pika was like Ash's Pikachu; for whatever reason, they didn't want to evolve. Now, given this 'new Red', many were concerned he'd done the unthinkable, and evolved his partner anyway. The newly renamed 'Rai' seemed…almost too hyped for Battle, as sparks rolled down his body. Those who also had Raichu could tell this one had been in its ball a lot recently. Also something that Pika had famously disliked.

Red's Raichu ascended to the X strand of its Mega Form. Electromagnetism made it start flying in the air, and Victor stared in disbelief as the Raichu extended an arm forward like some kind of twin tailed super hero, grinning wide, as it shot across the field into a Volt Tackle. Victor countered hard. "Mud Shot! Don't stop firing!"

"Watch where the shots lead you…" Red said quietly, but Rai still heard him. "That's how he got Uin."

Rai dodged the Mud Shots easily, finishing with an entirely unnecessary barrel role. Electricity surged, as Volt Tackle approached its target. Victor countered. "Rock Tomb!" The charging electric mouse crashed through three of them, before the move finally stopped. He lost half his health, while Tank remained mostly undamaged. "Now! Earthquake!"

"Get out of there…" Red growled. The earth opened and churned at Tank's command, but the Mega Raichu had already flown upwards and arced gracefully back through the air, landing intact, if in the yellow. "Mukking finally. Thunder."

"Protect! Then Mud Shot!"

"Protect. Then Thunder again."

The two Mega Pokémon traded moves that did more to the landscape than either Pokémon, but Rai's actually landed first, hammering Tank with a powerful bolt of electric plasma.

But the Mega Blastoise was still intact, leveling his cannons at the electric rat even as he sparked with damage.

"Signature Move!" Victor shouted, and Tank nodded, as the crowd roared. "Hel Geyser!" Tank sank two arm cannons into the ground as his eyes tracked his opponent.

Red grimaced. They could make up moves too. "Rai. We're trying the Railgun."

"Raichu!" He answered enthusiastically as a dark smirk came over his face.

Electricity surged between Raichu's now split, very Pikachu-shaped tails, and the stones around him rose in the air. Then, the field beneath him erupted with steaming water that sparked with intense electric current as it surrounded Rai.

Yet, out of the geyser shot several sparking stones that hammered Tank in the shell, before they discharged deceptively powerful electricity all over Tank. Yet despite that, his main cannon fired a final Mud Shot for good measure, as his Mega Form faded.

Rai came hurtling out of the Hel Geyser, a spinning, condensed ball of ground energy literally rolling him through the air, past Red, where he eventually crashed into the field barrier. Red recalled him without so much as a glance, belted him, and shouted, "Nyoro! We need our lead back."

The Poliwrath that appeared did so kneeling, but his expressive eyes gave away the worry he felt for his Trainer. Especially as his action incited more insistent booing. "Drago!" Victor shouted from across the field. His Dragapult appeared before him, mostly visible. Red swore, inwardly. Just how many ghosts did Victor have? "Mega Evolve!"

Mr. Parson's voice echoed as Infinity Energy flared between Drago and his Trainer. "This is it folks! Poliwrath versus Dragapult! Both Trainers are down to just two Pokémon! Don't blink! This is the moment when Battles like these get decided!"

"Summon the rain." Red ordered. "With your Belly Drum!" Nyoro inhaled, and then began beating on his spiral chest, the low thumps thundered through the stadium, and the skies darkened above the field. A faint smirk appeared on Red's lips, as he burned his Max Potion on his first Pokémon, leaving him at full health and maxed attack power, in a weather condition that would constantly raise his speed.

It didn't matter that the pseudo-legend ghost dragon was now a floating intangible missile platform. It didn't matter, the absurd difference in their base stats. Red knew they could win…he paused…but why did he know that? His Poliwrath looked back at his Trainer, as no order came. "Poli!"

Victor didn't wait.

"Yeet Seeking Barrage!"

