Prologue

"What is the point of this?"

"It is simply an experiment, that is all."

The evening sun cast its rays over the sea, the water shimmering like a cascade of jewels. Above the expansive ocean hovered a small island, connected to the nearby cliffside bluff by a narrow, winding stone path. To the west, the island was covered in flames, molten lava seeping out of the cracks of a great rock that sat behind a small white temple. A similar temple could be found on the eastern side of the island, sitting on a plain bed of dried, yellow grass, while to the north, the third stood tall above the rest, partially built into a towering mount of pointed, snow-covered ice.

On each of the sides of the island, a large bird was perched which matched the environment it was in. Moltres stood upon its fiery rock, flaming wings and mane smoldering, while Zapdos hovered just above its white temple on its side of the island. Both were silent as Articuno, cold aura and colder glare, addressed the Alakazam that stood before the three.

"Did the hero sanction this visit?" she growled lowly, a sound that defied her normally chilling voice, which sounded of clinking icicles.

"In fact he did," Alakazam said calmly, procuring a small slip of paper with messy writing on it. He levitated it over to Articuno, who examined it briefly before sighing.

"Explain again why you want to do this?"

"As I'm sure the three of you know, being legends, the inner Sources which fuel us regular Pokémon cannot compare to the infinite depths of energy that your's wild."

From behind his back, he pulled out a second object, this one a gem in the shape of a long octahedron. As Alakazam held it up to the dim light of the setting sun, it sparkled a dull green. A crack that ran down one of its upper faces could be seen clearly.

He turned it back and forth in his fingers, examining it as he spoke. "The Teleport Gem which saved the world was a gamble to begin with. We had never thought it possible to create permanent objects with Source energy… normally they simply fade away after the move's duration. Somehow, the combination of psychic and ghost energy allowed us to create something stable."

"But it isn't perfect." Alakazam stared into the crack. "It was unable to sustain itself after repeated uses, especially for long distances such as to Sky Tower or out of Pitfall Valley."

His eyes turned away from the gem to focus on the birds instead, his gaze lingering on each of them for a moment as he swept his vision across the island. "All Sources replenish over time, but those that were cast by a regular Pokémon cannot do so outside of their bodies. But yours… Mystery Dungeons do not disappear. They sustain themselves, and seem to regenerate their energy over time. Some even stockpile it and grow stronger over time. I believe that is because of the nature of your infinite energies. Anything that comes from the three of you is infinite just like the Source it came from."

"Are you saying you want us to bless this artifact with our Sources to create something that can regenerate over time?"

"Essentially. It might also fix this pesky crack as well."

The birds looked to each other, and then to Alakazam. "And Pyrose permitted this because…?"

"He believed it may make rescue missions easier. He didn't discuss it with me, but we all know there are many applications to being able to teleport things long distances."

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt…" Zapdos tittered. The others looked to him. "What harm could giving a little of our energy cause? It isn't as though we are losing a part of ourselves forever. We could easily regenerate that energy back in a matter of hours."

Moltres clicked her beak. "My only fear is that it may be used for evil, but Pyrose and his team have proven themselves trustworthy by now…"

Articuno looked between the two of them before closing her eyes in deep thought. After a very long minute, she opened her eyes.

"Very well, we will grant your wish. Ensure that the consequences of its use are not harmful."

Alakazam nodded. "Of course." Just like the paper, he levitated over the Gem, letting it float at the intersection where the three sides of the island met. Articuno and Moltres unfolded their wings, flapping them to lift off into the air where they alongside the already airborne Zapdos stared down at the dull gem.

"We will grant this gem a portion of our powers–" Moltres chanted, eyes turning a bright red and body flames flaring up to twice their original size.

"An infinite depth which formerly only we could wield–" Zapdos continued, static electricity sparking out of their pointed feathers and glowing yellow irises similar to his sister's.

"For the greater good that we believe that our generosity will bring to the world!" Articuno finished, freezing winds whirling around her body and eyes a chilling cyan blue.

Upon finishing their chant, all three shot a beam of energy towards the gem, the rays colliding in the middle and producing a deafening and blinding blast that nearly hurled Alakazam off the island were it not for his quick Psychic to hold himself in place. The dusk sky flashed brightly and the waves beneath the island grew tumultuous as the birds continued to shoot energy into the gem. Though he could barely see, Alakazam noticed the crack in the gem begin to mend, until finally it was whole once more.

