Kanto Region.
In the Kanto Region during spring, the sky was incredibly clear and a deep, vivid blue. A massive Dragonite was flapping its small wings, scattering the strangely shaped clouds before it, and then headed straight off into the distance.
Lance sat on the Dragonite, his cape fluttering in the wind, boredly scrolling through his phone.
"Finally, I have time to go over for tea. I've been worked to death lately."
Lance put his phone away and muttered to himself.
"Roar."
The Dragonite increased its speed and flew toward the Sinnoh Region.
Sinnoh Region.
Cynthia was sitting in her office, dealing with the paperwork that had just been delivered.
"Michina? I recall there being a temple there, one related to the legendary Arceus—"
Cynthia looked at the paperwork regarding Michina and muttered to herself.
"It seems there are unusual space-time fluctuations in Michina?"
Cynthia frowned. "Could it be Dialga and Giratina fighting again?"
"It's been a while since I've been there. I might as well take this opportunity to go and study the history of the temple."
Just as Cynthia was about to stand up, she looked at the paperwork on her desk and fell into deep thought.
She had promised Lucian a day off, and he was likely still resting.
It wouldn't be right to wake him up now.
But this paperwork—
Cynthia looked at Aaron and Flint, who were lounging on the sofa, doing nothing.
"Flint."
Flint, who was scrolling through his phone, heard Cynthia's voice and quickly sat up. "What's wrong? Boss, is there something you need me to go out and handle? I'll go right now."
Flint stood up and rushed out of the office.
Cynthia: ...
"Uh—Boss, where am I going?"
Not long after, Flint pushed open the office door and asked Cynthia, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Michina."
"Michina? I remember that's where the temple is located? The temple of the legendary Arceus. What happened there?"
"It is said that there are space-time fluctuations there just like in Poplar Town. It's likely another issue involving Dialga and Palkia, and perhaps Arceus is involved as well," Cynthia said, without blinking an eye.
Flint felt as if his legs had been filled with lead.
"Th-that—Boss, you're the Champion. Why don't—why don't you go yourself?"
Cynthia's cold gaze went straight to Flint, who was standing at the door.
Flint chuckled awkwardly.
"Lucian isn't here to help me handle the other paperwork. If I leave, what will happen to the work?"
"I—I'll do it. Aaron and I will do it."
Flint blurted out quickly.
Aaron: ??? Wait, why are you dragging me into this?
Cynthia looked at Flint with a skeptical gaze.
"Rest assured, whenever Lucian and you are away, it's always Aaron and me who handle the paperwork."
Cynthia smiled slightly and then stood up. "Then you and Aaron can handle the League's paperwork."
"I didn't say I wanted to—Mmph—"
Flint covered Aaron's mouth, not letting him continue to speak.
Aaron: I ****
Cynthia walked out of the office, let out a deep breath, and then clapped her hands together.
A day without having to deal with paperwork—relaxing, comfortable, and blissful.
In a certain cool, shaded room.
"If you don't come back soon, I'm going to die from overwork—"
After saying that, he rolled over, hugged the plushie Shauna had given him, and continued to sleep.
Cynthia massaged Garchomp's back to help it relax.
Just as she was using her fists to massage Garchomp, an ethereal voice reached her ears.
"Cele~"
Cynthia stopped what she was doing.
"Celebi?"
The wooden plaque on her wrist grew hot. Cynthia looked down at the wooden plaque, and Celebi's thoughts were transmitted into her mind through it.
Cynthia's expression turned serious.
"Don't tell him yet."
Cynthia said softly, then jumped onto Garchomp's back.
"I am the Champion of the Sinnoh Region; I will resolve this before he finds out."
Cynthia's eyes were cold and sharp. "And then I'll take him back to meet my grandmother."
"Cele~"
Garchomp transformed into a supersonic fighter jet and shot straight into the sky.
Michina.
A city full of historical vicissitudes, yet with an extremely beautiful environment.
The ancestors of Sinnoh settled in this city, which was once full of desolation and hardship, and then cultivated land after land with their own hands, thereby creating this beautiful, powerful, and historic city.