Mega Dragapult roared as a swarm of Dreepy launched from its larger head, with every single one locked on to Nyoro.

They curved wildly through the air, shrieking their name and trailing smoke, but Red did act, eventually. He'd decided it didn't matter how he knew they could surmount these odds. They'd done it before. They'd do it again. "Blizzard. Then Ice Punch."

Victor smirked slightly. If they could burn through the Ice Punches…they'd win this round. Drago had more than enough Dreepy missiles for that. "Again! Continue the barrage!"

"Keep countering." Red ordered. And Nyoro did so, flawlessly smashing each Dreepy after breathing out a Blizzard on them.

Ty was the only one with Mr. Parsons for this match, and they'd been going back and forth with the usual commentary that both Champions had been tuning out, during the intense Battle.

"It's a true stalemate. What do you think Ty? Who wins this contest of endurance?"

"It's hard to predict." Ty answered as he stroked his chin stubble. "Logic would favor the Dragon Type…but you know I'm a Red fan. That Poliwrath has been Battling for over thirty years now. I wouldn't bet against him. Or, usually I wouldn't…but this… 'new Red' is brute forcing this match. That, and luck, are what has helped him stay ahead so far. It's just a matter of time until Victor presses the attack though…and there it is!"

"Draco Meteor! Then add another barrage!" Victor shouted, and since the barrage classified as a physical attack, burning special attack power was fine by Victor.

The Draco Meteor presaged the swarm of Dreepy missiles, and the already strained Poliwrath had to use even more power from Ice Punch just to survive. But he did not tire, nor did he become sloppy. His feet moved constantly, and every single powerful punch landed on a high speed Dreepy, or a Draco Meteor fragment.

As the barrage ended, Red smirked. "Good. Now Surf over and let it in close…"

Victor grimaced. "Phantom Force…keep away from it and use another Draco Meteor."

Drago dove into the field as Nyoro Surfed over and hit nothing. As the Draco Meteor soared into the sky, Red gave the counter. "Ice Beam. Enough playing around." The beam struck the dragon energy based attack, all but cancelling it out. "Remember your training…and Ice Beam the field!"

Once the craters were full of steaming, freshly made ice, Nyoro fell into a fighting stance. Red gave another command. "Blizzard!"

Now with his speed fully raised, the Rain Dance turned into a hail storm. When Drago appeared, it would suffer from all the ice. Or so Red thought.

"Funny thing about ghosts…" Victor started, "At least in Galar, our Dreepy live in the water…and so do their mums. Now, Drago! Don't stop diving!"

Like a Finizen in the surf, Drago broke through the ice with his intangibility, hammering the Poliwrath in his back. But by the time Nyoro turned, he was under again, hiding from the raging snowstorm.

"Tighten your focus." Red ordered. "Build the power…wait for the jump…NOW!"

Nyoro turned, striking beautifully as a ghost energy-wreathed Drago lunged again. Red called the move. "Focus Chop! Don't let up."

Drago's eyes bulged as he felt the dark energy surge into his throat. He went rolling across the field, but as he recovered his breath and began another Phantom Force, Nyoro was there. Drago sank electric fangs into Nyoro's arm, as the Poliwrath chopped him again.

The field exploded with colliding moves, and in the fading smoke and dust, both Pokémon were revealed, fainted.

"The round is a draw! Both Trainers, please bring out your final Pokémon!" The referee shouted after making the call.

Once again, Red didn't hesitate. "Nido." With a roar that shook the air and ground both, a powerful Nidoking appeared on the field. Almost immediately, his thick, clear poison appeared on the tips of every horn on his body. He cracked his armored fists together, already snorting and ready to charge something.

Victor swore. He only had one left that could contend with that poisonous mountain of armor plating…but that ground typing was going to probably beat them. Super effectiveness and a same type attack bonus usually won out.

Victor raised his final ball over his head. If he was going home a failure, he was going big. "Gigantamax!"

