Amid a ripple in space, three small figures—one red, one yellow, and one blue appeared before the group.
They were none other than the lake guardians: Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf—the embodiments of Knowledge, Emotion, and Willpower.
Unlike their often-underestimated counterparts in the main timeline or anime, the Hisui-region trio commanded formidable power.
Without any intention to converse, the lake trio glowed with radiant light that shone upon the materials Akari had gathered during their trial.
The trio's personal fragments began to rise within a soft white light, merging after a few seconds into a single entity: a red chain ring.
The Red Chain shrank and gently fell into Akari's hands. The three lake guardians gave her a solemn look, then vanished in a flash of teleportation.
Elsewhere in Hisui, a second spatial anomaly flared.
Through the ripple of space, Paul slowly emerged.
"This time… I'm in decent shape."
He clenched his fists and muttered inwardly.
Unlike his first disorienting leap through time, which ended in a blackout, subsequent jumps had become smoother. He would fall asleep mid-transition but awaken promptly upon arrival.
The scenery was picturesque: waves lapped at the beach, a cool breeze swept by, and the fresh air kept him alert.
The sky was bright and clear, except for one eerie flaw: a dark spatial rift looming like a bottomless gash above Hisui, casting a lingering shadow over the peaceful setting.
Beep—Beep!
"Trainer, you've got a mission, Rotom~!"
Before Paul could explore further, his Rotom Phone chirped to life.
"A mission? Seriously?"
His surprise was justified. After all, what mission could he possibly receive in the real world?
In a game, missions made sense. But here, in reality? His only possible quest-giver was none other than Arceus itself.
And what could a Pokémon on Arceus' level possibly need him for?
Or… was this a test?
Perplexed, Paul pulled up his phone to examine the details.
Mission: Quell the Space-Time Distortion
Description: Provoked by an unknown force, the world beyond our own has plunged into chaos. Time and space rage uncontrollably, ripping a dimensional rift across the skies of Hisui. Now, the time has come to end this crisis. As the chosen one, it is your duty to restore order before it's too late.
Objective: Eliminate the space-time rift.
Reward: One Plate of every elemental type.
Failure Penalty: Loss of spatial coordinates for the Hisui world.
Paul blinked.
That was his immediate reaction: pure confusion.
Reading from the bottom up, the consequence of failure was clear—he'd lose his ability to target Hisui in future time-travel attempts. Any future visits would be based on pure chance.
A significant penalty? Certainly. But not impossible to live with.
Still, Paul had a feeling—one he couldn't shake.
If he tried and failed, Arceus might overlook it. But if he simply ignored the mission? Abandoned it? Arceus might deem him unworthy and revoke his access altogether.
And completing the mission? That felt borderline impossible.
How exactly was he supposed to eliminate a space-time rift?
Certainly not by relying solely on his own power, or even his Pokémon's. That much was obvious.
No, the solution would have to come from the very ones connected to time and space: Dialga and Palkia.
The problem was, he knew how the story usually played out.
He hadn't played Legends: Arceus, but he'd seen enough videos to follow the plot.
Normally, the player—Akari—would obtain the Red Chain, defeat and capture either Dialga or Palkia, and then forge an Origin Ball to subdue the other.
So why was Arceus issuing him the mission?
Did this mean Arceus doubted Akari could succeed on her own?
That… actually made sense.
After all, reality wasn't a game.
In the real world, Akari could carry over a dozen Pokémon with her—far more than what the game permitted.
In the game, repeated failures didn't matter. You could always try again.
But in real life? There were no do-overs.
Take the lake trial, for instance. If Akari failed dozens of times, would the lake guardians really give her endless chances?
In theory, Akari would use the Red Chain at the Temple of Sinnoh to weaken and capture one of the deities, then forge the Origin Ball and confront the other.
In a game, this was fine.
But in reality?
Even with the Red Chain, could Akari really capture either deity?
And once she did, what would stop the other, unbound deity from escaping? Would it really just wait passively while she spent time forging an Origin Ball?
Even if she succeeded in making the ball and returned with one deity in tow, could she actually overcome the Origin Form of the other?
Would she really defeat it with a Time or Space bomb?
Any failure along the chain of events would doom the entire plan. The Hisui region might collapse into chaos.
"This won't be easy…"
Paul understood the mission's gravity.
Still, no matter how difficult, he needed to gather information first and reestablish his presence in Hisui.
If he failed and Hisui was lost, he wanted to minimize his own losses.
"There's a village nearby?"
According to the map that had just generated on his phone, one was close.
Without hesitation, Paul set out toward it.
Where there's a village, there's a shop. Where there's a shop, there are Poké Balls.
Even if there wasn't a shop, surely there would be people. People could tell him where to find Poké Balls.
Perfectly logical.
Paul laid out his plan step by step.
What he didn't expect, though, was to be stopped at the village entrance.
"Hey! Who are you? What are you doing here?"
A boy guarding the village scrutinized Paul's unfamiliar clothes.
"Just a traveler, passing through. Looking to rest for a bit. Excuse me."