The people of Sinnoh lived here in peace and contentment.
At a Lake nearby.
Ash, Dawn, and Brock watched the two massive Pokémon on the Lake, anxiety evident on their faces.
"Giratina, stop it. Don't fight anymore."
Ash shouted toward Giratina.
"Dialga, please stop as well."
Dawn shouted at Dialga.
"Roar!"
Make it stop! What's the point of telling me to stop? If I stop, I'll just get beaten up!
Dialga let out a Roar, feeling incredibly depressed.
Recently, Giratina had been like a plaster; no matter where it went, Giratina would follow.
Giratina stared intently at Dialga.
"Roar!"
I said, I will definitely settle the score with you properly.
"Roar!"
Didn't you say the Distortion World was repaired? Are you ever going to finish? You've already beaten me up; what else do you want?!
"Roar!"
Enough talk, take this!
Giratina vanished, and Dialga looked around vigilantly.
The next second, Dialga was heavily knocked away and fell into the water.
"Roar!"
Dialga felt the pain and unleashed a powerful Roar of Time.
"Roar!"
Isn't it just trapping you in a time loop? Is it necessary to hold such a grudge?!
Facing Giratina's relentless pursuit, Dialga's patience reached its limit.
The powerful aftermath blew Ash and his friends away, followed by the Team Rocket Trio, who had been secretly tracking them.
"Giratina, Dialga, please stop your fighting."
A woman's voice suddenly came over. Ash and the others looked and saw a man and a woman running over. The man helped the three of them up and asked concernedly, "Are you okay?"
Ash shook his head. "We're fine, but Giratina and the others—"
Before he could finish, Ash saw the woman clench her fists, close her eyes, and then her lips began to move continuously.
After the woman opened her eyes, Dialga and Giratina stopped fighting and made up as if nothing had happened.
"Roar!"
You won't follow me anymore, right?!
"Roar."
Let me hit you one more time.
Dialga: ???
Dialga was about to scold Giratina for daydreaming, but thinking that Giratina might continue to follow it for the time being, it felt incredibly miserable.
"Roar—"
Fine, you have to promise that after you hit me, you won't—
"Roar!"
Dialga's eyes widened.
You don't fight fair; I hadn't finished speaking.
Just as Giratina was about to hit Dialga, the surrounding space fluctuated, and a purple-and-white figure appeared from within, blocking Giratina's attack.
"That is—the deity who controls the power of space, Palkia?"
Palkia stood in the air, looking at Dialga and Giratina, and let out an angry Roar.
"Roar!"
Your father has awakened, and you are still fighting!
Giratina was displeased upon hearing this and roared back.
"Roar!"
Your father has awakened! Your father has awakened! Your father has awakened!
Important things must be said three times.
"Roar!"
He really is about to wake up!
"Roar!"
Dialga saw Palkia pushing its luck and couldn't help but Roar as well.
Besides, it will beat up your father too once he wakes up.
Palkia: ...
"Roar!"
Your father has awakened too!
Dialga: ???
"Roar!"
I've given you enough face, haven't I!
Just as Dialga was preparing to charge at Palkia, an extremely intense energy fluctuation suddenly erupted over the temple in the distance.
Boom!
The sky began to turn colorful.
Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina immediately looked toward the sky above the temple.
Giratina: Oh no, he's really about to wake up!
Dialga: You were serious?!
Palkia: I told you your father had awakened, but you didn't believe me! Look at what's happened now!
"Roar!"
What do we do now?!
Dialga looked at Palkia, and Palkia glared back.
Looking at me won't help; I have no idea either!
Boom!
A powerful energy fluctuation erupted in the sky again and spread across the heavens.
The eyes of the three Pokémon—Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina—instantly turned crimson. They glared at each other and continued to Roar.
Ash and the others below had just finished introducing themselves when they were startled by the energy erupting in the distant sky, and then they saw that Palkia and the others were acting strangely.
