Could this stone in my hand be connected to these two Orbs?
"Steven?"
It took several calls from Cynthia before Steven finally snapped back to reality.
"What's wrong?" she asked, tilting her head with a curious look.
"Nothing." Steven gave a small shake of his head. "I was just captivated by these two Orbs."
He kept the real thought to himself.
"It seems the charm of a pair of old stones is greater than that of my own granddaughter," Carolina said with a playful smile.
"Grandma!"
"No, no, that's not it at all!" Steven waved his hands quickly.
Across the room, Diancie gazed at one of the irregular, multifaceted Orbs. Something about it tugged at her — a faint, wordless sense of familiarity she couldn't quite place.
After a little more casual conversation, Carolina excused herself to rest, taking the briefcase along with her. Steven and Cynthia returned to their room, leaving Diancie and Victini — two ancient, internet-addicted little ones — to entertain themselves with games in the living room.
Steven sat on the edge of Cynthia's bed, leaning against the headboard with his thoughts elsewhere. Cynthia lay across his lap, game console in hand, her eyes fixed on the screen.
"Steven," she said, her tone carefully light, "I feel like something's been off with you since you saw those two Orbs."
"No." Steven's voice was soft. "I was just thinking about my mother."
Cynthia set her game console down and looked up at him.
"Because of Dialga and Palkia?"
He didn't answer right away.
"I know you've always worried about where she is," Cynthia said quietly. "But I'm sure she thinks about you all the time, Steven. Whatever happened — she's still your mother. That doesn't just go away."
She paused, then sat up a little straighter.
"If you ever find a lead — a real one — you absolutely, absolutely have to take me with you." She hesitated for just a moment. "That's also my…"
The words died on her lips. A faint flush crept across her cheeks, and she looked away quickly.
She looked like a ripe Cheri Berry.
"Mm," Steven murmured, reaching over to stroke her golden hair gently.
It was hard to tell whether he was agreeing or simply offering a quiet, half-formed response. But deep down, he knew the truth — even if he found a lead, he wasn't ready. Not yet. The power behind the Time and Space Laws was something else entirely.
"Then it's a deal," Cynthia said, meeting his eyes with a steady look.
"It's a deal," Steven agreed with a gentle smile, reaching out to lightly tap the tip of her nose.
Neither of them dwelled on the subject after that. Cynthia shifted the conversation to the work they'd done over the past few days — she always did, whenever Steven's mother came up. She'd learned to read the subtle change in his expression, the way something quiet and heavy settled into his eyes. Changing the subject was the kindest thing she could do.
Fortunately, Steven followed her lead without much trouble, and the heavier mood slowly lifted.
Later, Steven sat behind her on the bed and dried her hair with the hairdryer, the warm air filling the quiet room. It was a brief, unhurried moment of calm. Afterward, he headed downstairs to call Diancie and Victini up to bed.
Night settled over Celestic Town.
Metagross rested beside the bed, still and vigilant. Victini had claimed a pillow for herself and was curled up fast asleep on the mattress. Diancie had retreated to Cynthia's room.
Steven was already asleep.
The ring on his left hand began to emit a faint blue glow. The small cylindrical stone he kept — smooth and slightly unusual in shape — rose on its own, lifting silently from where it rested against his palm and hovering in the still air above the bed.
Downstairs, in Carolina's room, the Adamant Orb inside the closed briefcase began to pulse with light. The Lustrous Orb beside it responded in kind. Together, their glow flickered softly through the narrow gaps in the case's latches, painting pale patterns on the walls of the dark room. Jielan Mustard slept on, undisturbed, unaware.
"Hm?"
Steven opened his eyes.
He stood in a pale blue space — cool, silent, and vast. He blinked, taking a moment to orient himself.
The girl in the white skirt, come to find him again? He glanced around. Which Mythical Pokémon was in danger this time? By his count, it should be Darkrai's turn next.
A sphere of blue light materialized in front of him, rising slowly before erupting in a sudden burst of brilliance. Steven raised a hand to shield his eyes — this was different. It wasn't the girl in white.
The light faded.
Before him stood a Pokémon of immense stature, radiating a sacred, overwhelming presence. Steven had to tilt his head back just to take it in.
Its body was armored in metallic blue-grey plating, traced through with pale blue markings that caught the light. A square, conical crest rose from the top of its head, with blue stripes running from the tip all the way down to its neck. Two long horns arched from its head and curved down along the sides of its body, framing its face. Its chest bore a natural breastplate of metallic blue, with a cobalt pentagonal gem set at the center. Three silver-white spines lined its neck. Its back carried a ridge of five great spikes, layered like fish scales.
The Temporal Pokémon stood on all four legs and looked down at Steven without a word.
Dialga.
"Dialga?" Steven stared. How had a Legendary managed to enter his own consciousness space? "How—"
"Proceed to Spear Pillar."
The voice was immense and unhurried, carrying the kind of authority that left no room for interpretation.
Steven's brow furrowed. He didn't like this feeling — being given an order without an explanation.
"Why?"
Dialga's gaze didn't waver. It looked down at him with a cool, imperious calm and repeated itself.
"Proceed to Spear Pillar." A beat of silence. "Now."
The frown deepened. Why Spear Pillar? And why now, in the middle of the night? The stone — it had to be connected to Dialga somehow. That was the only explanation for how any Pokémon could reach him here.
"What's the rea—"
Dialga roared.
The sound filled the entire space, and Steven was thrown out without ceremony.
...Wait. Isn't this my consciousness space?
He opened his eyes abruptly. The room was dark and quiet. Victini hadn't moved. Steven lay still for a moment, blinking at the ceiling, then sat up slowly. The cylindrical stone rolled off his chest and into his lap.
He held it in his palm, staring at it.
I suppose I have to go.
He got up carefully, taking his phone from the nightstand and using its faint light to write a short note on a piece of paper from the desk. Metagross opened its eyes the moment Steven moved, watching him from beside the bed.
"I'm sorry," Steven said quietly, glancing down at what he'd written. "I'm going to break my promise again."
He returned Metagross to its Poké Ball. He looked over at Victini, still sound asleep, clutching her pillow. Then he slipped out of the room and crept downstairs.
He nearly walked straight into Diancie.
She was in the living room with her game console, wide awake, glancing up at him with curiosity as he tiptoed off the last step.
"Steven? Where are you sneaking off to?"
"Nowhere you need to worry about. Keep playing."
"Are you going to see Dialga?"
Steven stopped.
He turned to look at her. Diancie watched him with calm, knowing eyes. Of course — she had sensed the energy in that cylindrical stone long before tonight. And after catching even a brief glimpse of the Adamant Orb earlier, she'd likely put the pieces together herself.
"Take me with you," she said, already setting the console aside. "Cynthia said to keep an eye on you."
"It could be dangerous."
"I'm not scared." Diancie stood up straight, hands on her hips, chin lifted. "I'll protect you. I'm one of your Pokémon too, aren't I?"
Steven looked at her — at the determined set of her small face, the complete sincerity in her eyes. He let out a quiet sigh.
"What am I going to do with you?"
He recalled the Pokémon resting in the backyard into their Poké Balls, one by one. Then he brought out Metagross, lifted Diancie onto its back, and climbed up himself. Together, they rose into the night sky above Celestic Town.
Their destination lay to the north — through the tunnels and peaks of Mt. Coronet, all the way to the top.
Spear Pillar.