Aaaand here's Chapter 2! This is where we start getting into the Fire Emblem bits, though, in a way people can hopefully get the gist of.

I also apologize in advance to any residents of Utah reading this.

Chapter 2: Welcoming Committee

The four emerged in a grassy meadow, the portal quickly closing behind them as they gazed around curiously.

"Doesn't look like anything too out of the ordinary..." said Quentin.

"You'll see soon enough," said Palkia, "There should be a big city up ahea-"

"What is that?!" said Hoopa.

He was pointing to a brown shaggy creature, with round ears and sharp claws and teeth, sniffing at them cautiously.

Palkia blinked. "Seems this is a bit further from home than expected - that's an animal, not a Pokemon."

"A-animal?" said Hoopa.

"They are beings touched by forces quite different from us Legendaries," said Dialga; "Like Pokemon, but feral and with only basal intelligence."

"So that thing is a f[FONT=Comic Sans MS]u[/FONT]cked-up Ursaring?" said Hoopa.

"It's just a bear." said Palkia.

"...Just a bear? Not an Ursaring or a Pangoro or a Beartic or a Bewear, just a bear?"

"I... think it's a brown bear?" said Palkia, shrugging sheepishly.

Hoopa crossed his arms. "They need to hire a new guy to name these things."

"Can I keep it, though?" said Giratina.

Everyone looked over to see Giratina was holding the bear and pinning its limbs from behind, the creature roaring and attempting to futilely claw and bite at him.

"Giratina, no, you can't just adopt the local fauna in place like this!" said Dialga, scowling.

"But it's soft and huggable," said Giratina, pouting.

Palkia sighed. "Just keep it untill we get to Ylisse and we'll see what we do there."

She headed off, everyone else following after, the bear still struggling and roaring in protest in Giratina's grip.

The four eventually wandered far enough to reach the outskirts of a lavish city before them.

"There it is! Oh, it looks just like the game, I'm so excited!"

"Fancy place!" said Hoopa. "What's it called?"

'Yilissitoll, capital of Yilisse!"

"...The cities too?"

Palkia shrugged. "Eh, I've heard worse. There's this city near a salt lake in a universe we stopped by one time, you know what they called it?"

"...What?"

"Salt Lake City."

"...I'm suddenly grateful for our universe."

Palkia smiled. "As a mon who helped make it, I appreciate that. That said, let's see this one up close, shall we?"

The bear roared in protest again.

"Hush, Wuzzles," said Giratina, patting the bear softly while maintaining his tight grip. "I'll get you snacks when we get to the city place."

"Giratina, you were supposed to let that thing free when we got to the city!" said Dialga.

"Er, actually," said Palkia, "Letting it loose this close to the city might be a problem."

Hoopa put his hands on his hips. "...I'm not putting that in the Stash."

Dialga glared at Giratina before shaking his head, sighing.

"Please, just... Keep  it pinned for now."

"Thanks bro!" said Giratina, indeed hugging the protesting bear tighter.

Everyone then headed into the city proper, marvelling at the elaborate and sturdy buildings, bustling locals of various walks of life, and the busy shops, stalls, and bazaars, ignoring the more than a few odd glances they got back themselves as they whispered among each other.

"It looks so much like some of the cities in our world just a few hundred years ago..." said Dialga.

"Quite the nostalgia trip, huh?" said Hoopa.

"Still different from back home, though," said Giratina. "No Pokemon, humans dressed funny even for the time period, selling funky things at the shops..."

"Speaking of which, we should stick to the plan trying to talk to anyone for now," said Palkia.

"The "is that foreign" plan?" said Giratina.

"Yep."

"Hopefully we won't have to use it too soon..." said Dialga.

"Yeah, better for now we-" said Palkia.

She stopped froze, and grinned. "Scratch that, it's them!"

Everyone else turned to see Palkia staring enraptured at four people nearby - a white-haired young man in a black-and purple coat, a taller, blue-haired young man dressed in blue armor with a white cape hanging behind him, an even taller, somewhat older man with brown hair and much heavier armor, and a teenage girl with long blonde hair in pigtails complimenting a strange, dress-like outfit, all looking over the items in a shop.

"...Them?" said Dialga.

"The Shepherds! Well, the four major ones. They're the main characters of the game!"

"So they're the dudes we wanna hang with?'

"Exactly!" said Palkia.

"Sweet!" said Hoopa.

He frowned. "Now how exactly do we get chummy with 'em?"

Palkia froze and paled. "I don't know; I didn't think we'd get this far."

Dialga groaned. "Can't we just go up and ask them?"

"I don't think that's how it works... here we're the nobodies and they're the big shots!"

"Then how do you suggest we-"

The quartet then heard a scream.

"Bandits! To the south!"

The group of disguised Legendaries then saw a farmer barge through the streets in panic toward the Shepherds as they quickly turned to address him.

"Bandits? In this time?" said the tall, sturdily-armored man.

"Armed burglars, sir!" Whole bunch of them headed straight for our village!"

The blue-haired man scowled. "We'll deal with them right away."

"If they're just a bunch of theives they should be no problem  for us," said his white-haied companion.

"Yeah!" said the girl, pumping her fists. "Especially if they're dumb enough to attack this close to home!"

The four of them and the farmer rushed off, leaving the multiversal visitors staring after.

"Well," said Dialga, "They certainly seem to have the problem under control themselves..."

Palkia hesitated, then grinned. "Actually, I have a plan."

"Ooh, what, sis?" said Giratina.

"We help the Shepherds with their little bandit problem."

"So we're gonna impress 'em to get 'em on our side? I like this plan."

"I'm not so keen,"  said Dialga, "didn't we agree to keep things nonlethal?"

"That's part of the plan," said Palkia, grinning. "You see..."

The four huddled together amidst the crowd. A bit later, several onlookers stopped and stared when they seemed to vanish.

The village was battened down in their houses, a few farmers armed with crude makeshift weapons outside. Even then, they knew they didn't stand a chance against the rapidly-approaching raiders.

It was then a young, pink-haired woman in some bizarre-looking white-and-pink battle dress wielding a staff with a pearl-like orb at the end stepped out into the streets almost too calmly.

"Easy boys," she said, "me and my friends have this covered. Can I just borrow a horse?"

"M-m'am, you're crazy' there's-"

"Sir, I can save your village just fine either way, but it's better with the horse."

"...There's a draft horse in the stables, but she's used for till-"

He didn't get to finish, as the woman had vanished in a warp in space and emerged atop the draft horse in question just out of range of the bandits. The horse reared in panic before Palkia calmed it with a soothing aura from her Lustrous Orb staff and addressed the bewildered men before her with a smirk.

"Now you all hold still so we can make this easy."

The bandits blinked collectively before one stepped forward to face her with a scowl.

"And what makes you think you're some one-woman army?"

Palkia gave a dismissive wave of her hand and chuckled. "Ooh, you're all so cute trying to be little bandit-wandits out to kidnap the crops and burn the women, but you're still being naughty and need to be punished..."

She pulled out and opened out a dark blue book several of the bandits backed away nervously from.

"...But first you all need a bath."

Blue Unown-like runes spiraled upward from the book as a massive wave emerged in front of Palkia and swept the bandits back. As they gasped and spluttered trying to get to their feet afterwards a chill ran down their spines as a bear roared followed by a man shouting:

"Sneak attack, Wuzzles!"

The bandits screamed as a blonde, red-eyed man emerged from nearby shrubs atop a roaring bear, slicing at each of them with his sword...

...Only for the sword strikes to miss each and every one of them by a hair's length, instead opening dimensional portals that punted them screaming through the Distortion World only to fall through a much larger portal that landed them on the ground almost out of sight of the village.

As they got to their feet, they noticed a man with shaggy blue hair and long fleshy ears fiddling with a diamond-like orb.

"Okay, so I need to change to the right form to use my pow-"

Suddenly he was enveloped in a blue, crystalline cocoon, emerging as an enormous, monstrous blue rabbit with markings and armor plating reminiscent of his dragon form.

"...I'm a bunny?!"

He recovered from his shock just in time to see the bandits fling axes and spears at him. He sighed as his eyes glowed, the weapons stopping in midair and rusting and rotting into dust within seconds.

"...Let's just get this over with."

He rushed up to each bandit and dealt them precision headbutts and kicks, sending them flying and screaming yet again into a dazed pile.

"Now we've thoroughly gotten your attention," said a voice, "let's keep it!"

