No top-tier legendary Pokémon is allowed to interfere in conflicts between humans of their own accord—this is the rule! Otherwise, with the overwhelming power of top-tier legendaries, the world would descend into complete chaos.
Sheena had contacted it from the very beginning, hoping it would step in and help. But once Dialga understood what was going on, it rejected Sheena's request.
Because it is a god!
It is not Sheena's Pokémon partner. It had neither reason nor obligation to intervene and help her deal with a human.
However, just now, Sheena had made an incredibly urgent plea for it to appear, and she had even stated explicitly that the Jewel of Life of Arceus had been destroyed.
And upon hearing this, Dialga immediately rushed into the physical world without delay.
The Jewel of Life composed of five plates had been shattered?
Even Dialga was shocked by this, which is why it had shown up in an instant.
"Dialga, please, punish that man! He actually destroyed the Jewel of Life!" Sheena stood up and looked up at the towering Dialga, shouting loudly.
She truly had no way of dealing with Lucas, but Dialga certainly could!
Even if this would make Dialga dislike her, she could no longer care about that.
The shattering of the Jewel of Life had already filled Sheena with despair.
"Transcend! The Laws of Time and Space!"
With a chant, Sheena brought her hands together, and once again activated her abilities to establish a connection with Dialga.
The power of Aura allowed Sheena to communicate spiritually with Pokémon, soothe their emotions, and forge bonds with them.
"Well, that really saved me a lot of effort."
Lucas looked at Sheena, who had closed her eyes to connect with Dialga, and the smile on his face deepened.
He had originally been considering ways to get Sheena to summon Dialga because he needed to communicate with it.
But to his surprise, Sheena had summoned Dialga herself out of sheer anger.
The atmosphere fell silent.
Soon, though, Sheena opened her eyes, her expression stunned but tinged with a hint of joy. She subconsciously turned to look at the shattered fragments at Lucas's feet.
"Judging by your expression, I take it Dialga told you the truth," Lucas said with a light chuckle, addressing Sheena.
"...You knew all along?" Sheena pursed her lips, giving Lucas a complicated look. The fury in her heart caused by the Jewel of Life's destruction had completely dissipated.
Because just now, Dialga had informed her—the Jewel of Life was fake.
Marnie, Cynthia, and the others all looked at Sheena in astonishment.
Why had this woman's attitude changed so abruptly? Wasn't she just about to start a battle with Dialga on her side?
"I could tell the moment I got it—there was no special energy inside at all. Obviously, it's a fake," Lucas shrugged.
Yes, the moment he received the Jewel of Life, he mentally contacted Eternatus and had it confirm whether the jewel was real or not.
After all, while the plot of the original story made it 90% likely the jewel was a fake, what if there was that 10% chance it wasn't?
"Then why didn't you say anything!" Sheena snapped, her face a mix of embarrassment and frustration. This guy!
That jewel was clearly a fake, yet he said nothing and let her embarrass herself like this!
She had even summoned Dialga, only to end up in a ridiculous farce?
"I should be the one shocked here, shouldn't I? Miss Sheena, you've held onto the Jewel of Life for so long, and you couldn't even tell whether it was real or not?"
"Some guardian you are."
Lucas asked with a chuckle, finding her reaction amusing.
Sheena froze. That's right. If this Jewel of Life was a fake, then where was the real one?
Only now did the question occur to her. There was no reason the Jewel of Life that had been passed down through her clan for generations should be a counterfeit.
With that thought, Sheena turned her gaze toward Cyrus. She had always been the one guarding the jewel, and the only time it had been touched by others was when Cyrus and his team had entered to retrieve it. That would have been the only opportunity to switch it.
Cynthia and the others also turned to look at Cyrus. He was the only real suspect now.
Cyrus, seeing everyone's eyes on him, couldn't help but twitch slightly, his normally stoic expression tightening.
What the hell are you all looking at me for?
How the hell would I know what's going on?!
"I took exactly what I was given—a fake. If you don't believe me, search me," Cyrus said calmly. He wasn't about to take the blame for this. He was innocent—completely and utterly innocent!
And besides…
If that Jewel of Life was a fake, then what the hell had Team Galactic gone through all this trouble for?
Now they might even end up in prison! Damn it!
Kevin quickly ran over and patted him down, then turned and shook his head at Sheena.
Sheena frowned. It was true—there was no way Cyrus could've made a perfect fake in such a short time.
