Naoki returo the Paldea region, utterly exhausted from the ordeal.

  Without pausing to rest, he headed straight for the ke in the ter of his ranch. Diving into its cool waters that ected the ranch to the Reverse World.

  “Thank goodness it’s still open,” Naoki muttered in relief. Had Giratina sealed it, he’d have been forced to brew a batch of poisonous mushroom soup—a method far less appealing.

  As soon as he ehe Reverse World, Naoki let out a long sigh. The tension in his shoulders eased slightly.

  He had stopped Giratina earlier, but the Pokémon must still be feeling hurt and disappoiurning toward the dire of Flower Sky Isnd, Naoki’s gaze hardened with resolve.

  Giratina was there, as expected.

  The majestic dragon y sprawled across the isnd, its massive body crushing the ohriving flowers beh it. The surrounding greenery bore signs of its heavy weight, with many of the pher fttened or uprooted.

  Giratina’s eyes were closed, its enormous head resting on its forelimbs. Its thick, muscur tail thrashed against the ground periodically, a clear sign of its iurmoil.

  Naoki stared at the se, momentarily unsure how to proceed.

  He cautiously approached Flower Sky Isnd, nding softly nearby. Clearing his throat, Naoki deliberately coughed twice to announce his presence.

  Giratina didn’t even flinch. Its eyes remained shut, its entire demeanor radiating indifference.

  It was still furious—not with the humaizen this time, but with him.

  Naoki sighed inwardly. He could tell exactly why Giratihis way.

  During their earlier frontation, Naoki had stepped in to protect the human instead of supp Giratina. To Giratina, this must have felt like a betrayal from the one person it sidered a friend.

  If he were in Giratina’s paoki thought, he’d feel the same.

  But reason told him that he couldn’t have done anything differently. Giratina’s wrathful as, left unchecked, could have endangered i lives. That was something Naoki simply couldn’t allow.

  Still, Giratina wasn’t oo easily five, and Naoki could ses wounded pride and simmeriment.

  He sighed again, this time aloud. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”

  As he spoke, Naoki cautiously approached the massive dragon, careful to stay within its peripheral vision. When Giratina made no move to aowledge him, he tinued speaking softly.

  “Let me expin,” he said gently. “You’re upset—and you have every right to be. I didn’t stand by you when you needed me most, and I’m sorry.”

  At this, Giratina cracked one blood-red eye open and zily shifted its head to face away from Naoki.

  Naoki took aep forward, reag out his hand. eling the power of the dragoempted to ect with Giratina’s emotions.

  The flood of feelings that came back hit Naoki like a tidal wave.

  Giratina wasn’t just angry—it was deeply hurt. Ah that, there was a well of loneliness so profound that it made Naoki’s chest tighten.

  He uood immediately.

  Sis creation, Giratina had been bao the Reverse World. It lived in isotion, surrounded by desotion, forever gazing at the world it could never fully be part of. It had no oo talk to, no friends, and no e to the real world.

  When Naoki had first stumbled into the Reverse World, things had started to ge. Naoki had improved the enviro, created Flower Sky Isnd, shared food, and even used his power to massage Giratina. Slowly, Giratina had begun tard Naoki as a friend—the first o had ever known.

  And then today happehe friend it trusted had sided against it, standing with the human who had insulted it.

  Naoki exhaled deeply. Uanding Giratina’s feelings only deepened his own guilt. How was he supposed to fix this?

  For a moment, Naoki sidered his options. Deception? Ay promise? A clever lie to soothe Giratina’s anger?

  No, he decided firmly. That wasn’t the way.

  He took a step closer, his voice steady and sincere. “Giratina, for humans, the definition of friendship varies from person to person. I don’t know how others defi, but to me, being a friend means helping each other in times of need—and it also means stopping each other from making mistakes.”

  "Even though that persued with you, their as don’t warrah. I uand I have nht to stop you, and human ws ot restrain you. But I worry that if you harm humans, you’ll be hated by them. Deep down, you’re not a bad being, are you?"

  Giratina remained silent, eyes closed, but it absorbed every word Naoki said.

  It scoffed internally. Hated by humans? It couldn’t care less about their opinions!

  But Naoki’s words stirred something else within Giratina. Was Naoki implying he didn’t want to see it stray down a destructive path? Did Naoki interve to oppose it, but because he wao guide it?

  Giratina’s crimson eyes snapped open, fog ily on Naoki.

  Through the e fed by Naoki’s dragon piratina not only sensed Naoki’s emotions but also grasped his iions. Naoki wasn’t proteg the human out of loyalty to humankind. Instead, Naoki viewed Giratina as a friend and didn’t want to see it cause unnecessary harm or invite sequehat would only isote it further.

