"Can you hear me!? We are alive!"

The cheer could be heard loud and clear through the still, chilly air, quickly fading out as the sun rose higher and higher over the open sea. The light sparkled off of the water, bouncing off of every icicle and flake of snow that could be seen on the far horizon. As Celebi and Dusknoir drew up to his sides, Grovyle brought his hands to his mouth, yelling out as strongly as his lungs would let him, his triumphant call rising even above the breathing of the god of time behind them. "Bill! Rose! Can you hear me!? We are alive! We are alivugh-"

The lizard's eyes widened as a jolt of pain rippled through his body, and he felt himself crumple to his knees, digging his claws into the icy ground with a wince. He heard Celebi gasp, and a large hand lifted him back to his feet; he sent the ghostly Pokemon a short nod of thanks as Dusknoir firmly grasped Grovyle's shoulder.

"Steady yourself, Grovyle…" He said, a note of concern evident in his low, gruff voice. "What's wrong?"

"I…" Grovyle muttered, feeling lightheaded as he continued to gaze in awe at the mountain view. Shaking his head, he planted his hands on his legs and pushed, standing up straight as he exhaled. He reached up to rub at his head, only to feel his body throb once more as he touched his claws to his forhead. The leaves on his arms seemed to waver from the cold as he knelt down again, breathing heavily. "I feel exhausted…"

"What?" Celebi asked in surprise, her wings fluttering as she flew in front of her fellow grass-type, cupping his chin in her tiny hands as she looked into his eyes. He shivered as he finally felt the full strength of the high-altitude winds, the very evidence that time was flowing once again. After everything, mere moments after being given a second chance… were they going to fall here and now? "But that doesn't… doesn't make… any…"

The fairy trailed off, losing her grip on her friend as her eyes rolled back in her head, and Grovyle instinctively reached his arms out, catching her as she drifted into unconsciousness. His heart raced as he cradled Celebi's body close to his chest, and he resisted the urge to flop over himself, instead shuffling around bit-by-bit until he could stare at the great dragon behind them. Dusknoir floated forward a few paces, gesturing towards Dialga in confusion.

"Master Dialga-" The ghost started, but the temporal Pokemon cut him off with a curt stomp of his feet, the ice audibly cracking underneath his steel-toed legs. Dusknoir moved back as Dialga stepped off of the slight incline, turning to face them. Underneath his gaze, one that no longer held any malice, Grovyle couldn't help but feel quite small.

"NO." The reply was short, but held just as much force as the wind that buffeted them. "YOUR MASTER WAS… A PRIMAL BEAST. I AM DIALGA, AND I AM NOT YOUR MASTER."

"…Dialga," Dusknoir began again. "What is happening to-!"

Without warning, Dusknoir collapsed mid-sentence, not even trying to push against the ground as he lay awkwardly atop the peak of the mountain. Grovyle sucked in a breath, feeling woozy again as his vision began to blur. He could still make out Dialga's shape, nodding his head slightly as the two Pokemon eyed each other.

"DESPITE RETURNING TO LIFE… WE STILL BATTLED, IN ANOTHER TIME, IN A DARKER PLACE," Dialga's voice boomed, making Grovyle's ears ring, and the grass type instinctively glanced at his arms and his sides – the feeling of blood, trickling from innumerable cuts and punctures, seemed so close yet so far away. "THE GREAT PARADOX OF A WORLD OF FROZEN TIME."

"A paradox!?" Grovyle sputtered, lurching as his strength gave out, and he rolled onto his side, focusing all of his effort on keeping a hold on one of Celebi's arms. Dialga began to walk around, moving past the trio as if he was unaware of their plight. The grass type stared weakly at the dragon's feet, blinking away tears of pain. "W-what… how is that possible?"

"TIME IS NOT SOMETHING THAT SIMPLY STARTS AND ENDS," The god continued to explain, forlornly sitting down on the ice and bowing his head. The warmth of the sun finally seemed to cut through the wind, and Grovyle sighed in slight relief as the heat staved off the numbness that had begun to creep up on him. "THE PLANET WAS PARALYZED, BUT THE WORLD ITSELF CONTINUED TO MOVE. TIME FLOWED ONWARD, EVEN WITHOUT MY GUIDANCE TO MAKE IT SUPPORT THE LIFE IT CARRIED."

"T-that-" Grovyle paused. "But then where are we? I thought that Bill and Rose were able to stop the planet's paralysis…"

"THEY DID," Dialga answered, unable to keep from chuckling, and Grovyle frowned deeply at the dragon, who quickly coughed to clear his throat. He turned his head towards the path leading down the mountain, seemingly smiling to himself as his body began to shimmer and fade. "DO NOT FEAR. SOMEONE COMES, EVEN AS WE SPEAK."

His vision blurry, Grovyle tried to reach out towards Dialga with his other arm, his hand trembling as the dragon's figure vanished from sight. "Wait… Dialga, wait… I don't understand!"

"LIVE, GROVYLE." Everything began to sound like it was coming from further and further away, Dialga's voice almost deafening in its volume, and Grovyle felt his muscles tense; at this point, he couldn't tell if it was from the noise, the wind, or his own exhaustion. "THAT IS HOW YOU WILL UNDERSTAND. YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE FUTURE."

"Dialga… Dialga…" Grovyle muttered under his breath as the presence of the god finally seemed to disappear, the cold finally biting through his body as he let his arms fall limp. The wind, sun, and sparkling ice passed into darkness as he closed his eyes, unable to keep the leaden lids open anymore. All he could do was listen, stuck between staying awake and letting himself drift into sweet oblivion.

…

"Yama!"

Who… who was that woman speaking to…

"Yama, dear, there's Pokemon up here! They look hurt! Quickly!"

"I can hear you just fine, hun, I'm coming! Just move yer tail and see how bad they look up close!"

Grovyle barely registered the pair of paws that slowly rolled him onto his back, his mind having long since wandered off at this point. A couple dribbles of water ran down his cheeks, only to be wiped away by soft fur. He opened his eyes just barely, seeing a faded pink blotch that took up most of his vision. "D-Dialga…"

"Don't talk, dear, just rest. We'll make sure you'll be okay. Yama! There's three explorers up here, one of them is just barely conscious!"

Something stomped up to them, the ice that covered the stones feeling wet. A hearty voice answered the other. "Hoo… boy, these three really did take a tumble, didn't they, eh? And is that a Celebi?"

"Quickly, you get those two, dear," The woman spoke quietly, lifting the lizard up, and he let himself lay still, his hand finally slipping away from his friend's. "I'll take him. We need to get them to the guild as soon as we can."

"Dialga… I don't understand…" Grovyle mumbled.

"Dialga?" The male asked, to nobody in particular. "Lin, hun, what's he babbling about over there? I heard him say something!"

"Di… ughh… aaaaagh…"

"I don't know, dear. I think you're hearing things, he's just groaning. Poor dear, they all must have gotten to the summit and then passed out from the effort. And I don't see a bag anywhere... did they try to climb the mountain without supplies!?"

"Heh! Well, these two are definitely out cold, so maybe yer right, hun. Let's get moving before we all turn into ice sculptures, eh?"

"Uhgh…" Grovyle barely managed to try and speak one last time before letting himself stay still again, still teetering on the edge of sleep. The wind blew past him as he felt himself carried, the footsteps going from ice to stone, echoing around, and finally the crunch of snow.

…

"Pansear?"

…another voice? Another lady… who were all these Pokemon? And where were they coming from? His eyes still felt heavy.

"Pansear! His breathing's changed! Maybe he's starting to wake up!"

"Sorry, nurse, ma'am!" Someone young. "What should I get? Oh, wait, you need more aspear ointment like you asked for before, right?"

"Maybe!" The nurse repeated herself. "Maybe, how many times have we gone over what each berry does? Yes, please bring me the aspear ointment… no, maybe the distilled oran medicine…"

"You got it, ma'am!" The boy's feet pounded against the wood as he ran off, and Grovyle groaned, feeling something roughly grab the leaf on his head and rub vigorously. The barest hint of strength seemed to return to his body, and he tried to reach up to the intruding Pokemon, only to have his hands smacked away. Something underneath him itched profusely, but when he tried to scratch his back his hands were smacked away again, and he grumbled.

"I can see what you're trying to do, and maybe you should stop, because you need to just lay still!" The nurse scolded him, and he couldn't help but feel mildly embarrassed, letting his arms rest at his sides as the Pokemon worked away, moving from his head to his shoulders, to the leaves on his arms. "You and your two friends are lucky you were just suffering from exhaustion! Fainting on the top of Mount Avalanche, honestly, maybe!"

The sound of rickety wheels rolled into the room, and Grovyle heard a rattling as something was set nearby. "Nurse Audino, we've got what you asked for right here! Should I apply the ointment first, or give him the oran medicine?"

"Oh for Arceus' sake, Pansear, maybe…" Audino left away from her patient briefly. "Hmm, maybe… maybe…"

"What…" Grovyle croaked out, wincing at the sound of his own voice, and he arched his back as he tried to find the source of the irritating itch. "Where… am I…"

"Nurse Audino, ma'am, you give him some oran medicine and I'll do the ointment!" Pansear said, upbeat and chipper as could be, and something cool and sticky was suddenly dabbed onto his chest, sending the grass type back down onto… whatever he was laying on. Audino grasped his nose, forcing his mouth open, and a thin, overpoweringly flavorful juice ran down his gullet, making him cough and sputter as he tried to swallow the strong-tasting liquid. "Ma'am, could you help me hold him down?"

"Yes, maybe, I can see that!" The nurse replied crabbily. Grovyle heaved as he felt the two Pokemon hold his sides to keep him still, and he snapped his jaw shut, smacking his lips as the taste of the oran medicine seemed to fill his entire mouth, from roof to bottom. "Just let the medicine go down without a fuss!"

"Have…" Grovyle tried to speak, though it came out as more of a hoarse cough. "I have!"

"Then just go back to sleep!" She replied forcefully, and someone started to spread the chilly, sticky ointment around his body, the goop suddenly feeling very warm against his belly, and the grass type let out a pleasant sigh, suddenly feeling very tired again. Had the struggle to gulp down the medicine really taken that much out of him?

"I'm… ugh... I'll… live," He mumbled under his breath, letting his head rest as he finally began to feel like he could really fall asleep. Everything started to sound far away again, one of the Pokemon humming to himself as he applied the ointment to the leaves on his arm. "Live…"

"Yes, just go to sleep, like you're doing, maybe," The nurse reassured, still grouchy, but sounding far less annoyed than before. "Maybe you'll feel better with more bedrest, once the ointment fully sets in!"

"…live…" Grovyle felt himself slip into slumber, finally falling fully asleep after what had felt like forever.

Everything was pain.

Grovyle groaned as his eyes fluttered open, scrunching them back shut as light flooded his vision, making him grimace in pain as dull patches of color faded in and out of the darkness. After a few moments, he let out a loud yawn, stretching his arms and legs as the bed creaked underneath him, and he brought a hand in front of his face as he let his eyelids open just a crack. Blinking a few times, everything came into focus as daylight streamed in from a window across the… the…

Daylight?

Daylight!

"It's morning!" Grovyle yelled, jerking upwards into a sitting position, and he gasped as a sudden grogginess pounded at his skull. Clutching his forehead with his claws, he grunted as he felt bile in the back of his throat, and he took deep breaths in and out, staring wide-eyed at the frosted window across the room. As his nausea and lightheadedness began to fade, the lizard glanced at something that tickled his side: a yellow blanket, kicked askew when he'd shot up. Looking down, he could see bits and pieces of thin, dry grass, piled onto a wooden frame. "Ugh?"

He glanced around the room, taking in the unfamiliar sight of cut logs and the unfamiliar scent of resin. Other beds, adorned with the same set of wood, feather pillow, hay and blanket, lined the walls, a small table sat next to each one. Looking to his side, Grovyle noticed the table next to his own bed, a small candleholder sitting atop it to make up for the lack of windows on his wall. He reached out to feel the cold metal, the candle halfway melted and its wick blackened from use. "Where… where am I…?"

Looking around the room again, he frowned at the empty beds, shaking the leaf on his head as it lay flat against his back. He could hear something outside the windows, but the walls were thick enough to make anything outside into nothing more than barely-audible noise. "Hello? Celebi? Dusknoir?"

His call was only met with silence, and Grovyle narrowed his eyes, drumming his claws against the table as he began to think hard. "Okay… what's the last thing I remember?"

He remembered the mountain. He remembered fighting Primal Dialga. He remembered watching the sunrise with Celebi and… he remembered reappearing. He remembered the three of them suddenly collapsing with exhaustion. And then… "Dialga… he said something about a… time paradox? And… to live?"

Swinging his legs over the side of his bed, he stepped down onto the floor, a chill running down his spine from the cold wood, and he grunted as another throb of pain ran through his head. "Ugh… but how did I get from there to here?"

Shivering a bit, Grovyle reached over to the blanket and wrapped himself up, the thick wool fluffy and warm, and he took a shaky step forward, steadying himself before taking another. "Hello? Is anyone else here? Hello!"

Taking a glance outside the window, he stopped and blinked, watching the white flecks that seemed to be falling from… somewhere. Entranced, he wobbled his way over to the other end of the room, grasping both ends of the blanket in one hand as he pressed the other up against the glass. His heart skipped a beat at the frozen feeling that ran down his claws, but he kept still. "Is this what snow-"

Something scraped against wood, Grovyle tensing at the sound, and he swiveled on his heels, readying himself as he took a defensive position… and gasping in pain again as the sudden movement sent another wave of nausea through him, and he stumbled backwards, leaning against the bed as he held his head in his hands, closing his eyes as he gritted his teeth. "Blaugh… that was stupid…"

"Oh," A warm, elderly voice replied, and Grovyle heard the door shut as footsteps came towards him. "You're out of bed already, hoho! I'm quite impressed… I had guessed you'd only be walking after a day or two more!"

"Wha?" Grovyle opened his eyes as he felt a pair of flippers on his chest and back, easing him down onto the bed, and he turned his head to look at his visitor. A red penguin, with friendly eyes and fluffy white feathers from his face to his chest, smiled kindly at him, picking up the end of his bag-shaped tail before waddling over to the neighboring bed and climbing on top of it. As the Pokemon fidgeted about to get himself comfortable, Grovyle's mind went into overdrive, and he was unable to keep a string of questions from escaping his mouth. "Who are you? Where am I- wait, what did you mean by that? Where are Ce-"

"Hoho, slow down there!" The bird wiggled his flippers at him, letting his tail sit atop the bed as he calmed down the panicking grass type. Grovyle took a deep breath and sighed, letting his own blanket fall away as he rested his hands against his knees. "Good, just relax. You've been through a lot in the past day or so, hoho!"

"The last… day?" Grovyle repeated, more to himself than to the speaker. The very concept still sounded foreign to him. "What… what happened?"

"Well, I was hoping you'd be able to tell me that," The penguin answered, stifling a laugh with his flipper. "You and your two other explorer friends slept through just about the entire day and night, hoho!"

"Slept… the whole… what?" Grovyle flinched, reaching over to stroke the leaves on his arms. "I remember being on the summit of the Vast Ice Mountain when the sun was rising, and then-"

"Where did you say now?" The other Pokemon interrupted, and Grovyle looked over at the bird, confusion evident in his dark-ringed eyes. "Sorry to cut you off, hoho, but I've never heard of a place called Vast Ice Mountain."

"You haven't?" Grovyle asked, sitting still for a moment as he glanced outside the window. The white things, the falling snow, had disappeared… "But… then… huh?"

"You must still be a little out of it from the exhaustion, hoho, don't be too worried." The bird smiled at him, stroking his beard of feathers. "Why don't we start over from the beginning, hoho? We'll probably make a little progress that way."

"I… alright," Grovyle conceded, nodding gently as he scooched a little further up the bed. "I guess I'll start with… who are you?"

"Hoho, well, my name is Delibird!" The red penguin patted his beard before reaching a flipper outward, and Grovyle took it into his hand, giving it a firm shake. "I'm the master of the Delibird Rescuer Guild stationed here at Snowrest Village!"

"Snowrest… Village? T-the Guildmaster?" Grovyle blinked in surprise, stuttering a bit as his thoughts were derailed. Amidst his muddled words, Delibird chortled heartily, rocking back and forth against the bed, which creaked from the movement.

"Hohohoho, what's with all the fuss?" The Guildmaster asked nonchalantly, a grin plastered on his beak. "Come on now, no need to be all uptight. Just 'Delibird' or 'Guildmaster' is fine with me, hoho. It's what most Pokemon call me, anyway!"

"S-so…" Grovyle said, managing to think of another question to change the subject. A Rescuer Guild? The Guildmaster? It was starting to become too much to take at once. "Am I being kept here in the guild, then? How did I get here? And where are Celebi and Dusknoir?"

"Yes you are, hoho," Delibird confirmed with a nod, hopping off of his bed and moving over to Grovyle's side, and the lizard helped the elderly Pokemon up next to him. He held out the blanket to the Guildmaster, who then took it and wrapped it over his shoulders. "A couple that lives down in Snowrest Village was having a climb up Mount Avalanche when they found you and your friends up on the summit. Celebi and Dusknoir…?"

"Yes, that's them," Grovyle replied, instinctively tightening his grip around the blanket he wore. "Are they okay?"

"Yes, hoho, they're doing just fine," Delibird smiled warmly, patting Grovyle's back, and he let out a sigh of relief that felt like a weight being lifted from his mind. "Anyway, Celebi and Dusknoir were already unconscious when they found you, but you were just barely hanging on, and mumbling a bunch, hoho!"

"Mumbling what?" Grovyle blurted out, catching himself and sitting up straight. "Did I say anything about… anything you could understand?"

Delibird shook his head, the white feathers on the penguin's head ruffling lightly as his beard moved back and forth. "I'm afraid I don't know, you had stopped mumbling by the time you were admitted into the guild. Nurse Audino was looking after you last night, and she said at one point you were half-conscious and asking about where you were, but that's all, hoho!"

"Audino… that sounds a little familiar…" Grovyle closed his eyes and tapped his claws against his chin, a few more recent memories bubbling to the surface. He grumbled softly as the memory of being half-conscious came to the forefront of his mind; that was a feeling he hadn't missed. "Well… what next?"

"Hoho, that's about it, really!" The Guildmaster hopped off of the bed, tugging on Grovyle's hand as he did so, and the lizard carefully slid onto the chilly floor, curling his toes as Delibird slowly guided him back to his own bed on the other side of the room. The sunlight was streaming in from every window behind them, and Grovyle took a deep breath as he felt the beams of light ever-so-slightly warm up the room. "Now it's probably best if you get back into your own bed and rest some more… though…"

"Though?" Grovyle said expectantly, easing himself back onto the itchy hay and wrapping himself up tightly in the woolen blanket, still sitting up as he rested against the wall. His head still ached, but it was far less than it was when he'd first gotten out of bed. Guildmaster Delibird chuckled awkwardly, pulling the lizard's head-leaf out from under his back.

"Well, hoho, you sort of interrogated me, so I was hoping I could ask you some questions as well," Delibird replied, picking up the end of his tail and holding it close. "Your two friends haven't woken up yet, at least as far as I know, so-"

A loud rapping against the door broke both of their concentration, and Delibird turned around as the door creaked open, sliding against the floor with an ear-piercing scratch, which made Grovyle wince. A large canine, with bushy tan and orange fur, poked his head into the room, his brow furrowed until his gaze landed on the two of them, his tail wagging as he saw them. He cheerfully smiled at the two of them as he trotted into the room, leaving the door hanging wide open.

"Hello there, Guildmaster, sir!" The Arcanine respectfully bowed at the Guildmaster. Delibird silently returned the bow, bending at the hip before gesturing for the apprentice to continue. "My apologies, sir, I didn't realize that one of the patients was awake!"

"Hoho, what do you need, Arcanine?" Delibird asked, stroking his beard a bit as he spoke, and Grovyle leaned forward, watching the two intently. "Is it something about one of the other patients?"

Arcanine shook his head, his smile shrinking a little. "No, I think they're still asleep in bed, sir."

"Oh, hoho, well…" Delibird trailed off, scratching his side. "Is it nurse Audino again? I know she can be a little wishy-washy, but-"

"No, sir, not nurse Audino either," The dog answered quickly, lightly scratching against the wooden floor. "It's miss Lin and mister Yama, sir, they wanted to know about how the patients were doing."

"Oh!" Delibird's eyes lit up, and he turned to Grovyle. "Lin and Yama are the couple from Snowrest Village who I mentioned before, hoho! They're the ones who found you and your friends at the peak of Mount Avalanche!"

"They are?" Grovyle said lamely, and both Delibird and Arcanine nodded. "I see… I guess they'll be happy to hear I'm up and about."

"I suppose I should go and speak with them, then." Delibird nodded at Arcanine, who turned around and squatted, letting the elderly bird clamber up onto his back. Grovyle couldn't help but smirk at the fairly ridiculous sight, though he tried to hide it as best he could. "Hoho, but Arcanine, please remember-"

"Not to go too fast this time, I know, sir, I know," Arcanine replied, grinning sheepishly as the Guildmaster scratched behind one of his ears, which flicked forward happily. "It's what you tell me every time, sir."

"Oh, hoho, before I forget!" Delibird looked over his shoulder, his black-ringed eyes peering straight into Grovyle's yellow ones. "I gave you my name, but I never got the chance to ask you what your name was, hoho!"

"…Grovyle," The grass type answered hesitantly, returning the Guildmaster's smile as he twiddled his claws together. "Grovyle, Celebi, and Dusknoir. That's us."

Delibird nodded lightly before yelping as Arcanine dashed outside of the room, the door swinging shut from the force of the momentum alone, leaving Grovyle to sit in his bed as the ward grew silent once again. Sighing to himself, Grovyle snaked his arms behind his head, sliding down the wall until he rested his head against the pillow, staring at the ceiling as the sound of bustling once again could be heard from outside. The pinewood smell wafted into Grovyle's nostrils, making him snort from the strength of the scent; he guessed it could rival that of the medicine he'd been given during the night.

"Blech…" Grovyle gagged at the thought as he tried to push it out of his mind. "I never thought something as simple as an oran berry could taste too much… this place really is a lot different than I'd imagined it'd be…"

He smiled softly as he thought of Treasure Town, wherever it might have been, if it still existed at all in this future. Bill, Rose, the Wigglytuff Guild, he could see them all clearly in his mind's eye as he thought of the grassy fields and flowing rivers he'd seen while searching for the Time Gears. Even though it had apparently been only a day since stopping Primal Dialga, his time in the past felt like it had happened years and years ago. Then they'd encountered Dusknoir, and gone back to the future of darkness, leading to them coming to…

"Wait!" Grovyle said to himself, sucking in a breath. "Dusknoir… you said that this place was called Blizzard Island in the past, right?"

Without the ghost in the incorporeal-flesh around to say so or not, all he could do was wonder, crossing his legs as he continued to talk to himself. The remnants of the Exploration Team Federation had been able to give him a little information about the past, but to forget about an entire village? A guild? How was it possible? "Is this what Dialga meant… about a time paradox?"

Dialga's words echoed in his mind as he recalled their conversation atop Vast Ice Mo… Mount Avalanche. The world flowed onward, even without his guidance to make it support the life it carried… the great paradox of a world of frozen time. "Dialga…what did you mean? Live to understand? Given the future?"

Suddenly feeling very tired, Grovyle let out a yawn, his head slightly aching again as he debated with himself. Rolling over onto his side, the lizard pulled the wool blanket a little tighter as he snuggled into the feather pillow, ignoring the slight itchiness of the hay as he breathed in and out, closing his eyes as he drifted off into a light nap. The sun still shined outside.

Clouds drifted across the bright, yellow sky as the sun hung high above the Temporal Tower, the light reflecting off of the shining blue stones as the air at its pinnacle began to shimmer and shine. In a flash of light, Dialga appeared, landing onto the ancient tiles as he let out a quiet (for a given value of quiet) growl, shaking the pillars that rose up from the floor. Thinking to himself, he turned around, staring at the steps that lead up to the five blue gears that hung from their proper place on the wall. The artifacts hummed with power, and the god of time closing his eyes, humming along with them.

"Master Dialga?"

"HM?" The dragon craned his neck to look behind him, and he nodded at the Pokemon that sat behind him. "GOOD MORNING, LAPRAS."

"Good morning, Master Dialga," Lapras said, raising a flipper in greeting. Dialga walked over to the water type, slowly sitting down in front of him as the two silently acknowledge each other's company. "If I may ask, where were you earlier? I visited the tower at sunrise, but you weren't here. Were you in the Hidden Land?"

"NO, I WAS NOT," The temporal Pokemon answered, looking out at the featureless horizon as he continued to speak. "THERE WAS SOME OUTSIDE BUSINESS THAT I NEEDED TO ATTEND TO."

"Outside business?" Lapras replied curiously, cocking his head in thought as he followed his master's eyes out towards the unnatural sky. "Master Dialga, is there something wrong with the flow of time again? There is no danger, is there?"

"STAY CALM, LAPRAS." Dialga gingerly tapped his foot against the tile. "THERE IS NO DANGER TO THE FLOW OF TIME. THERE WAS SIMPLY SOME POKEMON ELSEWHERE THAT REQUIRED MY PRESENCE. THAT IS ALL."

The two Pokemon grew silent, watching the clouds shift and shudder as they floated along, a refreshing wind blowing across Dialga's hidden domain.

"Master Dialga… does the outside business involve the Temporal Crisis that happened before?"

The dragon god of time only smiled.

"WHAT WAS ONCE SPLIT IS WHOLE AGAIN."