Pokémon: My Parallel World Daughters Revealed

The video continued playing.

Mount Coronet’s temporary camp, at night.

Tiana sat on a sleeping mat, staring at the constantly fluctuating space-time energy waveform displayed on the terminal.

"Great-Grandma, when will Daddy be back?"

Professor Carolina adjusted her reading glasses and was about to answer when familiar footsteps sounded outside the tent.

"Did you miss me?"

Asher lifted the tent flap and walked inside, wearing the same lazy expression as always.

Tiana’s eyes lit up, and she immediately rushed over and threw her arms around him.

"Daddy!"

Asher smiled and ruffled her hair.

"I heard you defeated your mother. That was pretty impressive."

Cynthia walked over as well. Looking down at Tiana clinging tightly to Asher, she frowned.

"Tiana, you’re already this old. Why are you still behaving so childishly? Where is the dignity befitting a Champion?"

Tiana turned toward her and stuck out her tongue.

"Bleh, bleh, bleh~ Mommy, are you jealous?"

"You..."

"Hey, hey, don’t argue."

Asher spread his arms.

"My chest is plenty broad. There’s room for both of you."

Cynthia shook her head and lightly punched him.

"Stop fooling around. Grandma is still here!"

Tiana finally released Asher, while he cleared his throat twice.

"Ahem. Honey, why did you come here too?"

"If I hadn’t come, were you planning to shoulder everything alone?"

Cynthia rolled her eyes at him again.

"Hehe."

Seeing her expression, Asher immediately changed the subject.

"Honey, you look beautiful in that field uniform."

"This is not the time to say things like that!"

Cynthia glared at him, though the tips of her ears had already turned red.

"That’s enough. Save your flirting for when you get home."

Professor Carolina removed her reading glasses.

"For now, we need to discuss the situation. Dialga and Palkia are trapped in the deepest part of the space-time rift. To resolve the rift completely, someone must resonate with both dragons simultaneously."

"I can do it."

Tiana stood.

"Dialga and Palkia have been calling me ever since the rift first appeared. This time, the pull is stronger than ever. It feels as though they’re urging me to hurry inside."

Cynthia took Tiana’s hand.

She remained silent for a moment before asking:

"Are you certain?"

"I am."

Tiana nodded firmly.

"And I don’t want to wait any longer. Daddy has guarded the rift alone for so long. This time, it’s my turn to help him."

Cynthia looked into her daughter’s eyes and took a deep breath before releasing her hand.

"All right. But be careful."

Tiana nodded.

Asher walked over and crouched in front of her before ruffling her hair.

"Time and space are both chaotic within the rift’s core. Dialga and Palkia will constantly attempt to establish a connection with you. All you need to do is follow that pull and avoid being distracted by the illusions along the way."

"Illusions?"

"The space-time turbulence can read your memories and create scenes depicting what you most want to see—or what you least want to see."

Asher lowered his voice slightly.

"You must remember that none of them are real."

Tiana looked into his eyes.

"Daddy, have you been inside before?"

Asher smiled but did not answer.

He merely stood and turned toward Cynthia.

"Honey, you and Garchomp should remain at the camp. Someone needs to maintain the barrier from outside the rift."

Cynthia nodded.

"I understand."

"I obtained this Swablu through a rather special source."

Asher placed a Poké Ball in Tiana’s palm.

"This Swablu is unusual. It can protect you from the energy’s corrosive effects. And..."

He paused.

"Its parent is exceptionally powerful. Take good care of it. It will become an important partner to you."

Tiana nodded.

"Thank you, Daddy."

"And there’s this."

Asher brought up a set of data on his system panel.

"I’ve already analyzed the patterns within the space-time turbulence. Follow this route, and you’ll be able to avoid the most dangerous areas."

Tiana nodded seriously.

Asher looked at her and remained silent for a moment before smiling.

"All right. Get ready to leave."

[VIP Chat Group]

[Dawn]: Tiana is about to enter the rift! I’m so nervous!

[Iris]: What is so special about that Swablu? Asher said its parent was extremely powerful, but he never explained how he obtained it.

[Lance]: Whatever Asher considers a "special source" is undoubtedly something beyond our imagination.

