Gift

After listening to Giratina's words, Cynthia's face turned pale, but she still gratefully said to Giratina, "Thank you for your reminder. On behalf of the Temple Clan, I express our gratitude for your kindness."

Giratina shook its head, indicating that its reminder wasn't out of kindness but rather a concern that the awakened Arceus, with its rekindled anger, might cause trouble for it.

"I'll give you something that will allow you to monitor Arceus's dormant state at any time. Be prepared before it awakens again. We won't have a second chance to stop it from waking up," Giratina said.

With that, Giratina soared into the air from the altar and breathed out a black beam of light, summoning a finely crafted instrument onto the altar.

Looking at the instrument that appeared on the altar, Cynthia asked in confusion, "What is this?"

Giratina landed back on the altar and explained to Cynthia, "This is a special instrument we, along with Dialga and Palkia, created. It's called the Time-Space Axis, and it can display the ever-changing state of time and space in the world."

Cynthia was very surprised by this revelation; she couldn't believe that such a small device could serve such an important purpose.

Yuga, with his memories from a previous life, wasn't particularly surprised to see the instrument. He remembered it from the original story.

However, in the original story, the instrument was already in possession of the Temple Clan. He hadn't expected it to be a gift from Giratina.

Seeing Cynthia's astonished expression, Giratina said, "Don't be so surprised. The Time-Space Axis has a much greater role than this."

The Time-Space Axis stood about the height of an adult, supported by a frame made of an unknown material. In its center, there were five differently sized spheres constantly in motion.

The top two spheres represented the Time God Dialga and the space it inhabited, while the purple one represented the Space God Palkia and its space.

The largest red sphere in the middle represented the sleeping Arceus. However, the red sphere had a constant, flickering red light in its center.

According to Giratina, the flickering red light indicated that Arceus would awaken again in the coming years.

Beneath the red sphere was a green sphere, representing Giratina and the Distortion World it inhabited.

The green sphere below it, constantly orbiting, represented the Ghost World, which had properties similar to the Distortion World as both were antimatter realms. That's why they shared a similar color.

However, unlike other independent spaces, the Ghost World was actually part of the Pokémon world, integrated with it. That's why its representation was smaller.

While Giratina explained the construction of the Time-Space Axis to Cynthia, it also taught her how to use it. Time passed unnoticed.

After about two or three hours, Giratina stood up straight from the altar and said to Cynthia, "I've told you everything you need to know. I'm entrusting the Time-Space Axis to your temple. I hope you'll make good use of it."

Cynthia respectfully said, "Thank you. We will surely make good use of your gift."

Giratina nodded in satisfaction and then looked down at Yuga, who was standing at the altar. It said, "The human over there, come up!"

Yuga, surprised to be addressed by Giratina, pointed at himself and asked, "Are you speaking to me?"

Seeing Giratina nod, Yuga nervously walked up to the altar. While Giratina's demeanor appeared mild, its appearance was intimidating, and it was no wonder that the Pokémon world's rumors about it were mostly negative.

Standing upright, Giratina was nearly five meters tall, and Yuga could feel the chilling aura and immense pressure emanating from it.

It truly lived up to its reputation as a Ghost and Dragon type Legendary Pokémon.

"I don't even know your name," Giratina said, lowering its head to address Yuga, its voice still deep and resonant.

"I'm Yuga, Shimizu Yuga!" Yuga replied hesitantly.

Giratina nodded and said, "I'll remember you, Shimizu Yuga. Thank you once again for helping me retrieve the Griseous Orb fragment. You've done me a great favor."

Giratina's injuries from its encounter with Arceus still hadn't fully healed, and one significant reason was the damaged Griseous Orb fragment.

Giratina and the Griseous Orb were deeply connected, and the Orb's restoration would accelerate Giratina's recovery.

Yuga: (Thinking) "Does this mean I've gained recognition among the Legendary Pokémon?"

"We were just fortunate to assist you. It's an honor for us to have been able to help," Cynthia replied.

Giratina opened its mouth and emitted a black beam of light. Then, two distinct and crisp sounds echoed, and black mirrors appeared under Yuga and Cynthia's feet, each about half the height of a person.

"What are these?" Yuga and Cynthia asked simultaneously.