"If it wasn't stolen and replaced, then that means the jewel passed down by your ancestors was a fake from the start. Given how precious the real Jewel of Life is, using a replica to divert attention would make sense."
"The real one is likely still hidden somewhere within the ancient temple."
Lucas spoke casually. The real Jewel of Life was indeed still inside the ancient temple, and of course, he needed to steer Sheena in that direction.
"Is that so…?" Sheena's brows furrowed.
If it really was to prevent outsiders from stealing the jewel, then why keep it hidden from their descendants as well?
But right now, she had no better explanation. Because if it had really been stolen and switched, then what were they supposed to do?
There were no clues, no leads—no idea where to even begin searching.
"Roar—"
A thunderous dragon's roar rang out as a vortex of time opened behind Dialga.
Yes, Dialga was preparing to return to its own alternate dimension. After all, whether or not Sheena could find the real Jewel of Life was her own business and had nothing to do with it.
"Dialga."
Lucas called out just as Dialga was about to leave.
Dialga stopped mid-air, its gaze turning to Lucas.
This human was… unusual. Dialga could sense that.
Aside from the unique aura it found rather favorable, this human also possessed an incredibly powerful dragon.
Cynthia and the others fell silent, watching Lucas without understanding what he intended by calling Dialga back.
"I'd like to ask you something. If I were to capture Celebi and use its ability to travel back through time, would it affect the world?" Lucas asked seriously, looking up at Dialga.
Yes, this was the second reason he had come to Michina. The first was the Jewel of Life; the second was to confirm Celebi's time-traveling capabilities with Dialga.
Because Pryce's wish had always been to capture Celebi, and use it to travel back in time, so that his Lapras could reunite with its parents.
Pryce had once been a gentle soul. But after a tragic accident, his two beloved Lapras had died, leaving behind only their child.
That event had changed Pryce, turning him into the person he was now.
Even though Pryce had trained Lucas with ulterior motives, the fact remained that much of Lucas's current strength was thanks to Pryce.
So, if possible, Lucas wanted to help Pryce fulfill his wish. After all, Pryce was a pitiful man in his own way.
"Travel back in time?"
Everyone, including Cynthia, Marnie, and even Cyrus, was shocked to hear this. They stared at Lucas in disbelief.
He actually wanted to travel through time? Was he insane?
"How can he even think of doing that?" Kevin cried out in astonishment.
Yes, the very idea of time travel… how could someone even consider such a thing?
Dialga slowly turned around, its dragon eyes growing colder, and the overwhelming pressure of its aura began to pour out.
It was the Dragon of Time, created by Arceus, the overseer of the timeline!
Every dimension in the world followed its own laws of time. The taboos of time were absolutely not to be touched by any living being!
Because if a single moment in the timeline were to be disrupted, the consequences could ripple through all of time!
"Can you answer me, Dialga? I really want to know the answer to this question," Lucas asked again, meeting Dialga's gaze.
He wanted to know if Celebi could truly travel through time without consequence.
In the original anime movie, Celebi had brought a young Professor Oak forward into the future without any issues.
But in the special episodes, when it brought Pryce through time, the present world's timeline had completely frozen.
Lucas didn't dare to gamble on such an outcome.
Capturing Ho-Oh and Lugia wasn't that difficult for him now that he had Eternatus. The hard part was tracking them down.
But if Celebi's time-traveling had immense risks, then Lucas needed to reconsider whether helping Pryce capture Celebi was even viable.
If all else failed...
Lucas's eyes glinted as he looked at Dialga.
If time-traveling was something Celebi couldn't handle safely—then surely the Time Dragon itself could.
"Abandon that dangerous thought, human."
Dialga's aura grew even more threatening. Its deep, heavy telepathic voice echoed over the ancient temple.
"Whether or not Celebi can travel through time is irrelevant. That is not something you should ever lay your hands on."
Dialga's piercing gaze bore into Lucas. As the Time Dragon, it would never allow any lifeform to meddle with the taboos of time!
No one was allowed!
"How terrifying… this pressure is unreal. So, in other words, Celebi really can do it?" Lucas murmured, smiling faintly as he placed a hand over his chest. He could feel his heartbeat slowing under the immense divine pressure.
This unparalleled pressure was no less intense than what he'd experienced from Zacian or the Ice Rider Calyrex.
"Don't make me repeat myself. Abandon your dangerous thoughts," Dialga warned coldly, its telepathic voice heavy with menace, its divine aura intensifying.
Sheena licked her slightly dry lips. Under the perception of Aura, she could feel it clearly.
