Pryce took one heavy, deliberate step after another toward the shrine. The emerald radiance pulsing from the altar resonated perfectly with the GS Ball in his hand.
"Celebi, help me traverse time!" he commanded again.
A ripple in space-time erupted from the shrine, expanding until it formed a human-sized portal.
"Masked Man! I won't let your plot succeed!"
Just as Pryce was about to enter, a sudden gust of wind tore through the clearing. A billiard cue struck his face with pinpoint accuracy, flicking away the mask and hood to reveal the weathered, stern face of Pryce, the Mahogany Gym Leader.
"Pryce... it's actually Pryce," Gold stammered, unable to believe that the most powerful underground leader in Johto was the respected old man he knew.
"So, you've discovered me," Pryce said, standing up. He tapped his cane rhythmically, causing pillars of ice to erupt and shatter into several perfect ice-clones that surrounded Gold and Silver. "It doesn't matter now. My goal is within reach."
"Do not disturb my reunion with Lapras. Ho-Oh, Lugia—kill them all!"
With those words, Pryce stepped into the temporal ripple. Gold broke through the circle of ice-clones and lunged after him.
"Gold!!" Silver screamed.
Gold turned back, flashing a cocky, signature pose. "Don't worry about me. I'm stopping him for good!" He dived into the portal, which vanished instantly behind him.
The Illusion of the Past
Feng Che watched the disappearance with a calm, almost pitying gaze.
Poor Pryce, he thought. Even if he reaches that moment in the past, he cannot change Lapras's fate. Celebi's power alone isn't enough to rewrite history; it can only allow one to witness it.
Pryce would be able to see his Lapras through the cracks of time, but he would never be able to touch them. He carried the "scent" of the future, while they lived in the past. Like two parallel lines, they could never overlap. Only Dialga, the Dragon of Time, possessed the true power to alter the timeline, but Dialga was a far more elusive god than Celebi.
I just hope the music player I hid on Gold's person plays that specific song at the right time. Maybe music can reach the heart that logic cannot.
The Rainbow Hero's Duty
"Now," Feng Che said, clapping his hands. "It's time to perform my duty as the Rainbow Hero. Ho-Oh, Lugia... let me wake you up."
The Three Legendary Beasts—Entei, Raikou, and Suicune—stepped out from Shaymin's Life Garden, their auras flaring.
"Stay sharp. The Ho-Oh avatar and Lugia have lost their sanity; they are mere puppets of raw power now," Feng Che warned. "They are capable of world-ending destruction. Mewtwo, I need your support from the shadows. Everyone else—go! Intercept them!"
The sky turned into a nightmare. Dark clouds blotted out the sun, the earth groaned with tremors, and jagged, endless lightning filled the atmosphere. It was a harbinger of the end.
The Ho-Oh avatar beat its wings, raining down molten gold Sacred Fire. Lugia surrounded itself with a localized hurricane, dozens of wind pillars tearing through the Ilex Forest. Their combined roars sent a physical shockwave that shredded the leaves of the ancient trees.
KABOOM!
A Sacred Fire clashed with an Aeroblast, creating a fusion explosion that sent a mushroom cloud rising from the forest floor. A visible shockwave flattened the surrounding trees, leaving nothing but charred, black earth in its wake. Only the central shrine remained standing, protected by its own emerald space-time ward.
The Final Stand
"We won't let you near the shrine! Master Pryce's wish will be fulfilled!" Will and Karen shouted, protected from the blast by the lingering power of the Rainbow and Silver wings.
"Ho-Oh, Sacred Fire! Lugia, Aeroblast! Do it again!"
"Incineroar, Ninetales—absorb that Sacred Fire! Don't let the forest burn!" Feng Che commanded. "Gyarados, Greninja—Rain Dance! Douse the flames!"
"Corviknight, Aerodactyl, Togekiss—distract them! Gengar, use Mean Look so they can't flee! Alolan Ninetales, Sirfetch'd—full power attack! Flygon, turn the ground to Sand Tomb and wait for my signal!"
The battle turned into a chaotic clash of titans. While Feng Che's team held the line, the true heavy lifting was being done by Mewtwo's invisible psychic barriers, which neutralized the worst of the divine collateral damage.
"Espeon, use Psychic!" Will yelled. "Umbreon, Dark Pulse! Attack the trainer!" Karen added.
Suddenly, Red, Blue, and Green arrived at the clearing. They didn't come alone. Green had somehow summoned the Three Legendary Birds—Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres.
"We're here to help!" Blue shouted as they each mounted a bird, diving into the fray to strike at the rampaging Ho-Oh and Lugia.