Oh, how Saturn wished he would kiss him. Just lock his lips with his, tangle those coarse fingers in his dark blue hair, and leave him breathless. Too bad all he cared about was destroying the world.
Truly, there were so, so many reasons why it would be a tremendously horrible idea for Saturn to make out with Cyrus. Saturn knew that beyond those powder blue eyes, there was a vast network of aspirations, inclinations, and ideas that Cyrus wanted to come to fruition, ideas that he lusted for; and certainly, Cyrus' eyes had never lusted for someone like Saturn. That, Saturn was sure of.
And not to mention that Cyrus was, and always would be, devoid of emotion. Every time he gave Saturn a passive glance in his direction, he was inexpressive. His aloof attitude, although endearing to Saturn, exuded just how detached he truly was. And not only to Saturn, but others too. Cyrus was scrutinizing of anyone who even dared to show poignance. Not to mention that Cyrus didn't have to masquerade as an inscrutable man. Why would he? He was already. And Saturn genuinely believed that inched Cyrus closer to bringing his hopes and dreams into a tangible reality; a tangible reality that was about to unfold before the two of them. Saturn had only watched as Cyrus had crafted the Red Chain without so much as a blink of compassion when he stole the crystals of the lake Pokemon. He was ready to harness the power of Dialga and Palkia, and he was ready to end the world and bring about his own ideal universe.
For this, Saturn knew he should have hated him. Any sane person would. But something about him just made Saturn melt like putty in his hands, and despite how much he despised feeling that way, it never changed. He gazed in those beautiful eyes of Cyrus' and he just wanted to break down and cry. He just loved him so much - he could only wish Cyrus felt the same way. But he definitely knew better. Cyrus felt nothing, certainly nothing for someone like Saturn. Saturn could only dream that he would kiss him and his lips would feel like fireworks, like a drink of iced lemonade on a hot summer day - but that's all they would stay as, dreams.
But nonetheless, Saturn snapped back to reality. They were ascending Mt. Coronet, and Cyrus had been mute the entire time. "Are you nervous?" Saturn had asked, concerned for Cyrus' well being.
Cyrus had only shook his head, and he told Saturn, "Nerve is for the incomplete."
Saturn didn't ask Cyrus anything after that. He just assumed the boss had a lot on his mind, he was the leader of Team Galactic, after all. He had to carry the weight of the grunts, the commanders, and the Red Chain all on his back. He had to be organized when no one else would be. He had to be strong to keep the group banded together. He had to be the one to actually attain what he wanted, and that was his job.
Not to mention that he had to constantly deal with Lucas, a trainer who had often times found a way to interfere with Cyrus' plans. The kid was most likely pursuing them, in fact, he was probably pursuing Team Galactic as a whole in general. Probably to save the legendary Pokemon before it was too late. Saturn couldn't help but be annoyed where Cyrus wouldn't be. He didn't understand why Cyrus continuously let Lucas go, when they could just disarm him and keep him locked up at the Galactic Headquarters. But either way, Saturn didn't worry about Cyrus' silence. It was nothing unusual with the Galactic Boss.
Hours could have passed until they reached the Spear Pillar. Much to Saturn's surprise, Cyrus was suddenly alive with genuine excitement, excitement Saturn had never seen him display, ever. He wasn't quite smiling, but Saturn could feel it. He smiled to himself; he loved it when Cyrus showed at least a hint of feeling, because it reminded him that Cyrus was human, just like everyone else. Nonetheless, Saturn simply watched as Cyrus positioned two lowly grunts at the entrance, and placed Mars and Jupiter after them. Cyrus told Saturn that he was his last line of defense - that if Saturn didn't defeat Lucas, he would no longer be reliable as a Commander. Saturn was determined to stop Lucas if the boy wasn't defeated prior to reaching him. Saturn was confident; he had new Pokemon - some stolen, some raised into submission, and he believed Cyrus had placed him last because he had confidence him. He relished the taste of that.
Expectedly, Lucas came soon after everyone had taken their positions. Also expectedly, he defeated the grunts. It was with Mars and Jupiter that Lucas struggled, but he too beat them in battle. Saturn had observed the battle; he had lost five of his Pokemon, so Saturn believed that his job was made easy.
But when Lucas approached him, a broken look in his eyes, he couldn't smirk. He couldn't smile. Saturn knew what Team Galactic was doing was wrong, and the spirit in Lucas' eyes was gone. Shattered, like a hammer to glass. It made battling feel wrong. Lucas gave his Pokeball a weak toss, and out came a beaten and battered Luxray. This Pokemon, too, was broken by knowledge, knowledge that the world, the dimension that they all lived in, was about to crumble. Luxray's eyes were dull, and Lucas couldn't bring himself to look at Saturn.
