Chapter 430: Something About Arceus (3)
~Third POV~
[Johto-Sinnoh Region, Sinjoh Ruins]
Azure glanced at his companions as he stated, "We take one each. Pryce, you're the only one who can handle Time."
Pryce stepped forward, a cold smile touching his lips as he muttered, "Indeed. I have lived within the cracks of time. Its flow has no dominion over me."
He tossed two Poké Balls into the air, his trusted partners as he declared, "Swinub! Delibird! Let us show this god the strength of an old man!"
*Pop*
Both Pryce's Delibird and Swinub appeared. Both eyes narrowed as they eyed Dialga the God Time.
Dialga, the Master of Time, let out a metallic roar that resonated through the fabric of history, "GRAOOOOO!!!!"
*FLASH*
Its chest diamond pulsed with a deep, cobalt light. It lunged forward, opening its maw to unleash a Roar of Time, a blast of energy designed to unravel the chronological existence of anything it touched.
*KRA-BOOOOOM*
The Roar of Time slammed into Pryce and his Pokémon. The roar's power split the air as the blue beam engulfed him. The entire temple shook, stone cracking, dust and debris exploding upward as Azure and Lance distance themselves from the attack.
When the light faded, Dialga straightened with a satisfied rumble, turning to seek its next target. But then, it heard dusting.
*Pat*
*Pat*
The smoke revealed Pryce calmly swiping the soot from his coat with his Delibird, casually helping him and Swinub, looking completely unbothered by the attack. Pryce didn't move. He leaned on his cane, his eyes cold and unwavering.
Pryce scoffed at Dialga as his voice was steady and cold, "Is that the best you can do? If so… for a God of Time that was pitiful."
Dialga froze. Confusion flickered in its eyes. Pryce whispered, staring down at Dialga, "Time is a river I have already crossed. You cannot drown a man who has lived in the depths of the temporal cracks."
Because Pryce had spent years within the Crack of Time, he and his team had become 'Living Paradoxes.' To Dialga's powers, they were static entities that existed outside the standard flow.
Any tampering with his past no longer altered his future. So, he was immune to anything Dialga could do to him, even if it entered its Origin Forme; the results will always be the same, and the Pokémon that were with him in the Crack of Time just happened to have the same status as Pryce.
While Dialga was momentarily stunned by its failure to delete its opponent, Pryce saw his opening as he ordered, "Swinub, Delibird… Blizzard!"
*SWOOOOOSH*
Swinub inhaled deeply through its snout, and Delibird ascended, flapping its wings as both generated a storm of absolute zero. The Blizzard wasn't just cold; it was a physical force that encased the Master of Time's legs in jagged, unbreakable ice.
*RMBL*
Dialga buckled, forced to take a step back as the deceptively small Pokémon proved why their master had once captured and defeated both Lugia and Ho-Oh. Dialga let out a roar that vibrated through the past and future, "SKRE-EE-EEE-OOOORRR!"
*KRA-BOOOOOM*
It opened its mouth, a sphere of distorted blue energy forming. Roar of Time!
The devastating beam tore through the air, capable of aging anything it touched into dust. But as the beam hit Pryce and his Pokémon, it simply… washed over them.
Lance shouted, "What?!"
Azure grinned as he explained to Lance, seeing Pryce wasn't reduced to dust, "Pryce is a living paradox. He spent so much time in the Celebi-induced 'Crack of Time' that he exists outside the standard flow. Dialga's Roar of Time is just a breeze to him."
Pryce commanded, "Swinub, distraction!"
*ZOOOOM*
The tiny pig Pokémon skated across the ice with impossible speed. Surprisingly many nearby, but Pryce followed up, "Delibird, use Blizzard!"
"F-HOOOOOOOO!"
*FWP*
The Delibird unleashed a localized tundra. The frozen gale slammed into Dialga, the sheer intensity of the cold honed by a man who had once defeated Lugia and Ho-Oh with these same 'weak' Pokémon—forcing the God of Time to stumble back, its metallic hide frosting over.
Seeing this, Lance's expression hardened as he roared, his Dragonite flying forward, "If Pryce can handle Dialga, then the master of space is mine to defeat!! Come Dragonite, Hyper Beam!"
*PEW*
Dragonite fired a test Hyper Beam, and the shot ricocheted wildly, bouncing hundreds of times, the temple walls fracturing like mirrors splintering under light. Palkia almost seemed smug as it roared, "GRAOOOO!!!"
*FLASH*
Palkia shrieked, its shoulder pearls glowing. It swiped its claw, creating a Spacial Rend—a literal tear in the fabric of the universe designed to swallow the attack and send it into the void.
*SHINNG*
The Hyper Beam entered the rift, vanishing. Palkia let out a triumphant trill, but Lance only smirked as his Viridian Force flared as he raised his hand like a commander, "Change the control to the left and up. Now!"
The Dragonite's eyes glowed orange. Using its innate ability to manipulate the trajectory of its energy, it forced the Hyper Beam to loop inside the spatial rift. A second later, the beam erupted from a small tear right behind Palkia's head.
