"Dialga? How could that be…"
When she heard what Lucas said, Cynthia was momentarily stunned—but Sheena was utterly shocked.
She desperately wanted to refute Lucas. Dialga and Palkia shouldn't have any reason to clash!
Not only were Dialga and Palkia, in a sense, "brothers" created by the same being, but even in terms of responsibility, their realms were entirely different.
Dialga ruled over time. Palkia governed space. The two existed in completely separate dimensions, with no intersection or overlap between them.
In their daily existence, their paths never crossed—each governed its own plane, like two parallel lines that could never meet.
Time and space were fundamentally independent of one another, so how could the two ever engage in a battle—especially such an intense one that Palkia was forced to retreat into a different dimension to recover its wounds?
"Could it really have been Dialga?"
Although Sheena still couldn't quite believe it, she couldn't deny how strange this situation was.
Logically speaking, a Pokémon that lived within the dimensional plane of space shouldn't be discoverable or reachable by any other being.
And yet earlier, when she had tried to use the power of overcoming to communicate with Dialga, all she had felt was an overwhelming surge of rage and fury.
"But that doesn't make sense. Why would they fight?"
Her delicate brows knitted tightly together, and she turned her confused gaze toward Lucas.
"Because of pride," he replied, a faint, knowing smile curving his lips as he looked up toward the top of the Space-Time Tower, where Palkia lay.
The relationship between the three Sinnoh deities was indeed a complex one. After all, since all three were created by Arceus, they truly were siblings in a literal sense.
But for reasons unknown—perhaps due to natural incompatibility, or some other deeper factor—the relationship among Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina was... strained, to say the least.
The Sinnoh movie trilogy had always been an interconnected story—one film leading directly into the next.
And the fierce battle between Dialga and Palkia? That was the plot of the first movie.
As for why they fought so violently? The reason was actually quite simple.
Under normal conditions, the planes of time and space were eternally parallel, never intersecting.
But not long ago, something had happened—something that caused those two separate dimensions to collide in an extremely strange and unnatural way.
Yes, time and space themselves had clashed.
That collision made both Dialga and Palkia believe that the other had invaded their domain.
And given that their relationship was already far from friendly, neither hesitated for even a second—they immediately met in the rift between time and space and began a fierce, devastating battle, both determined to "teach the other a lesson."
In the end, the battle left Palkia severely wounded, forcing it to retreat and hide here to heal.
"Arceus is about to awaken," Lucas explained calmly, rolling the Poké Ball between his fingers. "The waves emanating from the Origin have disturbed the balance of the other dimensions."
"The existence of the God of Creation is unique—its awakening sends ripples that reach across all realms. Those waves disrupted both time and space, causing the dimensions of Dialga and Palkia to collide."
"That's why they fought."
That's right—the true cause behind the clash between the two temporal gods was Arceus's impending awakening.
The Sinnoh movie trilogy followed this very sequence: Arceus's revival disturbed the equilibrium between time and space, causing their dimensions to collide. And the two gods, confused and enraged, mistook each other's presence for an invasion—thus beginning their devastating war.
In the second film, Giratina and the Sky Warrior, the aftereffects of that battle between Dialga and Palkia reverberated across realities, distorting the Reverse World—Giratina's domain.
The Reverse World existed as a mirror to the real one, and the catastrophic clash of the two temporal gods wreaked havoc upon it. Giratina, furious beyond measure, developed an intense grudge against both Dialga and Palkia.
From then on…
Giratina relentlessly hunted Dialga through two entire movies!
Whenever Dialga dared to appear in the real world, Giratina would immediately burst out from the Reverse World to pursue it.
In fact, in the second movie, when Dialga emerged briefly to rest and drink from a lake, Giratina seized the opportunity and dragged it back into the Reverse World for a savage beating!
If Dialga hadn't sealed off the flow of time around the Reverse World's exit, Giratina probably would have never stopped.
Palkia, however, was far wiser…
Ever since it was seriously injured by Dialga in the first film and the two made peace, Palkia had simply hidden itself deep within the spatial dimension, refusing to come out.
That's why people say the relationship among the Sinnoh trio is fragile—they're always one argument away from fighting each other. Still, when faced with a true crisis, the three will always set aside their conflicts and stand together.
"So it's because of Arceus…"
Sheena's eyes widened slightly, her brows furrowing tightly as she muttered under her breath. Arceus's awakening… that was terrible news.
This wasn't just bad—it was a potential catastrophe.
She sighed softly. The sins of her ancestors… it seemed she was destined to bear them herself.
"I'll go and shatter this spatial barrier first," Lucas said after a moment of silence. "But once Palkia's space field collapses, Dialga will immediately sense Palkia's presence."
"Miss Cynthia, please make sure the people near Alamos Town evacuate in advance. I'll do my best to ensure that those two deities don't end up fighting within the town."
Cynthia nodded, pressing her lips together. "I understand," she replied. "Please… be careful."
Though Lucas was a Rocket executive, at this moment, he was helping to save the people of Sinnoh. Cynthia knew how to distinguish between right and wrong, and gratitude shone in her eyes.
"I didn't expect Miss Cynthia to worry about someone like me—a so-called villain." Lucas arched an eyebrow with mild surprise, glancing at her teasingly.
