With the Pokémon Rangers patrolling Haven Academy, Ruby and the others had spread out around the Mistral region to search for the Cult of Salem. Yang was flying around on Celica, roaming over the many towns of the region in case she found a place that could potentially serve as their hideout. Weiss went around Haven City investigating possible leads with the names on the invite list. Blake had gone to the Wind Path since she was the least likely of the group to be considered suspicious.

The Swords and Ruby were scouting the wild areas just outside of Haven Academy. Cobalion insisted on staying close by to the orbs in case the three criminals converged on the Academy as everyone assumed they had planned. Everyone was communicating on their scrolls to keep up to date on their status.

"Any updates, girls?" asked Church.

"Nothing on my end," said Yang.

"No luck here either," said Weiss.

"If they were hiding here," said Blake, "they appear to be long gone."

"How about you, Ruby?" asked Church.

"The Swords can't sense them coming," said Ruby. "Maybe they're waiting to attack us at night?"

"Doubt it. It's not like we're going to be any less guarded overnight."

"All right. If anyone finds something, let us know." Ruby continued to scout the perimeter of the Academy walls when she bumped into Cobalion and Keldeo. "Any signs of them?"

"None," replied Cobalion. "If they are to attack the academy, they are taking a very long time to do so."

"They're trying to catch us off guard!" said Keldeo. "But I'm not going to let that happen!"

"Are you sure you'll be able to fight, Keldeo?" asked Ruby. "You still look pretty banged up."

"I'll be fine, Ruby! Even if I wasn't, a Sword of Justice never stands down in the face of danger!"

"If you say so."

While the trainers, Rangers, and Swords kept on the lookout for the Cult of Salem, Church was always staying in the lab with the orbs. Even if she needed a bathroom break, she vowed to go nowhere to ensure the orbs were always safe. While Church sat in her chair and stared at the legendary orbs, Lionheart was pacing around the room nervously. Church leaned back and noticed how uneasy Lionheart was feeling.

"What's wrong, Leo?" asked Church. "You look worried."

"I'm scared of what will happen to this academy," said Lionheart, "and the entire city for that matter."

"I'm sure we'll be fine! Between the Swords, the Rangers, Ruby and the others, we've got round-the-clock protection! There's no way those three crooks are going to get past them! And if all else fails, I've got Pokémon of my own too!"

"I guess we are well protected..."

Church got up from her chair and patted Lionheart on the back.

"You're such a worry-wart, Leo!" said Church. "You need to learn to relax more often!"

"It's hard to relax knowing the kind of monster that's about to be unleashed on this world!"

"You say that as if Salem and Giratina are actually going to come back! How about instead of focusing on the worst-case scenario, you try focusing on the positives? We've got the orbs! We've got legendary Pokémon on our side! Everything is going to turn out fine!"

Church gave Lionheart another pat on the back before returning to her seat. Since there wasn't much to do in the lab, Church pulled out her scroll and went over all the research notes she had on the orbs and the Triad of Creation.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Church," said Lionheart.

"Just relax, okay?" said Church. "I doubt with all the protection we have that we'll-"

Church suddenly heard what appeared to be the sound of a Pokémon being called out. Church got up and saw a Tangrowth standing next to Lionheart.

"Leo? What are you-"

#

It had been roughly another half hour without any updates on where the trio of cultists were hiding. Ruby took out her scroll to contact everyone.

"Does anyone have an update worth sharing?" asked Ruby.

"They're definitely not hiding in the Wind Path," said Blake.

"No one in Haven seems to have a clue either," said Weiss.

"None of the other towns look suspicious either," said Yang.

"Where in the world could they be hiding?" said Ruby. "It's almost like they're not in Mistral anymore!"

"It appears trying to find them is doing us no good," said Cobalion. "It's time for a different plan of action."

"What did you have in mind?"

"I demand you hand over the orbs back to us."

"What?" said Keldeo. "But we agreed to help each other!"

"Only to find the orbs before they did and gather them in one place. We never agreed to let the humans keep all the orbs. If we cannot lure the cultists out, we can at least hide the orbs so that the humans cannot find them again."

"When you put it that way," said Ruby, "that's actually not a bad idea. What do you think, girls?"

"We might as well," said Blake. "If they do come out to attack Haven Academy, putting them in hiding again will at least protect the orbs from getting stolen."

"Do what you gotta do, Ruby," said Yang. "I'll keep on the lookout in the meantime."

"Same here," said Weiss.

"That settles it, then," said Ruby. "I'll call Church and let her know we'll be giving the orbs to you."

While Ruby was contacting Church to discuss the new plan, Keldeo was looking up at Cobalion as if expecting them to say something.

"Well?" said Keldeo.

"Well what?" asked Cobalion.

"In the end, we stopped Salem from coming back thanks to the help of Ruby and her friends. I think it shows that not all the humans are as bad as you think they are!"

