The Resort Area seemed abandoned but for the villas. Hannah walked along the verdant path past Manny's villa. She saw Manny's parents by the pool, sunning themselves in their swimwear. Persian and Farfetch'd were frolicking in the water, attempting to outdo each other with splashes. Eventually, Persian became overzealous: with one mighty swipe, she splashed half the pool onto their Trainers. The man and woman spluttered, wiped their eyes, then laughed with their Pokémon.

She walked past Mint's villa. Palmer and his wife were still eating lunch on the veranda. Cresselia and Darkrai were hovering just above the pool, staring at each other, but not in a hostile manner. More than words passed between the lunar duo. Perhaps they were sharing their nightmares and joyful dreams? The pool below them was rippling, forming alien arcane patterns on the surface that twisted and changed with each passing moment. The girl tried to decipher the meaning of the runes: she could almost make out the four-legged shape of some noble creature, but her headache just got worse, so she moved on.

She arrived at one of the villas her parents owned. Her Mom's Dragonite and Dad's Tropius were parked outside, munching their midday meal. The two giants gestured in greeting to their Trainers's offspring, knowing better than to speak when their mouths were full. She waved at them.

"They home?"

Dragonite nodded. He reached under Tropius's neck, plucking one of her fruits, chewing it. Picking Tropius fruit was taboo, but this one had grown up with this Dragonite, as he had with her. They had known each other years before Hanny's birth, during a time when their Trainers were still single, hotblooded and trying to conquer the world.

Hannah announced herself at the front door. Her father called her from his study. He was a professor of entomology, and as such every inch of the walls was covered with anatomical sketches, posters, graphs, charts, evolutionary trees and photographs of Bug Pokémon. Dressed in jeans and a Heracross-print T-shirt, the man was at a standing desk, scratching notes onto paper. He glanced at his daughter before returning to work.

"What've you been up to?"

"Dad, Darkrai trapped me in a horrible nightmare for ten years."

"Oh, that sucks. At least you're safe now. No physical injuries, right?"

"No, but my Vibrava evolved! She's so beautiful. Also I-"

"You better go talk to your mother."

She opened her mouth but thought better of it. Her mother was upstairs, dressed in overalls and gloves, replacing the modern Yorkshire sash window with a much more accessible casement window.

"Mom, what's up?"

"Hi Hanny! I'm renovating this window so that I can mount Dragonite from the second floor instead of climbing onto his back. I'm getting old."

Outside, Dragonite ducked his head at the mention of his name, warm brown eyes the size of tyre rims blinking at them. His Trainer patted his round nose, which filled the window frame. She then bent with her knees to pick up a window, fitting the hinges onto the wall frame.

"Mom, Darkrai captured me and the whole Sinnoh League just now. I had a nightmare –"

"Oh really? I thought humans captured Pokémon, not the other way round!"

"Yeah, it was awful, and my dream –"

"I'm sure you can talk about it with your little friends, dear. Thanks for stopping by!"

Hanny stood there, mouth hung open, before she retreated from the household. The girl walked past Mint's villa, where Palmer was taking pictures of Darkrai and Cresselia still locked in their weird unspoken communion. Mint's mother was washing the dishes. Hannah walked by Manny's villa: his father's Vaporeon, sporting newly regenerated fins, was spewing a steady stream of water to refill the pool, where Manny's parents had joined Persian and Farfetch'd in their play. Johanna splashed water onto Farfetch'd, who was unimpressed and swept a large wave that nearly threw her and her husband out of the pool. Annoyed, Vaporeon froze Farfetch'd solid with a small Ice Beam so that she could finish refilling the pool in peace.

Hannah re-entered the Pokémon Centre. She turned toward the dining area.

"Hey guys, do you wanna –"

The boys were gone.

888

Manny and Mint climbed Spear Pillar's stone stairs, both boys braced against the icy wind of the summit. All of Sinnoh lay before them; the land of their birth. They were not here to sightsee, though. The swirling vortices of blue and pink were still there, residues of the Time and Space gods.

"Pink isn't my colour," said Manny, planting himself like a Sudowoodo before the blue torrent of his chosen vortex, directing Mint to the other amid the boy's protests. The duo held aloft their Adamant and Lustrous Orb. Nothing happened.

"Are we supposed to throw these inside there?" Mint wondered.

"Manny, if you would permit me?"

Smoke billowed from Giratina's Pokéball, the shadow coalescing into her spiky serpentine form. She reared back her head, sucking in gales of wind, before releasing an abyssal roar that echoed throughout space and time, shaking the mountain and the boys to their knees, half deaf.

"Warn a guy before you do that."

"Mint, you have something else to worry about."

Standing in place of the vortices were the Pokémon of Space and Time: Palkia and Dialga, the former of pearl, the latter of diamond. They were agitated, riled up by Giratina's challenge.

"Summon Azelf and Mesprit!"

The Lake Pokémon swirled into the air from their Pokéballs, the latter glittering and tracing circles in the air around Mint.

"We three shall stabilise the space-time continuum so that those two shall not escape."

"WHAT TREACHERY IS THIS, GIRATINA?" Dialga demanded, pawing at the flagstones, leaving small trenches where his adamantine claws passed.

"This is no treachery. History has, for too long, belonged to the gods. We created this reality, my dear siblings, but this world belongs to mortal humans and mortal Pokémon. These children shall be my witnesses."

