Chapter 3: Welcome to the World of What Now?
Dawn and Barry were unsure of what to be weirded out by in regards to Goku's greeting. Their unique names were particularly good contenders since neither of the two kids had ever heard of the word "son" being used as a surname…or first name? They couldn't be certain because of how he stated it, but that was the least of their noticeable concerns right now. What dumbfounded them to no end was that said gravity-defying haired individuals seemingly appeared out of nowhere and had no recollection of which region they were native to. Not even less prominent settlements like Orre, Ferrum, or Almia came to mind for some reason.
"Well, erm, you're in the Sinnoh region. One of the eight main locations in the entire Pokémon world." Professor Rowan hesitantly informed, stroking his white moustache with a raised eyebrow. Goku and Vegeta glanced at one another puzzlingly, lost the moment Rowan mentioned Sinnoh and eight nations.
"Sinnoh? Is that a food?" Goku naively asked, hunger beginning to deter his ability to think properly as per usual.
"The hell's a Pokémon?" Vegeta rudely snapped, getting straight to the point without restricting his fowl Saiyan mouth. This shocking question was the breaking point for Twinleaf Town's youngest inhabitants, their eyes widened to absolute maximum capacity. Professor Rowan, on the other hand, was even more astounded by the duo's existence and why they came here.
"Hi I'm Barry by the way. Not to be rude, but did you guys hit your head or something? Like really, really hard?" Barry assumed curiously, floored by Goku and Vegeta's overt obliviousness to the most important aspect of his entire 13-year-old life.
"Watch it, blondie. You have no idea who you're messing with." Vegeta fumed irritably, pointing an accusatory finger at Barry in warning. Barry, recalling the surge of power Vegeta displayed mere moments ago, gulped nervously and fidgeted with his scarf in an attempt to keep himself distracted.
"Well, I did hit my head when I was little, but I don't see what that has to do with us not knowing what Pokémon are." Goku honestly responded, thinking back to when he was raised by Grandpa Gohan on Mt. Paozu. Vegeta deadpanned at Goku's nonchalant reveal of his origins while Barry was amazed that his exaggerated joke had some truth to it. Dawn, inwardly giggling at the literal Saiyan man-child's blank expression, decided to share her own insights on what Pokémon are.
"My name's Dawn, nice to meet you guys. The point my friend was trying to make is that everyone knows what Pokémon are! They have lived alongside people for millions of years and make up the world's wildlife, ecosystem, and mostly everything else in between. Heck, some are standing around you as we speak! How do you survive or function without being familiar with them?!" Dawn passionately explained, gesturing to herds of Bidoof, Starly, and Psyduck inspecting the two foreigners' every move. The Saiyan prince looked unimpressed by these small creatures, only sensing small hints of power in each one. Goku, however, had a sudden epiphany in regards to the mysterious identities of Mesprit and Giratina.
"Wait, if those animals over there are Pokémon, then were Mesprit and that spiky monster also…" Goku pondered interestedly, putting bits and pieces of information together based on his short-lived experience in the Distortion World. Professor Rowan stepped into view, nodding once in affirmation.
"Yes, Goku. Those are Pokémon as well. However, Mesprit and Giratina fall under another category simply called Legendary Pokémon, the self-proclaimed gods of this world." Professor Rowan exclaimed knowledgeably, wondering if Goku and Vegeta held strength equal or even greater than those two aforementioned deities. Goku was thrown off somewhat by this description, startled by the fact that a telekinetic fairy-like creature like Mesprit was considered divine by this universe's standards.
"Wow. All our world had was dinosaurs and eternal dragons. This is a lot to take in." Goku sighed exhaustively, trying his best to comprehend the new environment he and Vegeta were unwittingly thrown into. Professor Rowan's suspicions were proven correct as to what Goku and Vegeta are while Barry laughed uproariously at the mention of other dimensions.
"Bahahaha that's a good one! W-what are you two some kind of aliens from outer space?! Heheheh!" Barry guffawed obnoxiously, pointing a mocking finger at the two Saiyan boys. Goku and Vegeta looked unamused by the hyperactive blonde's highly exaggerated reaction, an intense wave of awkward silence permeating right afterwards. Noticing that no one was laughing with him, Barry's eyes shrunk from sudden realization.