A youth appeared and threw golden hoops atop the pile of bandits, each squeezing in to bind them in place. Once he was done Hoopa gave the dazed, trapped pile of bandits a wave.

"Thank you for attending this show of "How Not to Plunder a Village!" We hope for your sake it was educational."

Dialga reverted to his more humanlike form as Palkia approached on the draft horse's back and Giratina approached on Wuzzles. A few of the trapped bandits started at Wuzzles sniffing them, at which Giratina shushed him.

"Wuzzles, they are not snacks. I will get you your snacks back in town."

"Speaking of which," said Dialga, "Where are those humans Palkia said were so important anyway?"

"They should be here any minute now..." said Palkia.

Indeed, the other quartet and the farmer soon ran up to the scene only to look at it baffled.

"What in the name of the gods...?" said the blue-haired one.

"...It seems we've been beaten to our objective," said the shorter, white-haired man.

"That was already apparent, but how?" said the third, tallest man.

"Aw, phooey!" said the girl. "I hate missing out!"

~Alright, who does the introductions?~ said Hoopa telepathically.

~I'll start.~ said Palkia.

She turned to the other group.

"Oh, hey! Sorry if we messed anything up taking care of these guys!"

"It's fine!" said the farmer. "You saved our village before the Shepereds even could!"

"We're part of said Sheperds by the way," said the blue-haired man."I'm Chrom, my companions here are Robin..."

He gestures to the white-haired young man in the coat.

~He's one of my favorites!~ said Palkia to everyone in her group.

"Fredrick..."continued Chrom, guesturing to his older, taller companion, "and Lissa," guesturing to the blonde teenager.

"You certainly seem skilled from how easily you seem to have dealt with those bandits!" said Robin, looking at the multiversal group in admiration.

He then furrowed his brow. "What land are you even from, though? You certainly seem like an unusual bunch."

"We're from the esoteric faraway land of Cincinatii," said Dialga dryly.

"It's got some great views and locales and good food!" said Palkia

"The sports teams kind of suck, tho-" said Giratina.

Palkia nudged him with a foot before continuing.

"Anyway," said Palkia, "I'm Valentia, this is Quentin, this is Howard, and this is  Bartemaeus," she  said, gesturing to each of them in turn.

"Pleasure to meet you all," said Chrom, nodding.

He smiled. "And for being so helpful here... If you need a place to stay from so far off why not with us?"

Frederick raised an eyebrow. "...Mlord, this time you cannot be serious."

"Frederick, you've known Chrom far longer than I have," said Robin. "He's always serious about these things."

~Chrom's the nice one,~ said Palkia telepathically. ~He's our ace in the hole for getting in with these guys without too much trouble!~

"But... We have no records of this Cincinatti place anywhere in Yilisse! They look more like travelling circus performers than anything!"

"Hey!" said Hoopa, gesturing to his outfit. "Don't tell me this isn't stylish."

Robin looked over the pile of bandits. "If they were circus performers or enemies they wouldn't have subdued what appear to be remnants of Gangrel's army so quickly or easily..."

~Gangrel's the guy that started the war right before this peacetime. He's a douche.~, said Palkia.

"Yeah!" said Lissa. "And if they're so tough, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!"

She scrunched her face up. "Or... The other way around. Kinda. Mabye. You get my point!"

"If we could chill with you guys that'd be pretty cool," said Giratina.

"What Howard said!" said Hoopa.

"I suppose despite my own caution I'll agree," said Dialga.

Fredrick looked between them all and sighed. "Alright... But everyone, keep an eye on these.... Cincinnatians."

Robin gave a small bow to Palkia. "It's a pleasure to have you all with us."

Palkia bowed back. "You as well."

Internally, she gave an excited fangirl squeal. We're partying with the Shepherds! This is gonna be great!

***

And so things seem to be going smoothly for our team so far. Emphasis on so far. We'll see happens when they meet the rest of the Shepherds next chapter- which, sadly, may take a bit longer than this one to come out for a few things I have to take care of on my end. Don't worry, though- I know full well what comes next, so when the time arrives you readers will too.

Well, here's Chapter 4! This is where we get into a more experimental aspect of this fic - one the chapter title has some meaning to.

Chapter 4: A Matter Of Time

It had been about a couple weeks now, and the multiversal visitors were starting to get along with and get to know the multitude of Shepherds, all settling in.

One of the Shepherds, though, was not so settled.

Virion was attempting to move stealthily through the barracks, and failing, considering he quickly literally bumped into a ginger-haired young man in a black cloak and headband, causing the latter to nearly choke on the lollipop he was sucking on.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

"Ah! Sorry, Gaius - Do you happen to know where Libra is?"

"I've got no clue where Padre is, I was looking for Bubbles! Why don't you ask The Invisible Man?"

Virion blinked. "Why are you looking for Robin and why did you specify Kellam?"

"I'm right here?" said Kellam, suddenly beside him.

Virion gave a high-pitched yelp as he jumped into Gaius' arms. "How do you do that?"

Kellam shrugged. "It just kind of happens. But Libra's on the loft, praying. You probably shouldn't disturb him too quickly."

"Duly noted!"

Virion would have leapt out of Gaius' arms right there if Gaius didn't drop him first. He picked himself up and dusted himself off before dashing over to the loft and finding Libra sitting there, indeed praying.

Virion stood there a while fidgeting and nervously sweating before Libra finally spoke normally without moving a bit.

"...You can talk to me now, Virion."

Virion wiped his brow, adjusted his ruff, and gulped. "It's about those Cincinnatians."

"What about them? They've been much more well-behaved since they first got here, especially when they help with the cooking."

Virion shook his head. "It's not about how they are now they've been here a while, it's about how they got here at all! You're a priest, a spiritual man... Haven't you noticed anything metaphysically strange about them?"

Libra paused before finally standing up and turning around to face Virion. "Yes, actually, I have... Subdued, well-hidden, but it's still detectable by someone of my cloth."

"Aha!" said Virion. "Fantastique, further evidence!"

Libra raised an eyebrow. "Evidence?"

"It all started when Howard referred to me as Kalosian. Now, I could believe that people as bizarre as him and his companions were from some esotetic faraway land, but when he mistook me for being from another, I grew suspicious. So I looked through every geographical book I could, even" - he shuddered - "sneaking into Miriel's personal library! And there was no mention of a Kalos or a Cincinnati anywhere!"

Libra put a hand to his chin. "That is direly suspicious..."

"And what's more, all the strange spells they seem capable of - Valentia's manipulation of water and space, Quentin's seeming bending of time in lapine form, Howard's mix of dimensional and dark magic, and that one time Bartimaeus did a "trick" to turn into a muscular strongman but was stuck that way for three days - they seem out of this world!"

Virion put his own hand to his chin. "And given the existence of a certain Outrealm Gate they may very well be!"

"So," said Libra dryly, "I assume you want my help figuring out what's really up with these 'Cincinnatians.'"

Virion grinned. "Oui! Precisely!"

Libra raised an eyebrow. "Why me though?"

"Because you're one of the few men I find att-"

Virion gave a hacking cough before regaining his composure.

"-Attentive enough to the divine and spiritual for this task, of course! With their strange powers, these 'Cincinnatians' could be spirits or even deities from another world! That's your department, is it not?"

Libra paused, then nodded. "True... If they were beings of great metaphysical power from another world intruding on ours it could cause a stir amidst the gods..."

"Alright then!" said Virion. "Let's figure out what's really going on!"

He headed off. Libra hesitated, then followed.

Dialga was off away from the barracks, trying to get some peace and quiet in a small wooded area with sunlight dappling through the trees onto moss and fallen leaves.

However, the sharp Taguel ears of his current form made the "quiet" part a fair bit harder, being able to hear every crack of a branch and every rustle of a leaf and every breath of all creatures in a very large vicinity.

"Hello, Panne," he said without turning around.

Panne stopped behind him, twitching her nose.

"I suppose you want something?" said Dialga.

"In a sense," Panne said back.

She started circling him.

"Your time with the Sheperds has proven to me you are no threat. But I still doubt you are truly one of my own kind. Who are you, really?"

"A visitor," said Dialga. "From another time, another place."

"I still hear the voice of someone bending the truth. But I've said that enough. Can you hear something for me?"

Dialga shifted slightly. "Tell what?"

Panne looked through the treetops up to the sky. "The old Taguel gods; I wonder if you could hear them. There were those of my kind that could hear them in days long past, but they are gone now. Can you hear them now?"