  The dragon also realized something else. Rotom had expihe sequences of harming humans on their journey back: in the human world, killing a persoo politervention, arrest, and impriso.

  If Naoki were to take responsibility firatina’s as, he would likely face arrest too. And while Giratina could easily tear through a police station to rescue him, it uood this would be distressing for Naoki.

  Pieg everything together, Giratina finally saw the truth. Naoki wasn’t opposing it out of defiance—he was trying to protect it from its own wrath.

  A subtle shift in Giratina’s mood followed this realization. Though it maintais icy demeanor, its voice—deep and resonarayed a hint ing uanding.

  “Hmph. I’ll five you this time,” Giratina said, turning its head slightly.

  Naoki exhaled in relief, a weight lifting from his chest. It seemed Giratina had listened after all.

  Grinning, Naoki offered advi a lighter tone. “If someone insults you online iure, why not just scare them? o escate things as long as it doesn’t go too far.”

  This suggestion struck a bahe orolls could learn their lesson without esg Giratina into a full-blown world-threatening disaster. And Giratina could vent its frustration without inviting universal retaliation.

  As Giratina mulled over this idea, its earlier anger melted aokémon, after all, were emotional creatures, their moods shifting quickly. Soon, Giratina and Naoki were reciled, their bond even strohan before.

  Naoki eventually left the Reverse World, satisfied that Giratina was calm again. But Giratina wasn’t done pting what had transpired.

  After Naoki’s departure, Giratina turo Rotom and issued a and. “Search for what it means when a human stops their friend from killing someone.”

  Rotom’s s flickered nervously as it processed the query. “Searg… Found 208 relevas, Rotom!”

  “Read them to me,” Giratina ordered, its tone as anding as ever.

  “Copy that, Rotom!” Rotom replied, sweatdropping slightly, and begaing.

  “When a human stops their friend from hurting someo usually means they care deeply about their friend, Rotom.”

  "Murder viotes the ws of the Pokémon Alliance. If such a crime is itted, Officer Jenny will lead the police to arrest the perpetrator. If the case causes signifit damage or bees widely publicized, Interpol may step in to take over, Rotom."

  "Once caught, the offender could face life impriso or even the death penalty, losing their freedom or life entirely, Rotom."

  "As a responsible and g friend, one would definitely interveo stop such as before they happen, because they wouldn’t want their friend to walk a path of urn."

  "If you have a friend like that, please treasure them, Rotom!"

  As Giratina listened, its tail swayed rhythmically. It nodded slowly, letting the words sink in.

  So, Naoki truly does care about it?

  Giratina’s mood lightened slightly, and it urged Rotom to tinue reading.

  When Rotom reached the tweh article, its voice hesitated for a moment before it announced excitedly, "Someone has bee your fan, Rotom!"

  Giratina tilted its head in fusion.

  “What is a fan?” it asked, its tone curious yet cautious.

  Rotom expihusiastically, "A fan is someone who follows you online, Rotom! It means they admire or respect you for your strength, appearance, or abilities. Fans often look up to their idols and follow them willingly out of appreciation, Rotom."

  As Rotom eborated on the cept of fandom, it accessed Giratina’s online profile to check the information of its new follower.

  The moment Rotom saw who it was, it froze.

  The follower was her than the human who had insulted Giratina online!

  Giratina, notig Rotom’s hesitation, narrowed its glowing crimson eyes. “What’s wrong?” it asked, its voice dropping to a low, dangerous rumble.

  Rotom stammered nervously, "It’s the human from before, Rotom! The one whued with you!"

  Giratina’s expression darkened instantly. “What does he want now?” it growled, its tail shing against the ground.

  The memory of that human dismissing Giratina as inferior to Dialga fshed through its mind, rekindling its earlier frustration.

  Rotom, sensing the tension, quickly began iigating the man’s as. It reviewed his activity and discovered something ued.

  The offensive ent had beeed.

  Not only that, but the man’s profile now featured a promi introdu post that read:

  "The Third God of the Sinnion: A Shadow Pokémon Born Alongside Dialga and Palkia."

  Both Rotom and Giratina paused, stunned.

  "Shadow Pokémon... Is he talking about me?" Giratina muttered, its anger momentarily repced by fusion.

  The post had been published mere minutes ago. Rotom clicked on it and began reading aloud:

  [Shadow Pokémon - Giratina: A Legendary Pokémon Hidden Beyond the World]

  It is said that Giratina was born at the same time as Dialga and Palkia. While Dialga governs time and Palkia ands space, Giratina resides oher side of reality, overseeing the dark matter that stabilizes the world we live in and maintaining the delicate bance of existence.]