"Oh. Y-you guys are serious?" Barry stuttered nervously, sweat starting to bead down his forehead as he tried his hardest not to share eye contact with the easily irritated Vegeta. Goku simply nodded enthusiastically in agreement, causing Dawn to gasp in disbelief and hide behind Professor Rowan. Barry repeated the gesture, an action which Vegeta found laughable within his assertive mind.
"Y-you two aren't here to invade us, right? W-with that gust of wind power thingy?" Dawn concernedly wondered, shyly peeking her head out from the back of Rowan's right sleeve. Goku raised an eyebrow for a moment or two, but sported a sheepish smile of assurance anyways.
"Invade? Nah, you don't need to worry about that. The both of us were sent here by accident. At least, I hope so." Goku soothed honestly, not particularly certain of Giratina's true intentions back in the Distortion World. Vegeta, appalled by the way Dawn described chi usage, projected a ball of yellow energy out of his open palm to give her a short "demonstration" of sorts.
"Chi, not wind, little girl. And that was merely a small glimpse at the true power of a Saiyan elite! Observe." Vegeta lectured smugly, displaying a slight smirk of inward egotism. Much to Goku's chagrin, he then raised his arm upwards and fired the small sphere into the sky. It ascended higher and higher until the chi ball exploded into millions of pieces like a faulty space shuttle, causing stray Starly to scatter all over the place in sheer fright.
"Really, Vegeta?" Goku sighed disappointedly, facepalming himself whilst shaking his head a few times. Vegeta, his arms crossed contentedly, looked at his fellow Saiyan with a confused shrug.
"What? That wasn't even 1%, Kakarot." Vegeta argued obliviously, not seeing what the big issue was in shooting that miniscule chi blast. Goku deadpanned and walked over to Vegeta's side, gesturing to the dropped jaws of Dawn and Barry as their widened eyes were comically glued to where the explosion took place.
"D-did he just fire an Aura Sphere? By himself?!" Barry muttered comically, only knowing such a technique being used by Pokémon and Pokémon alone.
"W-was he lying about that being only 1%?" Dawn asked hesitantly with some hope, unable to comprehend the absolute devastation 50 or, god forbid, 100% would behold. She was going to try her best not to think of that possibility for quite a while. Apologetic for the nervousness his rival elicited into these poor off-worlders, Goku decided to cut to the chase and address a potential scientist who could somewhat be equal to Bulma's level of intelligence.
"Look, when I said we weren't going to hurt you guys, I meant it! When me and Vegeta were transported here, seven magical orbs were accidentally sent to this dimension with us. And the device needed to track them was busted after landing in the lake, I guess. Could you please help us fix it, Professor Rowan?" Goku summarized pleadingly, holding up the pocket-watch esc Dragon Radar's cracked screen. Still analyzing the seemingly "mystical" origins of Vegeta's chi attack, the evolution specialist diverted his attention to the highly advanced piece of technology within the oldest living Son's finger tips.
"May I look over it for a second, lad?" Professor Rowan politely requested, holding out one of his wrinkled hands. Vegeta was about to object in protest for willingly handing over his wife's greatest invention, but Goku held him back before the alien prince could do anything stupid.
"Sure. Just be careful. It's the only one we have." Goku advised with caution, carefully handing the small tracking device over to Rowan. Said Pokémon Professor inspected the circular button located on top, pressing it down a few times for testing purposes. Rowan was stunned by the machine's simplistic, yet extremely intuitive craftsmanship, noting its similarity in basic function to both the Pokédex and Pokétch respectively. Pleased with what he was looking at, Rowan shared a warm grin with the two aliens.
"Very impressive. Whoever designed this is definitely a genius comparable to my own intelligence." Rowan praised gratifyingly, giving props to whatever this Capsule Corporation was. Vegeta, more fuel being added to the fire that was his inflated ego, grunted in unforeseen agreement.
"Yeah, my wi—" Vegeta caught himself before anything more suspicious could be stated, noticing the concerned shake of Goku's head. Realizing that he looked much younger than he actually was, the son of King Vegeta abruptly coughed before proceeding with the conversation.
