Chapter 8 — The Fifth Power
The island was glowing.
Not with sunlight.
Not with electricity.
Not even with the strange dimensional energy that had surrounded Dimensional Island since Jin's arrival.
This was different.
Four colors of energy spiraled through the sky.
The crimson energy of Dynamax.
The crystalline energy of Terastallization.
The golden-white energy of Z-Power.
And the brilliant blue aura of Mega Evolution.
They intertwined above the island like four enormous rivers flowing toward the same destination.
Jin.
He stood completely still.
The large Pikachu stood beside him.
"Pika..."
[Master...]
"I know."
Jin stared at his hands.
They were glowing.
"What exactly is happening to me?"
Astra didn't answer.
She was staring at the sky.
For the first time since Jin had met her, the mysterious former Administrator looked genuinely frightened.
"Astra?"
She finally spoke.
"The island is recognizing you."
"Recognizing me as what?"
"The Administrator."
Jin frowned.
"I already am the Administrator."
"No."
Astra shook her head.
"You don't understand."
She pointed toward the mansion.
"The island accepted your authority."
She pointed toward the Pokémon.
"The Pokémon accepted your command."
Then she pointed toward the dimensional rift.
"But now..."
Her voice became quiet.
"The dimensions themselves are recognizing you."
The Four Keys
Cynthia approached them.
"Astra."
Astra looked at her.
"What are these four energies?"
Astra took a breath.
"Every major Pokémon world developed its own method of surpassing ordinary battle limits."
She looked toward Mega Metagross.
"Mega Evolution. The power of a bond between Pokémon and Trainer."
Then toward Ash.
"Z-Power. The power of trust, determination, and will."
Then toward Leon's Gigantamax Charizard.
"Dynamax. The power of scale, energy, and the land itself."
Finally, she looked at Cynthia's crystalline Garchomp.
"Terastallization. The power of identity and hidden potential."
Cynthia crossed her arms.
"And together?"
Astra looked toward Jin.
"They form the four keys."
Clemont's eyes widened.
"So the System wasn't exaggerating."
"No."
Astra shook her head.
"The System was hiding information."
Jin stared at her.
"Why?"
"Because the previous Administrators tried to use them."
Jin's expression changed.
"And?"
Astra looked away.
"They failed."
The Island Trembles
A massive shockwave suddenly erupted from the center of Dimensional Island.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Everyone stumbled.
Ash grabbed Pikachu.
"Whoa!"
"PIKA!"
Cynthia's Garchomp dug its claws into the ground.
Steven's Mega Metagross immediately positioned itself between the Champions and the mansion.
Leon looked upward.
"The rift is getting bigger!"
Clemont checked his equipment.
"No!"
His face turned pale.
"It's not getting bigger."
"What?"
"The dimensional rift is becoming..."
He swallowed.
"...deeper."
Jin looked up.
The rift no longer resembled a hole in the sky.
It looked like an endless tunnel.
And something was moving inside it.
Something enormous.
The System appeared before Jin.
[DIMENSIONAL DISTURBANCE DETECTED]
Unknown entity approaching.
Classification: UNKNOWN
Power Level: UNKNOWN
Origin: UNKNOWN
WARNING
Administrator authority is insufficient for direct analysis.
Jin stared.
"Insufficient?"
The System had never said that before.
He immediately opened the Administrator interface.
[DIMENSIONAL POWER]
Status: AWAKENING
Progress: 12%
Jin blinked.
"Only twelve percent?"
Astra answered.
"That's probably a good thing."
"Why?"
"Because if it reaches one hundred percent..."
She looked toward the sky.
"...you may no longer be human."
Silence.
Jin slowly turned toward her.
"What?"
Astra's eyes were serious.
"The Dimensional Power doesn't simply make Pokémon stronger."
She pointed at Jin.
"It changes the relationship between the Administrator and the dimension itself."
A Different Kind of Battle
The Null King suddenly moved.
It raised its massive arm.
Ash shouted:
"Look out!"
The Null King didn't attack Jin.
Instead—
It attacked the dimensional rift.
BOOOOOOM!
Black energy struck the enormous eye.
The eye screamed.
The sound shook the entire island.
Jin stared.
"The Null King is attacking it?"
Astra nodded.
"Now you understand."
"So the Null King isn't the enemy?"
"It was never the real enemy."
The enormous creature roared and unleashed another attack.
The eye retaliated.
A black beam descended.
The Null King crossed its arms.