The Time Dragon—was being absolutely serious!
"If a person can easily give up on their goal, then that person is inherently incomplete."
Facing the majesty and pressure of Dialga, Lucas merely let out a light chuckle and spoke calmly.
"Dialga, I understand the importance of time. But surely, there are exceptions to every rule, right? If one becomes too rigid, is that really a good thing?" Lucas said slowly, his voice soft but firm—not just directed at Dialga, but also reaching the ears of the emotionally sensitive Sheena.
In fact, the cold aura radiating from Dialga could be vaguely felt by everyone present.
When it came to matters of time, Dialga naturally did not treat them lightly.
Capturing Celebi, for most people, was a task as difficult as reaching the heavens. Not only was it nearly impossible to locate Celebi—who possessed the power to travel through time—but even if one did manage to find it, catching it would be an even greater challenge!
After all, Celebi could leap through time at will to escape.
But Dialga understood very clearly—this human before it was unusually powerful. It was not impossible for him to actually capture Celebi.
"What foolish ignorance. This has nothing to do with being rigid or flexible," Dialga snorted coldly in response. The divine blue aura around its body grew even more brilliant and intense.
"I am the one who governs the entire world's time!"
"Human, can you even comprehend the concept of time? If you were to travel along the river of time and return to the past, no matter what you change—even the smallest thing—the consequences would ripple forward into the future."
"The world follows a natural law of development. If you go back to the past, then lives may be lost in the future because of you. Things may be altered. Fates may be rewritten!"
Dialga's low, solemn telepathic voice echoed in the minds of everyone present.
Yes—this was the principle of time.
Even something as small as a tiny gust of wind, if diverted from its destined path, could lead to inevitable, irreversible changes in the future.
"The weight of time far exceeds that of any other existence. I will not allow a single error," Dialga said deeply.
If it weren't for the fact that it could sense something special in Lucas, it wouldn't even bother to explain this much.
No matter what, it would never permit time to be altered—not even in the slightest. That was its duty as the Time Dragon.
"But I need the power of time. There's something that absolutely must be done," Lucas said, frowning slightly. Dialga's firm stance was even more unyielding than he had expected.
Such lofty, righteous words… but wasn't it true that in the original story, Dialga had sent that dimwit Ash back a thousand years?
Lucas couldn't help but grumble silently in his heart. Still, it wasn't surprising.
Faced with Arceus, who bore hatred and was determined to destroy the world, if the root cause wasn't corrected at the origin point in time, who could possibly stop Arceus?
Even with five plates missing, Arceus had still managed to utterly overpower the Creation Trio—Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina. Its strength was so absurd it defied all reason.
Back then, Dialga had been forced to send Ash back a thousand years—it was a desperate measure, the only option left.
"No matter what it is you intend to do, it is doomed to fail. The inertia of time's gears will always push events back toward their original track."
"Moreover… I will never allow anyone to attempt to tamper with the flow of time—not even Celebi," Dialga said calmly. But by the end of its words, its dragon eyes gleamed with a cold, forbidding light.
Celebi was the guardian of time and could travel freely between the past, present, and future.
Dialga had always ignored this in the past.
But if Celebi dared to take a human across time, then Dialga would absolutely not stand idly by!
"I see," Lucas raised his brows slightly. He could understand Dialga's meaning very clearly.
If he truly managed to capture Celebi, then Dialga would forcibly intercept him during his time travel attempt.
"What an overbearing Time Dragon you are. Then let me ask—what if you were the one to take me through time?" Lucas's lips curled into a faint smile as he looked at Dialga.
If the Time Dragon didn't permit others to travel through time, then what if the Time Dragon itself took him?
"Human, it seems you're not planning to give up after all?"
Dialga's eyes narrowed. The fact that this human even dared to joke with it made it clear—he wasn't taking Dialga's warnings seriously at all.
What an arrogant human!
"I can't give up. Because this is something that someone has to do. Dialga, is there truly no room for discussion?" Lucas shook his head, and at some point, a Heavy Ball had appeared in his hand.
"We have no intention of altering any past events. We simply want to save the lives of two Pokémon."
Lucas's voice deepened, serious and steady.
Time was a deeply tangled web of cause and effect. One wrong move could shift the balance of the future.
If it weren't absolutely necessary, Lucas would never have wanted to get entangled with the forces of time at all.
(End of Chapter)
TN: This chapter is damn long because of ChatGPT. It suddenly stop following my prompts and started translating them to just 1000 words so I have to manually translate and edit them.