"Uhhh, I mean my girlfriend, Bulma, is definitely the perfect woman. Beauty and brains all in one." Vegeta reminisced in what could best be interpreted as admiration, a momentary wave of sadness clouding his current judgement as he wondered what the Briefs heiress was doing right now. Goku took note of this well-hidden mood change, recalling the same love he had for Chi-Chi years before everything seemed to fall apart between them.
"Tsk who would want to date him?" Dawn thought to herself disgustedly, feeling down in the dumps from his offhanded "little girl" comment. If there was one thing Dawn hated the most, it was either not receiving the respect she deserves or being talked down to by her supposed "superiors".
"Young too?! I suppose I'll have to meet this Bulma one of these days. If only interdimensional travel was easily accessible…" Professor Rowan trailed off in deep thought, knowing of certain devices that could replicate Giratina's abilities in an arguably inferior manner. He then gave the Dragon Radar back to Goku and offered an option that could benefit both parties simultaneously.
"How about I take you to my laboratory in Sandgem Town? There, we can both explain the inner functions of this world and yours. The Dragon Radar doesn't seem that far off from my own expertise either, so I can work on that as well." Professor Rowan suggested patiently, willing to help the warrior duo in any way he can. Goku and Vegeta both had differing thoughts on what should be done, so they huddled together away from the other three for a few moments.
"I say we just forget the radar and fly all over the world until we find each Dragon Ball. Your Instant Transmission could work too." Vegeta whispered demandingly, not wanting to waste any time in getting back home to Universe 7. While this plan didn't seem that bad at first glance, their unfamiliarity with this version of Earth tampered with it greatly.
"We don't know how big the world is, Vegeta! Plus, Emperor Pilaf and his gang are out there somewhere with their own radar. Flying around all willy nilly could both draw too much attention to ourselves and waste time we can't afford to use up." Goku argued lowly, guessing that Legendary Pokémon would with just as much aggression as Giratina if they inadvertently wound up in their territories. Vegeta glared at Goku, clenching one of his gloved fists in building rage.
"We have families, Kakarot! I can't stand being a snot-nosed brat in some unknown dimension! It's humiliating." Vegeta hissed scornfully, not even bearing to look at himself in his currently regressed form. Goku, thinking of his youngest son, breathed out a heavy sigh and slumped his shoulders.
"I get it, Vegeta. But, if we're going to be stuck here, we might as well make the most of it. Starting by at least trying to make friends with its inhabitants. Ok?" Goku cajoled in a much calmer, neutral tone. Vegeta scanned Goku from head to toe for any sign of second-guessing before reluctantly dropping the argument.
"Fine. But, if the geezer messes up, we're doing it my way." Vegeta grunted temperately, following Goku as he marched up to Professor Rowan. Goku beamed in thanks before shaking Rowan's hand as a universal sign that he agreed to the elderly man's proposition.
"Lead the way, Professor Rowan!" Goku kindly ordered, sharing his trademark care-free smile with closed eyelids. Rowan nodded with the same hint of friendliness and attempted to shake Vegeta's hand as well, but said prince ignored the gesture of agreement and shuffled onward to Lake Verity's exit point. The 60-year-old scientist was a bit taken aback by this rudeness, but shrugged it off as normal behavior for moody teenagers.
"Alright, children, follow me. It shouldn't be that long of a walk." Professor Rowan announced authoritatively, placing both white sleeves behind his back as he walked. Dawn and Barry could barely contain their overwhelming excitement, getting closer to receiving their first Pokémon by the second. As Rowan departed through the alcove of pine trees with Vegeta following not far behind, Barry inched closer to Goku's ear as Dawn also listened in.
"So, Goku. What's with the carrot thing?" Barry questioned silently, extremely confused by the double naming conundrum exclusively habitual of Vegeta.
"Huh? What carrot?" Goku obliviously replied, images of the orange-colored vegetable popping up in his mind.
"No, not the food. Why does Vegeta repeatedly call you one? Do you have two names or something?" Dawn elaborated further, rolling her lashed eyes at Goku's thick headedness. Realizing the confusion between Kakarot and carrot, a theoretical lightbulb appeared over Goku's head in that moment.