So for Saturn, sending out his Toxicroak only to crush the Luxray beneath an iron fist didn't feel too much like a win. And as much as he wanted to comfort this young boy, his worry was set somewhere else - in the man he loved, who had turned to him. Saturn couldn't help but be surprised - Cyrus never cared enough to see how affairs with other Commanders were going, and he had definitely never congratulated them for a job well done.
Nonetheless, Cyrus' face was a blank slate, as usual, but the way his mouth quirked made Saturn realize - he was pleased with him. Cyrus was actually pleased with him. He nodded at Saturn, and gave him a prompt "good job." And slowly but surely, he recognized the slight feeling of pride replacing the guilt he felt for erasing the rest of Lucas' team. His heart sweltered with it - he had actually made Cyrus proud. But, unashamedly, the rest of Saturn was absolutely terrified. He just couldn't seem to shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. But he wouldn't show Cyrus that weakness, the Achilles Heel he had out in the open. So he forced a grin to please his boss. And to hide how worried he was, because the sinking feeling in his stomach made him want to vomit. Nonetheless, Cyrus began to speak.
"Everything is ready for the creation of a new world. Now, all will end. And everything will begin."
Cyrus' hard work was finally paying off. His dreams were finally coming into grasp, and none of this had been in pursuit of fruitlessness. Saturn could tell, Cyrus was happy about this, or at least, satisfied. It made him happy to see him happy, but he was still unnerved.
"With this, the Red Chain made from the crystals of the three lake Pokemon, and this, the Red Chain I replicated with technological means…"
Cyrus held the chains up in the air with surprising gusto. The power the chains held seemed to claim them, and they began to levitate in the air. Saturn was still happy for Cyrus, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that something terribly wrong was about to happen. Saturn glanced at Lucas. His face was wet with tears, and he could understand why. Nothing could be done. Not anymore. Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter, no one, could hold Cyrus back from an inevitable demise if anything went wrong.
"With these Red Chains I will pry open the portal to another dimension. I command that you unleash your power for me… Dialga, the mythical Pokémon, and the master of time! And Palkia, the mythical Pokémon, and the master of space and dimensions!"
The ground began to shake, and it took every inch, every centimeter of Saturn's willpower not to run. Pillars began to shake under the pressure, some descending with a mighty fall. They crashed to the ground, shattering it. Grunts began to flee, screaming. Mars and Jupiter backed away tentatively from the chaos. But Cyrus went unperturbed, he just stared on with a knowing look on his face - this was what he wanted. His dreams were coming true.
It almost made Saturn feel bad for worrying as much as he was.
In all truth, he was afraid. And he wanted to pull Cyrus away, back to safety, no matter what he did to him for it. He'd probably fire him for ruining his plans. He'd probably hate him, resent him. But at least he'd be safe.
Before Saturn could help him though, two portals began to rip through seemingly thin air, twisting everything around it. The shaking intensified, throwing Lucas and Saturn off of their feet, and the reality around the two portals began to break. Dialga emerged first, and the red chain slapped itself onto the Pokemon's body. Dialga let out a pained cry as the chains began to glow. Palkia emerged next, only to suffer the same fate as the creator of time residing next to him. They both cried out, thrashing and struggling against the chains, but neither broke out. Cyrus didn't care - and despite being a man of no emotion whatsoever, Saturn could tell that this satisfied him.
"I've waited so long for this moment, Dialga and Palkia. Shaping this world is a double spiral of time and space. Yes, the very things that you have the ability to control! You will do my bidding! I will have your abilities as mine! With the power I wield, I will create an entirely new world! The incomplete and ugly world we have now can disappear. I am resetting everything to zero. Nothing can remain. It is all for making the ultimate world. A world of complete perfection. Nothing so vague and incomplete as spirit can remain."
Dialga and Palkia let out a cry in unison. Saturn couldn't tell if they were defiant, or submitting. They had no choice but to. Either way, Saturn managed to get to his feet, watching as the two towering Pokemon struggled to break their bonds. As much as Saturn truly felt for the two, he was feeling more for Cyrus, as per usual. Saturn wanted to interfere, but his fear and curiosity kept him glued next to Lucas, who was holding onto a pillar for dear life. Saturn didn't blame him. Being a nervous mess, he would have done so too, if Cyrus wasn't in front of him. He closed his eyes, expecting the Pokemon to heed his orders, and expecting to die, with Lucas, his fellow commanders, and maybe even Cyrus.