KRAAAAAAAAAASH!
It was thrown across the battlefield.
It crashed into a mountain.
Ash stared.
"That thing just protected us."
Cynthia narrowed her eyes.
"Then perhaps our assumption was wrong."
Jin looked at the fallen Null King.
The creature slowly stood.
It was injured.
Badly.
But it looked toward Jin.
Then it pointed toward the rift.
Jin understood.
"You want me to stop that thing."
The Null King nodded.
"Pika?"
The large Pikachu looked shocked.
Jin smiled slightly.
"Looks like we've got an unexpected ally."
Ash grinned.
"Then let's fight together!"
"Pikachu!"
The Champions Strike Back
Cynthia stepped forward.
"Garchomp."
Her Terastallized Garchomp roared.
Steven raised his Key Stone.
"Metagross."
Mega Evolution activated again.
Leon summoned Charizard.
Diantha stepped beside them.
"A battle against an enemy from beyond our world."
She smiled.
"I suppose there's no reason to hold back."
Her Gardevoir appeared.
Diantha raised her Key Stone.
"Let's go."
Mega Gardevoir.
Ash raised his Z-Ring.
"Pikachu!"
"Pika!"
Energy gathered.
Serena stepped forward.
"Sylveon!"
Her Sylveon leaped onto the battlefield.
Clemont looked around.
"Everyone is powering up."
Bonnie clenched her fists.
"Then we can help too!"
Clemont looked at his sister.
"Bonnie..."
She pointed toward the sky.
"That thing is trying to hurt our friends!"
Clemont smiled.
"You're right."
He activated his device.
"Then let's find a way to help them."
Jin looked across the battlefield.
Champions.
Trainers.
Island Pokémon.
Even the Null King.
Everyone was preparing to fight together.
He felt something inside his chest.
Not fear.
Not excitement.
Something warmer.
A connection.
Thousands of Pokémon.
Thousands of lives.
All connected to the island.
The System appeared.
[BOND NETWORK DETECTED]
Pokémon connections: 12,487+
Trainer connections: 37
Dimensional connections: 4
Administrator connection: 1
Would you like to synchronize?
Jin stared.
"Synchronize."
[WARNING]
Full synchronization will expose Administrator consciousness to every connected Pokémon.
Continue?
Jin didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
The world disappeared.
The Island's Voice
Jin opened his eyes.
He was standing in darkness.
Then—
Light appeared.
One Pokémon.
Then another.
Then another.
Thousands.
He could feel them.
A nervous Ralts.
A playful Pikachu.
A proud Charizard.
A tired Blastoise.
A young Riolu.
A massive Dragonite.
A sleepy Snorlax.
A mischievous Gengar.
A lonely Absol.
A curious Eevee.
Every Pokémon on the island.
He could feel their emotions.
Their memories.
Their trust.
Their fear.
Their happiness.
Jin whispered:
"I can feel all of you."
A voice answered.
Not one voice.
Thousands.
[Master.]
Jin froze.
"You're talking..."
[Master.]
The voices overlapped.
[We are here.]
Jin closed his eyes.
"Then..."
He smiled.
"Let's protect our home."
The darkness exploded into light.
Dimensional Synchronization
Jin's eyes opened.
The battlefield returned.
But everything looked different.
He could see energy.
Mega Energy.
Z-Power.
Dynamax Energy.
Tera Energy.
He could even see the invisible connections between Pokémon and Trainers.
The System appeared.
[FULL SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE]
Administrator Authority: 100%
Pokémon Network: 100%
Dimensional Awareness: 31%
Dimensional Power: 28%
New Ability Unlocked
DIMENSIONAL COMMAND
The Administrator can coordinate Pokémon across regional battle systems without overriding their free will.
Jin smiled.
"So that's what this power is."
Astra stared at him.
"What do you see?"
"Everything."
He pointed toward the battlefield.
"Cynthia, Garchomp's left side is vulnerable."
Cynthia immediately understood.
"Garchomp!"
Garchomp shifted.
A dimensional attack missed.
Jin continued.
"Steven! Metagross—three seconds!"
Steven nodded.
"Understood."
Mega Metagross launched.
"Leon!"
Leon looked over.
"Charizard!"
Gigantamax Charizard attacked simultaneously.
"Ash!"
Ash grinned.
"Pikachu!"
"PIKA!"
"Now!"
10,000,000 VOLT THUNDERBOLT!
Four attacks collided with the dimensional creature.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The sky turned white.
