**Most of the museum building now lay in ruins, shattered into countless fragments.** The interior spaces had become increasingly distorted and chaotic due to the lingering effects of Devon's Palkia ritual—walls bent at impossible angles, doorways led to nowhere, and rooms overlapped with one another in a surreal, disorienting maze. Fires crackled and spread across the decorative displays, ignited by the explosive force of Eon's runes. The entire museum was now sealed within a specialized magical barrier, trapping everyone inside.
Alfred, the museum director, stood at a safe distance, watching his beloved establishment crumble piece by piece. His shoulders slumped, and he turned away, wiping a tear that threatened to escape from the corner of his eye.
Alied noticed the old man's grief and stepped forward, placing a firm hand on his left shoulder. Alfred turned to face him, and Alied spoke with quiet determination: "I'll end this as quickly as possible."
Without another word, Alied's Gengar emerged from the shadows and pulled him into the Shadow Realm, disappearing from sight.
Alfred turned back to gaze at the ruined museum one last time, his voice barely above a whisper. "I hope that someday, I can hold an exhibition without an incident like this..." He sighed heavily, then began walking toward the crowd of evacuees.
---
**Meanwhile, amidst the chaos of the evacuation,** Kanna and Eri stood watching the unfolding disaster from a safe distance. Academy students were busy helping civilians escape the area, their uniforms a stark contrast to the destruction behind them.
"I knew it would come to this," Kanna said flatly, her expression unreadable.
"Yeah... It seems we really couldn't avoid it," Eri replied, her tone deceptively casual. She glanced at Kanna, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes. "Aren't you going to help Vera?"
Without turning her gaze from the burning museum, Kanna responded coolly, "No. That's not my concern."
Eri returned her attention to the crumbling building, then suddenly tensed. "Hey, wait a minute—isn't Zayn still inside?" she asked, a hint of panic creeping into her voice.
"Relax. He won't die as easily as you think," Kanna said, her tone utterly unbothered.
---
**Inside the ruined museum,** Kyle and Xavier were finally making their way toward Azure's location. But with the layout constantly shifting, Xavier had to rely on Chatot's echolocation abilities to navigate the distorted hallways.
Chatot released a series of sonic waves, mapping the transformed structure and pinpointing Azure's position. Once it confirmed their location, Chatot took flight, leading the way. Xavier and Kyle followed closely behind.
Xavier sprinted after Chatot, with Cubble still dozing peacefully atop his head. "What exactly did they do to you while you were in there, Kyle?"
"They just asked me a few questions—probably wanted to interrogate me more, but I got pulled out before they could," Kyle replied, glancing at Delta Charmander, who was running alongside him.
---
**In Azure's chamber,** she felt the familiar signatures of Xavier and Kyle approaching. Her Point Logic ability processed the museum's layout in an instant, showing their locations as glowing dots on her mental map.
With a simple flicker of thought, she teleported them directly into her chamber.
Kyle blinked, disoriented. "What just—"
"Now that he's back," Azure said, turning to Z and Raizer, "please keep an eye on them for a moment. I need to handle Alvion personally."
"Understood. You can count on us," Raizer replied with a nod.
Azure vanished in a ripple of light, leaving the group behind.
Kyle looked around the room, utterly lost. He had no idea what had happened, how any of this was possible, or why everything had spiraled into such chaos. His eyes landed on Nora, who was resting in Rayne's lap, her Bulbasaur curled up beside her.
Kyle walked over and crouched beside her, studying her tired face. "How are we going to get back now?" he asked quietly.
Nora opened her eyes slowly, her voice faint but steady. "There's no way back. The realities have merged. This is our home now."
Kyle adjusted his cap, processing her words. He turned back to look at Xavier, a new fire kindling in his eyes. "Then I guess I don't have a choice. I'll just have to overcome this."
Z and Raizer observed the exchange with small, approving smiles. But Z's expression quickly turned serious as he sensed something approaching—an Esper, heading straight for their location.
Meanwhile, Kyle reached down and plucked a single strand of hair from Nora's head. Xavier noticed and tilted his head in confusion. "What's that for?"
"Not enough time to explain—just trust me," Kyle said, pocketing the hair quickly.
Before anyone could react, several members of Team Epitaph burst into the room. Z snapped his fingers, instantly teleporting Kyle, Nora, Rayne, and Xavier to a safer location elsewhere.
He turned to Raizer, cracking his knuckles. "Looks like it's time to get serious."
"Quiet," Raizer replied, his body surrounded by several glowing rings of light.
"Hey, at least buff me too!" Z complained.
"Maybe you shouldn't have teleported everyone away if you wanted to keep fighting," Raizer shot back dryly.
The Epitaph members surged forward. Raizer released his Whimsicott from its Poké Ball, while Z recalled Snorlax and prepared for battle.
"What's the plan, Raizer?" Z asked.
"Simple," Raizer replied. The glowing rings around him shifted and wrapped around Snorlax. Whimsicott used Helping Hand, amplifying the power of Snorlax's impending attack.
Z didn't need to hear more. "Snorlax, Giga Impact!"
The rings of light fused with Snorlax's body as it leaped into the air, crashing downward with devastating force. The floor shattered beneath the impact, sending everyone plummeting to the level below—directly onto Hydreigon Redux, which had been preparing a Dragon Pulse to strike Lapras.
Raizer seized the opportunity, signaling his own Snorlax to strike the Hydreigon while it was distracted.
But Alvion was far too experienced to fall for such a simple tactic. With a subtle gesture, he teleported Hydreigon to a higher position, allowing it to launch the Dragon Pulse anyway. The main head's attack was redirected, but the left and right heads quickly shifted targets—locking onto Z and Raizer, who were still mid-air.
A brilliant blue aura gathered at each of Hydreigon's maws, energy coalescing into devastating beams of draconic power.
Ren acted fast, teleporting the two trainers out of the direct line of fire. The central head's beam missed, but the left and right heads' attacks still surged toward them. Lapras erected a Protect barrier, deflecting much of the force, while Ren and Raizer created additional shields to absorb the remaining shockwave.
The sheer power of the blast disintegrated the surrounding walls and rooms into dust. And through the debris, a soft shimmering light emanated from Hydreigon Redux—its passive recovery ability activating, slowly mending the wounds it had sustained.
---
**Meanwhile, in the information dimension,** Taylor met up with Natsu.
"Good work, Natsu—you managed to disable some of the runes earlier," Taylor praised.
"No. The runes were still triggered. All of them detonated," Natsu replied flatly, hugging her Slurpuff.
Taylor fell silent, suspicion creeping into his mind. "Was it that difficult?"
Natsu simply nodded in response.
"At least tell me you secured the Nexus Sapphire," Taylor pressed.
Natsu shook her head slowly. "No. Someone else took it before I could."
Taylor froze, his carefully laid plans crumbling in an instant. His mind raced back to Vane, who had mentioned freeing Darian first. *"Maybe I should have helped him before coming here... At this rate, he's the only one who can salvage this."*
Natsu, confused by her leader's silence, asked, "So what's the plan now?"
Taylor exhaled slowly, forcing himself to remain calm. "We wait. We don't have enough information about them—and with Team Epitaph also present, it's better not to stir up more trouble."
Natsu nodded quietly, and Taylor could only hope that Vane would return soon.