Both mirrors had identical shapes and sizes, with smooth black surfaces that reflected their forms indistinctly. However, it wasn't very convenient for a person to use them.

"These are Reversal Mirrors, which can open doors to the Distortion World. However, they require recharging, so you can only use them once every three months. The Distortion World I reside in is well-suited place for Ghost-type, Poison-type, Dark-type, and Dragon-type Pokémon to train. You can send your Pokémon into the Distortion World for training using these mirrors. It's a token of gratitude for helping me retrieve the Griseous Orb fragment. But I don't like crowds, so you can only send up to five Pokémon at a time, and you yourselves can't enter; only your Pokémon can," Giratina explained.

After hearing Giratina's explanation, Yuga and Cynthia realized the tremendous gift they had received. They had the opportunity to send their Pokémon to the Distortion World for training.

However, they were surprised to discover that Giratina had biases against humans, as it allowed Pokémon to enter the Distortion World but not humans.

In the Distortion World, Giratina was the sole living being. Even if Yuga and Cynthia couldn't go, they didn't have to worry about their Pokémon encountering danger. The Distortion World, as a complete and vast world, was rich in unexplored resources, and Yuga and Cynthia had truly gained a great advantage.

"Thank you so much!" Yuga and Cynthia expressed their heartfelt gratitude.

Giratina said, "Alright, I'm about to leave. I can't linger in the real world. Later, Articuno and Silgilyph will take you down the mountain."

With that, Giratina opened the portal to the Distortion World on the lake's surface and disappeared inside.

Watching Giratina vanish, Articuno and Silgilyph both let out sighs of relief.

For years, they had been helping Giratina search for the Griseous Orb fragment without success, and they had to guard the Griseous Orb, which was quite stressful. Now, at least, they were free from that responsibility and could sleep more peacefully.

Seeing Giratina gradually disappear on the lake's surface, Articuno and Silgilyph simultaneously said to Yuga, "Follow us."

With that, the two Pokémon flew away from the small island, and Yuga and Cynthia followed suit, riding on their Dragonite and Garchomp.

They flew rapidly to the east of the Concove Valley and eventually landed on the edge of the valley. This location was the highest point in the entire Concove Valley and also the nesting place of Articuno and Silgilyph.

Originally, Silgilyph didn't reside on the snowy peaks of the Mount Coronet but rather in the central part of the Coronet Highlands. However, they were brought here by Giratina to assist in the search for the Griseous Orb fragment, and it had settled here.

Now, it had grown accustomed to life in this place and it had formed a deep friendship with Articuno. So, it had no intention of leaving this place.

Stopping at the edge of the nest, Articuno spoke, "As a token of our gratitude for retrieving the Griseous Orb fragment, each of you may choose two items from our collection, both from myself and Silgilyph."

Yuga's eyes brightened at the prospect, thinking, "Oh, is this double the reward coming our way? These Legendary Pokémon sure know how to show gratitude!"

"But we've already received a reward from Giratina," Yuga pretended to hesitate, putting on a show.

Acting was Yuga's forte, and although he really wanted the reward, he couldn't appear too greedy. Image was very important, after all.

Although... he was quite greedy, to be honest. But why not take advantage of a good opportunity?

"Master Giratina has his own way of showing gratitude, and we have ours. Just accept what we offer without further ado. There's no need for unnecessary talk," Articuno responded angrily, flapping its wings in annoyance, sending chilling gusts of wind that messed up Yuga and Cynthia's clothes and hair.

"Very well, we'll graciously accept," Yuga replied, repeating Articuno's words to Cynthia. She was delighted and didn't hesitate to accept Articuno's gift.

Their first destination was Articuno's nest.

Articuno's nest was exceptionally luxurious, constructed entirely from Never-Melt Ice. It can be said that "Every inch of the land is precious".

It was worth noting that this nest wasn't small; it could rival the size of a typical soccer field. So many Never-Melt Ice blocks, if it was taken outside, it would surely fetch a considerable sum.

Never-Melt Ice, as a naturally born held item, it could only be found in places with perennial cold conditions. Its production was limited and challenging, which made it highly valuable.

Apart from being used as held items by Pokémon, Never-Melt Ice had extensive applications in scientific research and daily life. The demand for it in these fields exceeded its use as Pokémon-held items, creating a perpetual imbalance between supply and demand in the market.