The enormous eye screamed.
For the first time—
It retreated.
Jin looked upward.
"We can hurt it."
Cynthia nodded.
"Then we continue."
But Astra suddenly shouted:
"JIN!"
He turned.
"WHAT?"
"Look at the Null King!"
The Null King had stopped moving.
Its body was glowing.
Black energy was being pulled from it.
And beneath the dark armor...
Something else was appearing.
A Pokémon.
A real Pokémon.
Jin stared.
The black shell cracked.
CRACK.
Another crack.
CRAAAAACK.
The Null King's body shattered.
Everyone prepared for an attack.
But what emerged wasn't a monster.
It was a small, exhausted Pokémon.
Its body was dark blue.
It had strange silver markings across its chest.
And its eyes were glowing faintly.
Clemont's scanner activated.
He stared.
"No data."
Cynthia stepped closer.
"I've never seen that Pokémon."
Astra whispered:
"Because it doesn't belong to any known region."
Jin approached carefully.
The Pokémon looked at him.
Then—
It spoke.
Not through words.
Through the System.
[UNKNOWN POKÉMON HAS RECOGNIZED ADMINISTRATOR]
Jin crouched.
"Who are you?"
The Pokémon raised one trembling paw.
Then a single word appeared.
[GUARDIAN.]
Jin's eyes widened.
"Guardian?"
The Pokémon nodded.
[I guarded the boundary.]
[The creature beyond the rift corrupted me.]
[I became the Null King.]
Everyone fell silent.
Ash looked at the rift.
"So that thing turned you into that?"
The Guardian nodded.
Jin stood.
"Then we'll save you."
The Guardian stared at him.
Then it smiled.
[Administrator...]
[You are different from the others.]
Jin frowned.
"Different how?"
The Guardian looked toward the four energies surrounding the battlefield.
[The previous Administrators sought power.]
[You seek connection.]
The System suddenly flashed.
[CONDITION MET]
[DIMENSIONAL POWER: 47%]
New title acquired:
Guardian Administrator
Jin stared at the title.
"That's new."
Astra smiled.
"Yes."
Jin looked at her.
"You knew this would happen?"
"No."
She shook her head.
"I've never seen it happen before."
Then the entire island became silent.
Every Pokémon looked toward the sky.
The enormous eye had disappeared.
The rift was closing.
For a moment, Jin thought the battle was over.
Then—
A new System notification appeared.
[EMERGENCY ALERT]
Multiple dimensional signatures detected.
Number of incoming worlds: 3
Destination: Dimensional Island
Estimated arrival: 72 hours
Known signatures:
World One — Pokémon
World Two — UNKNOWN
World Three — UNKNOWN
Administrator response required.
Jin stared at the message.
"Three worlds?"
Astra looked toward him.
"The three doors."
Cynthia's expression hardened.
"The prophecy."
Jin remembered the ancient tablet.
One toward the past.
One toward the future.
One toward worlds beyond Pokémon.
Jin looked at the sky.
"So that's what the prophecy meant."
Ash stepped beside him.
"Whatever comes through..."
Pikachu climbed onto Ash's shoulder.
"We'll handle it together."
Jin smiled.
"Yeah."
The large island Pikachu stood beside him.
"Pika!"
[Master, Dimensional Island is ready.]
Jin looked across his island.
His Pokémon.
His mansion.
His new allies.
And the four legendary battle systems now awakening within his world.
He raised his hand.
"Then let's prepare."
The System responded.
[DIMENSIONAL ISLAND DEVELOPMENT PROTOCOL ACTIVATED]
New facilities becoming available:
Mega Evolution Chamber
Z-Power Shrine
Dynamax Stadium
Tera Crystal Cavern
Dimensional Research Laboratory
Battle Frontier
World Gate Observatory
Construction time: 72 hours.
Jin blinked.
"Wait."
He looked at the mansion.
"We're building all of that in three days?"
The large Pikachu smiled.
"Pika pika."
[Master, you have no idea how much work has been waiting for you.]
Jin stared at the enormous list.
"...I suddenly miss fighting the Null King."
Ash laughed.
Cynthia smiled.
Steven shook his head.
Leon laughed loudly.
Even Astra smiled.
For the first time since Jin had arrived on Dimensional Island...
The island didn't feel like a mysterious prison between worlds.
It felt like home.
But far beyond the closing rift—
Something watched.
Three worlds were approaching.
And one of them...
Was not a Pokémon world.