True Master

Yuga and Cynthia never expected Articuno to arrive so quickly. Almost at the moment when Golduck's ability was disrupted by the Griseous Orb, Articuno appeared in the valley.

Articuno shared a similar ability to Yuga's Absol – a Pressure. As it appeared in the valley, it immediately activated this ability. Yuga and Cynthia felt overwhelmingly pressured by Articuno's presence, despite its proximity.

The pressure generated by Articuno's ability affected the mental state of its opponents. The effects on the opposing side usually manifested gradually, but Articuno's aura had an immediate impact.

Not far from them, Golduck, despite being a Champion level Pokémon, also felt the pressure, especially considering its current state of extreme aging and weakness.

Seeing the enraged Articuno, Yuga's Mega Gengar and Cynthia's Garchomp directly positioned themselves in front of their trainers, hoping to share the burden of Articuno's overwhelming pressure.

Initially, Articuno had intended to attack Yuga and Cynthia, believing that the humans on Snowpeak Mountain must be connected to the thieves from earlier. However, it suddenly sensed a change in Yuga's Griseous Orb.

Could it be... that it has become complete?

Feeling this change, Articuno snapped out of its anger. After all, it had lost a part of the Griseous Orb, which had ended up in its possession for a reason.

Yuga, seeing Articuno's hesitation to attack, quickly approached with the Griseous Orb in hand and explained, "Articuno, we are not the ones who stole this Griseous Orb. We obtained it from those individuals over there. I am returning it to you now, hoping to calm your anger."

After saying this, Yuga pointed towards Billy and Satoshi, who had already turned into lifeless husks. He raised the Griseous Orb to signify his willingness to return it to Articuno.

Articuno glanced at the two lifeless bodies and then stared at Yuga and Cynthia for a while, seemingly assessing the authenticity of their words.

"Articuno!"

Is there anyone among you from the Temple?

Articuno suddenly spoke.

Yuga knew that Cynthia hadn't awakened her Power of True Heart ability and couldn't understand Articuno's words. So, he took the initiative to introduce her, "This is Cynthia from the Temple. We both came here on behalf of the Temple to investigate the changes happening on Snowpeak."

Hearing Yuga's introduction, Cynthia stepped forward and added, "Nice to meet you. I am Cynthia from the Temple, representing the Temple Clan to pay our respects to the Snowpeak King."

Articuno nodded in response, now fully believing Yuga's explanation. It had been neighbors with the Temple Clan for many years and knew that the Temple Clan wouldn't disrupt Snowpeak's peace.

"Articuno!"

What about that Golduck?

Instead taking back the Griseous Orb from Yuga's hand, Articuno inquired, looking at the trembling Golduck not far away. It sensed the aura of the Griseous Orb coming from the Golduck and was quite concerned.

So, Yuga proceeded to explain everything he knew about Golduck and the Froslass.

Articuno learned that Golduck had taken the Griseous Orb fragment, which had caused it to work hard for so many years.

Angry at this revelation, Articuno exclaimed.

"Articuno!"

You two, follow me!

Articuno turned its head and said a few words to Yuga and Cynthia. Then, it flapped its wings and soared into the sky, grabbing Golduck in its talons.

Golduck dared not resist and could only let Articuno hold it. It knew that its future wouldn't be pleasant, especially without the Froslass's life-prolonging abilities. Its remaining days were numbered.

Yuga and Cynthia exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously, deciding to follow Articuno to see what was happening. They also intended to return the Griseous Orb, which had become a troublesome burden.

Mega Gengar reverted to its regular form and entered Yuga's Shadow Space, while Yuga summoned his Dragonite and rode it, following Articuno.

Cynthia also rode on her Garchomp to keep up.

As they flew out of the valley, they saw the Ice-type Pokémon that had initially been searching for Billy and Satoshi now obeying Articuno's orders to search for the blown-away Froslass.

The Froslass, responsible for the deaths of many Pokémon on Snowpeak, some of which were Articuno's underlings, would not escape Articuno's wrath.

Articuno led Yuga and Cynthia towards the peak of Snowpeak Mountain.

Mount Coronet Peak was the highest point in the Coronet Highlands and the entire Sinnoh Region. If not for Articuno leading the way, Yuga and Cynthia would never have made it there.