*BOOOM*
The explosion rocked the ruins. Palkia reeled, scorched by the redirection of its own spatial bypass. The titan reeled, staggering from the blow.
This time, it was Lance's turn to smirk. He tilted his head mockingly as he stated, "What? Did you think that would work against me? I mastered this kind of training long before I became the Leader of the Elite Four…"
Lance raised his wrist, revealing a Mega Ring on his wrist, revealing his Key Stone, and held an orange stone as he whispered, "Now… I think now is a good chance to use this, don't you agree, partner…"
Azure called out, though his focus shifted to the looming shadow in front of him, "Impressive as always, Lance. But now…"
*THUWMP*
This left Azure facing Giratina. Descending upon Azure in the middle was Giratina, the Renegade Pokémon. The ruler of the Distortion World was a formidable sight, its shadowy aura exuding an oppressive darkness.
Azure felt Pikachu tense on his shoulder, Eevee's fur bristling on his head, and even the Pichu (Mew) in his jacket stirring with a sudden unease. Azure murmured, his voice calm, almost conversational, "Well, then. Guess it's you and me, Giratina…"
Reaching for his belt, he unclipped a pristine Master Ball as he whispered, "Sorry, but against a god, only one Pokémon truly fits the bill."
With a decisive click, Azure unleashed Mewtwo.
*POP*
*BOOOM*
A flash of brilliant light, a burst of psychic energy, and with a soft boom, Mewtwo materialized, its lean, powerful form radiating an aura of intense psychic power. Its eyes, alight with intelligence and raw strength, locked onto Giratina.
Giratina's neck craned, its eyes narrowing to slits. A low hiss escaped its maw, acknowledging Mewtwo's presence, "GRAAAAA!! (You… You dare to come close to me!!! Puny Mortal!)"
*RMBL*
The very air around them grew heavy, not just with Giratina's oppressive aura, but with Mewtwo's equally potent 'Pressure' ability, which seemed to drain the energy of all around it…
*ZZZZZT*
Mewtwo didn't just stand; it hovered, its psychic pressure clashing with Giratina's antimatter aura. The two forces ground against each other, creating sparks of black and purple lightning.
Mewtwo, in turn, offered a predatory grin. A telepathic voice resonated in Giratina's mind, 'Finally… a decent warm up... Puny God.'
*TRMBL*
The ground trembled. With a guttural roar from Giratina and a silent, yet equally powerful, lunged forward without restraint...
*RMBL*
... a surge of psychic energy from Mewtwo formed a bubble as it lunged against Giratina, the two legendary entities collided…
*BOOOM*
Both skidded back from each other's force. The bubble busted open, and Giratinia's shadowy aura faded as the whole ruins trembled before their power.
Azure commanded, "Mewtwo, Psystrike!"
*SHIIII*
Mewtwo folded its arms, and massive globes of pure psychic energy materialized around Giratina. With a flick of its wrist…
*BOOOOM*
The globes imploded. Giratina roared in pain. It dived into the ground, vanishing into the Shadow Force.
Azure called out, "Mewtwo! Future Sight!"
Mewtwo's eyes flashed a blue light, foreseeing the future ahead. It predicted where Giratina would arrive as it pointed its hands…
*CRACKLE*
Mewtwo spun mid-air, a ghostly orb of concentrated Ghost Type Energy forming in its palms. It fired Shadow Ball blindly behind it…
*KA-BOOM*
The Shadow Ball collided with Giratina as it emerged from the shadows. The God of the Distortion World was sent skidding across the Mystri Stage, its gold armor sparking as it growled, "Grrr…"
Arceus, observing its test, had created a shimmering, almost invisible sphere around the Sinjoh Ruins. This was a dimensional bubble, an isolated pocket of reality, ensuring that the sheer destructive power unleashed by the clashes of gods would not spill over into the fragile world of Sinnoh and Johto.
Here, within this sacred arena, they could fight without fear of spatial collapse or temporal paradox, their every move watched by the Alpha Pokémon. Above them all, Arceus stood silent. Its golden ring glowed as it monitored the three battles.
It saw Pryce's mastery over the temporal laws it had written. It saw Lance's indomitable spirit directing the raw power of space. And it saw Azure—the boy who held a synthetic legend and a wild Mythical—standing eye-to-eye with the avatar of antimatter.
Azure gripped his shoulder, where Pikachu was cheering, and looked up at the clash. He could feel the Viridian Force, Aura, and Psychic Abilities from his hands resonating with Mewtwo's power, fueling the psychic Pokémon with an endless reservoir of energy to fully unleash its power.
Azure shouted over the roar of Mewtwo's Psystrike colliding with Giratina's Dragon Pulse, "We aren't just defending the world, Arceus. We're showing you that we've evolved beyond your original design!"
Arceus simply stared at the battle. It looked to see the mortals closely and their bonds with their Pokémon to see if they could truly save the world from its judgment…
/////
[Johto-Sinnoh Region, Meanwhile Sinjoh Ruins (Pryce Side)]
The focus of the Mystri Stage shifted toward the northern corner, where the air was not merely cold but stagnant. Dialga, the temporal deity, let out a roar that should have shattered the chronological flow of the universe.
