A thousand years ago, a purple light burst out of the dragon pulse hidden inside a crack in the ground. The trees nearby withered and died in moments, and the earth itself shook, as if the whole land were about to be torn apart.
Using Victini's power, the King guided the Sword of the Vale down into the heart of the raging dragon pulse. Slowly, the purple light turned green, and the land around them began to breathe with life again.
"This castle must never move again..." the King said weakly, sinking to the ground.
"Victini?" The little Pokémon flew close to him, listening carefully.
"If the castle is ever moved again, the dragon pulse will fall into chaos once more, and it will destroy the world." The King lifted his hand and gently touched Victini's cheek. Seeing Victini's small, hopeful smile, his lips curved into a faint, tired grin. "Remember this, Victini. Never let the castle move again."
His hand fell away. Victini watched with wide, puzzled eyes as the King's eyes slowly closed. His lips moved one last time.
"I'm... sorry..."
Steven opened his eyes slowly. Darkness surrounded him, though he was thankful it wasn't pitch black — he could still make out the shape of his own hands in front of his face.
Victini's memories had just flooded into his mind. It was a cry for help. After the girl in the white skirt had stepped out of his body, she had carried him here.
"A teleport?" Steven looked around, puzzled. If so, why hadn't he landed back at the very top of the castle?
Does your heart hold the courage to face the truth?
A calm, clear voice rang through his thoughts.
"Could it be...?"
A faint hum sounded, and a white stone rose into the air before him, glowing with a fierce red light. Patterns like flowing magma spread slowly across its pale surface. The voice had come from the Light Stone — which could only mean one thing. This was Reshiram's call.
"What is your truth?" Reshiram's voice asked, solemn and grave.
"Truth..." Steven frowned. What did that even mean?
Reshiram stood for truth, and Zekrom stood for ideals. Each Pokémon tested the hearts of those who sought their power, and only those who answered honestly would earn their trust. But could truth and ideals really be told apart? In a way, ideals gave shape to truth, and truth gave strength to ideals — the two could turn into one another given the right conditions. Perhaps, then, an ideal you believed in completely, without doubt, was itself a kind of truth.
"I want to stay by the side of the people and Pokémon I care about," Steven said. "I want to save Victini!"
His eyes were steady. This was his truth, plain and unshaken.
A burst of flame lit up the space around him, yet Steven felt only gentle warmth, not pain. The Light Stone blazed with red light, and Reshiram's form slowly took shape before him.
Reshiram was pure white from head to tail, its body a graceful mix of bird and dragon, with broad wings tipped in claws. Its eyes shone bright blue against black sclera, and long, flowing tufts of hair crowned its head. Soft white fur, almost feather-like, covered its entire body, and its face had the gentle shape of a white wolf. Two metal rings circled its neck, and matching rings wrapped the base of its tail, just above what looked like a small engine. The very tip of its tail drifted lazily in the air.
"I accept your truth," Reshiram said firmly.
Steven let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and laughed softly with relief. He had been afraid Reshiram might reject him — that believing fully in an ideal would not be enough to count as truth. If that had happened, everything would have been lost.
"Climb on," Reshiram said, lowering its body toward him.
"I'm sorry!" Steven said as he climbed up, noticing dark red blood staining Reshiram's soft white fur.
"It's all right," Reshiram replied, unbothered. With a powerful beat of its wings, it rose and flew straight for the way out, toward the sky above the Sword of the Vale.
Outside, Zekrom stood guard beside the great floating castle, escorting it onward. On its deck, Diancie walked up to Metagross and nudged it gently.
"Metagross..." she murmured, then looked around at the empty deck. "Everyone...?"
Hoping against hope, Diancie followed a trail of blood to the edge of the castle and leaned over to look. Steven was nowhere in sight — only a thin trail of blood leading downward into empty air. She sank down, her heart heavy, staring at Zekrom crackling with electricity in the sky.
"How could this have happened?" she whispered. "Victini..."
From somewhere above, Victini let out a faint, pained cry. Damon turned to look at Diancie sitting on the floor and shook his head helplessly.
"There's nothing more we can do," he said.
Just then, Zekrom sensed something wrong and looked down — a blazing blue flame was rushing straight toward it.
"Gaoo!" Zekrom roared, its tail flashing with electric light as crackling blue sparks raced over its entire body. A massive bolt of lightning shot out to meet the oncoming flame.
The two attacks collided in midair with a deafening blast, the shockwave rolling outward and knocking even the Sword of the Vale off its course.
"What was that?!" Damon cried out, looking down in alarm. A pure white dragon, radiant and almost sacred, was rising slowly into the sky — though a few streaks of dark blood marred its white body.
"Reshiram..." Damon breathed. Then he spotted the rider on its back, and his shock deepened. "Steven?!"
"Young one, lend me your strength," Reshiram said deeply. It had not expected Zekrom to unleash its full power so soon. Standing only about four meters tall, Reshiram looked almost small against Zekrom's might.
"Take as much as you need," Steven answered.
Reshiram let out a thunderous roar that startled Diancie from her despair. She scrambled to the edge of the deck and saw the great white dragon facing down Zekrom.
"Steven!" Relief washed over her — the worry that had gripped her heart finally eased.
Reshiram's whole body blazed with dazzling red light, flames roaring across its form as it grew, until it stood as large as Zekrom itself.
"Young one, go and do what you must," Reshiram said, setting Steven down on the Sword of the Vale. "I will help you build... your true world!"
"Thank you, Reshiram," Steven said sincerely, watching the great dragon turn and charge toward Zekrom. Then he spun around to begin his own task.
"Diancie, with me!" he called, snatching up three Poké Balls from the deck. He threw them, releasing Honedge, Pupitar, and Sandslash. "Let's save Victini!"
Steven himself sprinted off toward where Empoleon and Skarmory had last been seen — the two Pokémon he feared for most.
They could not be allowed to come to harm. Not now.