Chapter 208: Willows dark, flowers bright! The Emperor Tooth Luke appears!

Flying in the sky, looking down from above, as an archaeology enthusiast, Cynthia's gaze inevitably fell upon the entrance to the random ruins.

"Important matters first!"

"Garchomp~"

Soon, the person, the dragon, and the dog returned to the Pokemon Center.

Jumping down from Garchomp's back,

Click-click-click!

The crisp sound of boots stomping on the floor made Joy, who had dark circles under her eyes, overjoyed, and she hurried forward to greet them.

"Miss Champion, any news?"

"Miss Joy, can you tell me when you last had a nightmare?"

"The day before yesterday, daytime."

"After that, you haven't slept at all?"

"I have slept..."

As soon as she spoke, Joy's eyes widened and her small mouth formed an "o" shape.

"Miss Champion, do you mean Darkrai has left?"

"I guess that's the case..."

Cynthia shrugged, showing some disappointment.

I thought this trip would give us a chance to catch Darkrai, but I didn't expect it to be a wasted journey.

"When Wusong wakes up, remember to tell him what's happened here, and also have him find Junsha to issue an official announcement."

"Yes!"

Watching the energetic Cynthia walk out of the Pokemon Center with her hands in her pockets,

With the crisis over, Miss Joy released her Chansey and asked it to help keep watch.

She then went back to her room to rest.

Leaving the Pokemon Center, Cynthia pondered for about a second before making a decision.

"Let's go, Garchomp! To the random ruins!"

"How did Professor Oak say that again?"

"Since we're here, we might as well make the most of it!"

"..."

One minute later,

The Garchomp carrying Cynthia and Lucario arrived deep in the mountains, where an ancient cave was hidden from view.

It landed gently,

Clearly visible, the entrance was covered in vines and moss, as if a masterpiece of nature.

"Lucario!"

"Luc~"

Lucario stepped forward and pulled apart the vines,

Cynthia reached back to grasp her smooth golden hair, preventing it from snagging on any protrusions.

Entering the cave, the interior was dimly lit, and the air was filled with the traces of time.

The stone walls were carved with mysterious symbols that spoke of a buried history.

"Roserade, Flash!"

Roserade wore a mask and cape, its main body color green with yellow feet.

The flowers on its hands retained blue and red, but increased in number, and the bouquets in both hands hid whips of thorns laced with deadly poison.

Upon its head grew white substances resembling rose petals like hair, adding a touch of elegance~

As Roserade used Flash,

Its body instantly became like a small sun, continuously emitting dazzling light around it.

Cynthia also, during this process, carefully examined the mysterious characters on the wall,

and used her phone's camera mode to take pictures.

What Cynthia did not notice was that, as she turned the corner and went deeper into the ruins,

the mysterious symbols nearest the entrance suddenly glowed, turned into solid forms, and flew up, following far behind Cynthia.

As time passed,

the unknown symbols increased in number,

when Cynthia reached the deepest part of the cave, before her lay a massive altar covered in deep moss and signs of erosion by time.

At the same time,

"Luc~"

Lucario, suddenly sensing Darkrai's aura, let out an alert cry!

"Garchomp~"

Garchomp immediately went on guard, summoning a sandstorm to prevent a sneak attack!

From the wary looks of the two Pokémon, it's easy to guess that a powerful Pokémon has appeared.

"Is it Darkrai?"

"Lucario!"

The dog nodded, then quickly ran toward the altar, finally stopping at its edge, looking puzzled at the center.

Click-click-click……

The sound of hard, thick‑soled boots crushing rock rang out, and beside Xirona, Garchomp and Roserade arrived at Lucario's side.

As a strong light shone from Roserade's body,

Xirona finally saw clearly what was on the altar.

It really is Darkrai!

Darkrai has constantly swirling, smoke‑like white hair, a pair of bright blue eyes on his face, and a red, serrated collar‑like object wrapped around his neck.

Long strips of tattered black cloth hang from each of his shoulders, jutting outward,

His hands are black, claw‑shaped, each with three claws.

At this moment, Darkrai keeps his eyes closed, doing who knows what, while his lower body seems to have vanished into the lake surface,

Aside from his white hair atop his head and the black strips on his shoulders moving on their own without wind, Darkrai makes no other movements.

"What… is this situation?"

"Luc~"

Lucario shakes her head; she also doesn't know what kind of trick Darkrai is selling.

Xirona thinks for a moment, then throws the ball outright.

Snap!

As the Great Ball is hurled, it is about to land on Darkrai's head,

Suddenly, the Great Ball follows a trajectory that defies common sense and returns along the same path.

It bounces back and forth, down and up, in and out, as if caught in a loop.

"What on earth is this…"

Xirona furrows her brows slightly, showing contemplation.

Just then!

Swish!

A beam of light from behind strikes Lucario and Roserade directly!

Soon,

Both Pokémon also entered a similar back‑and‑forth state,

Only Garchomp and Xirona, who was enveloped by Garchomp's bio‑field, evaded the attack.

Their gaze quickly turns toward the newcomer,

A deep‑blue body, a hammer‑shaped neck, a fan‑shaped structure on its back, and five silvery protrusions,

Each front‑leg joint bears a long backward‑pointing spine; its sturdy forelimbs have three silver claws, while its hind legs, slender like a deer's, lack claws,

Its waist is surrounded by a spiked halo resembling Arceus's aura.

(The image shows the Origin Form Dialga; listeners may pause to view it if interested.)

Origin Form Dialga

"Time God Dialga?"

Xirona gapes in shock, eyes wide, then freezes again, but this doesn't look quite right!

"Right, the mural!"

The "mural" Xirona refers to is the wall painting in the ancient shrine and the stone carvings of the old hometown temple.

It depicts Dialga's image exactly as seen here,

rather than a form resembling a qilin,

Before meeting Ash and seeing the real Dialga, Xirona had always thought Dialga looked like this.

If Ash were here, he would surely recognize,

The Pokémon before us is indeed Dialga, but in its Origin Form that resembles Arceus—the original appearance of Dialga!

Standing seven meters tall, Dialga is like a two‑story house; its two massive thighs alone nearly block the entire tunnel entrance.

This sight gave Xirona a great shock, and at the same time,

not only sparked doubt,

how could a Dialga the size of a house fit into such a narrow tunnel?

But before she could think further, a missed strike later, Dialga launched another attack!

Time roars!

Brilliant multicolored beams pierce straight through Garchomp and Xirona's bodies, landing on Roserade, Lucario, and Darkrai.

Darkrai remains unmoved, showing no sign of change.

But Lucario and Roserade quickly regress, returning to their Leorio and Poison Rose states, and finally transform into two Pokémon eggs.

"Ah?"

Xirona's eyes widen; she can hardly stand it!

"Sword Dance!"

While Dialga is bewildered, the Garchomp, bathed in a sandstorm, launches a reinforced attack as if nobody were there!