"Ohhhh you guys mean "Kakarot"! That's a long story…" Goku continued to discuss with Dawn and Barry about the intricacies of his Saiyan heritage, trying his best not to reveal the fact that he's really a full-grown adult in a child's body. After all five of them left Lake Verity and entered the pathway leading to Route 201, Mesprit rematerialized from thin air and floated in place.
"Messprit!" Mesprit chirped adorably, seeking to know more about Goku's strange, yet immensely intriguing energy. With that, it teleported in a flash of blue light to parts unknown and sought after the Saiyan's next intended location without his awareness.
Mt. Coronet
Mt. Coronet was a massive geographical landscape that rested in the entire Sinnoh region's centermost point. Being the largest mountain in the entire Pokémon world, it divided Sinnoh completely in half and held cultural significance greater than any other location known to man. Legends say that its peak was where everything came to being, the deities of time, space, and antimatter given birth by one single entity lauded as an omnipotent creator. This Alpha Pokémon, once alleged to be pure fantasy by more skeptical individuals, was the primary goal of one single organization shrouded in mystery. Their headquarters resided in both Veilstone City and the deepest crevices of Coronet's expansive mountain ranges; each building marked with a stylized yellow-black 'G'. This particular base was the largest and most tightly secured one by far, designed with a metallic dome-like structure and four purple-windowed towers. Steel spikes and pipes coiled around the HQ's walls, topped off with large satellite dishes whirring about in steady motion as they scanned the skies for any potential threats. As proven with this collective of advanced technology, Team Galactic, otherwise known as the Galaxy Gang, was not a crime syndicate to be trifled with. Within their domain, hundreds upon thousands of similarly dressed grunts performed miscellaneous activities. Every single member of Team Galactic, whether they be male or female, wore black and white spacesuits with striped gray sleeves. The most noticeable characteristics by far were their turquoise bowl-cuts and emotionless eyes of the same color scheme. As most of them meticulously typed on top-model computer monitors, Cyrus made his way through a pair of revolving doors.
"Cyrus, sir!" All of the Team Galactic Grunts greeted monotonously in unison, taking time away from their duties to salute him. Cyrus, looking disinterested as always, glanced from side to side with a bored grimace.
"At ease. Back to your duties." Cyrus droned on with a passive hand gesture, standing in a casual military position. The grunts robotically followed his orders and continued doing research on various topics relating to Sinnoh folklore. Unbeknownst to them, Cyrus narrowed his blue eyes at each "follower" hatefully before walking onward to his quarters. While marching closer to his intended destination, a woman with short violet hair and blood red lips came up to his side. She had four oval-shaped extensions jutting out from her head, two on top and another two near the back-neck area. Her eyes were also a mesmerizing gray, narrowed deviously in a way that assumed she was up to no good. She wore an outfit much different than the lower subordinates of Team Galactic, sporting a long white dress with black sleeves. In the center of her chest was the famous Team Galactic insignia in its full glory.
"Sird." Cyrus gruffly addressed, nodding to one of his elite Commanders. Sird smirked evilly, curtsying in a somewhat mocking manner.
"Cyrus. How did your visit to Lake Verity turn out?" Sird pried curiously, clasping both manicured hands in front of her dress. Cyrus took a moment to reply, actually smiling connivingly in recollection of Goku and Vegeta's unprecedented appearances.
"Two beings from an alternate dimension showed up. They were saved by a Mesprit from what I observed." Cyrus pronounced with inherent satisfaction, feeling that the Emotion Pokémon's surprise reveal was a much-needed call to take action. Sird's reactionary look was one of shock at first before it contorted into one of pleasurable intrigue.
"Mesprit actually showed itself?! I thought it was afraid of humans." Sird wondered aloud, noting the entire Lake Trio's reserved nature from historical accounts alone. The two made their way through an elevator shaft, pressing a button that would directly lead to the main control room.
"I thought that as well, but these boys were…different somehow. Almost as if the Legendary Pokémon was drawn to them specifically. Like magnets in a way." Cyrus explained cryptically, suspecting that Goku and Vegeta's held immense power that could be hidden upon command. This fact piqued Sird's interest, shifting her thoughts over to hypothetical situations related to using these aliens for Team Galactic's own advantage.