Dialga turned his ears, and more metaphysical senses, up to the sky. He heard and felt something, but nothing coherent enough for him to make out.

"...Only whispers."

Panne sighed. "They may be gone or leaving now; there's nothing left of my race but me. And... You, possibly, Quentin."

Dialga was silent as Panne looked off in another direction.

"I... Honestly kind of envy the man-spawn and those scaly Manaketes for still having theirs to pray to; they've got one mutual one they particularly revere, especially in Ylisse..."

Dialga perked one of his ears. "Which would that be?"

Panne glanced back at at him and raised an eyebrow. "I do not know why you would be interested, but they call her Naga the Divine Dragon."

"A dragon goddess?" said Dialga. "How curious."

Panne turned her head east as Dialga turned to face her. "She answers the prayers of the Manaketes, at least. And she's said to appear before those worthy of her to the east of here at Mount Prism."

She glanced at Dialga and looked away, shaking her head. "But I don't see any reason for you to take interest in the likes of her..."

She slowly walked off the way she came.

Dialga waited until she could hear her no longer, then turned his ears and divine senses to Mount Prism, expecting to hear nothing more than whispers again.

He was startled to hear and sense something much louder.

"...You don't know how wrong you are, Panne."

He shifted to his lapine form and ran to Mount Prism.

Atop Mount Prism, Dialga perked his ears and sniffed around a forested area with ruins of what appeared to be some sort of shrine scattered around a large waterfall at the center of a peak.

"There's really not much here... Could this truly be the home of a go-"

"A... Visitor?" a booming, yet feminine, voice rang out. "I never get visitors."

The waterfall parted, and a woman, tall with flowing green hair and pointed ears, stepped forth from it. Dialga immediately tilted his currently rabbit-like head at her outfit - the bottom half was a long, billowing skirt accompanied by a similar scarf, but the top was something so scanty the being before him was showing most of her skin.

"Isn't that a little risque by human standards? I mean, it's not as bad as what those slavers stuffed that Nowi girl into, but still, you have to worry about how you present yourself to mortals! And aren't you cold, given how high the altitude is?"

The woman stared in surprise before shaking her head and chuckling. "I'd never thought I'd get critique of my fashion sense from a Taguel of all beings. Especially given they're critically endangered."

She furrowed her brow at Dialga. "Though... Given what I sense emanating off of you, and your strange coloration... You're no true Taguel, are you?"

Dialga sighed. "Very well. It's hard enough keeping it hidden from Panne, and I came to find you because I was seeking a being like my true self..."

At this the Adamant Orb attached to his waist glowed, and the woman stared in shock and awe as his form glowed and stretched into its more natural shape. Dialga stretched his limbs to get readjusted, then turned to face the stunned woman.

"They call me Dialga. You are Naga, correct?"

The woman stared in shock a bit longer before shaking her head and nodding "Yes, I am Naga, the one called the Divine Dragon. But my question back is... What in this world are you?"

Dialga huffed. "That's the clincher; I am not of this world. I am another world's god of time come here for a visit. It has mostly proved relaxing so far. But I was hoping to see what at least one of the local pantheon was like."

Naga smiled, and gave a respectful bow. "It is an honor then, Dialga."

She sighed and shook her head. "But I am no god. I am no creator. I possess not the powers of making or unmaking."

Dialga gave her a quizzical look. "You're not? The Manaketes and the Yilliseans seem to hold you in high enough regard. And you have given the Yilliseans your blessing, have you not?"

"What divinity I have is as a protector and guardian," said Naga. "I can indirectly aid but take no direct action."

She looked out over the landscape. "It has been this way for millennia... I have taken many forms over all that time... I have not always been a woman... I have not always been a dragon, even..."

She sighed. "But memories of those fleeting times... They are not truly mine..."

Dialga gave her a look again. "How so?"

Naga looked at him almost solemnly. "I am not the first Naga... There have been others before me... The role and memories are passed down from one incarnation to the next. It is a burden, but one I must bear to help both human and Manakete."

Dialga shifted uncomfortably. "If it helps, there are those of status like mine back home who must go through similar tribulations..."

"Which gets me back to my first question," said Naga, giving Dialga a stern look. "What are you, other than a dragon god of time from another world?"

Dialga paused, then sighed.

"To put it at its most basic level, I am a Pokemon."

Naga blinked. "A... Pokemon?"

"They are the creatures of my world, coming in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and elemental attributes. They range from mere sapient versions of the 'animals' of your world to beings of divine power like myself. I may be a deity, but I am still a Pokemon all the same, and one classified by others of my world as being elementally affiliated with Dragon and Steel, affiliations I share with countless other lesser Pokemon."

Naga paused, then stepped forward, extending a hand. "May I?"

Dialga raised an eyebrow. "May I what?"

"Touch you."

Dialga cringed. "I'm hoping not... in a bad place that's no good. Especially since you'll be out of luck there in this form."

Upon realizing what he was saying Naga cringed herself. "Oh g-goodness, no! I just... Argh, I just wanted to touch your scales to test something, but if that makes you uncomfortable I can-"

Dialga sighed in relief. "If that's it that's totally fine, thank you."

Naga sighed in relief herself as she closed her eyes and extended her hand to stroke Dialga's scales as he stood perfectly still. Eventually, she smiled.

"You're right... Your scales are much like a Manaketete's, but have the texture and hardness of the finest plate armor..."

She stepped back, opened her eyes, and looked up at him.

"What are the other 'Pokemon' of your world like?"

Dialga shifted uncomfortably again. "Well, there's my siblings, and our companion, but they're more like me. Let me try to show you something more mundane, hold on..."

He turned around and shuffled about in a place Naga couldn't see and turned back to her with a strange clamshell-like object in his mouth that he placed down in front of her, then moved over to seat himself next to her as he opened up the device with his mind, causing a panel on the upper half to glow to life as Dialga pressed buttons on the bottom half telekinetically.

"This will take just a second, hold on..."

Naga watched in fascination as the panel showed a icon-laden picture of Dialga and two similar dragons posing for an awkward groupshot, then a blank white space filled with oddly shaped brown boxes. She noticed Dialga move a small, arrow-like icon to a brown box with the words "cute cat pokemon videos" on the bottom and selected it to reveal a large amount of pictures with strange boxed bars across the top and bottom. Dialga selected one with the words "littenandfamily.avi" attached to the bottom.

Immediately the screen was taken up by a vision of a small, red-and-black catlike creature pawing at the front of the panel.

"Oh!" said Naga. "It's adorable! What sort of cat is that creature?"

Dialga turned to her and smiled. "A Litten."

"Lit-ten?"

"You'll see what I mean in a bit."

A human girl scooped the Litten up in a hug. Naga blinked in surprise.

"There are humans in your world?"

"Plenty. They live and work together with the Pokemon."

The Litten struggled and mewled in the girl's grip before letting out an annoyed "Lit!" and spitting a flaming furball out into the grass before them, causing the girl to drop it in surprise. Naga gasped and chuckled. "I suppose Litten are affiliated with fire?"

Dialga nodded. "Yep, they're Fire-types."

The Litten's fiery hairball was patted out by a larger creature resembling a cross between a Litten and a bobcat, which the Litten batted at playfully. Naga gasped again. "Is that an adult Litten?"

Dialga shook his head. "Not quite. Pokemon can transform into more powerful Pokemon as part of their life cycle. Litten transforms into Torracat there when the time is right..."

The Litten and Torracat are scooped up by a third, bipedal creature resembling a cross between the previous two and a tiger, who started licking them affectionately.

"...And then into Incineroar."

The vision stopped, and Dialga dissipated it with the same icon he used to open it. Naga looked back up toward him. "Your world seems amazing already! Do all Pokemon transform like that Litten do?"

Dialga chuckled. "It depends; Pokemon of stature like mine typically don't do anything quite like that. We're powerful enough as is."

He thought a bit, then gave a frown.

"Speaking of which... Others and yourself refer to you as a dragon, and yet you have kept this pointy-eared human form this whole time! Is this simply your latest incarnation, or what?"

Naga frowned deeply. "Not quite... You are my first true visitor in a long while, so I suppose I shall show you..."

She pulled a stone out of her dress and rubbed it, chanting. She was enveloped in energy that to Dialga resembled a more floral Mega Evolution cocoon before emerging as a massive, golden dragon that gave a mighty roar and spread its mighty, leaf-like wings to show their full splendor and display their owner's glittering golden scales. It was Dialga's turn to stare in awe.

