I must—must—take that orb…!

It was Arceus's treasure. Shiny Palkia never expected such a thing to be in a human's hands. Even if the other party hailed from Sinjoh, this was beyond belief. Starlight flickered in its eyes as an unseen force tried to swap the Lustrous Globe away!

Trick—seize an opening to exchange the items the user and the target are holding.

The Lustrous Globe pulsed violently. Shiny Palkia's psychic power ran into resistance. It tried to swap its own Lustrous Orb for that divine sphere—yet the whole process felt absurd.

It had worked so hard to remake its Lustrous Orb, and now a battle atop Dragonspiral Tower forced it to trade the treasure away!

No choice. The Orb was strong, but before the Globe, it could not lift its head.

{Success!}

Though the Globe contained immense power and was not suppressed by Palkia at all, at least removing it would keep the opponent from firing off another attack of such ridiculous magnitude—an advantage for Palkia!

Right then, Palkia saw the human take out a curved branch!

What are you, some blue robotic cat with a four-dimensional pocket? What now?!

Wait—that… is that a wand?

A special item from the Mystery Dungeon world, a treasure from ancient forests.

Ugh—he even has that!

"Switcher!"

Hikaru brandished the hallucinatory wand and cast Switcher—the stolen Lustrous Globe snapped right back to where it belonged!

Shiny Palkia broke into a cold cosmic sweat.

The Lustrous Orb had returned to it, yes—but that meant the whole maneuver had been pointless!

Big talk, meet egg on face…

Twin pearl-shoulders flashed; Palkia slashed again with Spacial Rend!

No helping it—every other Dragon move had been Imprisoned, and while Fire wasn't weak to Water, Water/Dragon laughed at Fire. So—

After Spacial Rend, the tower's ancient aura suddenly thrummed alive. Uncountable motes of light gathered to Palkia—

Power Gem! Rock-type light fired like glittering jewels!

A pale green Protect blossomed. The space-rending slash struck the shield and dissipated; Power Gem's brilliance speared the scenery of Dragonspiral Tower, blasting dust and stone so fiercely even space seemed to tremble!

"Second volley—Draco Meteor!"

Reshiram ignored the exploding jewel-light and chose to rain down another Draco Meteor. Though its Sp. Atk had sharply fallen, under Dragon Roar Rally, its critical chance had become guaranteed!

And while in guaranteed-crit state, negative stat drops on the attacker are ignored!

Watching the sky split under a second deluge of meteors, Shiny Palkia roared with fury. Torrents surged over its body, forming a watery screen!

The meteors fell. Palkia used Aqua Ring to restore HP and damp some impacts. It knew its condition was poor. By rights, at this state it should acknowledge the challenger had "passed the trial"—

—and hand over the "Lustrous Orb" it had planned to grant the human anyway.

Only… it had fought far too ugly a fight.

Worse, it had not glimpsed even the first heart of the Origin Dragon. Battle at Dragonspiral Tower was meant to awaken ancient memory—yet all that happened was a one-sided beatdown… right?

Unacceptable! I am the lord of hearts!

Shiny Palkia bellowed. A vast sea of water condensed into a cerulean light-ocean and cannoned at Reshiram!

The Dragon of Truth refused to yield—holy fire gathered; azure-blue flames blasted from Reshiram's jaws!

Beautiful, violent Blue Flare collided with Hydro Pump. Steam rolled as the waters boiled away—then a titanic blast!

Professor Cedric Juniper was nearly blown off the tower—luckily the place had been warped into an anomaly, or this power level would have finished off a priceless ruin.

Riolu clutched the professor and used electromagnetic levitation to a safe perch. The old man patted his chest, looking very much post-near-death.

"Good heavens—what is that other Pokémon? I've never seen such a being!"

He'd expected Zekrom; instead a centaurine figure had arrived—and it spoke. Even Professor Cedric Juniper could faintly hear its constant whispering.

Naturally, he couldn't understand a word.

"…Will the hero and the dragon win? Looks like they've seized the advantage!"

The professor watched with a mixture of dread and glee.