"What's wrong with Palkia and the others? Why do they seem a bit strange?"
Sheena, the guardian of the Arceus temple in Michina, saw that Palkia and the others were in a strange state. She clenched her fists again, placed them in front of her chest, and closed her eyes.
"The constants of time and space, be overcome here."
As Sheena's voice faded, an invisible ripple spread out, reaching the three Pokémon. Subsequently, Palkia and the others returned to normal. They glanced at each other, then turned and left.
Giratina: "I'm leaving first, lest we start fighting again later."
Dialga: "Goodbye."
Palkia: "Humans—"
"Palkia?"
Palkia turned its head and discovered a Garchomp flying in the air, with a blonde-haired woman standing on its back. Both she and the Garchomp radiated immense energy.
Palkia remembered her; she was with the man who had commanded Lugia to block him back then, and their relationship seemed quite good.
"Ms. Cynthia."
Ash and the others below, upon seeing Cynthia, greeted her one after another.
Cynthia nodded at them, then looked at Palkia, "May I ask what business you have here?"
Palkia hesitated for a moment, then shook its head, turned around, opened a spatial rift, and flew inside. The space then returned to normal.
After watching Palkia leave, Cynthia commanded Garchomp to descend in front of Ash and the others, then jumped down.
"Why are you all here too?"
Ash explained the general situation. Cynthia looked at the temple guardian, Sheena. Seeing this, Sheena spoke up: "Why don't you come with me first?"
Cynthia led Ash and the others to follow behind Sheena and Kevin.
Looking at the temporal device in front of them, which was composed of several floating spheres, Cynthia asked: "Is this the temporal device you mentioned for detecting the space where Palkia and the others reside?"
Sheena nodded, "These represent the spaces where Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina live, and in the center of them is the space where Arceus resides—"
Cynthia listened carefully to the legend of Michina and King Damos that Sheena was recounting.
"At that time, Arceus lent the five Plates—Water, Grass, Ground, Electric, and Dragon—to my ancestor, with the agreement that they would be returned on the day of the eclipse. However, my ancestor did not return them as promised and instead launched a counterattack against Arceus."
"Arceus tried his best and destroyed the temple at that time, but because he lost the Plates, he was severely injured. He returned to the Hall of Origin to sleep, intending to wake up on the next eclipse to punish humanity."
After finishing, Sheena took out an incredibly brilliant, crystal-clear jewel, "This is the Jewel of Life that he lent to my ancestor, formed by the fusion of the five Plates from his body. I want to return it to Arceus to seek his forgiveness."
The Team Rocket Trio, who had snuck in at some point and were hiding behind the stone door, looked at the crystal-clear Jewel of Life and exchanged glances.
"This looks like it's worth a lot."
"But I heard them say that if this thing is missing, that Arceus will destroy this place, leaving nothing behind—"
"Then what should we do, Meowth?"
Just as the Team Rocket Trio was whispering, Cynthia nodded, "Don't worry, I will help you return the Jewel of Life to Arceus."
As long as the Jewel of Life is returned, this matter should be over, right?
"Pikachu and I will help you too."
"Piplup and I as well."
"I will also do my best to help. I only hope that after it's over, you might accompany me for a wonderful dinner, just the two of us. At that time, we could stay up all night—"
Boom! The temple began to shake, forcibly interrupting Brock's words. Cynthia and her group hurriedly ran outside.
Michina, a city bathed in the warm early spring sun, with its staggered architectural complexes and the magnificent marble pillars of the temple, were all bathed in the afterglow of the clear sky.
Above the temple, a crack suddenly appeared, and a sacred figure emerged from it.
Arceus awakened from the Hall of Origin and arrived above Michina. It looked around at the city beneath its feet, which felt both familiar and strange, red light surging in its eyes.
"Michina—"
Emotions like hatred, pain, and sorrow appeared in Arceus's eyes.
It had poured its own emotions into this city and had also poured all its feelings into humanity, which is why it was so disappointed after being betrayed.
"According to our agreement, humans, I shall impose judgment upon you!"