Paul, distracted by the mission, brushed past the boy without much concern.
"Just saying that doesn't prove anything. I'm a proud member of the Galaxy Team's—hey! I said stop!"
The boy reached out to grab him but before his fingers touched Paul, Paul turned slightly. His eyes flashed with faint blue light.
A powerful psychic force enveloped the boy, sending him flying before he could react.
"A Psychic, huh? No wonder you're so odd."
The boy rolled mid-air to soften the landing, sprang back to his feet, and pulled out a Poké Ball.
"I'm with the Galaxy Team. I'm guarding this village. I can't just let suspicious people in."
Paul paused.
The Galaxy Team… still existed?
Right. This was Hisui's Galaxy Team, not the villainous one from the modern era.
And in this era, peace was a distant dream. Wild Pokémon were more aggressive, and villages needed protection.
It made sense to have guards.
"You got a problem? Don't believe me? I'm Rei, one of the top recruits in my generation of the Galaxy Team!"
Rei declared proudly.
In his mind, the senior members like Kamado and Cyllene were a tier above. His peers? None could compare.
"Rei?"
Paul finally looked him over. His clothes resembled Akari's, a distinctly Hisuian design.
"You've heard of me? Hah, guess I'm kind of famous…"
Rei was ready to brag but quickly composed himself.
"If you want in, identify yourself. Otherwise, no entry."
"I'm Paul. A traveler from Sinnoh. Like Akari. A cross-time visitor."
Technically, it wasn't the same Sinnoh but his answer wasn't wrong.
"From Sinnoh, like Akari? You know her?"
Rei's eyes narrowed.
No one in their right mind would make up something that crazy.
And while many knew Akari came from another world, few knew which one.
"We've met. She's… a good person."
Paul gave a curt answer, but it was honest.
Though they hadn't spent a full day together, he respected her.
In a world like this, few would offer help without expecting something in return.
Rei raised an eyebrow. "You two close?"
"Not really."
Paul's blunt reply left Rei to imagine all sorts of things.
Whether out of curiosity or youthful pride, Rei pointed his Poké Ball at Paul.
"If you're really a Trainer, battle me. Win or lose, I'll take you into the village and show you around."
"A battle? Fine."
Paul agreed after a brief pause.
The mission could wait. Clearly, the timeline hadn't reached its breaking point yet.
Getting on Rei's good side might prove useful.
"Let's see what you've got."
In the game, Rei was more of a guide than a rival—hardly a threat. Paul didn't really know how strong he was.
"I'm stronger than I look!"
Rei threw his Poké Ball.
"Let's go, Hisuian Samurott!"
"Hyaaah~!"
With piercing eyes and a commanding presence, the long-whiskered Pokémon appeared: a Hisuian Samurott.
If Akari, a cross-time visitor, could receive a starter from Professor Laventon, then Rei, a native of Hisui, surely had one too.
Paul judged it to be around the same level as his own.
"Not a bad opponent."
He nodded and threw his own Poké Ball.
"Samurott, prepare to battle!"
"Chaaah~!"
Unlike Rei's, Paul's Samurott radiated a calm lethality—like a sword sheathed in silence.
The only visible difference? Paul's Samurott was slightly larger.
As the two blade-masters locked eyes, the air between them shifted. Their paws poised by their sides, twin swords ready to strike.
"You have a Samurott too? Excellent. That'll make this fun. You may have the first move."
"Aqua Cutter!"
Paul didn't hesitate.
Water surged beneath his Samurott, launching it like a missile. With a predatory gleam, it slashed down at its opponent.
"Detect it, now!"
Rei's composure cracked. His Samurott's eyes glowed, reading the incoming blow and blocking it with a foot blade.
Clang!
But Paul's Samurott also had glowing eyes. In a sudden feint, it shifted and slashed from a new angle.
You saw through my Aqua Cutter? No, you fell into my trap.
Forced to act, Rei's Samurott readjusted, parried again using Sacred Sword and finally disrupted the combo.
But before it could counterattack, another blow struck.
Paul's Samurott launched a relentless chain of slashes, forcing Rei's to retreat under the pressure.
"What the—?!"
Rei was stunned.
Usually, his Samurott was the one overwhelming foes.
Only Akari's had ever overpowered it, and only due to a higher level.
But Paul's Samurott? It was weaker yet completely dominating.
Why were its eyes still glowing? Could it… use Detect continuously?
The pressure was intense.
"Quick Strike: Shadow Sneak!"
Rei shouted.
His Samurott's form blurred, darting forward like a shadowy blade.
Boom!
Slice!
Two sounds. Two smirks.
Both Samurott grinned as if claiming victory.
"Hyaaah~"
But a moment later, Rei's Samurott stiffened.
It looked down at the blade pierced into its core.
A direct hit.
Its vision darkened, and it collapsed, defeated.
"Chaaah~"
Paul's Samurott retracted its smile. It had failed to block the opponent's strike entirely.
It had won, but not without flaw.
(End of Chapter)
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