Giratina has left.
It thinks what Damian said makes sense.
Challenging Arceus isn't something you just rush into; you need to be fully prepared.
It's already waited far, far too long.
Waiting a little longer won't kill it.
Since this human is that confident, Giratina's willing to wait a bit more.
Anyway… it has more than enough time.
"Hehahahaha~!"
Damian stares at the Cherish Ball in his hand and laughs wildly.
He caught it.
He actually caught Giratina.
Yeah.
This Cherish Ball is Giratina's.
It's just empty right now.
Because it has to guard the Reverse World, Giratina can't stay at Damian's side all the time.
But that doesn't matter.
As long as he has the Platinum Orb, Damian can summon Giratina with it whenever he wants.
That way, Giratina can show up beside him anytime.
"Congrats, Damian~"
A faint smile touches Caitlin's refined face.
She's genuinely happy for him, from the bottom of her heart.
Damian's gotten even stronger.
"Congratulations."
Cynthia offers her congrats too.
But she's feeling complicated.
Damian's gotten stronger again…
And this time, what he caught is the strongest of the primordial Six Spirits—Giratina.
Damian is probably… already invincible under the heavens now, right?
Cynthia sighs inwardly.
She honestly doesn't know if that's good or bad.
"Damian, you're amazing~"
That's Mesprit, its voice full of rich, worshipful emotion.
"Even Giratina acknowledges you. Damian, you're incredible."
That's Azelf, brimming with admiration.
"Damian, are you really going to challenge Arceus together with Him?"
Uxie is extremely calm.
You could even say it's stunned.
"Arceus"—that's how Uxie and the others address Arceus; in their hearts, Arceus is a god that cannot be defeated.
Even Giratina doesn't have the slightest chance.
"Thanks."
Damian answers Caitlin and Cynthia first.
"Of course I am. But that's for later. And it's just a challenge. Nothing wrong with that, right?"
Damian looks at Uxie.
"Arceus is loving. As long as you don't offend Him, just challenging Him is naturally no issue."
Uxie's cool Telepathy still carries a trace of oddness.
How to put it?
As the one Arceus created to represent "Knowledge," Uxie never expected that one day some human would actually dare to challenge Arceus.
After all, Damian and Giratina casually deciding to challenge Arceus is completely different from that hero's challenge in the Hisui era.
"In that case, we're good."
Damian shrugs.
As long as that Arceus doesn't go nuclear over nothing, there's nothing to worry about.
It's not like He's gonna kill a challenger, right?
The dark rain clouds in the sky have already scattered.
Kyogre, out of its Primal Reversion, stares gloomily up at the heavens; it looks like it wants to say something to Damian but holds back.
Bro, are we really going to fight Arceus in the future?
Can I do what Reshiram does and just cheer from the back?
Then I'll throw a little support here and there.
The fat‑headed fish is seriously wondering what its role should be in that big battle.
"But I don't recommend you meet Arceus the same way you tried today, Damian."
Uxie thinks for a bit, then offers Damian a suggestion.
"Oh?"
Damian raises a brow.
"His method is something He only resorted to when there was no other way. The space‑time rift caused by Dialga and Palkia's clash is unstable. It doesn't necessarily lead to the dimension where Arceus currently resides."
"And if their battle drags on, the damage to time‑space will be severe. That could anger Arceus."
Uxie's Telepathy is very clear.
Damian nods.
"Do you three have any other ways, Uxie?"
Damian turns to the Lake Guardians.
Yeah, their combat power is trash, but you can't question their knowledge base.
They're Legendary Pokémon that have existed since creation, "bastards" of creation that survived to modern times.
Especially on topics involving Arceus—they're experts.
"We do, of course we do."
Mesprit's Telepathy carries a light smile.
"As long as you can find the Azure Flute, Damian, you can open a heavenly gate that leads to Arceus's alternate dimension."
Uxie replies.
"Azure Flute?"
Cynthia is curious.
"That's a divine Item Arceus deliberately left behind long ago. With the Azure Flute in hand, if you come to the Temple of Sinnoh—oh~ that's this place. It's called Spear Pillar now, right?"
Azelf blinks.
In the Hisui era, what's now Spear Pillar was still the Temple of Sinnoh.
It was Arceus's own temple.
There were even stone statues of ten Pokémon there that once received power from Arceus.
But…
Yeah.
The Temple of Sinnoh was destroyed when Dialga and Palkia's Moves collided.
Time rolled on, and it became what we now call Spear Pillar.
You could say Dialga and Palkia are… a bit "filial."
"As long as you bring the Azure Flute here to Spear Pillar and play a beautiful tune, you can head to the Hall of Origin, where Arceus currently resides."
Azelf continues.
"But the Azure Flute has been lost for ages. Not even we know where that divine Item is now."
Uxie finishes.
If they did know where Azure Flute is, they'd absolutely tell Damian.
They've got a good impression of Damian, and letting him take Giratina to challenge Arceus once and clear Giratina's obsession would be a good thing.