"What do you plan to do then?" Sird asked with a knowing grin of sinister intent, already expecting her boss to have some well-thought out plan building inside of his quite sizable mind. They exited out of the elevator one after the other, Cyrus preparing to sit down in a black rolling chair surrounding by keyboards and control panels.
"For now, we wait. I have a feeling that whatever transported these off-worlders here was not an accident." Cyrus guessed ponderously, resting his elbows on the desk in front of him with slightly glazed over blue eyes. In front of this central platform were five large flat screens, each displaying different locations in the Sinnoh region. The biggest one portrayed a complete map of said country in its entirety, shifting appearance in conjunction with the nearby grunts' actions on their individual laptops.
"As you wish, Cyrus." Sird accepted trustfully, having prior experience with brats more powerful than their own good. She stood to Cyrus's left side in observance, showing perfect posture with long-sleeved arms crossed behind her back. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a shadowy purple portal appeared overhead and spat out the highly petrified Pilaf Gang in all their incompetent glory!
"WAAAAH!" Emperor Pilaf, Mai, and Shu squealed in unison, slamming headfirst into the tiled floor below. The impact of their fall shook the entire headquarters, catching all of Team Galactic by surprise. Cyrus, in contrast, was transfixed by the quickly dissipating universal rift, noticing its identical nature to the one Goku and Vegeta came out of from before.
'Another portal, hm. This is exactly what I was anticipating.' Cyrus thought subconsciously in rarely sensed excitement, smiling slightly as the portal vanished as if it were never present to begin with. Emperor Pilaf, still clutching the four-star Dragon Ball in his little blue mits, was twitching from a mix of pain and soreness while Mai and Shu groaned the same way.
"Ughhh Shu get your tail out of my face!" Pilaf shouted irritably in a muffled voice, the Shiba Inu's fluffy appendage slapping his bruised cheeks. Shu squeaked in response to this command and jumped away from his dwarfed leader, bowing downward as a sign of apology.
"My bad, sire! Please forgive me." Shu comically murmured, dusting off the so-called Emperor's black tunic and kissing his slippers. Team Galactic's members gasped at Shu's reply, never hearing of a Pokémon being able to speak the human language without telepathy.
"T-that Pokémon! He's talking?!" A female grunt gulped nervously, showing emotion for the first time in who knows how long.
"He's wearing the clothes of a ninja too! Is his species some kind of Fighting type?" Another male grunt surmised from Shu's physical appearance, unfamiliar with any canine Pokémon that resembled this one specifically. The whispers shared between each grunt caught Mai's attention as she was currently rubbing her blemished keester miserably.
"Huh? Do you hear what these weirdoes are calling you, Shu?" Mai inquired confusedly, feeling a bit unnerved by the unfamiliar environment and Team Galactic's copy-paste appearances.
"Yeah, what on Earth is a Pokémon? It's like they haven't seen a dog before or something." Shu snorted mockingly, unable to believe that anthropomorphic animals like him were anything but common outside of his home. Displeased with the fact that these strangers were making Team Galactic out to be a joke, Sird took action and retrieved a small device out of her back pocket. It was red on top and white on its bottom half, separated by a black strip that encircled the entire sphere. She pressed a white button in the center to create a full-sized Poké Ball.
"Persian, I choose you!" Sird scowled assertively, tossing it high up in the air. The top portion of her Poké Ball popped open and let loose a blinding beam of white energy, slowly taking form before the Pilaf Gang's very eyes. Once the Poké Ball was thrown back into Sird's hands, a cat with black-rimmed ears and red slit irises surveyed the trio menacingly. Persian was pale tan in color and had a red gemstone on her forehead, three whiskers sprouting from each cheek as well.
"Persirah!" Persian roared fiercely; her coiled tail twitched about in burning hatred. At the sight of such a large feline, Emperor Pilaf and his gang huddled together in sheer terror.
"Shu, do something!" Pilaf pressured apprehensively, motioning to the stalking Classy Cat Pokémon with his widened eyes.
"W-what do you expect me to do about it, sire? The dog-cat relationship is only a myth, y'know." Shu objected reluctantly, showing his cowardly attitude at the worst possible moment. Mai furrowed her eyebrows and pointed to his sword expectantly.
"You have a sword, moron! Get out there and use it for once!" Mai fumed encouragingly, gesturing to the antagonist Normal-type standing before them. Shu, gaining a small confidence boost, unsheathed his katana and executed a somewhat intimidating battle stance. Persian simply tilted her head curiously while Sird looked unimpressed from above.
"Ha! Not so tough now, are ya?" Shu goaded his would-be opponent cockily, positioning his blade like that of a protective shield. Sird deadpanned at this foolish behavior and nonchalantly ordered her Persian to counterattack without much concern.
"Persian, use Slash!" Sird instructed in a bored tone, sneering amusedly with half-lidded gray eyes. Much to Shu's chagrin, Persian's claws extended to even greater lengths and glowed a bright white. The tan-furred creature then swiped at Shu's katana with full force, a move which Shu backflipped away from at the last second. Even though there didn't seem to be any noticeable damages, Shu's katana was split apart into three separate pieces in the next moment!
"Oh man." Shu winced disappointedly, inspecting his now empty hilt and the broken metal pieces scattered across his feet. Persian seemed to laugh at Shu's expense, smiling toothily with the same level of mischief as her trainer.
"Way to go, Shu! Now, how are we supposed to protect the Dragon Ball?!" Pilaf snapped loathingly, unwittingly holding up the Dragon Radar and Four-Star Ball in full view of Cyrus's piercing gaze. The sight of this mystical artifact resulted in said Team Galactic Boss halting Sird's method of retaliation.
"Stand down, Sird. It would be best if I speak to these three face-to-face." Cyrus bellowed audibly, holding a hand in front of Sird's puzzled face. She hesitated for a second, but eventually caved in and outstretched the same Poké Ball her Persian came out of.
"You did well, Persian. Return for now." Sird complimented fondly as a red beam converted Persian into light and sent her back into the spherical device. Pilaf, Shu, and Mai looked from the ground to where Sird resided with open mouths, floored by the cat's instantaneous departure.
"Tell me. What do you call yourselves, intruders?" Cyrus blandly exclaimed as he walked down the staircase. The Pilaf Gang took notice of Cyrus's presence for the first time and was immediately distressed by his lifeless stare.
"I-I…uh…am the great Emperor Pilaf! A-and…erm…these are my subordinates, Mai and Shu…" Pilaf stammered hesitantly, trying to keep his wounded pride intact as best as possible. The members of Team Galactic held back chortles in relation to the reveal of his name, doubtful that such a shrimp could rule over anything of minute importance.
"Emperor? You don't seem to have much of an empire from what I can tell." Cyrus lightly joked with a straight face that didn't imply any sort of humor.
"It's a work in progress…" Pilaf grumbled in embarrassment, absolutely sick of being looked down upon by others for his appearance. Shu and Mai patted his back comfortingly while Cyrus's focus was glued to the orange jewel resting in said aforementioned blue midget's hands.
"That orb in your hands. It's called a Dragon Ball, correct?" Cyrus inferred from hearing Pilaf's accidental outburst. Pilaf, Shu, and Mai shared horrified glances, gulping down building lumps in their throats at the same exact time.
"Y-yeah, so what? What makes you think I'll tell you anything?!" Pilaf squawked objectively, standing up for himself at the worst possible moment. Cyrus, predicting this level of foolish defiance, lazily took out a black ball marked with a yellow H. Instead of throwing it like Sird did, he simply popped the Ultra Ball open to reveal a demonic canine. It had curved gray horns, glowing red eyes, and an orange snout with a triangular-tipped devil tail at the end. The Pokémon also sported three bony ridges on its back and an orange stomach, possessing a skull-shaped pendant below the neck. This was Houndoom, a Dark/Fire type Pokémon native to the Johto region and one of its more aggressive specimens.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cyrus and I am the leader of Team Galactic, an organization tasked with recreating the universe in its entirety." Cyrus introduced powerfully, his voice exuding pride and self-reverence. He outstretched both of his arms to address the entire room of fellow Pokémon Trainers fighting for the same goal.
"Recreate the universe?!" the Pilaf Gang repeated confusedly, not believing for a second that this 27-year-old man had the power capable of pulling off such a grand task.
