Sea of Wonders ~ Hidden Land

[Namohysip]

High above the mystical archipelago in the center of most world maps was a floating island of rocks and trees. Once a place where time itself flowed in a stable stream when Dark Matter attempted to destroy it, it was now a sanctuary little more than Dialga himself and the native Pokemon that lived there. He preferred, it seemed, the more natural environment compared to Destiny Village to the far north.

Thick green trees and gigantic bushes left little wiggle room to move around through the Highlands. At the edge of this forest, deeper within the island, was an ancient and overgrown temple of stone of unknown purpose, known perhaps only to Dialga and the other Legends, now. Atop was a small platform covered in runes that was likely the traditional way to get to Temporal Tower, which gleamed at the northern edge of the floating island.

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Maple, Balm, and Cepa emerged from the portal at the top of the ancient temple, looking skyward.

"Do they usually do this?" Cepa asked.

"Depends on how you define usually," Maple commented.

Balm sighed. "At least they're keeping it to the skies..."

Far above them, Dialga and Palkia flew in large spirals and occasionally clashed into one another while shrouded in blue or pink spheres. Each clash left small shockwaves in the air as they exchanged blows of Dragon energy. Dialga had a preference for spherical volleys, while Palkia retaliated with cleaving waves.

Thankfully, neither Legend appeared to be infected.

 

[Namohysip]

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Once again, they stood atop the ancient temple at the heart of the Hidden Land. This time, however, the tension in the air was even worse than before.

"This is as close as I can get before my powers are disrupted," Maple reported to them.

Truffle appeared next and waved his wings in deliberate angles; seconds later, a shield of light surrounded the entire team.

The sky was in a constant state of flux; red mixed with gray clouds, and occasionally the blue skies beyond struggled through the haze. The eye of this storm was atop a tall tower to the north, floating even higher above the already floating landmass. A perilous trail of rock led to the tower's base, but to get there, they would have to fly.

"Bahamut," Maple said, "it would be safest if you ferried us to the top for now. Mithos, transform into something flight-worthy to carry the rest as well. I will try to assist you with my power until it becomes disrupted. All other fliers, do what you can!"

"What's going on up there?" Owen asked. His bag occasionally wobbled and trembled; Shady wanted to see, but Owen refused to take him out when it was so dangerous.

"Dialga and Palkia are fighting. Dialga is losing."

Just as she said that, a massive plume of indigo flames erupted at the top of Temporal Tower and the ground beneath their feet heaved.

"Dialga maintains the tower. Ever since the Timestop Omen was resolved, it was no longer needed to maintain the proper flow of time in this region. However, its power is still used to keep the Hidden Land afloat, and Arceus has not been able to safely decouple that power yet. In other words, if Dialga falls, so will the land we stand on. We must hurry before--"

The ground heaved again. Far, far away, they heard Dialga roar in a mixture of pain and panic. Black, ghostly energy spilled off the top of Temporal Tower.

"Giratina," Truffle murmured. "What...?"

 

[Namohysip]

It took a long, long time to get divine permissions, to convince Lapras it was alright, to consult Pepper about how to use the stoneship, and finally to actually traverse the forest that the Hidden Land had become, but eventually, Puff made it to the top of Temporal Tower.

It was odd to be there without Dialga at the top. He had never set foot on this sacred place before, of course, but even then he knew that it was a place to respect. But he was also here for an investigation--a very important investigation.

As an investigative journalist, it was his duty to learn more about the strange anomalies that had taken place here during the battle against Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. The world, reality itself, had ripped open, according to what Owen had told him. They had heard voices, felt presences, while battling--helpful guardians from other realities.

He felt it in his fur. As the Cinderace moved forward, notepad in hand, his fur stood on end and his ears twitched. "Hello?" he called. "...I have some questions to ask you. I am a native of Cibus. I would like to... know what you are. Know things about you."

Space and time warped, and he saw a distortion. There was... something there. Something...

"Who are you?" Puff called. "You're..."

: )

"...Tell... me about yourself?" Puff asked, pulling out his notepad. "What do you do back home?"

: )

Puff wasn't sure what was going on. But he felt it. It was everywhere. Over his shoulder and in front of him at the same time. An omen. This creature was powerful. He wasn't sure what kind of force it could enact upon him, but he knew to speak carefully. Anybody would.

"What do you see for the future? Your future... ours?"

: )

"What... did you fight for? What are you fighting for, if you're assisting us?"

: )

"Right... thank... thank you for your time." Puff stepped back. Mistake. This was a mistake. He'd come back later.

: )

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