Yuga wondered, "I wonder if Articuno would agree if I asked for this Never-Melt Ice nest."

Fortunately, Articuno couldn't read minds; otherwise, it might have squashed Yuga with a talon in frustration, thinking, "You're thinking about eating peaches!!!"

Not only did Yuga gaze droolingly looking at the translucent Never-Melt Ice, but Cynthia was also left in awe by Articuno's generosity. She felt like she was walking on money.

However, it wasn't surprising that Articuno had amassed so much Never-Melt Ice. The Mount Coronet's snowy peaks provided all the necessary conditions for the birth of Never-Melt Ice, and the scarcity of human activity meant that it had accumulated in large quantities over the years.

Silgilyph chose to stay outside and not enter Articuno's nest. It didn't like the cold emanating from the Never-Melt Ice, so it waited for Articuno and Yuga outside.

Articuno's collection was piled up in the center of the nest, and as soon as Yuga and Cynthia arrived there, they saw the hill-like things stacked treasures, like small mountains. There were supreme-grade Ice Stones, feathers shed by Articuno, beauitful and dazzling Ice Gems...

Most of the items were related to Ice-types, with only a small portion being useful for Flying-type Pokémon.

However, not everything in this collection was a treasure for Yuga and Cynthia. For example, there were ordinary Berries frozen in the ice. No one knew how long they had been frozen there, but only Articuno would leave them in its nest.

They weren't sure if the frozen berries still had any flavor, and Yuga couldn't help but smack his lips in anticipation.

With so many treasures to choose from, Yuga and Cynthia were momentarily overwhelmed.

After picking one of Articuno's feathers, Cynthia found herself at a loss for what else to choose. She decided to release her Glaceon to help her decide.

The Ice-type Pokémon, sensing the treasures around, excitedly sniffed the air and dove into Articuno's treasure pile. It didn't take long before it returned with a regular-looking ice-blue stone, holding it in its mouth and looking content. It even licked the stone a couple of times before handing it to Cynthia.

Although Cynthia wasn't entirely sure what the stone was, she trusted her Glaceon. Plus, if it meant so much to her Pokémon, it couldn't be something ordinary.

Seeing Cynthia's clever approach, Yuga followed suit by releasing his Lapras.

First Lapras was picked a sky-blue flower and swallowed it directly, which startled Yuga. He thought, "You can't just eat anything like that! What if it upsets your stomach?"

However, lapras was moved too fast for Yuga to intervene.

Surprisingly, after consuming the blue flower, it level soaring from level 75 to level 78.

A three level increase might not seem like much, but for an Elite level Pokémon like this, every level-up was a significant achievement. This was the first time Yuga's Lapras had leveled up since joining him.

At level 78, his Lapras was now on par with Cynthia's Garchomp, which was also level 78. It might even have a chance to compete.

Despite being a purple potential Pokémon, Cynthia's Garchomp had always outclassed Yuga's Lapras in terms of strength. In the final analysis, It came down to the differences in foundations.

Trainers like Cynthia and Steven, who were born in the trainer families, they would invested a vast amount of resources into their Pokémon from a young age. They provided high-quality Pokéblocks, premium Incense, attribute Gems, and numerous other resources to boost their Pokémon's abilities.

Even though each resource only contributed a little to their Pokémon's power, over time, the difference between an oridnary trainer and someone like Cynthia grew wider and wider.

If Yuga's Pokémon had been raised in the same way from a young age, his level 75 purple potential Lapras would likely have easily surpassed Cynthia's level 78 Garchomp.

However, the reality was harsh. Yuga's Lapras foundation was weaker than others', even if he had everything he needed now and was willing to invest heavily in his Pokémon. The gap couldn't be bridged overnight.

Nevertheless, Yuga's Pokémon's growth rate was already quite impressive.

Seeing that the Lapras had no adverse reaction to eating the flower, Yuga breathed a sigh of relief.

After Articuno's explanation, Yuga learned that the sky-blue flower was a precious Ice-type treasure. It only grew on the millennium-old Never-Melt Ice, significantly enhancing the abilities of Ice-type Pokémon and the power of their Ice-type moves.

