It truly was something extraordinary!
He didn't dare hesitate. He walked up to the barrier and directly placed the Reverse Scale on it.
As if its existence had been destined for this very purpose, the moment Giratina's Reverse Scale touched the energy barrier created by the special abilities of Dialga and Palkia, the silvery barrier began to change.
With the Reverse Scale as its center, the radiance flowing across the barrier abruptly stopped. Threads of black energy spread outward from the scale, and at once the silvery glow began to converge toward it.
Cain and Marcus watched this spectacular scene.
Originally, the cycle of day and night within the continent was similar to that of the Pokémon world. Although there was no sun, the sources of light for both day and night came from this special barrier at the peak of the continent's central mountain—or rather, from what was inside it.
But the existence of this Reverse Scale interfered with the barrier's original function. In an instant, the sky over the entire continent began flickering between light and darkness, and all Pokémon were shocked by the change.
"Now!" Marcus shouted softly to Cain.
Giratina's energy came from Dialga and Palkia. Although not all of it originated from them, the majority did come from those two legendary Pokémon.
That was why Giratina's Reverse Scale could cause something like this.
However, once separated from Giratina's body, no matter how miraculous it was, it was still just an object. It could play a temporary role and even block the barrier's flow of energy, but it lacked continuity.
If it didn't receive energy at that moment, after blocking the barrier for a brief instant, the Reverse Scale would be completely consumed.
For a Reverse Scale of Giratina to be exhausted was something Marcus couldn't explain to the bishop even if he gave his life, so he was truly nervous.
But Cain had no intention of consuming it either.
"Guys, combined attack—target that black scale!" Cain shouted to the six Pokémon.
Although those six Pokémon didn't belong to him, and in real combat they might not be able to perform very well, their training in energy coordination was something Ragnar and the others had practiced daily for twenty-five years.
That kind of attack was already etched into their bones. Upon hearing Cain's order, they released energy instinctively.
Six energy attacks of different colors merged—red, blue, yellow, green, black, and pink. As they combined, they formed a grayish mass of energy in which it was impossible to distinguish specific attributes.
That mass struck Giratina's Reverse Scale. Immediately, the scale seemed to come back to life; black energy burst forth violently and instantly covered half of the barrier.
At that moment, the entire continent turned into a strange scene, half black and half white, with day and night coexisting.
"Keep going! Again!" Marcus looked at the barrier, now half covered, with excitement impossible to conceal.
There was no need for him to say it; Cain already knew what to do and ordered the six Pokémon to attack again.
With one more attack, the barrier on the mountain could be completely destroyed.
But at that crucial moment, the unexpected visitor who had left returned. Tony came back, choosing the perfect timing to strike at the weak point of Cain and Marcus.
However, both were already prepared. They knew that Tony had only been feigning his retreat, waiting precisely for this moment.
In fact, it wasn't just Tony. Other members of the Sacred Church, upon noticing the change in the sky, understood what was happening and rushed at full speed toward the continent's central mountain.
All of them were psychics capable of using teleportation; they would arrive in no more than ten minutes.
At that moment, they could no longer worry about the dangers. Faced with absolute benefits, everyone was willing to gamble their life.
Before, with Marcus and Tony dominating the situation through overwhelming strength, they didn't dare act. But now, for each of them, there was an opportunity—only its size differed.
"Hahahaha! Good calculation, you two! Now that I'm here, let's see how you break the barrier. In a few minutes, everyone will gather here. I don't believe the two of you can stop so many people!" Tony's unrestrained laughter echoed across the entire peak.
With a darkened expression, Marcus shouted to Cain, "Act! We can't stop! If we stop, this Reverse Scale will become useless! I'll handle Tony!"
At that moment, Marcus couldn't think of anything else. Giving up now meant losing everything—not only would they fail to obtain what was inside, but they would also lose Giratina's Reverse Scale. He couldn't accept such a loss.
But even without Marcus saying it, Cain wouldn't hesitate. More people would arrive shortly; he could already feel the violent fluctuations of spatial energy around them.
"Once ag—!"
BOOOOM!
Before Cain could finish speaking, the barrier on the mountain let out a deafening roar, audible from dozens of kilometers away.
Beside Tony appeared his Gardevoir. Both of them extended their left hands, as if they had just finished an attack; white smoke was still rising from their hands due to the intense energy released.
Below, Marcus, in a defensive stance, stared in shock at Tony, who was floating in the air with a cold expression.
When he saw Tony and Gardevoir raise their hands at the same time, he knew they would attack, so he adopted a defensive posture as a precaution.
But he never imagined that the attack would not be directed at him or at Cain, but straight at the intact portion of the barrier, where the silvery radiance was densely concentrated and emitting a blinding light.
BOOM!
Another roar shook the area. A wave of wild energy erupted from the barrier. Gengar immediately appeared in front of Cain to block the shockwave generated by the barrier's defensive reaction.
Just like him, Marcus's Greninja and Tony's Gardevoir also reacted.
But Marcus had no time to worry about that violent backlash. With eyes wide open, he shouted at Tony, who was suspended in the air, "Damn it! What the hell is wrong with you now?! I... I...!"
He was so furious that he didn't even know what to say.
In a situation like this, at a moment like this, who couldn't you attack? And you go and attack the intact part of the barrier instead!