"I will admit that this human and her friends have been proven...tolerable. But do not think this has changed my mind about their kind. I want you to forget about them as soon as this ordeal is over."

Keldeo was disappointed to see Cobalion still have the same opinion on humans they always did. As upset as Keldeo was that Cobalion wasn't going to change their attitude towards humans, at least this ordeal involving the orbs and Salem was soon going to be over.

"This is strange," said Ruby. "Church isn't answering her scroll."

"Not answering her scroll?" said Keldeo. "Is something wrong?"

"She's probably occupying herself with busywork. I'll just tell her when we get there."

Cobalion quickly called for all the Swords to regroup at Haven Academy. Ruby kept trying to contact Church on her scroll, but every time it went straight to her voicemail.

"Still not picking up," thought Ruby. "Maybe she's just recharging it?"

Once all the Swords had gathered at Haven Academy, they headed down to the research lab. Ruby knocked on the giant metal doors to let Church know she was here.

"Miss Church! Are you busy?" Ruby was expecting an immediate response but got nothing. Not wanting to keep Cobalion and the others waiting, Ruby simply entered the lab and looked around to see what Church was up to.

That's when Ruby noticed Church lying unconscious in the corner of the room, as if somebody had knocked her out cold.

"Miss Church!" yelled Ruby, running over to the sleeping scientist. Cobalion looked around the room and realized the orbs were nowhere in sight.

"The orbs are gone!" yelled Cobalion.

"But how?" said Keldeo. "I thought this place was protected!"

"I knew the humans would let us down," said Virizion.

"C'mon Allison, wake up!" yelled Ruby, shaking Church violently.

"Ugh...Ruby?" muttered Church, feeling like she just woke up from a coma. "Please tell me I was just dreaming?"

"What happened here?" yelled Cobalion. "What did you do to the orbs?"

Upon realizing she wasn't dreaming, Church got up and saw the orbs had vanished.

"Oh no!" said Church. "I-I don't believe this! Leo...he really..."

"Mister Lionheart?" asked Ruby. "What did he do?"

"Leo...he's the one that took the orbs!"

"And I know where exactly he's taking them!" yelled Cobalion, storming out of the building. The other Swords quickly followed close behind.

"Wait up, everyone!" said Keldeo, chasing after the others.

"Keldeo, wait!" said Ruby, but all the Swords were already long gone before Ruby can catch up to them. Ruby would have tried to go after them if she didn't have a hysterical Church she needed to tend to.

"Ruby!" said Mewtwo, telepathically communicating to Ruby. "Allow me to follow them! I may know where they're heading!"

Without hesitating, Ruby called out Mewtwo, who wasted no time chasing after the Swords of Justice. Ruby took out her scroll and contacted the others.

"Girls, we have an emergency!" said Ruby. "Mister Lionheart took all the orbs!"

"The headmaster?" said Yang. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"How long ago was it?" asked Blake.

"I'm not sure!" said Church, still shaken to know how she was betrayed. "One second I'm telling Leo to stop worrying about the orbs, and the next thing I knew he called out a Pokémon to inflict Sleep Powder on me!"

"Hold on," said Weiss, pulling up the list of attendees to the museum event. Sure enough, Leo Lionheart's name was on it. "Miss Church, could you recall ever seeing Lionheart at the museum event?"

"Huh? Um...I don't think so, but I assumed he must have been there!"

"Unless he gave that invite to someone else!"

It didn't take long for everyone to put the two pieces of the puzzle together involving Tyrian's appearance that day.

"I...I can't believe this!" said Church, feeling her stomach twist into knots. "I've known Leo for so many years, and he...he was a part of the Cult of Salem this whole time?"

"We've all been blindsided!" said Ruby. "Now we have to figure out where he would have gone!"

"There's only one possible place!" said Blake. "Kuchinashi Mountain!"

"Which means they're going to summon..."

"Then we need to act fast!" said Yang. "If Giratina arrives, it'll be New Vale City all over again! I'll contact the Rangers and let them know what's up!"

"What about the Swords?" asked Blake. "Where are they right now?"

"They all headed out as soon as we found Church," said Ruby. "Mewtwo went with them as well."

"I know how powerful Mewtwo is, but I'm not sure if even they and the Swords can handle Giratina."

"Then we have to get there before it's too late!" said Weiss. "We'll regroup and all head there together!"

"Okay!" said Ruby. "I'll be waiting for you at Haven Academy!"

#

Watts, Hazel, and Tyrian awaited at the top of Kuchinashi Mountain, where a shrine long since dilapidated and corroded stood made by the people who believed it was the birthplace of Arceus. Watts was looking out at the scenery, where he can see the city of Haven several miles away in the distance, its inhabitants unaware of the threat soon to loom over them.

"Quite a view, isn't it?" said Watts. "You can probably see the entire region from here on a bright day."