They believed that they might be among the very few humans in recent years to reach the summit of Snowpeak.

As they ascended, the air pressure decreased, and Yuga and Cynthia began to feel uncomfortable. However, Articuno effortlessly continued its flight.

Initially, Yuga and Cynthia expected the summit to be similar to the lower slopes, covered in pristine white snow and icy landscapes.

To their surprise, the summit turned out to be a place filled with the scent of blooming flowers and the sounds of birds chirping.

The summit was concave in shape and enveloped in a pale blue energy shield. While blizzard raged outside, the energy shield created a paradise inside, with colorful flora and even Pokémon like Starly and Combee living peacefully.

The energy shield that protected the concave valley couldn't have occurred naturally. It was another hidden paradise under the protection of a Legendary Pokémon.

Guided by Articuno, Yuga and Cynthia entered the concave valley through the pale blue energy shield. Inside, they found a warm and inviting environment, with lush grass, vibrant flowers everywhere make them feels like in the Machina.

In the center of the concave valley is a small lake and the small lake surface was like crystal lake. There are various Pokémon were drinking from the lake, including the rare one like Eevee, Togepi, and Riolu.

If it weren't for this hidden paradise, these Pokémon would never survive in the bone-chilling environment of Snowpeak's summit.

Yuga and Cynthia landed on a small island at the center of the lake. As soon as they touched down, the Pokémon drinking by the lake became startled and moved away from the shore.

In front of Yuga and Cynthia, a majestic Sigilyph appeared suddenly, causing Yuga to jump in surprise. It was a Pokémon of the same level as the giant Melotic.

On Articuno's body, Yuga sensed a similar energy to the pale blue energy shield outside. Clearly, the protective energy shield around the concave valley originated from this Sigilyph.

Fortunately, Yuga had good acting skills, so he didn't show any signs of being startled on his face.

In this world, powerful Pokémon tended to stick together. Just as Melotic and Manaphy did, Articuno and Sigilyph, were no exception. It was no wonder that nobody dared to meddle in these hidden realms. One misstep could cost them their lives.

This journey through Sinnoh had made Yuga realize that the world wasn't lacking in powerful Pokémon; they simply preferred to remain hidden from humans.

As soon as Articuno landed, it tossed Golduck onto the ground, leaving the poor Pokémon battered from the fall.

Then, Articuno seemed to communicate something to Sigilyph, and a Lucario immediately jumped over under Sigilyph's command. It picked up the severely injured Golduck and left.

As for what Articuno and Sigilyph would do with Golduck next, it was no longer Yuga and Cynthia's concern. This was an internal matter of Snowpeak.

After dealing with Golduck, Articuno instructed Yuga to hand over the Griseous Orb to Sigilyph. Sigilyph carried the Griseous Orb to an altar at the center of the small island and placed it there.

The island was not large, and as soon as Yuga and Cynthia arrived, they noticed the altar that occupied half of the island. Initially curious about the purpose of the altar, they now realized that it was meant for holding the Griseous Orb.

Yuga glanced at Sigilyph and then at Articuno. He couldn't help but wonder how the members of the Hegel Mercenary Corps had managed to steal the Griseous Orb from here. However, he didn't dwell on it. The matter was resolved, and there was no need to overthink it. Human greed had no bounds, especially when it came to a treasure like this.

Just as Yuga was relieved that the situation had been resolved, he suddenly saw a massive black vortex forming on the surface of the lake. Cynthia, too, widened her eyes in surprise.

In contrast to Yuga and Cynthia's astonishment, Articuno and Sigilyph displayed expressions of relief.

In the eyes of Yuga and Cynthia, a dragon-shaped Pokémon emerged from the black vortex.

Giratina!

Giratina had suddenly appeared before them. Yuga managed to keep his composure, but Cynthia was on the verge of fainting. If Yuga hadn't supported her, she might have collapsed right then and there.

For someone like Cynthia, who had a deep fascination with the mythology of the Pokémon world, the presence of the Sinnoh Creation Trio was of extraordinary significance.

Moreover, among the Sinnoh Creation Trio, Giratina, the Lord of the Distortion World, was the most enigmatic. While there were fragmentary records of Palkia and Dialga in the literature, information about Giratina was entirely blank.