[Diantha]: @Cynthia, how are you feeling right now?

[Cynthia]: ...Nothing in particular.

[Diantha]: You’re pretending to be calm again.

[Cynthia]: I trust Tiana, and I trust Asher. Nothing will happen to them.

[Bianca]: Champion Cynthia sounded so calm when she said that, which somehow makes it even more moving...

[Dawn]: Exactly. She can remain calm because she genuinely believes in them.

[Skyla]: Didn’t Team Rocket appear at Mount Coronet earlier? What if they try to cause trouble while everyone is distracted?

[Lt. Surge]: Those Team Rocket bastards definitely won’t give up so easily.

[Koga]: Proton is personally leading this operation. His rank is considerably higher than the Iron-Masked Marauder’s during that previous incident.

[Lance]: With Asher present, I don’t believe Team Rocket will accomplish anything.

[Leon]: You seem to think very highly of Asher, Lance.

[Lance]: You saw how he directly suppressed Giratina. Do you honestly believe Team Rocket could gain an advantage against him?

[Leon]: ...No, they certainly couldn’t.

The video continued playing.

Professor Carolina walked over to Tiana and gently straightened the lock of naturally golden hair hanging over her forehead.

"Tiana, your great-grandmother will be waiting for you to return."

"Mm-hmm."

Tiana nodded firmly.

Cynthia walked over to Asher and adjusted his collar.

"Both of you are coming back in one piece."

"Don’t worry."

Asher took her hand.

"I’m taking our daughter out to handle a job. I’ll bring her back exactly as I took her out."

Tiana tilted her head beside him.

"Daddy, shouldn’t I be the one saying that?"

Asher glanced at her and reached over to ruffle her hair into a mess.

"You still have a long way to go."

The scene changed.

At the summit of Mount Coronet, directly beneath the rift—

Asher stood on the rocky platform with both hands in his pockets, looking up at the continuously expanding blue-and-pink vortex.

"Mm."

He spoke without turning around.

"Tiana should be entering the inner layer about now. It’s time for us to get to work too."

The next instant, dark-golden light completely engulfed Asher and Dragonite.

They vanished from where they stood.

The Reverse World.

The physical laws of this place were entirely different from those of the real world.

Gravity was fragmented. Broken rocks and ruined walls floated through a directionless expanse, each rotating at a different speed.

Asher stepped onto a floating piece of rock. The moment his feet touched it, the surrounding gravitational field automatically shifted to an angle that allowed him to stand comfortably.

"The Reverse World. It’s been a long time since I last came here."

He looked around.

"It’s still as dark as ever. You’d think someone could install a few lamps."

A deep roar came from directly ahead.

The dark-golden clouds were torn apart by an unseen force, revealing the enormous creature concealed behind them.

Giratina.

Its body resembled an immensely elongated serpent. Six powerful limbs hung along its sides, each covered in dark-golden scales.

The bony plates along its back extended outward, covered in deep-red markings.

A golden faceplate stretched across its head above its gaping maw, its dark-red patterns glowing faintly.

This was Giratina’s Origin Forme—its true appearance, revealed only within the Reverse World.

"All right, all right. I know what you’re trying to do."

Asher shrugged.

"But if you continue striking the barrier like this, the rift will eventually expand far enough to completely collapse the boundary between the Reverse World and the real world."

"The backlash from the seal will consume you as well. No one benefits from that."

"Fortunately, we have a good opportunity now."

Asher stepped forward, and the floating rock beneath his feet automatically moved with him.

"In a little while, Tiana will enter the rift’s core and catch Dialga and Palkia."

Giratina’s movements froze for an instant.

"That’s right. You heard me correctly."

Asher’s tone remained casual.

"Once that happens, Dialga’s and Palkia’s energies will have a stable anchor. Their powers will no longer lose control whenever they collide, and you won’t need to keep attacking the barrier to balance them."

He stopped and turned his head slightly toward Giratina.

"So, I’m giving you two choices."

At that moment, a dazzling white light erupted behind Asher.

...

TL: Thanks, Alex Highstoke, for the Tier 3 Patreon membership! Heh, Highstoke—how about I stro— I’ve been advised not to finish that sentence.