"How much longer do we have to wait?" yelled Tyrian. "When are we going to summon our queen already?"

"As impatient as this idiot is, I agree," said Hazel.

"Our informant should be here any minute now," said Watts. "Unless he suddenly blew his cover."

Right on cue, Leo Lionheart climbed up from the cave below and made it to the peak of the mountain.

"Hello, Mister Lionheart. Do you have the orbs?"

"Yes," said Lionheart, laying down a briefcase and opening it up to reveal all three orbs of the Triad of Creation. Tyrian was in awe and feeling giddy knowing the queen was mere moments from arriving.

"The headmaster of Haven Academy," said Hazel. "I have to say I'm honestly surprised."

"See what happens when you choose brain over brawn?" remarked Watts. "Anyway, good job Lionheart. You've played your part well."

"I kept my end of the deal!" said Lionheart. "Now when Salem arrives, you'll promise that the academy and Haven City will be spared?"

"I can't say for certain," said Watts, about grab the briefcase. Lionheart quickly closed it and clutched it to his chest.

"But you promised! You said that Salem would spare-"

"I merely said we would ask Salem to spare that little city and school you love so much. Whatever she wishes to do however is ultimately up to her."

"That wasn't part of the deal! You said-"

"ENOUGH!" yelled Tyrian, standing directly behind Lionheart and getting into his face. "Give us the orbs so we can summon our queen!"

"Calm down, Tyrian," said Watts. "Mister Lionheart knows better than to try and pull a fast one." Watts walked up to Lionheart and smiled. "So, what will it be, Mister Lionheart? Play hero and meet your demise, or hand over the orbs and hopefully end up with a better fate?"

Knowing there wasn't really a better choice he can make, Lionheart handed over the briefcase to Watts. Watts took the briefcase to the center of the shrine and took out his scroll to go over the information he had on Arceus and the Triad.

"According to the ancient texts, if we place the orbs in a certain formation, it should create a rift strong enough to allow Salem and Giratina to pierce through."

Watts, Hazel, and Tyrian each took an orb and spread them out in a triangle formation. As soon as the orbs were in place, the orbs started glowing dimly as a small spacial rift barely the size of a marble was forming in the center of the triangle. While Watts was delighted to see the rift slowly forming, Hazel and Tyrian were unimpressed by the results.

"You call that a rift?" yelled Tyrian. "How can our queen possibly come through that?"

"It is indeed small," said Watts. "But if my hypothesis is true, Salem and Giratina should be able to see the rift through the other world and rip it apart. Think of it like finding a small hole in your clothes and using your might to rip it apart further."

"And what happens if you're wrong, Watts?" asked Hazel.

"Then we're going to have to find a way to speed up the process."

#

Many millennia ago, Arceus created three Pokémon to help shape the world of Remnant: Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. Dialga had the power of time, and Palkia had the power of space. No one knows what power Giratina had, but shortly after its creation it went berserk, causing Arceus to banish it in a dimension outside of Remnant; a dimension where time and space did not exist, and thus if any human were to step foot on that plain of existence, they would think they were living in a distorted world.

From this "Distortion World," Giratina was still able to watch and observe the world of Remnant. It watched as humans and Pokémon evolved over the millennia. While Remnant grew and changed over its existence, the world Giratina was banished to remained as empty and distorted as it ever was, and it was all alone in its suffering. Giratina grew more angry and depressed over time, believing it would forever be alone in its endless suffering until a presence from that other side broke it free. A woman who practiced the black arts and wanted to reshape Remnant to her personal liking. Giratina grew attached to this mysterious woman with a penchant for witchcraft and set out to reshape the world alongside her. They would have succeeded if not for the efforts of a group of Pokémon claiming to fight for justice, and so Giratina was banished back to its distorted prison, along with the woman who had initially freed them. As angry as Giratina was for being sent back, they at least had company for the rest of eternity.

More time passed on that other side until Giratina observed a group of humans who dedicated their lives to the woman that had stood by them. It observed as they gathered the orbs Arceus had created to enhance the powers of Dialga, Palkia, and themselves and brought them to the peak where Arceus and the others were born. With the power of the orbs, a very tiny rift was created. While most would not notice such a rift of that size, Giratina could, and let out a howl.

Hearing her dear Pokémon howling, the witch known as Salem quickly materialized next to Giratina, having adapted to this "Distortion World's" lack of laws and logic.

"What is it, my dear Giratina?" said Salem. "You seemed to be disturbed by something."

Giratina let out another howl and brought Salem's attention to the rift that was created between the worlds.

"A rift has been opened? Could it be that those on the other side have succeeded in gathering the three orbs?"

"EEERAAAAA!" cried Giratina.

"Well then...let's not keep them waiting!"

Salem and Giratina concentrated their powers on the rift between their world and the world on the other side, causing the tiny rift to slowly expand. Soon a hole opened in the middle of space, where Salem and Giratina can now clearly see the other world.

