Wait

It had been a day and a night since Yuga and Cynthia left, and Sheena and the others anxiously waited beneath the snowy peak.

After Yuga and Cynthia had ascended the snowy peak, Sheena and her companions noticed that the Ice-type Pokémon on the peak were becoming increasingly agitated.

However, just a few hours ago, the Ice-type Pokémon, who had initially seemed ready to swarm down from the peak, suddenly retreated, leaving Sheena and the others baffled.

"What could have happened up there?" Chris paced around anxiously, his face filled with restlessness. "I should have gone with Cynthia."

"Chris, calm down for a moment! We have to trust Cynthia. If there's something she can't handle, even if you had gone with her, it wouldn't have made a difference," Kevin scolded Chris.

While Chris was indeed more powerful than him, there was a vast difference in strength between Chris and Cynthia. Even if they teamed up, they wouldn't stand a chance against Cynthia, especially considering that Cynthia had Yuga, another Elite level Trainer, by her side.

Of course, Kevin was also worried about Cynthia and Yuga, but he couldn't show it. If he did, it would cause panic among the others.

Due to their status, everything they did and said could influence the emotions of the team, so Kevin always maintained the composure expected of a member of the Temple Clan.

Chris, upon hearing Kevin's words, plopped down under a tree, discontented. "You're right, but waiting here like this is driving me crazy!"

"Should we consider going back to seek help from the Elder?" Sheena, who had been trying to stay patient, was starting to worry.

Kevin sighed, "Let's wait a little longer. If Cynthia hasn't returned by noon, we'll go back and seek assistance."

Sheena nodded in agreement and fell silent.

"Have you guys noticed that it's getting colder?" Suddenly, one of their companions spoke up.

"Really? This is the base of the snowy peak, so it's normal for it to be a bit cold, right?" Another companion didn't feel the difference and thought the first one was mistaken.

"Articuno!!!"

Just then, a bird's cry echoed through the air.

"Look at the sky!" Someone shouted in alarm.

Immediately, a massive shadow blocked out the sky above them.

Everyone instinctively looked up at the sky.

"That's... Articuno, isn't it?" Kevin muttered as he gazed at the massive, ice-blue bird in the sky.

Sheena said, "It does look like Articuno, but what is it carrying in its claws?"

Before anyone could react, Articuno began descending towards their location.

Articuno gently placed the Time-Space Axis it was carrying on the ground and then lowered its body. Yuga and Cynthia jumped down from its back.

"Cynthia!"

"Yuga!"

Sheena and Kevin exclaimed one after the other.

"We're back!"

Cynthia smiled at Sheena and Kevin, who had rushed over.

"Thank you, Articuno!"

Yuga patted Articuno's lowered wing and expressed his gratitude.

"Articuno!!!"

I can only take you this far. Farewell.

Articuno glanced at Yuga and Cynthia, then spread its wings and took off into the sky.

"Goodbye!"

"Farewell, Articuno!"

Yuga and Cynthia waved goodbye to Articuno.

As Articuno departed, the group of young boys and girls who had gathered around began chattering excitedly.

"Cynthia, what exactly happened on the snowy peak?"

"Why did you come back with Articuno?"

"What does it feel like to ride Articuno?"

"Did you find out what happened on the mountain?"

"What is this strange device you brought with you?"

...

"Alright, everyone, quiet down! If Cynthia has something to say, she will tell us. Stop bombarding her with questions," Kevin shouted loudly, putting an end to the children's noisy chatter.

Cynthia nodded in approval of Kevin's actions and raised her voice, "Alright, the situation on the snowy peak has been resolved. Let's discuss the details once we return."

Although everyone was filled with curiosity, they didn't dare to ask further questions when Cynthia had spoken.

Cynthia's authority was absolute!!!

Afterward, Cynthia found two ropes and hung the Time-Space Axis from them. Her Garchomp and Yuga's Dragonite each grabbed one rope, and they transported the Time-Space Axis back to Machina.

However, halfway back, a Froslass suddenly caught up with them. It was the same Froslass who had guided Yuga and Cynthia part of the way but had been scared off by Articuno.

It was a mystery how it had caught up with them, and if it hadn't revealed itself, Yuga and Cynthia might have forgotten about it. From its account, Yuga and Cynthia learned that one of the Snow Peak King's henchmen had taken away a weird Snorunt.

Without a doubt, Yuga and Cynthia knew that this Snorunt was likely one of Golduck's associates. In Articuno's custody and without any special abilities, it seemed unlikely that it could cause trouble alongside Golduck.

According to Cynthia's suggestion, the Froslass didn't need to return to Machina with them. Instead, when they got back, it could simply release its underlings and allow them to return to Snow Peak.