Otherwise, who knows when Giratina might cause trouble again.
The catch is exactly this: Azure Flute's long since vanished.
Who knows where it is now?
"No worries. I'll send people out to search. Thanks for telling me this info."
Damian smiles.
"I'll have the Sinnoh League help you look as well. Uxie, can you draw Azure Flute's appearance for us?"
Cynthia speaks too.
It's a necessary decision.
Sinnoh is, after all, Sinnoh League's turf.
With Sinnoh League assisting, finding Azure Flute will be much easier.
"Okay~"
Mesprit answers adorably.
Cynthia pulls out a sketch board; with Psychic helping, Mesprit draws Azure Flute's shape.
Despite the name "Azure Flute," its appearance is actually pretty abstract.
The flute's body is purple and honestly doesn't look very pretty.
Right then, a deep draconic bellow echoes.
Damian and the others look up.
Dialga and Palkia have recovered their senses and are now staring down at them from the sky.
"Looks like you two are back to normal."
Damian smiles at this pair of "hard‑luck brothers."
What can you say?
Today, Dialga and Palkia really did get screwed for nothing.
First, Charon used the Red Chain to bind and control them.
Then Giratina hit them with Rage of Thunder, sent them berserk, and made them brawl each other.
Now they're covered in injuries, and they can only swallow the bitterness.
Especially Palkia.
The wounds on it are plain to see; looks like it took quite a beating in that fight with Dialga.
Yeah, what can it do?
In a straight no‑gimmick fight, it can't beat Dialga.
So rough.
"Thank you for your help today, human."
A deep Telepathy rings in their ears.
It's Dialga.
Given it's met Damian once already… and then there's that rough‑cut Future Sight it did, Dialga remembers a certain thing clearly.
Even though it thought its own eyes were playing tricks on it back then, after everything today—
Well.
Looks like that messed‑up Future Sight might really have been true.
"You're welcome. I was doing it for myself too. If you two kept going this hard, time‑space in this world would've gotten seriously warped."
Damian answers with a smile.
"Need us to patch you up? You both look pretty beat up."
"We're fine. These little injuries will heal once we go back and rest."
Dialga says lightly.
Palkia, beside it, shoots Dialga a vicious glare.
Its wounds are way worse than Dialga's.
Especially the inner side of its right arm; the tooth marks there are glaringly obvious.
Dialga bit that into it.
Seeing Palkia's murderous stare, Dialga glares right back.
You've got a lot of nerve, huh?
Daring to glare at me?
The tension spikes again.
Palkia is furious.
But right now, the priority is getting back and healing up.
It'll hold back for now.
Next time, it'll definitely get even.
Seeing Palkia turn its head away, Dialga snorts.
Sure, it can't beat Giratina.
But cleaning up one Palkia?
Please.
"Human, you agreed to help Giratina challenge Father‑god?"
Dialga's way of addressing Arceus is different from the Lake Guardians', but that's no surprise.
They're Arceus's "direct line."
"Yeah."
"Heh heh heh… when you challenge Him, contact me. I want to be there in person."
Dialga lets out a deep chuckle, then speaks to Damian without the slightest hesitation.
At the same time, it sends the Adamant Orb floating down in front of Damian.
"That… won't be a problem."
Damian catches the Adamant Orb.
He more or less gets it.
This steel dragon definitely wants a front‑row seat to watch Giratina get spun like a top.
Getting berserked by Giratina out of nowhere—
There's no way Dialga's not pissed.
But going to pick a fight with Giratina itself… it doesn't dare.
"Till we meet again."
A temporal vortex opens above Dialga.
Right before it steps in, though, it hesitates, turns its head, and looks back at Damian.
"Your daughter in the future is very adorable. When she's born, give that Adamant Orb to her."
Dialga can't help but recall the "Future Sight" it saw before.
It speaks to Damian again.
"Eh?"
Damian freezes.
Hearing that, Caitlin and Cynthia's expressions both change.
Damian's daughter in the future?
And Dialga's… what?
It wants Adamant Orb given to Damian's daughter who hasn't even been born yet?
Uxie and the others are equally stunned as they turn to stare at Dialga.
Palkia is just as confused.
Leaving Adamant Orb with Damian is no issue; Damian really is special.
But Damian's daughter?
The info in that one line from Dialga is way too much.
"Can you tell me who my daughter's mother is?"
Damian hesitates a moment, then asks, curious.
He's not surprised he'll have a daughter.
He's always been pretty open‑minded about having kids.
But right now, none of their bellies are showing any signs.
Damian's not surprised about that either; getting pregnant's always a matter of luck.
Caitlin's expression tightens with anticipation; she stares tensely at Dialga.
Could it be her?
"I don't know. Farewell."
Dialga gives that as its last answer.
Then it slips into the temporal vortex and returns to its own time‑space.
Even if it did know exactly who that girl's mother is, it wouldn't say.
It really doesn't know, though.
It leaves behind a thoughtful Damian and the other two, plus a half‑crashed Palkia and three Lake Guardians.
~~
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