By Axel's side, Gardevoir and the other fairy-type Pokémon all felt a resonance and looked up at the sky in surprise.
They could all sense that the great tree in the sky was radiating a very rich fairy-type aura.
It felt very kind and familiar.
But the Pokémon in front of that great tree was extremely unpleasant, just one glance filled them with loathing.
As if… they were seeing the enemy written into their fate.
The hot-blooded Granbulls, whose emotions were not very stable, were already trembling and barking madly at the sky, a mix of fear and defiance.
["Careful, it's the god of destruction from the Kalos region,"] Gardevoir said. She had just expended a lot of energy and had released her Fairy Queen form, and now she instinctively stood in front of Axel.
["Legend has it that every time it appears, a great calamity follows."]
["The great tree behind it is the sleeping form of Kalos's god of life, Xerneas."
Axel nodded. He also knew a bit about these two Pokémon.
In the Pokémon world, first-rank legendaries from the same region often end up fighting. Classic examples include Kyogre and Groudon, and Dialga and Palkia.
Many disasters are often caused by the aftershocks of their battles, or guided by villainous teams.
But these two are different: Yveltal is born for destruction and death, while Xerneas is born to suppress Yveltal and bring life.
Whenever those two cannot decide a winner, there is also a so-called "Order" Pokémon that appears to help suppress Yveltal.
In short, one thing is certain: Yveltal absolutely won't have any chance of being kind.
"How did that guy come here?", Axel was puzzled, "No matter how much it likes destruction, it wouldn't come stir up trouble on Dialga and Palkia's turf, right?"
As for the stature of Dialga and Palkia, Axel still had plenty of faith.
While Axel was muttering to himself, the Gallade leader and the Granbull leader finally reacted.
"Woof!"
They both wanted Axel to leave, not to get involved in this muddy water.
Axel being able to help them create this food that could be called a wonder, already the Gallade and Granbull tribes were very satisfied, and they wanted to resist the enemy in the sky on their own.
"It's alright," Hearing Gardevoir's translation, Axel smiled and shook his head, his gaze still fixed on Yveltal.
He had come this time precisely to resolve Sinnoh's problems once and for all and take some burden off Cynthia.
Yveltal was no well-behaved sort; he had to beat it into its dormant form before Axel could calmly proceed with the next stage of his plan.
Very soon, Yveltal was less than a thousand meters from the Spear Pillar.
When he clearly saw the two fairy tribes standing on the plaza, Lysandre's eyes burned with desire, almost to the point of sparking flames.
According to his investigation, the Fairy Slate had once been in the hands of these two tribes.
"Yveltal, descend!"
As the crimson giant bird drew close, the paving stones of the temple's forecourt began to crack.
A dense black miasma rolled down like a sky-covering tide, making the majestic temple feel as if it were facing annihilation.
Just then, the supreme-class food, the "Fairy Queen Statue", suddenly emitted a rich light, forming an eggshell-like barrier that kept all that deathly aura outside.
Sensing this fairy aura, Lysandre's and Yveltal's eyes both lit up at once.
The intel was true, there really was Fairy Slate power here.
"Yveltal, use Oblivion Wing and destroy that light barrier."
"Rooaar!"
A roar burst from Yveltal's mouth. Dense flying-type power gathered in its wings, and that energy seemed to carry a draining property.
In an instant, the aura of destruction in the sky seemed to solidify, all manifesting behind Yveltal.
If this strike landed, it would truly be world-shattering.
The Gallade and Granbull leaders instinctively took a step forward, wanting to step out of the barrier to block Yveltal's move.
They knew they were no match. But right now their tribes had just welcomed a hope for steady, lasting growth. They could not watch that hope be snuffed out in an instant by an unknown enemy.
Even if they died, they would die on the road of resisting invasion.
This was the fate of their chiefs.
"Wait," Axel grabbed the two chiefs. Before they could react, he had already brought Gardevoir and appeared outside the barrier.
"Hm?", Lysandre, who was controlling Yveltal and about to have it unleash Oblivion Wing, was taken aback and instinctively grew wary.
'Why did this Aurient Trainer named Axel appear here as well?'
'I haven't heard that Axel was after the Fairy Slate.'
'Could it be this guy has been resurrected by some means and also crossed time and space to appear at this node?'
Thinking of this, Lysandre patted Yveltal's shoulder and did not have it strike immediately.
In that war of invasion against Aurient in the previous life, Lysandre remembered very clearly, this pair were the ruthless ones who killed Zekrom.
He also remembered that something may have happened early on to Axel's Gardevoir.
Later, even if their strength and status rose, they never took a high post in Aurient, and were always searching for various treasures to make up for the earlier foundation.
Now that they had shown up here, it was very likely they too had come for the Fairy Slate.
With that thought, Lysandre decided to probe a little.
"Axel, do you still recognize me?"
Axel didn't speak. His eyes fell on the Xerneas behind Lysandre.
He kind of wanted it.
After all, like Ho-Oh, that guy controls the power of life, it can greatly extend a person's lifespan.
Even if he couldn't encounter it in the real world, Axel wanted to go to the Kalos dream-dungeon to look for this Pokémon.
But now, it seemed the opportunity might be better left to Zygarde.
Seeing Axel remain silent, Gardevoir had already fixed on Lysandre, acting as his mouthpiece, and let out a disdainful, cold laugh.
["Trash!"]
Lysandre: "???"
'So… do they know me or not?', Lysandre was conflicted.
Fight?
What if he couldn't win, and there were no other helpers here?
Don't fight?
He was essentially a stowaway, the time he could stay here wasn't long. If he delayed and missed getting the Fairy Slate, it wouldn't be worth it.
While Lysandre hesitated, Yveltal's savage voice suddenly rang in his mind.
["These two… trash!"]
["Gardevoir… Gym Leader!"]
["Kill kill kill, eat them!"]
"Damn!", Lysandre cursed inwardly. He had almost been bluffed by a mere Gym-Leader-level Trainer?
At that moment, Axel finally moved his gaze from Xerneas and set it on Lysandre.
Lysandre: "Die, Axel!"
Axel: "???"
'Bro, we haven't even exchanged a single line, and we're already at this step?'