However, the Froslass was unwilling. It was concerned that its underlings might encounter danger on the way back to Snow Peak, and it felt a duty to protect them. Surprisingly, this Froslass was proving to be a good leader.

Upon their return to Machina, Cynthia instructed Kevin to take the Froslass to meet with its underlings and guide them back to Snow Peak. Now that Snow Peak had returned to its usual tranquility, the Froslass and its group should not face any further harassment.

As Cynthia and Yuga entered Machina's territory, the Elders had already received reports and gathered in the temple, anxiously awaiting their return. The Elders had been worried during the days Cynthia and the youngsters were away.

When Cynthia and Yuga entered the temple's main hall, Elder Sorin, sitting at the head, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Cynthia and the young ones were the future hopes of the temple, and if anything happened to them, the temple couldn't bear such a blow.

Especially in Cynthia's case, none of the Elders doubted that she would become a Master level Trainer in the future. Cynthia's talent surpassed even Elder Sorin, who had awakened the Power of True Heart Ability.

"It's good that you're back," Elder Sorin said with a heart full of relief as he looked at Cynthia standing below.

"And, thanks for your worked hard too Yuga,"

Yuga responded, "You're too modest."

Elder Sorin didn't say much more, but he nodded gently. At his age, he could see that as long as nothing unexpected happened, this young man before him was destined to inherit Mr. Kuni'o's legacy.

Mentioning Mr. Kuni'o, even though he and Elder Sorin were both Master Trainers, Elder Sorin couldn't help but feel deep admiration. However, while Mr. Kuni'o had Yuga as his successor, their Temple family had Cynthia. Elder Sorin was more than satisfied with Cynthia, his Temple Clan junior.

"Elder, we encountered some important matters on Snow Peak," Cynthia said with a serious expression, pointing to the peculiar device next to her.

At this moment, the Elders noticed the strange device placed in the hall.

"What is this?" Elder Sorin asked with curiosity.

From Cynthia's serious expression, the Elders understood that what she was about to share would not be simple.

Cynthia continued, "This is a device called Time-Space Axis, given to me by Girarina..."

"Girarina!"

"Girarina!"

...

The hall erupted with gasps and exclamations from the Elders, and even the usually composed Elder Sorin's face changed.

"Hurry... Cynthia, quickly tell us what's going on," Elder Sorin realized that the situation might be even more serious than he had initially thought, or else the legendary Girarina wouldn't have appeared.

Cynthia nodded and explained, "Here's what happened..."

She proceeded to recount everything she and Yuga had witnessed on Snow Peak.

After hearing Cynthia's account, the hall fell into silence.

After a while, Elder Sorin sighed deeply and said, "This day was bound to come. It's the mistakes of our ancestors, and we, their descendants, must atone for them."

"We must return the Jewel of Life to Arceus; after all, it doesn't belong to us," one Elder spoke up.

"Yes, our ancestors may have erred, but we cannot stand by and watch our children suffer," another Elder agreed.

"It's time to prepare for this," they concurred.

The Elders proposed various ways to deal with the situation, and after a while, Elder Sorin spoke up, "Well, returning the Jewel of Life is indeed necessary, but we need to carefully consider our approach."

The other Elders fell silent at his words.

Then, Elder Sorin turned to Yuga and said, "I suppose you must be curious about the history between our clan and Arceus. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Cynthia. Although it's a family matter, given the circumstances, there's nothing we can't discuss."

Elder Sorin's attitude was open, and he didn't hide anything from Yuga, despite him being an outsider. He waved his hand and continued, "That's enough for today. Cynthia, take Yuga back to rest. I'm sure you both must be tired after your return."

Cynthia nodded and addressed the Elders with a bow before leaving the Time-Space Axis with them. She then departed the hall with Yuga.

As they exited the hall, Cynthia smiled at Yuga and said, "I'm sure you've been curious all along. If you have any questions, feel free to ask now."

Previously, Cynthia couldn't openly discuss these matters due to the Temple's secrets and reputation. However, since Elder Sorin had spoken openly, she felt there was nothing they couldn't discuss.

In truth, Yuga wasn't very curious about the Temple's history with Arceus. It mostly seemed like a tale of favors and repaying the favors with grudges.

However, he didn't want to appear uninterested, so he asked a few questions that he felt were appropriate.

Cynthia was open in her responses, narrating the grudges history between the Temple ancestors and Arceus in detail.

As they talked, the two of them left the Temple and returned to the residential area.

¤

For readers who haven't watched the Pokémon movies featuring Arceus, you might want to catch up on them.

This Diamond and Pearl Movie Trilogy , , is unique in the Pokémon movies series, as they are interconnected and provide a coherent storyline, making them quite enjoyable.