The fast paced beats of his homeland once again thumped through the stadium, as Rajah appeared. He grew, expanding in size and shifting form as he became Gigantamaxed. Now standing on two legs, easily as tall as a skyscraper, and with a trunk almost as thick and large, Rajah roared.

Red smirked. "Go. Earthquake!"

The challenge echoed in Nido's ears, then came Red's voice. "Trust your instincts, Nido. Out of everyone on this team…yours are the sharpest. Fire. Ground. Fighting. Use those Types of Moves…and Win." Red finished by pointing at the Copperajah, and Nido looked back at his Trainer, then nodded slowly. Back in the day, when Nido had gone a bit too hard in a certain evil team's secret casino base, only to get absolutely bodied by their leader's own Nidoking, Red had ended up putting him in the Box for a time afterwards.

He had, until recently, regularly rotated his team in road battles…but he'd always kept Nido on a short leash with his damned psychic cat. Now…he was off the leash, the cat had been absolutely rolled, and he had the chance to go all out against a Pokémon as tall as a human building.

This was a good day.

As Nido charged across the field straight into a Drill Run, Victor countered. "Max Quake!" The Galar Champion smirked. "You know what comes next."

Despite being in tune with ground energy, Nido was still weak to it, and his Drill Run lost focus as the scarred battlefield, once an idyllic landscape, now looking very much war-torn, shattered even further, becoming a sea of stone that crushed Nido within it.

The Nidoking changed tactics, letting the earth devour him as he instead used Dig, and moved through it. He surged up between the titanic copper packyderm's body and hammered his midsection, before diving back into the ground. Victor didn't wait. "G-Max Steelsurge!"

An explosion of steel spikes covered every inch of the field, including the shattered parts of it, and Nido was violently forced up and out of his Dig as the entire field became covered in steel spikes that could pierce even his armor. If he stepped on them wrong. Just moving was going to incur damage, now.

Nido charged anyway, more stubborn than a Rhydon as he entered another Drill Run, and spun a path through the spikes with effective damage. He struck Rajah hard enough to make the titan stumble, but Victor was ready with the counter. Contrary to popular belief, Copperajah actually had pretty bad defensive stats. What it did have, was hit points. And Gigantamaxing made it sturdy enough to rival Snorlax.

Victor grimaced. They were about to give up that Dynamaxing bonus. And then the match would end. It was a new feeling, knowing that the events of the next few minutes would either see him rise, or finally mark his record with a loss. He hadn't felt this…apprehension against Leon, Hop, or anyone else back home. Even Sifu Mustard, while intense, had not inspired this ominous feeling. He held the world record for the longest win streak…but if anyone could break it, it'd be Red.

"Max Mindstorm!" Victor ordered, making the most strategic play he could. Nido roared in pain as the circular psychic rings of power hammered him, and his mind. But the poisonous purple titan was nowhere near done.

As the field became Weird, and Rajah returned to normal, his defenses rose. Red didn't hold back. Apparently, the legend was tired of this Battle. "Full power, Nido." The faintest of smirks appeared on his face. "Let's show Unova a real Earthquake."

"Don't let them build up!" Victor shouted, "Zen Headbutt!"

Weirdness coalesced around Rajah, as he charged Nido. The Nidoking was now glowing with a visible aura of light brown energy, raising his arms slowly as the entire stadium complex began to shudder from the level one hundred ground type's best move.

"This might be the finale folks! Hold on to your valuables!" The crowd roared, as they were all in on an epic finale between two top tier Trainers. This is what World Stadium fans, people from all regions of the world, came to see.

As Red watched his partner giving his best, his opponent, and his partner, doing their best, he sensed a growing sense of what he classified as dread.

He felt nothing. No strain, no anticipation, no thrill. If Nido lost, he wouldn't care. If Nido won, he wouldn't care.

