June 20th, Year 202 of the League Calendar in the ancient land of Aintoak.
On this day, w and Teddiursa destroyed the final Guardian Stone Pillar.
As the pillar collapsed, the magical barrier around Aintoak vanished. The seal that had kept Victini confined for over a thousand years was no longer in place.
The three Pokémon—w, Teddiursa, and Victini—boarded Dragonite, who had brought a new batch of Poffins.
They flew across the skies from the Unova region to Naoki's ranch.
The mont they landed, Victini flew up to Naoki. Its wide amber eyes glistened with emotion as it looked at the human who had promised to help it fulfill its deepest wish.
"Nini?!"
Naoki knelt down, eting Victini's gaze.
"Don't worry. I know how badly you want to see him."
"But before we begin, there's sothing important I need to explain."
"Nini?"
Victini's eyes welled with fresh tears.
Naoki reached behind him and held out a plate containing the last serving of Wish Tomato Scrambled Eggs.
"This dish can grant a wish. But I can't guarantee exactly how. It might let you see the old king in a dream. Or it might bring him to you. The result depends on your heart."
"The stronger your wish, the greater the effect."
Victini looked at the warm plate. The aroma was inviting.
But it didn't reach out to eat right away.
Instead, it sat still, lost in its mories.
Its wish was to see him again.
The old king.
To be by his side again.
To keep him from vanishing after using up all his strength.
To stop that final mont.
Iono stood nearby, quietly watching. She had heard the story about Victini before, but seeing it up close stirred sothing in her heart.
"Victini," she whispered, her voice tender with sympathy.
Naoki gently took her hand, giving her a silent gesture of comfort.
Victini's mories swirled vividly.
The battle between Reshiram and Zekrom.
The collapse of the dragon vein.
The old king drawing on Victini's power to lift Earth Sword Castle into the sky.
And then the king's strength faded. He smiled at Victini one last ti. And then he was gone.
The grand castle fell silent.
Victini remained.
Alone.
A thousand springs, sumrs, autumns, and winters passed.
Not again.
Tears stread from Victini's eyes. It let out a cry filled with all its longing.
"NINI!"
I want to see him. I want to change what happened.
A brilliant light erupted from Victini's body. It began to glow, power surging out from deep within. Its amber eyes beca sharp and resolute.
Then, without hesitation, it picked up the warm plate of scrambled eggs and ate every bite.
In that mont, rainbow light filled the entire room.
Naoki and the others instinctively shielded their eyes.
Swirls of luminous energy spun like DNA strands, twisting through the air. The walls blurred. The floor vanished beneath them.
Ti bent around them.
Naoki wasn't sure how long it lasted.
But when the light faded, and he slowly opened his eyes, he realized they were no longer at the ranch.
They stood in the middle of a cobblestone street in a town he did not recognize. Stone buildings surrounded them, with wooden beams and slanted roofs.
People moved through the streets, dressed in linen and cotton. n wore robes, and won walked in layered dresses, carrying baskets of fruit and cloth.
All eyes turned toward the newcors. Confused whispers filled the air.
Iono looked around in shock.
"Where are we?"
Naoki turned his eyes to the mountains in the distance. Perched on the cliffside was Earth Sword Castle, shining under the sun.
He exhaled.
"I think we're in ancient Aintoak."
Victini stood beside him, motionless. It gazed toward the castle.
And Naoki understood.
Victini's wish had taken form. Its love and longing had drawn power from the dish and from within itself.
It had reached across ti.
Not just to rember. To return.
After a mont of stunned silence, Victini finally saw it.
Far in the distance stood the towering figure of Earth Sword Castle, rising above the valley like a mory carved into the mountains.
Victini's eyes widened. It trembled with emotion, and tears welled up as it cried out, voice filled with disbelief and joy.
"Nini!"
It rembered everything. This was a place it could never forget.
Naoki glanced around at the growing crowd of townspeople who had gathered, whispering and staring. He turned to w and said calmly, "w, take us sowhere more private."
"w!"
A flash of psychic energy surrounded them. In the blink of an eye, Naoki, Iono, w, Teddiursa, and Victini vanished from the street and reappeared on a quiet grassy hillside, far from the town.
From their new vantage point, Earth Sword Castle still stood clearly in view.
Victini stared at it in awe. It turned back to its friends, face bright with excitent.
"Nini!"
It was back. Back in the past. That ant the king—it's king—was still alive, inside that very castle.
Victini could barely contain itself. It flapped its tiny arms and wings, ready to take off toward the castle imdiately.
Naoki smiled and said, "Then go."
Victini was just about to rush off when it paused. It turned back again, looking at the Pokémon and humans who had helped it get this far.
"Nini!" it called out. Co with .
"w!" w answered imdiately.
"Teddi!" Teddiursa chirped with equal enthusiasm.
They had decided to help Victini, and they would see it through to the end.
The two Pokémon turned to look at Naoki and Iono.
Naoki and Iono exchanged a glance, then looked over at Koraidon, who gave a steady nod.
A minute later, Koraidon soared into the sky with Naoki and Iono on its back, following closely behind Victini, w, and Teddiursa as they headed toward the castle.
Victini flew just ahead of them, glancing back often, its face lit up with anticipation. w and Teddiursa flanked it on either side, smiling and chatting as they flew together.
Watching the joyful sight, Iono's expression beca a little uneasy.
"If Victini returned to the past… wouldn't that an there are two Victinis here now?" she asked softly.
Naoki nodded. "That's right. If we've arrived at a ti before the Black and White Dragon conflict, there should still be another Victini."
His tone was calm, but he was quietly calculating the risks.
The tiline was fragile. And more importantly, Iono was carrying their child.
He didn't want her exposed to any danger.
But Iono saw right through his thoughts.
"It's alright," she said with a warm smile. "Now that we're here, the baby and I will just hide behind you if anything dangerous happens."
Naoki sighed softly, clearly at a loss. Then he gave a small smile.
"Well, in that case, let's go take a look together."
Earth Sword Castle stood proudly atop the mountain just above the town.
Soon, the group arrived at the base of the castle.
Strangely, the area was completely silent. Not a single guard was in sight.
That was unusual. For a royal castle of this scale, there should have been strict security and watchful sentries stationed at every turn.
Naoki glanced at Victini, but the little Pokémon didn't seem to notice anything wrong.
Its eyes were fixed ahead, entirely focused on the mont it had waited centuries for the chance to see its trainer again.
They stepped through the main entrance.
The first floor of Earth Sword Castle was the Royal Hall, and like the courtyard, it too was eerily empty. There were no knights, no nobles, not even servants.
Dust floated gently in the shafts of golden sunlight pouring through the stained glass windows. The red carpet stretched down the center of the hall, faded and dulled with age. At its far end stood a grand and dignified throne.
Upon that throne sat an elderly man. He wore a crown atop his white hair and a robe of regal blues and gold. Ti had not been kind to him—his fra had grown thin, his shoulders hunched with age.
He sat still, one hand supporting his cheek, eyes closed, as if dozing in thought.
The mont Victini saw him, its eyes lit up.
"Nini!"
It cried out, voice trembling with joy.
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