Ha! To witness a clash this grand—even tumbling off Dragonspiral might be worth it! Go—finish it in one breath!

Amid the steam, the dragons grappled. Reshiram's Dragon Claw tore into Palkia—light flared—Origin Forme folded into Standard Forme!

Thud! Only the standard body had arms; fighting up-close in Origin Forme was too disadvantaged!

Yet with Dragon moves other than Spacial Rend sealed, Shiny Palkia had to fight by other means. Fortunately… in terms of coverage, Palkia's movepool dwarfed Reshiram's. For that, it felt relieved.

Thunder rolled from the sky; a space-splitting bolt smote Reshiram!

Palkia waggled a finger—no, not Metronome—the move just cast was Thunder! But far above the mundane.

Not only raw power—lightning gives life. As a member of the Creation Trio, its thunder carried special riders. If Giratina used it, Thunder would become Rage of Thunder, robbing foes of reason while pushing their power higher.

Shiny Palkia's lightning, however, could shatter space.

As the bolt struck the white dragon and Hikaru, a colossal aura inside Dragonspiral Tower suddenly gathered, as if an ancient heart resumed beating. Behind Reshiram, a phantom dragon took form!

That dragon roared; the cosmos answered—the star-filled domain flared into view, and Shiny Palkia's eyes lit like dawn.

This is it!

The heart of the Origin Dragon—its remnant here—had manifested!

Not Ideals, not Truth, not Void—but it required one of those three as its trigger! Even the Sinnoh Trio knew little of the first dragon—let alone gods from another world!

{Enough!}

Shiny Palkia roared a cease-battle. What it sought had appeared.

[The King named ●●●● a Living Being!]

Reshiram heard the same resonance.

Though it was an avatar split from the Origin Dragon, memories before the split were a blur—the oldest thoughts burned away by time and wrathful flame, leaving only ancient knowledge intact.

"Re—shi… mm-ba-ni!"

Reshiram's voice flowed wholly into Hikaru.

"This is an inscription from the Abyssal Ruins… The first dragon, having been named living by the King, thereby gained a heart, and so granted its primeval knowledge unto the king."

And in legend, Reshiram and Zekrom likewise bestow primeval knowledge on heroes.

Reshiram's will surged, carrying strange knowledge into Hikaru's mind.

There were many secrets hidden in Reshiram's design. Its tail is modeled after a steam turbine—a nod to the First Industrial Revolution, the Steam Age.

Reshiram is the White Sun Pokémon; Zekrom its counterpart, the Black Moon Pokémon. The epithet "Tao Trio" stems from this. Their being also evokes the alchemical ouroboros of the black and white twin dragons, with Reshiram embodying passive might.

It further references the dual deities of Zoroastrianism, representing light and truth.

Thus, the primeval knowledge received was—

[Obtained: Primeval Knowledge — Alchemy (Solar Flame).]

[Description: The composition, structure, properties, and transformation laws of matter; interactions and reactions of atoms and molecules. Reshiram's alchemy sublimates the world through flame, extracting colossal energy! A branch of Arcane Science (School of Fire)!]

Alchemy?

Very in-tune with an ancient worldview. But if the Tao Trio each held a matching lore—Reshiram's flame is alchemy, then what of Zekrom's thunder and Kyurem's ice?

{It's over… I didn't expect to end so disgracefully! But the outcome stands!}

{Let's stop here—you win, you win!}

Shiny Palkia shook its head, repeating itself twice:

{As proof you've defeated me, take this treasure! Here—it's yours.}

A large pearl of milky white settled into Hikaru's hands.

