"Pika?"
Hearing Pikachu's puzzled cry, Dawn, Anabel, and Alice instinctively stopped in their tracks and turned toward it.
Ash's heart stirred. It's finally starting, huh?
The moment he had been anticipating had arrived—the moment when the legendary Sinnoh dragons would finally appear.
Dialga, the Temporal Dragon.
Palkia, the Spatial Dragon.
And Darkrai, the Enigmatic Shadow.
The Master Ball hanging from Ash's chest swayed slightly.
Pikachu had sensed something, and naturally, Mewtwo had as well.
However, Ash had already given Mewtwo instructions: Unless it's absolutely necessary, don't show yourself. Otherwise, things could get complicated.
After all, the moment Mewtwo appeared, both Dialga and Palkia—not to mention Darkrai—would immediately sense its overwhelming power!
"Pika pi, Pika!"
(Pikachu: I can feel a powerful force. It doesn't belong to any Pokémon I recognize. We should check it out!)
Anabel translated Pikachu's words, prompting Alice to tense up.
But what surprised her even more was that Pikachu's chosen direction led straight to the garden left to her by her grandmother, Alicia!
That garden was one of Alice's most precious treasures!
By the time Ash and the others arrived at the garden, they saw that two people were already there.
One was Baron Alberto, who had long been pursuing Alice in vain.
The other was Tonio, who had followed his energy detector to this very spot.
"It's Darkrai! This is definitely the work of Darkrai!" Alberto was shouting at Tonio, his voice full of certainty. "I've seen that Pokémon before! It loves causing trouble!"
Upon spotting Alice, Alberto immediately rushed toward her, attempting to take her hand.
Alice, however, smoothly stepped back, avoiding his grasp without much effort.
Alberto was unwilling to give up so easily, but the moment he took another step forward—
He suddenly felt an intense pressure washing over him.
A gaze filled with authority bore down on him, making him shudder.
His eyes locked with Ash's.
And in that instant, Alberto unconsciously took three steps back.
That oppressive aura had come from Ash.
Alberto wasn't a fool. He could tell right away—this guy was dangerous.
Forcing out a dry chuckle, he awkwardly backed away, clearing a path for Ash and the others.
"Pika, Pikachu!"
Pikachu confirmed that this was the source of the energy disturbance.
Ash nodded and shifted his gaze to a shadowy corner of the garden.
His Aura told him that something was lurking there.
Darkrai.
It had always lived in this garden.
It had sensed the presence of Dialga and Palkia.
Ash wanted to analyze Darkrai's abilities, but for now, it remained hidden.
Alice quickly introduced Tonio to Ash and the others.
However, Tonio seemed distracted, muttering in disbelief.
"This… this is impossible…"
Kneeling on the ground, he reached out and pulled off a chunk of cement from a fallen stone pillar.
The pillars in this garden had been built within the last two years.
Yet, as he examined the cement in his hand, he realized something shocking—it had the texture of something over a hundred years old!
With just a light squeeze, it crumbled into dust.
Crack!
A larger chunk of the stone pillar broke off.
Ash reacted quickly, catching it in his palm.
"This isn't Darkrai's doing," he said, his voice firm. "This… is the work of the gods of Sinnoh's time and space."
"The gods of Sinnoh's time and space?!"
Everyone repeated his words in shock.
Tonio's expression grew even more serious.
"Ash is right," he said. "This cement… its age has been altered. There's no way it should crumble like this otherwise…"
Ash clenched his fingers.
Crack.
The cement in his grasp turned to fine powder, scattering into the wind.
Shhhhh…
Ash suddenly lifted his head, his sharp gaze locking onto the top of the Space-Time Tower.
At that exact moment—
In the Dimensional Rift
Dialga and Palkia's battle had reached a fever pitch.
"Graaaoooon!!"
Palkia raised its right claw, dragging it back in preparation.
The red gem on its right shoulder glowed brightly, pulsating with the energy of the spatial dimension.
That energy gathered along Palkia's entire arm—
Then, in a single, earth-shattering motion, Palkia slashed at Dialga!
The very fabric of space boiled like water at a rolling boil.
Then—
CRASH!
The dimensional rift shattered.
It was as if a giant mirror had been smashed into countless fragments, accompanied by a dreadful grinding noise.
Palkia's strongest attack—
Spacial Rend!
Dialga activated its protective energy shield, but the force of Spacial Rend sliced through it effortlessly!
The remaining energy crashed into Dialga, sending it reeling.
Fortunately, its Steel-Dragon physiology granted it a powerful defense, allowing it to endure the blow.
Dialga roared in fury.
The blue gem on its chest began to glow.
Just as Palkia's red gem stored spatial energy, Dialga's blue gem housed the power of time itself.
A massive surge of energy formed at Dialga's mouth, swirling into a dark purple sphere.
Then—
BOOM!
Roar of Time!
The devastating purple-black beam shot toward Palkia's right shoulder—directly striking its red gem!
The dimensional rift quaked violently.
Swathes of Unown—creatures that lived within this space—fled in panic, scattering into the void.
Back in Alamos Town
Crack.
Crack.
Palkia's red gem fractured.
The impact triggered a violent space-time distortion, causing powerful energy waves to pierce through the dimensional barrier—
And descend upon Alamos Town!
Hummmmmm!!
Ash's eyes widened.
His Aura flared, allowing him to sense the oncoming devastation.
A force carrying the essence of both space and time was hurtling toward them—ready to consume everything!
"Charizard! Stop that energy!"
"ROAARRR!!"
With a burst of fiery brilliance, Charizard appeared.
Its Flamethrower roared to life, colliding with the incoming spatial energy!
Though it was just a remnant of the battle between Dialga and Palkia, this energy still held immense destructive potential.
But Charizard—who had already set foot into the realm of Legendary Pokémon—held its ground, preventing the catastrophe from unfolding.
Yet, before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief—
A shadow emerged.
A dark figure rose from the depths of the garden, revealing itself at last.
Darkrai.
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T/N:
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