#

The Cult of Salem watched as the tiny spacial rift rapidly expanded, creating a hole in the middle of the orbs. Through the hole the cult was able to get a glimpse of the distorted world on the other side. As the hole got larger, they could see the woman and her Pokémon they've been wishing to bring back to the world of Remnant. Once the hole was big enough for Giratina to easily fit through, the berserk Renegade let out a loud roar as it slowly flew through the rift and landed with a thunderous boom, with Salem slowly walking out alongside them. Lionheart could feel his soul leaving his body at the sight of the actual Giratina, looking as frightening as the tales described them. Tyrian stared at Salem as if she was a goddess that descended from the heavens and would have been crying tears of joy if he even cried in the first place. Hazel stood with his arms folded as he usually did, while Watts smiled seeing his plan execute perfectly. Watts walked up to Salem and bowed in her presence.

"Welcome back, Salem," said Watts. "I am Doctor Arthur Watts, founder of the group dedicated to bringing you back from the world you were banished to."

"Is that so?" said Salem. "Do you expect me to reward you for releasing me from that distorted world?"

"Your presence is reward enough!" said Tyrian, running over and bowing before Salem's presence. "My queen, it will be beautiful to watch you and Giratina cause mass destruction to this planet!"

"Is that why you brought me back? Knowing full well what I intend to do alongside Giratina?"

"We all have our reasons for bringing you here," said Watts. "I for one think this world needs to be cleansed of the weak in order to evolve. My muscled ally over there wishes for you to wipe out the people who won't allow Pokémon to fight the way they should, and my mentally stable friend here...well, he just loves to watch the world burn. But in the end, we all have the same goal: For you to reshape this world for the better!"

"I see," said Salem. "Do you three pledge your undying loyalty to me, knowing full well what I can and will do if you do not live up to my expectations?"

"Of course!" said Tyrian. "I'll do anything for you, my queen!"

"As long as you wipe out the Pokémon Leagues," said Hazel.

"It would be an honor to work with you," said Watts.

While Salem was content with the three members of the cult pledging their allegiance to her, she noticed the fourth man standing back and shaking in fear at the sight of Salem and Giratina's presence.

"And what about that man over there?" said Salem, pointing towards Lionheart.

"Oh right, him," said Watts. "He wishes for-"

"EERAA!" cried Giratina, stamping its several legs on the ground.

"Is something wrong with Giratina?"

"It senses something powerful approaching," said Salem.

"I have a feeling I know what."

Up from the cave below came the Swords of Justice as expected, along with Mewtwo. The Swords and Mewtwo stood in formation as they witnessed what they feared would happen: Salem and Giratina had returned.

"What do we have here?" said Salem. "The very same Pokémon that banished me to the Distortion World."

"And we'll do it again!" replied Keldeo. Salem turned her attention to the other Pokémon standing amongst the Swords of Justice. It was a species Salem was not familiar with, and yet she could sense a strong aura emitting from this mysterious Pokémon, almost as dark and powerful as her own.

"And it appears you've made a new friend. I'm not quite sure I've seen this one before."

"I'd keep an eye on that one," said Watts. "That thing is an extremely powerful Pokémon. I dare say its power can almost rival that of Giratina."

"You should be more worried about us!" yelled Cobalion. "We may have failed to stop these humans from bringing you and that monster back to this world, but we banished you once before, and we shall banish you again!"

"Times have changed, stallion," said Salem. "Giratina and I have learned some new techniques over the past several centuries. Not to mention I have quite an army of my own."

Watts, Hazel, and Tyrian all stood in front of Giratina and Salem, ready to call out their own Pokémon to aide Salem. Lionheart went to stand as far away as possible, hoping nobody would notice him trying to stay out of this battle.

"But then again...why do any of us need to fight? After all, shouldn't we all have the same goal?"

"Are you kidding me?" yelled Keldeo. "Why would WE have the same goal as YOU?"

"Such a naive little child. But I'm sure the three of you understand what I'm saying."

"Whatever tricks you are trying to pull," said Virizion, "we're not going to fall for it."

"I think she's just stalling because we're going to take her down all over again!" said Terrakion.

"What are you trying to imply, witch?" asked Cobalion.

"The three of you know of the humans' penchant for evil," said Salem, "and yet you refuse to allow me to wipe them out. Don't you agree the humans deserve to be extinguished to make this world a better place?"

"Regardless of our shared hatred for humans, I know for a fact you would also do the same to the Pokémon of this world! Our resolution is to bring Justice to those who harm innocent Pokémon!

To protect all Pokémon who can't protect themselves! We, The Swords of Justice, will banish you once and for all, Salem!"

"We shall see!" said Salem.

The Swords of Justice all formed their Sacred Sword as the Cult of Salem called out their Porygon-Z, Pangoro, and Drapion.

