Chapter 513: A Stalled Chess Game

"Alright, enough idle talk."

Chi Ri's eyes suddenly turned cold, all ambition and sentiment collapsed, leaving only bone‑deep indifference and dominance. "From now on, face the future that belongs to you properly."

The temperature in the air instantly dropped to freezing.

Huo La felt a tightness in his heart, cold sweat on his palms hadn't dried, yet his face still forced a calm. He inhaled deeply, making a final attempt: "Is there truly no room for negotiation?"

Chi Ri gently shook his head, his attitude resolute, not a hint of wavering: "Putting other matters aside, the Space‑Time Trio you control alone is priceless to me. This matter leaves absolutely no room for negotiation."

Huo La sighed quietly, his mind already clear.

Combining Chi Ri's earlier words, he had already guessed the other's thoughts.

Chi Ri's Dialga and Palkia in this world were merely projected avatars, their power already at the brink of depletion, urgently needing fresh Space‑Time Origin power to sustain them.

And the Time‑Space Dual Gods fully under his control were precisely the perfect backup energy source.

Not to mention the unique Kira Tena that possesses the Antimatter World.

Seizing control of Kira Tena would be equivalent to holding the lifeline of the Reverse World, even allowing command of the ultimate weapon now stored within it.

Such temptation, Chi Ri could never let slip.

"Then so be it."

Huo La raised his hand, and three plainly styled Pokeballs instantly settled in his palm, each containing the Space‑Time Trio.

He lifted his gaze toward Chi Ri, with a hint of resigned analysis, "You should have taken our Pokeballs outright from the start."

Chi Ri's eyes fell on the three ancient Pokeballs, his expression calm, even slightly raising his hand to signal that Huo La could use them, his eyes showing no ripple.

That demeanor made Huo La's heart sink abruptly, sensing trouble, and he immediately pressed the release button on the Pokeballs.

Click.

The Pokeballs wobbled lightly twice, a faint glow flickered out, and there was no further response.

Silence, dead silence.

Bilan and Paipa, seeing this, immediately drew their own Pokeballs, swiftly pressing the switches to try releasing Pokemon. The result was identical: all Pokeballs trembled slightly, then fell completely silent, utterly unable to trigger the summoning mechanism.

The composure on their faces vanished instantly, their eyes filled with astonishment.

"What exactly did you tamper with?" Huo La lifted his gaze, his tone full of disbelief.

There are countless modern restraint devices and sealing methods for Pokemon, but all contemporary technologies only affect Pokeballs forged in this era.

Yet the Pokeballs in his hand that bear the Space‑Time Trio originate from Hisui, from Dr. Laventon's ancient craft, even containing the precious Origin Ball; they transcend modern rules and, in theory, could not be restrained by current technology.

But at this moment, they were completely locked, without exception.

"If I hadn't laid the groundwork beforehand, how could I have calmly let you survive until now?"

Chi Ri's mouth curled into a certain confident arc, his tone exuding total control, "Come to think of it, this move actually owes you thanks."

"Me?" Huo La froze instantly, his face full of shock.

"During your time living in Hisui, you must have casually mentioned the future Galaxy Team's existence and its impact on the world to Dr. Laventon."

Chi Ri slowly revealed the millennial foreshadowing: "You may have just chatted offhand, discarding it, but Dr. Laventon kept it in his heart."

"Based on your description, he specifically developed a targeted restraint device. In modern times, its craftsmanship is outdated, clumsy, and unpresentable, utterly ineffective against contemporary Pokeballs."

"But only for you—who uses the Hisui‑crafted Pokeballs—this millennia‑old device is the most unsolvable, most lethal seal."

Huo La lowered his head, looking at the dark, silent Pokeball in his palm, his eyes filled with a helpless, wry resignation.

He hadn't expected that, in the end, he fell into a foreshadowing unintentionally planted a thousand years ago, buried within Dr. Laventon's research.

The whole scene fell silent for two seconds.

Huo La decisively raised both hands, calmly conceding defeat.

"I surrender."

"Surrender?"

Chi Ri heard that, a cold sneer curling his lips, his eyes unmoved, "You think a single word of surrender will make me let you go?"

Facing Chi Ri's icy pressure, Huo La showed no fear, his gaze burning straight at him, his tone firm and clear: "You will."

"You exhaust costs to glimpse countless futures; what you truly fear is never a strong opponent, but the endless variables of the future."

"Now you cannot determine whether killing me or keeping me will lead to the ending you desire. You dare not gamble, nor can you afford to."

Those few words precisely struck Chi Ri's core weakness.

The hall instantly fell into dead silence.

Chi Ri stood silently, his ambition and coldness gradually receding, sinking into prolonged contemplation. He had to admit that Huo La was entirely correct.

Those who have glimpsed the future are the least daring to rashly decide fate.

After a long while, Chi Ri slowly released his obsession, his tone flat yet bearing an unchallengeable authority: "Put down the Pokeballs. My people will take you to 'rest'."

The word 'rest' was uttered so lightly that its meaning was obvious.

Huo La knew there was no room for further maneuvering, said no more idle words, and calmly leaned forward, gently placing the three plainly styled Pokeballs bearing the Space‑Time Trio onto the table.

Bilan and Paipa, seeing this, also put away their Pokeballs.

Chi Ri's gaze remained fixed on those three Pokeballs from start to finish, ignoring the ones in the two others' hands.

Aside from Dialga, Palkia, and Kira Tena, ordinary Pokemon could not even catch his eye.

Moments later, the great doors opened slowly, Zhenxing stepped in, followed by several elite members of the Galaxy Team.

"Take them away."

Huo La and the two others kept a calm expression, obediently following them out of the hall, offering no futile resistance.

The spacious, cold headquarters hall finally held only Chi Ri alone.

He walked forward slowly, standing quietly before the three plainly styled Pokeballs, his fingertips hovering in mid‑air, lingering without descending.

The cold light reflected his weathered face, his expression flat and unruffled; no one could know his thoughts at that moment.