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"Dark Pokémon are back?" Chris froze for a moment, but Lorenzo had already dashed toward the entrance of the Pokémon Center with a loud thump of his footsteps.

Chris quickly chased after him, his heart racing with concern.

When they reached the door of the Pokémon Center, Chris's eyes widened at the chaotic scene before them. A group of Trainers were commanding their Pokémon in desperate battle against several Pokémon that were shrouded in ominous black aura.

These Pokémon wrapped in dark energy were unmistakably "Dark Pokémon." Their eyes glowed a menacing scarlet red, as if their only purpose in life was to tear apart every enemy that stood before them. The sight sent chills down Chris's spine.

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!" one of the Trainers shouted, launching the first attack.

The two cannon holes on Blastoise's shell immediately fired powerful torrents of water toward a Dark Starmie. Chris could tell that this Trainer had trained their Blastoise well—the technique was impressive.

The water streams shot from the cannons rotated forward through the air, their tips forming sharp, spike-like shapes that resembled battering rams ready to strike their target. The attack should have been devastating.

However, the Dark Starmie easily absorbed Blastoise's Hydro Pump with its jewel-like crystalline body, seemingly unaffected by the powerful water attack. Then, without hesitation, it counterattacked with its own Hydro Pump move.

But this wasn't an ordinary Hydro Pump. The water that jetted from the dark red gemstone at Starmie's center looked like murky black water mixed with sewer sludge, radiating an evil energy that made Chris's skin crawl.

"Dark Wave!" someone shouted in recognition.

The jet-black water bombarded Blastoise's body with tremendous force, immediately sending the large turtle Pokémon flying backward until it crashed into a nearby wall. The impact was so severe that Blastoise barely managed to stop, and by the time it slid down from the wall, it had already fainted from the devastating attack.

Chris observed the battle with growing concern. Based on the effectiveness of the moves, both Pokémon's attacks should have been similar in power, and their levels appeared to be roughly equal. Yet one attack had no effect whatsoever, while the other resulted in an instant knockout. Something was terribly wrong with this picture.

What made it even more puzzling was that Blastoise's special defense was actually higher than Starmie's, so it should have been able to withstand the water attack better.

Seeing this disturbing scene, Chris suddenly remembered something crucial from his studies. The moves used by Dark Pokémon were no longer ordinary attacks—they were called "Dark moves." The defining characteristic of Dark moves was that they had an "outstanding effect" against any Pokémon, regardless of type matchups.

It was as if there existed a mysterious attribute that overrode all other attributes, one that could restrain any type simultaneously. Only Dark Pokémon themselves seemed capable of resisting these sinister attacks.

But darkness wasn't truly an attribute in the traditional sense. Starmie still retained its Water typing, so it could resist water moves from normal Pokémon using its natural Water-type resistance. Meanwhile, Blastoise, despite also being a Water-type, took double damage when hit by the dark-infused water attack.

"Tsk tsk, Dark Pokémon," Chris muttered under his breath. "You really are overwhelmingly powerful."

This was exactly why Chris knew he had to cultivate his own Dark Aerodactyl. The advantages were simply too significant to ignore.

Facing Dark Pokémon for the first time, it wasn't only Blastoise's Trainer who was caught off guard by not understanding the mechanics. Other Trainers were encountering the same devastating situation.

Even when they deliberately chose Pokémon with type advantages against their opponents, the best result they could achieve was mutual damage. Most of the time, their Pokémon were being overwhelmed completely.

Seeing that several trainers had been defeated one after another, and noting that the remaining trainers didn't appear to have the strength necessary to handle this crisis, Chris made a decisive choice.

"Aggron, use Heavy Slam!" he commanded, throwing his Poké Ball forward.

His golden Aggron burst from the Poké Ball in a spectacular display. The moment it landed, its metallic body gleamed brilliantly, and its Heavy Metal ability immediately activated, giving it an extraordinarily terrifying weight that made the ground shake beneath its feet.