"I'm not going to let you land a hand on my queen!" yelled Tyrian, calling out his Pokémon.

"We will do away with you humans quickly!" said Cobalion. But before the Swords could make the first move, Mewtwo suddenly floated over and positioned themselves in front of the Swords.

"Do not waste your time fighting her followers," said Mewtwo. "I can take them all out with ease. You should focus on sending Salem and Giratina back to their world!"

"So be it, then! Swords of Justice: To battle!"

The Swords of Justice all charged in on Giratina; Giratina started the battle by unleashing an Ominous Wind to knock the Swords back. The Swords quickly got back into formation and struck Giratina with their Sacred Swords, hardly doing any damage to Giratina. Using its giant spiked wings, Giratina slashed at the Swords with its Dragon Claw, doing some moderate damage to each of them. Cobalion countered by unleashing their Metal Burst, sending hot metal shrapnel flying into Giratina; Terrakion got behind Giratina and stomped the ground with their Stone Edge, creating a sharp pillar out from the ground and piercing underneath Giratina; Virizion created their Leaf Blade and slashed Giratina several times, landing some critical hits; Keldeo followed up by using their Aqua Tail and smacking Giratina in the face with a powerful water attack. Despite the four on one assault, Giratina simply roared and unleashed its Dragon Breath on all the Swords; the Swords quickly ran around to avoid getting paralyzed by Giratina's attack.

"We don't seem to be making a dent in this thing!" said Keldeo.

"Stand your ground, Keldeo!" said Cobalion. "As long as we don't make foolish mistakes, we can take down this beast like we did once before! Swords, engage in Close Combat!"

Keldeo's masters all surrounded Giratina and used their Close Combat technique to unleash every bit of strength they had. Giratina was barely affected by their attacks and struck back with another Ominous Wind, pushing all the Swords away. Keldeo's master reformed their Sacred Swords and charged back into the fray. Keldeo was about to form their own Sacred Sword when they felt a very sharp pain spring up in their abdomen. As Ruby had alluded to before, Keldeo's injuries from their previous battles had not fully healed just yet, and all this pushing beyond their limit was now taking a serious toll on Keldeo.

"It hurts to even breathe!" thought Keldeo. "But I have to keep fighting! I can't let everyone down!"

While the Swords charged forward to do battle with Giratina, Mewtwo kept their focus on the cult members responsible for Giratina's return. Having faced tougher opposition in the past, these three would not be a problem for the world's most powerful man-made Pokémon.

"Which of you dares to attack me first?" asked Mewtwo.

"Signal Beam!" replied Watts, wasting no time getting the fight started.

Porygon-Z fired its energy beam at Mewtwo, who held up their arms to block the beam from reaching their brain and cause them confusion. At the same time Porygon-Z attacked, Pangoro rushed in and bit down on Mewtwo's arm with a powerful Crunch. Despite his sharp teeth piercing through Mewtwo's arm, Mewtwo kept their composure and used their free arm to blast Pangoro away with an Aura Sphere. As Mewtwo was checking their arm, Drapion raised its tail and fired its Toxic poison at Mewtwo. Mewtwo used their Psychic power to stop the liquid from reaching them, then grabbed Drapion in a Psychic hold and sent him flying back. Porygon-Z flew in close to attack Mewtwo again and got caught in a Psychic grip as well. Mewtwo was going to slam them into the ground when Porygon-Z used Conversion 2 and reprogrammed its own typing to Dark, allowing it to break free of Mewtwo's attack. Thrown off by Porygon-Z's type changing abilities, Pangoro charged at Mewtwo and struck Mewtwo on top of their head with a Hammer Arm, then Drapion immediately ran in and used its Cross Poison to slash at Mewtwo, dealing some critical damage. Having taken a sizable amount of damage, Mewtwo fell to one knee, which caused Tyrian to feel delighted.

"This supposed destroyer of New Vale City isn't so strong after all!" said Tyrian.

"You underestimate their capabilities," replied Watts.

As Watts assumed would happen, Mewtwo activated Recover and rapidly regenerated their damaged skin cells, healing all their wounds instantaneously. Once Mewtwo was back on their feet, they quickly fired several Aura Spheres and blasted their opposition away. As Pangoro and Drapion struggled to get back up, Porygon-Z used Recover itself and repaired their own damages.

"You're quite an impressive specimen," said Watts. "Such a shame this power is wasted trying to take down our queen. Perhaps you'd like to reconsider? I think you and Salem have quite a bit in common."

"I already serve a master," replied Mewtwo. "As for Salem, there is nothing I share in common with that witch!"

"Then either you are nothing like the Mewtwo I've heard stories about many years ago, which means you are not as impressive as I had hoped...or perhaps you're simply lying to yourself."