If he claimed victory and broke the world's longest win streak…he knew he should've felt something. Sadness, apprehension, anything. But he didn't. He hadn't throughout the match. Not meaningfully.

The two titans collided, as Rajah's mountain-moving trunk smashed into fists radiating ground energy. For a few seconds, the world was in complete chaos as reality shook from both the Earthquake and the shockwave of two Pokémon in their prime, and both Trainer boxes flared as the shields were tested. Naturally, their commentators were in awe.

"It's too early to tell who won that clash folks, but we can confirm from being here live, that collision was massive! Easily on par with the Dragon Emperor's team!"

"Nah." Ty said, adjusting his hat, and pants, picking up his chair. "Redwood hasn't hit that level yet…but in fairness, we also haven't seen his heaviest hitters yet."

Once the dust began to clear, Mr. Parsons continued, "It looks like…"

He was interrupted, as a furious roar parted the dust with the force of the sound it made. There, one massive foot atop his opponent, was the Nidoking raised by Red, damaged, in the red, but alive. Conscious. Victorious. And he knew it.

Nido raised both arms as the crowd roared in approval. He roared back at them and flexed. Thousands of Rotom Phones began capturing the pose and the Nidoking ate up the well-won adulation.

Red almost recalled him…but a small voice in his mind suggested he not, just yet. Nido had worked hard for that win after all.

Red let the ball flop back down as his arm lost the will to stay raised, and he looked at the ground. Victory brought nothing. Changed nothing. He couldn't deny it anymore, then.

Something was deeply wrong with his brain.

His first instinct was to go to Professor Oak to get help…but then with the barest tinge of sadness he remembered, the man who'd started him on his journey was dead, and had been for some time now. Gary would be of no help.

He thought of who else might be able to help, and his thoughts were interrupted as he realized Nido had stomped over, eyes hopeful for praise, a smile, some kind of emotion from his friend. His ears fell, as he saw that hard, lifeless look in Red's eyes was entirely unchanged.

He spoke quietly, as he met Nido's gaze. "...Well done, Nido. All of you. You all…fought a lot harder than me. I'm sorry…I don't know what's wrong with me…but…I think…I think I am glad you're still willing to be my partners." Red didn't know if he truly was. But he wanted to be. And that would have to be enough.

Red glanced up as Nido rumbled his name in surprise, and then as he blinked, Red realized a single tear had fallen down one cheek. He faked a smile at Nido. "I'll be alright…take a rest. All of you."

And with that, he sprinkled some Sacred Ash from Ho Oh over each of his team, fully reviving them before he left the stadium through the red tunnel.

Victor meanwhile had quietly recalled Rajah, and promptly left. He didn't even get a minute to process before his media coordination agent, assigned by the League Chairman, met him in the tunnel. Their features were a bit generic, but their aura was always professional.

"Victor. That was a good Battle."

"No." Victor said, sternly. "It wasn't. I was unlucky, and Red was…not himself. Even on his worst day, Red can beat me. Seems the haters were right." Victor wasn't the type to cry, but this was a point of pride. Leon had warned it might happen, and thus, had prepared them accordingly.

The agent pushed their glasses up, and shook their head. "No." They said just as sternly. "Red was off…but you fought well. Sometimes, you just end up at a disadvantage. Red was skilled enough to take advantage of all the favorable Type matchups. Despite his…mental state. Either way, those wastes of DNA on Chatter are not right. They're never right, as a rule. Now. Let's go over what you're going to say."

Victor nodded as they began their spiel. Good Battle. Honored to be here. The usual. "When you mention Red…" The agent sighed, "This is a direct advisory from the Chairman. Mention that he was…off. Not himself. Not the Trainer we know."

Victor grimaced. "Leon wants me…to call out a Legend like Red?"

The agent gave him a look. "You didn't face the Legend today. You faced his dark shadow. Personally…my guess is all the carnage he saw when the Arceans cut a swathe through Japan has left a mark on his mind. That, or fusing with an incomplete Mewtwo. Or both. Either way…you're not lying."

