The two continued walking deeper into the temple and soon arrived at a gigantic stage at the very back.
This was the deepest part of the temple, with few structures around to obstruct the view. Standing at the center of the stage, they could clearly see the gigantic space-time rift hanging above Mount Coronet.
Purple-red light constantly flickered from within the rift, and even standing below it, one could feel the immense pressure it exerted.
"Beep beep~"
At this moment, the Arceus phone on Ash suddenly rang.
"Arceus phone?"
Ash quickly took out the phone to check it, and Cynthia immediately came over to look as well.
A new message quickly appeared before the two of them.
[The appearance of the space-time rift was caused by the battle between the two gods. Defeating Dialga and Palkia will provide the way back; however... you must collect all eighteen Plates, or you will have difficulty facing the darkness of the future!]
Ash: "..."
Cynthia: "..."
The two of them stared at the phone screen in silence for a while before Ash finally couldn't hold back.
"What is this?"
"We have to defeat Dialga and Palkia before we can return?"
He originally thought that by pacifying the remaining governors and then finding a way to gather all eighteen Plates, they could find a way back to the present.
But now the Arceus phone was suddenly telling them that this wasn't all.
They actually had to fight Dialga and Palkia afterward!
"Now that we know the reason for the space-time rift appearing, I almost wish we didn't know... But why do we have to defeat Dialga and Palkia? Are they still being controlled?!"
Ash helplessly patted his forehead.
"These are two Tier One Gods, one controlling time and the other controlling space. Is Arceus overestimating us a bit?"
Pikachu stood on Ash's shoulder, also staring at the message on the phone screen.
"Pika..."
Even Pikachu found the task rather absurd.
Cynthia hadn't reacted well initially either.
She knew more about Dialga and Palkia than most people, so she was even more aware of how terrifying their power was.
But now that the situation was before them, no matter how outrageous it seemed, they had to accept this fact.
After reaching the peak of Mount Coronet, they found this temple and finally approached the space-time rift that enveloped the entire Hisui Region.
Now they knew the reason for the space-time rift's appearance.
They also knew the way to return to the present.
It's just that this method seemed rather fanciful.
Defeating the Space-Time Gods... It's easier said than done.
Cynthia quietly pondered for a while, and her initially solemn expression gradually softened.
"Don't lose heart, Ash. Think about it carefully, Arceus wouldn't give us an impossible task."
"Mewtwo is still here, and there's Pikachu and Garchomp... While Pokemon beneath the Divine Domain Level indeed stand little chance against Divine Domain Level, it's possible that the Space-Time Gods might not have reached the Divine Domain Peak.
"Surely, there are ways within the Hisui Region that can limit the Space-Time Gods' power or help us defeat them."
"Besides, the Space-Time Gods still have many mysteries that haven't been uncovered. We don't need to be pessimistic now."
Cynthia's face lightened as she spoke.
"Moreover, Ash, you and the others have faced the Space-Time Gods before. With the help of Mewtwo and Giratina, didn't you manage to fend off the Space-Time Gods?"
"So, as long as the Space-Time Gods don't appear together, there's still hope of defeating them."
After listening to Cynthia's analysis, Ash nodded in agreement.
Previously, when facing Dialga and Palkia, with the aid of Mewtwo and Giratina, he indeed managed to fend off the Space-Time Gods.
Although the situation then was different from now, it at least proved that Dialga and Palkia weren't completely invincible.
Moreover, they still know very little about the events in Hisui.
The exact state of the Space-Time Gods, and what Arceus left in Hisui to aid them, all of this remains unclear.
With this in mind, Ash felt much less pressure.
But compared to how they're going to defeat Dialga and Palkia in the future, he's currently more concerned about something else.
"Why are Dialga and Palkia fighting again?"
Cynthia gently shook her head.
"It's hard to say right now."
"The Arceus phone only told us that the space-time rift was caused by their battle but didn't say why Dialga and Palkia started fighting."
"Moreover, what you just mentioned isn't impossible. They might indeed be affected by something right now."
Ash glanced at the constantly flickering space-time rift above, thinking for a long time but still having no clues.
"Forget it, thinking about it now won't solve anything. We will definitely find clues later."
He said, gently touching the small Pokeball hanging on his chest.
"In any case, if we really encounter Dialga or Palkia down the line, I'll have to rely on you, Mewtwo!"
Mewtwo's familiar voice quickly transmitted via telepathy into the minds of Ash and Cynthia.
'You don't need to specifically request this of me.'
'I will always be on the same front line as you.'