Instead of replying to Watts' retort, Mewtwo simply formed another Aura Sphere and fired at Porygon-Z. Watts snapped his fingers for Porygon-Z to convert their typing again and avoid taking serious damage from Mewtwo's attack. As Watts continued to try messing with Mewtwo, the Swords continued their fight against Giratina, slashing away with their Sacred Swords as much as they could, but Giratina continued to hold off against all the Swords at once. While all the Swords were feeling exhausted, Salem noticed Keldeo doubling over in pain. It seemed Keldeo was suffering from a serious injury that was hampering them from fighting at their fullest. Salem knew exactly what to do next.

"Giratina, finish off the young one!" commanded Salem. Giratina turned its attention to Keldeo; despite their weakened state, Keldeo stood tall and was ready to take whatever Giratina was going to dish out.

"Swords, to Keldeo!" commanded Cobalion. All three of them used their Quick Guard to quickly surround Keldeo, using their armored bodies to protect Keldeo as Giratina slashed at the swords with a fierce Dragon Claw. Salem laughed at seeing the Swords jump in to protect Keldeo, just as she knew they would.

"How pathetically predictable," said Salem. "Sacrificing yourselves to save the weakest member of your group. Now none of you stand a chance against Giratina."

"Then perhaps it's time I take a shot!" exclaimed Mewtwo.

Salem turned around to see Mewtwo standing behind her, ready to do battle. Behind Mewtwo laid the three Pokémon that had failed to damage Mewtwo even the slightest. Watts and Hazel did not appear too bothered by seeing their Pokémon knocked out, but Tyrian was moaning and appeared distraught at having let down his queen.

"I'm so sorry, my queen!" yelled Tyrian. "I was too weak to stop them!"

"You are indeed a powerful Pokémon," said Salem. "I can sense your Psychic powers. Watts is right; your power even outranks the Swords. In fact, I dare say it feels almost equal to Giratina."

"I was created to rival that of legendary Pokémon," replied Mewtwo. "There is no other Pokémon living on this planet that outranks me."

"But that's not all I can sense from you. I sense something else deep within you. You carry intense hatred and darkness in your heart. Enough to be considered...evil."

That word. It was a word Mewtwo was described as all too often. At one point they even believed that to be true, until a certain trainer proved otherwise. As much as Mewtwo tried to hide it, Salem can tell she was getting under Mewtwo's skin.

"Struck a nerve, have I? Just what are you exactly, Mewtwo?"

"I am Mewtwo!" replied Mewtwo. "And I will be the one that stops you and Giratina! That is all you need to know!"

"You can't hide your true self from me, Mewtwo. Admit it: Deep down your heart is as black and twisted as mine! Wouldn't it make more sense for you to fight by my side?"

Sick of hearing Salem trying to dig up Mewtwo's true feelings, Mewtwo created an Aura Sphere and fired at Salem, causing Salem to clutch her chest from the surprise attack.

"Does that answer your question?" replied Mewtwo.

"HOW DARE YOU HURT THE QUEEN!" yelled Tyrian, getting up and running towards Mewtwo. Mewtwo turned around and stopped Tyrian midway with their Psychic powers and threw the psychopath back.

As Mewtwo was about to turn back to Salem, they suddenly felt their body being trapped in a Psychic hold.

"What the...how?" thought Mewtwo.

"You think you're the only one with those kinds of powers?" replied Salem. Everyone turned to see Salem emit a black aura while holding out one arm. "Now, Giratina!"

"EEEERRAAAAA!" yelled Giratina, lunging forward at Mewtwo with its Dragon Claw. Mewtwo concentrated hard and broke Salem's grip and dodged Giratina's attack just in the nick of time.

"I've spent many lifetimes alone with Giratina. In that time, I've come to adapt some of their abilities as my own. We've become one in the same, in many ways!"

"Whatever tricks you may have learned," said Mewtwo, "you are still no match for me!"

As Mewtwo started their battle against Giratina and Salem, with everyone else engrossed by this encounter of two extremely strong Pokémon, Lionheart decided that now was the perfect time to make his exit before anyone noticed. Unfortunately for the cowardly headmaster, the cultists did notice and immediately surrounded him.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Hazel.

"J-j-just trying to stay out of the way!" said Lionheart.

"I think you need to step in and help Salem," said Watts. "Or else your academy isn't going to be spared."

"But-"

"There is no BUT!" said Tyrian, grabbing Lionheart by the throat. "Help our queen or I'll make sure you won't live to see her destroy your academy!"

"Okay, okay!" gasped Lionheart. Shaking in fear, Lionheart slowly approached the combatants and reached down for his Poké Ball containing his Tangrowth and called it out. Concentrating solely on their fight with Giratina, Mewtwo powered up to fire a Shadow Ball at Giratina, unaware of the Tangrowth standing behind them. "Tangrowth, st-st-Stun Spore attack!"