"Korah!!" the golden Aggron roared with excitement. Usually, its trainer commanded it to battle relatively weak Pokémon during training sessions. Today, it had finally encountered some truly powerful opponents worthy of its strength.

Slightly bending its massive body, Aggron immediately leaned forward and charged with the unstoppable force of a golden mountain. Its target was a Dark Electivire that stood menacingly among the group of corrupted Pokémon.

Heavy Slam was a move whose power increased dramatically based on the weight difference between the user and the target. Chris's golden Aggron weighed several tons, while the Electivire weighed roughly two hundred pounds—making it quite heavy by normal standards, but still creating nearly a ten-fold weight difference. This meant Heavy Slam's power had been amplified to its absolute maximum potential.

The Dark Electivire, however, didn't seem to realize what it was facing. When it saw Aggron's devastating Heavy Slam approaching, it made no attempt to dodge or evade. Instead, it raised its fist confidently and prepared to counter with a "Dark Thunder Punch."

"Boom!" The collision between flesh and steel created a thunderous impact that echoed throughout the area.

In the next instant—no, in the very next moment—the Dark Electivire seemed to vanish from existence as if it had never been there at all. Only the sound of "thump, thud, thump" echoing from the distance, and the Electivire-shaped hole punched through the wall, proved that it had actually existed moments before.

"Metal Claw!" Chris continued issuing commands without hesitation.

His golden Aggron paused briefly, twisted its powerful metallic body, and delivered a devastating slap to a Dark Scyther that had been attacking from the side.

"Look out!" Just as Aggron was demonstrating its overwhelming might, a panicked cry suddenly came from nearby.

Chris looked up and spotted a Dark Rhydon that had been charging wildly while using Horn Drill. Unable to control its momentum, it had smashed through the glass door of the Pokémon Center and was pushing forward like an unstoppable bulldozer, heading straight for Nurse Joy, who stood frozen at the front desk.

At this critical moment, before Chris could command his Gardevoir to intervene, a red blur suddenly flashed in front of everyone, positioning itself protectively in front of Nurse Joy.

"Boom!" A tremendous crash echoed through the center.

The charging Rhydon seemed to have collided with an impenetrable steel wall. The red figure had firmly caught Rhydon's Horn Drill attack, stopping the massive Pokémon in its tracks.

Despite Rhydon's size and weight being comparable to that of a military tank, it was forced to halt immediately. No matter how much additional force it applied, it couldn't advance even an inch further.

"Ugh~" A soft, melodious cry filled the air. Rhydon's enormous body seemed to lose all sense of gravity as it began floating in the air. In the next second, it was effortlessly thrown out of the Pokémon Center, colliding with another Dark Pokémon that had been engaged in battle. Both corrupted Pokémon were knocked out of the fight entirely.

"Latias!!" Many people recognized the identity of the red guardian immediately.

In Alto Mare, the famous water capital, Latias and Latios were revered as protective totems. Every important landmark throughout the city featured their statues, and their legendary stories continued to be told throughout Alto Mare to this day.

According to the beloved local legends, Latias was the guardian of Alto Mare! It was also Latios who had once defeated the Dark Pokémon that had previously invaded their peaceful city in ancient times.

Outside the Pokémon Center, a blue streak descended from the sky. The newcomer struck down two Dark Pokémon with powerful Dragon Claw attacks, then stopped at the entrance of the Pokémon Center. After making eye contact with Latias, it immediately soared back into the sky.

It was the other protagonist from the legends—Latios, the guardian of Alto Mare.

"Hmm~" Latias responded with a gentle, musical cry, then quickly chased after its older brother as they prepared to continue their battle against the Dark Pokémon threat.

The appearance of these legendary protectors filled everyone with hope. The Dark Pokémon that had seemed so overwhelming moments before now faced opponents who could match their corrupted power. Chris watched in awe as the two Eon Pokémon took to the skies, ready to defend their beloved city once again, just as they had in the ancient stories passed down through generations.