There was only one of these flowers on the entire Mount Coronet's snowy peak, and it had probably grown for countless years. If it weren't for it being ineffective for a Legendary Pokémon like Articuno, Yuga's Lapras would never have had a chance to partake in it.

This type of flower may look like a regular plant, but it's actually a special Ice-type energy crystal. It can only absorb pure Ice-type energy to grow, or else, it wouldn't last so long; it would wither away.

The level-up from eating this flower was just an added bonus, and Yuga knew that there were even more benefits waiting for his Lapras in the future.

Listening to Articuno's explanation, Yuga realized that he and his Lapras had indeed hit the jackpot. The Lapras possessed genes from Legendary Pokémon, but ironically, these genes had caused it to develop a bit differently. Despite being a Water and Ice-type Pokémon, it leaned heavily towards the Water-type. This was why it had such a strong desire for Ice-type energy.

It was this subconscious longing that had led it to choose the sky-blue flower.

After consuming the flower, the Lapras fell asleep, leaving Yuga with no choice but to recall it. For his second choice, he picked the Supreme-grade Ice Stone, another valuable item he couldn't go wrong with.

Next, they visited Silgilyph's lair.

Compared to the frigid atmosphere in Articuno's nest, the atmosphere in Silgilyph's lair was much warmer and cozier. Its collection was neatly organized, in contrast to Articuno's chaotic pile of treasures.

Cynthia selected an Extreme Flight Feather for her Togekiss from Silgilyph's collection.

The Extreme Flight Feather was a very special feather that only grew on Flying-type Pokémon once they reached their maximum level. It significantly enhanced the speed of Flying-type Pokémon.

These feathers naturally fell out as Pokémon aged, losing their unique properties and becoming indistinguishable from ordinary feathers. Finding one of these feathers was quite rare.

Both Yuga and Cynthia were learning about these things for the first time, and without Silgilyph's guidance, Cynthia wouldn't have noticed the seemingly ordinary white feather tucked away in a corner.

For her second choice, Cynthia picked the only Pokémon Egg in Silgilyph's lair.

This was a blue potential Pokémon Egg. Yuga had completely overlooked it because it was hidden beneath other items. Cynthia was fortunate enough to discover it; otherwise, Yuga would surely have chosen the same Egg.

According to Silgilyph, the parents of this Egg were two Weavile. However, they had been killed by members of the Hargel Mercenary Corps two weeks ago. These mercenaries had used advanced technology weapons, as it would have been nearly impossible to easily defeat two Weavile otherwise.

Yuga decided to take a Psychic Crystal and a Flying Attribute Stone from Silgilyph's collection.

The Psychic Crystal was intended for Chimecho, with its calming effect on psychic abilities. Yuga had been concerned about Chimecho's excessive use of psychic powers, and even though Nurse Joy had reassured him, he still wanted to be cautious. Moreover, Psychic Crystals were reusable items, making them quite rare to come by outside.

Now, the Flying Attribute Stone was a unique one-time-use item. Its effect was to safely boost a Flying-type Pokémon by one level, without any side effects.

Yes, just one level.

For most Pokémon, it might seem like an underwhelming item. However, for some Pokémon that were on the cusp of a breakthrough but had been struggling to achieve it, it was a treasure. Take, for example, the Archeops in Yuga's Ecopark.

The Archeops was just one step away from reaching the Champion level, but that one step had remained elusive, no matter how hard it tried. It was also reaching the end of its natural lifespan.

However, with this Flying Attribute Stone, the situation changed.

Yuga had promised the Archeops that he would help it break through to the Champion level. Initially, he had planned to find a way to improve its potential to Indigo. Because for Pokémon with Blue potential, reaching the Champion level was difficult without a stroke of luck.

But now, using the Flying Attribute Stone seemed like a simpler option.

The appearance of the Flying Attribute Stone was similar to that of the Flying Gem. Strictly speaking, they were both the same types of items, and the Flying Attribute Stone was a variation of the Flying Gem.

The origin of the Flying Attribute Stone was unknown. Occasionally, in the mines containing Attribute Gems, these special gemstones would appear, and they had different effects compared to other Attribute Gems.

After selecting their treasures, Articuno carried Yuga and Cynthia, clutching the Time-Space Axis in its feets, and flew down from the snowy peaks.