Naga looked at him, smiling, for a while before her eyes flashed red and she snarled before recovering.

"Ugh..."

She quickly reverted back to her more humanlike form and groaned again, clutching her head.

"Are you alright?" said Dialga.

"Yes, I am... It's just..."

She gave him a solemn look.

"The dragons of this world, including the Manakete, have a curse placed upon us... Where we eventually succumb to madness that robs us of our sapience as our lives go on..."

She shook her head sadly.

"It's already too late for the wyverns... Even the mighty Starfall clan have been reduced to feral scavengers and thieves... We Manaketes have only survived by assuming human form most of our lives... And part of why I must change vessels every few millennia..."

Dialga listened intently, then shook his head sadly himself.

"I could not imagine if such a curse was placed upon the mortal Dragon-types of my world..."

He hurriedly stowed his laptop away, then turned to leave. "I shouldn't have brought you to do such a thing so risky to yourself... If you need rest after that, I shall take my leave now..."

"Dialga, wait!" said Naga.

Dialga stopped. "What is it?"

Naga hesitated before continuing. "During your trip... Could you come back and visit me from time to time? Teach me more of your world?"

Dialga paused, then glanced back and smiled.

"...I most certainly will."

His Adamant Orb glowed, and he shifted back to his more lapine Taguel form as he bounded off.

Panne tried to remain completely silent as Dialga bounded past her.

This explained so much, and yet she still had so many questions. She had managed to hear Dialga heading off toward Mount Prism and followed, and had discovered he was a bizarre being called a "Pokemon" from another world, and one of enough divine power to be on speaking terms with Naga herself.

Question was, what was such a being doing in their world?

She bounded off to the barracks herself, making sure to approach from a far different direction than Dialga. She could not forgive him for masquerading as her species, but there was too much risk exposing him outright, especially given his companions were likely of the same magnitude of power as he, and she still didn't know of their motivations. Thinking further, she realized that Libra would be a good initial aid for this given his knowledge of the divine...

...And was also of the sort not to recruit particularly numbskulled man-spawn to their cause.

***

And there you have it! I must warn you all that I'm going to be shifting focus temporarily to another project again (and possibly Yuletide pinchhitting), but still hope to have Chapter 5 of this up sooner than the last time I did so!

As promised, this a very special chapter. Enjoy

Chapter 6: Destiny

Robin and Palkia were wandering the barracks when Robin stiffened.

"What's wrong?" Palkia said.

"This part of the barracks. I don't recognize it. At all."

Palkia shrugged. "Maybe they just built a new bit. I wouldn't worry too mu-"

Suddenly two trap doors opened beneath them and they fell screaming into darkness.

-------

The two came to in what seemed like a sunny Yillisean field, though one neither of them seemed to recognise.

"Okay," said Palkia. "What wise guy knocked us out and dragged us out here?"

"I don't know, but we should get back," said Robin.

He attempted to get to his feet, only to drag a protesting Palkia up with him. Confused, Robin looked to their hands and his eyes widened with shock.

"Why are we holding hands? And more importantly why are our hands stuck together?!"

Palkia yelped and tried to pry her hand from Robin's, but it was very much stuck fast. "Not good, not good, not good..."

“IT SEEMS YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR DESTINATION," said a distorted voice.

"Definitely not good!" said Palkia.

"THIS SEEMS TO BE A PATH WHERE LOVERS WHO MEET THEIR DESTINED PARTNERS DISCUSS THEIR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER.”

"Destined lovers?!" said Robin.

"No, this isn't possible..." said Palkia. "I can't get married to a mor-!"

She caught herself and stayed quiet.

“WHAT COULD BE WAITING UP AHEAD? YOU ARE FREE TO STEP FORTH HAND-IN-HAND, CURIOSITY AND FEAR IN YOUR HEARTS, OR YOU CAN REFRAIN.”

Palkia gulped. "We'll refrain, thank you very mu-"

“NOW, STEP FORTH!”

The voice fell silent. It was then the two noticed heart-shaped arches up ahead.

"I'd suspect one of our enemies is behind this save for the fact none of them would do anything like this," said Robin.

"I swear I would fight whatever that creepy voice is!" said Palkia. "If only I could see what the hell it is."

"Unfortunately," said Robin, "we are literally stuck to each other, so the only way to get to it is heading on together."

"Alright then," said Palkia. "Once we get there I'm beating up whoever's behind this!"

The two headed onward into the heart-shaped arches.

------

As they went on, Robin craned his neck to squint at something up ahead. "Is that-"

“SUDDENLY, ALL IN ATTENDANCE HEAR AN ANNOUNCEMENT,” said the voice, booming around them.

"Could you turn down the volume?!" said Palkia.

“UP AHEAD, THEY SEE A BRIDE AND GROOM’S JOYOUS COMMEMORATIVE PAINTING OF LOVE. THEY CONFER BETWEEN THEM WHETHER TO LOOK AT IT, OR IGNORE IT.”

"I doubt ignoring is an option" said Palkia. "So unfortunately we're going to have to look."

She and Robin hesitantly crept over, only for both of them to stop dead in horror upon seeing what the painting depicted.

"What." said Robin. "I just... why?!"

"It's me in a wedding dress! And you in a tux! Holding me!" said Palkia.

"What even is this tux thing and why do I get the creepy feeling it's supposed to be romantic?!" said Robin.

"Just the fact that someone would bother to make this is itself  really creeping me ou-" Palkia started to say.

She then whipped her head over to Robin in shock. "Why are you in the tux from the photo?!"

Robin looked down at himself, yelped, and then looked in equal shock at Palkia. "I don't know, but why are you in the dress from the photo?!"

Palkia looked down at herself to find she was indeed in a wedding dress. She let out a high-pitched yelp, then stomped her foot in anger.

"That is it! We are getting to the bottom of this!"

She dragged Robin off through the heart-shaped archways.

-------

After a while, the two came up to a building of the sort both recognised from their respective worlds.

"Is that a... church?" said Robin.

"I need answers!" said Palkia.

"THE LONG-AWAITED MOMENT HAS COME," said the distorted voice. "THE BRIDE AND GROOM ARE FINALLY ABOUT TO ENTER.”

"I still don't hear any answers!" said Palkia.

“THE LAST MOMENT OF HESITATION HAS ARRIVED BEFORE YOU ARE TO BE WED.”

"We are not getting married!" said Robin.

“THROUGH YOUR OWN FREE WILL, YOU DECIDE TO VOW ETERNAL LOVE TO EACH OTHER.”

"This is a violation of free will!" said Robin.

“NOW, OPEN THE DOOR TOGETHER!”

"You know what? Fine!" said Palkia.

"You are going down!" said Robin.

The two worked together to kick down the church doors, only to find the church completely empty, altar, seats, and all. Despite this the voice boomed out yet again.

“YOU MUST VOW YOUR UNWAVERING LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER, IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH. NOW, VOW YOUR LOVE!”

"I can't get married to him! I feel like a... a... An OC being paired off with a canon character!" said Palkia.

"A... what?" said Robin.

"It's a Cincinnati metaphor you wouldn't understa-"

"No! I won't allow this!" said another voice.

A woman in tight-fitting dark mage gear burst through the doors, rushing over to Robin.

"Tharja?" said Robin, blinking.

"I could not let these foul pranksters pair you off to this Valentina!" said Tharja.

Palkia put her hands on her hips. "Waitaminute, pranksters?"

It was then Giratina and Hoopa emerged from behind the altar, laughing uproariously.

"Dudes, you should have seen the looks on your faces!" said Giratina.

"Oh man, this was so worth all the setup," said Hoopa.

The two stopped, however, to see that Palkia had gotten her hand unstuck and was standing before them with a crazed grin on her face.

"I promised whoever was behind this I'd kick their ass... And I keep my promises..."

Giratina and Hoopa screamed as Palkia chased them out of the church.

Tharja thumbed after them and gave a baffled look at Robin.

Robin just shrugged.

***
Happy April Fools, everybody! The real Chapter 6 should be up soon!

By the way, yes, I have used this Persona Q  sequence in a fic before...

Well. And I thought the last delay was bad.

It's been over a year. The reason being that my motivation to do fic at all was kicked in the nether regions throughout the latter half of 2017, and come 2018 I had enough writer's block on this particular project to delay it further as I focused on others. For that, I apologize to everybody who was even remotely invested in this fic.

