Pokemon: A New Path-Cyclizar Mask Reappears[542]

Inside the vast Royal Dome, a stadium that should have been bustling with energy and fanfare, an eerie silence now hung over the crowd.

All eyes were locked on the center of the arena.

There, looming like a shadow from another world, stood a towering, dragon-like Pokémon clad in gray and gold. A glowing golden half-ring circled behind its neck, while black and crimson stripes rippled across its chest like scars. Twin ghostly wings—tipped with crimson claws—flickered and shifted with a haunting energy.

Below its massive frame were six thick, powerful legs, each ending in sharp, golden claws that dug lightly into the battlefield.

From its body, a suffocating pressure pulsed outward—an aura of destruction that seemed to darken the very air around it.

The shadow it cast swallowed the entire ring in gloom.

Some spectators sat frozen in place, eyes wide, pupils trembling with the reflection of the monster before them. Others had leapt to their feet, gripping the rails in front of them with white-knuckled hands, unable to look away. Cries of astonishment rippled through the seats as more than a few people instinctively covered their mouths in disbelief.

"That's... Giratina!" someone finally shouted.

A wave of shocked whispers and exclamations followed.

Many of the younger spectators immediately understood the weight of that name.

The Renegade Pokémon. The ruler of the Distortion World. The shadow guardian who once intervened to stop Groudon and Kyogre and saved the Hoenn region from destruction.

That very Pokémon had just descended into the Royal Dome.

It was a moment that defied belief.

The God of the Underworld… standing right here.

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It was surreal.

But just as quickly, the crowd's attention shifted to the masked figure standing behind Giratina.

Everyone knew the story.

Only one Trainer in the world had ever tamed Giratina.

And that Trainer had no known name. He appeared like a ghost, vanished like mist, and hadn't been seen since the incident in Hoenn.

The last time he'd been spotted, he was seen riding Giratina into battle, quelling the cataclysmic clash between Groudon and Kyogre.

Then he had simply disappeared.

"Giratina's Trainer…" someone murmured in disbelief.

"Could Gold King be, the legendary Cyclizar Mask?!"

"It has to be!" another fan shouted, his voice rising with excitement.

"Giratina's been confirmed to be unique—there's only one in the entire world! If it's here, then that Trainer must be Cyclizar Mask!"

Click! Click! Click!

Camera shutters snapped wildly as every lens in the stadium pointed straight at Giratina.

Even the professional photographers stationed at the Dome were scrambling to get their shots.

Up in the commentary booth, Roger's eyes sparkled with adrenaline.

"Incredible! An absolutely shocking turn of events here at the Royal Dome!" he cried.

"Gold King has sent out the Legendary Pokémon—GIRATINA!"

"And that's not all—we've just received confirmation from our sources backstage! Gold King is none other than… Cyclizar Mask! The masked Trainer who stopped the Hoenn crisis!"

"The same Trainer who, last year, rode into the skies atop Giratina and brought an end to the apocalyptic battle between Groudon and Kyogre!"

As Roger's voice echoed through the stadium, realization finally dawned across the entire crowd.

It was true.

Doesn't this mean that Gold King's true identity is actually the legendary trainer who saved the world?!

Some members of the audience leapt from their seats, waving their glowsticks wildly and shouting at the top of their lungs:

"Gold King!"

"Gold King!!"

"Giratina!!!"

The cheers echoed like thunder through the Royal Dome.

On the battlefield, Giratina stood tall, basking in the energy of the crowd.

Yes. This is the feeling.

The roar of human admiration. The spotlight. The awe.

It loved it.

Still, even in its moment of glory, it didn't forget to look back at its Trainer.

Naoki stood frozen behind it, feeling as if the very sky had come crashing down.

He had prepared for this match with care, playing out dozens of scenarios in his head. But not once… had he predicted this.

The audience had already begun chanting something else.

"Cyclizar Mask! Cyclizar Mask!"

His expression tightened.

It's over. His identity had been exposed.

Naoki glared sharply at Giratina, trying to communicate through sheer eye contact.

[What are you doing?!]

Giratina, of course, responded with casual telepathy: "Helping you win, of course!"

It gave a smug little nod of its massive head.

Of course, Naoki thought bitterly. Giratina couldn't just show up without reason. And with its overwhelming need to become an online sensation, Naoki had a very strong suspicion:

This whole dramatic entrance… was just to gain more fans.

He narrowed his eyes at the dragon.

Giratina fidgeted guiltily and quickly turned its head, mumbling through their psychic link:

"The battle's about to start, y'know…"

Naoki: "…"

He finally looked up and saw the other three competitors across the ring.

The Masked Royal.

Nanette of Lilygrove.