Palkia stomped one leg, rattling the boys.

"THESE blobs of protoplasm? You would see the limitless crabbed, cribbed and confined by the limited? Are you quite mad, dear sister?"

Giratina smiled, her golden mandibles fluttering with laughter.

"Yes, dear brother, I am, but what is madness, but a viewpoint not yet understood? These children will make you understand; it is only when the limited joins the limitless that the ALL will be in ALL."

Manny brought forth Torterra while Mint roused Infernape for battle. Infernape's great speed had the initiative, walloping Palkia with Brick Break. Dialga tried to squash the much smaller Torterra with Iron Tail, but that was one turtle which would not be trodden underfoot! Torterra latched onto the burnished tail with Bite, dug all four feet into the ground, then tossed his muscular head, forcing the titan to lose balance in two legs. Dialga fell over, more surprised than hurt, but the hurt came when Torterra used Earthquake, squashing the legendary dragon underfoot.

Palkia responded to Infernape's punch with a single Hydro Pump, defeating him in one blow.

"Ah-HA! A Water Dragon! That would make you weak to…"

Mint returned Infernape, already flinging another ball with his free hand.

"GARCHOMP! DRAGON RUSH!"

Mint's fully evolved Ground Dragon was a blur of claws and teeth, driving into the much bigger Palkia, rending, tearing and gouging with such ferocious abandon that the god flinched. Dialga, remembering that he could fly, took to the firmament, launching an Aura Sphere at Torterra. Like a planet enduring a meteor fall, the turtle endured the brutal volley, but Manny had other plans.

"Torterra, return! Keira, GO! Use CLOSE COMBAT!"

The Staraptor was a spear hitting its mark, exploiting a fatal weakness of the Steel Dragon. Dialga faltered, fumbled and fell, breaking flagstones, his knees wobbling. Manny tossed an Ultra Ball. Palkia suffered yet another Dragon Rush, falling back, breaking several rock columns. Mint tossed an Ultra Ball.

The dragons disappeared inside the devices. They broke out, of course, angrier than ever. Dialga breathed in, sucking in a few nearby clouds to unleash his signature move, 'Roar of Time'. His voice shattered not only the sky but the fabric of time! Keira would surely have been lost somewhere in the infinite corridors of Time had it not been for the presence of Giratina, Azelf and Mesprit, who repaired the rift, keeping the timestream firmly intact. The Staraptor was, however, utterly defeated. Palkia's voice, known as 'Spacial Rend', tore the fabric of reality! A gaping hole - where the world should be - formed around Garchomp who, being made of mere matter, could not withstand divine retribution. While the Ground Dragon fainted, the godlike observers repaired the damage Palkia had done, refilling the hole in the universe.

Manny was not done yet. "Rapidash, go all out! FLARE BLITZ!"

Mint was grinning. "Electivire, this is your time! THUNDER PUNCH!"

Twin collisions sent both dragons skidding backward, but still standing! They breathed, their chests heaving with effort, their muscles quivering with exhaustion.

"We… will not… yield!" Dialga snarled.

"To be captured… is… disgrace!" Palkia spat.

Two Ultra Balls flew. Again the dragons broke out. Again they used their signature moves. Again the mortal Pokémon fell. Again the silent observers repaired the tears in space-time.

"Vaporeon, ICE BEAM!" Manny shouted, one finger stabbing toward Dialga.

"Espeon, PSYCHIC!" Mint yelled, performing his monkey dance.

The dragons fell to their knees, struggling upright. Two Ultra Balls flew, but blasted open as quickly as they closed. Two divine attacks defeated two mortal Pokémon. Three quiet observers repaired the damage done to the world. Two mortal Pokémon rose to take their place.

"Alakazam, PSYCHIC!" Manny commanded.

"Togekiss, AURA SPHERE!" Mint directed.

The dragons knelt, stupefied. They looked into the boys's eyes. They saw no signs of fear, sadness, or anger. They saw naught but determination. In a curious shared conscience, the dragons knew that they would keep standing up, breaking free, injuring the offending Pokémon and damaging the world. However, they also knew that the children would send more Pokémon, then heal their injured to carry on the fight. They knew their sibling Giratina and the Lake Pokémon would repair any damage dealt to the thin veneer of reality. But most of all, they knew that the children were after them. The mortals would not stop.

"Palkia… I think… in these two, there is more than mere protoplasm."

"Indeed, Dialga, there is… something…"

Two Ultra Balls flew. Two Ultra Balls wiggled from side to side, then were still.

The battle belonged to Manny and Mint! The Trainers had captured the complete Creation Trio!

Manny's cellphone rang just as he picked up Dialga's Pokéball.

"Hello?"

"Where are you morons? I'm in Victory Road, trying to get onto Route 224!"

"Oh hi Hanny, we just captured Dialga and Palkia."

"I don't care! Come help me explore! Tori needs EXPERIENCE!"

"Okay, be right there!"

Manny explained the situation to Mint. The boys watched their newly captured Pokémon teleport away to their PC's.

"So, that's it?" Giratina asked.

"Yep."

"No speech?"

"Nah."

"Perhaps some words of wisdom, then?"

"What's the point?" Mint asked, waving his arms. "We've got to go help Hanny!"