Arceus's voice gradually turned cold, until it was devoid of any emotion.
Space began to fluctuate violently, and a halo of light appeared behind it, which then transformed into dazzling, stark white beams of light.
These beams were all condensed with Arceus's own power, possessing incomparable energy.
Arceus's signature move.
"Judgement!"
Rumble! Judgement continued to strike down into the city of Michina.
Cynthia and the others ran out. Sheena held up the Jewel of Life in her hands. "Arceus, please wait. I know my ancestor deceived you, but now, I am willing to return the Jewel of Life to you, only asking for your forgiveness in return."
Arceus looked at Sheena, who had run out, and momentarily mistook her for someone else.
"Damos—"
Its vision gradually cleared. Arceus looked at the Jewel of Life in Sheena's hand, and its voice, devoid of any emotion, rang out: "Are you saying this is my Jewel of Life?"
Sheena nodded.
Arceus was enraged. It raised a hoof and tapped the air, and the Jewel of Life in Sheena's hand began to shatter.
Sheena: "???"
Cynthia: "???"
Ash and the others: "???"
"Fake! It's all fake! I will never trust you humans again!"
The red light in Arceus's eyes intensified, and the halo of light appeared around it once again.
"I shall judge you!"
Judgement fell once more.
Cynthia pulled Sheena back, and Garchomp flew into the sky with ferocity.
Boom! Cynthia looked at Garchomp, who had been smashed into the temple behind them, and gritted her teeth.
Is this the power of the legendary origin of all Pokémon—Arceus?
Garchomp flew up from the ruins, covered in wounds, but its imposing aura remained undiminished.
Sheena was in disbelief, "The Jewel of Life—is fake—"
Judgement fell again. The surrounding space fluctuated once more.
"Roar!" Palkia blocked in front of everyone, swung its sharp claws, and knocked away the Judgement.
On the other side, Dialga also appeared and knocked away the Judgement that was striking the dense city cluster of Michina.
Finally, there was Giratina.
Arceus felt its body seize up. Looking down, it discovered that in the shadows beneath its feet, antimatter energy had performed a Lock-On on it. Immediately after, Giratina drilled out from it, its white and gold claws clashing loudly as it ferociously rammed into Arceus.
Arceus smashed Giratina into the Lake below, then its figure suddenly disappeared from where it was, causing Dialga's Roar of Time to miss.
"You, too, choose to side with humans?!"
Arceus's gaze grew increasingly cold.
"Even you have betrayed me!"
"Even though you are Legendary Pokémon, I will bring down the same judgment upon you as I do upon humans!"
The entire sky was filled with thunder, weaving into a net, while cracks split open simultaneously, looking terrifyingly extreme.
More halos flew out and then struck Palkia, the others, and Michina.
The three Legendary Pokémon struggled to hold on.
Dialga was smashed into the mountainside and let out an angry Roar.
"Roar!" Hurry up and call him over!
Dialga turned its head and looked at Palkia, who was holding up a spatial protective barrier, and shouted.
"Roar!" I called! Why didn't you call?!
Giratina: "Roar!" Who are you guys talking about?
On the other side, in the sky of the Johto Region, there wasn't a single cloud in sight; it was a clear, sunny day.
Lance was riding leisurely on the back of Dragonite, with a foxtail grass he'd picked from somewhere dangling from his mouth, swaying in the wind.
A few Pidgeotto flew up to Dragonite, curiously watching the red-haired man in a cape riding on Dragonite's back, wondering when such a red-haired delinquent Pokémon had arrived.
Some bold Pidgeotto even approached Lance and Dragonite.
Lance looked at the Dragonite approaching, and smirked.
Dragonite's aura poured out, scaring the Pidgeotto into fleeing in panic.
"Sinnoh Region, Breeding House, wait for me a little longer."
Lance's eyes were filled with anticipation.
***************************
Thoughts on where the plot is heading? Let me know in the comments! If you're enjoying the ride, please leave a quick review and toss a few Power Stones my way. Every bit of support means the world! 🙌