1. Ash's Story (Part 8: Ancient Sinnoh and Ultra Dimensions)

Chapter 44

We arrive at Coronet Highlands, finding Volo already standing before the broken statue of Giratina. "Have a look at this. This statue has been kept here, far from the statues of Dialga and Palkia...Broken and shattered, and yet it remains...Do you know what it is?"

I tremble, "I know..."

"Of course you would. You're the greatest wielder of Pokemon this land knows. The one who could bring low even Dialga and Palkia." Volo says. "The crumbling statue once was the figure of a Pokemon - one that was equal to both Dialga and Palkia, yet banished from our world...The great Pokemon Giratina!"

We anticipate where this conversation is headed. Volo inquires, "It was banished for its violence, left to dwell in a world on the reverse side of our own. It is a being that has lain in wait for the chance to bare its fangs in defiance and tear down Arceus itself. Now tell me, if this Giratina desires more than anything else to challenge almighty Arceus...where do you think it might appear?"

"I think it would be at the temple of Sinnoh..." I mutter.

"Exactly! Where one is closer to the heavens than any other place in Hisui!...And where the space-time rift first opened!" Volo declares, his sudden laughter sending shivers down everyone's spines. "I can feel it...We're getting closer to uncovering the secrets of this world! I daresay the excitement is losing my lips more than it should, but...You see, ever since I was young, whenever I met with something painful or heartbreaking...I couldn't help but wonder why life was so unfair. Why I was cursed to live through such things. Of course, I imagine we all go through something like that. Eventually, I chose to direct all my energy into my own natural curiosity and ambition. And what tickled my curiosity more strongly than anything were the mysteries to be found in legends, in history, in ruins...You see, I fancied that by unraveling these mysteries, I could find out how the world itself came to be - and with that knowledge, maybe even forge a new, better world!"

"No!" I exclaim, recalling Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic.

"Now, if we can find the realm that exists on the reverse side of our world...and meet the creator's unwanted child banished therein...perhaps then we'll be able to understand the nature of almighty Sinnoh itself! Do you want to see it with your own eyes?! We must make for the Temple of Sinnoh at Mount Coronet's peak! Dialga and Palkia both appeared from within the rift that once gaped open there, didn't they? If these plates can call anything at all, it seems likely that is where it would appear!"

After Volo departs, Rei notices my pallid complexion and inquires, "Ash? What's the matter?"

"Do you think Gina... could she be the one responsible for the frenzied mess?" I query. "Perhaps due to her animosity and the desire to challenge me, as Volo mentioned?"

"I'm not sure... but perhaps all our questions will be addressed once we reach the Temple of Sinnoh," Alice responds.

As we reach the Temple of Sinnoh, we approach Volo, who stands before us with a malevolent grin. "The temple lies in ruins now...Columns cracked and broken...Like pillars now turned into spears, stabbing into the heavens...Well, I detect a distinct lack of Giratina."

Our gazes fixated on Volo, who inquires, "Hmm? Is something bothering you? Ah, I do beg your pardon. I suppose I must seem to be behaving strangely! I daresay you deserve to know what I'm really after by now. Ever since I became convinced that Arceus really does exist, there has been one question that consumed my thoughts...How can I meet such a being myself? It was in an attempt to answer this question that I originally sought out Giratina and had it tear open that rift in space and time..."

"So it was you who instigated Giratina to agitate those Noble Pokémon and provoke both Dialga and Palkia into a frenzy..." Rei exclaims, his tone filled with anger.