Hearing Lionheart call out for an attack, Mewtwo turned around and was blasted with a heavy dose of Stun Spore to their face. Mewtwo gagged from breathing in the spores. The momentary distraction was enough for Giratina to approach Mewtwo and let out a strong Dragon Breath. The combination of both attacks was enough to cause Mewtwo to feel paralyzed in most of their body.

"Excellent work, my servant!" said Salem. With Mewtwo barely able to move from their paralysis, Salem was able to put them in another Psychic hold. "And so even the world's 'strongest' Pokémon falls at my feet! Any last words before I have my Giratina finish you off?"

"It's not over yet, Salem!" yelled a voice from above.

"Ruby?" said Mewtwo.

Everyone looked up and saw Weiss' Hydreigon and Yang's Celica carrying Ruby and the others. Ruby and Blake jumped down with their signature Pokémon Sylveon and Greninja, while Weiss and Yang rode down with their Dragon Pokémon.

"More lambs to the slaughter," said Salem, releasing their hold on Mewtwo. "Who might you four be?"

"The name's Ruby!" said Ruby. "Champion of Vale and all-around hero, and we're the ones who are going to defeat you!"

"Sylveon!" cheered Sylveon.

"Is that so?" said Salem. "Seeing how I've already defeated the Swords of Justice and this so-called world's strongest Pokémon, do you really think a meager group of trainers such as yourselves stand a chance?"

"Did you not hear what I said?" said Ruby. "I'm the Pokémon Champion of Vale! There's not a trainer in the world - well, Vale at least - that's better than me!"

"And with the exception of her," said Weiss, "there's not a single trainer in the world that has bested me in battle!"

"And I'm just awesome, period!" boasted Yang.

"I'm not one for bragging," said Blake, "but as powerful as Giratina could be, together we'll all find a way to stop you."

"That's right!" said Keldeo. "We may all be a bit tired at the moment, but with all of our strength combined, we're going to take you down!"

Seeing this turning into a nine on one/two situation, the cultists decided they needed to get some other Pokémon out in order to sway the odds back in Salem's favor. Despite the odds and all the Pokémon and trainers she was surrounded by, Salem couldn't help but laugh.

"Nine Pokémon against Giratina and I," said Salem. "As powerful as we are, those kinds of odds might worry me. But as I said before...you heroes are pathetically predictable. All I have to do is break the weakest link in your chain, and the rest of you will soon follow."

The trainers and Pokémon all turned to each other, wondering who Salem was referring to as the weak link. Cobalion noticed Salem turning her attention towards the Swords of Justice; it didn't take long for them to realize who Salem planned to go after.

"Take Keldeo and run!" commanded Cobalion, but it was too late. Salem used her Psychic power to grab Keldeo and lift them up into the air.

"Time to make sure you never interfere again by sending you to the place I've been imprisoned!"

"LET THEM GO!" yelled Cobalion as they and the other Swords charged after Salem, only to be blocked off by Giratina.

"We have to stop her!" yelled Ruby. Sylveon, Hydreigon, Greninja, and Celica all went after Salem herself, only to suddenly be attacked by the cultists' Salazzle, Conkeldurr, and Rotom.

With everyone else unable to reach Salem, Mewtwo fought through their paralysis and tried to grab Keldeo away from Salem with their own Psychic power, only to suddenly have their body wrapped in vines by Lionheart's Tangrowth, breaking their concentration.

Keldeo tried their best to break free but could do nothing but struggle in the air as Salem got ready to throw them through the spacial rift from whence she came. With everyone being blocked and distracted by Giratina and the cultists' Pokémon, Ruby quickly thought of the only thing she can do to save Keldeo. She ran towards Keldeo and jumped up, grabbing on to Keldeo's tail and hoping to drag them back to the ground, but Salem's Psychic grip was too strong, leaving Ruby dangling in the air.

"Let go, Ruby!" said Keldeo. "Before she gets you too!"

"No way!" said Ruby. "I'm not letting you go, Keldeo!"

Even if Ruby could let go, it was already too late. Salem entrapped Ruby in the same Psychic hold, setting them both up to be thrown in.

"Say hello to your new home!" declared Salem, sending them flying into the rift behind her. Amid fighting off the cultists, Yang suddenly realized Ruby had been sent to the other side.

"NO! RUBY!" yelled Yang.

"She's thrown Keldeo in!" yelled Virizion.

"Swords, remain here!" commanded Cobalion.

Seeing Ruby and Keldeo both sent to the Distortion World, Yang along with Celica, Sylveon and Cobalion both jumped through the rift themselves, hoping to save their loved ones before it was too late. Having witnessed Ruby thrown in, Mewtwo was getting more enraged by the second, and finally broke out of Tangrowth's Wring Out.

"CURSE YOU, SALEM!" yelled Mewtwo, gathering all the energy within them to blast Salem with.