That said, here it finally is. A slower chapter, but one that sets up for bigger things to come.

Chapter 7: Love and War

The mage fired a blast of dark energy at Palkia, aiming for her head. Palkia casually deflected the blast with her staff, then opened a rift in space that sucked the mage in before closing.

~Are you sure the non-lethal method for these guys is gonna work?~ said Hoopa's voice in her head.

~Well it's not like we can wanton murder the locals,~ said Palkia back.

One by one, she spatially warped every that came after her, until there were none left. Soon, her group and the Shepherds were the only living people left in the battlefield.

The Shepherds themselves were rather worse for wear; the local healers were getting together to patch people up. Meanwhile, Palkia looked over to Robin, who was putting away his spelbooks and cleaning off his robes. A green-haired girl in pink approached him.

Palkia sighed.

Palkia paced in her tent. Nearby, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina were slumped over, exhausted.

"Remind me of why we're on cleanup duty again, sis?" Giratina asked.

"Again, the end is coming, and we need to stop it."

"Shouldn't there be more to it than just... tagging along?" said Dialga.

"Something could crop up at any moment. We need to be prepared."

"We've been doing this for two years!" said Hoopa. "That's piecemeal for us, sure, but it's a decent while for the humans that make up, you know, ninety percent of this group?"

"It's also peacemeal for the thing we're fighting. The dark dragon god that wants to, remember, be reborn through one of the leaders of this fucking group?"

"Shouldn't we be taking care of that, then?" said Dialga.

Palkia gulped. "I'm trying but..."

"Let's just say things are getting complicated."

A couple weeks earlier, Palkia was looking for a good spot to sit down and eat, when she saw Robin approaching her. She perked up and moved to hand him some of the food she was carrying, only to notice he seemed rather nervous.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Can I ask you something?" said Robin.

"Sure, what is it?"

"It's about that Manakete girl we recruited a while back. Tiki."

"Yeah, what about her?"

"I think I... I... I'm in love with her."

Palkia started. Several thoughts flooded her mind at once, but the first and foremost to emerge was:

Robin x Tiki? Who even ships that?

She immediately bit her tongue, going: Palkia you idiot these are real people you don't think things like that even though they are also technically fictional in your world and gah just give him advice already.

"Is that so?" said Palkia, smirking and striking a pose. "Well well, I assume you need advice on wooing the lucky lady?"

"Er, yes, I suppose. You two have a similar... energy, so to speak? I've already asked Gaius and he wasn't entirely sure what to do aside from offering her some candy. Which I did. Turns out she has a licorice allergy. We haven't spoken since."

Palkia filed all those facts, especially the thing about Gaius, away for later before responding.

"Well, uh... It's probably been long enough. Maybe just approach her casually, like in the mess hall, apologize, and work from there?"

"I don't know, though, I'm... I'm still awfully embarrassed and she might still be mad..."

"Knowing her, I doubt it. Just have some faith in yourself, alright? Or don't listen to me because I'm aro ace."

"You're what?"

"Er... Never mind. Just do it, buddy. I know you can."

Robin shook his head, then nodded, and headed off.

Immediately various thoughts started swimming through Palkia's head. Tiki is a demigod. The daughter of a previous incarnation of Naga. Robin has the blood of Grima, who they're trying to stop. The two of them together...

Gaius. She had to find Gaius.

She rushed off through a space portal as fast as she could.

Gaius was relaxing by himself, a bowl of candies before him as he slowly popped them into his mouth.

This peaceful scene was interrupted by a rift in space appearing behind him and Palkia emerging, grabbing Gaius, and shaking him like a rag doll.

"GaiusineedtoknowwhenandhowyoulearnedaboutRobinandTikipotentiallybeingathing!"

"Gah! Slow down Spacey!" said Gaius.

Palkia released Gaius from her grip and sat down. "Sorry..."

"This isn't about the licorice, is it?" said Gaius.

"No! I just... Need to know more about how this happened!"

"Kind of a snoop, are you? I dunno, Tiki got curious about Bubbles, Bubbles got curious about Tiki, and the next thing I know he comes asking me for romantic advice! Honestly regarding Tiki I'm kind of jealous of her..."

"Right. Why was she gravitating to him in particular?"

"When I talked to Robin about it after the licoriche incident he said she gravitated to the "strange aura" he had. Weird dragon bullshit I tell you.

"Strange... Aura... Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no."

"Wait, wha-"

Palkia had already vanished through another rift in space.

Gaius shrugged and started picking up his candies.

"...And that's why we need to watch this relationship like a Staraptor and intervene if something's up," said Palkia.

"Okay then," said Hoopa. "Why didya wait until now to tell us?"

"I thought things would stay awkward after the licorice incident," said Palkia, "but then my advice worked! He talked to her and they kept talking and now they're kinda sorta dating?"

"Well, that certainly backfired, sister," said Dialga.

"I know..." said Palkia. "What do we do now?"

"Simple!" said Giratina. "We set Tiki up with Wuzzles, give her a love potion from Hoopa's Stash, and presto! Problem solved."

From outside the tent Wuzzles gave a growl of objection.

"Do I even have a love potion?" said Hoopa.

"Okay, that's not going to work." said Palkia.

"I'll ask for Naga's advice on this. She's Tiki's mother, right? Surely she'll object and tell us what to do."

"It's worth a shot," said Palkia.

Dialga nodded, shifted to his monster rabbit form, and headed off.

So did Panne, who was listening nearby.

Despite the distance, Dialga arrived in short order, heading straight to Naga.

"What is it, Dialga?" said Naga.

"It's about your daughter, Tiki," said Dialga, reverting to his draconic form. "She's in love with the potential future vessel of Grima."

"I understand," said Naga, "but there is little I can do."

"Why not?" said Dialga.

"Well, for one, it's not entirely accurate to say she's my daughter, more the daughter of a previous me," said Naga. "My responsibility toward her has long passed."

"Yes, so?" said Dialga.

"Second... She's seen so much to suffer for in her life. I like to let her be happy when she's awake and has the chance."

"Hm," said Dialga "But her mingling with Grima's power... Could it be dangerous?"

"For now Grima's potential lies within Robin and only Robin," said Naga. "It has no chance of passing on to Tiki."

"And what of... Their offspring?"

"That I cannot say. You are working to prevent Robin's manifestation as Grima, yes?"

"But of course."

Naga smiled gently. "Then nothing should come ill of this union."

"If you say so..." said Dialga.

He sighed. "It's been two years. That's nothing to you and me but a while to those humans. We haven't found a cure."

"I have faith in you and your companions, my friend," said Naga.

"...Friend?" said Dialga.

"Of course," said Naga. "We've only known each other for a short while and yet you're the best company I've had in millenia."

"Th... Thank you." said Dialga. "But I must be going."

He shifted to his rabbit form and ran off as fast as he could, Naga waving him goodbye.

"...So we do nothing?" said Palkia.

"Nothing," said Dialga.

"This stinks!" said Hoopa. "We've been doing nothing but watching and waiting since we figured out this place is scheduled for a shitshow! This world is doomed, aint it? We gotta do something to put a stop to that!"

"We can't directly intervene, though!" said Palkia. "If we break out all our fancy tricks at once, the jig is up, and there's no telling if the locals will be with or against us!"

"They're just humans and a few extras though," said Giratina. "We can deal with them eas-"

"That's what we said about Cyrus!" said Palkia.

There was stunned silence from Dialga and Giratina. Hoopa's eyes widened and he slowly started backing up.

"I..." said Palkia. "I'm sorry, I just-"

"Okay, that's enough."

Panne suddenly barged into the tent, followed by Libra and Virion.

"You four!" said Virion. "We've caught you in the act! Now you've got some explaining to d-"

He was promptly interrupted with a scream as Wuzzles pounced on him.

Giratina sighed and pulled Wuzzles off. "Bad boy! I told you, no eating the other Shepherds."

Virion got up and dusted himself off, panting heavily. Libra continued for him.

"Panne informed us of your conspiracies; we three have been suspicious of your activities for a while."

"Just what is going on with you all?" said Panne.

The group paused. Then, Palkia sighed.

"Let me handle this, guys."

She took a deep breath.

"This is gonna be hard to believe but... We're gods. From another world. We came here for a good time, but things got hairy when we found out an evil god from your world's due to be resurrected. We're sorry."

"Hah!" said Virion. "We knew as much, didn't we Libra and Panne?"

"Indeed I did," said Libra. "Your divine presence was apparent from the start."

"And with me discovering Quentin's true nature myself," said Panne, "All that remained was scrutinizing your motives. Which we've been trying to do for two long years."

"I guess two years of me and Howard trying to throw you of didn't work..." said Hoopa.\

"At least the pranks were good," said Giratina.

"So discard that charade of some dark god from our world you're trying to stop and tell us the truth!"

"They are," said Libra.

"Huh?" said Virion.

"You've heard the rumblings about Grima, have you not? If they are on our side in that fight they could be valuable allies."

"...Allies?" said Panne.

"...So you'll help us?" said Dialga.

"I will," said Libra. "Question is if my companions will."

Panne looked between everyone and then snarled at Dialga.

"Impersonating one of my kind is still a sore spot, but if you wish to do more help than harm, I will aid you."

"...Well, I guess if they are I will too," said Virion.

Palkia grinned. "An alliance it is."

"Now what?" said Giratina.

"We come up with a plan," said Libra.

And they set to work, making charts and illustrations and discussing amongst themselves.

Shortly after, Panne was standing outside, listening to the noises around her. A such, she soon heard Dialga approaching.

"...You."

"...Yes, it's me."

"What do you want?"

"I talked to Naga. Multiple times."

"And?"

"I want to bring your kind back."

Panne sighed, then turned around to face Dialga.

"Even if you truly are a deity from another world. You have a monumental task ahead of you."

"I know. That's why I want your help."

Panne paused.

"...You truly wish to help someone such as me? And my kind?"

"I do."

The faintest hint of a smile crept onto Panne's lips.

"I will say this. You are not taguel. But you are not manspawn either. And I can see you truly care. I will accept your help."

A small smile crept onto Dialga's lips as well.

Walhart had been defeated.

After a ceremony to honor the lives lost - particularly that of the Feroxian Khan Basilio - a massive party among the Sheperds was held. Drinks, food, games, all were had, and even Wuzzles participated in the fun.

Amidst the hullabaloo Palkia approached Tiki.

"Yo?"

"Oh, hello, Palkia!" said Tiki.

"Hey," said Palkia. "How's it going?"

"Good! I love parties! One of the few things that can keep me awake, haha..."

"That's good. How are you and Robin doing?"

"Oh! We're doing well!"

She fidgeted noticeably.

"I... I'm starting to think we're more than friends, though..."

Palkia blinked. Right, that doesn't happen until S Support. Also I need to stop thinking in game terms.

"Really? I can definitely see it."

"H-Huh?"

"Yeah, you're totally into each other. Like, super-into each other."

"I don't know... I'm worried I'm projecting Marth onto him..."

"Then don't. Value him as the person he is. And hey, I'm friends with him. He's a pretty great guy."

"I just worry about what people will think sometimes..."

"Don't. There's going to be people who want to stop your relationship. People who object. People who think it will end in disaster. Those people don't matter if you think you can have a healthy, supportive relationship with him."

"...Alright. Thank you, Palkia."

Tiki looked around.

"He left the party to go do some paperwork... I ought to keep him company.

She got up and left. Palkia sighed.

"Good luck, Tiki. You and Robin both need it. And so will we."

***

Okay! Here's Chapter 9! Do be warned this has what will probably be the goriest scene in the entire fic. Also some characters I was looking forward to introducing!

Chapter 9: Teenage Wasteland

It was dark. The clouds rarely let the sun through. It had been this way for years, as had the Risen shambling across the landscape.

Somewhere in the ruins of Yilissitol, a small group of these Risen advanced toward what looked to be an enticing target. For their efforts, they were slashed clean in half, the insects that made them move fleeing into the dirt. The one that had done the deed sighed and started moving on.

"...Valentina? Is that really you?"

Palkia paused. Then turned around. It was Tiki, staring her down.

"...Tiki." Palkia said hollowly. "It's been a while."

"Yes... But you! You seem to be the only survivor of the Shepherds I could find..."

"I'm sure there are... Others..."

"I need you, Valentia."

"What for?"

"Mommy?" said a voice. "Are the Risen gone?"

A small child peeked out from behind a brick wall. This seemed to stir up some actual emotion in Palkia.

"Is... Is that...?"

Tiki sighed. "I... I've decided to take on Grima myself. With my Divine Dragon power I may be the only one who stands a chance. But while I'm gone... and... just in case... I need someone to watch over Morgan. And as far as I know you're the only one I trust left."

"You... You can't," said Palkia, stammering. "Taing on Grima, it's suicide, I-"

"Valentina, please!" said Tiki. "You're my only hope... You're... her only hope..."

Palkia looked between Tiki and Morgan a few times before sighing and nodding. "I'll... Take care of her."

"Thank you..." said Tiki. She bent down to adress Morgan. "Sweetie? I'm going to see your father so we can stop the evil dragon." She started tearing up. "Miss... Miss Valentia is going to take good care of you and protect you from Risen until I get back, okay?"

"Okay mommy, " said Morgan.

She headed over to Palkia. Tiki looked over at Palkia, tears still in her eyes.

"...Goodbye."

And in an instant, she was gone.

Palkia stared numbly in the direction she went for a good few seconds before noticing the child clutching to her leg and promptly panicking.

"Oh no... This was a mistake, a huge mistake..."

She scooped up Morgan and rushed after Tiki, but stopped when she realized she had no clue where Tiki went.

"Not good... If I knew where she was I could just warp there but..."

She noticed Morgan clinging very tightly to her chest, bit her tongue, and started navigating the city on foot. She searched every nook and cranny, behind every wall and broken building, even blasted a few Risen lurking in the depths. Still no sign of her. Palkia was starting to get irritated before hearing a loud roar not too far in the distance. "Grima... She's going for Grima!"

She looked at Morgan, who by this point was eyeing her oddly. "Brace yourself kid."

She immediately warped within view of but a safe distance away from the massive dragon.

And realized her mistake as she heard a scream. And saw Grima's jaws crunching down on the flesh and bones of a much smaller dragon, pieces either falling away or being swallowed whole.

Morgan screamed.

Palkia screamed.

S E V E R A L  Y E A R S  L A T E R

Dialga sighed as his time powers vaporized yet more Risen. It seemed he encountered five or seven of them every five feet, and no matter how many even his powers eliminated more kept coming. He turned to Giratina and Hoopa, who were rummaging through a hut. "Anything?"

"No sign of life dude," said Giratina.

~Much less any of the Shepherds. Or... Her.~ said Hoopa.

Dialga sighed again. They'd found plenty of apocalyptic logs and ruins of old homes, but it'd been literal years since they'd seen any surviving Shepherds aside from the three they rescued. And about as many years since they'd seen Palkia.

"Let's... just... go back to the bunker."

"M-Mom?"

"Yes Yarne?" said Panne.

She turned to another Taguel, one with a nervous look and a shock of dirty blonde hair in his otherwise dark brown locks.

"They've taken a while to come back..."

"They'll be all right. Dialga, Giratina, and Hoopa can handle Risen better than most of us."

"I s-sure hope so because-"

Yarne yelped as the door opened and sighed in relief as Dialga, Giratina, and Hoopa entered. Wuzzles perked up from the corner he was sleeping in.

"Told you," said Panne.

"No sign of them," said Dialga. "As usual."

"You know, big scary zombie apocalypse is totally my aesthetic, but this is still getting kind of frustrating," said Gratina.

~Should we ask Virion and Libra if they saw anything?~ said Hoopa.

"You can," said Panne. "Even in the end of the world I'm still not asking Virion for anything."

"Uh, I'll go then," said Yarne.

The other three nodded, and they headed to another room in the bunker. Libra was taking notes in a journal while Virion was fidgeting nervously while also occasionally glancing at Libra and blushing, which stopped when he realized there were other people in the room.

~You guys see anything?~ said Hoopa

"You saw nothi-" Virion started to say.

"We didn't find anyone in our search, no," said Libra.

"...Yes that."

Libra gave Virion a look. Virion blushed harder.

~Great.~ said Hoopa. ~Now what?~

"My hand has been forced," said Dialga. "I have to find Naga again."

"She's been elusive since Grima reawakened, Not even answering my prayers," said Libra.

"I know. But she's our only shot at finding everyone else."

"Good luck bro," said Giratina.

"We'll hold the line here," said Hoopa.

"Wait, r-really?" said Yarne. "What if they like, ambush us while he's gone?"