The light grew brighter and brighter, the Gem greedily consuming the energy of the legends, until all of a sudden it stopped. The three birds, each looking tired but satisfied, slowly touched down onto their perches. The sky darkened once more and the waters below calmed, the only source of light now coming from the dim light of Moltres' rock and the shining crystal that hovered in the middle of the island. The legends watched as Alakazam, who was still dizzy from the experience, walked up to the Gem and took it. He examined it in his hand. It radiated a bright green light, even brighter than when it had been first created atop the Hill of Ancients. The crack was completely gone, and from inside, Alakazam could sense a dense, swirling vortex of Source energy.

"Excellent." He turned to the three birds. "Thank you very much for your cooperation. Get some rest, I expect you're tired. If there's anything you need, let me know."

Articuno gave him a curt nod, and with that, Alakazm turned on the spot, using Teleport to warp away from the island.

When he reappeared, he was standing in the middle of Pokémon Square. The various little white houses around the central plaza were all closed, with their lamps casting silhouettes through their windows. No Pokémon were outside, all having gone home for the day. Alakazam was alone. Perfect.

He held up the gem, thinking silently to himself. He and Pyrose had both agreed to its creation, but neither of them knew what the addition of legendary powers would do to its range of uses. Why not test it with a quick teleportation? Nobody would see him use it anyways…

He played with the idea for a moment before finally settling on a decision. Closing his eyes, he gripped the Teleport Gem tightly in his hand, letting its energy wash over him. It felt strange yet vaguely familiar, his own Source that had gone into creating it now dwarfed by something much larger, and much stronger.

And then, all of a sudden, he disappeared in a bright green flash. Though his eyes were still closed, he could feel his body being compressed has he was transported across space. It was a sensation not unlike being pulled through a thin rubber tube. It pressed in on his chest, leaving him winded and breathless, and squeezed his large head to produce an uncomfortable feeling in his brain. Why is it taking so long? he thought. The location I had in mind doesn't take this long to reach by Teleport–

The tightness became worse still as his body felt like it was being stretched, the journey still not over as panic overtook his mind. Was he going to die here? This was a terrible idea, would he not survive this? After so many years carefully leading Team ACT, he was going to perish at the mercy of his own experimental creation?

That would not be the case as fresh air slammed against his face. Using his psychic powers to catch himself just before hitting the mossy ground he was nearly dumped onto unceremoniously, Alakazam slowly regained his bearings. Shaking his head to clear away the dizziness that came from the turbulent ride, he glanced around his surroundings to see… a dark forest. He had planned to appear in the Abandoned laboratory north of Pokémon Square, and this was about as far-removed as you could get from his normal abode.

Years as the leader of a prestigious rescue team had taught him better than to sit still and worry, however. He considered his options, and finally decided to see if he was in a Mystery Dungeon. One could never be too sure. After a quick heck for distortions or paths, he determined that he was not in one. So… where was he? These trees did not look anything like the ones he had seen outside of the laboratory. This was someplace new.

Using his psychic powers, he began to scan the surrounding area, creating a developed map in his mind as he went. His brows furrowed. There were no signs of civilization, and the terrain did not match anything from the Air Continent. Or… any of the continents really. Where WAS he?

The answer revealed itself soon enough. Upon detecting a large structure that did not seem to be a tree and was too intricate to be a rock or mound, he focused in on it with his mind, only to realize that it was a house. Civilization! Pleased with himself, he prepared to use Teleport to bring himself there at once, perhaps to find shelter or to ask for his location, but at the last moment, he stopped. There was movement inside of the house.

Ordinarily, he would not pay such a thing any mind. At this time of day, with the sun fully set, all of the houses would of course be filled with Pokémon going about and preparing for bed. But this shape… that was no Pokémon. It was bipedal, with lanky arms and a flat face. It moved around unlike any Machoke he ever knew, and its clothes were completely different from the signature gis of a Sawk or Throh.

He had only seen this creature once before, on the page of a sketchbook that Pyrose, the leader of Team Go-Getters, had been doodling in. That same figure… that same shape… that same creature.

It was a human.