Giratina has two forms: its Altered Forme and its Origin Forme.

In its Origin Forme, Giratina resembles more of a serpentine creature, and it takes on this form when it's in the Distortion World. In this form, Giratina exhibits characteristics more akin to a Ghost-type Pokémon.

In its Altered Forme, Giratina looks more like a typical Dragon-type Pokémon and adopts this form when it leaves the Distortion World, powered by the Griseous Orb.

However, Yuga noticed something peculiar; Giratina had appeared in its Altered Forme from the the start, rather than transitioning from its Origin Forme. The reason was simple: there was no Griseous Orb on its body.

As soon as Giratina appeared, Articuno and Sigilyph instinctively lowered their heads. Yuga and Cynthia only then realized that both Articuno and Sigilyph served under Giratina.

Giratina nodded lightly to the two Legendary Pokémon, and then it landed on the altar. From its mouth, it emitted a golden light, which absorbed the Griseous Orb.

"GROOOOOOAR!"

Regaining the Griseous Orb, Giratina let out a triumphant roar, and black energy ripples spread from it. Yuga and Cynthia's clothes were ruffled, and the calm lake's surface rippled.

After Giratina's finished venting, Articuno landed in front of it, said something Yuga couldn't unserstand, and Giratina's red eyes shifted to Yuga and Cynthia.

Yuga and Cynthia immediately felt a pressure bearing down on them, causing their scalps to tingle.

"Was it you who helped me find the lost pieces of the Griseous Orb?"

A deep voice resonated in Yuga and Cynthia's minds—Telepathy.

Despite being taken aback by this sudden Telepathy, both of them obediently nodded.

"Thank you!"

Surprisingly, Giratina's attitude toward them was quite kind.

In legends, Giratina was often portrayed as a violence Pokémon, and was exiled to a Distortion World by Arceus. However, Yuga knew that reality was different.

The "Distortion World" was, in fact, the Reverse World, the mirror image of the real world. These two worlds were interconnected and mutually dependent. Giratina, as the Lord of the Distortion World, served as its guardian, ensuring the balance between the two realms. It was not banished there as legends sometimes mentioned.

Protecting the Distortion World was tantamount to safeguarding the real world.

Then, Giratina turned its gaze to Cynthia and paused before saying, "Are you a member of the Temple clan?"

Though phrased as a question, Giratina's tone was remarkably certain.

"Yes," Cynthia replied.

Giratina nodded and began, "I must share some unfortunate news with you. Arceus is about to awaken from its slumber."

Cynthia's face turned pale upon hearing this. "Is... is it true?"

As a core member of the Temple clan, Cynthia was well aware of the history and conflicts between Arceus and the Temple. She feared that Arceus's awakening would lead it to settle the account with the Temple.

Giratina continued, "We sensed signs of this awakening about ten years ago..."

It turned out that ten years ago, there were already a sign of Arceus awakening from its slumber. This was alarmed Giratina, Dialga, and Palkia.

They knew well what had happened over a thousand years ago when Arceus had lost its sanity due to injured and fall into slumber. Once Arceus woke up, the world might be in grave danger.

The fate of the Temple clan didn't concern the three deities, but the destruction of the world was something they wanted to prevent.

To delay Arceus's awakening, the three deities had joined forces. However, Arceus, even in its slumber, subsconciously resisted.

The three deities were no match for Arceus. Though they eventually achieved their goal, they had suffered various degrees of injuries.

And during that moment, a piece of Giratina's Griseous Orb was shattered. The Griseous Orb was incredibly resilient, and even Giratina couldn't damage it. Only Arceus possessed that capability.

The fragment of the Griseous Orb eventually fell to the Mount Coronet and was later picked up by a passing Golduck. Giratina had initially intended to find it, but when it arrived, the shard was already in the possession of the Froslass, so it lost track of it.

Giratina wasn't suited to staying in the real world for long periods, especially when it was wounded and required rest.

So, it found Articuno, the Snowpeak King, and entrusted the Griseous Orb to it. Articuno would search for the lost fragment on the Mount Coronet, while Giratina returned to the Distortion World for recovery.

Articuno had searched for many years, but to no avail. it never imagine that It had been right under its beak all along.