"I can take care of it, kid," said Giratina.

~Hey! Don't leave me out!~ said Hoopa.

An insulted bear roar came from Panne's section of the bunker.

"...I guess we'll be fine?" said Yarne. "Mom's here too..."

"And with that I'm going," said Dialga.

And so he exited the bunker, turned into his rabbit form, then zoomed off.

Eventually Dialga reached Naga's lair. No sign of her. Dialga called out.

"Naga. It's been a while. We need to talk."

Silence. Then, slowly, Naga's figure emerged.

"Dialga. Good to see you again. Especially in a time like this."

"Same to you. But I need help." He pawed the ground with a bunny paw. "We're looking for survivors among the Shepherds, but of all the ones we've found none were affiliated. Also... My sister, Palkia. She's missing."

"Your sister? This is concerning..."

"Indeed. She just... Disappeared one day when we were looking for survivors. But the Risen or Grima couldn't have gotten her. Palkia and I are like two sides of the same coin metaphysically; I would have felt it. She's... Distant, but she's there."

Naga frowned, then soon after her face lit up. "In that case... Perhaps I can use you to locate her."

Dialga's face also lit up. "Please do."

Naga reached over and placed a hand on Dialga's head, closing her eyes. All was still. Then she opened her eyes, which glowed briefly, before she spoke. "I found her."

"Where?"

"The Outrealm Gate, a place able to access other worlds much like you and your siblings can. She's in a dimension there. It's been barely functional since Grima's rise but your powers should jumpstart it. Will it, and you will find her. I also sensed a presence tied to both me and Grima, so keep an eye out for that."

"Thank you," said Dialga. He paused. "Why hasn't Grima gone after you? Or you him?"

"Grima and I's powers are directly opposed in a strange way. He cannot destroy me, nor I him. So... He's focused on destroying everything I care about instead."

"...I see. I will protect what you have left, then."

"Thank you. It means so much to me."

"I must find Palkia to bring that to fruition, however. So I have to be off."

"Farewell, Dialga. Good luck."

And they went their separate ways.

At the bunker, a table had been decorated with a map and minifigures. Giratina sat at the head behind a screen while the others sat at the sides.

"Okay," said Giratina. "The dire Arcanine pack seems wary, but not yet hostile. Same with the orcs, who keep them as pets. The orc general is eyeing you oddly."

"We try diplomacy." said Panne. "They are not man-spawn, they are worthy."

~I can offer them goods!~ said Hoopa.

"We can try just slowly backing away..." said Yarne.

Wuzzles simply growled and pawed at his paladin figure.

"We can show them the way of Zekrom," said Libra. "Or-"

"I'm rolling to seduce the orc captain!" said Virion.

"Roll please," said Giratina.

Virion did so. The twenty-sided die landed on a one as everyone groaned. "What?!" Virion said. "These are my lucky dice!"

"The orc general is supremely offended at your terrible attempt at flirting and orders the other orcs and dire Arcanine to attack," said Giratina. "Roll initiative."

Everyone sighed and prepared to roll when there was a noise at the door. Yarne yelped and scooched back, while everyone else stood at attention.

"Is that a Risen?" said Virion.

"Sounds and feels... Off for one." said Libra.

"Regardless, we must proceed with caution," said Panne.

~So, what's our plan?~ said Hoopa. ~Pounce on it when they think we're not there? Wait until it leaves? Offer it cookies?~

"I'll get it," said Giratina. To everyone's surprise he simply got up and opened the door. He was met by a sword to the face. Said sword was held by not a Risen but a girl, with dark blue hair and eyes and a blue outfit. Giratina raised an eyebrow.

"Dudette, if you're a zombie apocalypse survivor you probably have better things to do than interrupt my Dungeons And Druddigon session."

"You... You look familiar." said the girl. "Were you a friend of my father's?"

"...Lucina?" said Yarne from inside.

"...Yarne?" said Lucina back.

"Lucina? Chrom's daughter? That's you?" said Panne.

"Well this is certainly fortuitous," said Libra.

"How'd she find us?" said Virion.

~Hey there Lucina! We could use the help!~ said Hoopa.

Lucina turned to respond to Virion when she heard and saw Hoopa, who was in his Confined form, and stared. "What are you?"

~Er, I'm a dijin from another world is all I'll say.~

"...At least you're not a Risen then."

~Hey!~

"So, Lucina, what brings you to our humble... Abode?" said Virion.

"I was looking for Yarne, actually."

"Huh? M-me? Why?"

"I'm organizing a resistance! Of children of the former Shepherds. You were one of only two not accounted for."

"Dudette, you know who would be all over that? My sister Palkia," said Giratina.

"Will she be able to help?" said Lucina.

~Theoretically,~ said Hoopa. ~Her other brother Dialga is looking for her right now.~

He put a hand to his chin.

~I wonder how he's doing...~

Dialga, in dragon form was standing before the Outrealm Gate. Or at least what's left of it. Bits and pieces were strewn everywhere and the gate was barely still standing.

Dialga sighed. His eyes glowed. The Outrealm Gate slowly but surely repaired itself. And he focused his mind on Palkia and entered.

When he did he found a sunny forest far different from the one he left behind. Pools of water were everywhere. But it was silent. Dialga looked around and stepped carefully through the wood.

Then he heard a roar.

He turned his head and was met with flaming breath to the face. When his vision cleared he saw a small Manakete dragon hovering before him, fangs bared. He stared, as this Manakete had traits of both Naga and Grima's dragon forms.

~Who are you? Where is my sister?~

~This is me and aunt Palkia's turf! Leave now!~

~That answers part of my question. Can you show me her? I mean no harm.~

~Are you sure?~

~Positive.~

~Aw, OK. You seem fun to mess with. It gets boring around here.~

The dragon landed and shrunk down, revealing her to be a young teenage girl with pointy ears and short, light green hair, with simple peasant clothes. She pocketed a small blue stone and looked up at Dialga.

"Your dragon form is cool. Not as cool as mine but then again what is?"

~Keep telling yourself that kid. Where's Palkia?~

"Say please!"

Dialga sighed. ~Take me to my sister please.~

The girl snickered."Sure thing! I just wanted to make you squirm."

~Mission successful.~

The girl snickered again and started leading Dialga off. "So, I guess you're that uncle Dialga aunt Palkia keeps mentioning."

~Yes, I am.~

"I'm Morgan! It's actually pretty great to see you. There's no one else here but me and aunt Palkia. And a few wild guinea pigs in the woods, I guess. They're cute!"

~I guess.~

Eventually, Dialga and Morgan reached a rift in space in the middle of the forest. "That's her sulking spot!" said Morgan. "She goes in there a lot."

~Palkia!~ said Dialga. ~Palkia I know you're in there!~

Silence.Then the rift slowly widened and Palkia, in dragon form, stepped out. ~How did you find me?~

~Naga helped. What are you doing here?~

~...I failed. The Shepherds died because of me. I need to be alone with Morgan.~

~No you don't.~

"We're safe in here though!" said Morgan. "Safe from... G-Grima. Grima killed my parents..."

~See? We're better off here,~ said Palkia.

~No you're not,~ said Dialga. ~We still need you. There are still survivors. You can help.~

~No I can't. I'll... I'll just screw up everything again.~

~I'll help you. We can do this. We're going to win this time.~

~Grima is as powerful as we are. We can't.~

~Grima is nothing compared to us. Please sister. We need your help. There's still hope.~

Palkia paused. She thought deeply to herself before replying,

~...Morgan, we're going.~

"Well, you heard her! Looks like we're staying safe in he- huh?"

~Dialga's right. I can't hide from everything forever. We can't.~

"But Grima-"

~We'll find a way to deal with him. Just stick with me, okay?~

Morgan thought to herself, then shrugged. "Okay then! It was getting pretty boring in here anyway."

Dialga smiled despite himself, and the three headed out.

When the three got back to the bunker, Dialga and Palkia back in their disguises, Dialga opened the door, only to be greeted by Lucina.

"More of you?" said Lucina. She noticed Morgan. "...You found Morgan!"

"Lucina?" said Morgan. "Is that really you?"

"Yo, Palkia!" said Giratina. "You're back!"

Palkia didn't really listen. She just stared at Lucina intently before breaking into a wide grin.

"Oh dear, now this makes things interesting..."

~Something up?~ said Hoopa.

"Lucina, I know exactly who you are," said Palkia, "And you give me hope I haven't had in years!"

