They had finally arrived at Alamos Town.
Alamos Town was situated on an enormous, isolated island.
Just before reaching their destination, Ash and the others decided to part ways with the tour group.
After all, Dawn much preferred exploring alongside Ash and Anabel rather than sticking with the tour schedule.
Traveling with the group was fine, but sightseeing? That would just be inconvenient.
"Ash, look!" Dawn suddenly cried out, bouncing with excitement. "There's such a huge, clear lake beneath us! You can even see all the Water-type Pokémon swimming inside!"
She pointed enthusiastically at the vast, shimmering body of water below.
At the moment, the three of them were still a considerable distance from Alamos Town, and they planned to set up camp and have lunch before continuing their journey.
Once the campsite was ready, their Pokémon eagerly pitched in to help with cooking.
Before long, a fragrant meal was served.
"Pikachu, here—take these biscuits and share them with everyone," Anabel said, handing a small container of Pokémon Poffins to Pikachu. "Dawn made them herself, and they're really delicious!"
"Pika!" Pikachu chirped happily, taking the container and running off to distribute the treats.
Ash took a bite and nodded in approval. "Not bad, Dawn. Your baking skills are solid."
Dawn puffed out her chest proudly. "Of course! I used to help my mom bake Poffins all the time!"
"Piplup!" Piplup also lifted its head high, as if it had been the one baking instead.
After a hearty lunch, the group cleaned up and prepared to set out again.
However, upon seeing the long road ahead, Dawn and Anabel both sighed in frustration.
"I thought we were almost there, but this is going to take forever…"
Just then, a melodic flute sound drifted through the air.
"🎵Doo-doo, dee-doo-dee…🎵"
"Hey there!" A cheerful voice called out. "You three look like you're heading to Alamos Town—need a ride? I live there!"
A hot air balloon descended, piloted by a golden-haired girl who held a fresh green leaf to her lips.
She had been the one playing the flute melody.
Ash and his friends climbed aboard, where they were greeted by a Chimchar that occasionally blew small bursts of fire to help speed up the balloon.
"You have a Chimchar too?" Dawn asked excitedly. "Ash's Chimchar just evolved into Monferno a few days ago!"
Hearing this, Ash let Monferno out of its Poké Ball.
"Pika!" Pikachu and Monferno greeted the other Chimchar warmly.
Through casual conversation, the three travelers got to know their new acquaintance—Alice.
Ash, however, recognized exactly who she was.
Alice was one of the key figures in the original timeline's events at the Space-Time Tower.
And more importantly, through her, the ancient melody of Oración would soon be heard once again in Alamos Town.
"Ash, look!" Alice suddenly pointed ahead. "That's the most famous landmark in Alamos Town—and the world's largest musical instrument! We call it… the Space-Time Tower!"
Before them stood an enormous, majestic structure that dominated the skyline.
Ash stared up at the colossal tower.
It was even more breathtaking in person than he had imagined.
Meanwhile…
In a dark, alternate dimension that overlapped with Alamos Town…
A realm of pure blackness.
Here, only two forces existed:
Time.
And Space.
Dialga, the Temporal Pokémon, was the divine guardian of time. A Dragon- and Steel-type Pokémon, it ruled over the very fabric of existence.
Palkia, the Spatial Pokémon, commanded the domain of space itself. A Dragon- and Water-type deity, it shaped the very dimensions of the world.
Normally, these two Legendary Pokémon remained in their respective realms, their powers in balance.
But for some reason…
Today, they were locked in battle.
"Aargh!"
Palkia's massive, white-and-purple body twisted through the dark void, moving with terrifying agility.
Opposing it, Dialga's sleek, steel-blue form gleamed under the dim glow of the fractured dimension.
Their clash shook the very fabric of reality.
Dialga roared and fired a devastating Hyper Beam at Palkia!
"Aaaangh!"
Palkia dodged with a swift burst of movement, then immediately countered with a Pulse Bomb, launching a concentrated sphere of energy directly at Dialga!
BOOM!
The explosion sent shockwaves rippling across the dimensional void.
Dialga staggered momentarily, but it would not be bested so easily.
Neither would Palkia.
Both Legendary Pokémon charged up another Hyper Beam simultaneously—
This time, they were going all out.
For beings of their power, the usual cooldown period of Hyper Beam no longer applied.
Their sheer strength allowed them to fire devastating attacks one after another.
The Hidden Barrier Between Worlds
Between this alternate dimension and the Pokémon World, there existed a thin but powerful barrier—
The Spatial Membrane.
This invisible layer prevented the chaotic energy of the alternate realm from spilling into reality.
Without it, Dialga and Palkia's battle would distort time and space across the entire world.
Their Hyper Beams collided—
A cataclysmic explosion of energy erupted, slamming into the Spatial Membrane!
The barrier absorbed 99.9% of the impact—
But a tiny fraction of the energy pierced through.
Alamos Town—Energy Surge Detected!
Deep within a hidden research facility, a scientist wearing glasses jolted awake at the sound of an alarm blaring from his energy detector.
His name was Tonio, and he had spent years studying the mysterious energy fluctuations in Alamos Town.
Dialga and Palkia's battle had just triggered a powerful time-space disturbance—
And his device had picked up the anomaly immediately.
"It's happening again…!" Tonio muttered, grabbing his portable scanner. "Where is it going to manifest this time?"
Concerned, he hurried outside.
For the sake of Alamos Town, he had to pinpoint the source of this energy before disaster struck.
Meanwhile…
As Alice led Ash and the others on a tour of Alamos Town, Pikachu—who had been sitting on Ash's shoulder—
Suddenly tensed up.
Its ears twitched.
It had felt something.
A strange, disturbing energy…
Something was coming.
"Pika…?"
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals