The red chain tightly bound Dialga and Palkia. Everyone looked towards the sky, where the red chain firmly imprisoned the two dragons of time and space. Below them stood a man with a slight curve at the corner of his mouth.
The fluorescent glow on the red chain successfully suppressed Palkia and Dialga's rage, gradually calming them down. The red in their eyes began to fade; physical calmness was just that effective!
Palkia and Dialga looked with fear at the red chain entwined around them. No matter how they struggled or exerted their power, they couldn't break free from this red chain. The more they resisted, the tighter it became.
Lin Jiu knew he was like an ant in front of these two legendary Pokémon, but even beings as powerful as Dialga and Palkia had their nemesis.
Thanks to Cyrus and his Team Galactic, their efforts hadn't been in vain. Lin Jiu and the people of the Sinnoh region would be grateful for their outstanding contributions!
"Roar~"
Palkia's voice was no longer as violent as before, softly growling at Lin Jiu. They sensed a restraining power within the red chain, but the human controlling it hadn't done anything to harm them.
He merely restricted them, which also helped them regain their sanity. Realizing what it had done during its rampage, Palkia felt a twinge of guilt. Just a little, not too much; after all, they were legendary Pokémon and had their pride!
"Can you speak human language?"
Lin Jiu asked shortly. It was clear that Pokémon language and ancient languages were not included in the reincarnation paradise language options.
"Human, we apologize for the destruction we caused!"
Palkia readily admitted its mistake, signaling to the uneasy Dialga beside it.
Dialga initially wanted to hold its ground, but seeing the red chain around it and the stern look on this human's face, it chose to obediently listen.
"Restore this place to its original state, then leave!"
Lin Jiu told Palkia and Dialga. His eyes were filled with fatigue, and he noticed his health bar gradually decreasing, but the chain in his hands didn't loosen easily.
Oración had not yet played, so he couldn't be sure if Palkia and Dialga had fully recovered or if it was just the physical calming effect of the red chain that allowed for temporary communication.
If it was the latter, once he loosened the chain again, he would be obliterated by the rampaging Pokémon in an instant, leaving not even a trace.
Before Oración played and his life force hit the critical point, he wouldn't release them easily.
"We can, but you have to release us first!"
"Wait!"
Lin Jiu replied, looking towards the towering Space-Time Tower. Everyone understood that they were waiting for Ash and his friends to play Oración, and couldn't help but admire his caution.
Palkia: "..."
Dialga: "..."
Cynthia looked at Red in front of her with a complicated gaze. She initially thought he was a criminal like those from Team Galactic. But given the current situation, he seemed more like a savior. If he were a champion of a region, this moment would undoubtedly be his champion's moment!
She also considered the possibility that this man stepped up out of necessity to save her life. But within a second, this hypothesis was overturned.
It was evident that the red chain imprisoning the two dragons of time and space was something Lin Jiu had obtained from the secret factory of Team Galactic. Whether it was the stolen gems or the red chain he had infiltrated to get, each item seemed to exist for this very moment.
Even if everything was a coincidence, Lin Jiu's demands on the time-space dragons were proof enough. Despite holding the red chain that could control the two dragons, he didn't use it to his advantage.
Lin Jiu: If I could, I would!
Cynthia shifted her gaze from Lin Jiu to the silent time-space dragons, subdued by the red chain and waiting due to Lin Jiu's words. She asked, "Why were you fighting?!"
Palkia looked at Cynthia. Although she didn't hold the red chain, they seemed to be on the same side. Out of respect for this trainer who could suppress them for a while, Palkia answered, "It's because of this guy! I was sleeping, and it suddenly came to trouble me!"
"Humph! It was your spatial wave that invaded my territory first!"
The usually aloof Dialga had planned to remain silent and leave as soon as the chain was loosened. But hearing Palkia's words, it couldn't help but retort. If it didn't speak up, wouldn't it seem like Dialga was causing trouble for no reason, tarnishing its reputation?
"What are you doing!"
Lin Jiu tightened his grip on the chain, his gaze sharp as he stared at Darkrai.
Palkia and Dialga tensed up with Lin Jiu, fearing that any agitation might activate some power within the red chain, sealing them away.
Cynthia and the others followed Lin Jiu's gaze to Darkrai. By now, Darkrai had recovered somewhat, forming a small Dark Void in its hand, aiming it at Lin Jiu.
Brock was bewildered. They had just fought side by side, and now it was turning against them? What kind of twist was this?
Cynthia also became vigilant. If Darkrai intended to harm Lin Jiu, she had to stop it. The entire Sinnoh region owed this guy a favor!
"You have to stop and release it... If this continues, you'll die!"
Despite not agreeing with Lin Jiu's extreme actions, Darkrai acknowledged this human. Being close enough, it sensed Lin Jiu's life force weakening bit by bit as he held the red chain.
Soft-hearted but not good at expressing itself, Darkrai could only choose to take action to force Lin Jiu to release the red chain.
"I'm not one to joke around with my life!"
Lin Jiu said calmly. As long as he had some health left, he could heal once he returned to Reincarnation Paradise. His attributes hadn't been strengthened yet, so the treatment wouldn't be expensive!
But others didn't know this. Darkrai fell silent, extinguishing the Dark Void in its hand. Cynthia saw that the guy who claimed he wouldn't joke about his life showed no intention of loosening his grip.
"Human... you have earned our recognition!"
Palkia and Dialga swore it had nothing to do with the threat of the red chain and nodded at Lin Jiu.
"Mr. Red..."
Brock felt reassured that he had protected the right person.
Lin Jiu felt he had hit the jackpot. In this short time, the usually quiet Paradise interface began to flood with notifications.
[Hint: Sinnoh League faction reputation +500 (Faction Reputation: Friendly)]
[Hint: You have activated an important figure in the Sinnoh region, Champion Cynthia's favorability +60 (Friend)]
[Hint: Favorability 1-10 (first meeting), 11-60 (Friend relationship), 61-80 (Close friend), 81-100 (Specific situations recruit as a servant or follower).]
[Hint: Legendary Pokémon, the God of Nightmares Darkrai favorability +60 (Friend)]
[Hint: Legendary Pokémon, the God of Time Dialga favorability +30 (Friend)]
[Hint: Legendary Pokémon, the God of Space Palkia favorability +30 (Friend)]
[Hint: Brock...
...
If favorability exceeded 80, Lin Jiu couldn't help but glance at Cynthia. Not bad! Much better than when Su Xiao first met Caesar.
...
"It seems the commotion outside has stopped!"
Ash, carrying the Oración disc, suddenly noticed the fighting noises outside had ceased, becoming quiet.
"Could it be... Alice!!"
Tonio seemed to think of a terrible outcome, his face turning pale.
Ash, being very smart at this moment, reacted immediately, saying, "If something happened to them, wouldn't Palkia and Dialga continue fighting?"
The two looked through the gaps in the iron railings and saw the two dragons of time and space and a human in a triangular formation. The man held a red chain in each hand, binding a dragon with each. The scene was momentarily silent!
"That man... restrained the gods!!"
As a Sinnoh researcher, Tonio naturally understood the status of the time-space duo in Sinnoh legends. But in front of this man, they seemed to become obedient.
It seemed that Lin Jiu's actions had temporarily integrated him into the protagonist group. As his companion, Ash's intelligence was fully activated, like releasing a seal, because Lin Jiu's health bar was continuously dropping!
"They're restrained, Tonio. Use... cough, cough, summon your Pokémon to take us up now!" Ash said quickly.