The mountain groaned.
Concrete cracked.
Steel beams screamed.
Dust fell like ash.
Facility Countdown
[SELF-CONTAINMENT PURGE ACTIVE][TIME REMAINING: 09:42]
Three glowing Anchor Gates floated before them.
Each leading somewhere different.
Gate One — Escape RouteSurface tunnels. Fastest exit.
Gate Two — Prison SectorLife-signs detected.
Gate Three — Command CoreDr. Elias Voss.
Sarah looked at Ben.
"…We can't do all three."
The Second Variable remained expressionless.
"Incorrect."
Ben looked at him.
The boy raised his hand.
"Not alone."
A New Proposal
Three anchor projections formed in the air.
Split operations.
Parallel execution.
Ben's eyes narrowed.
"…You can maintain three pathways at once?"
"Barely."
A pause.
"…And if one fails, all fail."
Trust Test
Sarah looked uneasy.
"You're asking us to trust you?"
The boy looked at her.
"…No."
Then at Ben.
"I'm asking him."
Ben's Choice
Silence.
Heavy.
Critical.
Then—
Ben smiled slightly.
"…Fine."
Sarah blinked.
"That was fast."
Ben shrugged.
"We already fought for the fate of existence together."
A pause.
"…This is smaller."
The Second Variable almost smiled.
Almost.
Mission Split
Ben pointed.
"Sarah—you take Prison Sector."
Sarah nodded instantly.
"Gardevoir, with me."
Ben looked at the newly stabilized Arcanine.
"…Can you run?"
Arcanine rose.
Flames reignited.
Stronger.
Ready.
Ben smiled.
"Good."
Assignments
Sarah + Gardevoir → Prison Sector
Second Variable → Command Core
Ben + Charizard + Doublade + Arcanine → Reactor
The boy frowned slightly.
"…That wasn't one of the choices."
Ben smirked.
"Exactly."
"If the reactor blows, none of the other choices matter."
The Second Variable's Reaction
A brief pause.
Then—
"…Acceptable."
Anchor Gates opened.
All three teams moved.
Route One — Prison Sector
Sarah sprinted through dim corridors.
Cells lined both walls.
Inside—
Pokémon.
Dozens.
Some flickering.
Some sedated.
Some frightened.
Sarah's fists tightened.
"…What did they do to you…"
System Scan
[LIFE SIGNS: 47][TEMPORAL INSTABILITY: MODERATE]
"Gardevoir—unlock all containment fields!"
Psychic energy surged.
Doors began opening.
Route Two — Command Core
The Second Variable walked calmly through burning corridors.
Security drones attacked.
Without looking—
Anchor chains erased them from his path.
Precise.
Efficient.
Cold.
Ahead—
Voss waited.
Smiling.
Route Three — Reactor Core
Ben burst through a steel blast door.
Heat slammed into them.
The reactor tower glowed unstable red.
Anchor crystals—
Hundreds—
Embedded into machinery.
Forced resonance.
Ben's expression darkened.
"…He's using anchors as fuel."
System Warning
[REACTOR CASCADE: 68%][ESTIMATED DETONATION: 07:13]
Sarah's voice crackled through comms.
"Ben—there are kids here."
He froze.
"…What?"
"Not just Pokémon."
"Human test subjects."
Silence.
Then—
Ben's voice dropped.
"…Get them out."
Ben's Fury
The reactor pulsed.
Ben clenched his fists.
Charizard's flames rose instantly.
Even Doublade vibrated with rage.
Arcanine growled deeply.
Ben looked up.
"…No more holding back."
Reactor Stabilization Attempt
Ben placed both hands on the anchor crystal network.
Instant pain.
Thousands of forced sync signals slammed into his mind.
Failed experiments.
Broken bonds.
Pain.
Fear.
Abandonment.
He screamed—
But didn't let go.
System Overload
[WARNING: INPUT EXCEEDS SAFE LIMITS][SYNC HOLDER DAMAGE PROBABILITY: 81%]
Charizard stepped closer.
Then Arcanine.
Then Doublade.
Their energies joined his.
Distributed Sync — Expanded
Ben's aura exploded outward.
For the first time—
Not with one Pokémon.
Not with a team.
But with multiple species simultaneously.
New System Output
[MULTI-BOND RESONANCE DETECTED][NEW STATE: PACK SYNC]
The reactor began slowing.
Red…
Orange…
Yellow…
Meanwhile — Command Core
Voss watched monitors calmly.
The Second Variable entered.
"…You stayed."
Voss smiled.
"I wanted to see which path you'd choose."
The boy's eyes hardened.
"…Wrong question."
Anchor chains appeared.
"…You should've asked if I'd forgive you."
Cliffhanger
The mountain shook violently.
Ben's Pack Sync rose.
Sarah freed the final prisoners.
The Second Variable attacked.
And deep inside the reactor—
One final crystal—
Black.
Unlike the others.
Began to awaken.
System Alert
[UNKNOWN ANCHOR CORE DETECTED][OBSERVER RESONANCE… ACTIVE]
Ben's eyes widened.
"…No…"
The black crystal opened—
And something inside—
Opened its eye.