Inside the main headquarters of Sendoff Spring, positioned directly in front of the ominous portal to the Distortion World, which was held open by obsidian monoliths covered in ancient engravings, Cynthia read through the report handed to her by a League scientist, her frown deepening with every page she turned.
"I'm not even going to ask how accurate this is," Cynthia said with a sigh as she tossed the report onto the table. "How much time do we have left?"
"Anywhere from a decade to a century at most."
"Why is the range so wide?"
"A decade is the worst-case scenario, assuming the Legendary Pokémon give up and flee. A century is our best estimate if we stop at nothing to delay the inevitable and everything goes our way."
Cynthia stared at him in disbelief.
"Any chance we can go back to the time when we thought we had millennia?"
"I'm afraid not." The scientist shook his head. "Our earlier calculations were quite mistaken. The presence of the Legendary Pokémon has been causing too much interference with our readings, making it difficult to determine the true rate of its consumption."
"And now?"
"Now that we've had enough time to gather more accurate readings by eliminating variable spikes due to their attacks, we can finally see the pattern." He hesitated before continuing. "The black hole isn't consuming the dimension at a constant rate. It appears to be expanding exponentially, starting from an infinitesimally small rate of growth."
"Why? No... how?"
"We believe it has something to do with familiarity. The more it interacts with its surroundings, the more familiar it becomes with it. That familiarity seems to be accelerating its ability to consume the surrounding space."
Cynthia's expression darkened.
"How much time can my Arceus buy us? It's already reached the same rank as those three. Adding its strength to theirs should at least slow it down back to normal."
"It doesn't work like that," the scientist said with a weary sigh. "We can assume the black hole is already familiar with Arceus's energy from its previous attempts to destroy it. Because of that, your Arceus's additional power won't counteract the exponential increase of its consumption."
"Then how much?"
"A linear increase at best. Maybe a few decades. We've already accounted for that in our best-case scenario, along with the possibility of closing the portal to the Distortion World."
Cynthia clenched her jaw.
"What do you want me to do, then?" she asked, a hint of anger creeping into her voice. "I've already been doing everything I can to prevent these Shadow Pokémon from entering our world. You've all spent decades researching this threat, trying to find a way to stop it. What else, exactly, do you want from me by telling me all of this?"
"As someone who has gone above and beyond in serving the League, we're simply giving you a heads-up on the situation."
"Those bastards at the top are planning to abandon this universe, aren't they?" Cynthia asked with a scowl. "They probably want me to sacrifice myself while they close the portal behind me, buying themselves as much time as possible."
"I'm not privy to their plans," the scientist replied carefully. "But the possibility has certainly come up in our private discussions since this report was circulated."
"Bastards!" Cynthia cursed, slamming her fist down on the table.
It was bad enough that she was tied down here, unable to deal with the criminals in the Grand Underground who were turning her region into a cesspool of crime, practically making it the best place to be a criminal. Now she was expected to throw her life away for the politicians sitting comfortably at the top.
The worst part was that she had already decided to do it.
Not for their sake, but for the sake of her region and the innocent people across the world who had no idea what was about to happen to them. If sacrificing herself could buy them more time, then she would do it.
She also needed to give the trainers here as much time as possible. Maybe someone could find a permanent solution if they were given enough time to search for one.
It was a slim chance, but it was still a chance. As long as there was even the slightest possibility of solving this problem for good, Cynthia was willing to make the sacrifice.
"Who else will have access to this report?" Cynthia asked, deliberately shifting her attention away from her own fate. "I doubt you'd allow anyone else to read it, given the immense panic and chaos that would follow."
It was almost guaranteed that every Master ranked trainer who learned the truth would do everything in their power to delay the inevitable, even if that meant fleeing to another dimension. They had the lifespan to survive for centuries, so unlike ordinary people, they had every reason to fear being swallowed by a black hole. Worse, some might turn to crime once they realized what was coming, stealing as many resources as they could before abandoning the world.