But just as Saturn was sure the entire world would vanish before his eyes in a matter of moments, thus eradicating all life among the Pokemon world, Azelf flew in, encased in a blue light. Followed by Uxie, encased in a yellow glow. Then Mesprit, dressed in pink. All three of the lake Pokemon circled Dialga and Palkia protectively. Cyrus only scoffed at their presence.
"...I should have expected as much. Uxie, 'the being of knowledge.' Azelf, 'the being of willpower.' And Mesprit, 'The Being of Emotion…' The Pokémon have come to protect Sinnoh? Pathetic and worthless. It takes the three of them, the three lake Pokémon that symbolize spirit, to balance either the Pokémon of time or space. But they can't maintain balance against the two. Not when both Dialga and Palkia are here. Their coming here is in vain. So much meaningless drama."
Cyrus shook his head to himself. Then he turned to Saturn, but he was looking at Lucas, whom had never let go of his pillar. The earth was still shaking. Saturn couldn't bare to open his eyes after that. Now, he just didn't care if he looked weak. He was bracing himself.
"Now, Lucas." Cyrus boomed, and Lucas flinched, wiping away the tears soaking his cheeks. "You've constantly interfered with my plans, but you will be forgiven. After all, there will remain no spirit for all time when I am done. All spirit will disappear. It will be ripped away... From you! From your Pokemon! From those precious to you...! It is time! My dream will be my reality!"
Lucas said nothing. He couldn't. He just kept his eyes sealed shut, as if accepting the harsh reality that he had failed to foil Team Galactic's plans. Saturn would have pitied him, if the temperature didn't drop. The air was suddenly hard to breathe in, and it felt like his lungs were about to burst. He opened his eyes, but there was no culprit for whatever had caused such a change.
"What is this pressure I feel...? Something… is enraged?"
Cyrus turned back to the two legendary Pokemon in front of him. And Saturn's heart practically stopped when he looked, too.
Inky darkness began to stain the ground. The black first appeared as minuscule puddles, appearing here and there, but then they began to expand in size. In fact, they widened. Cyrus took a gracious step back as the ink became blobs, and for a moment, Saturn was confused. Then, he realized, it was a shadow. No, shadows. He took a timid step forward, words stuck in his throat. He wanted to tell Cyrus to run, but he was absolutely petrified. Cyrus paid no mind to him either way.
But then, the eyes appeared. Crimson, glowing, and glaring. At first, Saturn thought it was looking at him. But then he realized it was glowering at Cyrus. The thing was a Pokemon, and it emerged from the shadows, standing taller than both Dialga and Palkia alike. It had what seemed to be a shadowy crown around its head, and it had a serpentine appearance. Six black ghostly streamers flowed from its back, and it had red spikes at the tips. It stood in an intimidating way, and it pointed the spikes at Cyrus.
"Interesting," he muttered to himself. "So, there is a Pokémon that can only appear as a shadow."
Cyrus paused to look at the unhappy creature. Then he spoke once more. "Regardless, the effort is rash and foolish. I have harnessed the powers of Dialga and Palkia.. And I, Cyrus, will not have any more-"
It all happened in freeze frames after that.
Saturn saw it before Cyrus did, the Pokemon hunching its back, pointing its crimson spikes at him. His heart was pounding, and he was afraid, he felt sick, because he knew what was going to happen. It would happen in an instant, and if Saturn wanted to save Cyrus, he'd have to act quick.
Saturn was Cyrus' top commander. No way would he let him die. Get hurt. Or be dragged away by whatever the Pokemon was. Even if Cyrus was oblivious to it, Saturn loved him, from his powder blue eyes, his full lips, and that beautiful azure hair.
In seconds, the Pokemon lunged, prying open its mouth. In that exact same moment, Saturn pushed Cyrus out of the way, and the Pokemon wrapped its mouth around Saturn instead, dragging him down into the blots of darkness.
Saturn couldn't see anything but black. His ribs, all of them, felt absolutely shattered, and through the darkness, he sputtered blood. He tried to breathe, but the air felt poisonous. His legs burned. His arms burned. It felt like fire was burning its way through his veins. He tried to cry out for help, but it only burned his lungs, which he was sure was on the verge of collapsing.
Minutes felt like hours, but soon, Saturn closed his eyes. And he let the sweet embrace of death swallow him.