  In respoo this post, many Sinnoh residents flooded the ents se, expressing their skepticism.

  Having grown up with stories of the Gods of Time and Space, these individuals had never heard of a Pokémon called Giratina. Their replies reflected their disbelief:

  "This has to be fake, right? Pokémon using the i?"

  "This sounds pletely fabricated. A stunt to gain attention."

  "I don’t believe for a sed that Pokémon operate Rotom Phoo go online."

  Amid these doubts, some users shared their experiences:

  "Don’t be so sure. My Inteleon pys fighting games with me on my 3DS, and I’ve never won a sich!"

  Faced with this wave of skepticism, Ishihara—the post’s creator and the man who had a near-death experieh Giratina—decided to y all his cards oable. He replied with undeniable evidence:

  A photo of his living room, now in shambles after Giratina’s dramatitrance. A sshot of Giratina’s respoo their argument the previous day. A direct @mention of Giratina’s online at.

  The response was explosive. Within moments, hundreds of curious individuals flocked to Giratina’s profile.

  Meanwhile, in the Reverse World, Rotom suddenly began receiving a flood of private messages. Notifications popped up in quick succession.

  Rotom was baffled, and Giratina shared its fusion.

  Humans swarming to its profile? This could only meahing—they were there to mock it. Giratina's face darkened, and it growled with barely tained fury, "What are they saying now?"

  If these weak humans dared to humiliate it again, Giratina would immediately pay them a visit—just enough to terrify them without crossing ahal lines.

  However, Rotom's reply was entirely ued. "They’re asking if you are truly Giratina, Rotom!"

  Giratina froze. What kind of question is that? Who else could I be?!

  Insed by the doubt, Giratina’s temper fred. "Rotom, take a picture of me and post it. Show them who I am!"

  Rotom dutifully snapped a photo and uploaded it to Giratina's profile. The image captured Giratina’s imposing form—its gray ariped body, ghostly wings unfurled menagly, and blood-red eyes gring fiercely. At Giratina’s insistence, Rotom added a caption:

  "I am Giratina!"

  Within ten mihe post had gone viral.

  Twenty mier, Giratina’s follower t began climbing rapidly.

  An hour ter, news of a legendary Pokémon using a Rotom Phoo browse the Pokémon forums had spread like wildfire.

  Four hours ter, Giratina’s fan t surpassed five digits.

  .....

  Sinnioic Town

  thia, having just returo her hometown, reparing to revisit the a ruins when a notification from the Sinnoh League caught her attention. Logging into the forums, she came across the viral post by a user he Most Powerful Giratina in the World].

  Clig on the profile, thia was greeted by the now-famous photo. She blihen muttered to herself, "What…?"

  Veilstoy, Team Gactic Base

  Cyrus stared at the photo on his s, his icy demeanor betraying a flicker of intrigue. "A Pokémon hidden in the shadows of our world... Giratina," he murmured.

  Kantion, Pallet Town

  Professor Oak leaned forward, staring at his puter s with the excitement of a child disc a new Pokémon for the first time. "Giratina... Could it really be the legendary Pokémon of the Distortion World? Amazing! And it use a Rotom Phoo access the i!"

  He turo his assistant, eyes alight with curiosity. "No, I have to try to tact it!"

  Without hesitation, Professor Oak followed Giratina’s at a it a private message.

  .....

  Ba the Reverse World, Rotom was overwhelmed as thousands of private messages flooded in.

  "Should we reply, Rotom?" Rotom asked cautiously.

  Giratina, now calmed but still disdainful, scoffed. "Ighem!" It looked away, wings folding regally. "Mere humans aren’t worthy of a god’s reply."

  Rotom obediently replied, "Uood, Rotom!"

  After a moment, Giratina added, "By the way, what’s Naoki’s at name? Follow him for me."

  Rotom reached out to Naoki’s Rotom Pho learhat Naoki was fast asleep, exhausted from his journey back to Paldea. Ag swiftly, Rotom obtained Naoki’s at information and followed it on Giratina’s behalf.

  .....

  When Naoki finally woke up, he grabbed his phoo catch up on updates. To his surprise, a notification popped up:

  "[The Most Powerful Giratina in the World] is now following you!"

  Nahe name immediately—it was one Giratina had proudly ed for itself. Curious, he clicked on the profile.

  What he saw left him utterly stunned.

  Giratina’s fan base had exploded into five digits.

  "What in the world happened while I was asleep?" Naoki muttered, pletely bewildered.