The Power of Overcoming—the mysterious ability that allowed Sheena to communicate with legends—had its limits. If a legendary Pokémon's emotions were too intense, even that sacred power would fail to connect.
And now, that was exactly the case with Dialga. The fury raging within the Time Dragon was far too great. Not only could the Power of Overcoming not calm its heart, but the overwhelming surge of rage might even backlash and harm Sheena herself.
But Sheena couldn't figure it out. What on earth had happened to make Dialga so violently angry?
"Palkia's injury… Could it be that something happened between Palkia and Dialga?"
Her brows furrowed tightly. Before, she could have dismissed it as coincidence—but now, both Palkia and Dialga were acting abnormally. She couldn't just stand by and ignore it.
Arceus hadn't even descended yet. The Twin Gods of Time and Space were its most crucial aides. They must not be allowed to fall into crisis.
"No… I must go to Alamos Town myself."
After a long, fruitless bout of thought, Sheena made her decision. She had to see the situation with her own eyes.
---------------------------------------------------
Alamos Town.
Two hours later, Sheena's plane landed just outside the small town.
"Sheena, you've come."
Standing atop the familiar hill, Cynthia turned to greet her softly, then pointed toward the distant tower rising above the skyline—the Space-Time Towers.
"Look. Right there."
"That really is… Palkia."
Sheena narrowed her eyes, staring intently at the sight before her. There was no mistake—she would never fail to recognize the legendary ruler of space.
"And… that's definitely Palkia's spatial power. It's enveloped the entire town in its spatial barrier."
"Though we can still see Alamos Town from here, in reality, that spatial shield has already shifted the entire area into another dimension," Sheena murmured, carefully observing the faint ripples in the air that marked the town's distorted boundary.
She was deeply familiar with the powers of Dialga and Palkia—far more than most mortals could ever be.
"Then what should we do? Are the people inside Alamos Town in danger?"
Cynthia's elegant brows knit together. What concerned her most were the lives of the townsfolk trapped within.
"I'm not sure." Sheena shook her head slowly. "We don't yet know why Palkia would drag the whole town into another space, but…"
She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "My guess is that it's hiding—from an enemy. It must be using its spatial power to protect itself, buying time to heal its injuries."
The more she thought about it, the more sense that theory made.
Palkia, guardian of the space dimensions and the order that sustained them, would never appear in the mortal realm without extraordinary cause. And it would never endanger innocent people—unless it was being relentlessly hunted by a terrifying foe, one strong enough to drive it into desperation.
Thus, to survive, it had cloaked itself—and the town—with space itself.
"In that case, doesn't that make Alamos Town extremely dangerous?"
Cynthia's beautiful face turned grave. Gods clashing, mortals suffering—the phrase felt all too real.
She had just witnessed such a catastrophe not long ago, when the Hoenn League called for aid and she saw the titanic battle between Kyogre and Groudon with her own eyes. The overwhelming power of legends had been on full display.
At least that battle had taken place over the endless ocean…
But now? Palkia had dragged an entire town into the chaos.
Sheena had thought the same, her delicate features tightening. She didn't want the people of Alamos to be caught in such calamity, but…
"Is there any way to bring Alamos Town back from that alternate dimension?" Officer Jenny asked anxiously.
"There isn't," Sheena answered quietly. "I assume you've already tried. The spatial barrier surrounding Alamos Town isn't something we can destroy."
"There are only two possibilities: one is to shatter the entire barrier by force—which would mean overwhelming Palkia's space itself…"
"...and the other," she added after a pause, "is to awaken Palkia from within, to rouse it from its slumber."
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
Palkia was the Dragon God of Space—arguably the mightiest master of spatial energy in existence. How could ordinary humans hope to break through a shield created by it?
As for waking it up…
Right now, Palkia was in deep recovery. Even if someone inside could reach it, forcing it awake might only provoke its hostility.
"So… we can only stand by and watch? And you said yourself that Palkia is being hunted—if its enemy tracks it here…"
Officer Jenny's face darkened. Were they truly powerless to do anything?
"Legendaries…" Cynthia murmured softly. After a long silence, a tired glint filled her golden eyes.
"Legendaries are beyond us. Their power isn't something humans can resist."
Still—they had to find a way.
----------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, in Kanto's Saffron City.
In the president's office of Silph Co., Lucas sat lazily on the sofa, flipping through documents as he considered his next destination.