After all, the League estimated that more than half of the trainers who never returned from dimensional expeditions hadn't actually died. They might have simply escaped to safer worlds.
"It will be shared with the Gym Leaders, as well as trainers who have earned a high level of trust with the League and those with the greatest potential to either delay or eliminate this threat. We also have a list of individuals whose Pokémon combinations could potentially work, but they need time to grow into their full power."
"Those with Mythical or multiple Legendary Pokémon, like me?"
"Yes."
"Aren't there too many of them? Once this report reaches the lower ranks, chaos will ensue."
"Which is why we intend to delay the release of this information until the last possible moment."
"You mean until the higher-ups have a solid escape plan?"
"Like I said, I'm not privy to their plans."
"Whatever. You're dismissed."
"Yes, ma'am," the scientist said before leaving.
Cynthia slumped in her chair, the weight of everything she had just learned settling onto her shoulders. If the black hole didn't kill her, the stress of dealing with it certainly would.
"You look like shit," Volkner said as he entered the room after the scientist left.
"You can say that again." Cynthia sighed as she sat up.
"What happened?"
"Can't talk about it. Classified." She paused before continuing. "I'm heading to the frontlines, so I need you to take over here."
"What do you mean?"
"My Arceus is powerful enough. It's time it helped Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina hold back that black hole."
Volkner's expression immediately turned serious.
"Is it that bad already?"
"Can't say."
"It's even worse?!" Volkner exclaimed.
"Are you going to take command or not?" Cynthia asked, clearly growing impatient.
"Yeah, yeah. Leave it to me."
"Thanks."
Cynthia stood and headed for the door, unwilling to waste precious time. There was no point dwelling on what she had learned. The black hole was still there, and Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina were still fighting to hold it back.
If she was going to sacrifice herself for this world, she might as well make sure it took as long as possible.
She had a century at best.
She intended to make every second count.
-----
In another universe, in the Kalos region's Arche Valley, Ghris was peacefully tending to his small garden when a breathless messenger came rushing toward him.
"You were right, Ghris. Dahara Village's new benefactor has gone on a rampage."
Ghris sighed heavily as he quickly placed his pail among his gardening tools.
"I knew nothing good would come from such an overly generous being. I'll set off right away."
"You have to hurry! People are dying as we speak."
"I know."
Ghris quickly entered his home, grabbed several special items, and covered himself with his cloak before stepping outside. He then pulled a special pink plate from beneath his cloak. Known as the Mind Plate, it was an item capable of channeling powerful Psychic energy.
Ghris held the plate tightly in his hand and focused his will upon it, wishing, praying its power to manifest.
The plate responded to his will.
Powerful Psychic energy erupted from it and quickly enveloped his body before he vanished.
When Ghris regained his bearings, he was shocked by the scene before him. Dahara Village was in chaos, but the destruction was not as widespread as he had expected. Instead, most of the fighting was taking place in the skies above the village, where numerous powerful beings clashed with enough force to send catastrophic waves of energy through the air.
In the distance, the so-called benefactor of Dahara Village was outnumbered and overwhelmed, desperately fighting against numerous beings of equally overwhelming strength. Despite its power, the benefactor was being steadily pushed back.
Ghris tightened his grip on the three other plates hidden beneath his cloak, the Splash, Flame, and Earth Plates. He had brought them with him to contain the being if necessary, but judging from the battle unfolding before him, that might no longer be necessary.
Then he spotted someone else in the middle of the chaos.
A lone human stood among the fighting, dressed in strange attire and wearing a hungry look on his face. Ghris immediately sensed that there was something dangerous about him. The man's aura was dark and menacing, and despite being surrounded by beings of overwhelming strength, he showed no fear.
Ghris didn't know who the man was or whether he could be allowed to gain control over Dahara Village's benefactor. One thing, however, was certain. Regardless of what decision he made, Ghris wasn't confident that he could stop the man if things went wrong.