*PEW*
Its chest diamond pulsed with a rhythmic, violent light of temporal power. It unleashed its signature Roar of Time, a beam of pure, distorted history designed to erase the very existence of its target.
But as the energy washed over Pryce and his Pokémon, it did nothing. It rippled harmlessly, like a wave breaking against an ancient cliff.
Dialga's red eyes widened in visible confusion. It let out a sharp, metallic cry and focused its will, attempting to Stop Time entirely.
*FREEZE*
The colors of the Sinjoh Ruins faded to a dull grayscale; the falling dust motes froze in mid-air, and the distant sounds of Mewtwo and Palkia's clashes went silent… Yet, Pryce and his Pokémon moved.
With a slow, rhythmic tap of his cane, the old man walked forward. Beside him, his Swinub and Delibird continued to breathe, their icy mist swirling in the "frozen" air. They were Living Paradoxes.
Because Pryce had been tucked away in the Crack of Time—a realm where past, present, and future were a singular, tangled knot—he and his team were no longer subject to the laws Dialga had written. Pryce said softly, "You cannot freeze what does not belong to your timeline…"
His voice, usually as sharp as a glacier, held a trace of somber wisdom, "Swinub, Blizzard. Delibird, Present."
*WOOOOSH*
The ice that erupted from the two small Pokémon was unlike anything found in the natural world. It was a cold so absolute that it didn't just freeze water; it froze the air, the light, and even the motion of Dialga's divine energy.
Dialga shrieked as the ice crawled up its metallic legs. The god of time was forced to do something it rarely ever had to: it pulsed its own core, Reversing Time on its own body to shatter the ice and heal the molecular damage.
*REVERSE*
Watching the deity struggle, Pryce felt a heavy weight in his chest—a coldness that had nothing to do with his Pokémon as he reflected on himself somberly, 'I was once the shadow that haunted this world…'
He thought, his eyes tracking Dialga's frantic movements, 'I wore a mask to hide from the sun, kidnapping children like Silver and Green, robbing them of the warmth of a home, all for the sake of a lost Lapras. I thought I was master of my own fate…'
He looked toward Azure, who was currently directing Mewtwo with a calm, rainbow-tinted intensity as he mentally continued, 'I didn't deserve redemption. But Azure... he didn't just defeat me. He gave me the Celebi I spent a lifetime hunting, not so I could rule, but so I could heal. Celebi kept me in that Crack of Time to atone—to turn me into the very weapon needed to stop a god gone rogue.'
*RMBL*
Dialga prepared another Roar of Time, but Swinub slammed the ground with an Earthquake, disrupting the temporal deity's stance. Delibird followed up with a barrage of ice-chilled Presents…
*BOOOOM*
… that exploded against Dialga's armor, forcing it to reverse its time once more just to stay standing. Pryce gripped his cane, his resolve hardening as Delibird and Swinub unleashed an absolute zero Blizzard attack.
*WOOOOOOOSH*
*THUD*
Dialga was sent flying to the ground again, now struggling to stay standing. As it looked up, it saw Pryce, Swinub, and Delibird slowly moving toward it. Dialga let out a growl, then shot a point-blank Roar of Time at them, but they just kept moving through it, immune to anything Dialga could do.
The battle with Dialga was nearing its end; the Master of Time was being outplayed by the Master of Ice. Pryce said coldly, looking down at it, "What's wrong? Don't tell me you're scared of an old man like me. I can't even walk straight without help, and you call yourself a Legendary… pathetic."
Dialga tried again, blasting Roar of Time repeatedly, desperate to do something. But it was useless against Pryce and his team of living paradoxes. Pryce whispered to the swirling snow, "When this is over, I will find those I wronged. I will offer whatever remains of my life to mend the childhoods I shattered. But for now..."
He looked up, his eyes flashing with the same lethal precision that had once terrified the Johto Region. Pryce snapped his fingers, commanding, "Now, I have a duty. Swinub, Delibird—finish it! Absolute Zero Sheer Cold!"
*Snap*
*WOOOOOSH*
Swinub and Delibird slammed a full-force Sheer Cold onto Dialga's head. The frozen shockwave cracked across its form, leaving the dragon withering in shards of ice as it formed a massive pillar of frost formed, pinning Dialga in place.
The god of time let out a final, weary cry, its energy stabilizing as it acknowledged the strength of the Paradox. Dialga collapsed, finally unmoving as it lay on the ground, defeated by Pryce.
Pryce exhaled, his breath a white plume. Delibird fixed his coat as they looked back, deciding who they should help next.
Pryce turned his gaze toward the other two corners of the stage. Lance was still locked in a fierce aerial dance with Palkia, while Azure and Mewtwo were trading blows with the shadowy Giratina.
Pryce muttered, his eyes shifting to the ongoing battles in a steady, calm voice, "It truly seems the new generation will surpass the old. But let's show these youngsters how we handled things from our generation, right, you two?"
Swinub snorted, bobbing its head obediently. Delibird puffed its chest with a smug expression, causing Pryce to smile, trusting his old partners. Pryce fixed his coat and looked back, deciding who he should help next.
/////
A/N: Hope you liked the chapter!