In a corner of the room, the former president, Charles, lay on the floor with his hands and feet bound, his face pale and disheveled.
His secretary, trembling all over, nervously handed Lucas a cup of coffee.
Yes—three days had passed, and by now, Silph Co. was effectively under Team Rocket's control.
Charles had become a prisoner, and in order to survive, he had no choice but to obediently cooperate with Giovanni, quietly installing Team Rocket operatives throughout the company.
Of course, it couldn't all happen at once; any sudden shifts would arouse suspicion.
With the Silph Co. situation more or less handled, Lucas was already thinking about moving on to another region. He wasn't one to sit idle for long.
"Hey, Boss, did you hear? The League's decided to hold a World Ranking Tournament—every region's trainers are going to be ranked together."
Lucas, clearly bored, toyed with Marnie's small hand as he looked at Giovanni and smiled.
Yes—the Pokémon League had officially confirmed it. The World Ranking Tournament would begin soon—within the next month, in fact.
"I've heard. Are you interested in joining?" Giovanni asked, glancing up from Silph Co.'s files with a faint smile.
He'd known about it for a while, but to him, it was nothing of importance. Titles and glory weren't what he sought. He wanted power.
"Of course I'm interested! Come on, Boss—once your name gets on that list, the whole world's watching you. And I'm still young, after all~"
Lucas shrugged lightly. As far as he was concerned, chasing fame wasn't so bad.
What did trainers chase all their lives?
They trained day and night, challenged gyms, fought in regional leagues—struggling to reach the top. In the end, wasn't it all for recognition?
What trainer didn't dream of becoming famous, of having their name resound across the world?
Getting listed in the World Rankings was an honor—a dream.
"That's unfortunate," Giovanni replied calmly, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "The League won't include you, Lucas. Not unless the higher-ups completely lose their minds."
After all, Lucas was an infamous Rocket executive. There was no way the League would count him among its "official" trainers.
"Ah, what a pity," Lucas chuckled. "Still, once that ranking list goes public, I bet there'll be plenty of good shows to watch."
He wasn't surprised in the least. He'd already known that would be the case.
What did interest him was how the new ranking system would stir up a frenzy among trainers. Challenges, rivalries, power struggles—it was bound to be entertaining.
Just then, his phone suddenly rang.
He glanced at the caller ID—and raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Hello? Miss Sheena? Did something happen?"
After a moment's thought, he answered the call with mild curiosity.
Yes—it was Sheena on the other end.
Ever since the Michina Town incident, after Lucas had taken away the Jewel of Life, he'd left her his contact information.
But she had never once reached out—until now.
Could it be… that Arceus was about to awaken?
"Mr. Lucas, something rather serious has occurred here, and I believe we might need your help. Are you available right now?"
Standing outside Alamos Town, Sheena glanced at Cynthia before speaking into her phone.
She had thought of Lucas immediately. Back in Michina, he had left an unforgettable impression—and as a trainer of legendaries himself, he might know how to handle the space barrier that now enveloped the town.
The only issue… was that he was a member of Team Rocket.
But in a situation like this, she couldn't afford to care about that—and Cynthia hadn't objected, which meant even she tacitly approved.
"Recently, I've got nothing better to do," Lucas replied with a faint smile. "But please, Miss Sheena, tell me more about what's happening."
He could hear the tension in her voice. And he wanted to confirm one thing above all—was Arceus truly awakening?
"It's like this," Sheena said quickly. "One of our towns has been affected by Palkia's power. The entire area has been pulled into a different dimension. Palkia itself was gravely injured by an unknown enemy and has fallen into slumber. So… I wanted to ask for your assistance."
She kept it concise. There was no point hiding anything—once he arrived, he'd see it for himself.
"Palkia, huh…"
Lucas blinked. Isn't that the start of the Sinnoh Trilogy storyline?
The clash between Palkia and Dialga—each believing the other had invaded their domain, their battle shaking the very fabric of time and space.
Eventually, Palkia had been seriously wounded and went into hiding to heal—dragging Alamos Town into its mess.
"I see… well, that sounds quite interesting. Please send me your location, Miss Sheena. I'll head over right away."
He smiled as he spoke. Perfect timing—his Rayquaza needed strong opponents to train against.
And the dragons of time and space?
They would do nicely.
(End of Chapter)