"...I do?" said Lucina. "I know you were kind of a friend of my father's but..."

"What's she on to now?" said Virion.

"Shh, I'll get to it," said Palkia."  "Lucina, what are you here for?"

"I'm organizing a resistance of the children of the Shepherds," said Lucina. "Morgan was the last one I needed."

"Okay then! Could you take us to your base?"

"This bunker's kind of cramped anyway." said Libra.

"I will!" said Lucina.

"We've probably got a long way..." said Yarne.

"Be strong," said Panne. "We have good company. And Virion, I  guess."

"Hey!" said Virion.

~What do you have planned anyway?~ said Dialga privately to Palkia.

~I know exactly what's going on here,~ said Palkia, ~And instead of derailing it I'm helping it along!~

Lucina opened the door to an old cathedral, in surprisingly good shape. Inside were several teenagers and young adults, going about various activities, when they all turned to notice their visitors.

"...Fathers?" said a young girl with pointed ears in the direction of Virion and Libra.

"Father, father, is that you?" said another girl with short hair and a spear.

"...Nah? Noire? You're alive?" said Virion.

"It's... Been so long..." said Libra. "I thought you two died shortly after your mothers..."

The four shared an embrace as a woman in thick armor with blue hair and a young man in yellow with orange hair approached the others.

"Sister! You're back! And you found Yarne and Morgan!"

"Indeed, Kijelle." said Lucina. "Now we can begin plans to-"

"Greetings, travellers!: said the man in yellow. "The mighty Owain Dark beseeches you to look around and take in the sights! Especially his muscular ar-"

"Owain," said Lucina, "What did I tell you about showing off to new survivors? You'll scare them off."

"I cannot help myself! No more than I can help my sword hand twitching - Oh no.There it goes again!"

Lucina rolled her eyes and sighed. "Ignore him. Yarne, Morgan, make yourselves at home."

The two promptly headed in to do so, while Lucina turned to Palkia.

"Now... You said you thought you could help?"

Palkia rubbed her hands together. "Well..."

She thought a bit.

"Let's exchange some ideas. Relying on my own with just a bit of guidance from the others has been too costly; we're all going to have to work together for real on this one."

***

Well. This is it. The end. This fic has come a long way in three years and while I'm glad it's over I'm gonna miss it. But! I'll save further thoughts for after the main attraction - though thank Venia Silente for one of the many, many foreshadow-y cameos:

Epilogue: New Game +

Hoopa looked over the survivors he had rescued, scrutinizing them carefully, before extending one of his massive hands to one.

"Gimmie. I know you stole it from me."

The man yelped and produced a gold crown, which zoomed telekinetically into Hoopa's hand. Hoopa cackled and turned to Palkia. "They're all good to go!"

"Alright," said Palkia. "We're going to need to educate them on what the Pokemon world is like. Show them a few moves. Maybe teach them that the local wildlife is under divine contract not to murder them on sight and in reality would rather be friends."

"Okay!" Hoopa turned to the crowd. "Alright folks! Lessons with professor Hoopa start now!"

Palkia chuckled and moved on.

Morgan was concentrating on her dragonstone as Panne watched. She grimaced and concentrated until it finally glowed and...

...An Axew stood in Morgan's place.

"Huh? How come I'm so small? I don't even have any wings!"

"It's because of the influence of this world," said Dialga, approaching. "For the most part only humans and Pokemon exist."

"I do not wish to be a manspawn then," said Panne. "Make me one of those Pokemon."

Dialga paused, then turned around and spoke into a portal. A small, pink, bespectacled creature emerged from it, looking around.

"Alright, Dialga," said the Mew. "Who needs a species fixer-upper?"

"There, Bartelby," Dialga said, pointing a hoof toward Panne.

Bartelby waved one of his tiny pink paws and in an instant Panne was a small, blue, pointy rabbit-like creature.

"Hmmm." said Panne. "Small but comfortable. I think I like this."

"You're faring better than I am!" said Morgan, changing back to human soon after.

Dialga chuckled. "Don't worry Morgan. You'll be able to make your new dragon form reach stronger and stronger stages. Same with Panne's new form."

"Really?" said Morgan. "That's so cool!"

"That would be useful, yes," said Panne.

Dialga thought a bit. "Though first... we're going to have to find you two new homes."

He glanced over at Virion and Libra, who were bickering over a platter of biscuits.

"...And them too I suppose."

At a facility on the outskirts of Goldenrod City a man with brown hair and a teal shirt was tending to Nidoran, several Nidoran, and a few Nidorina and Nidorino to boot. It was then a human Dialga approached, holding Panne.

"Excuse me... Doctor Machali?"

The man looked up. "Yes?"

"Hello. Quentin here. I believe I've approached the PEFE before."

"Oh! Yes. Lovely to see you again Quentin. What is it?"

"Well, you specialize in the Nidoran line and..." he held up Panne. "I'd like you to take care of this very special Nido before she gets passed along to a Trainer I have in mind."

"Oh! Oh, certainly. Come here, little girl..."

He took Panne carefully into his arms. Panne squirmed a bit, but eventually settled down. She looked Dialga in the eye. Dialga smiled, carefully petting the Nidoran that were surrounding him, and gave a thumbs up.

Panne smiled back.

In Lumiose City, Libra and Virion were sitting in a Gogoat-pulled trolley, enjoying the view.

"This new world is amazing Libra!" said Virion. "So many sights to see, so many people to meet, so many hair care products..."

"Mhm," said Libra, looking around.

"What's wrong?" said Virion.

"I don't really care about any of that. At least not in and of itself."

"Why not?"

Libra smiled. "I care about sharing it with you."

"Wait, reall-"

Virion was interrupted by Libra kissing him. Startled, he soon kissed back.

Dialga, Palkia, and Morgan - all in human form - approached a lavish mansion, and knocked at the door. The door opened to reveal a man, woman, and young girl.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hale?" said Dialga.

"Yes, Mr. Quentin, Mrs. Valentina?" said Mr. Hale.

"How are you all doing?" said Palkia.

"Good, good," said Mr. Hale. "Especially after the Unown situation you helped stop."

"Is this the girl you called about?" said Mrs. Hale, looking at Morgan.

"Yep!" said Palkia. "This is Morgan."

"Hi!" said Morgan. "I promise I won't break anything. Within the first day anyway."

Mrs. Hale chuckled. "Molly? Meet your new big sister."

The girl's expression changed from one of curiosity to one of pure joy. She immediately ran up and hugged Morgan.

"Big sis, big sis!" she said.

"Good to have you too," said Morgan.

She then felt something tugging at her leg and looked down to see a Jangmo-O. She picked it up and cuddled it as Dialga and Palkia stared.

"Oh! That little girl followed me everywhere on a recent trip to Alola, so I brought her home," said Mr. Hale. "She seems to like you Morgan!"

The Jangmo-o purred as Morgan pet her. It was then Dialga noticed a familiar mark on the Jangmo-o's head and remembered Naga's words.

"I am not the first Naga... There have been others before me... The role and memories are passed down from one incarnation to the next."

Despite the weight of her words Dialga couldn't help but smile.

He then looked over to Palkia, who was deep in thought. "Something the matter sister?"

"It's just... I'm thinking about Robin," said Palkia. "I gave his last vestige some of my power,in hopes he'd escape.

She looked up into the sky and smiled.

"And... I feel like he has! He's out there somewhere, I know it!"

At a table, six people were conversing, talking and laughing happily, except one, a young man with white hair.

"Something wrong Robin?" asked a girl with teal hair.

"It's nothing wrong," said Robin. "I was thinking of a dream I had. A hopeful dream."

"Like what?" said a man in a hat and coat.

"About someone who helped me... Long ago. Helped me survive long enough to get here."

"That's pretty nice, yeah," said a teal-haired boy.

"Yeah, we're glad you're here, Robin," said a girl in white.

"You've made yourself quite at home," said a girl in red.

"Thank you." said Robin.

He looked up to the sky.

"And thank you... Valentina Palkia."

THE END

***

Holy cow. The process for this fic has been amazing, even with some roadblocks (the year-long delay much) and it's been wonderful sharing it with you all. I know I got more response some places than others but all the response I've actually gotten was incredible, and this is hugely significant in being the first chapterfic I've actually finished. Thank you, all of you,  for the feedback and likes and follows and everything, and I'm looking forward to sharing more of Heroes After All and my future projects... Though expect some trivia for this fic down the line.