"Yes. The current world is a cruel and unfair place desperately in need of repair. I seek to build a new universe void of any imperfections, where every type of person and Pokémon can live equally in balanced harmony with one another. A greater world where other universes like yours can be interconnected with the development of ours." Cyrus preached passionately, using his mastery of public speaking to win over Pilaf's favor for his own. The Pilaf Gang were stunned by the blue-haired man's extensive knowledge of their whereabouts and origin.
"How…How do you know we're not from here?" Mai inquired timidly, failing to play dumb or innocent as she twirled her obsidian black hair. Cyrus pointed to the ceiling where Giratina's projected portal used to be.
"That same black hole appeared over a body of water known as Lake Verity not too long ago. There, I spotted two young boys with spiked black hair lying unconscious near its shoreline. Since they possessed a machine similar to the one in your hands right now, they must also be from the same dimension as you three." Cyrus announced his suspicions with a direct reference to the Pilaf Gang's stolen Dragon Radar. Pilaf, at the mention of spiked black hair, immediately recalled his former arch-nemesis and what he attempted to do to him back in Universe 7.
"Wait, young boys?! Then that means my wish from Shenron…oh no." Pilaf gulped regretfully, fearing for what would happen to him if the ticking time bomb that was Vegeta appeared with an unquenchable vengeance.
"Ok. What's in it for us then?" Pilaf pondered cautiously, keeping himself close to Shu and Mai in case Cyrus decided to sick his "dog" onto them.
"It will be a fair trade so to speak. You tell me about these Dragon Balls and what their capabilities are while I will share information about the Pokémon world. Then, in Team Galactic's ideal civilization, your dream of a Pilaf Empire may become reality amongst other wants and desires. Deal?" Cyrus offered the three a seemingly even course of action, putting effort into making certain that his true intentions weren't easily distinguishable. Pilaf, Shu, and Mai were onboard with having a kingdom to rule over, but still didn't feel comfortable aiding the destruction of an entire universe. That seemed a bit too evil for their respective area of expertise, even when they sided with Demon King Piccolo all those years ago.
"Or, if you decide not to, I could always…" Cyrus speedily snapped his fingers, causing his Houndoom's entire maw to be covered in red flames without the utterance of a single syllable.
"…give my Houndoom an early meal." Cyrus darkly threatened with a diabolical glint in his eyes. The flickering embers of Houndoom's Fire Fang shined in each of the Pilaf Gang's widened pupils, his razor-sharp fangs being the last bit of convincing they needed for now.
"Um w-where do we sign up? Hehe…" Pilaf choked out nervously as he stretched out the frill wrapped around his neck. Mai and Shu nodded the same way, hiding their intense fear of being burned alive by Houndoom's abilities. Cyrus softly stroked his Pokémon's head as a sign for him to stop and then sent Houndoom back into the Ultra Ball.
"Good. Sird and I will lead you to the laboratory. My head scientist, Charon, needs time to examine your device and the Dragon Ball before anything else can be done." Cyrus advised sternly as he made his way back to the elevator where Sird was. The Pilaf Gang stood frozen in place from near-death shock, having no idea what they just got themselves into.
"Sire, why do we always play second fiddle to a villain bigger and stronger than us?" Shu groaned morosely, remembering the time when they were actually taken seriously before the Red Ribbon Army and Demon Clan came to fruition. Pilaf just slumped his shoulders and followed after the nihilistic leader of Team Galactic in utter defeat.
"I don't know, Shu. I don't know." Emperor Pilaf sighed quietly, inwardly hoping that the Dragon Balls would be theirs for the taking sometime soon. Mai and Shu gazed at their leader sympathetically before mirroring his figurative walk of shame through Team Galactic's main control room. Everything else then went back to normal in the headquarters, each grunt proceeding to scan Sinnoh for any sort of temporal activity.
"How long until we can dispose of those fools?" Sird muttered scathingly in Cyrus's ear, her ominous gray eyes glaring daggers at the pathetic Pilaf Gang.
"In time, Sird. For now, Pilaf and his little fan club are necessary means to an end. It's the Dragon Balls that I am particularly interested in, along with those two kids." Cyrus revealed truthfully, adjusting the position of his head to examine the four red stars of what used to be Grandpa Gohan's most prized position. He narrowed his eyes one last time and then entered the elevator doors to fulfill his newest plans for global, or galactic, conquest.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone