The blue seemed to last forever. Pale blue sky above, deep blue sea below, a horizon stretching for as far as the eye could see. Where's the city?

We should have been approaching Jubilife City by now, but there was only a traditional village. An archway announced the village's name in traditional characters. Ladies in bonnets and gentlemen carrying curved swords alongside armored Machoke strolled down the dirt paths. Black sleeves went down my arms; the material was sturdy and supple, like ninja gear. To my left, Riley was in ancient knight costume. Behind us, Cheryl rode my rosy-winged Togekiss in a green princess dress. Meanwhile, Aaron was wrapped in bandages like a mummy.

I stifled a giggle. Aaron's brows formed an angry V. The illusion faded, and we were all back in our normal clothes. The sea breeze tickled my bare arms once more. Jubilife City was still nowhere to be seen. Instead, we were flying into a snowstorm.

Noivern screeched with displeasure. The cold didn't bother Riley's Corviknight or the Talonflame that I was borrowing from Ash – and our formation sheltered my Togekiss – but Noivern was particularly susceptible to frigid winds.

Aaron shouted, "Why are we going this way?"

"I don't know! We were flying straight the whole time," I retorted. A silhouette flew toward us. "Steven?"

But that wasn't right. This bird Pokémon was broader than Skarmory, its feathers jagged to keep its flight silent but efficient.

"Dawn!" Kenny's voice warmed me, making everything seem less scary for a moment.

Aaron remarked, "You should have come from Oreburgh—the south, not the north."

"I did—Staraptor, go!" Rocks tumbled around them. My heart leaped to my throat. Kenny held on for his life, trusting Staraptor to dodge the falling rocks.

"Corviknight, let's help them." Riley flew past me, his Corviknight's flight swift with no wasted movements.

Staraptor squawked in horror as a large rock shot toward him and Kenny, who squeezed his eyes shut. Riley leaped off his Corviknight to send out Lucario with better momentum. "Lucario, my partner, use Bone Rush!"

Riley landed on Corviknight, his boots echoing on his Pokémon's metallic body. Lucario swung his bone staff at the falling boulder, breaking it apart.

I turned around to call out an order to my Pokémon. "Togekiss, use Dazzling Gleam!"

Shimmering fairy light washed over all of us and disintegrated the smaller rocks. Mount Coronet loomed over us, and I yelped. "That was definitely not this close!"

"Let's take a break in that cavern," Cheryl suggested. "I think we could all use one."

Sheltered from the cold, I rested my hand on Kenny's back. He was shaking. "I think I owe Ash my life," he admitted, "for training Staraptor brilliantly. I had way too many close calls. And Roark and Byron can't make it to the exhibition rematch; they want some father-and-son bonding time or something before Byron retires as a Gym Leader. At least my Empoleon and Floatzel got a great battle with their Rampardos and Aggron."

"That's rough," said a familiar nasally voice. I groaned inwardly—and then did a double take. What was Conway doing on Mount Coronet?

Conway adjusted his glasses. "Crasher Wake believes a rematch should be between the original trainers who battled, and only them."

Aaron grimaced. "He's missing the whole point."

Before the two boys could argue further, Heracross popped out of his Poké Ball without warning and scuttled out of the cavern. "Heracross, come back!" Aaron ran after his Pokémon. A startled cry from outside alarmed the rest of us.

A Crobat with a trainer riding on its back flew like it had drunk too much berry juice. Its flight wobbled, and the trainer slipped off. Horrified, I recognized Ace, his spiky jacket billowing in his free fall. Crobat tucked in his wings to catch his trainer.

"I got you!" Aaron hollered, shuffling around to position himself so Ace dropped in his arms. An instant later, Crobat collided with him.

Riley and I leaped out of the way. Aaron skidded back, sliding into his Heracross. "Ace! Crobat! What happened? Are you okay?"

"Make space," Cheryl ordered as Chansey pushed us out of the way. "They're exhausted. Chansey's Heal Pulse will help them feel better, along with rest and sugar."

Conway tipped his head to the side. "Sugar?"

"Of course," I realized, rummaging in my backpack. Kenny did the same. "Poffins contain a lot of nutrition for Pokémon, like the berries they're made from. And who doesn't like chocolate?"

A few minutes later, Aaron and Cheryl helped Ace sit up. He gently stroked his sleeping Crobat. "I couldn't stand it anymore. Challengers kept coming at me and my Pokémon, never giving us a break." He looked up at me. "I don't think I can be a Gym Leader."

"That's not true," I whispered. "You're an awesome Pokémon Trainer."

"She's right," Kenny said. Cheryl nodded; Aaron planted a kiss on Ace's forehead.

Conway rolled his eyes. "I like it better when I'm right."

Riley crossed his arms. "Gym Leaders have the right to refuse a challenge if they or their Pokémon need a break. You shouldn't push yourself – or your Pokémon – past your limits. I'm glad you're getting that break now, though. If I may ask, how is your gym faring now?"

Ace's turquoise eyes lit up with his smile. "Paul has been a tremendous help. To help me sneak out, he disguised himself as me. He won't be battling, though." Ace glanced down. "He's a lot better at saying no to people. I bet challengers are quaking with fear."

"Or anger," I suggested. We looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"It'll only hold up for so long," Riley warned, "until prospective challengers start filing complaints."

"Too bad for them," Aaron retorted. "I'm part of the Elite Four, and Cynthia is probably on the eastern border of Sinnoh right now."

"Or anywhere in the region," I suggested. "Time and space have been wacky lately. We need to figure out what's going on. Sinnoh could be in danger!"

Kenny shifted his weight. "That means Paul has to play as a mean Gym Leader for longer."

"He'll manage. He's Paul; this probably isn't hard for him."

Ace returned Crobat to his Ultra Ball and followed Cheryl to my Togekiss. I stroked Talonflame's neck. "Ready to fly again, friend?"

We gazed up at the peak of Mount Coronet. It didn't look too far away, but with space going haywire, the ascent might feel like forever. We had to try, anyway. Sinnoh is our home. If something was happening with Dialga and Palkia that was causing the distorted reality, then we had to fix it.