"Giratina, if you would," replied Salem. With Mewtwo still suffering severe paralysis, Giratina was quickly able to step in front of Mewtwo and blast them away with an Ominous Wind. The force of the wind was enough to cause Mewtwo to stumble across the ground, nearing the edge of the mountain. As Mewtwo tried to get up, they suddenly lost feeling in their legs and ended up falling back, causing them to tumble off the side of the mountain. With over half of the team disposed of, things were no longer looking good for the Swords and the trainers.

"What do we do now?" asked Weiss.

"We fight!" yelled Terrakion as they and Virizion charged towards Salem with their Sacred Swords. Salem easily caught them in a Psychic hold and sent them flying into the Distortion World as well. Seeing that rift being their biggest obstacle, Blake tried to figure out a way to close it before they all ended up on the other side.

"The orbs!" thought Blake, noticing the orbs still lodged where they were. Blake and Greninja both dived towards two of the orbs, only for Hazel to tackle Blake to the ground and Rotom using Thunder Wave to paralyze Greninja.

"Guess it's time to call in the big guns!" said Weiss. "Hydreigon, fire your Draco-"

Before Weiss can command Hydreigon to use their strongest move, Lionheart's Tangrowth fired Sleep Powder at Weiss, quickly rendering her unconscious. Hydreigon tried to attack in retaliation, only for Giratina to unleash a Dragon Breath on him and paralyze Weiss' Dragon as well. Salem grabbed Weiss and Blake with her Psychic powers and tossed them through the rift, with Hazel throwing in Greninja and Giratina throwing in Hydreigon.

As Salem proclaimed, after taking out the weakest link, everyone once standing in her way were now tossed into the world that had imprisoned her and Giratina.

"WONDERFUL!" said Tyrian. "That was truly spectacular, my queen!"

"But how do we make sure they don't come back?" asked Hazel.

"Simple," said Salem. "We close it like so."

Salem went over to where the Griseous Orb was and pocketed it, breaking off the formation of the orbs and causing the rift to slowly close on itself. Giratina used their powers to speed up the process, sealing the rift up and returning the space around the shrine back to its normal state. Watts went over and placed the two other orbs in the briefcase.

"A resounding success," said Watts. "Without the orbs, they have no chance of returning to this world."

"Which means we can now reshape the world our way," said Hazel.

"Let the destruction begin!" said Tyrian, eager to see Salem start destroying cities.

"Wait a minute!" said Lionheart. "We had a deal!"

"Oh right, that," said Watts. "My queen, my colleague here wishes for you to spare Haven Academy and its nearby city."

"Is that so?" asked Salem.

"Yes!" said Lionheart. "You WILL spare them...at least for as long as possible...right?"

Lionheart was hoping Salem would agree to spare his academy and the city he lived in as a reward for doing what he was told. Instead, Salem looked to be disinterested in what Lionheart had to say.

"Listen up my followers!" said Salem. "Our first city to feel my wrath will be Haven City! As Giratina and I decimate the city, you four will make sure that no one else dares to get in my way! Understood?"

"Yes, my queen!" replied all but Lionheart.

"But I was promised-" Lionheart tried to say before Salem had them in a Psychic grip, clutching down specifically on his neck.

"I SAID, UNDERSTOOD?"

Seeing how there was no chance of him changing Salem's mind, Lionheart nodded so Salem would let him go. Salem climbed up on Giratina's back and took off towards the city, while her followers found their own way down the mountain.

At the bottom of the mountain lied Mewtwo, who was slowly starting to get over the paralysis that had encompassed their body. After they recovered, Mewtwo floated back up to the top of the mountain. There he saw that everyone was now gone, and that the spacial rift had disappeared, leaving nothing but the shrine built to Arceus remaining. It was sinking in their mind that Ruby, the trainer they had sworn to protect, was now gone.

"No...NOOOO!" yelled Mewtwo. "I have to find a way to get to that other side! Perhaps if I concentrate hard enough..."

Mewtwo used their Psychic powers to sense any kind of small tear left behind. Even a microscopic tear would be enough for Mewtwo to try and rip apart. They tried concentrating harder than ever before, but even at their peak mental strength, it was impossible for them to rip through space itself. Even if they were injected with so much Dust to heighten their abilities, it still wouldn't be enough.

"It's useless! The only way to get Ruby back is to obtain the orbs again! Which means...I'd have to fight..."

Salem. Just merely thinking about her and what she did was enough to make Mewtwo feel levels of rage they hadn't felt since the day they destroyed the research center, or the moment they discovered Cinder had used them for their own power. Salem was especially worse because Salem had tapped into what Mewtwo was truly feeling; what they had hoped they suppressed since they promised Ruby to become a truly good Pokémon.

Mewtwo had tried to hide this side of them for Ruby's sake, but now with Ruby gone, there was nothing left to stop them from becoming the weapon of destruction they were intended to be. They looked out towards the horizon where Haven City was, where Salem and her minions were surely attacking by now.

"Forgive me Ruby, for I am about to do something that goes against everything you've taught me."