The call came with the sunrise.
Cyrus hadn't slept.
He stood by the window of his hotel room as the last sliver of moonlight bled out of the sky, pale and thin, retreating behind the horizon like something that knew it wasn't welcome anymore. The sun followed slowly, hesitant at first, painting the upper edges of Divide City in washed gold.
Below him, the city looked different in daylight.
Calmer.
Quieter.
Wounded.
Emergency lights still blinked along the streets. Barricades hadn't been taken down yet. A few Fairy-type Pokémon hovered near the glowing half of the city, clearly unsettled, while Dark-types lingered deeper in shadow than usual, as if reluctant to face the morning.
Cyrus rested his forehead against the cool glass.
Ditto lay draped around his shoulders, not quite a scarf, more like a tired, comforting weight. It shifted slightly, forming a small thumbs-up near his collarbone before relaxing again.
"Yeah," Cyrus murmured. "We made it."
The holo-screen chimed softly behind him.
Once.
He turned, eyes heavy, movements slow, and tapped the air.
The projection resolved into a familiar space, polished stone floors, fossil displays, relic cases illuminated by warm museum lighting. The King estate was already awake.
Joseph Von King stood near a worktable strewn with open data pads and scanned imagery. His jacket was off, sleeves rolled up — a sign he'd been awake for hours.
Beside him stood Dr. Maren Rei-King, posture straight, lab coat pristine despite the hour. Her eyes softened immediately when she saw Cyrus.
"You look exhausted," she said.
Cyrus gave a weak half-smile. "Good morning to you too."
Joseph nodded once. "You're still standing. That's promising."
Cyrus dragged a chair over and sat, elbows on knees. "It was a long night."
Maren's gaze flicked, not to his face, but to the space around him.
"…Hoopa is still there," she said quietly.
Hoopa's voice drifted lazily through the room, sing-song and amused.
"Ooooh~ good moooorning~."
Joseph didn't react outwardly, but his shoulders tightened.
Cyrus rubbed his eyes. "Yeah. He is."
Maren sighed softly. "All right. Start from the top. We've been monitoring dreamwave instability since midnight. Divide City lit up like a warning beacon."
Joseph added, "And no, we don't like that either."
Cyrus took a breath and began.
He walked them through the night.
Darkrai's appearance in the sky, fully manifested, power bleeding into cloud and street alike. The panic. The evacuations. The way nightmares didn't just affect people, but Pokémon too, Wild ones fleeing, trained ones restless and agitated.
He described the boundary line shimmering under Darkrai's influence, bending but not breaking.
When he spoke about the hooded figure, arms raised in the street, face hidden beneath a symbol stitched in darkness, Maren's expression sharpened.
"A cult intermediary," she murmured. "Or someone who believes they're chosen."
Joseph's jaw tightened.
Cyrus continued, the clash, the delay tactics, the way Darkrai tested him rather than crushed him.
And then...
"Hoopa intervened," Cyrus said quietly. "Not directly. But… enough."
Hoopa hummed, pleased with himself.
"And Cresselia?" Maren asked.
"She came back," Cyrus said. "Mid-air. Wounded, but free."
Hoopa twirled unseen.
"Maaaybe~."
Joseph exhaled slowly. "Of course he did."
Maren closed her eyes for a long moment.
When she opened them, her voice was calm, but carried weight.
"Cyrus. You do realize Hoopa is not acting as a passive presence anymore."
"I know."
"An he is not your Pokémon."
"I know."
"He is a Mythical entity whose concept of consequence does not align with ours."
Hoopa puffed his cheeks."Ruuuude~."
Maren didn't look at him.
"If Hoopa wanted Cresselia captured," she continued, "she would still be captured. If he wanted Darkrai gone..."
"He wouldn't need us," Cyrus finished.
Joseph nodded. "Which means this isn't chaos. It's choice."
Cyrus leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "Darkrai pulled back."
Maren's brow furrowed. "Not defeated?"
"No," Cyrus said. "He chose to stop."
"That's worse," Joseph muttered.
Maren nodded. "Darkrai fears sleep. Cresselia represents balance, rest, limitation, and recovery. Without her, his power grows unchecked… but so does his instability."
Joseph leaned closer to the projection. "And if he fully Mega Evolved?"
Cyrus didn't answer immediately.
Ditto tightened just slightly.
"…Divide City won't hold for long," Cyrus said. "And neither will anything nearby."
Silence stretched.
The hum of equipment filled the King estate.
Finally, Joseph spoke. "You did the right thing calling us."
Maren nodded. "And stepping in."
"But," Joseph added, "you're walking next to something far older than you."
Maren met Cyrus's eyes. "Do not provoke Hoopa. Do not attempt to bind him. And do not assume he can't hurt you just because he hasn't."
Hoopa drifted closer, upside-down.
"Ooooh~ worried about me~?"
"Yes," Maren said flatly. "Extremely."
Hoopa blinked.
Then laughed — light, melodic, unreadable.
Joseph softened slightly. "Son… Hoopa respects curiosity and conviction. He despises control. If you try to cage him, you lose. If you ignore him…"
"…I lose faster," Cyrus finished.
Hoopa clapped slowly.
"Ooooh~ gold star~."
Maren allowed herself a small, tired smile. "Call us again tonight. And Cyrus?"
"Yeah?"
"Rest. Even Darkrai retreats with the dawn."
Cyrus glanced back at the window.
The moon was gone.
The sun had fully risen.
"I'll try," he said.
The holo-screen faded.
Cyrus stayed seated for a long moment.
Outside, Divide City exhaled, battered, but still standing.
Hoopa floated lazily nearby.
"Soooo~," he sang. "What a fun first night."
Cyrus closed his eyes.
"Don't hurt the city," he said quietly.
Hoopa tilted his head.
"…That wouldn't be fun."
The sunlight crept farther across the floor.
And for the first time since the night began, Cyrus let himself breathe.