The Flagship Enterprise, Deck 10, Forward Section 1 - Somewhere Between Earth and Mars

"The Trainer I faced today…was not the Red we know." Champion Victor of Galar said, and the crew of the Enterprise nodded in solemn agreement. "The way he treated his partners…not even healing them until the end, let alone thanking them for their serious, tireless efforts…it's just not how Red operates. Not the Red I know. I hope those close to him can get him whatever help he needs to sort out…whatever he's dealing with. No more questions, thank you."

Alex Redwood nommed the last of his chocolate sundae and shared a look with their Captain, a rather remarkable Pikachu who was, he had learned, a certified adventurer, explorer, and world traveler. "I can't say he's wrong. Something is off with Red. Did Rai seem upset, to you?"

Alex heard three responses, Captain Pikachu's actual voice, his own translation, and the translation made by the device pinned to the Pikachu's form-fitting red shirt. "He didn't. If anything…he seemed pent up. Almost too eager to Battle…but Mega Forms are always like that…"

Thankfully, the translation and the Harmonia's gift translated at the same time, and usually were a one-to-one match in terms of accuracy.

"But he wasn't in pain." Alex stated. "His bond with Red was intact. The Mega Form wasn't imperfect and painful." Captain Pikachu nodded, as he finished his banana split.

Just then, Computer beeped three times, just shamelessly copying Pokétrek as it got Alex's attention. "Dragon Emperor. Captain. The Enterprise has arrived at our destination…and Security Officer Riker says you're needed on the Bridge. Both of you."

"Thanks, Computer." Alex looked at the Captain. "Need a shoulder to ride?"

Captain Pikachu accepted with a small smile, and together, the two made their way to the main bridge. Before them, was the crimson expanse of the Red Planet. Mars.

The home of a civilization capable of keeping multiple planets in perfect alignment seemingly indefinitely.

"What's the situation Riker?" He asked.

The former Prison Warden saluted. "Sir! The Martians seem to be expecting our arrival…the problem is…we're not the only ones who just arrived. The Imperium is here too…they rebuilt their fleet, and…pull up their flagship, Ensign."

The person manning the viewer pulled up an enhanced view of the Imperium flagship. Alex grimaced, and tapped his communicator. "Professor Friede. What did you say the Imperator classically names the ships that carry him personally?"

Friede's somewhat distracted voice answered over the comm. "He names them after his now deceased Rapidash. Bucephalus. Without fail. Why…?"

Alex thanked the man, didn't answer his question, and grimaced as he'd all but confirmed what they were looking at. "Captain…alert level orange. Stand ready to raise the shields in an instant. Do not go within firing range of that fleet under any circumstance. I'm going down alone. Again; do Not fire back at them, even if they attack. You're to abandon me on the surface if necessary, and get the crew and the ship somewhere safe. Understand?"

Captain Pikachu gave him a hard look, but nodded slowly. At that moment, Friede made it to the deck. Glancing at the viewer, he grimaced. "I knew it. You're not suicidal enough to go down there alone, are you?"

"We're at peace with the Imperium now, Professor. I'll be fine. And in the event that negotiations turn…hostile…I can get myself off the planet." Friede's eyes widened in surprise as the only other breathable planet was quite far away, and Alex nodded. "Yes. I'm that strong. Stand by, keep your distance, and stay in orbit. I'll be back soon with a SitRep of the surface."

In a flash of pink, he vanished, leaving Friede looking at Cap. They smirked in unison. "I thought the leaders weren't supposed to beam down to the planets."

Cap shrugged. "He's Teleporting, not beaming. I know better than to bet against a Psychic's intuition. You heard the Emperor! Alert level Orange!" The Pikachu whirled on his crew in his spinning captain's chair with a paw raised authoritatively, and orange lights throughout the ship flared to life.

