Gardevoir almost reflexively moved to protect John, her instincts screaming danger even though her psychic powers and Future Sight hadn't detected any living creatures in that direction.
John glanced sideways and saw colorful light flickering in the dark depths of the forest.
An elk emerged from the shadows, its crystal antlers branching like a rainbow tree, watching him with burning, ancient eyes.
That gaze was unmistakable.
"Xerneas?" John stared at the newcomer in amazement.
He'd only come looking for the divine Gardevoir, but somehow he'd stumbled across an actual god. The polar opposite of Yveltal, the God of Death, Xerneas, the God of Life, legendary for granting eternal life to mortals.
"What's up ahead?" John asked, gesturing toward the time distortion.
Xerneas studied him carefully. The legendary Pokemon hadn't appeared just on instinct or its natural tendency to preserve life, it had sensed the powerful auras surrounding this human.
"Time turbulence lies ahead," Xerneas said, stepping slowly closer. "Take one step forward and you might vanish from this world entirely, torn apart by temporal distortion."
"What caused it?"
Xerneas seemed surprised that the human would ask for an explanation, but answered honestly. "An artifact left behind by the God of Time. Its aura warps the surrounding timeline, and combined with spatial fluctuations, it created this chaotic temporal zone."
"An artifact from the God of Time?" John immediately thought of the Adamant Orb.
In the games, the Adamant Orb belonged to Dialga, the God of Time. Its counterpart was the Lustrous Orb of Palkia, the God of Space. Since the Lustrous Orb was currently enhancing his Gardevoir's power, it made sense that an Adamant Orb might exist in this world too.
Though the feedback from Psychic hadn't shown an orb-shaped object. Well, he'd find out when he got his hands on it.
"So, Xerneas, are you here for the artifact too?" John asked.
Xerneas shook his head slightly. "I have no interest in that item."
"Good." John had been worried he'd have to compete with a legendary Pokemon for the treasure. He snapped his fingers, and the MEGA evolution stone around his neck blazed with light.
Gardevoir immediately transformed, her elegant white gown shifting to black silk as Mega Gardevoir emerged in all her glory.
"You're still going forward?" Xerneas asked, watching the display of power.
"I'm very interested in this artifact. I'd like to try taking it," John replied, placing his hand on Mega Gardevoir's shoulder.
Aura surged between them, dramatically boosting Mega Gardevoir's abilities.
"Psychic."
The tide of psychic energy rolled forward again, but this time it was a tsunami rather than a wave, a massive force that could swallow a hundred-meter building in one gulp, visible to the naked eye in all its purple glory.
The mighty psychic wave crashed forward, then "collapsed" as it hit the temporal zone, reshaping itself into thick serpents of energy that slithered skillfully through the gaps between time vortexes until they reached the distant crystal.
Mega Gardevoir tried to touch the crystal directly with Psychic, but the energy simply vanished on contact. She attempted to lift the soil beneath it instead, but after moving just a few steps, the time vortexes shifted with the crystal's movement, instantly "strangling" the ten psychic serpents.
"Looks like I'll have to go in person," John muttered.
As long as he could get the crystal into his Gameboy, he could claim it without any risk.
"Again, Gardevoir."
Mega Gardevoir triggered Psychic once more, thick sperpents made of psychic energy filling the safe gaps in the time vortex field ahead.
John stepped forward immediately, taking Mega Gardevoir into the psychic pathways.
These psychic energy serpents were the routes John had carved out. As long as they stayed within the serpents' protection, they wouldn't be affected by the temporal chaos.
John felt pretty lucky. Fortunately, the time vortexes weren't flowing or he'd have no way to navigate through them.
After walking a few steps, John noticed Xerneas following behind him.
Considering this god's protective nature, it was probably here to keep him safe.
Well, having an actual deity as backup certainly boosted his confidence.
Following the psychic serpents, John soon reached the crystal's location.
The spot was like a tiny island in an ocean of chaos, a small patch of lush grass and blooming flowers surrounded by the desert wasteland ravaged by temporal turbulence.
He approached the crystal directly.
It was a translucent azure crystal that glowed faintly in the eternal night, radiating powerful energy that John could feel just from standing near it.
This energy was incredible, far beyond even the Lustrous Orb. Like standing in the eye of a hurricane where everything seemed deceptively calm.
Could this crystal be one of Arceus's stone plates? Those were the only creation-level artifacts that should exist.
John leaned down and scooped up the crystal along with the soil beneath it.
The moment he touched it, he felt the immense power contained within. This wasn't just legendary-tier, this was something on par with the tablets of the Original One himself.
CRACK!
The time vortexes behind John suddenly shifted, shredding all the psychic serpents that had formed his escape route. Fortunately, his current position remained unaffected by the temporal chaos.
John quickly activated his Gameboy, eager to see what he'd just obtained.
At the same time, the surrounding time vortexes lost their anchor point and collapsed instantly, turning into razor-sharp blades of temporal energy that slashed in all directions.
WHAM!
Before Mega Gardevoir could set up a Barrier, Xerneas had already launched into action, its hooves striking the ground as pink brilliance spread in all directions. Its unique Fairy Aura condensed into a protective dome, deflecting all the temporal blades falling toward John.
"Thanks," John said, genuinely grateful as he pocketed the mysterious crystal. Whatever this thing was, it was definitely worth the trouble.