And the Karate King.

All of them were staring straight at him… and his Giratina.

Nanette's eyes sparkled with surprise. "Oh my Arceus, is big bro actually some kind of world-saving hero?!"

The Karate King grinned from ear to ear. "Looks like I get to go toe-to-toe with a Legendary today. This is gonna be fun!"

With that, he tossed off his top layer of clothing, proudly revealing his chiseled, competition-ready muscles.

By contrast, the Masked Royal was calm. Composed. Stoic.

But, unfortunately, already shirtless. So he couldn't do a dramatic reveal.

Only his pants were left.

"The Legendary Pokémon… Giratina?" he said, staring through the eyeslits of his mask.

"Let's see what you've got."

Naoki: "…"

He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, steadying his thoughts.

Then opened them with new clarity.

Whatever. Let them believe what they want.

The world knew Gold King. They didn't know Naoki of Naoki Ranch.

Gold King, Cyclizar Mask—whatever names people shouted or speculated about—none of them had anything to do with him unless he let them.

Just then, Roger's voice rang out once again:

"Well, despite some unexpected surprises, it doesn't change the fact that this match is going to be legendary!"

"All four contestants are ready—so let the battle begin!"

DING! DING! DING!

The rapid chime of bells rang out across the stadium, and the final match of the Masters Division was officially underway.

Almost immediately, sensing the overwhelming pressure coming from Giratina, both Nanette of Lilygrove and the Karate King made a silent, mutual decision—team up first, deal with the threat later.

"Hariyama, use Chilling water!" shouted the Karate King.

"Oh dear~ Amoonguss, use Toxic!" Nanette called out, blowing a kiss.

Meanwhile, the Masked Royal didn't move a muscle.

With his arms folded, he stood silently beside his Incineroar, simply watching the others act.

As soon as the commands were given, both Pokémon sprang into action.

Hariyama cupped its massive hands together, channeling blue energy that condensed into a pulsing orb. With a powerful thrust, it hurled the Chilling Water toward Giratina in a burst of shimmering droplets.

From the other side, Amoonguss opened its wide pink mouth and sprayed a stream of thick, violet toxic sludge, arcing it toward the legendary dragon.

But Giratina… didn't even flinch.

Naoki's voice was calm.

"Shadow Sneak."

And just like that, Giratina's massive body vanished.

"What?!" Nanette and the Karate King gasped in unison.

But before either could issue another command, a dark, looming shadow unfurled behind Amoonguss.

BAM!

A wave of ghostly energy surged forward like a crashing tide, slamming directly into the unsuspecting Mushroom Pokémon.

The impact sent Amoonguss flying, its round body spinning through the air before it crashed to the ground, eyes spiraling.

It was out.

One hit.

The crowd erupted with cheers.

"Incredible!" Roger shouted from the commentary booth, voice shaking with excitement.

"With a single Shadow Sneak, Giratina just took down Nanette's Amoonguss! This is the terrifying strength of a Legendary Pokémon in battle!"

But Giratina wasn't done.

Without hesitation, it turned and launched a glowing, spiraling Aura Sphere.

The brilliant orb of energy streaked across the arena and slammed into Hariyama with explosive force.

"Hold it back, Hariyama!" the Karate King shouted.

Hariyama roared and braced itself, massive palms pressing against the oncoming blast. Its heels dug deep into the floor, leaving long gouges in the ring as it struggled to resist the power.

One second…

Two seconds…

CRACK!

On the third second, Hariyama's defense shattered—the Aura Sphere blasted it clean off the stage, hurling the massive fighter across the stadium and into the reinforced wall below the spectator stands.

Boom!!

Dust exploded into the air, and the impact left a crater in the wall.

"Hsssss!"

gasped several audience members seated nearby, recoiling in stunned amazement.

The power was terrifying.

And yet…

Rather than panic, the audience exploded with cheers.

"Gold King!!"

"Gold King!!"

"GIRATINA!!!"

The sound was deafening, echoing like a battlefield drum across the arena.

Back in his corner, Naoki blinked, stunned by the intensity of the crowd's reaction.

"This world really is ruled by Pokémon battles," he muttered to himself.

The stronger the Trainer… the more the world adores them.

With two opponents already defeated, only one challenger remained on the field.

Naoki turned his gaze toward the final Trainer standing across the battlefield—the Masked Royal.

The iconic trainer met his eyes with an intense, battle-hungry smile. His arms crossed confidently, his cloak fluttering behind him in the lingering energy of the arena.

"Just the two of us now."

His voice was firm, but there was excitement in it.

"Looks like we can finally have a true one-on-one battle. A fair fight between Trainers!"

"…"

...