With that, Alex Teleported to the airlock, one of the ones with a suit large enough for him, but all he took was the helmet. The rest of his armor was vacuum-sealed and capable of existing safely in space. Without preamble, he hit the lock and shot into space. There wasn't much of an atmosphere, so entering Mars was a lot less fiery than Earth re-entry.

Once he was in the clear skies of the red planet, finding his destination was as simple as flying toward the largest concentration of minds. Oddly enough, on the entire planet, there was only one massive concentration of minds, one city, one capital. And they were waiting for him.

Spires of triangular shape rose around a perfectly geometrical city, and yet despite its uniformity, it was also as chaotic as every other city humans had ever made. Forges burned with multicolored lights, strange metallic spheres with unnervingly human faces floated through the spires, the only things of note also in the air, and the people didn't walk, but were rather moved along like an assembly line to their assigned tasks. He had to admit, there was a serious lack of traffic, which meant whatever mind had created this metropolis was on a different level.

Strange, metallic…whooping filled the air, as Alex approached a large gathering of what looked like people, from above. As he descended, he realized his Martian cousins had more in common with the people of Luna than Earthlings.

Like the Selenar, the Martians had heavily augmented themselves with machinery, but theirs was more…rough. The sandstorms of Mars were likely a problem for their prosthetics.

He felt, to his surprise, a psychic pull, and intent, guiding him towards a specific spot, not with force, but more like…a directional guide. He decided to follow it, landing on a large round platform set before a crowd of crimson hooded Martians, and a smaller group of what must have been their leaders.

One of them stepped towards him, and made an ungodly shriek in what seemed to be some sort of speech. He felt his translator vibrating under his armor as it struggled to translate. Alex decided to speak first, and removed his helmet before he bowed low, fist to palm.

"Hello there! I am Alexander Redwood, representing the Dragon Empire of Earth. I come in peace." He finished speaking as he resumed standing, helmet under his arm.

The lead figure held up a hand, the universal gesture for 'stop' or 'wait'. More shrieking followed, but the more he listened, the more Alex was able to make out, as the shrieking became Common.

"…iiiirrrrreeeeeeiiiiii-initializing Old Tongue translation. Updating. Error. Update Adobe.Package.Exe. Error 404. Reinitializing. Searching for updates. Updates downloaded. Installing. English language update complete. Error. Modern Designation: Common. Reassigning." The figure seemed to shudder, and then stood tall once again, and in perfect Common said, "Greetings Dragon Emperor. I am Head Priest of the Omnissiah, Fabricator-General Kelbor-Hal, representing the Mechanicum of Forge World of Mars. If you will indulge me, our other guests are also arriving…Now."

Alex blinked. "Other…guests?" Then, said guests stopped hiding their aura.

It felt like a Pokémon Mega Evolving right behind him, magnified a hundred times stronger, and he whirled, hand on Lux, only to pause, as he saw a pair of golden drop pods shrieking through the sky. One was small, but the other was orders of magnitude larger.

The smaller one landed first. A ramp lowered from the side facing them, shifting into stairs as other pieces of the pod deployed, and raised it, while also stabilizing it.

Alex smirked lightly, as a figure he recognized hobbled down the ramp, his burning two headed Ho Oh staff looming high above him, burning with the flaming golden aura of the One he served.

"Stand ready for His arrival!" Malcador, the Sigillite, shouted, his voice, not at all unlike Alex's own, reaching all present with ease. "The Master of All Mankind." His staff thumped. "The Strongest Living Psyker on Terra!" Thump. "The Imperator…of Man!"

At that exact moment, the larger pod finally landed, shaking the ground. Like the first, a ramp descended, and from it came a titan of a 'human' clad in armor so ridiculously powerful Alex, Psi, and Atlas all felt nauseous if they stared at it too long.

Fifteen feet tall and radiating Light, the Imperator of Mankind descended to stand beside His right hand.