Chapter 111: The Altar of the Grey-Robed Man

Zhao Fang heard Cynthia calling his name and suddenly felt a sharp kick to his backside, causing him to stumble and fall face-first onto the ground. Despite the fall, he quickly scrambled back to his feet, only to realize with surprise that he seemed to be enveloped in complete darkness.

Frowning, Zhao Fang reached into his backpack and retrieved the flashlight he had purchased during his last cave expedition. He switched it on and scanned his surroundings, confirming that he was no longer in the ancient temple. Instead, he appeared to be inside a cavern, surrounded on all sides by rugged rock walls. The cave was utterly silent; no sound reached his ears.

“Gyarados! Glaceon! Come out!” Zhao Fang released his two Pokémon. In this unfamiliar environment, caution was paramount.

He was now certain that after completing the pattern on that mysterious array, he had been transported elsewhere. However, where this place was and how it related to the array remained unclear. His only course of action was to find a way out.

Clutching the flashlight and accompanied by Gyarados and Glaceon, Zhao Fang cautiously explored the vicinity. He had fallen into what appeared to be a cave, encircled by rocky walls and a ceiling of stone, with no obvious exit in sight. The situation reminded him of Dialga and Palkia, and he wished Dialga were here to help search for hidden doors or secret passages.

“Looks like I have no choice but to head that way,” Zhao Fang sighed, glancing toward a passage ahead—the only apparent exit from this cavern. With his Pokémon by his side, he proceeded down the path.

The corridor was short, and soon Zhao Fang emerged into a chamber resembling an altar. Strange ancient inscriptions were etched beside it, though their meaning eluded him. They bore the mark of the Cloaked Ones’ script, or so he suspected.

He carefully copied the inscriptions and, shining his flashlight around, realized he was standing in a shrine adorned with peculiar murals.

Zhao Fang’s gaze first settled on the mural to the altar’s left. Though its imagery was strange, he discerned scenes depicting the Cloaked Ones and their Pokémon battling Dialga. On the right mural, the Cloaked Ones were shown confronting Palkia, which took him by surprise.

Ordinarily, altars depicted the venerated deities and their great deeds—for example, the Stone Cave in Verdant Town, where Rayquaza quelled the conflict between Groudon and Kyogre, earning reverence as the Sky God. But this altar illustrated the Cloaked Ones’ struggle against the temporal and spatial deities, which piqued Zhao Fang’s curiosity about the other murals.

Turning to the back of the altar, he found another group of Cloaked Ones depicted. However, the Pokémon they opposed was Giratina, the Renegade Pokémon from the Distortion World.

“Then the final panel must be...” Zhao Fang’s mind raced with possibilities. He quickly turned to the front of the altar.

Indeed, there was another mural. To his astonishment, it featured a single Cloaked One standing atop a mountain, facing Arceus—the Alpha Pokémon. Behind the figure stood three strangely shaped Pokémon, their forms seemingly blurred or ethereal. Standing directly before the Cloaked One, confronting Arceus, was a Pokémon radiating boundless brilliance.

“That must be... Necrozma, right?” Zhao Fang hesitated. The three shadowy figures resembled Necrozma’s alternate forms, while the luminous figure likely represented its ultimate form. Thus, the shadows represented Necrozma’s other three forms, but only Ultra Necrozma could stand face-to-face with Arceus.

Witnessing this, Zhao Fang’s shock deepened. He had known the Cloaked Ones were formidable—they could harness the powers of legendary Pokémon, such as the time-manipulating Celebi—but this altar suggested their leader controlled Necrozma to oppose Arceus itself.

What was this ancient faction’s true aim? They were challenging the legendary Creator God. Although Arceus’ power might have waned due to missing plates, was the Cloaked Ones’ adversary truly this diminished Arceus?

Zhao Fang scanned the altar’s surroundings. Nothing else was present except the murals and the altar itself. He stepped forward and placed his hand on the altar’s surface.

[An ancient altar, once a vessel for boundless radiance. A hidden compartment lies beneath.]

Zhao Fang raised an eyebrow. The altar seemed ordinary, yet it concealed a secret compartment underneath. How to open it, however, was a mystery.

Contemplating this, Zhao Fang stepped down and began searching every part of the altar. Finally, he found one stone slab that seemed loose. With effort, he pulled the slab away and revealed a shimmering membrane glowing with deep blue light.

“What... is this?” Zhao Fang wondered, puzzled. The compartment must lie beneath this glowing layer.

Reaching out, he touched the membrane—and instantly, a wave of exhaustion and tingling pain surged through his arm. He instinctively withdrew his hand, and a message box appeared.

[A membrane suffused with the power of time. Only the force of time itself can erase it.]

Zhao Fang frowned. So the compartment wouldn’t yield easily. But what was this power of time?

Suddenly, realization dawned on him. He looked toward the mural of Dialga on the altar’s left—the god of time itself.

“Could it be?” Zhao Fang approached and gently touched the mural.

[A mural recording past events. Touching Dialga may trigger a strange phenomenon.]

Seeing this prompt, Zhao Fang hesitated. Yet if he did not interact, he risked starving here or forcing Gyarados and Glaceon to fight their way out, hoping to find an escape.

Resolute, Zhao Fang pressed his hand against the mural of Dialga.

In the next instant, blue ripples spread from where his hand touched, rapidly expanding until they engulfed the entire altar.