『Rare Material: Lustrous Orb!』

『Description: When held by Palkia, powers up its Dragon- and Water-type moves. A pearl that gleams with beautiful light!』

『Gained Lore: Cultivation of the Lustrous — improves the nurturing of Dragon- and Water-type Pokémon, letting their power surge.』

『Unlocked Craft: Spatial Linkwork (A) — a craft to connect spaces. Requires Temporal Linkwork to calibrate time for perfect spacetime sync; otherwise, misaligned transfers may occur.』

『Tip: You can warp-link coordinates within the same world for now. Until you gain Temporal Linkwork, cross-world links are impossible. Functionally: opening Door A leads to another marked nearby point. Valid carriers include "doors," "windows," "rings," and "warp panels (need micro-wormhole energy).』

[Blueprints available: Warp Panel, Micro-Wormhole Emitter, Abyss-1, Absorption Disk, Dimensional Transit Device (limited).]

[You defeated Otherworld Shiny Palkia (Lord of Heart). Nascent Power has been greatly strengthened!]

[Your and your Pokémon's effort gains and growth rate have been drastically increased! Your Pokémon learned new moves!]

[Walking Wake learned Hurricane; Duraludon learned Round; Riolu learned Quick Guard; Reshiram learned Scale Shot!]

In that instant, memories bubbled up in Hikaru's mind.

On spatial warp links, his first thought wasn't the famed Eterna time-space battle—that hadn't happened yet—but Ash once walking from one end of a bridge to the other, only to loop back to the start.

A sign of severe spatial distortion.

In a Ranger arc, it was even plainer.

When Palkia appeared at the Hippowdon Temple, all of Almia scrambled: people could step out their front door and end up far away—"travel the world without leaving home." Anywhere Doors everywhere.

Pokémon World—Randomized Map edition.

The manga specials also featured the same spatial warping.

As for Warp Panels—that tech already existed, pioneered first by Hoenn. Aside from a certain Kanto Psychic Gym Leader who simply telekinetically ejects challengers, most "teleport tech" was provided by Hoenn.

In the games, step on a swirl panel, spin, and you're flung to another room.

In Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, Dr. Solans explained that warp panels use ∞ energy to create micro-wormholes.

Pokémon black-tech is absolutely unhinged. The anime and specials also showcased these panels.

"So with the Lustrous Orb… we can actually make an Anywhere Door?"

Shiny Palkia returned to Origin Forme, tore space, and left Dragonspiral Tower—but its voice echoed faintly:

{The last is the Adamant Orb. If you want it, first obtain the Wave of Time.}

{I must go, or the 'me' of this world will notice! We'll meet again—elsewhere.}

Hikaru felt a wondrous surge—his grasp of space deepened, and his heart-power rose again!

[Heart Projection cap +2!]

[Your team's recovery, Defense, and Sp. Def have greatly increased!]

The Lustrous Orb, too, was a special heart crystal—worth two at once!

On his other hand, Palkia's emblem shimmered, then sank from sight.

Recognition from the Lord of Hearts—granted!

"Soul, heart… the authorities of the Shining Trio are separate from the Temporal Trio of this world."

Soul corresponds to antimatter.

Heart corresponds to space.

Then the last—time—what will appear?

Reshiram watched Palkia depart and roared into sky and cloud!

Power soared; a king strode the present; ancient knowledge re-awoke. It felt grateful to the lord of hearts—and, of course… a little boastful.

Reshiram tilted its head, spirits soaring.

Shall we go now? Let me carry you across this land—to wherever you wish.

"Professor, will you stay here to continue your investigation? I might take off first."

Hikaru hadn't expected he could ride Reshiram for "travel." The speed boost was… obscene!

Before he'd even caught a true Flying-type, cruising on a white dragon might be a bit… conspicuous.

"Ah! Don't worry—go on ahead! I still have more to study here!"

Professor Cedric Juniper scratched his head. Watching Riolu float away too, he couldn't help grumbling in his heart. When the white legend's tail fired up and it climbed skyward, the professor stood musing for a long while, then tapped open his Pokégear.

"Dad?" answered Professor Aurea Juniper.

Her background blazed with lab-light. Volcarona poked half its face into frame like it was playing an experiment game with her; two Rotom squished up against the screen edges.

"Juniper—you gave the Pokédex to a terrifying fellow…" Cedric coughed.

"What I'm about to say—don't be shocked. I've seen a legendary dragon—and something I've never seen before!"

(End of Chapter)

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