Cynthia: "…"
"There's no need to worry. This sort of thing isn't that difficult."
With a faint smile, Lucas tossed the Poké Ball high into the air.
"Now then—Rayquaza, time to begin your performance."
"ROOOAAAR!!"
The Poké Ball burst open midair, and from the brilliant white light emerged a massive, jet-black Rayquaza that threw back its head and unleashed an earth-shaking roar.
Majestic. Heavy. Overwhelmingly powerful.
"My goodness… a shiny Rayquaza?!"
Sheena and the officers beside her stared in disbelief at the enormous dragon soaring through the sky.
Rayquaza—the Sky High Pokémon—was, without question, one of the most famous Legendary Pokémon.
But… wasn't Rayquaza supposed to be green?
Yet this one—this towering beast before them—was entirely black!
"What the—?! Did he replace his Rayquaza with another one?!"
Even Cynthia was completely dumbfounded.
Normally calm and composed, she stood frozen with wide eyes, her usually serene face filled with shock.
That couldn't be right! She had personally witnessed Lucas capture a green Rayquaza that couldn't even Mega Evolve. So how was this black one emerging from his Poké Ball now?
Did Lucas… somehow trade his Rayquaza out later?!
"Mr. Lucas, what happened to your Rayquaza?" Cynthia asked in confusion.
That made no sense. Shiny Pokémon were born that way—they couldn't just turn shiny later, could they?
Or… could it be that Lucas had somehow also caught the black one?
But the aura it gave off… felt exactly the same.
"ROOAAAR!"
Feeling the astonished gazes of the humans below, the "shiny" Rayquaza swelled with pride, lifting its head arrogantly and letting out another triumphant roar.
Ah, yes—this black "coat" was absolutely perfect! So stylish! So elegant! Totally worth spending the entire night in that dye workshop!
Hahaha!
No, wait—maybe after some time, it should change colors again. Black was starting to feel a little too common for a one-of-a-kind dragon like itself.
Yes! Next time, it would go with rose pink! Now that was a color worthy of its magnificence!
Meanwhile, Marilie and little Green exchanged glances, both wearing the same awkward, knowing expression.
They, of course, knew exactly where Rayquaza's new look came from.
But they didn't have the heart to tell the others the truth.
If they did, Rayquaza's majestic, awe-inspiring image would probably shatter into dust on the spot…
"Rayquaza, Dragon Dance!"
Lucas climbed atop Reshiram's back. The white dragon beat its massive wings, soaring skyward, while Lucas issued his next command mentally.
Rayquaza's eyes narrowed, and it flew to the skies above Alamos Town, its serpentine body tracing elegant, ancient patterns through the air.
Its strength and speed began to surge—boosted by Dragon Dance.
"Let's test its power first—use Breaking Swipe!"
Lucas's gaze swept across the town. On the surface, Alamos Town appeared calm and ordinary—but clearly, that was only an illusion.
"ROOAAAR!!"
Rayquaza roared, its tail glowing with a deep azure light as it swung it down heavily toward the invisible barrier above the town.
The attack struck like a hurricane, the force shaking the skies—
—but at the same moment, the air shimmered with rippling distortion, like water disturbed by a stone.
Rayquaza's attack collided with an unseen layer and was completely stopped, unable to advance no matter how much force it used.
Palkia's spatial power!
"Even Rayquaza can't break through?"
Cynthia and the others stared up tensely, watching as the mighty "shiny" Rayquaza's blows were repelled. Their hearts sank.
"It's tougher than I expected."
Lucas's eyes narrowed. Even Rayquaza's power couldn't pierce it—this barrier was stronger than anticipated.
Then again, that wasn't surprising. Even though Palkia had once lost control of its space in the Super Genesect movie, its command over dimensional force was still formidable. In the Arceus movie, it had even used its spatial energy to imprison Arceus itself.
Still, compared to Palkia's space manipulation, Hoopa's dimensional rings were far stranger and more unpredictable.
"Well then," Lucas murmured with a grin, "we'll just use brute force. Smash this spatial cage!"
"Rayquaza—Giga Impact! Reshiram—Blue Flare!"
"ROAAR!!"
Rayquaza ascended high into the air, its eyes flashing ferociously as its body blazed with blinding white light.
Below it, Reshiram's turbine-like tail ignited with searing blue fire, its energy building to a dazzling crescendo.
The next instant—
BOOM!
Rayquaza hurled itself straight into the invisible barrier, its body slamming against it with an explosive roar as shockwaves rippled outward.
Reshiram's Blue Flare struck just beneath it, sending out waves of scorching azure flame that enveloped the sky.
"Will it work?"
Sheena and the others held their breath, their eyes fixed on the scene.
Then—
Riiiip!
A sharp sound like fabric tearing echoed through the air.
Before everyone's eyes, a translucent shield shimmered into view—then shattered completely.
It was broken!
The spatial barrier Palkia had set up was destroyed!
Lucas's smile deepened. In the end, it was only a spatial shield created by Palkia. For most trainers, it would have been an insurmountable obstacle.
But for him?
It was barely even a challenge.
And at that exact moment—
As the space barrier shattered, the once-dormant Palkia atop the Space-Time Tower suddenly stirred.
Its eyes snapped open.
(End of Chapter)